The Overseer & The Class S "Hero"

Chapter 11

An arm encircling my waist and wrenching me off my seat and out the window was the last thing I expected. Aurelius landed with an ungraceful thud on the ground below, but took off at breakneck speed, the shadow ahead never lost from the sights of the pursuing young man.

When did he learn to run this fast? I thought to myself, lying limply like a dead fish as I was carried through the village, Aurelius barging into a building the demon whizzed into, kicking the door shut and drawing his sword.

"Are demons immune to anything?"

I coughed, trying to regain my breath that had been displaced somewhere along the way.

"No. Just that...they are vulnerable...to certain elements."

"Great."

He dropped me like a ton of bricks, charging towards the demon with his blade held high. The creature squealed, clawed hands holding Royce up like a shield-

Black ichor and crimson sprayed everywhere, the demon's body sliced through cleanly, and with it, Royce's body. Both collapsed, Aurelius stepping away from the spreading pool that crept outwards.

The faint moonlight streaming through the windows cast stripes of white and grey across the ground, spreading long and thin...

Wait, stripes?

For the first time, I noticed the bars in the windows, the abnormally thick door that barely made a sound when Aurelius slammed it shut-

A prison.

Five shapes lined the wall on my right, and I instantly knew what they were.

"Aurelius..." I breathed. "Look behind you."

He turned, and saw what I did- five mutilated corpses dressed the same way as Royce, with the same silver winged badged pinned to their breasts...

"No wonder the villagers never saw the demon. No one thought of the prison." Aurelius said dryly.

The dust that coated the floor was several inches thick, and we had left distinct footprints through it.

"It doesn't look like we have a good situation on our hands."

"I didn't think you were capable of killing him." I said, walking as close to the corpses as I dared. "You swung with no hesitation."

"I'll leave a note. It's better than having to explain everything tomorrow in person. Pen and paper..."

With my back facing him and my front the dark corner, I formed a sketchbook and pen and gave them to him.

"A sketchbook?"

Oh no, a slip of the hand.

"A gift from the gods I was supposed to give you after this quest. I told them you liked carving and they gave me this."

"Ah, it physically pains me to have to tear a page out..."

Flipping the sketchbook open, Aurelius started scribbling madly.

"What are you going to write?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"The truth- that I found the demon, it used Royce as a shield and I couldn't stop the momentum of my blade."

"When did you learn to run so fast?" I walked to the door, untying my ribbon and trying to comb out my disheveled hair.

"I never. I figured since I possessed super strength, I should be able to run that fast."

Aurelius finished writing, ripping out the page and placing it on the ground.

"Did you sign it off?"