The streets of the ruined city were eerily quiet after the distant echoes of collapsing buildings and flickering rifts. Isaac limped forward, knife in hand, his muscles screaming from previous battles, while Helena's glowing hands hovered near his side, ready to stabilize any new wounds.
From behind a pile of rubble came a grumbling, clumsy thud. A young demon emerged, crimson skin glinting in the ash-lit street, small horns curving over his head. His massive broadsword seemed almost comically heavy, swinging with more enthusiasm than skill.
Kael (grumbling, muttering to himself): "Blast it… I said diagonal swing… not… oh, why do rubble piles exist?"
Isaac froze, eyebrows furrowed.
Isaac (whispering): "What… is that… a demon?"
Kael tripped over his own feet, landing flat on the rubble, then pushed himself upright, glaring at them.
Kael (confidently): "Oh! You! Humans! Don't sneak up on me! I'm Kael, of the Crimson Horns. The greatest… well… maybe just the most determined demon ever! And—ahhh!"
His broadsword slipped from his hands, clanging uselessly against debris.
Kael's eyes then flicked to Isaac, and he froze mid-motion. His grin faltered as a strange thought struck him.
Kael (muttering, thoughtful): "Wait… you… you look… familiar… like someone I knew… but… nah, too hard to think about now."
Isaac tilted his head, but before he could ask, a jagged rift erupted, and the familiar hunter from the city stepped through, its eyes blazing with malice.
Isaac (clenching his knife): "Not again… we stop this now."
Kael grinned awkwardly. "Right! Me too! Let's… uh… not die."
The battle took place..
The hunter lunged with lightning speed, claws slashing toward Isaac. He dodged instinctively, drawing on Irithel's memory flashes, while Kael swung his massive broadsword with exaggerated flourish, missing, tripping, and tumbling more than once.
Kael's first swing missed, but it distracted the hunter long enough for Isaac to slash across its arm, drawing blood.
The hunter hissed, retaliating, and Isaac ducked as Kael clumsily rolled between them, inadvertently blocking one strike with the hilt of his sword.
Helena, hidden behind debris, stabilized Isaac's minor wounds and whispered spells to push energy into his muscles, sharpening his reflexes.
Kael (grumbling mid-fall): "Ow… okay… that was supposed to hit… maybe next time…"
Despite the chaos, Kael's confidence never wavered. He got up, swinging with wild abandon, missing often but landing small, unexpected hits that kept the hunter off-balance.
Isaac's knife found its mark again, precise strikes, guided by Irithel's tactical memory. The hunter staggered, claws scraping against the ground as it roared in frustration.
Isaac feinted, slicing at a rift-spawned debris, then leapt forward, landing a critical slash across the hunter's torso.
Kael, seizing the moment, tripped forward yet somehow impaled the hunter's side with the broadsword's tip, staggering it backward.
Helena surged her magic into Isaac, strengthening his reflexes, sharpening his strikes, giving him the final edge.
The hunter hissed, staggered, then with one final roar, collapsed under the combined assault, clawing the ground in pain before bleeding out and dissolving into a shadowy mist.
Kael fell onto his back, chest heaving, grinning despite multiple bruises and scrapes.
Kael (breathless, grinning): "Victory! Heh… yeah… we totally did that… mostly thanks to you, tiny human."
Isaac, knife dripping, wiped blood from his face, chest heaving. "You're… insane."
Kael (shrugging, tail flicking): "Insanity's confidence, my friend. But… you… you weren't bad either. Weird… you kinda remind me of someone I knew. Not sure who… but strange."
Helena, kneeling beside Isaac and stabilizing his wounds, shook her head. "You two are ridiculous."
Kael chuckled. "Ridiculous is my middle name… maybe literally. Doesn't matter. What matters is… we survived, together."