The campfire crackles as we sit around it while roasting some marshmallows. This trip has been eventful and it made me realize one thing: I really don't know anything about these two. Adresin, despite being an elf, isn't the haughty type. He's actually one of the most hardworking, humble guy I know. Grace on the other hand is the royal type. She has a lot on her plate and a hell of a lot to prove. But in that princess is a normal teenager who gets giddy at the mention of s'mores.
"So let me get this straight, sir," Adresin says. "You were stuck in another world, killing demons for gods know how long, and a being called, God Y broke you out?"
"Yep!" I reply and chuckle. "Crazy right? And as a bonus, I haven't aged a damn day."
"So your power, your knowledge, everything came from that world?" he edges closer in curiosity.
"Yeah, but I had to fight a fuck ton of demons to get to where I am so I won't recommend," I say and take a bite of the s'more that I finally successfully made.
"That thing you did to us in the river," now it's Grace's turn to ask a question. "Is that something you developed yourself during that time, Uncle Richard?"
That actually catches me off guard. Her question causes faded memories to flash by briefly. Sad memories...
"N-no," I reply meekly. "A... friend taught me that."
The two look at me with concern and decide to drop the matter. Fuck... I was trying to cheer Grace up after all that's happened but here I am being a bummer. I never got to meet Michael's son so I thought I'll at least be a fun uncle for Grace.
"Enough about me!" I say as I try to change the subject. "Aren't you curious about what just happened to your bodies?"
Their faces light up a bit and they begin to stretch their bodies around.
"I feel real light," Adresin says.
Grace nods in agreement and says, "I feel stronger."
I grin proudly.
"That's just the tip of the iceberg," I say. "Just follow what I tell you and I promise you two will get stronger in no time."
Hearing my words, Adresin suddenly wears a thoughtful expression.
"Sir," he calls out. "I understand the need for Miss Grace to get stronger. But what about me?"
"What does that mean?!" Grace huffs. It seems that she got offended with what he said.
"N-no, Miss Grace, I'm not saying that you need to get stronger while I don't," he immediately corrects himself. "I'm just wondering that I'm technically an outsider here. Miss Grace is Sir Rorschach's grand-niece. Meanwhile, I'm just Sir Mammon's servant. Surely, I have less value to you than your best friend's granddaughter."
I pat him on the shoulder.
"Dude, stop putting yourself down like that," I say to encourage him. "I brought you with me because I trust you. And I need you two to get stronger because I can't fight."
The two of them look at me quizzically.
"Sir, I saw you demolish someone who's going many times faster than the speed of sound," Adresin says in disbelief. "What do you mean you can't fight?"
"Pshhh him? That guy's a smallfry," I reply. "I can beat him with no magic. But out here in the <
Realization then flashes on Adresin's face.
"Right..." he says nervously.
"What? Don't leave me out now," Grace says curiously.
"Umm... when Sir Rorschach first woke up, he took out one of Sir Mammon's sons with a flick of his finger," he explains.
Grace drops her marshmallow in shock.
"You... beat a demon?" she gasps. "With a flick?"
"Yep! Isn't your uncle amazing?!" I say as I puff my chest.
I expected her to agree but she's almost repulsed by my showing off.
"So I'm assuming you'll be sealing your magic until you can control it better," Adresin says as he takes a bite out of his s'mores.
"That's right. I don't want to destroy everything after all," I reply. "To be honest, I don't know when, or if, I can control my magic. So, unless it's a Prince of Hell or one of the 72 Demons of Solomon, I'll have you deal with the enemies."
Grace's eyes twinkle while Adresin's shudder in dread. I picked up two of the most opposite kids into this expedition.
*Rustle*
While we're having a good time, the nearby grass shuffles about. Grace and Adresin ready themselves in alarm as I continue to roast my marshmallow. I already knew they were hiding there for a while now so I'm not surprised. I just assumed they smelled the meat we were grilling but they were too shy to ask for them or something.
"You've been found out already man," I call out to the darkness. "Either you come out or we start blasting."
"Alright, alright, man chill," a black man with dread-locks is the first to step out from the shadows.
He's about in his early thirties and a careful guy at that since he made sure to put his hands up to show that he's unarmed. Well, unarmed except for the big-ass sword he's sporting on his back.
Following his lead, three more people step out into the light of the campfire. One, a young guy with blonde hair who seems to be a [Paladin] or a tank of some sort since he's wearing heavy armor and a shield. The other is a red-head girl wearing light armor with a bow on her back. And lastly is a silver-haired girl who's wearing blue priestly garments. She seems to be the most exhausted out of the four since she's leaning on her staff.
"Guys, chill out," I say to the two.
Adresin and Grace sit back down while still being wary of our visitors. Good. I don't have to teach these two about the dangers of people. Well, not that I have anything to worry since I see exactly who these guys are.
[Divine Mind Activated]
[Your deduction is perfect and you see the strangers as good-natured and thus possess no threat]
Such a convenient skill. Well, I'm not saying I don't need it but if they're bad guys, approaching a campsite while being tired as hell is certainly not a good move.
*Groooowl*
"Sit down," I say to dreadlocks guy who seems to be their leader. "There's some [Speedy Snapper] meat left. You can grill those and eat up."
Hearing my offer, their faces light up. They immediately take some of the meat from the cooler but before they start grilling them, they give some money to their priestess who then casts some magic. I'm assuming it's [Detect Poison] and when she casts it, the money disappears. These guys know their shit. But what's that weird way of casting? Is it because her god's domain is wealth and prosperity?
*Sizzle*
After their preparation, their barbecue begins.
"Thank you stranger!" dreadlocks guy approaches us to give his thanks. "Our food was stolen last night by wild animals. We were planning on replenishing our supplies today but the animals are too damn fast in this area. If only we had an [Ecologist] or an [Herbalist], we could've eaten some wild vegetables."
"Shut up and start eating man," I wave him away with my fork. "Look, your team's eating everything already."
He turns and sees his team already starting to eat some of the meat.
"Oi! Leave some for me!" he yells and runs back to them.
Grace leans to my ear and whispers, "Uncle, is this ok?"
"What? You like lizard meat that much?" I chuckle.
She pouts and replies, "You know that's not what I mean."
"Haha I know kiddo," I say and pat her on the head. "You gotta help when you can. Of course, that doesn't mean you trust them. But when someone's asking for help and you have the means to help them, you do it."
"Just like what grandpa always says..." she mumbles.
"That's because I got it from your grandpa," I reply and tussle her hair a bit.