Ray descended the creaky stairs of the inn, Seraphine trailing close behind him. She stretched lazily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"You really couldn't wait five more minutes for me to wake up properly?" she grumbled.
Ray shot her a glance. "We've got things to discuss... with somebody."
At the base of the stairs, Cassandra paced nervously, her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes darted up as they approached, landing on Seraphine. Her lips curled into a faint, condescending smile.
"So, you're hiding here, huh?" Cassandra said, her tone sharp. "Figures. Did you even bother coming here for the quest, or are you just tagging along for the ride?"
Seraphine frowned, tilting her head. "Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?"
Cassandra shrugged, feigning innocence. "Oh, you know. Players like you. Flashy divine magic, perfect gear… always skipping the hard work and just showing up when it's convenient."
Seraphine blinked, then let out a short, incredulous laugh. "And here I thought we were leaving the bad decisions upstairs. But no, here you are, gracing us with your brilliance again."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cassandra snapped.
Seraphine folded her arms. "It means that selling people to demons isn't what I'd call a 'hard-working strategy.' But hey, maybe I'm just not as creative as you."
Cassandra stiffened, her face flushed with anger. "I didn't have a choice! Not that you'd understand."
"Oh, I understand perfectly," Seraphine replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's a miracle you didn't get everyone killed with that brilliant plan.'"
Ray sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Gods, it's too early for this. Can you two save the bickering for when we're not actively being hunted by demons?"
Cassandra scowled. "She started it!"
Seraphine smirked. "Sure, blame me. It's easier than admitting you're wrong."
Ray sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic. It's been thirty seconds, and you're already at each other's throats."
Cassandra ignored him and turned to Seraphine. "For your information, I didn't exactly plan on this, okay? But thanks to someone"—she jabbed a thumb toward Ray—"I'm now a moving target for a literal demon general. Staying in this town is a death sentence."
Ray slammed a hand on the table, cutting them both off. "Enough!" His tone carried the authority of someone who was absolutely done. "Sit down. Now."
The two women reluctantly dropped into chairs, glaring at each other like squabbling siblings.
Ray unrolled a map on the table, smoothing it out. "We can't take the main road to Ironvale. Too many eyes, and if the demon general is involved, it'll be crawling with scouts."
Cassandra leaned forward, her voice laced with sarcasm. "So, what's your genius plan? Hide here until they burn the town down?"
"No," Ray said, pointing to a dense, winding path on the map. "We're taking the long way through Whispering Wood."
Seraphine frowned. "The Whispering Wood? Seriously? That place has a reputation for a reason."
Ray's voice was calm but firm. "It's our best shot. The forest will cover us, and it's off the demon patrols' usual routes."
Cassandra leaned back, folding her arms. "Fantastic. So instead of getting killed by demons, we'll just get eaten by monsters. Solid improvement."
Seraphine gave her a sharp look. "Or maybe, if you hadn't dragged us into this mess, we wouldn't have to take a deathtrap detour."
Cassandra shot back, "Excuse me! It was him who tried torturing a goddamn demon there."
Ray rubbed his temples, exhaling slowly. "Gods above, why did I agree to this?" He rolled up the map and stood. "You've got ten minutes to get ready. We leave for Whispering Wood as soon as I'm packed."
Cassandra huffed but pushed herself to her feet. "Fine. But if something happens to me, its your fault."
"Yeah, of course. Because personal accountability is such a foreign concept to you." Seraphine muttered.
Cassandra paused, glancing back. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Seraphine replied sweetly, her smile razor-sharp.
Ray watched them go, shaking his head. "This is going to be a very, very long trip."
----------
Ray trudged through the narrow streets of the town, his eyes scanning the surrounding buildings. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but one stood out more than the rest.
'I can't believe I'm stuck with these two…'
He glanced back at Seraphine, who was silently keeping pace, and then to Cassandra, who had her arms crossed, clearly still brooding from their earlier bickering.
'No matter how much they argue, they're not the worst travel companions I've had. Not by a long shot.'
Ray ran a hand through his hair, pushing back his frustration. 'At least I've got supplies for the road.'
His gaze flicked to his inventory screen. Sleeping bags, a portable tent—basic stuff, really, but enough to get them through the forest. He snorted to himself.
'All this from the innkeeper, who somehow thought I'd pay for it. Sure, I "paid" with gold from a ruined town, but who needs to know that?'
Ray checked his pouch. About 100 gold left. 'Damn, Should've swiped more when I had the chance…'
As they crossed the town's outskirts and entered the edge of the forest, Ray's thoughts drifted to the weight of the gold in his pouch. It's not like he was swimming in it, but it seemed it'll do for now.
