Chrono Saints, Episode One: E.S.P.

[Zanafar]

Yawn. As much as he enjoyed leisure days, it's been over a week since their last mission. Sitting around on his favorite recliner chair, staring at the lone ceiling fan in the whole office for the nth hour, he had to admit it was getting pretty boring lately. He didn't bother to fix his unkempt white shirt and tie so that he could look a little bit more presentable if potential clients decided to show up. He didn't like wearing a suit everyday, but it kinda grew on him as the years past by. Of course, days like this caused him to slack off more than usual.

Zanafar's gaze drifted from the ceiling fan to his partner, Fii, who was now throwing jabs at the worn punching bag they decided to set up next to the front door. He smiled in amusement as he watched her try and mimic common maneuvers: slipping, swaying, ducking, and weaving, all the while making awkward jabs at the punching bag. The boxing gloves was a size too big for her hands which made her punches ineffective. The punching bag didn't even bulge after each hit.

"Fii...You might want to put more power in your punches," he commented casually. It was good that she was motivated to improving her martial prowess, but it wouldn't do her any good to throw weak punches like that.

"I can elevate the power of my punches tenfold anytime I want. Plus, I don't want to waste stamina trying to punch hard normally," she replied in her typical neutral tone.

You're wasting stamina right now with those excess movements, he thought to himself. Well, whatever, she'd get tired eventually. At least she was being somewhat productive.

Ring. Ring. Ring. The phone rang. Zan made the effort to lean forward from his comfortable position to answer it, the hologram of their superior's face immediately coming into view, bald head and all. The elder man didn't have a strand of hair anywhere on his head. His most distinguishing feature was his prominent chin and stern glare.

"Chief," Zan answered with forced enthusiasm. "What's the word?"

"Thought you could use a job, seeing as I know that you're in the red again this month," the Chief replied back, not bothering to validate his claim because he knew them to be true.

Leave it to the Chief to be the first person to point out their usual monetary issue. For being a contracted detective agency, they sure got paid substantially less than other special operatives within the police force. Sure, they weren't official police officers but they've put a lot of effort into making sure the city was safe from demonic or monstrous beings. The least the bureaucrats could do was give them a raise or two.

At least the Chief was mostly sympathetic towards them. It was through his efforts that they managed to acquire the license and office to start their work. He was a blunt individual but he was lenient enough to cover for them when they messed up and had to go through a lot of red tape. Though they call him Chief, he was really the captain of the West City division of E.S.P. "Entity Suppression Police." A specialized branch of the police force that were trained and equipped to deal with otherworldly beings that threaten the safety of Earth.

"That's great, Chief. Thanks for always looking out for us, we'll take it," Zan smiled apologetically and bowed his head at the hologram. "Is all the necessary information already emailed to us?"

The Chief merely nodded his head before continuing. "Yeah, as always. Get it done, and get it done right. There's no investigating this time around. Just go to the site and kill whatever is causing trouble there." With that, the image flickered off.

Zanafar turned to regard Fii, who was posed in mid punch...also staring back at him. After a moment of silence, he decided to speak up.

"Fine, I'll look over the files." Normally Fii would be the one to sort through the information, but today seemed like she was being particularly lazy despite the workout she did earlier. Oh well, no use ranting when we're finally getting a mission so we can get paid.

Fii in turn simply showed her approval by giving a thumbs up with her gloved hands.

Sigh. At least the Chief said all they had to do was go there and deal with it, which was a quicker ordeal than trying to do actual crime scene work. Hopefully whatever they had to deal with was trivial enough to be brought down with ease.

As he looked through the documents in their outdated laptop, he frowned slightly as he read up of what they might have to deal. So much for it being trivial. Looks like I'll have to bring Nagareken on this one...
[/size]

[Fii]

Getting a mission so they could get paid was a godsend she had expected to come sometime during the week. It was almost time to pay the electricity bill and they were running low on funds. Buying the antique Castlebania pinball machine had taken a toll on their reserves, despite Fii managing to negotiate the price down to half its original value. It was a good find though, there were only ten such pinball machines in existence and was worth quite a lot for collectors.

