∼ Between an Imp and a Hard Place ∼

Chapter - 015

Waking from a deep and pleasant slumber, the small demon stretched with a yawning squeak. But as it slowly noticed the muffled sobs from further away, the impling cracked open a sleepy eye, catching the back of a petite figure. As it got to its feet, it got a better look at what was happening.

It was the girl, kneeling over the still form of that other injured human. The way he stared into the air with an empty gaze spoke of his death, one of such pain and misery that even as a corpse you could still see it in his dead eyes. The impling was only surprised that it hadn't been woken if that was the case...

The girl, despite the hurtful words and disgust thrown her way, showed clear empathy towards the human. It truly did appear that she bore genuine sorrow with the simple fact that she hadn't been able to save someone else.

Though, the impling yet again did not understand all this - and was doubly confused by the drops of liquid streaming down her cheeks. It did remember once making the same salty drops when it had bit into something particularly sour. Maybe she had eaten something bad?

Humans and their follies, would there ever be an end?

Shaking its head to get rid of the muddled thoughts, it looked around, wondering which direction was the best to book it. But just as the demon turned and attempted to stealthily tip-toe its getaway, the memory of why it had even followed those two humans and the savory taste of the food it had been given; conjured a loud growl from its stomach. A growl which belied its small frame.

The sobbing stopped and two teary eyes from underneath a dirty hood met the demon's surprised stare at its stomach's betrayal. "Wait-" She said hesitantly. "do not leave." The impling of course didn't understand her words but understood her intent with the way she held out her hand.

Its hesitance to comply must've been obvious on the demon's red face as the cloaked girl hurried to dig through the rucksack at her side. She pulled out the same cloth of jerky and held out one of the morsels to the impling.

Now that the requirements for a serious consideration had come about, the impling paused to think it through. To leave the bothersome and potentially dangerous person - or more heavenly food? Before it could make a choice though, the girl pulled out another strip of jerky, offering now two as opposed to merely one.

Case closed without any need for further review, the rest was history as the impling found itself riding atop the girl's shoulder, gnawing into its conquered and well-earned rewards.

The pair had gotten only a bit farther into the Heartweald since their rest, and now with the light of the midday sun shining through the canopy of leaves above, the girl had stopped to scrutinize an unfolded piece of parchment. It was a map, one that barely detailed the area in which they were currently trodding through.

But before she really managed to glean anything from the old parchment, the faint sounds in the distance caught both her and the impling's attention. At first, they were confusing with the background sounds of the eerie forest, but as the seconds dragged on, they became more distinct. As if getting closer.

Not knowing if they finally would be coming across some beast or terrible monster, of which they surprisingly hadn't run into yet in this untamed and very deadly forest, the girl hastily folded the map and put it back into the rucksack, worry etched onto her features.

Running through the undergrowth, casting worried glances behind her, the impling struggled to stay on with the bumpy ride. But even so, the sounds were becoming ever louder. Closing in.

At least they were now distinct enough for the girl to realize what was chasing them. Dogs, at least more than one. Intermittent between the sounds of barking was that of voices, and even with the sprint the girl had launched into, awkwardly stumbling across the foreign terrain of the Heartweald, she wasn't able to outrun them on her frail legs. Her emaciated and delicate body was clearly very unaccustomed to the harsh outside.

"I see something!" A voice called out, rough and coarse.

Wide-eyed and panicked, she scrambled to stay ahead, almost tripping on muddy ground and protruding tree roots more than once. The impling understood her distress, and the thought of running off once again crossed its mind. Compared to the girl, the impling was much faster with its agile and small frame. However, this time there was something else stopping it from immediately doing so. Something the demon didn't remember ever feeling before.

It had gained some semblance of compassion towards the girl who had fed it those divine pieces of meat - and even let it sleep in the blissful comforts of her lap. With all the other kindness she had shown it, something it had never experienced from anyone or anything else before welled up inside; a faint sense of attachment that warred with its animal instinct to flee and save its own life.

