"What? Hey… what did that creature just call that kid?"
The question cut through the air, coming from a man sitting at the back of the bar. His voice, choked with disbelief, echoed through the now silent room. Everyone was in shock.
The demon twirled the glass between her fingers with a provocative calm.
"You fought very well against those creatures" she commented, with a soft smile. "At first, I doubted it. I thought you were just another magic user."
Her eyes scanned him up and down, attentive.
"But the fighting style… the trench coat…" she leaned forward slightly. "And that scar" she murmured, extending her fingers, almost touching the mark on his neck.
Kant quickly grabbed her hand, giving her a sidelong glance, silent but full of warning.
Bella stepped back, pulling her fingers back with a muffled laugh, as if she knew she had poked too hard but was enjoying it.
"And that watch you took out of your pocket" she continued. "You were analyzing how much time that monster had left to live, weren't you?"
He remained silent for a moment, his attention focused on the shelves full of drinks, as if he were completely ignoring the conversation.
"I don't know what you're talking about" he replied, taking a long sip of his drink, before placing the glass on the counter with a light sigh.
"Don't pretend you don't know" she said in a calm voice, but her face burned with contained curiosity. "You and your brothers were key figures in the European Renaissance of the 14th century. Even more so after the massacre you carried out in Florence…"
She paused briefly, staring at him, as if she were evaluating a rare museum piece.
"I've never seen any of the Four Horsemen up close." Her voice came out lower, almost a whisper. "But I always knew that when I saw one… I would know right away."
Calmly, she rose a little from her chair, the movement smooth. He reached for the wine bottle, and the fabric on his back slid away, revealing subtle runic tattoos etched into his skin.
Kant let out a short laugh, a dry sound that only curved the corners of his lips.
"I thought you said this drink was bitter and tasteless."
"It is." she replied, stretching herself further, with half of her tongue sticking out in an almost childish gesture. "But there's something about her that makes me want more."
The customers, still in shock, began to murmur among themselves. Some pointed discreetly with their forks; others whispered prayers, as if that would be enough to ward off the evil that now filled the room.
"Hey... you there." one of them whispered, urgently tugging on the sleeve of the closest boy, who was sneaking towards the door. "Slow down... and call the village paladins."
"Look, I just want my reward and I'll be leaving now." Kant said, stretching his hand towards the bartender as he got up from his chair.
"Haven't you heard yet, Mister Death?" the young woman teased, filling her glass with more wine. Her tone was light, but her expression was now serious. "Demons are moving in droves... after magical artifacts."
He turned slowly to face her, as if that information coming from her was what surprised him the most.
"And if what I heard about you is true..." she continued, emptying the glass in one gulp while Kant watched her, open-mouthed, surprised by the voracity with which she drank, "then I think I'm going to need your help to avoid all this mess."
She stood up slowly, wiping her mouth with her arm, and began to approach the boy, keeping her eyes fixed on his.
"Of course you do" he replied, arching an eyebrow, her voice full of skepticism. "And a demon... a drunkard, on top of that, trying to stop it? Do you really want me to believe that?"
"By the way, I'm not the one you're looking for" he added.
Before she could answer, the bartender burst out in a shout:
"Don't come any closer!"
Panting, he pulled a revolver from under the counter, his trembling hands betraying the fear that dominated him.
"These are rune bullets!" he warned, his voice almost an urgent whisper. "They can kill your race with a single shot!"
"Wow… I can't believe it… a Colt Paterson with rune bullets." Kant whistled, impressed. "Samuel Colt outdid himself on that one, huh?"
He laughed as he scratched his head and walked closer, examining the gun with genuine curiosity.
"This cylinder can fire what… six shots before needing to be reloaded, right?"
"I told you not to come any closer, creature!" he shouted, taking a step back. His trembling hands were aiming the gun with difficulty while tears of pure panic ran down his face.
"Just curious…" he continued, as if he hadn't heard. "This little beauty was inspired by the weapon of a certain angel… what was his name again?"
He frowned, snapping his fingers, thinking for a moment.
"It must have cost a lot, huh?" added as he leaned over the counter. "I bet you have the prize for the reward right there. How about passing it over here, huh?"
Before anyone could react, the bar door exploded with a bang. A violent gust of wind and dust invaded the room, blowing out candles and making glasses and bottles clink on the shelves.
"Demon!? Where!? Show me and I'll kill you!"
