Ezra woke slowly, his head pounding, and the crackling sound of a campfire reached his ears. He blinked and groggily sat up, his body stiff from the battle's toll. Korr was sitting nearby, poking the fire with a stick, looking over at him with relief.
"Ah, boss, you're finally awake! Thank god, I thought I'd have to carry you." Korr's voice was lighthearted, but there was a hint of genuine concern in his tone.
Ezra grunted, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the camp. His gaze fell upon the woman sitting by the fire, looking uncomfortable under the weight of his stare. Without a word, he rose to his feet, instinctively reaching for his sword. In a swift movement, he pointed the blade at her throat, making sure she felt the cold steel against her skin.
"What the hell kind of woman has a Chaos paladin following her?" Ezra's voice was harsh, and his glare could've melted stone. "You said it would be dangerous, not suicidal. I have half a mind to leave right now. This job isn't worth a hundred silvers at all."
The woman flinched, her fingers nervously rubbing together. Ezra's sword remained firmly pressed against her throat as he leaned in, his tone unforgiving.
"Answer my damn question, or I'll make sure your journey ends here."
Korr's voice broke through the tension. "Boss, don't you think this is a little far?"
Ezra's eyes flicked to Korr for a moment, his frustration boiling over. He didn't care about appearances or being reasonable. The weight of near-death still hung on him, and the need for answers was overpowering.
"No, it's not too far," Ezra shot back coldly, his eyes flashing with anger. "I almost fucking died back there. I think I have the right to know exactly who my client is."
The woman visibly shrank under Ezra's gaze, her nervous energy radiating in the air. Ezra could feel the unease in the way she avoided his eyes, but he wasn't about to back down until she gave him something—anything—to make sense of this mess.
"Answer me."
The woman let out a deep sigh, her shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world rested on them. Slowly, she reached up and pulled back her hood, revealing a striking face framed by purple hair. Her eyes were a bright, unsettling red, and two small, broken horns protruded slightly from her head, a clear sign of her demonic heritage.
"I'm a demon," she said, her voice steady but carrying a hint of weariness. "And the Wanderers sent me on a mission from the Abyss to warn this kingdom about a planned raid. They're targeting the surface, and this kingdom is one of the first on their list."
Ezra's sword dropped to his side as he sheathed it, his hands suddenly feeling heavy. He sank down to sit, rubbing his face as if trying to wipe away the confusion and frustration that had been building since the moment this job started.
"Shit, I really am in over my head." He muttered under his breath, leaning forward and burying his face in his hands for a moment before lifting his head and looking at her again. "Tell me one more thing. Why are you working against your own race? It doesn't make sense."
The woman let out another long sigh, pulling her hood back up to shield her features once more. Ezra could see the tension in her shoulders, a mix of regret and something else, as if she had expected the question. She opened her mouth to respond, her voice softer now, but still resolute.
"I'm from a clan of demons who don't want to invade the surface," she explained. "We prefer to live peacefully among the surface races. We've always had close ties with the Wanderers, and I was sent here on this mission. But, of course, the other demons in the Abyss somehow found out about it. They're not happy with what we're doing, so they sent those damn Chaos-worshipers to stop me."
Ezra ran his fingers through his hair, trying to digest the information. A demon, working with the Wanderers, sent to stop a war. It didn't fit together like he thought it should, and yet, it made a twisted kind of sense.
"So you're fighting against your own kind for peace?" he asked, still processing the magnitude of what she was telling him.
The woman nodded solemnly, the weight of her words hanging in the air. "Yes. And now I'm stuck with no other option but to warn the kingdom before it's too late."
Ezra leaned back, his mind racing with thoughts of betrayal, chaos, and what this really meant for the kingdom they were heading toward. His whole mission had turned upside down, but one thing was clear: he had a choice to make, and it wasn't just about the gold anymore.
"Alright," Ezra finally said, his voice hardening with determination. "Let's finish this job. But we need to figure out how to deal with those Chaos-worshipers. I'm not letting them ruin everything."
The woman looked at him with a mixture of surprise and something that resembled relief. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You don't know how much this means to me."
Ezra simply nodded, his mind already planning the next steps. The road ahead was more dangerous than he had anticipated, but now, he couldn't back out. Not with so much at stake.
"Let's go," Ezra said with a sharp edge to his voice. "We don't have time for breaks. I doubt they sent two paladins. It's hard enough to get a hold of one that worships the Twelve, let alone the Six. From here on out, it should just be regular cultists."
Korr nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah, while I was bringing the lady to safety, I got attacked by cultists. They were weak, but there were a lot of them. And they probably have more on the way now."
Ezra let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his head. "I knew we shouldn't have taken this damn job," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his forehead. The weight of the situation was beginning to settle on him, and the fact that things kept escalating made it worse.
"We're in this now," Korr said with a slight grunt, trying to keep the mood light. "Might as well see it through."
Ezra shook his head, pushing the frustration aside. "Yeah, I guess we have no choice." He looked up and focused on the path ahead, steeling himself for whatever came next. They had no time to waste.
As they walked, the awkward silence between them stretched on, until Korr broke the tension with a chuckle. "So, Ms. Demon, what's your name? Calling you 'lady' is starting to get a little burdensome."
Alfira let out a heavy sigh, clearly exhausted by the small talk. "I already told you my mission. I guess my name won't hurt. I am Alfira."
Korr grinned widely and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Well, nice to officially learn your name, Alfira. I'm Korr."
Alfira immediately jerked away from him, stepping a few paces to the side. "Well, Mister Korr, are all beast people this touchy?"
Korr, undeterred, walked right back up to her and bumped her shoulder with his. "Of course not. I'm just an affectionate guy."
Alfira rolled her eyes, only sighing in response as she kept walking ahead. "You're insufferable."
Korr chuckled, unbothered, while Ezra, walking a few steps ahead, just shook his head, trying to ignore the back-and-forth. It seemed like it was going to be a long journey ahead, especially with these two constantly bickering.