The Soul Ruby possessed curious properties that detected demonic energy, both demonic possessions and demonic shapeshifters. When King Dubrovnik II bestowed it to Sombor the Paladin, it was given in the hopes of preventing potential traitors from infiltrating his party as they made their way to the deepest depths of the Great Balkania Dungeon to confront the Demon King.

  To make use of the Soul Ruby was a simple, yet difficult task. For one, only a righteous man - pure of heart in the eyes of Bogan, the God of the gods - could make use of it. The bearer would hold the red gem with one hand in front of the man suspected of demonic energy. The red shine of the Soul Ruby would reveal all - the demoniac would reveal the occupant, the shapeshifter its true form, and the pure his innocence.

  And now, five years after the Demon King was defeated, Sombor - now a deputy rather than an adventurer - had to make use of it again. And of all places, it would be in Armoric, the village he once defended. With the bloody red sun and sickly yellowish sky over all of Balkania, Sombor had no time to waste.

  ***

  Sombor arrived just in time. Mostar, the young man on trial was just seconds away from being hanged by an angry mob, their voices loud like the battlefield. Yet the deputy barged in fearlessly to the Village Square; he arrived with his companion, Tiraspol the merchant.

  Unlike his paladin protector, Tiraspol looked visibly worried; he held Sombor by his shirt. “Wait, Sir Sombor! They look ready to lynch anyone who dares to intervene.”

  Sombor kept going. “They can try.”

  The deputy thus rushed to the gallows. Just before the executioner could pull the lever, he found himself on the ground; Sombor had kicked straight on the chest.

  Now with the accused behind him and the crowd in front, Sombor held his sword out, ready to strike down anyone who would dare challenge him.

  None did so save for one. The lone figure approaching the paladin was a man in a white robe, a Banja - a priest of Bogan; his name was Luka. Slowly, he approached Sombor, relief evident in his expression. “Deputy, you have arrived from the city. Thank heavens!”

  “Banja,” Sombor said, bowing. “Mind filling me in? Nis told me the basics, but I can tell a lot has happened on my way.”

  And thus, Banja Luka explained how the trials had been going. The priest, being the only person other than the young man’s family who believed in Mostar’s innocence, decided to defend him. But it was clear that the verdict had been decided from the start, and neither the jury nor the judge would believe anything to the contrary.

  Sombor listened intently, holding on to the Soul Ruby in his pocket.

  “... and yet,” Luka said, “the boy himself believes himself guilty.” He pointed to the victim, a rope hanging around his neck.

  Mostar had a look that showed a mix of fear and crazy. It was as if he never had a coherent thought in his life.

  Sombor was about to speak. But he was interrupted….

  “Snakemen! Snakemen! They’re here! The Demon King will arrive!” As he screamed, Mostar pointed to the sky.

  The crowd below responded:

  “Be quiet, demon spawn!”

  “Surely this is proof of his guilt.”

  “Execute him!”

  Sombor grimaced, his eyes narrowed. Stomping his foot, he cried, “Silence!”

  The deputy spoke with such authority that the crowd, once buzzing like bees, stopped. With peace restored however brief, Sombor motioned for the priest to speak.

  Luka sighed. “With the Blood Sun above us, I cannot blame these poor villagers.” The priest said this for he himself still remembered the Demon King’s attack on the village, and how close Armoric came to being razed by the forces of darkness. “If I hadn’t been versed in the Scriptures myself, I would have believed him possessed.”

  Sombor took out the Soul Ruby. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  Thus, the paladin held forth that gleaming red gem in front of Mostar. The holy shine and noise emanated before both Mostar and Sombor.

  But nothing happened.

  The villagers watching could only gasp in shock; the scales fell from their eyes. The collective hysteria slowly gave way as the implications began to settle in their minds.

  Sombor smiled; he put the gem back in his pocket. “He’s clean.”