The sharp voice echoed through the room right after the explosion.
A little girl emerged from the dust, jumping noisily into the bar.
In her hand, she lightly twirled a kyoketsu-shoge—a curved blade, thin and black as coal, attached to the tip of a clear, almost translucent thread, resembling sewing thread. The metal cut through the air with a sharp buzz as the girl controlled it with surprising precision, too agile for someone her size.
Right behind her, a grotesque creature burst through the entrance, towering over three meters tall. It roared like a wild beast, reverberating off the walls of the bar. One of its eyes glowed intensely white; the other, pitch black, both fixed like beacons on the attendees.
Muscles writhed beneath thick skin, full of dark veins that pulsed with intensity—as if every inch of that body were made to hunt and kill. Its presence filled the room like an avalanche of pure predatory instinct.
The customers panicked. A deafening uproar filled the bar as many ran to the back of the room, bumping into each other.
Some knelt on the floor, mumbling prayers in despair while others tried to escape discreetly through the back door.
"So!? What's it going to be, huh!?" the little girl shouted, lowering her gun as she quickly turned around, analyzing the environment. "Where's the demon!?"
"They're talking about us, Trudy," the demon replied with a calm smile, sitting back down and refilling her glass of wine.
Kant gave her a look of pure astonishment, still surprised by the woman's alcoholic capacity. He moved away from the bar a little, watching the situation unfold.
"Wow… ok... " Trudy murmured, stretching her arms and stretching as if she had just woken up. Despite her relaxed posture, her presence attracted everyone's attention.
She had pale skin and was wearing a hand-sewn outfit, with visible stitches running all over the fabric. Her long hair, tied in two pigtails, was divided into two clear tones: on one side, white as chalk, on the other, black as coal.
Her eyes followed the same strange pattern — one with a white iris and the other black, each resembling a sewing button, giving the girl an air that was both eccentric and disturbing.
"And now… who's the child?" Kant murmured.
"What!?" she retorted immediately, her eyes sparkling. "I'm already twelve, do you hear me!? Twelve!" she yelled, showing her teeth and pointing the gun straight at him.
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and nimbly climbed onto the creature's back. The beast had a domed carapace, similar to the shell of a hand-sewn seashell, with segments that resembled the lines of a rag doll.
Its arms ended in hands with sharp claws, its teeth jutting out like half-open blades, a bizarre mix between something handmade and a living nightmare.
"Oh, great... an armed teenager next to a monster. That makes me feel a lot calmer" she muttered, with a skeptical look at the demon.
Trudy froze when she heard those words, turning around with a mischievous smile on her lips.
"Now you'll see what's good!" she muttered, low and threatening.
Before Kant could respond, she jumped off the creature, advancing straight towards him.
"Calm down, Trudy!" Bella intervened, grabbing the girl in mid-air before she could reach the boy.
"Let me go, Bella!" Trudy struggled to free herself. "I'm going to finish this bastard off!"
"In that case, I think it's better to hold on tight, don't you think?" Bella replied.
"Relax, I'm only twelve! What harm can I do, huh?" she retorted, defiant.
"Oh, please... Let her come! What can this cute little thing do?" Kant teased, with a crooked smile.
"Cute little thing!? You son of a..." she exploded, his face turning red with rage.
"Don't get involved with him, Trudy!" Bella tried to restrain the young woman. "That's who we're looking for!"
"No way!" Trudy retorted, the anger still evident in every gesture.
Still suspicious, Trudy assessed the boy with a critical eye as he struggled in Bella's arms.
"Okay, okay..." she sighed, trying to calm herself. "I've got control of myself... you can let me go."
"Are you sure?" Bella asked, lowering her carefully.
"Not at all. I'm dying to stick that needle in his neck!" Trudy stretched her arm towards him, analyzing him from head to toe. "I thought you were taller... and with more physical presence..."
Kant looked at himself seriously, as if he was really thinking about the criticism.
"There's no way that's him!" Trudy snapped, crossing her arms.
He turned his attention to Bella, with an arched eyebrow.
"Did she come with you?"
Before Bella could answer, a firm voice echoed through the room:
"Raise your hands, demonic creatures!"
A young man entered the bar with firm steps. He wore only black armor on his legs, his chest exposed, covered by a few scars that cut through his skin like reminders of old battles. He held a sword that pulsed with a ruby-red glow, and wore a dark helmet with a red cross painted on the side.
