The streets of Laistenbal were pretty much desolate by the time Erin and Casius arrived. With the exception of a crippled man struggling to make his way up the road and an elderly woman walking her dog, there was not a soul in sight.

Despite being the official neighbour of Dorafeir, the town of Laistenbal was nothing to look at. Rundown houses overlooked the leaf-strewn roads leading to the town square, and aside from the cluster of pigeons pecking at the dry ground and a single, unoccupied well, there was nothing to indicate that the town housed a population.

If not for the dogwalker and the cripple, Erin would have assumed that the town had been deserted, that the townsfolk had come to their senses and abandoned the place. However, this was not the case. Whilst escorting Casius about the streets and throughout the town, she stumbled upon a few more wandering locals, although she paid them no heed, choosing instead to let them continue with whatever it was they were doing.

They were close to reaching the heart of the Laistenbal when a group of young children armed with sticks rushed past, proclaiming that they were off to stop the "evil dragon" from killing the town residents.

'There's a dragon here?' Casius' eyes widened and he glanced round. 'We must help the young Mortals!' he exclaimed. 'They cannot possibly hope to stop such an abomination with petty weapons and no—'

'Relax, dummy,' Erin said, grabbing him by the arm and steering him back on course before he could attempt to follow after the children, who quickly disappeared down a nearby alleyway. 'They're just pretending.'

'Pretending?'

'Yeah. They're kids. Besides, what else can they do to pass the time in a place like this?'

'I see. So, young Mortals occupy themselves by orchestrating events which rely solely on the use of their imagination?'

Erin raised a single brow. 'Yeah, I guess so.' When she caught sight of Casius' awed expression, she smiled. 'What, are you telling me that little angels don't run around Heaven with sticks, chasing demons and stuff?'

'Not really, no. Young angels seek entertainment through family ventures and through the fascinating tales told by our Father.'

'Okay, just to be clear: when you say Father, are you talking about your biological father or God?'

'God.'

'So then what do you call your biological father?'

'Papa.'

The magus' smile broadened and her lips trembled in a lame attempt at hiding her own amusement. 'I see. So your mother is, what, Mama?'

Casius' brows knitted together in a look of confusion. Or was it possibly distaste? She couldn't tell. 'Why on earth would I address my dear mother as "Mama"?' he asked. 'She's my mother.'

'Well, because you...I...she...' Erin shook her head and sighed. Why waste time trying to explain the difference between something as insignificant as a way of address? 'Never mind. It doesn't matter.'

'Very well. Now, who exactly are we searching for? I have to say, this particular part of the realm doesn't appear to be all that safe.'

Erin rolled her eyes whilst Casius looked around the area, possibly taking note of the lack of habitants and overall excitement. 'Oh, will you relax?' she said. 'The only threat that lies in this region is a demented old guy, and the worst he could do is give you a good whack over the head with his stump. Anyway, the guy we're looking for doesn't reside in this part of Lasitenbal. He lives on the outskirts.'

'And who is this "guy"?'

* * *

'Hirst! Open the door, you great stinking midget!'

Erin's brows furrowed in a disapproving glare when the only response she gained was a faint birdsong. Pursing her lips, she hammered her fist against the scratched oak of the wooden door, dismissing the loud rattle its listing form gave.

Still, no response.

The magus sighed and swore under her breath. 'That idle arse!' With an unrelenting growl, she took a step back and ran forward, ramming the heel of her boot into the dense frame. The door shook against its rusted hinges, though – quite amazingly – it managed to stay put. 'Hirst!'

'I must say, this abode is quite unique.'

Sparing a glance over her shoulder, Erin noticed Casius staring at the so-called abode, though she deadpanned the instant she saw the admirable glint blazing within his dark eyes. Hirst lived beneath a small hillock on the far outskirts of Laistenbal, which was surrounded by nothing but rocks and foliage. What was so unique about it?