  Being amongst the crowd, Tiraspol sighed in relief, yet a feeling of worry still painted his face. He made his way to the gallows. “That’s it? We’re good?”

  The deputy wanted to say so. Yet as he was opening his mouth, he felt the vibrations of the Soul Ruby in his pocket. Soon his smile disappeared, replaced by a frown. “No, not quite.”

  ***

  The Soul Ruby’s vibration meant one thing, there was a touch of the demonic somewhere in Armoric Village. Though Mostar was innocent, Sombor’s job was far from finished.

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  Now he turned his attention to the crowd. The closer he got to them, the stronger the vibrations became.

  “Who’s in charge of this rabble?” Sombor cried.

  A man stepped forward, an older gentleman of a peasant; his attire, a mix of modest and fancy, revealed his status. “I am Cacak, the mayor of the village.”

  Sombor narrowed his eyes. “And you are the man behind this trial?”

  “Indeed, deputy. I apologize for the troubles I have caused,” Cacak said, his eyes twitching. “But now that the troubles have passed, it appears it is time for you to return back to the city.”

  “No,” Sombor said, shaking his head. “The Soul Ruby continues to vibrate.”

  “Why do you trust that stupid rock so much?”

  The Soul Ruby has yet to let me down,” responded Sombor. He felt its shake stronger than ever.

  Cacak frowned, his eyes low. “Surely your wife and children back in the city are waiting for you.”

  Sombor’s heart skipped a beat. Is that a threat? Yet he kept his calm. “Tirana will understand.”

  “Get the hell out of my town!”

  The paladin’s response was swift. A swing of the sword, and the mayor found the paladin’s sword through his heart. Yet there was no blood coming out of his wound. With the other hand, Sombor took out the Soul Ruby and held it to Cacak. With the shine of the ruby, Cacak’s human form gave way, his skin turned yellow before it gave way to scales.

  “Snakeman!” cried Tiraspol.

  “I see now,” Banja Luka added.

  The crowd became rowdy, but Sombor remained focused on his target. Slowly, the snakemen began to disappear into the ether.

  But again, Sombor’s work was far from finished. The crowd began babbling amongst themselves…

  “The mayor’s a snakeman?”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “We’re done for!”

  And yet again, Sombor stomped his foot; he screamed, “Silence!”

  With the entire crowd now turned towards him, the deputy took a deep breath. “I cannot pretend to fully know what is going on. But as the Deputy of Balkania himself, I have vowed to protect the kingdom and everyone in them. Rest assured, I shall keep watch of this village for the time being.”

  But an unknown voice, though strangely familiar cried out, “That won’t be necessary, Som!”

  Sombor turned around, his expression was one of shock. It had been a while since he met the two people in front of him, but there was no mistaking their identity. The first was a hulking redhead of a man, the blade he carried dwarfed even him; his smirk radiated confidence; Osijek the Berserker. His companion was a petite woman in a white flowing dress, her azure-light hair complimented her attire; she had a demure expression on her face; Zara the Vestal.

  Osijek was the first to approach, he held out his hand and took Sombor’s. “Nice to see you, Sir Deputy.”

  “Osijek… Zara,” Sombor began, “what are you two doing here?”

  Osijek shrugged, his sword held firm. “Fresh off clearing out the Armoric Mines. We came here as soon as we could.”

  Sombor furrowed his brows. “Why?”

  It was Zara who answered, “We discovered the Mayor’s corpse. The Great Dragon of Armoric was guarding him. Judging by the condition of the body, it looked like he had been there for a while. We knew we had to expose the truth before it was too late.”

  Osijek lightly punched Sombor’s shoulder. “But it looks like you got that taken care of.”

  Sombor chuckled. “Indeed. Funny that.”

  The berserker took the paladin into a hug. “Makes me think of old times. Just the four of us: you, me, Zara, and Rana. The four of us were unstoppable! Why don’t you join us for a quest one of these days?”