Behind him, other soldiers appeared. Unlike the first, they wore full armor covered by white cloaks with red crosses embroidered on the chest. Some carried muskets already aimed, ready to fire. Others held swords, alert to any movement.
"I don't intend to repeat myself," said the leader, sticking his sword into the ground with a metallic clang, before pulling up a chair and sitting down with the naturalness of someone who was sure he had control of the situation.
"Paladins!" shouted some customers amidst the relief. "We're saved!"
Kant let out a long sigh, running his hand over his face with an expression of frustration.
"Wonderful… I just wanted my reward…"
One of the paladins, thin and with a bowl cut, stepped forward with his chest puffed out and sword in hand.
"Watch your words, demon! You are not just in front of paladins, but in the presence of a Templar! The great Alaric!"
Kant cast a disinterested and fixed gaze at the man who had just been announced. Alaric stared back at him with intensity, as if searching for something behind his calm expression.
"I know you," Alaric said, raising his finger in his direction.
Kant arched an eyebrow, his voice low, almost provocative.
"Yeah... you're no stranger to me either."
The paladin pointed his sword at the group.
"You three! Demons! Get away from the little girl!" he said firmly, before bending down and extending his hand to Trudy.
Some of the bar patrons exchanged uneasy glances, starting to make discreet gestures to the knights, shaking their heads in denial.
"You better get up, soldier. She's with them," Alaric warned, without changing his tone.
"Impossible, sir! It can't be!" he replied, still kneeling, looking at Trudy with concern.
One of the other soldiers, shorter and stockier, his round face covered in sweat, was holding his musket with trembling hands. The tension around him seemed to be making him on the verge of panic.
"Mate... I don't think she needs help, no. In fact, I think she scares me more than the others," he muttered, swallowing hard as he stared at her warily.
Trudy didn't blink. Her smile slowly opened, sinister, like that of a predator facing unsuspecting prey.
Kant watched in silence. First, he stared at Trudy carefully, as if trying to see behind that chaotic facade. Then, he turned to Bella, giving her a half-smile full of irony.
"Come to think of it... the guy's right."
Trudy narrowed her eyes at him, irritated, but swallowed her answer.
The atmosphere in the bar was getting heavy and heavy, as if at any second everything would go up in smoke.
"Bella..." he muttered, taking a step back as he pulled his creature, who was already growing in alert, closer. "What do we do?" They won't let us off easy..."
She raised her weapon, assuming a defensive stance, the strings of the kyoketsu-shoge tensing between her fingers.
"Hey, hey! Put that down, little girl!" one of the soldiers ordered, and several muskets rose in response, pointed straight at her.
"If you're going to aim at someone..." Bella took a firm step forward, her voice cutting through the air. "Then aim at me."
His tail snaked through the air with a soft snap as his black claws protruded, glinting in the dim light of the bar.
Kant watched in silence, feeling the tension build like a rope about to snap. Chaos filled the room, but he kept his eyes fixed on the Templar, who stared back at him, without moving a muscle.
Screams spread throughout the room. The paladins gritted their teeth, weapons drawn, ready to advance.
On the other side, Bella positioned herself in front, Trudy already spun the line of her weapon with a sharp expression, ready to act.
"Lower your weapons and raise your hands now, or we will open fire!" the bowl-cut paladin yelled, trying to sound firm.
The blade in his hand, however, trembled visibly.
"You too, civilian!" he added, pointing at the bartender, who lowered his pistol without hesitation.
Trudy cast a quick glance at Bella. His shoulders stiffened.
"Hey! Stop it! We're right here behind them!" one of the customers shouted, his voice cracking with panic as he cowered behind a table.
The paladin hesitated for a moment, but soon turned his attention to Kant.
"They had their chance to surrender…" he said, raising his hand, ready to give the order to attack.
Kant let out a long sigh.
He calmly raised his hand, his fingers tracing a precise, almost ritualistic gesture in the air—palm facing up, then down—as he had done before, against the creatures.
The effect was instantaneous. In the blink of an eye, Kant, Bella, Trudy, and the creature were gone.
The templar remained motionless, staring at the empty space where they had been seconds ago while the bar plunged into chaos. Customers screamed, running in all directions.
He just frowned and muttered to himself in confusion:
"Yeah... now I remember you."