The Divine Hunter

The young witcher smashed something, and a cloud of smoke infused with black sand surrounded the ladies nearest to him. The Whispess and the Brewess screeched in agony. They were about to turn into crows and flee, but their bodies flickered. Green arcs of electricity burned them. The dimeritium bomb turned the space around them into a vacuum of mana, stopping them from casting any spells.

The ladies tried to retreat at the first sign of trouble. Carl ran in the opposite direction, while the witchers gave chase to the monsters. They were more agile and faster than the monster. The witchers closed the gap immediately and surrounded the fat Brewess.

Their blades glinted under the sunlight. The witchers swung them at the monster, and the air buzzed from the attacks alone. The Brewess was overwhelmed by the blades and magical attacks, but just like a roly poly, she remained upright no matter how many attacks landed on her.

She was slashed at least twenty times in mere moments. Most monsters, including higher vampires, would have been bleeding from twenty wounds at this point, but the Brewess was more durable than the witchers had expected.

Her humble clothing and cage that covered her head was sturdier than chainmails. It protected her vitals firmly. Her motley, flabby flesh provided another layer of protection. It felt like hitting a leather pouch with a stick. The fat in her body wobbled and reduced the impact of the attack every time it hit.

The double protection nullified the witchers' blades. All they managed to do was break her skin a little. The wound did not bleed. Instead, a white, translucent liquid seeped through. It was like they just hit a moving corpse instead of a living being. Fortunately, their relict oil worked on the Brewess. She screeched from the burning sensation, and she could not even mount any resistance.

They could have killed her if they just had time, but the Brewess' sisters would not give them that luxury.

Weavess had been hiding behind and chanting curses all this time. She grasped the air, and a stretch of thread darted out of her bloodstained sleeve. It grew from a thin thread into a thick rope in just a moment. The rope flew at the witchers.

Roy felt a gust of wind coming from behind. He spun and turned his blade around, slashing upward and cutting the rope in two. That did not stop the rope, however. They kept flailing around like eels and harassed Roy's companions.

It broke their tempo, and the Brewess could catch a break. She stomped her feet, and much to the witchers' horror, the monster leapt up into the sky like she weighed nothing.

The Brewess fell like a meteor, and the ground rumbled. A great cloud of dust flew into the air, creating a mushroom. A great shockwave swept from where the Brewess landed, pushing the witchers away. She took the chance to escape the dimeritium mist and regrouped with her sisters. The monster held her knees and huffed.

The Brewess touched the wound on her belly. She bent over and spread her arms like they were wings. "That was not wise!" she yelled.

"Foolish witchers! You shall pay for your transgression with death!" The Weavess grasped the air again, and something popped. A yellow light descended on them, and another giant appeared between the witchers and the monsters.

"My masters…" The giant held its crimson belly with one hand and caressed its short, stubby horns. It bowed at the ladies, although barely, and it glared at the witchers. "I will crush these bandits and—"

A crossbow bolt hit its chest before it could finish. Blood spurted, and Fagus froze. Another bolt flew toward its eye, but it smacked it away. "I will cook you and devour your flesh, witcher!"

"I'd like to see you try, fool!" Roy uncorked a Swallow with his teeth and downed it. Veins popped on his face, and he beckoned at the demon. "You like slumber? I'll grant you an eternal one!"

"Shut up!" Fagus darted toward Roy. The demon was like a moving castle, and Roy escaped right away.

The other witchers split up and fought their own adversaries. Auckes and Serrit fought the Brewess, Felix took on the Whispess, while Letho pointed his blade at the Weavess, stopping her from casting any more spells.

Blades clashed against invisible shockwaves, and the light of signs crashed into the darkness of the monster's spells.

***

The ground rumbled with every step Fagus took. The demon was heavy and deadly, but its stubby legs slowed it down. It was only slightly faster than a regular human, and the witcher was far faster than it could ever be.

Roy was running as fast as a cheetah, and that was him controlling his speed. He made Fagus think he was only an arm's reach away and managed to lead him away from the battlefield. The young witcher downed another decoction on the way, and this time, it was Thunderbolt. Black veins started popping on his face this time.

When he felt Fagus breathing down his back, the young witcher rolled around to stop his momentum. He knelt on one knee to store his strength for a moment. Roy pushed into the ground and tensed up for a moment, then he performed a somersault and jumped over Fagus, landing on its head.

"Where'd he go?" The giant was slow on the uptake. The witcher's disappearance stunned it. It looked around dumbly and scratched his stomach, but then realization struck him.

Roy cast fear, and countless tentacles wrapped the demon up. The young witcher's eyes turned crimson. He unsheathed Aerondight and held its hilt tightly. The witcher pointed the other end of the blade at Fagus' head, and he stabbed downward.