The impling couldn't really comprehend this sudden urge to stay and not save its own life as it had done ever since it was old enough to remember. Before the impling could truly make a choice in its internal dilemma, the figures of those chasing them came into sight.

Five pesky humans and two four-legged creatures were chasing them, the beasts struggling against leashes and pulling the humans along. "There!" One of the humans called out. "Halt! I-ah, be ordering ye to cease fleeing!" Another human called out, this one sounding much more winded. Suddenly unleashed, the hounds ran ahead, their long ears flapping wildly in the wind.

They surrounded the girl and demon, keeping a healthy distance as they barked incessantly. The impling hissed at the damned creatures that reminded it so much of that demon hound the warlock had, though they were a lot smaller and a lot less menacing. Coming up behind them, the five humans, three of them with swords drawn, stopped in front of the girl and demon.

"In the name -ah, in the name of Lord Baron Joseph, we be ordering you to stop!" The oldest of the five said, barely able to keep himself upright as he panted, his large gut and grey hairs obviously showing his lack of fitness. "Um- sir?" One of the other men said, hesitantly, pointing at the girl. Or more specifically, the red creature standing and hissing on her shoulder.

"T-that be a d-demon?" He asked, all bravado gone from his demeanor. Stopping as they came to the realization, only two of the five men didn't show fear. They took an unconscious step back, hands tightening around the shafts of their swords.

"Is she also a warlock? Like the other one?" The other of the three whispered like he worried that she might do something.

"I... do not be knowing..." The older man said, looking hesitantly to the stoic man who hadn't even drawn his sword yet. But as ever, the captain who seemingly never showed fear, stood unflinching in the face of the girl and demon.

"In the name of Lord Joseph, third of his name, you're arrested for the murder of Lord Baron's resident guest and the stealing of his possessions." The captain said with a voice of authority. "We have already found one of your deceased accomplices. Resist and meet the judgment of my blade right here and now - or cease your fleeing."

"No-no, I am not going back!" The girl cried out, her voice trembling as she cast worried looks at the still barking dogs.

"So be it," He said, facing unchanging as he unsheathed his sword. But before he could fully get his sword out of the scabbard, a firm and strong hand landed on his forearm, keeping the sword from being drawn any further.

"As I said, I did not agree to help kill some scared lass," Eric growled. "Innocent or not, she deserves a proper trial."

"So - you're defying the law and the Lord Baron's command?" The captain said with pure ice in his voice, unwaveringly staring into Eric's green eyes.

Eric glanced to the side, the sunlight spilling through the treetops just enough for him to see the dirtied but beautiful face underneath the hood of the obviously terrified girl, meeting her gaze for just a second as vibrant red eyes peered back at him. "I am,"

A long moment went by as the two stared at each other, each tall enough to meet either's gaze at eye level. Eric's hold on the stoic man's arm grew tighter when the suddenly stony face of the captain turned into a rictus of contempt and ruthlessness.

It all happened within the blink of an eye as the captain drew a short belt knife with his free hand, but before it could even slash across skin, Eric's forehead smashed into his nose, eliciting a loud crack.

Head cocked back with a hand going to his broken nose as he stumbled away, the captain threw his knife at the brawler to stop the incoming fist that followed up barely a moment after. Having to dodge, Eric gave just enough time for the captain to successfully draw his sword.

"Eric! Stop this madness!" Miller, the old guard bellowed. "The Baron will have ye flayed bloody!"

Spitting out the blood that had trickled into his mouth, the captain removed the hand covering his face and looked at the bright red blood staining his palm. "For the assault of a captain and obstruction of justice, I condemn you the ruling of Lord Joseph of House M-"

Whatever the captain was about to say next was lost to the aether as a bolt of purple flame struck directly him in the face, even further ruining his broken nose and eliciting a scream of agony from the previously placid and stoic man.

