~2 minutes after the incubus appeared~
The cold bite of steel hovered against my throat, the faint hum of energy thrumming from the spear's blade. Blood, my blood, dripped onto the wooden floor, pooling around the battered shape I'd taken.
I coughed, the metallic tang of iron coating my tongue. Well, I thought bitterly, that didn't go as planned.
I thought I could win a fight against him... oh how wrong I was...
I stared up at him with the spear pointing to my throat.
His expression remained unchanged, sharp and emotionless. Just like his attacks had been. Efficient. Precise. Ruthless.
Through pain and the blood welling up in my throat, I said, "I never expected you to be so strong... I guess the rumours about you were right... Jackson."
I never expected a demon like me could be beaten so easily by a human so young... or what I thought was human until now.
I lay there in the form of Jack's friend, the one he had the biggest attraction to, bruised and bloodied, staring back at Jack through swollen eyes.
I stared into his eyes and remembered the fight and my foolishness underestimating someone like him.
~2 minutes ago~
When I changed into that Wolf-boys human form, I expected hesitation, confusion... anything but Jack didn't even blink.
Instead, his aura exploded outward, like a wave of pressure slamming into me. My knees almost buckled. My heart stuttered, an unfamiliar chill creeping down my spine.
Fear.
It clawed at the edges of my mind, whispering a truth I hadn't considered.
'I fucked up.'
I barely had time to process the thought before pain flared in my foot. I looked down, stunned to see a black dagger embedded there, the blade pinning me to the floor. I snarled, trying to wrench free, but lightning cracked through the air.
A searing bolt of energy struck my face.
My vision blurred. The spear slipped from my grasp, clattering to the ground.
Jack moved before I could react, closing the distance with terrifying speed. His spear—a simple weapon moments ago—now glowed with an ethereal light, infused with spiritual energy that hummed like a living thing.
Then the real nightmare began.
Jack attacked with the precision of someone who'd mastered not just one fighting style, but all of them. His spear blurred, shifting seamlessly from thrusts to sweeping arcs, from disciplined quarterstaff techniques to the brutal efficiency of a halberd's cleave.
Spectral blades erupted from his strikes, slicing through the air with deadly accuracy. Each slash left glowing trails, arcs of pure energy that I knew—knew—could kill me if I mistimed a single dodge.
I tried to move and fight back. First, I quickly tried to pull the dagger out of my foot, but nothing happened; it wouldn't move.
I felt my fear grow as Jack was 2 seconds from hitting me with his spear. I yanked my leg hard instead, and finally, my foot came out, but the dagger was still in there.
Sadly, I couldn't celebrate just yet.
I pulled the dagger out with my tail and started to fight back, but nothing worked.
Claws extended, and I was swiping with desperate ferocity. He deflected them effortlessly.
I released pheromones thick enough to cloud a stadium, seduction woven into every breath. His gaze never wavered.
Illusions wrapped around him like shadows, distorting reality itself. He walked through them as if he couldn't see them.
Panic surged, raw and bitter. My mind raced for a strategy, anything to regain control. But Jack didn't give me time to think. His attacks were relentless, a storm with no eye, just endless fury.
And he was careful.
Always avoiding the people frozen in time and never letting me hide behind them.
He fought like he was born to kill me, like the heroes of the old tales.
He was so skilled it was like watching him paint a mural, and I was just another canvas.
Eventually, my strength faltered.
He sounded the blunt end of his spear, hitting me directly in the chest, cracking my ribs.
That final strike sent me sprawling, my stolen face bloodied and my pride shattered.
Now, we are back to the present with him standing over me and pointing the spear at my throat.
I coughed again as Jack watched me with those sharp, unreadable eyes with a slightly dark golden colour radiating from them and piercing into my demonic soul.
Slowly and painfully, I ended the illusion of Jack's friend. My true appearance emerged, a far cry from Ark's fragile frame.
Jack's grip on his spear didn't falter, but after a tense pause, he extended his hand.
Reluctantly.
I stared at it, then laughed, a wheezing, broken sound. "You've got a hell of a right hook for a D-rank."
His expression remained unreadable. "You're the one who underestimated me, Zareth," he said bluntly.
I accepted his hand. He pulled me up with surprising ease. My body screamed in protest, but I managed to stand, leaning heavily against the wall.
"Yeah," I admitted, wiping blood from my mouth.
I suppose a proper introduction is in order." I gave a slight bow despite the pain I was in and introduced myself "I am the Adventurer Guildmaster of Raventhorn at your service. Name's Zareth."
Jack didn't respond. He didn't need to.
We both knew the truth.
We'd known about each other long before this fight. I'd heard the stories from the Guildmaster in the city he was in previously, whispers of the boy with unnatural talent, the one who should've been an A-rank but kept himself hidden behind a D-rank badge. I thought they were exaggerated.
I was wrong.
So very wrong.
