Their walk through the desolate catacombs lasted a while, with the darkness and dampness reminding them that their only friendly company was each other, and the spirits of the fallen. The silence was filled only by their own voices and the loud, visceral munching that grew louder over time.

That wasn't the only thing that made things scary. As they progressed through the catacombs, they saw many telltale splashes of red streaking across the grey floor. The scent of minerals slowly became replaced with the foul stench of rusty iron. And at first, bones were littered everywhere, but later, those became replaced with scrawny, green limbs strewn about. Goblins, thought Ashbel. That much was obvious. But where were the humans?

The answer presented itself shortly afterwards. Sitting on what seemed like a throne of bones, with a pile of bodies to its right, sat a stout, demonic-looking monster, with dark purple skin and a warty complexion. It wore the black armour worn by a samurai, though lacking a helmet, and by its feet laid a giant, single-bladed, jagged sword, black in colour, about as long as Ashbel was tall. Its eyes were sharp, blank and yellow, and two dirty yellow fangs protruded from its drooling mouth, and in its hands it held the body of a human, which it was greedily chomping on like you or I would a leg of chicken.

As they approached it, Viera winced a little, and as the two of them stopped, she was the first to ready herself, holding her staff out to her side. "That's the mark, huh?"

"You bet. And it's just as big and purple as expected." Ashbel nodded, taking a deep breath and absorbing the smell of blood permeating the air. The hobgoblin continued to eat for a little while until it noticed the two of them, sensing hostile intent immediately. It threw the remains of the human into the pile, and while it reached for its sword, Ashbel grabbed his bow. "You ready, Vi?"

"...sure." she nodded, and at once her body began crackling with golden lightning while she stood strong. Ashbel, meanwhile, formed a bowstring and arrow of crimson flames and took aim. "For the sake of everyone who's died to this monster, we will strike it down!"

The hobgoblin, seemingly unimpressed with her little speech, picked up its sword and stood up, standing as tall as three men. The bloodthirst in its eyes was unmistakable, and it slowly walked up to them, raising its sword in preparation to crush them into the stone below.

https://youtu.be/RGHtMCVMWkA

"Not much of a talker, eh?" Ashbel chuckled, pulling back on the flaming bowstring and firing between its eyes, causing it to swat the arrow out of the air. It glared at Ashbel, who quickly switched from bow to sword, drawing his blade and standing in front of Viera. He grinned audaciously, observing it stand before him, and prepared to parry its blow. "Guess our weapons will do the talking, instead!"

Right on cue, the hobgoblin fiercely swung its sword downwards, and Ashbel raised his blade to counterbalance it. With a fierce metallic clang, both swords stopped in their tracks and struggled against one another. Ashbel may have been a demon, but even he had to admit he was struggling to keep up against such a monster. While things looked like they were at a standstill, Ashbel supported his blade with his other hand to avoid being swept away. His strained expression and clenched teeth betrayed his evident struggle.

Viera remembered the plan and darted off to the right. The red orb on her staff glowed with a bright light, and she pointed it at the beast. Seeing Ashbel beginning to falter, she acted quickly, firing a crackling lance of lightning. It soared through the air, striking the hobgoblin in the side, and as it felt electricity coursing through its body, it paused, eyes widening in figurative and literal shock.

Noticing that it stopped resisting, Ashbel retreated backwards, sizing up its armour to see where to strike. If he could get its head somehow, that'd be ideal, but for now, he'd have to try and strip it. Its armour seemed lighter on its lower body, and by going for it, he could reach its vitals even more effectively. Great tactic, he thought, but he didn't have time to act it out before the hobgoblin moved again.

This time, it focused on Viera, rightly identifying her as a threat. It leapt above the demon, surprisingly nimble given its size, and somersaulted in midair. Seeing it was destined for Viera, Ashbel stomped onto the ground while punching the air towards her, sending a wave of magic towards her. While she prepared to act, a spherical wall of rock rose from the earth, protecting her as the hobgoblin landed with a flying kick. It growled in frustration, jumping off it and attempting to kick it again, and Viera quickly ducked out from behind the wall to once again strike its chest with a spear of electricity.

This startled it again, just long enough for Ashbel to catch up, his sword ablaze as he ran up towards the hobgoblin. He swung his blade at the back of its knee, trying to cut through its armour, but then it regained its movement and, not appreciating Ashbel's persistence, it kicked him away, launching him into a pillar that he left a sizable crater in on collision. He slid to the ground, dazed from the impact.

