Adil looked out over the strangely peaceful view. The crumbling buildings that were once Seras's home. he saw a goblin in the distance running from two others, it was clutching a large piece of bread.

"Give it back!" shouted one of the goblins chasing it.

"It's miiiiine," The running goblin said.

They both stopped upon seeing Seras covered in a fresh layer of troll blood. Then they ran off again.

"The demon, the demon is here!"

Before they managed to retreat an arrow lodged into the chests of the chasers and the head of the one carrying the bread. Adil tried to move forward to their rescue but was held back by Seras. Three men popped up from cover behind a half crumbled part of the town wearing the guards leather armour. Horatio was one of them.

"Captain," Horatio said coming to salute and looking impressed at the sight of the troll corpse. One of his guards had gone to the goblin and ripped the bread out of its death grip before retrieving their arrows. With all that had happened Adil and Seras winced at seeing their dead bodies.

"What happened here?" Seras replied looking around and raising her arms to show she meant everything.

Horatio took a glance at Adil and back to Seras briefly inspecting their clothes. "An attack, all manner of demonic creatures launched an assault last night, they were coated in a black liquid. Then, suddenly when morning seemed to come they burst into flame, some of them turning back into whatever was underneath the black stuff whilst others just died."

Adil and Seras at each other, a knowing thought between them.

"What sort of black stuff?" Adil said.

Horatio postulated on what it was holding a hand over his head as he tried to think. "It was.. like a seething evil. Darkness that...." he stopped his train of thought

"Like the shadow of madness," Adil said to himself.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. it took over some of the residents, seemed to make them turn on the rest of us"

The other guards had finished gathering their arrows and moved back to Seras. "Ready for orders cap'in." The bigger one said.

"Well Lucian," Seras said facing him.

"We need to rescue anyone in danger and push out the monsters. Can you report on the situation? " She added.

"Well, uh, after the trolls and that stopped being all black, they pretty much scattered. Seen them fighting each other more than us... So, we have the civilians all hold up in the library whilst us guards clear out the rest of em."

Seras looked towards Adil and back to the group.

"I think, it would be best if.. you all went back and held up in the library whilst me and Adil here, dealt with the rest of the monsters."

the guards looked at each other and back to Seras. "But Cap'n There's just too many of em."

"Ah, yeah. Well, we can take them. It's probably the safest option. Just get back to the library, and we will deal with the rest."

Horatio stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Seras, I can't let you do that."

She took a step back, "Ooh, yeah. It's just that. It really would be the best idea."

Adil put up his hand to interject. "I think Seras is right, we should just... be the ones to kill the other goblins."

"Ok, but you should really go back to base first."

A banging erupted from behind the group, they all turned around. The trap door, as damaged as it was seemed to be making a sound.

Seras moved over to the door and opened it to see what wanted them. Ezra's head popped up.

"We are ready to move," he said.

"Ok, just wait in there. Ill come back and get you guys in a bit."

he tried to look outside of the trap door and Seras slammed it over his head to stop him from being seen. A red face of embarrassment she moved back to the group hoping they didn't see anything.

"So, base right. Good idea, let's go to the library," she said.

They walked through the town, the open roads near carcasses of withered demonic beings. Adil moved over to one about to look before Seras gave him a stare that could kill a goat. Adil helped direct them through town in a way that avoided the goblins in favour of trolls or wolves.

Using Adils sense he focused on the essence of goblins, trying to avoid any of them on the way to the library. He saw that he would need to take a large loop as a bunch were almost directly in the way. he nudged Seras and pointed to a path out the way.

"Left," Seras said.

the guards looked at her in alarm.

"That's a long way round," he replied almost sceptically.

"monsters the other way, this way is safer." She replied, slightly putting Adil on edge.

They walked around the corner and saw a troll asleep spread on the floor.

"This way is safer one huh?" Lucian said.

Seras ignored him and moved forward waving a hand motion to the others. The group tried to sneak around to pass the troll and make it safely to the other side. A head popped up from inside the remains of a building, then a large 4-meter tall ogre stepped up, one of its arms holding half a bench as a makeshift club whilst the other held part fo a tree. The ogre roared at the sight of the group binging the troll to alert.

"Fuck!" shouted Lucian.

"in Position!" Horatio shouted

Horatio had already fired three rounds, firstly into the ogre's mouth hitting the back and coming out of its neck, then another into its right eye and another into the ridge of its left, only penetrating slightly. Lucian only just got his arrows ready as the beast began to charge, the other guard taking out a sword. Seras dove in alongside Adil, but Adil was the faster.

Having no arrows left he dove in through a gust of air. Lucian's two arrows hit the Ogre in the arm but one bounced off from the beasts thick skin and the angle it was shot. When The beast put its eyes on Adil it swung with the tree trunk but Adil glided around it and ducked underneath. Close enough now he chopped off the Ogre's right leg, putting him off balance.

The Ogre fell, and at that moment Adil burst air from his feet and shot up cutting across the creature. A spray of blood erupted from its chest as it collapsed to the ground crushing and immobilising the troll before it even managed to get up. Having caught up Seras planted her axe into the helpless Ogres head, splitting it until the aftershock created another eruption of guts.

Killed enemy xp

Large Ogre 450

troll (assist) 80

The other guards were not prepared for what happened, the precision and speed in which the beasts were killed.

"That's one fancy set of skills you got there," Lucian said.

Horatio walked towards him, seeing the blood on Adil's short sword seem to evaporate off it. "That's a nice sword and some fine skills you've gotten...It was almost like you moved with the wind." He said.

"Heh yeah, I have a few tricks," Adil said, he then created a small bolt of lightning from his hand and shot it into the ground. At that even Seras seemed surprised.

"New tricks," he said with a smile to her.

They walked on further, the library becoming visible. There was a barricaded area in which the library was the centre, a priest like a figure was around a few makeshift beds where sick people seemed to be held. the crowding of the library extended to its roof where a new guard post seemed to have set up. They waved at the building and a few troops around waved back. upon approaching the groans fo the wounded appeared more apparent.

The troops arrived at a woman in a white gown and glasses a checklist of some kind in front of her and she held what seemed to be a piece of charcoal.

"Name and will you be staying," the woman asked.

"Uh, Adil, I'm just popping in." He replied.

The woman wrote something down and then moved to the side.

a small child ran past the group and jumped up at Horatio.

"RayRay!" the child said. He lifted her up with a large smile across his face.

"Hey Bella," Seras said and then saw the child's eyes spread twice as wide.

"You're so dirty!" she said.

Seras blew back a piece of her hair and looked around at her dirty blood covered armour.

"You get used to it."

"Do you have any new stories!" she asked.

"Maybe, but not for today. We have some things we need to do." Seras replied the endearing nature of the child brought her a smile.

Someone stepped over the side of the library roof. He looked older and wore a trimmed version of Seras heavy plate armour, the sergeant Adil had seen before was on his right.

"Seras. I expect you to have a good explanation for your absence." The fancy looking one said.