So now they were on their way to the site, Zan driving the blue mini-cooper. It would have been more efficient to have a hovercar instead, but Zan disliked flying. She didn't mind this flaw of his, vehicles that still ran on the ground were retro enough compared to the more mainstream hovercrafts. The sound of the engine, the feel of the car cruising across the street, and having to watch out for more obstacles had its merits.

"So?" Fii asked in her usual neutral tone as she continued to glance absentmindedly at the passenger window. "What are we dealing with this time?" Judging from his reaction earlier and that he brought his trademark sword with him, they weren't sent out to deal with a small fry. [/color]

"Two demons," he said plainly. "A Hezrou and a Kyton. Two Category C demons. Think we can handle them?"

"How much is the paycheck?"

"...Five thousand Zeni."

"..." Fii thought about it for a bit. The demons Zan mentioned weren't a cakewalk to deal with. They had fought those types before, but not both at the same time. Five thousand Zeni...seemed a little cheap to be tackling two demons of that caliber. She didn't need to use her magic to divine what the outcome is. It's not like she could refuse to do a mission from the Chief anyways. Between the Hezrou and the Kyton, she'd rather fight...

"Dibs on the Kyton," Fii quickly pointed out. The Kyton was the weaker of the two in terms of overall difficulty.

Zanafar made a tsk response to indicate his displeasure.

Truthfully, it would be better for them to double-team one demon at a time but in reality they wouldn't be able to slay one fast enough before the other would join the battle. Fighting both at the same time even if it was two-on-two wasn't a good idea either. Their best approach would be to split up and fight them one-on-one away from each other.

She didn't like where this was going. She might end up depleting all of her personal mana reserves just to live through this. Five thousand Zeni... She was going to demand a raise after this.

[Zanafar]

Mood Music

"This is the place."

Zanafar stopped the car right outside a parking garage that was under construction. The building was seven stories tall and at least a football field wide. It's cylindrical structure was made out of metal reinforcements and concrete. Not exactly the best place to fight two Category C demons, but at least there shouldn't be any civilians inside that could get caught up.

The duo started to head towards the main entrance as the sun set over the horizon. As they walked past the empty toll booth, it was apparent that the were the construction workers left in a hurry. A bunch of their equipment were sprawled out randomly around the area.

"The reports said that some other E.S.P. operatives managed to draw the demons here and erect a barrier around the block so they wouldn't escape." By-the-book procedure if he ever saw one. E.S.P. might be a very small and secret branch of the police force but all its members had some form of mystical training. Hell, even some monks were recruited into the fold. Each operation group had a specific role when dealing with dangerous beings: a reconnaissance team to find out what they were dealing with, a vanguard team to take first shot at taking a monster down or baiting it to a designated area, a barrier team to make sure the monsters are contained and the surrounding areas are protected, and lastly there was the Reaper team, the ones that finish the job if the vanguard team fails to destroy their quarry.

"Right then," Zanafar let his left hand rest around the hilt of his katana. Since he was stuck dealing with the Hezrou, he didn't have the luxury to take it easy this time. If he let the battle drag out too long, he would be in serious trouble. "Mind slapping that spell into my sword?"

"That's a dirty thing to say," Fii made an impish smile as she touched the hilt of the blade and invoked the requested magic into the sword for absorption.[/size]

"Baka, I'm not the one thinking of dirty things here," Zan couldn't help but chuckle softly at the joke. "How about giving some protection or boosting spells while you're at it. I have to fight a Hezrou by myself here."[/size]

"I can only maintain six continuous spells at a time and two of them are taken up by my contingencies," Fii pointed out as they continued to walk into the ground level of the parking garage. "I can only afford to place one spell on you so pick what kind you want."[/size]

Hmm, just one eh? It wasn't a really hard thing to decide on. He was confident in his offensive capabilities so only his defenses needed some boost.

