https://youtu.be/_-q_PyY1eIY

The White Tigers left their spot a little while after Ashbel's departure. Though they could see him walking in front of them, not paying them any mind, they did not dare try to attack him. For most, it was because they feared him too much to do anything against him, lest he poke their eyes out. The memory of their fallen brother was fresh in their minds, after all. If not that, they heeded the Rook's request to spare his life for now. He didn't seem to be attacking them yet, so now didn't seem to be quite the right time to disobey, even if the urge was there. As for the Knight...

"Oh, that honourless, brutish, boorish bastard! To think a demon could humiliate me in such a manner! When I get my hands on him..."

...her rage was something to behold, truly, and it seemed the only reason she wasn't trying to stab Ashbel was because doing so would make it harder to rant. The Rook, who she was talking to, certainly suspected such a thing. As he walked alongside his smaller, female companion, he kept a closer eye on Ashbel, though eventually, he turned to look down at her, deciding to let her get it out of her system.

"...and he even cut off my mask! My mask! How dare he? Oh, what will the Lance say? He's going to laugh me off to the General, who will give me a lecture about respecting White Tiger integrity before sending me to the King for my execution!"

At once, the Rook placed a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped yelling long enough to take a deep breath and look up at him. "Let us be realistic here." the Rook spoke. "You are not getting off with any worse than a penalty."

"...yeah, I guess you're right." she sighed. "But I still can't believe you spared him! Why would you even do that?"

"Because I sensed potential in this moment. The potential for growth." he said. "I could see how furious you were, shocked and confused at your defeat at the hands of Ashbel Hagen."

"I-I wasn't defeated..." she stammered out weakly, but as she looked up at him, she could see him staring at her, the fox mask's expression seeming to taunt her. She sighed, looking down. "Okay, I was...but if he's strong enough to defeat me, then you should've killed him for safety reasons!"

"Patience, Knight." the Rook shook his head slowly. "What do you think would have happened if I slew him on your behalf?"

"Well...I think the world would have been down one demon." the Knight crossed her arms indignantly.

"It would. But you are very prideful, Knight." he said, prompting her to raise an eyebrow. "A demon cuts off your mask and comes close to killing you, only for someone else to finish what you could not. I believe such a memory would haunt you for the rest of your life."

"W-Well, I..."

"It is only by sparing his life that the opportunity for growth presents itself." the Rook continued, satisfied that she seemed to be taking it in and running out of ways to oppose it. "For now, you have the chance to make up for your own mistake by claiming the life of Ashbel Hagen with your own blade. I believe this will be a difficult journey, but through your clashes, I believe you can learn a lot."

"...I suppose you may be right." the Knight frowned slightly. "But what do I tell the King?"

"Nothing unnecessary. I will be there, too, so worry not."

The Knight nodded, wondering how the King would respond to this turn of events, but figuring the Rook already had things covered. For now, she decided to focus her energy on the march ahead. They were destined for Suzaku, after all, so they had not a moment to waste.

.........

https://youtu.be/WDqWQWtC2EE

One more night came and went, and the next day, Ashbel was up and ready to go, having lost the Tigers a while back and now standing on his own. Having trekked for a little while longer, he arrived at his destination by noon. He saw a set of crimson walls surrounding a great city, centred by a tall spire with a vermilion phoenix statue perched on top of it. As he walked, he came across a gate, with a man holding a curved spear and dressed in red armour resembling plumage.

"Name, please." the guard spoke once Ashbel came up to him. Relieved that all he'd been asked for was a name, he decided to answer confidently and honestly.

"Ashbel Hagen." he said, a slight smile on his face. "I'm here to meet with someone."

The guard pulled out a short list of names and faces and hummed, reading through it before looking up at Ashbel with a nod. "You may enter."

"Thank you." Ashbel replied politely, walking through the gate which swung open to allow his entry. He walked inside, admiring the great city that waited for him behind it.

True to its namesake, the city of Suzaku was quiet despite its size, with the people walking through its brick-coloured streets presenting themselves with a calm exterior. It was noon, so the streets were still populated quite heavily, but it made Ashbel wonder where the parks and playgrounds were. Probably deeper into the city. The roads were covered with red tar, and the buildings on each side of them were tall, but not to the point of scraping the sky. All in all, the whole thing looked very high-class, and Ashbel breathed a deep sigh, smiling and walking in.

"Ah, Suzaku City..." he murmured, almost forgetting about the heat that had been his enemy the past few days. "How lovely you are..."

It was certainly a more exciting sight than the centre, that was for sure. Ashbel quite liked the south, and not just because he liked the colour red. Seeing the natural peace of the people in the streets, all the unfamiliar faces. He usually didn't hang around the capital cities unless it was to meet up with clients, though every now and then, he'd pay them a visit. But after a few days trekking from north to south, he figured he'd need some time to relax - and he was already in a nice city, so why not?

