Three months pass as Cyrus continues to work with the company. Finishing his training period, Cyrus receives his silver pendant and is now ready to go on his first mission.

During this period Cyrus had managed to meet up with Darius and along with Hannah had become quite the trio. Taking on requests together and growing closer as a team.

Hannah had shown her expertise in support magic, while Darius had shown his skill in battle, providing Cyrus with advice and tanking for the group. All the while Cyrus worked on improving his skills in both magical and physical combat.

Taking up a few jobs here and there, they had earned enough money to buy some basic supplies. Having made a small fortune over the last few months, Cyrus had decided it was time to upgrade his attire to something that could provide a bit more protection.

Returning to the shop that he had bought his rod from. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the same man was working here once more.

"Well hello there, You've surely made a name for yourself around here. So how can I help one of my best investments?" The man asks with a smile.

"I'd like to purchase some armor. I want something that offers a good degree of protection without restricting me too much." He replies.

"Alright then. Let me see what we have." The man says turning around and heading behind the counter.

He comes back a few moments later holding a set of dark black and blue dyed leather armor.

"These would suit you nicely. They'll give you some added defense and they're easy to move in." He explains handing the armor over to Cyrus. " and as a bonus, I'll throw in a pair of matching gloves for free."

Cyrus takes the armor and looks it over before nodding in approval. "How much will this cost me?" He asks the man.

"For you it will be ten silver." The man replies.

"Done." Cyrus says handing the money over.

Before leaving the shop, He heads into the back room to change into his new attire.

Putting on the leather armor, he feels comfortable and Even a bit lighter.

"Well look at you go!" Darius says excitedly as Cyrus exits the store. "Those pieces really suit you."

"I agree, you look great in those." Hannah adds.

Cyrus lets out a small laugh. "Thanks guys. I kind of feel like a proper soldier."

"Well, you sure do look like one." Darius says with a smile.

"So, where are we going next?" Hannah asks.

"Well, I think It's time to accept our first real job since becoming a team." Cyrus answers. "I got a request to go see the captain a while ago so now is as good a time as any."

"Alright, let's go." Hannah says getting ready to leave with the others.

***

After arriving at the Captain's office, Cyrus steps inside while the others wait outside.

Seeing the Captain, Cyrus greets him.

"My boy, I believe it's time you start getting into the swing of things." The Captain says.

"Yes sir, I was actually hoping that I could take on my first mission." Cyrus replies respectfully.

"Excellent! The town of Brina has been plagued by a series of attacks by some sort of monster. We haven't been able to identify it yet but it's causing a lot of damage to the town's infrastructure. No one else has been stationed to investigate yet so if you want it. It's all yours."

Cyrus nods in approval. "Thank you sir."

"Good, I'll finish up here and you should be clear to go by the time you arrive at Brina."

"Thank you sir." Cyrus says, bowing his head.

Leaving the room Cyrus meets back with Darius and Hannah.

"Sooo. Where are we going?" Darius asks.

"Brina," Cyrus replies. "I'm going to be investigating some kind of monster wreaking havoc down there"

"Sounds fun." Darius adds.

"It sounds horrible." Hannah adds slapping Darius in the head.

"Hey! That hurts!" Darius whines.

"Since we're all ready, we should be able to head out right away. Cyrus laughs watching the two.

Making their way out of the building, The three of them take the quickest carriage to Brina.

During the ride, Cyrus takes some time to ponder everything he has learned over these past few months. While he had basically mastered the basics of his magic, he had been steadily improving his physical abilities as well. From training in the field, to sparring with Darius. His body had gotten stronger and he had developed a greater sense of balance.

Cyrus had also begun exploring the world around him. Learning more about his surroundings and his environment. He had started reading books, learning the language, and even learning some local customs. All of these things combined allowed him to develop a greater understanding of the world around him.

But more than anything, Cyrus had come to appreciate the power of his friends. Having grown close with Darius and Hannah, he had gained an appreciation for what it meant to have them by his side. Being able to rely on them in times of need. It allowed him to grow as a person, and gave him a newfound confidence.

When he thinks of it now, he couldn't imagine surviving without them.

In the middle of his thoughts the carriage had suddenly stopped and The three of them could hear multiple voices growing louder. As the noise grew louder, they could see that a group of Men and women wearing robes were walking towards them.

They were all brandishing an assortment of weapons.

One of the men steps forward past the rest with a grin on his face.

"Come on, gentlemen, we can get this over nice and quickly. Or should we drag your sorry asses out here and beat you unconscious instead?" He asks with a smirk.

"You don't seem like you're capable enough for that" Darius says, stepping out of the wagon.

