Hunter enjoyed the feeling of safety inside the building. It had been nice to rest in the Sanctuary and finally get some equipment that was worth a damn. When he opened the wooden outer doors of the structure, he was greeted by a pair of solicitors.

Two imps looked up in surprise from where they were scavenging in the piles of broken and discarded weapons. Hunter looked back at them in equal confusion. He hadn’t expected to face an enemy so soon. Despite his shock, he could already feel his Sword of Avarice vibrating in its scabbard.

Hunter didn’t waste any time. He drew his sword and launched a fireball at the imp to his right. The blade engulfed itself in fire when it cleared the scabbard. Hunter was impressed—he hadn’t given the sword any instructions—but he didn’t let it distract him. The combination of drawing his blade and lobbing a fireball was so smooth that it looked practiced.

The fireball closed the distance and erupted in the demon’s chest. The imp was launched a few feet and was engulfed in emerald fire. Hunter hoped that the blast would distract it long enough for him to take the other imp out of the fight.

The other imp yelped as the explosion detonated, but Hunter was already in melee range. He had activated sprint and was already slicing down at the imp with a two-handed overhead chop. The demon staggered backward and was able to save itself from a deadly blow. Instead, the Sword grazed it narrowly and drew a jagged line down the front of its chest. Inky blood spurted from the wound and painted the ground in ebony patterns.

Hunter released one hand and shifted the blade to his left hand. He raised his right hand and threw another fireball toward the second imp. It had just risen to its feet before the ground underneath it was blasted into cinders. At the same time, Hunter used one hand to thrust his blade into the bowels of his closest opponent.

The blade slid cleanly through the imp’s stomach and burst out the back. Hunter could feel the slight catch as the sword slid past the imp’s spine. The demon began to choke as black blood rushed from his throat. It coughed and Hunter felt spittle hit his face.

Okay, that’s mildly fucking disgusting.

Snarling, Hunter pulled his sword free and gripped it with two hands. He planted his feet, pivoted his hips, and swung his blade horizontally. The edge cleaved through the imp’s throughout while barely meeting any resistance. Even the demon’s spine was easily sheared in half. The swing of the blade caused the imp’s head to go tumbling backward. It hit the ground with a muted thump, and the rest of the demon’s body slid to it’s knees. Shadowy blood started spitting from the arteries in the imp’s neck as its shriveled heart tried to keep the body alive.

Hunter didn’t worry about the new splatter of blood that his new armor would acquire. Instead, he turned to face his own opponent and had to immediately dodge to the side as a green fireball was launched in his direction. His dodge was smooth as he tucked in his shoulder and rolled past the majority of the explosion. The force from the blast buffeted him and he took a minor amount of damage, but his armor and padded tunic protected him from the worst of it.

He threw an answering fire just as the imp launched a second attack. The two projectiles met in the middle, and they exploded to blanket the area in a wave of green fire. The ring of fire only traveled a few feet before it consumed its own energy and faded away.

Hunter sprinted through the remains of the detonation, and smoke curled away from him. To the imp, it looked like he had appeared from the fire itself. Its eyes bulged, and it opened its mouth to scream. Hunter only made it a couple of paces before he was met by the demon’s sonic wail. He groaned as the sound pierced his eardrums and ricocheted around his brain.

Congratulations! You have earned Pain Resistance Lvl 5!

The pain was so overwhelming that Hunter couldn’t take another step. He flinched as the Imp threw its trident, and it crashed against his breastplate. The force behind the throw caused him to take a step back, but his armor wasn’t even dented. Luckily, the imp had closed its mouth to make the throw, and the wailing had immediately stopped.

Hunter rushed forward and threw another fireball to distract the imp. It threw its own, but it was far too late. When the two projectiles collided, the resulting explosions were too close to the imp. Once again, it was thrown from its feet, and Hunter was able to capitalize on the error.

He rushed the imp and thrust with its sword. By this point, his heart was racing, and adrenaline was flooding his body. He didn’t have the same accuracy that he had with the first demon. Instead of goring the imp, the blade slipped between its ribs and inner arm and became lodged in the earth.

Instead of trying to retrieve his sword, Hunter followed his momentum and crashed into the imp on the ground. He raised his fists and starting raining blows on the demon’s face. He screamed his pent up aggression as he rocked the imp’s skull with impact after impact. Every time his right fist landed, his gauntlet lit up with green light until it encased his fist with Flames of Avarice.

Hunter didn’t even notice the change; he was too focused on ending the threat to his life. After a couple of strikes, the imps skull started to deform. With a few more, the bone started to crack and crumble until it looked like it was sinking in on itself. Even then, Hunter didn’t stop. He could smell the imp’s burning flesh, and its blood was covering his fists and face, and yet, the teenager kept pounding.

He didn’t stop until the imps skull was shattered and its face was flattened. A pool of blood turned the bare earth into a sucking mess, and gray brain matter was flung across the dirt. Hunter simply stared at the brutalized figure beneath him as its legs and arms thrashed in post-death throes. As it died, a flood of notifications hit his vision, but Hunter didn’t even see them. He was too focused on the enemy beneath him.

As Hunter came back to himself, he realized that he was breathing heavily. He felt a flood of emotions overtake him. He didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh, or to cry, or to scream in rage. All of his feelings were soft on the edges, and they were almost indistinguishable from the next.

He stood up on one knee and tried to arrest his pounding heart. He took deep and even breathes as if he were using his skills to meditate. After a long moment, his breathing started to even out, and his heartbeat started to slow.

He fully stood up and took in his surroundings. Luckily, there had only been the two imps. With his new equipment, he had been able to defeat them. The fight wasn’t easy. He supposed that no battle was ever easy, but he had won, and that was enough for the moment. He picked up his sword and checked its length for damage. He didn’t find any chips or cracks, and even the blood had been absorbed by the sword. Satisfied, he sheathed it on his hip and peered at his victim.

The imps focus looked more advanced than the typical one. From that, Hunter surmised that the demons had been doing the same thing that he had planned on doing. From the looks of it, they hadn’t gotten very far along before he interrupted their harvest.

He scanned his eyes across the battlefield and saw that there were still scores of different kinds of armament scattered on the ground. He hadn’t realized that imps could evolve their weapons as well. He should’ve learned that from the beginning. Hunter wasn’t unique. He was just a guy trying to make the best out of a shit situation. He needed to remember that, or the next imp he ran into might kill him. He couldn’t become complacent.

Hunter used the sleeve of his right hand to wipe the blood from his face. Bemused, he watched as the smeared blood was absorbed into the focus on his arm.

At least it cleans itself.

When it finished, he picked up the focus from the imp below him. His own started to glow as he brought the two together. It was time to see if he could get his equipment to the next level.