For now, though, the saying "no rest for the wicked" seemed apt. He couldn't keep his client waiting. So, he began to walk, looking for the cathedral that he had been instructed to meet them inside. So he walked through the streets, past the houses, and peered inside the taverns, seeing a few people drinking and reminding himself not to get wasted before his mission was done. So, instead, he continued looking for anything vaguely cathedral-like, but found something else that caught his eye.

It was a stall selling all kinds of interesting street food, particularly of his favourite kind - buns! Filled with various kinds of meats that he could identify at a glance. Tough, purple hobgoblin meat, soft and rare wolf meat, and even a few more. He stared at them, deciding he could maybe spare a few gold coins and a few minutes to snack on a bun or two. Oh, and maybe he could ask the bandannaed man behind the stall for directions, too.

Thankfully, there wasn't a queue, so he excitedly moved in front of the stall, where he and the man behind it exchanged a smile. "Greetings, traveller!" the man exclaimed. "What can I fix you?"

"Ah..." Ashbel murmured, looking at all the buns on display and taking in the lovely, savoury scent of cooked meat and bread. "They're all so nice! Any suggestions?"

The man looked at Ashbel's horns, scales and eyes, and thought for a little bit. "You're a Salamander, ain't ya?" he guessed, earning a nod from the demon. "I take it you like spicy stuff, right?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Ashbel raised an eyebrow. "Spicy foods are cool and all, but I'll eat just about anything that isn't too sweet."

"Hmm...then I wouldn't recommend the troll bun." he murmured, thinking for a little while before suddenly having a 'eureka' moment and looking Ashbel in the eye. "Well, sir, the evil sheep were slain just this morning, and the fried orc is extra smoky this season!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Ashbel grinned, his mouth practically watering as he put his hand in his pocket. "I'll take...two, no, three of each!"

"Ooh? Do you have two embers, then?"

"Sure do." Ashbel nodded, taking his hand out of his pocket to present two small, circular pieces of gold, each with a small flame embossed into them, and pressing them into the man's palm. Satisfied, he watched as the stall-keeper pulled out a brown paper bag and stuff the correct buns into it. "By the way, while I'm here...I'm looking for a certain Cathedral of Rebirth. Could you give me directions?"

"Of course!" he said, handing Ashbel his bun bag, which was taken eagerly. "You're gonna want to head to the spire, then go southeast. You'll see a black building with phoenixes on it - that's the cathedral! And watch out for the hobgoblin~"

"Hobgoblin?"

"Oh, yeah, one of them was spotted in the catacombs the other day. Had a sword and shit." the man said casually. "Hope it doesn't kill you while you're praying."

"Oh, uh...thanks." Ashbel said, beginning to walk away from the stall as he kept this in mind, digging into the bag to take a bite from a fried orc bun. He didn't look the part, but he was certainly thinking. Thinking about this strange menace, the hobgoblin, and recalling all his notes on such creatures. He had a feeling it would come in handy.

.........

https://youtu.be/YYfoWIlt9vw

And eventually, after a few minutes of walking, Ashbel, gnawing on his third bun, came across a cathedral fitting the description he'd been given by the bun man. A great cathedral crafted from black stones, with matching phoenix statues on top of each of the high points on the roofs. Despite its dark colour, it looked very pristine - certainly not like the type of place a hobgoblin would be camping out in. Beneath its slanted roofs laid multiple arched windows and a grand door that he stood in front of, slowly stepping inside. This was, without a doubt, the Cathedral of Rebirth. He wasn't sure what kind of person his client would be like, or even if they still remembered they were meant to meet him inside, but he was eager to learn.

As he entered the cathedral, he was met with a large room, longer than it was wide, with several tall, arched windows with stained glass paintings featuring the five gods - a vermilion phoenix, a white tiger, a black tortoise, an azure dragon, and a golden qilin. The room was crafted out of black stone and wood, with sturdy pillars surrounding the white, wooden pews. There were a few confessional booths embedded into the walls, and at the end of the room was a tall altar.

There were very few people in the pews, most of them with their eyes closed and hands together in prayer. Behind the altar was a bishop who was leading them all in prayer, delivering a quiet plea for safe travels and a good harvest. It was very typical for a church, he found, but there was a clear odd person out.

At first glance, she seemed to fit in, wearing priestly, golden robes accented with white, that complemented her long, caramel-blonde hair. But her golden eyes were open, and she remained silent, her hands together, while a long, gold staff tipped with a red, kite-shaped crystal laid by her side. The look in her eyes was bored - impatient, even. She was attractive, he could admit, but more importantly, she was most likely his client. And she was waiting for him. Well, it was a possibility, at least, but he'd never know for sure unless he tried.

Good thing Ms. Potential Client happened to be by herself. He smiled, walking up to the pew she was kneeling by, and moved next to her, glancing at her before kneeling as well, setting his buns down beside him. The girl looked at the redhead, seeming mildly irked before she got a good look at him, and immediately grew curious at this flame-haired, burning-eyed hunter who had joined her to her left. Black horns, athletic body, ashy skin and orange scales...he certainly fit the description.

Once he had knelt down and she got over her knee-jerk hostility, she looked at him with a stoic face and said, quietly enough for only him to hear, "...Ashbel, right?"

