"Alright," he said. And so, Delphine allowed Simon to be her follower as she continued her journey to reach her greatest enemy.
A few hours later, Simon's stomach was growling, and he was in desperate need of food as he and Delphine were walking on the road. They have been walking for what seemed like four hours as the sun was slowly setting down, and it started to get a bit chilly.
"What is it? Are you hungry?" Delphine asked.
"Yes. Of course, I am. I mean, I haven't eaten anything since this morning, and we've been walking for over four hours. It's kind of strange you're not hungry," Simon said. Delphine gave him a quick glare and looked forward, and she looks around to see if there's any animal that they could eat.
Then, Delphine pulls out her greatsword and throws it at his distance to make sure it pierces an animal so that they can eat it.
What Delphine did with Simon was something that no other person could do; it was quite rare to see someone throw a large sword at something. She threw her sword with so much force that it seemed to fly faster than a falling person; Simon was shaking with so much fear and surprise. The sword made its way onto a nearby deer, and the animal fell onto the ground and died a few seconds later. Every last drop of blood from the deer began to stain the earth and the long sword, and the strong wind continued to howl. Delphine mostly ate deer and other animals for lunch and dinner, and she went to a tavern to eat whatever was for sale once a week.
Simon stood speechless and felt like he saw his life before his eyes, and he couldn't even move a muscle.
"Can you cook deer?" Delphine asked. Then, Delphine takes her sword and carries a few parts of the deer's body, and they both find a place in the forest to cook the deer.
About thirty minutes later, the deer was ready to be eaten, and Delphine had her armor off and watched as Simon continued to see if the deer was available or not.
"I brought some water," Simon said.
"Alright," Delphine said.
"I think it's done. It looks awful, but it tastes pretty good. Here's yours. I'll dry the rest, so it should keep us for a while. Let's eat!" Simon said. And so, Delphine and Simon started to take off the many body parts of the deer, and they began eating as the sun was setting down.
Delphine watched on as Simon was eating much faster than her; clearly, she saw that he was starving and needed twice as much to eat. Delphine didn't seem to be keen on what she wanted to do with Simon, just yet. She simply sat there and ate the deer as Simon was eating as much as he could of the large animal. It was sporadic to see anyone who seemed to be trusted in this world, and it was pretty common to be concerned about who to trust. The deer itself was very good for food, and the animal was ripe and fresh for any hunter to feast upon.
Simon was drinking some of the water that he carried with him and made sure to save some for Delphine. Suddenly, he saw that Delphine took one more bite of the deer and slowly placed it down. It occurred to him that Delphine was not as hungry as he was, and she didn't eat as often as he did.
"What's the matter, Delphine? Do you not like my cooking?" Simon asked.
"No, the deer was good. But, I'm not hungry," Delphine answered.
"How is that even possible?" He asked.
Then Delphine answered and said to him, "It has to deal with the fact that my body can't handle twice as much food than a normal person. It's not that I hate what you made or cooked, but most of the time, I find myself not being able to finish everything. Ever since I started hunting demons, I get used to the fact that I don't get hungry as often as I used to. Throughout most of the day, I just find myself a place to sleep, whether if it's an inn or a forest. And throughout most of the night, I walk on and prepare myself against an onslaught of demons. Whether you believe me or not, it's been happening ever since I began my journey."
Then, Simon was sitting there and wondering what it truly felt to be someone like Delphine; he was curious yet worried. In all the days of his life, the Ebony Warrior was no ordinary person to wander the earth in search of someone or something.
Then Simon thought to himself, Oh, she looks so typical up close, I thought she was just like me. But Delphine's half-demon and half-human. A warrior who walks in the night. A warrior who kills any monster in her path. I wonder what she thinks of monsters and humans.
Then, Delphine started to feel a presence in the wind, and it was a bold, sharp presence that she was feeling. Delphine takes one more bite of the deer and gets herself off the ground as the night seemed to be coming for both her and Simon.
"Hey, where are you going?" Simon asked.
"Don't follow me," Delphine answered. Her eyes explained it all to the young hunter; she felt something calling for him, and she could not allow him to go after her.
Simon began to be very confused as he watched Delphine go deep into the forest, and it was hard to ask her why.
"Bathroom break, I guess?" He asked himself. Simon had his questions, yet it was too late to let Delphine answer any of them as she walked all by herself.
The presence that Delphine felt was as if the sound was dragging her body towards that location, and she could not stop walking towards it.
"Over here," a dark female voice said. The voice came from Delphine's left side of where she was standing, and she turned herself around and saw Lagertha.
The Wolf Queen wanted to make sure that Simon was not behind her this time so that she can talk with Delphine in secret.
"Well, well, well. How impulsive," Lagertha said.
"I don't want to be doing this with you, Lagertha. What could you possibly want from me this time?" Delphine asked.
"Answer me this. Why did you bring that man with you? He'll only be slowing you down."
"Simon is just a cook... and a demon hunter. He won't be getting in the way."
"Oh, you have a follower now? That's very rare coming from someone like you."
Indeed, Delphine didn't have the time to put up with Lagertha, and whatever trick is up to her sleeve as the night begins to come for them.
"Don't mind me. I'm just a little curious. Does he remind you of someone you've known?" Lagertha asked.
"Why have you come back, Lagertha? Why is it whenever I find myself in a difficult situation, you're the one who has to stand in the way of things?" Delphine asked.
"Forget what I said before, Delphine. I don't know why I brought it up. I don't intend to bring it up again."
"Then tell me this: what did you bring me here? If I didn't know it was you who carried that strong scent, who else could?"
"Ah, so you know of my scent. Many others who wander the Earth don't seem to smell someone like me. My senses seem to tingle. It's kind of awkward."
"I've always known your strong scent. You reek of wolves if they ever get wet in the rain. You have fur coming out of your ears, and your breath smells completely like you've finished drinking fresh wine. So yeah, I know all about you and your scent."
Then, Lagertha's eyes opened wider as she seemed to start getting serious about what she wanted to say with Delphine. Lagertha walks over to Delphine, and she starts to circle her body until she ends up behind her back. Delphine was clueless about what was happening with her, and there was no way for her to take another step. Then, Lagertha lifts the back of Delphine's corset, and she starts to look at the scars that Delphine received. Delphine could barely move an inch as she had the Wolf Queen move her fingers all across her back.
"You better have a damn good reason for doing this to me," Delphine said.
Then Lagertha said to her, "You're becoming reckless. This must've been from the creature you encountered just a week ago. Don't forget, even if the wound closes, if you get hit in a vital spot, you'll die just like the demons. The other one looks fine. You're okay for now."
Then, Lagertha pulls Delphine's corset down and gets herself up, and she wraps her arms around Delphine's body.