"Okay, I'll take one order of that Entropic Guard spell to go." He'll definitely need the extra shielding spell so that he could survive the Hezrou's blows if they manage to land.He could feel the unseen force blanket over him as he watched Fii hold her hand out towards him for a moment. Zan nodded his head slightly in thanks before looking around warily. The garage was dark in most areas except for the occasional fluorescent light hanging from the ceiling.

"Do you know where they are?" He asked, already knowing that his partner would have traced their location before they entered the building.[/size]

"The Kyton is up on the fifth floor. The Hezrou is directly ahead at the building's atrium. Don't hurt yourself too much," Fii spoke softly as she held up an open hand for a high five.[/size]

"Yeah, don't blow up anything either." Zan slapped the flat of her open palm gently before heading towards the atrium while Fii walked up the stairs to the upper levels.[/size]

As he approached the atrium, Zanafar heard a glottal demonic laugh echo in his head. Telepathy, it came to no surprise that the Hezrou would be aware of their presence.

Well, well...look what we have here. More humans that come for me to eat. Eating only one isn't enough.

Zan hopped over the low wall to enter the circular atrium and found the Hezrou crouched down, feasting on the remains of what looked like an anthropomorphic construction worker. The demon as a brute. Eight feet tall, a thick greenish body with its back lined in spikes and flat-nosed, lizard-like head with sharp teeth. Its bulky arms ended in four claws while its short, stubby legs seemed unfit to support the creature's mass. The Hezrou made a deep growl as it threw off the half-eaten carcass and took a step towards him.

With a grimaced look, Zan rested his right hand on the hilt of his sword. The entire atrium stunk worse than a field of dead cows and a faint mist permeated around them. Zan fought the urge to gag and immediately mustered up the magic to start purifying himself against the toxins that were starting to affect his body. That was one of the unpleasant things about fight a Hezrou, their skin produced a foul-smelling, toxic liquid whenever it fought. Unfortunately for the demon, Zan was a Life Arcanum user; Managing his body was child's play.

"E.S.P., dirtbag. We don't appreciate your bad behavior here in our world so how about I do you a favor and slit your throat so you can be with your buddies in hell?"

How about I send you there instead?!

The Hezrou charged forward using all four limbs. For such a large and bulky creature, it moved surprisingly fast. Zan gritted his teeth and unsheathed his blade as the demon barreled at him.
[/size]

[Fii]

As she walked the flight of stairs up to the fifth floor, her mind already formulated the necessary magics to properly combat the Kyton. As she mentioned to Zanafar earlier, a mage of her caliber could only maintain six continuous spells at any one time. She was nearing that limit right now. Earlier she had cast her Spatial Map to scan the area for the demons and to see the entire layout of the building. The magic sent out a constant ping that enabled her to know where everything was. It was a favorite magic she often used in order to give her an edge within unfamiliar grounds.

Fii also shrouded herself with her Untouchable spell, a spatial shield that distorted the space around her so she had a high chance of avoiding attacks. It was one of her strongest defensive spells, though not infallible. Lastly, she always placed two contingency spells upon herself that would activate during predetermined conditions. With her placing a shielding spell on Zan, she only had room to maintain one more spell that wasn't instantaneous. Fortunately, one should be enough to handle a demon of this type.

As she neared the fifth floor she saw that the walls and stair floor were lined with jagged scars across the surface, as if things scraped and cut through the stone. The exit door to the fifth floor laid out in front of her, torn from its hinges and cut into several large pieces. Her Spatial Map showed the image of the Kyton fifty eight yards due south, southeast from her position.

The garage floor was illuminated well enough by the hanging fluorescent lights. Her spell allowed her to see her surroundings clearly enough, like a bat using echo location, so she had no fear of the lights being put out.

As she approached the vacant area where the Kyton was located, she decided on the last spell that she would maintain. Combining her expertise in the Matter and Forces Arcanum, Fii willed the friction between the soles of her shoes and the stone floor to decrease. As the magic took effect, she began to slide across the floor as if she was on ice. Surprisingly, she maintained her balance despite not being in a perfectly smooth surface; the sole of her shoes shifting constantly to accommodate the contour of the floor. It was as if she was skating along the ground without any need for roller blades.