'Ohh, come on, Hirst!' She made it a point to raise her voice so that whoever was inside could hear her. 'Look, I know you're in there! I can smell you!'

'I do not smell!' a muffled voice on the other side of the door exclaimed. 'That's just my natural odour!'

The magus couldn't resist a devilish smirk. She would recognise that gruff, unforgiving tone anywhere. 'Ah! So you are home, then?'

'Ohh, piss on a stick. Hang on!'

Erin's brows knitted together when she picked up on the muffled echo of rattling metal, followed by the sound of chains being drawn. Seconds later, the door opened ajar to disclose a pair of suspecting blue eyes, which narrowed the moment they fell upon her.

'What? What d'ya want?' Hirst demanded, his thick brows furrowing in frustration. 'I'm busy.'

Erin, disapproving of his snarky attitude, folded her arms across her chest. 'Yeah, good morning to you, too. Listen, we just want to talk to you, so can you—'

'Hold on a sec. I know who you are!' Hirst's eyes widened and he went to close the door, though Erin reached out, seizing a hold of the wooden frame in time to stop him from doing so. 'You're El's sister, the Maelstras bitch!'

'"Bitch"? How dare you? That's offensive!'

A brief struggle ensured, with Hirst attempting to slam the door in Erin's face and Erin pushing against the frame in a bid to force her way through.

'Go away!' the man exclaimed, his features contorting whilst he fought to keep Erin from barging into his home. 'I'm not talking to you! You know your dunce of a brother tried to have me arrested for selling treasure? That's injustice!'

'It's not injustice if you're selling people izitonium!' Erin pushed her entire bodyweight against the frame of the door in an attempt to finally overwhelm him.

'I'm just doing business!'

'Giving them a ring made out of izitonium and telling them it's made of gold so they pay more, only to have it to corrode a day later isn't business. It's ripping people off! Now let...me...in!'

'Fine!'

Hirst conceded and stepped back without any prior warning, causing Erin to half-burst, half-stagger through the doorway. The magus barely managed to keep from planting face-first into the floor and threw him a sinister glare.

'Lout,' she muttered.

'Oaf.' The man known as Hirst was but an oversized dwarf with thick, greasy hair, charcoal coloured stubble and thin, mistrusting features. 'I refuse to let you take me in!' He retreated to the far corner of the room, fists raised, an ugly grimace strewn across his grubby face. 'I'll fight you! I will!' He thrust with one of his fists, as though to prove just how serious he was. 'I don't usually hit girls, but I'm willing to make an exception.'

'Listen, I could pick you up and swing you around this room, you gigantic mouse. Now sit down, shut up, and act like a gentleman!'

Hirst gave an exasperated sigh and held up his hands in a gesture of mock surrender. 'Fine, then. Storm into my home and intimidate me, why don't you? Didn't you Maelstras' ever learn basic mann—' He trailed off the moment his gaze fell on Casius, who stood alongside Erin, donning a smile wide enough to split his face in two. 'What are you grinning at, pretty boy?'

'I find your short stature most endearing,' the angel said, though his words only served to irritate Hirst further.

The dwarf's face flushed puce and he ran forward, waving his arms around like an out of control windmill. 'How dare you?' he shouted. 'I'll have you know that I'm taller than the average dwarf, which technically makes me a giant—'

'—pain in the arse!' Erin interjected, placing herself between the small man and Casius. 'Now sit down!' She stabbed a finger at the small table and chairs situated on the other side of the room.

Her eyes were but emerald daggers as she stared down at Hirst, who complied with a low grunt and shuffled over to the table. He slumped into the seat and gestured to the empty chairs opposite him.

'Well?'

Erin managed a smug grin. 'Now, that's more like it,' she said. 'Come, Casius. The kind man has allowed us to sit.'

They both made their way across the small, dim-lit room and took their seats. Erin sat down against the chair, trying with best efforts to dismiss the dull groaning of the weathered wood which creaked beneath the strain of her weight. Amazingly, the miniaturised structure looked set to hold.

