"Raise your hands higher, Estra!" Meliodas commanded, and I did as he asked. "Higher!"

"Any higher and they'll be above my head!" I snapped at him.

"Widen your stance," he said, tapping my right ankle with a stick. I shifted my foot further out. "Relax your arms in that position."

After much begging and pleading, Meliodas had finally given in and had agreed to teach me how to fight. Hawk's mum needed a rest, so we had stopped near a little farming town, surrounded by fields of livestock and wheat waiting for harvest. However, I hadn't been expecting this.

"Now hold that position!"

Hands raised up, fists before my face, with my feet staggered wide, I stared down my imaginary foe. Well, more like a random cow in the distance eating grass. A tic began in my eyebrow before I dropped my arms and turned on Meliodas.

"I thought you said you'd be teaching me how to fight," I complained.

"I am."

"I'm not learning anything here," I continued. "All you've had me do all day is stand in this stupid stance! Could we at least battle each other with sticks, since they resemble swords because nowadays, everyone in the whole countryside seem to be – OOF!"

My head jerked up, stars dancing in my vision before my knees gave way and I collapsed on the ground. Groaning, I rubbed my aching chin.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" I spat out a wad of blood, searching my jaw for any missing teeth. Luckily, they were there, canines and all; I must have bitten my tongue when my teeth clacked together from the punch.

"You weren't ready," Meliodas stated, grinning down at me.

Snarling, I pounced at him but he nimbly dodged. Oh how I wanted to claw that smug smile off his face as I darting out with my fists. He merely walked backwards, avoiding my blows.

"Just stand still!" I growled, aiming a blow for his head.

Somehow, I ended up on the ground again. The centre of my chest ached and I curled in on myself, heaving for air.

"See," Meliodas gestured to me, proving his point.

I snapped my teeth at him, then slunk away, sick and tired of training. Giving up was not normally an option unless I was faced with a formidable foe. Or embarrassed because I lacked the skills to perform a task.

"Oh Estra," Elizabeth welcomed me as I entered the tavern. "So how is the training going?"

Her hands stilled on the plate she was drying when I glowered at her, entering the back room and rummaging around in the cool box thingy that kept the meat, well, cool. Procuring a block of ice and stealing the towel from Elizabeth's hands, I slumped at a table.

"Have a guess," I sighed, gingerly placing the ice up under my jaw. It stung and my tears watered in my eyes.

"It can't be that bad," she said, moving around the tavern with her chores. I just rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Estra!" Meliodas shouted from outside. "You coming back out?" I could hear his footsteps on the little wooden steps.

Gulping, I rose from the table slowly... before bolting out the back door, leaving the block of ice as the only clue I had existed there. Hawk squawked when I jumped over him and disappeared into a field of golden wheat.

Surrounded by the wavering stalks, I finally stopped. Hands on knees, it took me precious seconds to recover from my sudden panic induced sprint. Recovering, I waddled deeper into the wheat, putting distance between me and the tavern. No way was I returning to that disaster of a training session.

Thwunk, thwunk, thwunk.

Frowning, I ventured after the weird noise, parting the wheat carefully when I reached the edge of the field. A section of woodland bordered the field, all bony branches and fat green shrubbery. Crouched low, I peeked out and saw a golden- haired man with his bare back to me, a stick in hand.

He twirled between his fingers, before bringing down a fearsome chop and a deafening crack! Wood splinters flew through the air and he stepped away, revealing a damaged figure, crafted from tufts of straw and wood.

"Who's there?" he suddenly said, voice level. I fell over in the wheat, drawing his attention to me. "I see I have an intruder."

"I'm not intruding!" I said, panicked.

"Then come out of the wheat, little fox."

My body went numb, skin prickling. It was like all the blood had rushed from me, leaving me lightheaded. How did he know what I was? I crawled out of the wheat, heart in my throat.

Head cocked to the side, he took a step forward, sunlight dancing on his skin. The multitude of silvery scars, and the red and gold tattoos inked all over his muscular body, became visible in the light. He laughed, a deep laugh, amber eyes sparking with amusement. Probably because my jaw had hit the floor.

"Have you never seen demon before?"

"A demon?!" I shouted, jumping to my feet and shuffling away from him. "Get away from me."

"Feisty," he muttered, turning around and depositing the stick against a tree.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I got banished here." His eyes had lost their sparkle. "I might be a demon, but I have no more magic than you do, little fox. Don't worry, I don't bite." His face broke into a grin. "Much."

"What are you doing here?" I repeated. "Do you plan on ravage and pilfer a village nearby?" I sneered. I had seen the work of demons when I had been younger, when they had been more frequent in the world. I might have even forgotten they existed in this time period if I had not met this man.

"I don't plan on doing anything except live my life as a secluded hermit, granting wishes for people who truly need help with my limited supply of magic energy," he explained, holding out a hand. Gold and black sparks danced on his open palm.

"I don't trust you," I huffed, folding my arms against my chest tightly. "Demons don't do good."

He smiled at me again, more of a tired smile this time. "I guess it would be pointless to try and argue with you then or even try and convince you that I'm good."

"That's exactly right."

"Then what are you going to do about it?"

"Huh?" Now I was confused.

"Well, I'm a big bad demon living on Earth. I wouldn't be wrong in saying that you probably thought about killing me in the past several minutes."

My eyes narrowed at him but I didn't say anything. Because he was right. I had wanted to ring his neck.

"Well?"

"I'm not going to kill you," I said. Even if I wanted to, he'd probably kill me in an instant, judging by the way he had mangled that training doll with a wooden stick.

He must have seen my eyes dart to the doll and he laughed again, quite loudly, and gestured for me to come closer. Hesitantly, I did, and he moved towards the doll. With a flick of his fingers, the doll became a roaring fire.

He sat down on the ground, hands behind his head, leaning against a log. His tattoos still shone, visible now. He must have cast a spell, I thought. Slowly, I sat down, legs crossed underneath me.

"So little fox, what brings you out this way?"

"Stop calling me that." Goosebumps rose of my skin; I still couldn't understand how he knew what I was. Even if he didn't, it was still unnerving.

He watched me with a calculated gaze. "Why? You are the fox, aren't you? You can't keep hiding. You are the Fox of Greed." 

A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And that drool worthy random anime guy up above *winks*

That ^^, my readers, is what the Demon looks like. The demon's name.... will be revealed in the next chapter! Now take a minute to admire the awesomeness of that creation and scream praise to his creator into the sky. 

(Picture is not mine; found it on the internet)   

Continuing on: this chapter is for all those who were wondering when Estra will finally learn how to fight properly. As you can see... she's not the best fighter in the world. Although, fighting against Meliodas isn't the easiest thing to do, so I congratulate her for still being alive *claps hands for own OC* 

The next chapter will be more interaction with the demon and she might finally get her tattoo (it's great to have friends with magic)!

Please leave feedback wherever you like throughout this chapter and don't forget to hit that little star button as it means the world to me to see comments and votes from all my readers. 

Adios for now!