Chink. Chink. Chink. Chink. She could hear the rattling of chains as she skated around the corner to see the Kyton as it slowly walked ahead of her. A human-like, pale-skinned demon, the Kyton was wrapped in barbed chains of numerous lengths. The chains ended in various types of weaponry from spikes to hooks.

The Kyton seemed to take notice of her presence as she saw it turn around abruptly to glare at her. Okay, so now what? I don't have a lot of offensive magic that doesn't require mana. Mana was a precious resource to any mage. It was difficult to replenish and time consuming to draw from other sources.

Not wasting anymore time, she held her hand out in front of her, palm outwards and fingers pointed to the ceiling, as she concentrated on siphoning the ambient electricity around the area. Streams of electricity gathered in front of her palm from nearby lights and electrical wires. A bolt of lightning shot out from her hand a split second afterwards, striking dead center on the Kyton's torso, sending it flying back into a wall as it let out a metallic shriek. Some of the chains that it wore had fallen on the floor.

Fii increased the friction beneath her so that she could slide into a halt to examine her handiwork. Her lightning bolt was nowhere near the power that Masters of the Force Arcanum could produce but she was no slouch either.

The Kyton picked itself off the wall, its chest and chains blackened by the lightning, the wounds it received began to slowly heal. As it started to run towards her, the chains around it began to rattle and move around as if they had a life of their own.

With a slight frown, Fii decreased the friction below her feet again and started to slide away. An update from her Spatial Map drew her attention to her left. The discarded chains were quickly flying towards her. Fii spun around and ducked, managing to barely dodge the incoming assault thanks to her spatial shield. Just as she regained her balance and slid away from the animated chains, she saw the Kyton hurl a few more chains her way that seem to stretch farther than their intended length, reaching her from thirty feet away as she once again turned her body to the side to avoid being skewered by the spike on its end.

Now she was on the defensive as she had to dodge and slide away from the animated chains. She now had to worry about four animated chains that were flying around like snakes in water while the Kyton was swinging and controlling another set of four chains that expanded and contracted at will. Though she was evading well enough thanks to her method of travel, it was clear that she was losing ground fast.

As she ducked and weaved from another barrage of chains, while using a nearby pillar for cover, she saw a parked truck some distance behind her around the bend. Before she could turn around to slide towards the truck, chains came around from either side of her.

Crap! Even with her spatial shield, an encompassing attack like this was difficult to defend against. The chains wrapped around her and pinned her to the pillar she used for cover, suspending her from the ground.

"Aagh!" Fii gasped in pain as the barbs tore through her clothing and dug into her flesh. Not good! Not good! She was immobilized and she could see the Kyton walking closer, a few of its animated chains moving in the air around it. The chains that coiled around her began to move and slither across her body.

Despite her predicament, she couldn't help but smile nervously as she remembered a meme that was unfortunately fitting for this situation.

"I've seen Zan watch enough hentai to know where this is heading..."

[Zanafar]

Zan leaped out of the way as the Hezrou crashed through the concrete wall into the parking garage. As the dust cloud settled, Zan used the opportunity to make a charge of his own at the demon's back, swinging his sword in an arc that managed to cut a gash through its thick leathery hide. The slash seemed to have some effect as the Hezrou roared and swung its massive arm wildly at him. It was easy enough to dodge and Zan prepared to strike again. This time, the Hezrou managed to parry his sword strikes with its clawed hands.

Zan could clearly see the glistening coating of venom that covered most of the demon's body. It was only thanks to his life magic that he managed not to be affected by the toxin's effects, but it still stunk like hell. Although it was an annoying ability, the Hezrou had more dangerous abilities to watch out for.

Mustering the mana to evoke his magic, Zan enhanced his physical strength and speed greatly by honing his body with life energy. Grasping the hilt of his blade with both hands, Zan sliced upwards at the Hezrou as it attempted to block. His blade managed to cut deep through the demon's forearm. The Hezrou staggered back from the blow and roared in pain.

"Time to finish this!" Zan exclaimed as he prepared for another strike.