"Careful Darius." Cyrus says joining him outside as Hannah follows suit.

"So what are all you guys doing hanging out in the forest? Going on a little camping trip together," Darius taunts while unsheathing his blade.

"I'm afraid we've got no time for games." One of the men replies in a stern voice. "We're here on official business. Now if you wouldn't mind dropping all you have on the ground, You might make it out of here in one piece."

The man draws his sword and points it at Darius.

Darius simply smiles at him before charging at the man.

Seeing this Cyrus pulls his rod and ignites it while Hannah readies her staff.

"Hehehe, wrong choice. Don't blame me for what happens next.

three men rush Darius, trying to stop him.

Before they can reach him through a torrent of flames erupts around the three attackers.

All three men are swept away the flames as Darius cuts through the flames, cutting the men

in half.

"Now that was impressive. I didn't expect the little lady to be so proficient in magic, The leader chuckles as more bandits close in.

"Glad to see you're not afraid to show off a bit Darius." Cyrus says with a smile. "But make sure not to go too crazy. I would also like a piece of them," He adds before vanishing from his location and appearing above one of the bandits.

Cyrus comes down quickly, cutting through the man while delivering a swift kick to the face of two others

Darius lands a few strikes himself easily cutting through anyone in his way.

"Keep up the good work." Hannah shouts while a barrage of flames can be seen gathering behind her and increasing by the second.

Nodding to each other, Cyrus grabs Darius's arm as mist surrounds them transporting the two of them behind Hannah.

Slamming her staff down, The flames that were hovering above her come crashing down hard against the bandits, blasting into them from all sides.

"That was awesome," Darius cheers.

"You did well too Darius," Cyrus replies, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Most of the bandits had been burned to a crisp leaving only a handful left standing.

"Looks like we took care of most of them." Cyrus says looking around.

Staring at the trio, The leader stumbles backwards in shock.

Getting up he runs off into the trees.

"you guys can finish up here, Ill go chase after the cowards." Cyrus sighs. He wasn't really in the mood for a jog today.

Dashing through the remaining bandits cutting a few of them down as he moved, Cyrus enters into the woods as well.

A few minutes later he catches sight of the leader running away. Seeing his chance, Cyrus Uses his shadows to teleport himself beside him before slamming his fist into the man's side

The man hits the ground with a heavy thud and Cyrus stands over him while raising his blade.

Before the man can speak he brings it down on the man's neck severing it cleanly.

"There you go. You won't be needing that anymore." Cyrus says with a smile before running back to the wagon.

As he returns he finds Darius and Hannah waiting for him.

"Didn't take you long to find him." Hannah says.

"Yeah, he sure wasn't a fast runner." Cyrus agrees.

"Well shall we?" Hannah asks.

Gesturing to the driver Cyrus lets him know that they can continue on their way as the three of them get back inside.

Several hours later, The group had arrived at Brina. The town was relatively small with only a few hundred buildings making up its vast landscape. It was surrounded by large fields filled with crops.

Looking around Cyrus notices that many of the houses seemed abandoned. Looking closer he saw that some of them had broken windows and doors. It looked like they had been attacked recently.

Heading into the city itself, Darius looks around curiously.

"What happened here? Was the monster responsible for this?" He asks.

"Hard to say. But judging from the condition of some of these buildings, That's the most likely case. It seems like the people who were living here tried to defend themselves against whatever it was, and lost." Cyrus replies.

"Lost'' is an understatement. This place is a shambles." Darius adds sadly.

"That's unfortunate." Hannah says sympathetically.

Cyrus nods. I'll check out a few places to see if I can find out what happened here. Maybe I can figure out what we're dealing with."

"That sounds like a plan. What do you think about Hannah and I taking a look inside some of the abandoned houses?" Darius asks.

"Why not. There might be something of value left behind in the rubble." Cyrus replies.

Hannah and Darius agree and head off together.

Walking through the streets and alleys, Cyrus makes his way towards the center of the town where he can see some people gathered around.

People are carrying what looks like dead bodies on stretchers.

Curious, Cyrus moves closer to see what is happening.

A young girl is being carried by several men. She looks like she has suffered severe burns and her clothes are completely burnt away.

"How did this happen?" Cyrus asks aloud.

A man holding the girl answers him.

"That damned monster attacked us last night." He says with a grim expression. "It killed half of our town's residents and destroyed everything in its path. We barely made it out alive."

Cyrus is shocked at what he hears. "Do you know where the monster is now?" He asks.

"I don't know. All we know is that it runs off before the sun rises."

"Is there anything I can do to help out?" Cyrus asks concerned.

