∼ Making Reluctant Friends ∼

Chapter - 017

Dodging reaching branches and tripping roots, Eric rushed through the Heartweald, trying his best not to lose the girl and her imp. Fortunately for him, it wasn't long before he ran into a small clearing where he found the cloaked girl nursing her knee in obvious pain. She must've tripped and fallen, he realized.

The crack of a twig hailed Eric's presence and the girl shot to her feet despite her injury, a small dagger drawn and pointed at Eric.

"S-stop!" She yelled, a slight stutter to her voice. From the way she held the small blade in both hands and her shaky grip, she looked as if she had never even held a weapon before. Confusion setting in, Eric paused before he managed to say anything to calm the terrified girl.

The imp was still with her, yet why was she so afraid? If she truly was a warlock, and her demon could do the same to him as it did Captain Lewis, then why even be afraid? Unless... she wasn't a warlock?

Eric inched forward, a hand raised peacefully. "I'm not here to hurt you,"

"I am not going back! Leave me be!" Her words were emphasized by the little imp taking a step forward, hands suddenly becoming ablaze with that purple fire.

"Wow-wow-wow, calm now." Eric chuckled nervously, hands moving placatingly. "I'm not here to make anyone do anything."

Looking around as if trying to find anyone else that might've been sneaking up on them, Eric could just make out her bottom lip quivering from underneath the hood.

"Look, you're not going to survive out here alone - even with your demon there." Eric cocked his head to the side. "The next town over is more than two days walk from here, and if not the monsters and beasts, then it'll be the next party from Aemsburg that will find you. You have no shelter, no provisions, and no one to guide you through the Heartweald. Let me help you."

"W-why? Why should I trust you? You were hunting us!"

"Because now... we both don't have anywhere to go back to." Eric sighed, shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry, I hadn't agreed to kill anyone in cold blood just because he told me to. For all I care, he can go fuck himself. I truly am sorry for chasing you down as we did, all we knew was that someone had killed and stolen from the warlock who lived in Aemsburg, and whoever did it was on a run."

For a long moment, she just stood there with the outstretched dagger, body quivering until she finally collapsed, knees buckling under her. She cried, her weak and fatigued body giving out as her determination did too. Eric didn't know what to do, faced with the wailing girl.

He wanted to go over and comfort her, but even he wasn't that stupid to think she'd want him anywhere near her right now. So Eric did what he knew best; shut his trap and let the girl cry.

It was a while before she calmed down, but during his wait, Eric didn't drop his vigilance. It wasn't directed at the girl - but rather the forest and whatever creatures lurked within. Though, he did cast a few hesitant glances towards the small demon at the girl's side who every now and then threw scathing glares his way.

A little unsettling knowing that the little creature could singe his sorry ass to the Netherworld in the time it would take him to blink, but Eric managed to ignore that particular reality the best he could.

"I'm sorry, but we really have to get moving - we're running on borrowed time here," Eric said, getting to his feet from his momentary rest.

Those red Cassian eyes met his own, and Eric felt his heart skip a beat.

"O-okay..." She muttered faintly. But as she tried to get to her feet, she stumbled. Instinctively walking forward to help the girl, Eric suddenly had to back up as the small imp jumped in between them and hissed at him.

"Ah... um- here," said Eric as he took the waterskin at his belt and held it out for the girl. "you'll need your strength."

She paused for a moment but finally did reach out for it herself. Having her permission now, Eric walked closer and handed it to her, trying his best to avoid the furious little red creature. When she was done, having taken great heaving gulps, and handed back the waterskin, Eric tried to push his luck and held out his hand this time. Again, she paused, yet she relented only a second later, letting him pull her up.

He was shocked at how delicate her small hand was, although it was smeared with dirt and grime. Standing much taller than her, Eric could barely see anything from underneath her hood, but he had already recognized her beauty. With her Cassian origin and her fiery red hair poking out, Eric truly wasn't sure what to make of her.

Having never been to another town other than Aemsburg, he definitely wasn't the most knowledgeable about the world outside, only familiar with the Heartweald and land surrounding his birth town. But even he realized that this girl was without a doubt not ordinary, and she must have quite the story to end up here and under these circumstances of all things.

Trekking through the dense and humid undergrowth of the Heartweald, Eric steered their motley party out of any danger that came to his notice. It was first later that they settled in for some rest, the girl desperately needing some. But when she retrieved a flintlock from her rucksack, Eric spoke up. "No, fires are for food, not rest,"

"But... he can catch some-" She was about to protest, pointing to the impling, a little confused.

But Eric interrupted her. "When you camp in the Heartweald, you either eat or you sleep - never both." Seeing her reluctance, he explained. "Cooking or bringing anything dead into camp while you're in the Heartweald is essentially you asking for every hungry beast and damned monster to come here. You do not want to stay where you eat any longer than absolutely necessary."

"Oh..." She muttered simply.

"I'll keep watch, so get some rest."

Sitting with his back against a large tree, Eric fingered the blade of his dagger, the only real weapon he carried other than his go-to fists. He was tired and could use a little rest himself, though he could keep going for quite a while. He had been worried that the girl, whose name he still did not know, wouldn't have been able to catch any shuteye with how stressed she was, including the fact she was issued with a stranger to watch over her while she slept on top of all that.

But she had fallen asleep practically as soon as her head touched her rucksack.

The impling hadn't lasted much longer either, curling up beside her. With the gloom that came after the setting of twilight, no more than a couple hours had gone by when a crack of a twig from within the darkness beyond their camp alerted Eric who shot to his feet.

Shaking awake the sleeping beauty, Eric was met with those same red eyes again, yet even in the gloom of night, he swore that they glowed faintly. "We have to leave now," He said.

Slightly startled at first, the girl's eyes darted back and forth until they finally settled into drowsiness. "Hmm... don't you need to get some sleep?"

"No, I'm fine," Eric said, omitting that they had only stopped so she could get some rest. He couldn't really have her collapse on him during the dead of night in the Heartweald." He helped her up, the sleepy girl swaying on her feet momentarily.

"Is it not dangerous to be moving around in the night?"

"It's more dangerous not to. Predators move in the night, and if you're moving you might be lucky enough to be mistaken as one. If you're still and hiding, then you definitely won't be mistaken as anything but prey."

Suddenly sobering up from her short slumber, she began heaving up her rucksack but Eric took it out of her hand before she could put it on. For a moment she looked panic-stricken, like the rucksack or whatever in it was important to her, but as he saddled the heavy thing on his back, she calmed down.

"Come, let's go,"