A few weeks passed since I rescued Maylin's family from the loan sharks, and things had been going quite well for them.
For starters, I learned that Maylin's mother's name was Mary and her father's name was Arthur.
And the other four imps... I forgot; didn't really matter.
As the weeks passed, I helped them around the farm, fixing the damages around the house and even the barn.
Though at first they were a bit cautious of me and not really trusting, they slowly got used to me being around and even treated me as part of their family.
I didn't know how to feel about them basically adopting me into their home, but I wasn't really complaining.
There were some usual complications, like the occasional demonic beast that would rampage around the farm area and even the loan sharks coming back with some more men to attack at night.
But these were only minor problems, since I could easily deal with both without issue.
No — the real problem for them was what to call me. They started off calling me "little guy," like Maylin did, but after a while they tried to come up with a name for me.
None were to my liking.
It took them a few days to come up with a name that I might like, and the name they ended up with was... Stygian.
I... liked it.
It reminded me of an old story my mother used to show me when I was younger — different myths and legends from the old world, before the fall.
But those days were long gone, and I had to focus on the present.
"Hello, Stygian."
I heard a voice behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I turned around to see Mary holding something in her hands.
"I wanted to give you something, as a token of our appreciation for saving my family and me." She unwrapped the item she was holding and revealed something resembling a poncho.
It was dark blue in color, with sharp edges at the tip.
"I didn't know what else to give you, since you never seem to show interest in anything besides fighting."
She motioned for me to come closer, seeing that she wanted to be the one to place it on me.
I walked towards her, and when I was finally in front of her she had a warm smile on her face.
She placed the poncho on me, and when I was finally in it she grabbed a mirror from her back pocket and showed me my reflection.
Once again I saw my small form in the mirror: an insect-like body and black voids where my eyes should be.
But now, in addition to that, I was wearing a form of clothing to show I wasn't some mindless beast.
I studied myself for a while until Mary spoke.
"Do you like it?" she said, curious.
Not wanting to seem ungrateful or to scare them with my voice, I moved closer to her legs and hugged her.
She seemed to like the gesture and picked me up from the ground and hugged me back. This lasted for a while until Maylin arrived.
"Wow, Ma — looking to adopt a new baby brother for me?" she said, smirking.
Mary released me from the hug and replied to her daughter, "No, May. Just giving him a farewell gift before he heads off."
She then placed me back down and, with one last kiss on the forehead, went back inside, leaving me and Maylin alone.
"Hey, Stygian — I got everything you'll need here in this old pack and some souls so you can buy some things for yourself."
She placed the backpack on my back and then pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket.
"This here is the address of the no-good asshole that started all of this, and this here is the address of the train station that will take you to the other rings."
She explained to me that if I wanted to explore Hell more, I should have at least enough money to use the trains to travel between rings.
Right now I was in the Wrath Ring. This place is mostly farmland and desert, with the occasional forest filled with demonic beasts.
If I wanted to know more about Hell, I needed to go to the Pride Ring, where most of the information is held.
Finally, the reason I was given the address of the loan sharks' base was to completely annihilate them so they wouldn't cause Maylin's family or anyone else problems... and to take their money, of course.
After Maylin explained to me the things I needed to do, she said her final good-byes and I headed off.
I waved her goodbye as I was leaving, and she — along with her family, who were now outside — waved goodbye back.
---
I walked for two days straight in the desert until I reached the base of the loan sharks.
When I arrived it was already night time; the winds were the only thing I could hear.
I slowly approached the building with measured steps, making sure not to alarm anyone there.
I scanned the surroundings and saw no one guarding the place.
Easy.
I looked around the building and found an open window. I entered it quietly so as not to alarm anyone.
After making it inside, I looked around the place and found that everyone was currently asleep — even the guards.
I smelled a faint scent in the air that reeked of alcohol.
I looked around for a bit and found an office where I assumed their boss kept their money.
I slowly entered and found the boss sleeping in his armchair, completely blacked out.
I slowly entered and saw a bunch of papers scattered on the floor.
I picked up one of them and saw plans of expansion involving Maylin's farm as a secondary base.
This quickly informed me that they had already been planning to exploit her family a long while ago.
Then some flash caught my eye.
I placed the papers back down and moved towards the light, and I was pleasantly surprised to see piles of gold coins.
Moving quickly yet quietly, I packed as much money as I could in my bag and left the building.
Before leaving, I made sure that everything in the place was locked and sealed, making sure no one could get out.
After doing so, I exited using the front door.
I boarded up the front and back doors, making sure that even though they might have broken the doors inside, they would still need to break the ones that lead outside to leave.
After finishing up, I rummaged around my pack and found a box of matches. Using a small can of oil Maylin had packed, I poured the surrounding area with it and ignited a match.
I stared at the match for a few seconds, feeling the heat in my hand, and threw it into the oil.
The flame started off small, but just as quickly the flames grew larger and larger.
I stood by the house, making sure no one escaped, and before long I began to hear the screams of pain from inside.
Some were able to get out through the window, but broke their legs in the process.
Unfortunately for them, as they looked up to crawl away they only saw me with my nail before I stabbed them in the head.
The flames lasted for a few hours until the fire died down, as it had no more fuel to burn.
The only thing remaining was the pile of ash and the charred remains of the imps.
After I had made sure everyone was dead, I walked off, seeing as the job was done.