It then looked down at Viera and quickly swept its blade in front of it, crushing the rock shield into pieces, but failing to take Vi with it as she jumped over it just in time. She saw Ashbel in the distance and figured she'd have to occupy it for now. So, once again, lightning filled her veins, and she looked up at it, holding her staff tightly in one hand. Their eyes met, and at once, they acted.

The hobgoblin started off with a flurry of ground-shaking blows, slamming its sword into the ground like it was wielding a brutish club and leaving several indentations in the stone below. It was desperate to hit Viera, but she weaved between its strikes for a while, backing away from it until its sword was just out of reach. It raised its blade into the air, the metal gradually turning purple as it charged it up with poison magic, and Viera quickly began charging magic into her staff, looking up and nervously preparing to dodge.

Which was just as well, as it stepped forward, performing a giant overhead swing that left its blade embedded into the ground and generating a massive wave of sludge that went forth, leaving a fissure of corroded earth in its wake. Viera managed to avoid the brunt of the attack by leaping off to the side, but seeing the earth burnt through like it was nothing, while also noticing that a bit of her robe had been burnt off, she widened her eyes, panting slightly.

Focusing on the task again, she saw it raising its sword from the ground and quickly pointed her staff at it, shooting forth a wild fork of lightning that struck the tip of the blade, using it as a lightning rod and transferring the shock to the monster, who seemed greatly wounded from this strike. It remained staggered, and at once a salvo of fire arrows came crashing down on it, starting at its back and hitting everywhere short of its neck. Ashbel had stood up, holding his bow with a grin.

"I'm over here, you toxic pig!" he taunted, watching as it turned its head over its shoulder to face him, taking deep, furious breaths. Its anger seemed to satisfy Ashbel, who switched from bow to sword as he brandished it threateningly. "Come on, can't you reach little old me?"

Its yellow eyes gleamed with a blood-red light, and it turned around, crouching down before sprinting over to Ashbel. The samurai grinned, running behind one of the puddles and waving at it, much to Viera's confusion and the monster's anger. It raised its sword above its head and charged in front of him to bring it down upon him. Once it performed its swing, he stepped to the side and stabbed one of the joints of its gauntlets, flames shooting through his sword. The metal began to glow with heat rather quickly, and it screamed, using its other hand to pick up its jagged blade and recklessly swing at Ashbel.

Viera was conflicted. On one hand, Ashbel seemed to know what he was doing, and he was keeping the heat off her - probably intentionally, given his earlier taunting. He wasn't doing an awful job, either. But on the other, she didn't want to feel like a liability. But was she supposed to act, or would striking now be intruding on whatever Ashbel's plan was? She looked around, moving behind a pillar and watching the two fight to see what she could do.

She watched the hobgoblin trying to make mincemeat out of Ashbel, to little avail. He dodged only a few slashes - the rest, he parried and blocked, his sword surprisingly durable in the face of the onslaught despite the obvious difference in size and strength. Perhaps that blade was magical in some way. She certainly wouldn't know. But his swordplay, his determination to keep fighting - now that was magical.

The two swordsmen duelled for a while, with Ashbel sneaking in some hits, but eventually, the hobgoblin had its way, catching Ashbel in its blade with a horizontal swing. It carried him away, launching him even further into the catacombs, and he tumbled across the ground. Viera, seeing this, immediately snapped out of her dithering and waved her staff in the air, firing a lightning spear at the water pool beneath it. As the hobgoblin prepared to give chase, electricity and water collided, travelling through the puddle to deliver an enormous shock through its body, more painful than the last.

Seeing the monster stunned by her attack, Viera immediately started to run as fast as she could, running past the monster to focus on Ashbel, who was slowly beginning to get up, albeit with a hint of difficulty. She crouched to his level, pressing her staff's jewel to his chest with a mildly annoyed frown. "That was reckless."

At that, Ashbel only gave a light chuckle, rising to his feet. "But it worked."

She sighed, closing her eyes and channelling more magic through her staff, which began to emanate a warm, soothing light that filled Ashbel with a particular feeling - of a warm hearth, blazing strong and staving off the cold, and this sensation remained as he felt his energy returning to him.

"Oh, Torch's light..."

As Viera began to chant, the hobgoblin began to move. It turned around, looking at the two of them. Its armour damaged but not broken, its pride shattered, its wrath more stoked than ever, and with its blade in hand, it slowly stepped out of the puddle, ready to claim vengeance.