"That's the name." Ashbel replied just as quietly. "Why, have you heard of me?"

"Of course I have. As a mercenary of your repute, adventurers and the like know all about you." the woman continued speaking, without much emotion in her voice. "That's why I sought you out."

Ashbel reached into his pocket while she spoke, pulling out the letter that he'd received asking him to meet up in that very building. Unless he'd been misled, he was sure he had the right place. He presented her the letter, asking, "I guess you're the one who sent me this, then?"

"Yep." she said. "I'm told you're one of the best bodyguards around, so I've got a special job for you."

"Well, before we discuss that, I think there are a couple more important things to talk about..." Ashbel said, grinning slightly while the woman raised an eyebrow. "Firstly, your name. I still don't know it. Would it have killed you to put it in the damn letter?"

"Well, uh..." she began, seemingly wanting to defend herself only to give up almost instantly. She sighed audibly and looked at him with a narrow-eyed, slightly embarrassed expression. "...my name is Viera."

"Ah, good, we're getting places. It's good to know names - gotta establish that bond of trust, you know."

"Whatever." Viera rolled her eyes at his words.

"Can I call you Vi?"

"You may not."

Ashbel chuckled quietly, figuring this girl was the icy type - definitely not the kind whose boundaries he should overstep. "Okay, then, Viera it is." he shrugged. "Now, we also need to discuss matters of payment..."

"Money is no object. I can pay you." Viera asserted, waving it off casually.

"Right. But we've gotta cover things like down payment and distance fees, too." Ashbel said, tapping the middle of his palm. "As you may not have known, I was in the north by the time I received your note, and since the stablehands up there 'don't serve demons' apparently - not convinced that he didn't just hate me - I had to leg it."

"From north to south...that explains why you took so long." Viera murmured. "I was waiting for over a week."

"Yeah. Took me about five days to get here." Ashbel admitted. "I can only imagine how long it took that poor messenger - though, at least she got a horse."

He then cleared his throat, stopping himself from going on a tangent about the unfairness inherent to the situation, and looked directly at her. "But, let's not veer off-topic." he said, giving another chuckle. "I hope you understand that the fee'll be a little steep."

"I understand."

"Good, good. Now, then, you want a bodyguard...for less than a week, if I recall...add on fees for supplies...delivery costs...add an extra little bit for causing me to meet the annoying tiger-girl..." Ashbel murmured to himself, doing the maths in his head while Viera raised an eyebrow, watching him curiously. Before long, he ceased his muttering and turned to her with a bright smile. "Okay! That'll be six-hundred and six embers!"

His smile remained unflinching even as Viera's expression slowly turned from blank to mildly disappointed - probably more at herself than anything else. "Wow, uh...that is steep..."

Ashbel nodded slowly in understanding of that fact. "Uh huh. Will that be an issue?"

"No, no, I can pay up, really!" Viera shook her head quickly. "This is important, so I don't mind paying up!"

"Important? How important?"

"Hmm..." Viera mumbled, thinking about whether or not to answer for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Alright, works for me." Ashbel shrugged, deciding it wasn't his place to press for details. The bishop at the front ceased his prayers, and everyone, including Ashbel and Viera, sat back on their pews, the former thinking about the deal. "I'll let you decide how you wanna pay up - do you wanna do it all upfront? If not, I can offer a thirty percent down payment...or you could take the secret third option."

Viera narrowed her eyes, watching Ashbel suspiciously as he mentioned this third option. She crossed her arms, frowning slightly. "...I'll hear you out."

"Awesome." Ashbel grinned, crossing his arms. "Then here's the deal - inside the catacombs, there's a hobgoblin. People are getting worried, so I'm gonna kill it. I'll take six-hundred and six gold from the prize money. Any leftovers are yours to keep. Sound like a deal?"

"This sounds too good. What's the catch?"

"Clever. The catch is, you have to help me." Ashbel admitted, a small gleam in his eyes and a cheerful grin on his face. "You can fight, right?"

"Of course." Viera spoke quickly, taking a deep breath as she tried to imagine just how a hobgoblin fight would go. Growing visibly nervous as a result, she glanced at Ashbel before looking away. "Right, yeah, the hobgoblin. With a sword. Inside the catacombs. That people have died to."

"You know, if you don't want to, you can just make the payment."

"And who said I didn't want to?" Viera dug in her heels, crossing her arms. "I can do it! In fact, this will be an excellent way to prove myself! So, I'm in."

"Love to hear it." Ashbel said, noting the sudden change in her demeanour but deciding not to question it. Clearly, she was still worried. It was cute, actually. But under his protection, she'd come to no harm, he was sure of it. "Then welcome aboard, Viera! I hope our alliance is a fruitful one!"

"Yeah, yeah." Viera sighed, looking ahead of her to continue listening to the sermon. Ashbel, figuring things had been sorted, decided he may as well listen in while he was here, even if he wasn't especially religious.

"And as the Torch shines its dusky light upon us, let us take solace, for we have a shelter from the harshness of the dawn."