Impudent morsel! Die! The demon held its claws out towards Zanafar.

Oh shi-! Zan barely had time to react when he was engulfed in a multicolored explosion of leaping, ricocheting energy. The chaotic explosion sent him skidding across the ground. Chaos Hammer, the Hezrou's primary magical attack. It was hard to see coming because it can form the origin of the explosion anywhere and it had a greater effect to lawful individuals like him. His body hurt all over, but thankfully a good part of the damage was weakened thanks to the Entropic Shield that was placed on him by Fii. It managed to leech some of the energy from attacks so that it was weakened before affecting him.

"So much for finishing it off quickly," he muttered to himself just as he saw the Hezrou hold its hand out again, its eyes crackling with energy.

This time around, Zanafar managed to roll with the explosion so the damage he took was minimal. Not wanting to give the demon time to charge another blast, Zan sprinted towards it. His enhanced speed covered the distance between them quickly and he was poised to strike. Before his blade could slice through the demon's chest, the Hezrou vanished.

Zanafar swung through open air before stopping and frowned, knowing what happened. Teleportation, another one of the Hezrou's abilities. The demon could teleport at will. Usually it teleports to gain some distance so that it could use its...

He didn't even bother to think about dodging, his body moved on its own as he once again barely managed to get caught up in the Chaos Hammer explosion, only his leg managed to get hit by the edge of the blast.

No sooner did he regain his balance and spot where the Hezrou teleported to, it once again vanished from his sight.

Shit. New plan. Zan didn't have a lot of ranged attacks, but he could always rely on his innate ability. Once he's spotted the Hezrou appear again, held his free hand upwards, palm to the ceiling. Four wispy teal-green flames appeared above him, each the size of a soccer ball. Fox Fire. Let's see if the demon likes this!

He swung his arm outwards, and the four balls of flame shot out, rocketing through the air like miniature meteors before hitting the Hezrou in its chest and head. The fox fire caused some damage, its hide charred from the impacts. Zan prepared another barrage of his fox fire when the demon teleported right in front of him with its thick arm in mid-swing.

The punch to the face sent him flying back into a pillar, making a large crack on it before falling to his knees. Blood dripped from his lips and he was seeing stars. That hurt. As he staggered to a stand, he noticed a tiny ball of multi-colored energy that was its Chaos Hammer start to pulse and expand in front of him.

"Oh come on!!" BOOOOOOM!!!

[Fii]

Jokes aside, she was in a pretty tight pinch, no pun intended. Despite her incredible magical aptitude, she was pretty vulnerable if immobilized. Fortunately, she had a few tricks up her sleeves. But first she had to relinquish her movement spell. Concentrating on the area around her, she focused her will to create magnetic fields on the cement floor, pillar, and ceiling. Creating different magnetic fields in different spots with varying intensity was tricky, but she's had practice.

Little by little, the chains entangling her start to loosen and twist away from her as magnetic forces acted on the iron to release their hold on her. It was enough to overcome the Kyton's control of the chains, and as soon as she dropped to the ground she bolted towards the truck. Looking back, she could see her magnetic fields hamper the Kyton's movements; the chains around it shifted and pulled in whichever direction while the demon fought for direct control. Her spell wouldn't be able to hinder it for long, she had to come up with another plan.

Before Fii could start thinking of one, she noticed that the position of the Hezrou down below changed instantly from one place to another. No direct movement, it was in one place then it was in another.

Oh yeah, those could teleport. Fii was slightly envious of that fact. Despite her expertise in the Space Arcanum, she wasn't good enough to be able to teleport. Sure, she could create portals to other places, but it took some preparation. Only Masters of Space magic were capable of teleportation, and even then it required mana to perform; Hezrou demons had no such limitation.

Either way, that gave the Hezrou too great of an advantage against a fighter like Zanafar; not to mention it could decide to teleport to where she was, and that would be bad. She had to seal its movements.

As she relinquished the effects of her Spatial Map, Fii began to concentrate on sealing the entire building from teleportation travel. The spell required at least a minute to fully manifest and she had to stay still, but her magnetic field should stop the Kyton long enough for her to complete it. Aside from that, the only cover she could somewhat rely on was the truck.

