The wooden door to the damp cellar creaked open, and Ray was shoved down into the cold, dimly lit space. The air reeked of moss and earth, and a faint light from a single torch barely illuminated the room.
Ray dusted himself off, muttering, "This place sure gives me some serious nostalgia of the basement of that blacksmith's workshop in Virella."
In the corner, Cassandra was pacing furiously, her usual calm demeanor replaced with panicked muttering.
Seraphine sat cross-legged, her golden hair shimmering faintly in the gloom, her sharp eyes locked onto Ray the moment he entered.
As Cassandra noticed Ray being thrown into the cellar she started panicking very unlike of the future manipulator.
"Ray! You're here too? Great. We're all screwed! This is it! I told you we should've taken the other route! What are we going to do?! They're probably planning to skin us alive!"
Ray raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall. "Nice to see you too, Cassandra. Love the optimism."
Seraphine stood, her expression calm but her eyes betraying a storm of emotions. "
Ray, are you hurt?"
Ray gave her a faint smile. "Not at all. But I assume you're waiting for my word before tearing this place apart?"
Seraphine nodded subtly.
"What the hell is wrong with you two? We're trapped, they're armed to the teeth, and you're having… whatever this is! Seraphine, why aren't you panicking?!"
Ray shot her a glance. "Because she trusts me, Cassandra. You should try it sometime."
Cassandra groaned, pulling at her hair. "Oh great, this is how I die. In a hole with a lunatic and his sword-wielding accomplice. Perfect."
Ray ignored her, his focus shifting entirely to Seraphine. "We need to time this right," he said softly.
Seraphine's grip tightened on an invisible hilt, her fingers brushing over the ring on her finger where her divine sword was stored. She grinned mischievously at him.
Cassandra blinked, looking between them. "Wait. Wait. What are you two doing? You're not seriously planning to—"
The cellar door creaked open again, and the elf leader strode in, flanked by two guards. His silver hair gleamed in the dim light, and his scarred face twisted into a cruel smile.
"Comfortable, are we?"
Ray straightened, putting on his best nonchalant expression. "Five-star accommodations. Really, all you're missing is room service."
The elf leader's grin faltered. He clearly wasn't expecting humor in a cellar of all places.
"You mock us now, human, but you'll regret it. Soon, we'll peel every secret out of you. Slowly."
Cassandra whimpered, shrinking into the corner. "Oh, great. Torture. Fantastic."
Ray, however, didn't flinch. Instead, he tilted his head, his tone suddenly curious. "Secrets, huh? Like what? You already know I'm not really Asmodeus's general. What else do you think I'm hiding?"
The elf leader's expression darkened, but Ray pressed on, his tone light but probing. "I mean, you don't actually think I wandered through your little haunted forest for fun, do you? There's only one reason anyone risks this place—"
He let the sentence hang, watching the faint flicker of recognition in the elf leader's eyes.
Ray said smirking "Oh, so you do know the way to Ironvale. That explains why you're so protective of this place."
The elf leader stiffened, his expression betraying just enough.
Elf Leader gritted his teeth "Your pathetic games won't work on me."
Ray shrugged casually. "Sure, sure. But you're wasting time trying to scare me when you could've been preparing for what's coming. After all, Ironvale isn't going to defend itself once word gets out, is it?"
The elf leader's jaw tightened, and his hands clenched at his sides.
Then all of a sudden another elf reached their panting and said "Master! Tha- That damn beast is escaping again. Please come help us!"
The elf leader's expression turned to that of frustration and stormed out of the room.
As soon as the door slammed shut, Ray exhaled and glanced at Seraphine.
"You ready?" Ray said softly.
Seraphine's calmed her expression as she touched the ring on her finger, and with a soft hum, her divine sword materialized in her hand, the blade glowing faintly in the dim light.
Cassandra's eyes widened. "What—when did you—how—"
Ray grinned. "Cassandra, you might want to cover your ears. This is going to get loud."
Seraphine stepped forward, the light from her sword casting long shadows on the walls. The faint sound of approaching guards echoed from the corridor.
"Alright, princess. Let's remind them why they should've double-checked their prisoner list."
----------
Above the cellar, two elves leaned on their spears, keeping watch. The forest around them was silent except for their low murmurs. One of them elbowed the other and jerked his chin toward a female elf passing by, carrying a stack of supplies.
"You see that? Look at the way she walks. Like she knows everyone's staring."
The second elf snickered "Yeah, but have you seen her bake? That cake—man, that's divine. I'd worship her before any demon lord."
