Ackster and Karandiel didn't have much to talk about. But while Ackster was happy to learn more about his new traveling companion, Karandiel was less than happy telling him anything about herself, her past, or what it was like to be an angel. Ackster also realized that there was a difference between making casual small talk and pressing for answers, so after getting a non-answer twice, he stopped bothering Karandiel with personal questions and steered the conversation toward what kind of food she liked.
"Anything delicious."
"Then I hope you're a good cook."
"What? You begged me to let you help me, and you can't even provide the bare minimum hospitality for a divine guest?"
Karandiel's look of mock indignation was enough to tease a chuckle out of Ackster.
"You didn't really give me any time to prepare, you know? I was busy training when I saw something blast a hole in the sky and tumble down to the ground. I needed to eat what food I had on me to get to your crash site on time."
"And? Can't you prepare at least some delicious food? I'll even give you an hour to make something good."
Ackster shook his head to Karandiel's proud look of benevolence.
"Before that, do you want to know what my training consisted of?"
"If you have nothing better to do than tell me, you might as well."
Ackster could tell that Karandiel was curious as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye while trying to maintain the poise and elegance of an angel.
"I was eating raw monster and beast meat to save time and train my skills, Iron Stomach and Monster Muncher."
Karandiel's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Ackster in disbelief.
"How barbaric!"
"Well, it was effective."
Ackster shrugged and held up his hands, unable to refute her observation.
"Seriously, though? Raw meat? Just to train a couple of skills? How do you even know if it works? What's next, poison?"
"..."
Ackster avoided Karandiel's gaze and looked at the ground with an awkward expression.
"...no way! How come I am getting help from a madman?!"
"You're free to leave if you want."
Ackster pouted and crossed his arms. He knew he was a little askew in the head, but hearing someone else say it with such conviction was surprisingly not that pleasant. So, he took the opportunity to play along with Karandiel and ease up the atmosphere to make it easier to talk and walk together without too much worry.
"Nope. You're stuck with me now, whether you want it or not, Brian."
"Tch."
"Hey! It's your blessing to get to look at a face this beautiful every day. Well, at least until it's time to go our separate—"
Ackster held up a hand and stopped Karandiel from talking as he surveyed their surroundings with a sharp and vigilant expression.
"What?"
Karandiel wasn't slow enough not to notice something was going on, so she got closer to Ackster while also looking around as she whispered. She couldn't see anything amidst the tall grass. And she couldn't sense anything, either.
She hadn't thought much of it since she hadn't been that long in the mortal realm, and all the impressions and sights around her were still keeping her senses occupied. But she really had lost her strength. It was like someone had encased her in a glass dome that separated her from the rest of the world. She couldn't do anything or really sense anything beyond her immediate surroundings.
It was especially jarring after how free her senses and strength had been before. She knew what she was capable of in reality. Yet, she had an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It wasn't until she heard and saw the tall grass stalks rustle and wave around them that she realized there were enemies around them.
"We're surrounded."
"Brian?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll do my best to fight and have your back. But, as you said, I've lost my power, and I don't know when I'll get it back."
"No worries. It feels like small fry. Just sit back and watch the show, Karandiel."
What Ackster neglected to mention to Karandiel, who couldn't sense their enemies, was the fact that while each individual being felt relatively weak, their numbers more than made up for it.
It had only taken a moment for his hearing to flood with the click-clacking sounds of something like a crab's claw snapping shut and the sound of rustling grass. Whatever it was moved relatively silently, and Ackster couldn't quite make it out, at least not until the first of the countless beings poked their head out through the wall of grass around them.
"Ants!"
Ackster shouted to warn Karandiel so she wouldn't be taken by surprise when they popped up on her side as well.
That was all he had time for before several more thigh-high, glossy brown ants spilled out and flattened the grass around them.
'That's why.'
The appearance of the ants made Ackster understand why the grass was so high and why they hadn't seen any traces of other beasts or monsters.
"Excuse me for a bit, Karandiel."
Ackster quickly realized that while he could fight the ants and probably eat them in the middle of the battle to regain his stamina and energy, Karandiel was in a bad situation. Ackster didn't think he could go as wild as he needed to emerge victorious while protecting Karandiel.
He would have to choose between diving into battle with the ants or protecting Karandiel.
It was a no-brainer.
Karandiel was his utmost priority.
Without waiting for Karandiel's response, Ackster bent down and picked her up. However, since the situation required some urgency, he had to sling her over his shoulder instead of carrying her like a princess as he had done before.
Before Karandiel could even raise her fists to try and fight back against the ants, she was already on Ackster's shoulder, bouncing around like a sack of balloons as he ran.
"H-h-hey!"
She tried to get Ackster's attention until she saw an ocean of glistening brown chitin replace the sea of grass.
'Yep. I should keep my mouth shut and let him carry me.'
***
On the outskirts of The Cloven Grasslands, underground, in a dimly lit stone cellar lit by a flickering torch that was just enough to reveal the faces of four figures huddled over a circular stone table. The only thing visible on the table, in the darkness, was a blood-red jewel stuck in the center. It shone with a vicious, ominous red light.
"Are you sure about this, Hansel? If we commit to summoning the Blood Moon, there's no going back?"
"I know. But we were going to do it anyway, right? We are just hastening the plan a little. We have to if we want to catch up to that bastard and the angel. You tasted his blood, right? All of you know we can't let him go."
The three other Crimson Edge members nodded with grave expressions but ecstatic lights in their eyes.
"All of us swore not to back down once we started on this road back then when we found the Depths of Blood ruin. After this, there really will be no going back."
"I don't even need to think twice. Let's do this."
"I see no reason not to."
"Mmm."
"Good. Once we summon the Blood Moon and become its Avatars, we'll track him down. For now, our Blood Slave will follow him from a distance and report his moves."
Hansel and the other three looked at the pale figure standing next to the torch. His arm of blood glistened with a deep crimson color under the torch's orange light. His empty eyes stared at nothingness until he received Hansel's command.
"Go."