A scream tore through the night.
"WAKE UP! DEMON!"
The first watch had already ended over an hour ago. Auriel, Sirine, and Aldric had been replaced by the other three.
The scream came from Kael, from the roof. His gaze had pierced the darkness better than the others and noticed the black mass swooping down on them before it struck.
Auriel opened his eyes. He was already standing, his hand on his blade.
Around him, the cart trembled as it nearly tipped over. The horses neighed. A dull thud resonated against the wooden floor.
Aldric jumped to his feet, grabbing his shield. Too late. The canvas opened, and a pair of claws reached through the opening. The blow pushed him outside, his heavy armor absorbing the worst, but the metal was heavily scratched and his shoulder was bleeding.
"I'm fine!" he shouted as he rolled on the ground. "It's over there!"
The others came out at the same time. Malconte held his sword high, and Lyra held her dagger tight, positioned ahead of the group.
A jet of acid suddenly shot from the demon's mouth toward Malconte, who was already diving to the side.
The blackish liquid hit the ground, and the earth began to sizzle, melting like butter.
"LYRA, GET BACK!" Malconte shouted.
Lyra rolled to the side. A claw passed where her head had been a second earlier.
Without a moment's hesitation, Kael leaped from the roof toward the demon, his blade gleaming with a colorless glow in the night.
Too late. The insectoid demon had already moved to attack.
It charged at Aldric as the mercenary raised his shield. The claws struck the metal. The sound rang out, and Aldric stepped back again, but this time he held his ground.
The demon turned its head toward Malconte, who was charging at it during its struggle with the bear-man. A new jet of acid shot from its mouth.
With a serious expression, Malconte dove to the side. Barely dodging the attack, he continued his advance toward the two, keeping the creature's attention.
Kael, who had discreetly circled around the monster, struck a decisive blow at a hind leg within reach. The demon growled, pivoted, and tried to bite him.
Already prepared, Kael dodged skillfully and stepped back as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Lyra was already ready. She threw her dagger with all her might. It lodged itself in the creature's flank. Not deep enough, unfortunately. The demon didn't even seem to notice.
"BASTARD!"
Aldric, still close to it, swung his sword with all his strength, striking the monster's shoulder with rage. The blow cut through the flesh, and thick black liquid burst from the broken chitin.
The demon recoiled, growled, then suddenly turned toward the farthest member of the group.
It stared greedily at Sirine, who stood apart, her bow lowered, her gaze in a trance.
She hadn't fired since the start of the fight. In fact, she hadn't even moved. She just stared at the beast, frozen and horrified.
The demon charged straight at her.
Its legs tore up the dry earth as it lunged forward with all its might.
Its mandibles clacked with enthusiasm as it rushed toward the young woman, its mouth dripping with acid.
Malconte shouted. "SIRINE!"
Kael could only stand there helpless. Despite his incredible reflexes, he had neglected his positioning, focusing solely on the demon.
Frustration crossed his gaze as he watched the scene unfold before him.
Halfway there, the insect's sadistic smile froze, and its yellow eyes, gleaming in the night, filled with infinite terror. Its hesitation slowed its advance, but it still couldn't stop in time.
Suddenly, Auriel, who had been motionless from the start, finally moved.
Without a trace of fear, he leaped forward and grabbed Sirine by the waist, pushing her to the side, taking advantage of the demon's strange hesitation. They rolled together on the ground, the dry earth and stones scraping their clothes.
The demon's claw passed just inches from them, still lightly grazing Auriel's left side. As for the acid it had spat earlier, it struck a dead tree in the distance. The dry wood broke in two and immediately caught fire, consumed in an instant.
The demon stopped, paralyzed.
It looked at Sirine for half a second before turning its gaze to the half-empty sky, terrified and livid.
As the other members regained their senses and prepared to rush toward Auriel and Sirine to help, the demon roared, scratching the ground, as if awaiting its fate with submission before the heavens.
Of course, nothing appeared in the sky. After a few seconds of immobility, seeing nothing happen, the demon turned around without even looking at the six who had been fighting it and disappeared toward the Ashen Wild Forest to the northeast.
Silence returned.
Malconte lowered his sword. "Is it gone?"
Kael sheathed his blade. "Looks like it."
"Demons don't usually flee," said Lyra, out of breath and crouched, her hands clutching her stomach tightly. "Could it be a trap, or is there something more dangerous nearby?"
"It fled, and the area seems empty," Kael replied. "That's all that matters for now. Let's just not linger here too long."
Aldric sat on the ground, a hand on his shoulder. Blood flowed between his fingers, but the wound wasn't deep. "I don't care why. I'm just glad it's gone."
Auriel got up and helped Sirine to her feet. She said nothing. Her hands were still trembling a little. He didn't reproach her for her earlier behavior and simply returned to the cart.
After this incident, they worked methodically in silence.
The cart was tilted, one wheel broken. In a few places, the crates had tipped over, spilling strange herbs of a blood-red color. These strange plants had leaves resembling ferns, but with very hard and pointed aristate teeth.
They picked them up without asking questions, put them back in the crates, and closed them with makeshift lids.