"Blasphemy. But I get it. That cake's a masterpiece. I really want a slice of that cake to be sprea-"
But before Elf 1 could finish his thought, a golden flash erupted from the ground beneath them, slicing through the floor and upward in a blinding arc.
The first elf didn't even have time to scream as the light cleaved him cleanly in half, his top half sliding off his bottom half in almost slow motion.
The second elf blinked, staring in stunned silence at his friend's bisected remains.
"…You really got sliced."
The second elf's last words were barely out of his mouth before Seraphine appeared, her divine sword glowing like the sun.
Her expression was serene, almost indifferent, as she sliced him down with a single, elegant strike. The elf collapsed in a heap, joining his companion in death.
Down below, Cassandra gawked through the hole in the ceiling as Seraphine leapt gracefully up and out of sight.
"Wha- What just happened!?"
"Uhh, you know I am the only demonic person she kinda tolerates."
They climbed out of the cellar just as Seraphine was cutting a path through the horde of elves rushing toward her. Her blade was a blur of gold, slicing through armor, weapons, and bodies as if they were made of parchment. Each movement was precise and deadly, yet graceful in a way that made it impossible to look away.
The clearing ahead of them erupted into chaos as more elves charged toward Seraphine, their cries echoing through the forest. She met them head-on, her divine sword moving in elegant, deadly arcs.
Each strike landed with devastating precision—an elf charging with a spear found his weapon shattered before the blade pierced his armor.
Another tried to flank her, only to have his head removed with a clean horizontal swing.
Ray strolled casually behind her, hands in his pockets as if he were on a leisurely walk. Cassandra, meanwhile, trailed behind, her mouth hanging open as she watched Seraphine carve through the enemy.
"Holy shit! She's… she's not even breaking a sweat."
An elf attempted to ambush them from the side, but before he could even raise his dagger, Seraphine spun and delivered a swift kick to his chest. He flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch.
As the last elf crumpled to the ground with a muffled groan, Cassandra's panic began bubbling over. She darted behind Ray, wide-eyed and gesturing wildly toward Seraphine, who stood amidst the wreckage of the horde like an avenging goddess, her sword glinting in the fading sunlight.
"Okay, okay, wait a second! I knew she was strong, sure, but this? This is not normal! She's like… like a boss fight on steroids!"
Ray glanced at Seraphine, who wiped the blood off her blade with a calm, almost serene expression.
Ray stood there with a nonchalant expression "I did mention she's not your average NPC."
"Not an average NP—Ray! She was not even a player, was she? She's a goddamn NPC! That's why you called her princess earlier, isn't it? How the hell do you have a princess with you?!"
Seraphine sheathed her sword and turned, a playful glint in her eye as she walked back toward them.
"Oh, now I like her. She's sharp." Seraphine said teasingly.
"You stay over there! You're too terrifying to be sarcastic right now." Cassandra hissed to her terrified out of her wits.
Ray grinned."Relax, Cassandra. Seraphine's harmless—well, to us, anyway."
Cassandra gritted her teeth "Harmless?! She just turned twenty elite elves into forest mulch without breaking a sweat! You know how long it takes me to do kill one wolf? And that's with stealth, planning, and frickin poisons!"
Seraphine arched an eyebrow and leaned slightly toward Cassandra, her tone almost conspiratorial.
"You could learn something, you know. Like how to use a sword."
Cassandra threw her hands up, pacing in a small circle as she muttered to herself.
"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. I'm running with a literal princess-warrior NPC and some smooth-talking psychopath who casually walks through bloodbaths. This is my life now."
Seraphine smirked as she strode ahead, her movements as calm as if she hadn't just decimated an entire tribe of elves. Behind her, Cassandra whispered under her breath, her paranoia still gnawing at her.
"How does this even work? Does she level up? Does she have stats? Can NPCs even die?"
Ray leaned in, his grin widening.
"Ask her about her death count."
Seraphine turned back, hearing the comment, and gave a soft, teasing smile.
"What was that about me dying, Ray? Should I be worried about you two leaving me behind?"
Cassandra froze, her face draining of color.
Cassandra panicked "Oh gods, she's self-aware too. I'm doomed."
Ray and Seraphine exchanged a glance before laughing, their footsteps echoing through the eerie silence of the forest as they approached the clearing.
Up ahead suddenly a massive roar came, sending an elf crashing into a tree as the remnants of the tribe scrambled to contain a majestic beast.
"And I thought nothing would surprise me anymore."
Cassandra said staring wide eyed at the rampaging beast in front of them.