Hirst spat at the ground. 'Pah! I can't believe your brother. He's a coward, you know, sending in a girl to arrest me.'

Erin's features twisted in a slight, disapproving grimace. 'Okay, three things.' She held up her fingers. 'One: don't you dare call my brother a coward! Two: so what if I'm a girl? I'm, like, twice your size! And three: don't just spit wherever you bloody well please!'

'Why not? It's my bloody house!'

'And we're your bloody guests!'

Hirst scoffed. 'So, what? I'm not treating you two like Queens just because you barged your way in here! Now, what do you want?'

'Your services.'

The dwarf's thin lips twisted upwards in a devious grin. 'My services, eh? Now which one would you referring to? My treasure hunting services, or are we talking about prost—'

'Treasure hunting services, you disgusting creature.' Erin reached into her pocket and pulled out the Sacred Key, which she then set down on the table in front of him. 'This treasure, to be exact.'

Hirst snatched up the key and began to examine its rusted form. The grin he wore gradually faltered as he turned the key between his fingers, allowing him to glimpse at it from every possible angle. 'Yeah, I don't think this is treasure,' he muttered once he was done. 'It's just junk. I mean, it's not even shiny! What am I supposed to do with this?'

Out of the corner of her eye, Erin noticed Casius tensing up and shook her head. The last she needed right now was for the angel to flip his lid. 'W-we don't want to sell it to you,' she said. Reaching across the table, she snatched the key from between Hirst's fingers and gave it back to Casius, who clutched it to his chest the same way a mother would clutch her darling child. 'There's another key out there just like this one,' Erin continued, 'and Elric thinks you're the best person to help us find it.'

'Does he, now? Huh...' 'Folding his arms across his chest, Hirst leaned back against the chair whilst offering the pair a grin that was all too ominous for Erin's liking. 'That is interesting.'

'Yeah? So what do you say?'

'No.'

Erin blinked. Had she heard him right? 'I-I'm sorry?'

'No.'

So her ears weren't playing tricks on her. He really had turned them down.

'And why in bloody hell not?' she demanded, ignoring the horrified gasp which Casius gave in response to her using the h-word.

'Because like I said before, that key's junk. Even if I'm able to find another one just like it, what do I get out of it? No idiot's going to pay a single aurum for that.'

It took Erin everything she had to keep from reaching across the table and grabbing Hirst by the collar of his shirt. Instead, she took a deep, cleansing breath. Once she was sure she would not attempt to strangle the audacious dwarf sitting before her, she straightened up. 'Okay,' she began. 'What if I told you that the key my ally is holding is really from the midst's of Heaven?'

'I hardly—'

'And that my ally is in fact an angel?'

The dwarf's grin soon faltered. 'Just how stupid do you take me for?' he said. 'Angels don't—'

Unable to tolerate the small man's comments anymore, Erin spared Casius a glance. 'Show him.'

The angel acknowledged her order with a polite nod and stood up, hands seeking the clasp of the cloak which secured his wings from view. The moment he unhooked it, the material fell free and a gathering of oversized feathers stretched out, forcing Erin to duck down in a bid to avoid being smacked in the face.

'—exist...' Hirst's eyes widened the second he caught a glimpse of Casius' wings and the rather pretentious grin plastered across the Erin's face. 'Piss on a stick!' he exclaimed. 'Is this guy for real?'

'Oh, he's very real,' Erin said, eying the dwarf with a look of conceit. 'I'm not lying when I tell you that the key he's holding belongs to the Elders of Heaven.' The corner of her lips twitched and she giggled. 'And you just referred to it as junk,' she added as a cruel afterthought.

Hirst's face flushed purple and he brought his hand down against the table. 'Well, how was I supposed to know?' he exclaimed, his bushy brows furrowing, indicating his growing annoyance. 'You could have made this exchange a whole lot simpler if you'd just started off by letting angel Gabriel over here show off his wings.'