After a good part of the night, the cart was usable again, but it wouldn't last long.
No one spoke, all too focused for that. A gloomy atmosphere had long settled over the area.
Sirine had stayed apart since the fight. She stared into space, her hands trembling intensely.
Auriel suddenly appeared behind her. He was limping slightly, and the left side of his coat was stained red.
Leaning on the stick that kept him upright, he crouched down beside her.
The silence lasted a few minutes. Scratching his head awkwardly, Auriel spoke.
"I hope you don't mind me grabbing you like that earlier..."
She answered weakly, without looking at him.
"You saved my life. Don't say stupid things."
"No, I didn't save you." Auriel suddenly interrupted her, his tone serious. The tone of his voice changed noticeably. His hesitant expression quickly faded, leaving only a thin, sly smile that Sirine didn't see.
"Truth is... it probably couldn't have reached you..."
She abruptly turned her head away, frowning.
"And even if it had reached you, it would have instinctively veered its claws to the side, and you would have just ended up with a nasty wound that Lyra could have healed without any problem."
Auriel's smile was sweet, calm, and slightly disarming. Similar to the one he had given her when they first met.
"The truth is, it never had a chance to hurt you. Am I right?"
Sirine froze.
Her hand went to her weapon, but Auriel's fingers closed around her wrist before she could draw.
He didn't squeeze, just held her gently.
Leaning slightly closer, his voice dropped, and he whispered in her ear.
"If I hadn't pushed you, someone else might have noticed even stranger behavior from that demon."
His warm breath struck the young woman's face, but she paid little attention. Her pupils were dilated in a complex mix of emotions.
"What's in those crates would drive any demon mad. The only reason it fled without killing us..." He paused, letting the silence stretch. "Was you."
As his face came within millimeters of hers, he finished his sentence with amusement: "Isn't that right? Little witch."
Sirine's breathing quickened, and her pupils contracted even more. Auriel could feel the tension rising in the young witch's arm, ready to suddenly grab an arrow and plunge it into his throat at any moment.
He released her wrist and straightened up with difficulty, a confident smile still on his face.
He looked down at the woman on the ground.
"I won't tell anyone, I promise."
She stared at him, silent and perplexed.
"Consider it a gesture of goodwill." He tilted his head modestly, seeming amused by the situation. "You owe me nothing. After all, we're friends. But if you ever need help, or if your people need help... Before giving up on everything, out of respect, come see me, please. You're someone important to me."
He let the sentence hang as he leaned on his stick, walking away with his back to Sirine, completely defenseless.
She stared at him, her hand gripping her bow so hard it nearly cracked. But finally, she relaxed her grip, sighed, and began to think, even more lost than before.
Auriel stood up and returned to the rudimentary fire burning in the distance among the dry grass, hands in the pockets of his old, worn-out coat, deep in thought.
[Having a contact among the witches could prove useful, even crucial for the rest of my plan. Hmm?]
He then turned his head toward Ma'am Dolgen, who kept her gaze fixed on the young witch, seeming to have understood something as well. Sensing Auriel's presence, she looked him straight in the eyes and was greeted by a very warm smile.
[Ahaha. Touch my possessions, and I'll kill you, you old bitch.]
The young boy nodded gently toward her without saying anything more, then went to sit next to Malconte, accepting the mug of beer offered to him with pleasure.
Understanding Auriel's implicit threat, the woman who had disappeared during the entire fight ultimately chose not to pursue the matter and joined the group around the makeshift camp.
Sitting on her crate, she waited in silence for the journey's outcome.
Time passed quickly.
The Moon, indifferent to the previous events, simply continued to diligently illuminate the half-empty sky.
Tomorrow, the group would resume the road. Tonight, they were still alive. That was all that mattered, after all.
...
In the distance, a man appeared out of nowhere.
He was dressed in a long black coat covering his partially metallic body. His eyes were completely dark, without iris or pupils. He seemed to float slightly above the ground, his feet not touching the rock.
His smooth, impassive face lowered toward the demon below.
The insect lay in a puddle of black, sizzling blood, pinned to the ground, its legs still weakly scratching the earth around it. Its yellow eyes, once so terrifying, were now just two flickering glimmers.
It managed to turn its massive head toward the man above him. Its mandibles clicked weakly, producing a grating, unsettling sound.
"Executor... Mercy..."
The man did not move.
Suddenly, the light in the demon's eyes vanished, and a deeply indifferent voice echoed through the area.
"Article 413 of the World Congress. You shall not go against the agreement with 'God' under penalty of immediate execution."
The insect's terrified head was already rolling downhill while the mysterious man had not yet finished speaking.
The insect's massive body finally collapsed for good. Its legs stopped frantically clawing at the ground and curled up into themselves. A few drops of blood finished dripping from its throat, now exposed to the open air.
The man looked at the remains for a moment, then turned toward Sirine in the distance. His eyes narrowed, but he did nothing more, content to follow the plan in place.
Letting out a slight sigh of frustration mixed with fatigue, he disappeared as suddenly as he had come, tearing through the dark veil of the night.