Damien and Arielle were about to take off with Aquila when the sound of hurried footsteps reached their ears. They both turned, and there stood Axiom and Jallen again, flanked by four others from their group.
“Well, that was fast,” Damien muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as Axiom stepped forward with his ever-present grin.
“Leaving so soon?” Axiom asked, tilting his head as though genuinely curious.
“We have somewhere to be,” Damien replied curtly, already impatient with their sudden reappearance.
“Somewhere, huh?” Axiom said, feigning innocence. “And where might that be?”
“None of your business,” Damien shot back. “But if you must know, we’re going demon hunting.”
Axiom’s grin widened. “What a coincidence! So are we.”
Damien frowned. “Good for you.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Axiom continued, ignoring Damien’s tone. “Why don’t we join forces? Strength in numbers and all that.”
Damien’s lips tightened into a thin line. “No.”
Axiom raised an eyebrow, clearly unfazed by the rejection. “Why not? We’re capable fighters. You saw how we avoided detection earlier.”
“It’s not about capability,” Damien said bluntly. His gaze flicked to Jallen, who stood a few steps behind Axiom. “Your beast tamer is a problem. My beasts won’t work well with someone like him around.”
Jallen smirked, his arms crossed. “Afraid I’ll steal your pets’ loyalty?”
Damien’s eyes hardened. “Not worried, just cautious. They might kill you if you become much of a problem and I don’t want to have to explain to your colleagues.”
Axiom held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Fair enough, fair enough. But we can work around that. Jallen can keep his distance. Promise.”
Damien glanced at Arielle, silently hoping she’d back him up. Instead, her eyes lit up with excitement.
“I think it’s a great idea!” Arielle said, stepping forward. “Hunting in a larger group could be fun. Besides, it might make things easier.”
Damien sighed inwardly. He didn’t want to disappoint her, but the idea of traveling with these strangers didn’t sit well with him. After a long pause, he relented.
“Fine,” he said reluctantly. “But we hunt separately. I’m not interested in sharing my kills.”
“Deal,” Axiom said quickly, his grin returning. He turned and let out a sharp whistle, signaling to the rest of his group.
The remaining four figures approached, each carrying themselves with a confidence that didn’t match their weak essence signatures.
Damien studied them carefully. One was a tall, wiry man with a scar running down his cheek, another was a woman with sharp eyes and a bow slung across her back, and the last two were a pair of stocky twins wielding heavy maces.
The group exuded camaraderie, but Damien couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to them than met the eye. Probably because he’d spent a good amount of time alone.
As the two groups prepared to set off, Damien felt a nagging discomfort. He wasn’t used to traveling with so many people, let alone strangers.
Arielle, on the other hand, seemed to thrive in the social atmosphere. She chatted easily with Axiom, who was more than happy to entertain her questions.
“So, how long have you all been hunting demons?” Arielle asked as they walked. She was already curious despite only knowing them for less than an hour.
“Long enough,” Axiom replied vaguely. “We’re a tight-knit crew. Been through a lot together.”
“Do you always hang around areas like this?” she pressed.
“Only when the job calls for it,” Axiom said with a wink. “And this job definitely calls for it.”
Damien, walking a few steps ahead with Luton wobbling on his shoulder, rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure if Axiom was being evasive or just trying to seem mysterious. Either way, it was grating.
Jallen, meanwhile, kept his distance as promised, though Damien could feel the man’s eyes occasionally drifting toward Aquila and Luton.
“Keep staring, and you’ll lose an eye,” Damien warned without looking back.
Jallen chuckled but said nothing, wisely shifting his focus elsewhere.
After about half an hour of walking, Damien stopped abruptly, turning to face the group.
“Listen up,” he said, his tone sharp. “Here’s how this works: I don’t care what you do or how you do it, but stay out of my way. My summons don’t take kindly to interference, and neither do I. Got it?”
Axiom raised his hands in mock surrender. “Crystal clear, boss.”
“Good,” Damien said. “And don’t expect me to save you if you get in over your heads.”
The twins exchanged a glance, one of them smirking. “We’ll manage.”
“We’ll see,” Damien muttered.
Arielle placed a hand on his arm, her expression softening. “You don’t have to be so harsh, you know.”
“I’m not here to make friends,” Damien replied.
Arielle sighed but didn’t argue further.
With the rules established, the group continued their journey. Damien kept his senses sharp, scanning for any signs of demons. The trail they were following was faint but fresh enough to give him hope.
After another hour, they reached a rocky outcrop overlooking a narrow valley. Damien crouched low, gesturing for the others to do the same.
“There,” he said, pointing.
In the distance, a cluster of demons was moving through the valley, their grotesque forms silhouetted against the dim light.
There were about twenty of them, a mix of Grade Seven and Grade Six demons, with one Grade Five leading the pack.
Axiom let out a low whistle. “That’s quite the party.”
“Perfect,” Damien said, a dangerous glint in his eye. “To test you all of course.”
Arielle leaned closer. “What’s the plan?”
“We split up,” Damien said. “They’ll take the on the demons. While we seat back and watch.”
“And us?” Axiom asked, gesturing to his crew.
“Do whatever you want with the demons,” Damien said dismissively.
Axiom chuckled. “Fair enough. Let’s see what we can do.”
As the group descended into the valley, Damien’s heart pounded with anticipation. This was what he lived for—the thrill of the hunt, the rush of battle, and the promise of power with every demon slain. However, he wouldn’t be fighting this time.
“Let’s get to work,” he said, gesturing to the others.
The demons, sensing their presence, turned toward the approaching hunters. Their guttural roars echoed through the valley, signaling the start of the fight.
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Author’s Note:
What do you guys think about longer chapters? Let me know what you think about it.
If you all like it, I’ll do more of it and if you don’t, we’ll resume the usual short chapters.
Expecting your replies. Thank you all.