"...shine upon this ward of yours..."

Now that it was out of the water, it began to charge towards the two of them, and they immediately took notice. Ashbel tried to pick up his sword, but Viera quickly stopped him, holding him in place as she completed her chant.

"...and keep the dawn at bay!"

At once, her staff shone brilliantly, and Ashbel had returned to his full fighting capabilities. Just in time, too, as the hobgoblin appeared in front of them and brought its sword down on them. Knowing they didn't have the luxury of time, they split up, Ashbel jumping to the left and Viera to the right, with the sword landing between them.

"Hit its feet, Vi!"

"Right!"

While it picked up its blade, she lunged in and raised her staff, slamming it into the monster's metal-covered foot like a hammer and delivering a mighty electric surge on contact. Its armour was visibly worn away, with its big purple foot partially exposed.

Ashbel, appreciating the distraction, picked up his sword and held onto it, examining the monster closely to examine any weak points. And then it hit him - its chestplate was weak. Viera had struck it with a direct blow. This was his chance.

"I'll break its armour! It's time we hit it directly!"

Viera nodded, watching the monster as it raised its blade, bringing it down on her. She quickly zapped the tip of the blade before jumping onto it, keeping her balance while she tried navigating her way along it. Her progress was slow, but when the monster recovered, it harshly swung down on Ashbel, who once again blocked it, gritting his teeth. As steel met steel, Viera jumped up to avoid being thrown off, just about managing to land and retaining her balance.

The monster slammed its blade down again, with Ashbel clashing with it once again, but Viera, who had made a lot more progress by this time, waited until the blade was at its highest point before leaping forward towards its face, her limbs imbued with lightning. She punched its nose, and turned around with a flying side-kick, stopping the hobgoblin briefly while she landed.

Meanwhile, Ashbel used this opportunity to escape the clashing of blades, ducking and rolling to the side before running to its feet. He grinned, jumping up and generating a copy of his sword made from black rock, hurling it into its foot and earning a ghoulish scream from it. He then lunged towards it, jumping on top of the hilt with his real sword drawn and ignited. It moved its arm to try and swat him away, only to be interrupted by Viera firing a lightning spear up at its arm. Ashbel jumped up, delivering mighty slashes the whole way until he encountered a weak point in the armour.

Once he did, he channelled as much magic into the blade he could, making his scarlet flames flare up while he pierced through the armour, reaching and transgressing the skin within. The heat and the blade combined made the monster open its mouth widely to unleash an ungodly scream, while Ashbel's flames quickly spread out of the fissure to assault the armour from beneath. Viera, who watched from below, stood back and waved her staff in a circle, drawing a circle in the air out with golden light. She then thrust her staff through it, letting out an enormous spearhead of lighting that pierced its chest, shattering the armour once and for all.

With its rotund torso fully exposed, Ashbel quickly removed his sword, sticking another rock-sword slightly lower so he could stand before slashing wildly at it, causing a dozen lacerations in only a few seconds. He jumped down, turning away from it and swishing the blood off his sword upon landing, sheathing his blade afterwards. Right on cue, each cut filled up with a roaring flame, delivering the final blow as the hobgoblin, shocked and burned beyond repair, fell backwards, killed once and for all. The two of them stayed their weapons, approaching the monster and gazing closely at it.

Ashbel was the first to speak, knowing his stuff around monsters, and smiled slightly. "Looks like he's dead."

https://youtu.be/8GL-q3E5opg

"...huh. We actually did it." Viera murmured, looking away from the demon and the monster. "...Good job."

"Aww, you did well, too." Ashbel grinned at her, raising his thumb at her.

"It's nothing. I just followed your plan, is all..." she muttered, hugging her staff tightly as she looked around, turning her gaze to where they had come from. "I guess you can put your money where your mouth is..."

"Haha, thanks!" Ashbel chuckled. "Now, let's go back upstairs and see if that priest can put his money where my hand is, if you catch my drift."

Viera blinked a couple of times before nodding, beginning to walk away with Ashbel in tow.

.........

Events proceeded as expected from here on out. Ashbel and Viera spoke to the priest, who, having overheard the hobgoblin's screams, happily handed over the money. The two split it as agreed, and departed from the building, mentally patting themselves on the back for a job well-done.