The cackle of a certain demon drew the attention of everyone to the girl and the demon. The little red monster just bounced and laughed in victory at the howling man who tried so desperately to quench the flames singing his flesh.

[LVL: 11 - Human "Swordsman" has been slain]

[You received 24 points of experience for the kill]

It was not long before the screams died down. But during this time, everyone except the demon had fallen mute, staring at the writhing man on the ground. Eric looked troubled and sickened whereas the others were purely horrified as they cast scared glances between the captain and the cackling demon.

In the standstill, it was the girl who was first to move, running off deeper into the forest with the impling on her shoulder that was now casting foul words at the humans. The hounds didn't give chase as their handler said nothing, the two beasts having already died down with their barking and snarling when everyone else had gone silent.

Standing there, Eric finally lifted his gaze to watch the retreating back of the girl. Behind him, Miller looked to the two guards at his side. Noticing the scared looks on their faces and their half-drawn swords, Miller swatted one's arm, letting the sword resheath itself as the guard yelped.

"Stop that, y'fools." He reprimanded with a whispered voice. Both of them looked abashed and hesitant but they did as he said, casting glances at Eric. If the young lad had heard them, he didn't show.

"Eric..." Miller called after a moment, worry in his voice as he saw the resolution on Eric's face.

"I know," He responded simply, dropping the dog leashes he had hitched to his belt. "It was about time anyway..."

"But ye can't just run..." Miller paused. "We both be knowing he won't kill you."

"I'll try my luck,"

"You'll die out here, the next town be too far for anyone to survive on their lonesomes. With no caravan, your fate is sealed."

"Rather that than spend another day rotting away in that fucking town,"

Miller was about to say something again but stopped before he did. Although the lad was impulsive, always had been, he knew this wasn't a choice Eric made light-heartedly.

He personally hadn't been close to the kid as he grew up, but he had always been the one to run into the troublemaker since he was the most senior guard of Aemsburg. And with how much of a rascal the kid turned out to be, it was always Miller that had been the one in charge of cleaning up after the kid.

Still, Miller had probably been the closest to real a father for Eric than anyone else in the town, even though they hadn't even had a single actual conversation in all those nearly twenty years. After everything that poor kid had been put through, he couldn't bring himself to lie and say staying in town would be better than risking his life for a better one.

So Miller kept his peace, and as they shared a brief look with each other, Eric offered the old guard a meaningful nod as he ran along, after the girl and demon.

"Um- sir?" Addams, one of the two guards muttered hesitantly to the scruffy old man who just watched as Eric disappeared into the Heartweald. Turning to face the two guards, Miller fixed them both with a stern look.

"We caught up to the criminals, and they resisted. A thunderous fight broke out in which one of the individuals be turning a mage. In the chaotic, yet, brief fight, Captain Lewis succumbed to the mage's foul magics as he fought valiantly alongside Eric to bring down the wicked criminals. Unfortunately, we were shamefully unsuccessful in apprehending them and as they took to fleeing. Eric be making chase. But since then, we haven't been able to find Eric, or recover his body in the event that he might've died to either the murderers or the monsters of the Heartweald."

As Miller explained the new and slightly altered chain of events, the other two guards grimaced visibly and became decidedly more worried for each word spoken by their senior guard.

Seeing their reluctance, Miller took a few steps towards the men to an uncomfortable distance and fixed them with the same unwavering look. "That be right, or did I forget something?" He said, voice dripping with challenge.

"N-n-no, not at all s-sir," Addams stuttered. He put his hand on the nervous guard's shoulder with a firm grip.

"Good, wouldn't want our reports to end being inconsistent when we get back to town. Else that would be meaning us having to stand for answer to the Baron after all, and we do not be wanting that - do we?"

Both of them shook their heads vigorously.

"Right then, let's get back. So go get the hounds, the leashes should be over yonder. Twilight be coming soon and we'll have to ferry the captain back. We'd want to be back by then - unless you two prefer becoming monster chow."