The four rookies jogged round the dark field, sweat pouring down their bodies in the cold night, under the gaze of their instructor. In the lead was Rachel, followed by Brandon, with Blake a few steps in front of him. Sarah was at the back, struggling as always, but never the less pressing on. Their instructor blew his whistle indicating a sign of closure. The four recruits stopped, with Brandon and Sarah collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. Blake bent down panting. Rachel let out a sigh, looking back at them and putting a grin on her face.
"Okay!" Barry said, "That's all for today. You guys have good stamina. Sarah… not bad. Its improved, but still, you'd need more training on the stamina session."
Sarah grunted.
"Now what?" Rachel asked, "Is that all you have to teach? Damn I wish Aaron was here."
"I said, that's all for today. On stamina."
"What!" Brandon exclaimed. "C'mon. Its 9pm."
"Daemon can attack at 11:59, Brandon." Barry replied.
"You have got to be kidding me." Sarah cried. "I can't go on."
"Yeah, that's why you are still on stamina training." Barry said with a wink. Sarah grumbled, burying her head in the dirt.
"What could you possibly show me?" Rachel said, proudly, "More stamina sessions?"
"Ha," Barry laughed. He raised Sarah to her feet without a sweat and carried her off. "Your training begins in an hour."
The three remained there, watching as their instructor walked off.
"So," Rachel said, turning to Blake, "Where did you get your training from?"
"My dad. He's an inquisitor."
"Wow." Brandon exclaimed, "Guess you can say that it runs in the family, huh?"
"…More or less."
"Well, I hope you can keep up with us." Rachel said, "Inquisitors coming back in body bags is not something that is new to us. And it could be the very people you know."
"What about you?" Blake asked.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you say it like you have been through it a lot."
"I've been here longest."
From the building, a grey haired guy walked out of the back yard, dressed in black joggers and a black t-shirt. He stretched, watching them from where he stood.
"Who's that?" Blake asked.
"Oh, that's Shino." Brandon said, "He's another inquisitor. A bit older than us but he's kinda cool. Cold at times, but you'll get used to him."
A red streak of light zipped across the field, from the direction Barry had disappeared in. The three recruits looked in that direction, confused.
"What was that?" Brandon asked, getting up. Blake rose to his feet as well. Rachel looked at the forest, and back at the two guys.
"He's probably testing us. That lousy guy. Always…"
An ominous feeling suddenly loomed over them, striking them with fear. Blake turned to see a daemon dash out of the forest, its claws ready to strike Rachel down. Brandon quickly rushed to her, pushing her down.
The daemon crashed to the ground, turning to face its next victim, Blake. Blake drew out his dagger, waiting for the daemon to attack first. The daemon spider-like legs with two arms, one of which was hanging on a loose thread. Its eyes had also suffered, having only one single eye. Or was it two. It was hard to tell, Blake hadn't really seen a daemon that was alive before. So he couldn't tell that all the nine yellow things on its face were eyes, and that what he thought were eyes were nothing but hollowed out structures.
A sudden pain in his side brought him back to reality. He turned to see Shino charging at him again, striking him in the shoulder. The daemon swatted him away like a fly with its torn arm. The daemon snarled at Blake, who lay on the ground, groaning.
"What the hell, Shino!?" Brandon cried, confused. Shino looked at Brandon with a bland expression on his face.
"It's called training Pratt!" Barry called out from afar. "Fight both of them, and if possible, kill that daemon."
"This is your version of combat training?" Rachel said in annoyance. "Fighting an inquisitor?"
Blake rolled out of the way as one of the spider legs of the daemon tried to kill him. Barry jumped to his feet, charging at Shino. Shino blocked fist that Blake threw and kicked him on the side. Blake fell on one knee and kicked at Shino's legs, but the inquisitor stepped back, jumping a few meters away.
"Inquisitors don't just fight daemon, Rachel!" Barry said, "We fight people too."
Rachel dodged the flailing arm of the daemon. Her boots caught fire as she bent down and with rapid speed, breakdanced, breaking off two of the daemons legs. Brandon charged at the daemon, charged his fist with licht energy and landing a hit on its side, then jumping back.
"Since when did we do that?" Rachel asked.
"C'mon. Look at Barry's dagger. A hollow. An illegal weapon." Barry smiled, "We did have to take it away from. someone didn't we?"
Shino nodded. Blake took a stance again, waiting for Shino to make a move. Rachel and Brandon circled the daemon, which was watching both of them with all its eyes. It spun round twice, unsure of which of the two to attack. It finally made it choice, attacking the weaker of the two. It jumped high up into the air, taking Brandon by surprise. It landed, spreading dust all around him. The daemon struck at Brandon, thrusting its useful arm at his chest.
It would have been fatal, had it not been for the halo that sliced its arm of cleanly. The daemon screamed in pain staggering backwards. Shino turned only to be smacked in the face, followed by a quick succession of blows to the stomach and finally a kick to the chest. The young teen fell to the ground only to have a pitch black dagger shoved to his face.
"Fine," Shino said, "I yield."
Blake still pointed his dagger at him. Rachel jumped up, landing a kick on the daemon's shoulder. She rolled back onto the ground, swiping at the daemon's leg again. The daemon was now down to four legs.
The daemon tried to retreat back into the woods only for a red streak to pierce directly through their chest. The daemon dissolved onto black smoke.
"What the…?"
"How?"
Using this opportunity, Shino recalled the halo. The halo zipped past Blake face. Shino kicked Blake, causing him to stagger backwards. The man jumped up to his feet, kicking him on the side and punching him in the face. Blake however, responded quickly, performing an upper kick to Shino's face and sending a blow to his groin, finishing it up with a jump kick to the face. Shino fell back to the ground, to immobile with pain to move.
"Ok! That's enough!" Barry said, "Training is over."
Rachel looked at him in anger. "I hate him, I really do."
"The feeling," Brandon said with a smile, "is actually not mutual."