Damien chuckled, shaking his head. “Fair enough. But next time, leave a few more for me, alright?”
“No promises,” Arielle said with a grin.
The two exchanged a brief smile before turning their attention to the trail ahead. Their journey wasn’t over yet, and the night was still young.
The battle was behind them, the air still heavy with the aftermath. Rather than immediately take to the skies on Aquila, Arielle suggested a different approach.
“Why not walk for a while?” she said, sheathing her blade and brushing some demon blood off her armor.
Damien raised an eyebrow. “Walk? You do know we have a Griffin for faster travel, right?”
Arielle smirked. “Yes, but walking gives us a chance to cool off and actually talk. Besides, you could use a bit of walking.”
Damien scoffed but didn’t argue. He dismissed Aquila with a casual wave of his hand, and the Griffin soared into the sky with a final screech, disappearing into the clouds.
The terrain was still swampy but less oppressive now that the demon stench was gone.
Short grasses swayed in the faint breeze, and the ground beneath them was soft but manageable. The pair walked side by side, the silence between them surprisingly comfortable.
“So,” Arielle began, breaking the quiet. “How many kills are you aiming for on this little hunting trip of yours?”
Damien glanced at her, his expression thoughtful. “I need a hundred more meet the next target of mine. So far, I’ve got around thirty. Maybe a little more.”
“Only a third?” Arielle teased, nudging his arm playfully. “You’ve been slacking.”
“Slacking?” Damien shot her a mock glare. “You’re the one stealing my kills. I’d probably be more than halfway if it weren’t for you.”
Arielle laughed, the sound light and genuine. “You’re just mad I’m better at it than you.”
“Better? Please,” Damien retorted, his lips twitching into a smirk. “I’m letting you have the easy ones. Consider it a favor. Can’t have you rust up while on the hunt with me.”
They continued bantering as they walked, the conversation bouncing between playful jabs and light-hearted topics. For a moment, it felt almost normal—like they weren’t in a demon-infested wasteland.
Neither of them noticed the large ditch ahead. Hidden beneath a layer of loose foliage and camouflaged by the uneven terrain, the trap was nearly impossible to see.
Damien was mid-sentence when his foot hit nothing but air. He stumbled forward, his balance completely lost. “Oops.”
“Dam—!” Arielle’s voice turned into a sharp scream as the ground beneath them gave way.
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Both of them fell, tumbling down a steep ten-meter drop. The sides of the ditch were rough, dirt and small rocks cascading with them as they plunged.
“Ahhhh!!” Arielle’s scream echoed all the way down, while Damien remained eerily silent, his mind racing to process what had just happened.
Bang!
With a heavy thud, they hit the bottom. Dust billowed around them, the earthy scent of disturbed soil filling the air.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Arielle groaned, sitting up and brushing dirt off her clothes. “What the hell just happened?”
Damien pushed himself to his feet, checking his limbs for injuries. “We fell into a ditch,” he said dryly, his voice laced with irritation. “A very deep ditch.”
“No kidding.” Arielle stood, wincing as she stretched. “How did we not see that?”
Damien didn’t answer immediately. He scanned the walls of the ditch, noting the steep incline and the lack of footholds.
The ditch was about three meters wide, the walls towering above them with no immediate way out.
“We were distracted,” he admitted finally, his tone begrudging.
Arielle dusted off her pants, glancing upward. “Well, call Aquila and let’s get out of here.”
Damien nodded, focusing his thoughts on the Griffin. He sent the mental command to call it forward, but instead of appearing, Aquila’s distant cry echoed from above.
Arielle tilted her head, frowning. “What’s it doing?”
“It’s… flying away,” Damien said slowly, his irritation mounting. “Great. Just great.”
“Can’t you just unsummon and then summon it back?”
“Give me a second.” Damien closed his eyes, muttering under his breath as he canceled the summon. He waited a beat before attempting to call Aquila again.
Before he could complete the summoning, a sound froze him in place.
The faint crunch of boots on dirt reached his ears. Someone—or something—was walking above them, circling the edge of the ditch.
The footsteps were slow and deliberate, almost as if whoever was up there was assessing the situation.
Damien’s hand instinctively went to his sword, his grip tightening.
“Damien,” Arielle whispered, her voice low. “Do you hear that?”
He nodded, his gaze fixed upward. “Yeah. And I’m asking myself how I didn’t notice it earlier.”
The footsteps grew louder, closer. Damien’s muscles tensed, his instincts screaming at him to prepare for a fight.
“Who’s there?” he called out, his voice echoing off the walls of the ditch.
The footsteps paused, and for a moment, there was silence. Then, a shadowy figure appeared at the edge of the ditch, peering down at them.
“Well, well,” the figure drawled, their voice tinged with amusement. “What do we have here?”
Arielle glanced at Damien, her expression a mix of confusion and concern. “Friends of yours?”
“Not at all. I have no friend.” Damien muttered, his eyes narrowing as he sized up the figure above.
The stranger chuckled, their tone mockingly polite. “You two look a little stuck. Need a hand?”
Damien didn’t lower his guard. “Depends. Are you the one who dug this ditch?”
The figure tilted their head, feigning innocence. “Me? Oh no, I wouldn’t dream of it. But I might know who did.”
Arielle crossed her arms, her patience thinning. “Then maybe you could stop wasting our time and tell us.”
The stranger’s grin widened. “Now, where’s the fun in that?”
Damien sighed, his grip tightening on his sword. “Looks like we’re not getting answers the easy way.”
The stranger took a step back, their shadow retreating from the edge. “Good luck climbing out, though. I’ll be watching from a few meters away.”
As their footsteps faded into the distance, Damien exchanged a look with Arielle.
“This just got a lot more complicated,” he muttered.
“You think?” Arielle shot back, rolling her eyes.
Damien glanced up at the walls of the ditch, his mind already racing with possibilities. Whatever this was, it wasn’t a random accident. And now, they had more than just demons to worry about.