'Should be enough to get us to Ironvale…unless someone decides to get us caught in the woods first.'
The forest loomed ahead, the trees thick with shadows and the air cool and damp. Ray pulled his cloak tighter around himself. Not the worst place to be stuck in… but definitely not ideal.
Seraphine suddenly spoke up, cutting into his musings. "So seeing the things you brought, are you planning to set up a little campfire every night?" She said clearly thrilled by her adventurous idea
Ray shot her a side glance. "I'd love to go light on the camping gear, but unless we have a better idea for surviving the wilderness, I think this is our best bet."
Cassandra chimed in, "No way we are gonna walk the whole way! Isn't there some kind of teleportation spell we can use in this world?"
Cassandra asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Then, her eyes gleamed with a spark of mischief.
"Or better yet, why don't we just torch the whole forest and stroll through the ashes? Seems efficient to me."
Her grin widened as if the idea genuinely excited her, the glint in her eyes bordering on unhinged.
Ray sighed. "You're so charming, Cassandra. I'm sure the demons would love to follow our trail of smoke."
The dense forest air was thick with the smell of earth and moss. The canopy above blocked most of the sunlight, creating a dim, almost eerie atmosphere.
The sounds of distant birds and rustling leaves were the only things breaking the oppressive silence as Ray, Seraphine, and Cassandra moved deeper into the woods.
Ray's thoughts were still swirling with doubts about the road ahead, but the peaceful moment didn't last long.
A growl echoed from the trees ahead, followed by the sound of paw steps. The underbrush parted, and four wolves—large, fur-covered creatures with gleaming eyes—stepped into view, their teeth bared as they assessed the trio.
Ray's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his blade, but before he could make a move, Cassandra's eyes lit up with a glimmer of excitement.
She cracked her knuckles and raised her hands, prepared to demonstrate what she could do.
"Alright, watch and learn," Cassandra muttered to no one in particular, a hint of pride in her voice. She was eager to show off her magic.
With a chant under her breath, she conjured a small flame in the palm of her hand, the fire flickering as she aimed it at one of the wolves.
The magical fireball shot forward, hitting its target and sending the wolf yelping into the trees.
"Ha!" Cassandra exclaimed, her eyes glinting with pride. "That's how it's done!"
But as the other wolves closed in, her confidence wavered. She quickly cast another spell, this time a shield of light forming in front of her as she prepared to face them head-on. The wolves snarled, advancing faster.
One lunged at her, teeth bared, but Cassandra was quick. She ducked and jabbed with a firebolt spell, which hit the wolf square in the chest. It fell back with a howl but wasn't dead—just stunned for the moment.
The wolf lunged again, and Cassandra ducked, rolling under its leap. Her clothes scraped against the forest floor, but she spun around on her knees, another fireball forming in her palm.
She hurled it with all her might, the spell striking the wolf's head. The creature whimpered and staggered, collapsing in front of her with a thud.
Breathing heavily, Cassandra stood over the fallen wolf, her legs trembling. She stepped forward cautiously, knife in hand. With a swift, shaky motion, she drove the blade into its neck, ending its struggles.
She straightened, wiping her brow with the back of her hand, and turned triumphantly.
"Not bad for a beginner, huh?" she said, a cocky grin spreading across her face—only to falter when she saw the scene behind her.
The other wolves, all of them, were already dead. All of them with their heads rolling on the forest floor, fresh blood gushing out of their carcasses .
Cassandra's grin slipped as her eyes darted between Ray and Seraphine. Both stood casually, not even out of breath.
"Wait… what just happened?" she blurted out.
Ray gave her an approving nod. "Not bad. Actually… better than not bad. That was impressive."
Cassandra blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
He gestured toward the fallen wolf at her feet. "For someone at your level, you handled that like a natural. The way you dodged, how you cast mid-movement, the follow-up with the dagger… Most players your level would've fumbled the second the wolf lunged at them. You've got talent, Cassandra."
"Yeah, Thank-," her cheeks turned a little pink as she again remembered what she was to ask. "But what about the rest?"
Seraphine smirked, brushing some imaginary dirt off her sleeve. "Looks like Ray handled it. Or maybe the wolves just had a collective heart attack."
Cassandra's jaw dropped. "He took them all down that fast?"
Ray shrugged nonchalantly. "You were busy with yours. Thought I'd save us some time."
'I feel like being carried by a level 48 player but... no levels are gained sadly,' he thought glancing at the celestial princess clearly enjoying teasing with Cassandra.
Cassandra's face flushed. "You could've let me take on more than one, you know! I'm not completely useless!"
"Uh-huh," Seraphine chimed in, her tone laced with sarcasm. "That was a real inspiring performance."
Cassandra scowled. "Shut up!"