"I just wanted to test you," I muttered, wincing as I shifted my weight. "Didn't expect you to beat me half to death." I let out a weak and pained laugh
Jack finally spoke, his voice low and even. "You froze me in time and tried to control my mind."
A grin tugged at the corner of my bloodied lips. "Yeah… fair point."
Silence settled between us, heavy with unspoken words.
Then Jack turned, his spear resting against his shoulder as if the fight had never happened.
I watched him go, licking the blood from my cracked lips.
'Fucked up,' I thought.
He sat down at another table and gestured to the other chair.
I stared at him for a second, confused.
He sighed and said, "A devil so desperate to use an artifact that can stop time so we wouldn't be disturbed wouldn't just use it to seduce someone, that isn't how Devils work."
I froze hearing him call me a Devil. Nobody knew that ye,t he did after unknowingly each other for less than 3 minutes.
"So are we going to discuss what you wanted to or not?" he said while holding his dagger and pointing it at me again.
A cold sweat ran down my back as I walked over and sat down.
~~~~~~~
Jacks POV
I stared at Zareth as he sat down nervously.
I waited for him to talk.
After a minute, he nervously asked, "How did you know I was a devil?"
With a black expression, I said, "Your demonic aura. Although you can hide an Aura from people with Mana or Ki, you can't hide it from people with Spiritual Energy."
Zareth was wide-eyed as he realized what I just admitted.
"Sp-Spiritual Energy... does that mean you are the-." he stuttered
Interrupting him, I said, "Yes. I am the summoner the spirits have been talking about."
He was slack-jawed now.
"And before you ask why I am not worried about telling a Devil about what I am... do you think a Primordial would allow a Devil to tell the secrets of someone they have a contract with," I said with a threatening smile.
Zareht was confused on that last, bit but once he processed that I said Primor,dial he started to panic.
Devils are Rank 5, 6 and 7 Infernals and Primordials are Rank 10. if Zareth ever told anyone, the primordial I have contracted could kill him with a flick of their finger.
(Brakos can't but Zareth doesn't need to know that)
I let him calm down a bit before I asked, "Do you have any other questions before we get to business?"
he took a moment before he asked, "How do you know I used an artifact to stop time?"
I smiled, "I have a contract with a spirit who can stop time. This doesn't feel the same, it's more artificial rather than natural. Also,o if it was your curse, then everyone in the city would have not,ced, and I doubt the Guildmaster wants to be run out of town for a simple test."
He nodded in understanding.
I gave him a moment before I asked again, "Now tell me, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
I caught Zareth off guard a bit.
He hesitated, let out a long sigh and spoke.
"I was informed about you by the guild master in the Rondo domain. When I heard about you, I got curious and concocted a plan to test your strength. I underestimated you,u and we are now here. So I do apologize for what I did,d." he said
I nodded and let him continue.
"The more 'official' reason I wanted to talk to you is because I have a quest and none of the other adventurers I can send can complete it."
I raised an eyebrow and said, "Go on."
He breathed and said, "In the academy, there are 4 very special items. As a student at the academy, you can enter and leave as you wish. I need you to find these 4 items and bring them to me."
Intrigued, I asked, "What kind of items?"
He grabbed the scroll and unrolled it, showing me a description of the quest and what I needed to find.
I stared at it for a second in shock.
"Y-you want me to go into the academy, find these and bring them to you. Is that right?" I said
Zareth nodded and pulled out another envelopee "That's right. This envelope contains all the information you need for the quest and anything that could help you,ou including staff members involved."
...
"...Don't worry, I did nothing to this one," he said
I took the envelope and thought for a second
After a bit, I asked, "Do you know what happened to the mother?"
Zareth shook his head. "As far as I know, she was killed last month. I knew her beforehand and gathered everything I could when I heard what happened. When you retrieve the eggs, I will bring them to a sanctuary where they can be raised safely."
I nodded and asked, "What's the payment?"
"10 gold coins for the eggs. 2,0 if you can relieve the academy of any more related items. And 50 if the young are present and rescued. There shouldn't be more than 4, and thankfully they are not due until next year."
I nodded and said, "I will take 5 gold for the eggs, instead I want information."
Zareth, intrigued, asked, "Information? On whom?"
I smiled and listed what I wanted to know.
[1] Devils are Infernals from Rank 5 to 7. They typically look more humanoid rather than most,ers are are almost always the cause of half-demons or teiflings.
The difference between a demon and a devil is that a devil has a soul and true sentience, while demons are more like wild animals with minimal intelligence.
Devil specialize in using Curse magic and every Devil has a unique curse they can use. They can learn more but their innate curse is their strongest weapon. A devils curse is also personal so they never reveal it as other devils can find a way to prevent it and kill them.
A devil can get another devil's innate curse by consuming their core as well.
[2] A small note I should add. Zareth can tell what someone's race is just by looking at them. So he knows Ark is a wolf even if he doesn't currently have wolf ears or tails. (Ark looks like a normal human currently, in case I haven't made that clear.)