The man shakes his head. "No, all we need right now is a healer or a priest."

"I'm neither of those things." Cyrus replies apologetically. "But I have a companion that can be of help.I'll be sure to send her over when I get the chance."

"That would be greatly appreciated." The man says with a relieved smile.

With that, Cyrus turns away from the crowd and heads towards the town hall.

Entering the building, he sees that the building is in bad shape as well. A large hole has been punched into the wall and a large crack runs across the top of the building.

Reaching the mayor's office, Cyrus knocks on the door.

After a moment it opens revealing a middle aged woman with gray hair.

"Yes? Can I help you?" She asks

"My name is Cyrus. I'm The soldier sent to handle the monster problem. I wanted to get some info from you before I make any moves.

The woman looks down at Cyrus for a moment before nodding. "Of course. Is there anything specific you want to know?"

"Where should I start? What exactly happened here? How many casualties, and how much damage was done to the town."

"Very well. Let me explain." The woman says after closing the door behind her.

She walks over to a desk and sits down gesturing for Cyrus to do the same.

Taking a seat, Cyrus looks around the room as The woman begins speaking.

"About a week ago, we encountered the beast. It was a huge wolf, covered in black fur. It looked like it was burning with rage. It charged straight into the town, destroying everything in its path. It raged like this each night and would only stop once the sun rose. We tried to fight it off, but it was far too powerful. By the time the sun came up each day , the town was closer and closer to being rendered nothing but a pile of stones.

By the fifth day, we had no choice but to abandon our homes and run when night came. Many of us were injured during this time, but at least many of us had managed to escape.

Not everyone was as lucky though . The beast had managed to slay more than half of our population during this week alone. Some of the survivors fled to other towns. It is my hope that they will return once this is resolved, though I doubt they ever will."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Cyrus says with sympathy.

"Don't worry about it. Those people tried their hardest to protect their loved ones. they will be remembered as good people." The woman replies.

"How about the creature's abilities, What is it capable of?" Cyrus asks.

"As far as I know, the creature is capable of manifesting flames from its fur that burn anything it touches ferociously.

"Is there any way to harm it?"

The woman shakes her head. "no. The creature has endured every attack we can throw at it. Any time we inflicted a wound on the beast, it would simply heal within seconds. No matter what we tried, it wouldn't die."

"Do you know where it might be now?"

"I have no idea. The beast always runs off into the forest after the sun goes down. We tried to track it down, but we never caught a glimpse of it again. For such a large beast it sure is good at hiding"

"Alright, That's all I needed to know. Thank you for your time" Cyrus says, standing up. I will have to leave you now. I would like to get started on finding this thing soon. Before it claims any more victims"

"Of course, please be safe. I wish the best of luck to you" The woman says before letting Cyrus out the door.

Cyrus heads outside and meets back up with Hannah and Darius.

"So... What did you learn?" Darius asks.

"not much. The monster seems to be able to produce fire from its fur. It also seems to have a regenerative ability that allows it to heal almost instantly." Cyrus explains." But No one has any ideas on where it's located." Cyrus, explains everything the town mayor had told him.

"We may have to wait until tonight to take care of the beast."

"Not gonna lie, I'm kinda worried about this one." Darius admits. "Even if we manage to find it, the fact that it managed to destroy half of a town's population in a single week scares the hell outta me."

"Wow, The great Darius is scared" Hannah smirks. "I'm surprised."

"Hey, I've seen monsters like this before." Darius says defensively. "I'm just saying that I'm concerned that we might be heading into a situation that could end poorly for us.

"Just try not to think about it too much. I mean, we're professionals. We can handle ourselves. Right?"

"Right!" Darius says enthusiastically.

Hannah grins. "Good. I'm sure we'll take it out easy as pie."

***

Once dusk settles in, Cyrus gets together with Darius and Hannah.

"I think we should split up for now." He says. "We don't know where the beast is going to come from so covering more ground will be beneficial. Once the beast is spotted The rest of us can head to your locations while it's being distracted. This will be the best way to minimize damage to the town.

"Got it. Will do." Darius says.

"Let's get moving then." Cyrus says as the three of them separate to the outer side of the town to lie in wait.

It didn't take long before the beast appeared. But not without a major problem.

It appeared In the middle of town!

Cyrus frowns looking at the massive beast. Its body is covered in black fur that glows brightly. Its large tail swishes back and forth as it crashes through the town.

Cyrus takes a deep breath before charging towards the beast.

"This is a bad situation. We have to hurry." Cyrus tells himself.

With that, he charges forward to meet the beast.