The demon's skull was harder than metal. Even Aerondight only managed to cut through its scalp. The skull deflected it, and it slid into Fagus' neck. The blade drew a gash, and the demon's brownish-yellow blood spurted.

Fagus howled in agony. It swung its neck around, trying to shake the witcher off. The young witcher curled up in the air and spread his limbs. He eased up and landed in silence only to step back in right away. The witcher thrusted his blade at Fagus' waist.

The moment the blade connected, Fagus blocked it with his other hand. The reflected damage almost made Roy lose his blade. A ball of flame appeared in its hands, but Roy did not hear any chants, nor did he see any movements. It was brighter than the sun, and the ball of flame was getting bigger.

"Damn it!" Roy scrambled to dodge sideways, and not a moment too soon. He felt a great wave of heat and wind zip past him. He held his hand up to his face and gasped. His hair had turned to ash, and his sideburn was gone. The fire would have burned all his hair off if Fagus had aimed just a little bit higher.

"Faster, witcher. I don't want you to get caught in the flames. It ruins your taste." Fagus held the gash on his nape. He was grinning in pain, but he sent another fireball flying at the witcher again.

"Very well!" Roy leapt out of the way, barely keeping the other side of his hair. He changed his tactics and started circling the demon, attacking its legs every chance he got. He was like an agile mouse playing with a big, fat cat.

The demon was a lot slower than the witcher. It clumsily turned around, but still it failed to catch the witcher. Instead, it sustained more injuries at its ankles. The demon stopped moving in the end. It leaped up into the air and landed like a meteor. The shockwave made the witcher wobble and lose his balance. It opened its maw and shot out a stream of fire.

Roy dodged it a moment too late, and the flames licked the back of his left hand. The smell of burning flesh wafted in the air, while burns and blisters popped on his hand. Poison seeped into his skin, and it numbed him, slowing him down. Still, he managed to find an opening. Fagus could not move when it was spewing that stream of fire. It was nothing but a big, fat target.

Roy ignored his pain and cast Axii. The green inverted triangle crashed into the demon's mind. It erased everything in the demon's head, and Fagus froze. Roy attacked it three times at once.

He swung his blade from left to right, blinding Fagus in both eyes. He then made a deep cut on its neck, and Fagus' blood splattered the witcher's face. Finally, he sliced the demon's belly open with his full might, revealing its innards.

Roy was exhausted after that. Fagus had broken free of Axii, and it furiously punched Roy in the gut. The young witcher's shield broke into pieces, and he flew into the distance like a ragdoll.

The demon wished to give chase and pulverize its enemy before it lost all its blood, but all it could see was darkness. It lost its sight, and it could not rely on its sense of smell or hearing to find the witcher. Fagus could feel its warmth leaving rapidly, taking its strength away. For the first time in eons, it felt fear.

"No! The great Fagus shall not fall to an insect!" Fagus roared manically. It rolled its mangled eyes while holding the gash on its neck and pushing its innards back inside. "You sly little bastard…" The demon huffed. "G-Get back here! Get back here and fight, you filthy coward!"

Fagus was hunching more and more. It was trudging along, stopping for a moment with every step it took. The demon left a trail of blood and smoke in its wake, but its wounds were starting to heal and stop bleeding.

Roy held Aerondight's hilt and held himself up with difficulty. He spat out blood and cast Activate. The young witcher could feel a cold sensation sweeping across his wounds, and his abysmally low HP and mana were replenished.

The young witcher held his breath in and grasped the air. Gabriel appeared in his hand. He fired a shot at the demon, and Roy teleported. Aerondight appeared out of thin air, the witcher holding it. Roy plunged the blade into the demon's throat, and blood flew everywhere. He could smell the stench of sulfur and smoke as the blood burned through the ground.

The young witcher rolled on the ground, dodging the demon's swirling arms. He went around, knelt down, and cast another sign. The air itself burst, and Aard hit the demon squarely in the back.

Caught by surprise, Fagus lost its bearings and staggered forward. He fell with a loud thud. The ground rumbled, and dust covered half the battlefield. The gigantic momentum from its fall pushed Aerondight deeper into its throat, slicing its spine apart. The demon lolled its head, and its limbs spasmed as it entered its death throes.

Roy pushed into the ground with his feet and leapt into the air, not unlike a big cat pouncing at its prey. His blade glinted under the sunlight, and Gwyhyr sliced through the demon from top to bottom.

'Fagus killed. EXP +200!'

The young witcher rolled away. Sulfur flowed from the demon's corpse, and silence hung in the air.

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