The massive demon loomed ahead of Krev and Riven. Its heavy steps shook the ground as it approached, making the air thicken with tension.
But Krev didn't move towards the demon.
Instead, with a swift kick, he shoved one of the smaller demons forward.
Dreadcarver, the massive demon, crushed the smaller demon's body beneath its massive feet, causing the ground to tremble under the force.
"Aah, this one's gonna be tough, brother," Krev said, looking toward Riven with a grin. "This demon's name is Dreadcarver. In the time of war, it was known for its destructive power, its bone blade arm capable of tearing through anything."
Riven raised an eyebrow, glancing at Krev with a smirk. "I didn't know you were a children's teacher, carving lessons in the middle of battle. Is this how you teach practicals?"
Krev laughed loudly. "Ha! I don't know what practicals are, but you sure proved me wrong. I thought you'd be running with your tail between your legs."
Riven's eyes narrowed, his tone cold. "You never learn, do you? But I'll make sure you regret that."
Krev chuckled again. "We'll see, brother. We'll see."
Krev moved first, charging at Dreadcarver with his sword raised high. His swing was full of power, aiming at demons chest but the demon easily blocked with its bone blade arm sending the shockwave through the air.
The demon matching his face towards Krev growled and it swung its bone blade back at Krev. But Krev was already moving ducking and dodging at unnatural speed. His strikes were relentless.
Riven stood off to the side, calmly watching Krev fighting the demon named Dreadcrawler.
While Krev fought with pure brute force, Riven focused on finding the demon's weakness. He didn't rush in blindly. His knife was ready, his body coiled with tension, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
As Demon tried to swing again this time with a huge roar. Krev dodged, using the body of a fallen demon as a shield to push against the demon's mighty form. The massive beast stumbled slightly.
Riven seeing the opening moved and with a quick flick from his wrist, his knife flew towards the demons neck. The blade sank deep into the soft spot under its armored head. Blood sprayed out, but Dreadcarver didn't slow down.
Riven didn't stop there. As the demon turned, its claws swiping through the air, Riven darted in and out of range with his quick reflexes he jumped towards the demon and with a thump of his hand pushed his knife deeper inside.
As the knife pushed deeper the demon screamed. The demon took the knide from his neck and thrown it towards Riven.
Riven caught the knife midair.
Krev, seeing the opportunity, the demon, being weeken, continued its kept up his chaotic attacks, swinging his sword wildly, each blow shaking the ground. He was a storm of raw power.
Krev charged again, his blade slashing down and severing one of the demon's arms with a brutal strike.
Dreadcarver let out a blood-curdling scream, its bone blade arm flailing wildly.
Blinded by pain and fury, the demon roared and charged, swinging madly at Krev.
But Krev didn't meet the charge head-on.
He shifted—diving to the side, right toward Riven.
And then he shoved him.
Caught off guard, Riven was thrown straight into the demon's path.
His eyes widened, but his instincts snapped into action.
With lightning reflexes, he twisted midair and dove to the side just in time.
The demon's massive bone blade crashed down behind him, shattering the ground where he had been moments before. Dust and gore burst into the air like a mist of chaos.
Riven rolled and came to a stop, breathing heavily.
His eyes didn't go to the demon—they locked onto Krev.
"Don't take it personally, brother," Krev called out, grinning like a maniac.
"Already taken," Riven replied coldly.
Behind him, Dreadcarver shrieked and charged again, its bone blade aimed directly at Riven's back.
But Riven was faster.
He dropped low, narrowly evading the strike with a swift sidestep.
In one fluid motion, he reached inside his coat—and pulled out a sleek, black gun.
He aimed it at the demon's head without hesitation.
"Take some rest, will you?" Riven muttered, his tone flat. "You scream too damn much."
He pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed like thunder. A hole burst through Dreadcarver's skull.
The towering demon froze mid-step, its mouth agape… then crumpled forward, collapsing at Riven's feet with a deafening thud.
Riven didn't lower his gun.
He turned it, slow and deliberate, aiming it straight at Krev—who stood frozen, wide-eyed, staring at the demon's corpse.
Smoke still curled from the barrel.
"You..." Krev chuckled nervously. "Brother, I know you're mad. But come on—"
Riven's eyes stayed cold, unmoving.
Krev raised his hands slightly. "Look, you could've taken that thing out earlier. You had that... that thing on you the whole time!"
He forced a grin, though his voice cracked slightly. "Hard times call for difficult steps, right? I just did what I had to do."
Riven didn't say a word.
He stepped forward.
Krev's smirk faltered.
Without warning—Crack!
The butt of Riven's gun smashed into Krev's face. Blood sprayed as his head snapped to the side.
Riven grabbed his hair and picked him up by his hair and drove his fist into his gut.
Thud.
Krev folded, dropping to his knees as the air was ripped from his lungs. He gasped, clutching his stomach, choking on pain.
Riven stood over him, eyes cold as steel.
"I'm giving you mercy this time," he said flatly. "But next time... no one will even find a trace of you."
He holstered his gun and turned away, leaving Krev coughing in the dust and blood.
Silence returned—but it was no longer the calm kind.
It was thick with betrayal, bruises, and unspoken warnings.
Krev wiped the blood from his mouth, still hunched over.
"I deserved that one, brother," he said, forcing a grin through the pain. "I'm... sorry."
Riven didn't respond. He kept walking, slow and steady.