As they walked through the streets, there were a few people couldn't help but eye the unlikely pair. On one hand, a beautiful priestess - and on the other, a most peculiar-looking demon. That wasn't a common sight, so they eyed Ashbel closely, a mix of awe and fear written on their faces. But fear would overtake them when Viera took notice and harshly glared at them, causing them to avert their gazes.

Their walk led them to a quiet part of town with a few small statues on pedestals around the plaza - some were made of marble, some from onyx, some ruby and the rest sapphire. As Viera looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention to them, she took a deep breath to ready herself before looking up at Ashbel. "So...you wanted to know why I hired you, right?"

"As a bodyguard, right?"

Viera rolled her eyes at that, crossing her arms. "Well...yes, but I figure I should probably elaborate on that." she said. "You did ask, after all. I said I'd tell you later."

"Ah, so 'later' has arrived." Ashbel shrugged, smiling. "Alright, Vi. I'm all ears."

Viera nodded and pointed at one of the marble statues circling the plaza - featuring a svelte and beautiful young man with long, curly hair and a sword in his hands. "Do you know who that man is?"

Ashbel raised an eyebrow, looking where she was pointing. "Everyone knows who that is." he said. "That's the Torchbearer of Purity - Davante Aetherius, right?"

"Correct. But it's never good to assume." she replied. "Davante was the last Torchbearer, and his battle against the Beginning happened six hundred years ago. So now, it's time for someone else to bear his torch."

She gestured broadly around the plaza, observing the statues with a look of calm reverence on her face. "This plaza is a monument to all those selfless heroes, who bore the weight of the world on their shoulders so that we could continue to draw breath." she narrated, before resting her eyes on an empty pedestal next to Davante's. Ashbel followed her gaze, also seeing the podium and raising an eyebrow. "And one day...it'll be my statue up here, too."

"...so, you hired me as a bodyguard so you could become the Torchbearer?" Ashbel said, clearly taken aback by her words. "But what do you even need me for? Doesn't the Torch choose its bearer?"

"Indeed. But first, the bearer must find the Torch." Viera explained. "It appears physically at a shrine in one of the capital cities in Tali. For Davante, it was in the west. So now, it should be in the south."

"If it's a physical object, then who's to say that nobody's taken it by now?"

"Unlikely. Only the worthy may wield it." Viera shook her head. "Everyone else who plays with divine fire can expect to get burnt."

"Uh huh."

"And besides, when a Torchbearer is chosen...well, the world will know." Viera added. "The Torch sends us a sign, in the sky. And I have it on good authority that it hasn't happened yet."

"That's very convenient," Ashbel nodded, crossing his arms and thinking. "But what makes you so sure that you're worthy?"

"I have to be. It only makes sense." Viera insisted, crossing her own arms in return. "I've been devoutly following the Torch for years now, and all that I do, I do in its name. I've researched it enough to know what to do, and I'm willing to bear the burden! I'm more than qualified - if there's anyone else as devoted and knowledgeable as I am-"

"Yes, I know what a theologian is."

"...as I was saying, if anyone else out there shares my knowledge and devotion," Viera huffed. "Then they should've shown themselves by now."

"Heh, I respect the confidence." Ashbel grinned, looking at her and wondering about this task. If he'd known it was something as big as this from the start, he'd definitely have charged extra. But hey, a deal was a deal, and he was along for the ride. Ashbel Hagen never turns his back on a client, after all. "Alright, Vi. You have my sword."

"Excellent! We leave at the crack of tomorrow morning."

"Wait, why not now?"

"Who knows what happens in the choosing process! I need to be at my best!" Viera exclaimed, as though it were obvious. "After that hobgoblin fight, I need to make sure I'm in peak fighting condition."

"I guess that kinda makes sense, but what if someone else gets it while you're resting?" Ashbel pointed out.

"They won't."

"But if they do?"

"Well, that'll suck. But I have faith that I'll be picked. Very few people who actively seek the Torch out will get picked." Viera explained. "In the unlikely event that this happens, I'll just have to go and see who did it."

"Guess that makes sense. So you'll be resting at the Towers, then?" Ashbel asked, to which Viera nodded affirmatively. "Alright, then, Torchbearer-in-the-making, let's go!"

"Right. Make sure to be up on time."

With these words exchanged between them, the two set off, wishing to ensure that they were prepared for whatever trials awaited them. Knowing what he was in for, Ashbel felt more than compelled to see this through to the end.