The demon continued its struggles, hissing at her as its chain twisted and contracted from the strain of the area's conflicting magnetic fields. Fii watched the Kyton wearily as she worked to expand her Dimensional Lock spell's area of influence.

It was annoying having to divide her attention in the middle of combat, but it had to be done. Next time she'll be better prepared for situations like this. At least they were getting paid, though five thousand zeni was not enough to compensate for the amount of effort she was putting into the mission.

Her gaze darted to a couple of animated chains that managed to snake their way to the edge of her field. That wasn't good, she still had ten more seconds before she completes her spell. As she watched in dreadful anticipation, the chains eventually slipped out of the field and quickly flew towards her, their spiked end aimed at her head.

What good was cover when the damn things could go around it? Damn, Either drop the spell and dodge out of the way or finish the spell and get her head skewered? She didn't like her choices...

[Zanafar]

This was getting ridiculous. With the Hezrou teleporting around, he was forced to be on the defensive. Whenever it would appear at a distance and invoke its Chaos Hammer, he could only try and dodge out of the way while hurling his fox fire in retaliation. Whenever it would appear close to him, he had to evade the demon's attempt to grapple him. The moment he had time to counterattack, the Hezrou would teleport away just in time.

It's just a matter of time before I kill you! But before I do, I'll be sure to tear you limb from limb! The Hezrou's telepathic laughter rang inside Zan's head.

Zanafar crouched behind a pillar, breathing heavily. He was getting worn out from the Hezrou's constant attacks and his earlier injuries were starting to slow him down. This wasn't looking too good. The last time they fought a Hezrou, Fii had to seal its teleportation magic before they could bring it down. It would be a godsend if Fii was working on a way to do that now.

His gut suddenly told him to move as a large chunk of the pillar broke off from the Hezrou's punch. Zan launched a ball of fox fire just as he tumbled away, striking the demon on his arm. Enraged, the demon evoked another burst of Chaos Hammer right behind Zanafar.

The blast seared his red coat and sent him flying towards the Hezrou as it swung its massive arm to punch Zan in the chest. Bracing himself for the inevitable hit, Zan extended his arm out with his sword pointed at the demon. Just as the Hezrou's punch connected, the tip of the blade pierced into the demon's left eye sending a gout of blood on the floor.

The force of the Hezrou's blow sent Zan flying back, but this time he managed to twist his body to land on his feet, his free hand holding his chest. Urgh! He coughed up some blood. If it wasn't for the entropic shielding, he would have had several broken ribs. Looking back at the Hezrou, he could it roaring in pain. That put a smile of satisfaction on his lips. A few more hits like that and he could finish it off for good.

The Hezrou stopped roaring, only clutching its injured eye as it glared hatefully as it started to slowly circle around him, keeping its distance.

A strong vermin, aren't you? I will not get near you again! I will just destroy your carcass from afar and watch you die. Once I'm through with you, I will watch your companion get ripped to shreds. Perhaps even now she is being butchered by my kin. A pity you are not there to see her suffer. But don't worry, you will join her shortly! The Hezrou's form began to fizzle out of existence as it evoked its teleportation, only to appear in the same spot with a look of disbelief in its lone eye.

Zan couldn't help but smile in relief. He'll have to buy her a meal after this was over.

"Oi dirtbag! don't misunderstand," Zan spoke plainly as he shifted to the Kasumi no Kamae stance of kenjutsu; legs spread apart, knees bent, elbows close with his blade held parallel to the ground, edge up and aimed slightly to the side.

"It's not me who is the strong one...it's my partner."

[Fii]

The spike at the end of the chain was merely a couple of inches from her face. Fortunately, that was as close as it was ever going to get. The animated chains, while still snaking through the air, remain stuck at their current distance in front of her.

One of her contingency spells had activated just in time. A Suspension spell was set to trigger in case a potentially fatal attack would hit her while she was defenseless. Any attack that required her to be physically hit, her spell would keep it suspended in place until she cancels the spell. In this case, the spell created a bubble of suspended space around her, ensuring that no physical attack would be able to reach her.

