Looking at the worn out serpentman across from him, made the dragonkin realise something.

Despite their heritage being vastly different.

Despite their similarities in scales and looks.

One of them had left the water to stay on the land.

While the other had left the sky to live off the land.

Realising this he couldn’t help the words that came out of his mouth.

“Thank the gods I can’t fly.” Vaud thought he spoke the words in a whisper, and in the high winds arounds them he assumed that meant his words would be heard by none.

That was until he saw the white figure trailing behind him suddenly fly forwards.

Swiftly moving to his side Pill gave Vaud the same look he was wearing when the twins told them the plan.

“Enjoying the view down their boys?” A peppered voice came from above Vaud, he was barely able to crane his head up, seeing only Valeria’s familiar feathers bristle before her sister replied.

“If they didn’t I don’t think they’d want us dropping them.” Saleria replied playfully, clearly enjoying this treatment of Pill.

Meanwhile Vaud and Pill were under them and not enjoying how their claws bit into their skin.

The twins talons didn’t fully encircle their bodies which to an observer would make them look like they were about to fall.

However after nearly an hour of flying however, both knew they were safe from falling.

Imps on the other hand…

“To the right V.” Saleria whispered, noticing a lone imp greedily looking around at the forest below for prey.

“Noticed it a while back.” Valeria whispered back, giving the air around her a vehement crack she launched herself higher in the air.

Vaud could only hold on to the edges of the talons as he rose further from the ground than he had ever been before.

Closing his eyes instinctively the wind pressure.

Valeria swooped down, making her body as small as possible and positioning Vaud behind her.

The imp in the end didn’t know what hit him, as a flurry of feathers pierced his skull.

Falling to the earth below, Valeria meanwhile waited for Saleria to catch up.

“I have two minutes until we’ll have to glide, V how ab-” Mid sentence a thundering crack made all four heads turn back towards the dungeon.

No, even further than that, towards Aestern.

Another goliath sized demon had fallen but as did another wall.

The twins looked at eachother and gave one last sweep of their wings before gliding below.

“The highway should be a few minutes ahead of us. If your friends survived they should be there…” Valeria spoke hesitantly, peering back at the city before focusing on avoiding the trees ahead of them.

“How’s the city? I can’t see anything behind my shoulder from this angle.” Pill spoke up the second time during the flight.

“Aestern... is lost.” Saleria pulled up her wings as she approached the ground first.

Letting go of Pill he fell two meters before smashing into the ground.

The second he landed he tried looking at the city but the forests blocked his sight.

A second pound resounded as Vaud landed as well.

Still dizzy he looked North to where the highway should be.

“We should hurry, if Aestern’s fallen the demons will begin hunting down the survivors.”

“If. The better question is why did Aestern fall, why did the ADP happen this early?”

“Questions for later Sal, we have a contract to amend first.” Valeria gave her sister a look before glancing at Vaud and Pill.

“... Let’s hurry then.” Saleria glanced back at Pill’s small wound, her fingers tingled but resisted their calling, before nodding to V.

Not seeing any reason to stay the ground hurried through the forest.

With Vaud and Pill occasionally breaking small shrubs and pushing low hanging branches out of the way while the sisters like in the air evaded the obstacles with a practiced ease.

Almost punching a nearby shrub with his shield Vaud noticed the recent fissure with a tense expression as he continued to hurry.

‘A contract promised is a dead man’s pact.’ Vaud repeated the quote bitterly.

To his left Pill’s face was stoic but his snakes were angsty.

A telltale sign that both knew of what they had promised to the twins.

There were no favours in this world to strangers but contracts and they owed too much as it was.

‘If Kresley or Waynev were badly injured…’ The thought hung as Vaud pushed forward, avoiding it like the plague.

Pill on the other hand saw Vaud’s face and saw his thoughts.

‘If we could do something to save them, futures be damned.’

“Highway!” Saleria shouted ahead of them with Valeria already standing on the graveled road.

Talons digging into the path she waited as their group came to a halt.

The twins waited in sync, watching the stream of refugees and idly looking for any demons.

They shared a knowing glance before Vaud and Pill lumbered out of the woods.

Vaud spoke up first, breathing heavily but urgently.

“We're looking for two. Kresley a brown haired-average looking human woman, she’s a bit shorter than Waynev-” Vaud’s attempts were salvaged by Pill.

“Two brown haired humans, likely covered in mud, dirt or blood. One of them is nearly as tall as you while the other is as tall as your collarbone. Let’s go.” Pill explained calmly by quickly, the twins nodded before searching their surroundings.

Pill put a hand on Vaud’s shoulder.

“They’ll be fine, chances are Kresley’s already found Waynev.”