  “Osi.…” Sombor shook his head. “You know I can’t do that anymore.”

  Osijek nodded sarcastically. “Right… you two are married with kids now. So what? Zara and I are married too, and you don’t see us being all domestic.”

  Sombor rolled his eyes. I know. I was the ring bearer, you dolt. “We’ll see how smart you’ll feel when the first kid comes. You think Zara’s gonna be able to keep up with you when she starts carrying a child?”

  As Zara heard Sombor’s words, she couldn’t help but put a hand to her stomach. Frowning, she began rubbing it protectively.

  Shouts from the people, not of panic but rather relief, broke the conversation. Sombor, Osijek, and Zara looked up; their hearts soon lightened. The skies, once sickly yellow turned bright blue. And the red sun became yellow once more. The Blood Sun had disappeared.

  ***

  Now that the situation was resolved, Sombor made ready to return back to Balkania City. With Osijek and Zara keeping watch of the village for the time being, he knew Armoric was in good hands.

  Yet Tiraspol the merchant did not share Sombor’s optimism. Feeling insecure of his lodging, he chose to go with the paladin.

  “Balkania City’s a big place,” Tiraspol told Sombor. “I’m sure I’ll find a place to stay.”

  That answer was good enough for Sombor, though he was more than happy to have the merchant - the man he now knew to be his father’s employee - to stay at his estate if needs be.

  But one thing at a time.

  As Sombor said his goodbyes to Osijek and Zara, he couldn’t help but smile. He thought of the Demon King’s words, said exactly five years ago:

  “Ten years, O Paladin. That’s how much time your pitiful kingdom will have until I return once more.”

  Those words were a threat; but in light of the Blood Sun’s disappearance, they also signaled hope. He still had five years. Five years to prepare Balkania, five years to train his family, five years until what was to come.

  ***

  Sombor’s trip back to Balkania City was calm, but no longer ominous. By the time he saw the walls of the city, the sun had set. Yet strangely the night brought hope. After all, the walls of Balkania could be seen glowing red - a product of the rows of soul rubies that dotted the walls protectively around the city. In the middle of the city was the towering estate of his father-in-law; orbited by a series of floating structures, Skopje’s Tower was where all the magical energy flowed to protect the city from demonic energy. That was where he was supposed to go with Tirana and the children for their magic testing. Instead, he was pulled away to Armoric. Yet a part of him was glad for that; not just that he did his job in the village, but also that he could see the sight in front of him. Sombor knew his father-in-law well. As long as Skopje lived, Balkania City will be safe from the forces of darkness.

  After all Sombor had gone through, informing the Sheriff and dropping off Tiraspol to his next inn was a trivially simple task. Though it did take some time.

  When Sombor finally returned back to his estate, he found his wife Tirana asleep with the children: Adrian and Athina. She had an arm over the two of them like a mother hen protecting its chicks. Sombor lightly kissed Tirana, stirring her awake.

  “Sombor?” she said, still groggy. “Is that you?”

  He nodded. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “Don’t be,” responded Tirana, rising up. “Care for a chat?”

  Sombor shook his head. “Not right now. Just one thing though…”

  Tirana looked to her husband curiously.

  “I will do all I can to protect you, our children, and all Balkania,” Sombor said, his voice full of resolve. “And if I have to kill the Demon King for a second time to do so, then so be it.”

  Tirana moved closer to Sombor, and kissed him. “And you have my support. Nay, our support. When the Demon King shows his face, all four of us will be ready.”

  Yet unbeknownst to the young parents, there were actually five of them in that room. For Tirana was pregnant with child, a daughter…

  Upon her birth, her parents would name her Pristina. Blessed with the healing touch of light magic, she was destined by the God of the gods Himself; she was the reason why Bogan returned Tirana back to Sombor all those years ago. It would be through her that the Demon King would finally be defeated for good, and banished permanently from the realm of the mortals.