The beast doesn't seem to notice him at first, as it goes about smashing and killing everything in its path. Its eyes glow menacingly as it roars loudly.

Cyrus comes running towards the beast, dodging a large rock as it flies past his face.

Closing the gap between them, Cyrus charges forward with both hands raised.

He swings his hands downward, As a large dark mass is flung towards the beast.

The beast stumbles backwards, but quickly recovers its balance and turns its attention to Cyrus.

The beast's fur shines a bright red as smoke erupts around it. After a brief period, The beast's fur begins to rapidly shed and regrow as the furs burn brightly and fly towards Cyrus.

Cyrus side steps the flames while trying to close in on the beast.

As he closes in on the beast, It lashes out at him with massive claws.

Dodging the attack by jumping back and landing on a nearby building, The beast swipes once more at Cyrus.

as the Beast's Claws come crashing down, Darius and Hannah catch up to the two and take advantage of the distraction to rush in from the side.

Hannah shields Darius as he rams his blade into the beast.

The beast's fur burns brightly and it starts to growl loudly.

Receiving support from Hannah as well, Cyrus joins Darius as the two tear away at the beast

While Darius and Cyrus continue to attack the beast, Hannah attempts to restrain the beast's attacks.

Using her magic, Hannah focuses and tries to hold back the beast's violent outburst but the spell is broken with ease as the beast thrashes around wildly.

Both Darius and Cyrus are thrown off of the beast and can only watch as all of the damage they had done was healed within moments of each other.

"What the hell?!" Darius exclaims.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Cyrus adds.

Cyrus stands up and rushes towards the beast.

"Come on, We've still got plenty of fight left in us!" Cyrus yells.

"Yeah!" Darius shouts in agreement.

Quickly regaining their bearings, The group closes in on the beast once more.

Hannah uses her magic to collect a mass of large stones and launches them at the best.

The beast reacts immediately, swiping at the stones with its claw As Cyrus and Darius charge forward using the smoke as cover.

Hannah uses her magic once more to launch a barrage of rocks at the beast.

The beast retaliates swiftly, sending flames out at Hannah with its fur as she desperately tries to keep her footing while maintaining her own offensive.

Cyrus closes in on the beast, dodging another swipe of its claws.

As he closes in, The beast lashes out at Cyrus with another swipe of its claws.

A large dark mass wraps around Cyrus as he staggers backward withstanding the blow.

Darius jumps in to assist, swinging his sword at the beast's neck.

But the beast quickly raises its head to bite down on the blade.

With an effortful swing of his sword, Darius manages to slip past the beast's jaws, and rams his blade directly into the beast's mouth.

Hannah blasts the beast with her magic again to try and buy Cyrus enough time join Darius

As the two of them continue to slash against the beast, it continues to retaliate with powerful blows of its own.

Hannah's magic is starting to wear thin however, as she begins to struggle to hold back the beast's strength.

After a few more minutes, Hannah is completely drained of mana.

The beast takes this moment to regain its composure and pushes the two of them back.

The beast roars loudly before lunging at Cyrus.

Cyrus manages to dodge the move by leaping into the air, and landing on the beast arm with his blade.

Enveloping his hand with his energy, he slams it into the beast shoulder, causing it to cry out in pain.

The beast's fur begins to burn brightly as it begins to Launch flame in all directions.

Making sure not to let the flames touch him. the beast lashes out at him with a massive claw.

Before he can react the beast slams into Cyrus sending him flying.

Seeing this Darius rushes in, Lunging at the beast and slicing into its arm with his sword.

His blade sinks deep into the beast's flesh but the beast doesn't seem to care.

It quickly recovers itself, slams its arm with Darius still attached on the ground.

The beast lifts Darius into the air before slamming him into the ground, once more crushing him beneath its weight.

Cyrus is finally able to regain his footing after recovering from the brutal collision and rushes at the beast again, attempting to slash at it with his blade.

The beast responds by launching a wave of flames at Cyrus.

As the flames erupt around Cyrus, They begin to lash out at him.

Hannah attempts to help him but is unable to hold back the flames with any of her remaining energy.

The flame engulfs Cyrus and he staggers backward from the flames. Covering himself in his shadow, Cyrus pushes through the flames to see Darius also struggling to stand after being crushed by the beast. Taking a quick glance over to Hanna he sees that she also isn't looking so good.

In a last ditch effort, Cyrus vanishes before reaching out towards Darius to pull him out of the beast's way and teleporting next to Hannah. Realizing the sorry state that they are all in Cyrus focuses his efforts on getting all three of them to safety.

All three of them teleport to the other side of the town, leaving the beast to rampage unopposed behind them.