Krev spat more blood, then groaned, trying to stand.
"I think we've completed the quest now," he said, swaying slightly on his feet. "We should head back... while we're still breathing."
Riven finally glanced back.
His eyes were unreadable.
But he didn't object.
They had finished the mission.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both Krev and Riven walked side by side toward the village.
Not a word passed between them.
The silence wasn't awkward—it was heavy. Tense. Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak.
As they neared the village gates, one of the guards stationed there caught sight of the two approaching figures.
His eyes widened in shock.
He turned and sprinted inside, barging into the small guardhouse where a few guards were lazily huddled around a card game.
"Guys! You need to see this—it's Krev!" he shouted, breathless, pointing toward the road.
One of the guards barely glanced up. "That idiot again? How many partner reports have we had to fill out because of him? Missing in action, friendly fire, 'accidental' deaths... Half are still open cases!"
He threw his cards down in frustration.
The others groaned, already tired of Krev's reputation as a one-man partner disaster.
But the gate guard added quickly, "No—this time his partner's alive. And walking beside him."
That made them freeze.
The one dealing cards looked up. "Alive? Are you sure? Not crawling? Not missing limbs?"
"And Krev's the one who looks like he got beaten to hell. He's got a massive bruise on his face," the guard added, barely hiding a grin.
Chairs scraped as the others scrambled to their feet, suddenly abandoning their game.
They rushed out the gate just in time to see Krev and Riven nearing the village.
One of the guards blinked in disbelief, then let out a dramatic shout:
"So miracles do happen!"
Krev didn't bother answering the guards.
He simply walked past them, ignoring the stunned expressions as if they weren't even there.
Riven followed quietly, equally uninterested in the crowd gathering behind them.
They made their way through the village streets, heading toward the guild hall. Step by step, their boots echoed through the stone-paved road.
And slowly, the town began to notice.
Conversations halted.
Shopkeepers froze mid-transaction.
Even a kid dropped the apple he was juggling.
For a heartbeat, the entire village went silent.
"…Am I seeing a ghost?" one man muttered, squinting at Riven.
"Did the sun rise from the west today?" another whispered, genuinely confused.
"Did the sun even rise at all?" someone else asked, voice dead serious.
Whispers turned into murmurs.
All eyes were locked on the two returning warriors—one beaten, the other eerily calm.
The impossible had happened.
Krev had returned from a quest… with a partner still alive.
And that was enough to make the whole town pause.
As they reached the guild, Krev and Riven pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside.
The moment they entered, the entire building fell silent.
Conversations died mid-sentence. Laughter choked. Mugs stopped mid-air.
Dozens of adventurers, mercenaries, and staff turned to stare.
All eyes were on Riven.
One man at a nearby table stood up slowly, eyes wide. He walked toward Riven, step by cautious step, like he was approaching a ghost.
He rubbed his eyes once. Then again.
Still there.
He turned to Krev, disbelief plastered all over his face.
"…Could you punch me?"
Krev didn't even blink. His fist rocketed forward and slammed into the man's face.
The man flew backward, crashed into a table, and collapsed to the floor.
A moment passed.
Then he stood up like nothing had happened, wiping the blood from his nose with a wide grin.
"He's alive!" he shouted, pointing at Riven like he'd just discovered treasure.
The entire guild exploded into noise.
Chairs were overturned, people ran to the windows, someone dropped a tray of drinks.
It was official now: Riven had survived a quest with Krev.
And that was something no one had ever seen before.
Krev walked up to the guild receptionist, ignoring the stunned stares and background chaos.
The receptionist, still frozen with wide eyes locked on Riven, didn't say a word. She simply reached under the counter and dropped a heavy bag of coins into Krev's hand with a dull clink.
Krev took his time, counting through the gold. Satisfied, he pulled out a portion of the reward and slipped it into a smaller pouch.
He turned and walked back to Riven, who was standing calmly in the middle of the stunned guild like none of it mattered.
Krev held out the pouch.
"Brother, I'm still sorry," he said, his voice quieter now, maybe even a little sincere. "Ignore these idiots. As compensation—just for a week—I rented an apartment for you."
He pointed to the side window.
"It's right beside the guild. Should be quiet. And close enough if you decide to kill me in my sleep."
Riven didn't respond right away. His expression remained unreadable.
The guild held its breath, eyes darting between the two of them.
"Did Krev just say sorry? And… he rented out an apartment? For someone else?"
A voice whispered from the crowd—loud enough to be heard.
Krev slowly turned his head toward the source of the voice, his smile vanishing.
"If you dare say another word," he said flatly, "you'll be my partner for the next quest."
The man's face drained of color. His lips sealed shut instantly, like they were sewn together by fear. He didn't even breathe too loud after that.
Without a word, Riven turned away.
He had no interest in the noise, the stares, or the nonsense.
His boots echoed against the guild's floor as he walked out the gate.
Straight toward the apartment.
Leaving behind silence, tension—and a very uncomfortable guild hall.
The door swung shut behind him.
Riven didn't look back—not once.
The guild remained frozen in his wake, whispers trapped in their throats, questions left unanswered.
And Krev?He stood in the middle of it all, silent for once. Bloodied, bruised… and maybe—just maybe—a little humbled.
Outside, the wind picked up, rustling through the quiet town.
For today, the impossible had happened.
And no one knew what would come next.