Her dimensional lock spell was complete and she was momentarily safe from harm. The fight has already made her waste some mana, and that was starting to annoy her.

The Kyton managed to finally free itself from the magnetic field and sprinted towards her.

Not wanting to drag this battle out any longer, Fii evoked her second contingency spell. Crackling bluish white energy erupted from her right hand and took shape in the form of a translucent double scythe with blades on both ends of its shaft. Phantasmal Weapon, a weapon created from mana, the spell was another one of her favorites that enabled her to create any weapon or item at a moment's notice.

The Kyton predictably ran into her Suspension spell's zone of influence, stuck running in place while trying to reach her with its hooked chains. Kytons weren't too bright compared to most demons of its caliber. With the demon and its animated chains in front of her, it was time to retaliate with an all out attack.

As Fii dispelled the Suspension field around her, she evoked her Acceleration spell. Her own temporal motion accelerated, making everything around her seem to move slow. Despite the chains' close proximity, she was able to weave around them. Like a dervish, Fii spun her body around while twirling her phantasmal double scythe in a flurry of slashes at the chains and the demon.

Her attack occurred in a split second; the Kyton's body cut into pieces along with its chains. Fii didn't bother to look back at her handiwork. It was just another demon that needed to be put down. Though something seemed odd about the whole situation. The Kyton was more aggressive than usual compared to the last time she's fought against one like it.

Fii shrugged off the thought. Maybe it's nothing. In any case, she was done with her battle and she had wounds that needed tending to.

"Time to see how Zan is doing..."

[Zanafar]

Zanafar lunged forward, his blade aimed to pierce the Hezrou's chest. It moved its hardened claws to block the attack, sending out sparks as the it connected with the blade. Zan's attack was stopped, but he still had momentum. With but a thought, Zan activated the stored spell placed within the blade earlier by Fii.

A burst of white and blue flames erupted from the blade, enveloping the Hezrou's form in a torrent of fiery energy. Celestial Fire, a primal flame composed of pure mana, capable of burning anything, was now quickly disintegrating the Hezrou's flesh. The demon roared in pain and thrashed around wildly as if trying to extinguish the flames.

Zan poised himself for another strike. With his enhanced strength and speed, his flurry of slashes brought the Hezrou down to the ground as the flames continued to burn. One last stab into the demon's skull ensured its demise.

With a sigh of relief, Zan stepped back and watched as the flames eventually turned its corpse into smoldering ash. He sheathed his blade as he leaned back against a nearby pillar. Immediately, he began to concentrate on healing himself. Being a disciple of the Life Arcanum, he was able to spend some of his mana to heal his wounds by manipulating his very own cells to allow his body to regenerate.

After a couple of minutes of silence, he saw Fii make her way towards him, making a casual wave.

"You're done too, huh? Thanks for the assist."

"You owe me, and you can start paying me back by healing me."

Zan noted that she had a few cuts and puncture wounds. Unfortunately, he forgot to mention of his magic's limitations.

"Uh...Fii, I've only used healing on myself recently so I don't think I got to mention it but...I can only heal myself. Healing others is something only Adepts of my Arcanum can do." He didn't like to be the bearer of bad news, but it was the truth.

Fii gave a disappointed look before sighing.

"Fine...carry me then."

Zan chuckled weakly before picking her up to carry her back to the car.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Though they were successful with their mission, there was nothing much to celebrate about. Even Zan was disappointed that they were only going to get paid five thousand zeni for their efforts. Still, atleast the city had two less strong demons to worry about now.

"Do you want me to stick around while they patch you up?"

Fii shook her head slightly. "It's okay, it won't take long."

"Alright, call me if you need anything."

Upon arriving at the hospital, Fii once again asked to be carried inside. Zan couldn't help but shake his head and smile at her need to be pampered. It wasn't something he normally obliged but this time she deserved it.

After checking her in with the doctors, he was off to drive home for the night. By tomorrow he should be as good as new. For now, sleep was in order.