The tension in the air was so thick it could've been cut with a blade. Dagga's muscles coiled like a spring, his hulking frame casting a shadow over the trembling Lula.
His crimson eyes burned with fury, and his claws twitched with barely restrained violence.
Not only had Jorim, who had been like an older brother to him betrayed him, even Lula who he trusted deeply also sold him out!
It was too painful! Even for a demon, consecutive betrayals like this didn't happen often.
"You betrayed me, Lula," Dagga growled, his voice a low rumble that promised pain. "You sold us out to the Blades of Aragoth. You will not live to see another sunrise."
His whole body looked ready to pounce. It seemed that if she didn't give a very, very reasonable excuse the next time she opened her lips, her head would roll.
Lula flinched but kept her composure, her reddish fiendish features betraying only a flicker of fear.
Her golden eyes trembled, but outwardly she tried to maintain a semblance of calm as she rapidly thought of an excuse.
After some seconds, her lips parted as if to speak, but before she could utter a word, Creed stepped forward, slipping between them like a blade sliding into a sheath.
His calm yet commanding presence seemed to stop Dagga in his tracks. He was literally the shortest among the three, yet he commanded respect all the same.
"Stop," Creed said simply, his tone cool as ice.
Dagga's eyes snapped to him, wide with disbelief. Through their mind connection, his thoughts surged like a storm.
Creed could literally feel his emotions!
'Stop? Are you out of your mind, Creed? She betrayed us! She handed over our escape route! If we don't deal with her now, we're as good as dead!'
Creed didn't flinch. His voice, steady and deliberate, cut through Dagga's anger like a scalpel.
He was well aware that the best way to deal with this fiend demon was to use a rational and detached but highly logical approach.
'I'm not saying you shouldn't take revenge, Dagga. I'm saying you shouldn't waste it.
'If you kill her now, you get nothing but blood on your claws. But if you wait… if we use her first, we can turn this whole situation in our favour. Think about it.'
Dagga's growl deepened. 'Use her? What are you planning?'
'Simple,' Creed replied. 'She knows their plans. Their traps. Their movements. We can squeeze every bit of information out of her first. Then you can settle the score. Patience, Dagga. Even if she can't provide any information to us, she can be used as bait.'
Meanwhile, their verbal exchange on the surface played out differently, with Lula watching them like a cornered animal.
"You can't just jump to conclusions, Dagga," Creed said aloud, his tone softer but no less firm. "We don't have enough proof. What if this is a misunderstanding?"
Dagga snorted, his lip curling. "A misunderstanding? Creed, she told them about the exit. What more proof do you need? Her silence is all the proof we need!"
Creed's eyes sharpened, catching the faint flicker of guilt that crossed Lula's face. It was quick, almost imperceptible, but not quick enough to escape his notice.
'Got you,' he thought. Outwardly, he gave no indication he had noticed.
"Whether she did or didn't, we don't have time for this," Creed said. "We need to move. Arguing here will just get us all killed. Let's focus on escaping first, then we'll sort out the truth later."
Dagga growled but relented, stepping back reluctantly. Lula straightened, her relief poorly concealed as she nodded quickly. "Let's go, then," she said.
As they left the ominous darkness of the Nihility Forest, Creed's mind churned like a well-oiled machine, analysing every angle of their predicament.
He hadn't spared Lula out of kindness. Far from it. He had three solid reasons for keeping her alive.
First, she was valuable. If Lula had indeed betrayed them to the Blades, then she had insider knowledge—routes, weaknesses, traps.
Killing her now would waste an opportunity to extract that information. Second, Creed couldn't risk Dagga losing his composure.
The fiend demon was usually very cool headed, but his emotions were a double edged sword. Creed needed Dagga focused, not blinded by rage.
Third, they were walking into a trap. It wasn't a matter of if but when. And having Lula around could serve as a buffer or even bait when the time came.
They broke through the dense forest and emerged onto a sprawling plain. Creed's stomach sank. The terrain was wide open, with no trees, no cover—nothing but grass waving gently in the wind under the pale sun.
"Damn it," Creed muttered under his breath. Open terrain was both a blessing and a curse. They were exposed, with nowhere to hide. But so were their enemies. The trick would be turning that to their advantage.
'Dagga,' Creed said through their mind connection. 'Listen carefully. I have a plan, but you'll need to act fast when the time comes. Here's what we'll do…'
He relayed a complex, step-by-step strategy to Dagga, his mental voice sharp and precise. Dagga nodded wordlessly, his rage simmering but contained for the moment.
The ground suddenly erupted in front of them, a deafening explosion shattering the relative calm.
Rocks and debris flew in every direction, the shockwave knocking Creed and the others back. The acrid scent of burning earth filled the air, and a jagged crater now marred the plain ahead.
Creed's eyes narrowed. They're here.
"Dagga!" he shouted aloud, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Now!"
Dagga roared, his massive frame surging forward with terrifying speed, the ground trembling beneath his charge.
Lula froze, her eyes wide with terror, while Creed's lips curled into a small, confident smile. The game had just begun.
_____
Power stone Goal!
50 PS - 1 Bonus chapter
100 PS - 2 Bonus chapters
200 PS (Quite an achievement as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.
Castle - 10 Bonus Chapters!