'Casius,' Erin corrected. She exchanged looks with the angel, who appeared to be growing more and more irritant with every passing second, before redirecting her attention towards Hirst. 'Okay, listen. If you agree to help us, I promise to convince my brother to dismiss your crimes and to aide you in any personal task you so wish.'

The dwarf perched forward, and the devious grin Erin knew all too well slowly crept its way back across his face. 'Any personal task, you say?'

Erin's face darkened somewhat. 'Any non-sexual task, yes.'

'Pah! You're such a bore.' After taking a moment to reconsider the pair's offer, Hirst nodded. 'Ah, fine, why not? It's better than nothing, I suppose.'

'So, you'll help us?'

'I just said I would, didn't I? Now, about this personal task...'

* * *

The entrance of the cave was like a ginormous mouth opening to unveil the darkness which lay ahead, and a series of jagged rocks resembling the teeth of a vicious beast loomed above, warning the three strangers of the dangers which awaited them.

Still, neither of them turned back.

After exchanging glances with a determined Casius, Erin looked down towards Hirst, who stood alongside her, staring into the dark abyss with a look that was a little too eager for her liking. 'Okay, refresh my memory,' she said. 'Why are we here?'

'All in good time, sweetheart.'

Erin sighed and turned her attention to Casius. 'I didn't think this through, did I?'

The angel managed a weak smile. 'You did what was necessary to get him to comply to our request.'

'Yeah, but I'm starting to think that maybe tying him up and threatening to steal all of his gold would have been a better way to get him on our side.' When she noticed the doubtful expression etching its way across Casius' face, she shrugged. 'What? Blackmail's the only way to get through to this guy.'

Their conversation came to a halt as Hirst stepped forward. The dwarf reached down and picked up a small rock, which he weighed in his hand before hurling it directly into the mouth of the cave. It disappeared beyond the darkness, landing with a resounding thud which confirmed that there wasn't a massive hole waiting to swallow them up. Such silly assumptions may or may not have crossed Erin's mind.

When all that followed was a petty silence, Erin threw Hirst a bemused glare. 'Did you seriously drag us all the way up this mountain just to show off your rock throwing ab—'

Her words were cut off by the thunderous roar which suddenly emerged from within the shadowed depths of the cave. The noise was devastating, producing an ear-splitting shriek whilst emitting a series of powerful gales which threatened to knock her off the ledge she stood on. At the same time, the ground beneath her shook, causing her to stumble. If not for Casius, who rushed forward in time to support her, Erin would surely have fallen.

Then, as quickly as it rose, the noise diminished and the quiet soon resumed itself. However, Erin was no longer bored and confused, but instead concerned. Scared, even. The sensation of her heart hammering against her chest and the resounding beats of the pulses within her head filled her with an overwhelming sense of dread.

'What in the name of great spirits was that?' she demanded, redirecting her attention to Hirst, whose grin widened at the sight of her wide-eyed, startled expression.

The dwarf offered a cruel chuckle. 'Isn't it obvious?'

'What, a dragon? You can't expect me to help you slay a dragon! I'm not equip for that!'

'It's not a dragon,' he explained. 'It's—'

Before he could finish that sentence, however, movement stirred from inside the cave, prompting Erin to look ahead. A massive silhouette emerged from within, using its vast size to push back the shadows concealing its true form. The creature unleashed a low, animalistic growl as it advanced towards the three people who had dared trespass upon its grounds.

It drew nearer, and nearer, and nearer...

...until Erin finally caught a glimpse of what it truly was.

* * * *

Ooh! What do you suppose this mysterious creature could be? Willing to take any guesses? :D

Also, speaking of mysterious creatures, it seems we have a new character. Ladies and gentleman, may I present Hirst the treasure hunting dwarf? He's rude, filthy, short and...well, that's really all I can say about him.

Any first thoughts on his character? Comment below!

If you enjoyed this chapter, please don't forget to vote!