Tia shoved open the temple's door and scrambled to Velvet and Avernus' side along with the rest of the group. Their worrying face darted from Avernus to Velvet and then to the broken and burning woods behind them.

"What happened?" Tia asked. Her hands were charged with magic, and Rokurou's fingers were on the handle of his short blades.

"It was nothing," Velvet peeked over the corner of her eyes at Avernus' smug expression, waiting for his response and hoping he would acknowledge her.

"Velvet's right. I thought I saw a daemon lurking behind the trees, but there was none."

Tia raised a brow in doubt and, after a few moments of staring at Avernus, cooled down her magic.

Laphicet came to their side, having a large book in his hands. "This is the book we found in the villa. The sigil of Artorius' malak is the same as the cover, but I can't read it."

Avernus noticed it too. "It's the Innominat's symbol." He took the book and flipped the cover, going through all pages slowly. Soft sighing kept coming out of him as he turned over each page in disappointment. "If I could just read these ancient Avarostian." He offered the book back to Laphicet. "Sorry, kid. I can't read it either."

Magilou suddenly jumped between them. "Okay, enough with useless pleasantry trading. The thing is, we must not forget misusing objects is different from misusing a person!"

"What is your point?" Velvet asked.

"Hmph. What's your point is what I want to know," Magilou pointed an accusing finger at Velvet. "You blew the whole revenge thing by trying to kill the Shepherd by yourself and not get help from Avernus, who at least had a chance to leave a scratch and, now we're stranded on who-knows-where. Do you guys have any plan on where to go from here?"

There was truth in Magilou's words. Velvet dodged her demise barely. "I'll admit it. Innominat's power is far beyond what I could ever have imagined. But I will never give up. No matter how many times I have to try, I will devour them all."

"I won't do any devouring, but I'm in it till the Artorius falls and with it, the Abbey," Avernus added.

Magilou ambled to Avernus' side and snapped her finger, "I bet you 100 gald Velvet break first."

Avernus groaned, narrowing his eyes slightly at Magilou.

"You all heard me," Magilou said. "One hundred gald says that Velvet gives up. I lost a bet with Rokurou when she had to survive, and it cost me 10 gald. I just want to always be on top at the end."

Avernus nodded confidently. "I accept your challenge. I hope you're ready to lose for the second time."

Avernus' support and trust in Velvet both bothered and appreciated her at the same time. After all, he and Laphicet were the only ones who had her back.

"Whatever." Velvet shrugged, ignoring them.

Magilou clapped, walking away cheerfully. "Then it looks like we have a bet! There might be some fun in me sticking around after all!" Magilou then took a glimpse at the book in Avernus' hand, "Don't cry, you baby boys! My friend Grimoirh might be of help to decipher that for you."

"Grimoirh? That Normin woman who sounds wise and refined?" Avernus asked.

Magilou's expression became blank, and she squinted at Avernus, "How in the world do you know Grimoirh?!"

"I saved her a long time ago from some blood wolves. That's it."

"Can she decipher Avarost?" Laphicet wondered.

Magilou turned her suspicious glare away from Avernus. "Well, maybe, maybe not! She would have to take a look first."

"Where is your friend then?" Velvet asked.

"No idea. The last letter I got from her was sent from Yseult down in Southgand."

Avernus returned the book to Laphicet. "Then Yseult is our next destination. We need to figure out how we can get off this rock."

Magilou grinned intently, shooting a challenging glare at Velvet, "I will have fun watching you try."

Irritation waved behind Velvet's eyes. "Oh, I'll find her. Don't you worry about that."

"That's the spirit! Don't give up just yet." Magilou said.

Tia crossed her arms as she sized Magilou up. "She has a cocky attitude. Now I'm eager to see her fail."

Laphicet began to yawn repeatedly, and Velvet noticed him.

"You're still weak, Laphicet. We will rest inside the ruins. "

The little malak slowly nodded his head and followed the rest back into the temple. Out of the blue, Velvet's right hand secretly found its way behind Avernus' coat and his waist. Then, she pinched him, digging her nails slightly into his skin as Avernus recoiled in surprise and pain.

"If you say a word of what we did to anyone, I will bite you with my left hand."

Avernus slightly hissed in pain and grinned at the same time, "Have you seen yourself in the mirror recently? You need to work on your red face. With that white skin you have, it is even more visible."

Velvet groaned in annoyance and dug her nails into his cloth and then skin, pinching his waist harder and nearly breaking a skin, "Ouch!"

"You caught me in a moment of weakness. It is all your fault, and you're just paying the price."

"Oh, so that's how you want to play? Here we go then. I just remembered how smooth your hair felt, Velvet when I held you tightly in my arms. Best touching experience ever!"

Velvet gritted her teeth and twisted his flesh even harder as she blushed even more.

A drop of sweat fell from Avernus's forehead,

"Aha-ha-ha... You're a strong woman, Velvet, but... your face is so serene and cute when you are passed out... those half-opened lips... so defenseless... Like... OUCH... a sleeping beauty begging to be kissed by a prince!"

Velvet twisted his muscle even further, nearly tearing off his tissue.

Tia, standing a few meters far from them, understood that something was going on between them. She narrowed her eyes at the scene, "What are you doing?"

Velvet released his bruised flesh. "Nothing special. Just discussing some fighting strategies."

Avernus rubbed his painful waist, and Velvet left for the temple after glaring at Avernus.

Tia joined Avernus, watching Velvet disappearing into the ruins.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Tia asked." You look suspiciously like the cat that swallowed the canary."

Avernus smiled in satisfaction as he zoned out, thinking about winning his latest duel with Velvet. "I think I did."

Tia peered into his brightened eyes that glittered with hope and something else. "What happened between you two?"

Avernus refocused his attention on Tia, but the smile didn't go away. "Just strengthened our bond."

The greater malak gazed at him from top to bottom as her senses picked up a newly-woven oath inside his soul. She frowned slightly. "You swore an oath to Velvet." She observed, picking up the bond's increased strength with her supernatural senses. "Was that necessary? An oath for a mere forsaken girl with a bland personality? Have you lost your mind?"

Even Tia's condescending tone didn't ruin his cheer. He chuckled and turned toward the temple. "Maybe."

Tia groaned, watching him leaving for the temple. She sensed hope and comfort in his conflicted soul.

What Velvet was to him, she wondered.

Velvet shut her eyes and hugged her knees close to her chest. The recent events fired up her mind; her near-death experience fighting with Artorius, Laphicet's selfless attempt to keep her alive, Eleanor's oath and of course, Avernus. She struggled to push it toward the back of her mind as Velvet needed to keep an eye on Eleanor.

Then, Velvet felt Avernus sat near her. Their duel made her mind sensitive to his presence. She hummed in mild frustration and wrestled with her psyche not to open her eyes and ignore him.

But the heart wants what it wants.

Velvet peeked at Avernus as she opened her eyes slightly, trying to steal a glimpse of him. She saw Avernus sitting cross-legged on the ground, with his hands on his knees, putting his index fingers against his thumbs. He was in total calmness like a warrior mediating. Velvet focused on his facial features, serene as she compared his looks to when she met him for the first time.

Then, abruptly, Avernus grinned with his eyes still closed. "Can't sleep?"

Caught, Velvet frowned. "I wanted to ask you something."

"I'm all ears, beautiful."

Velvet's nerves flared up. She experienced two different sensations all at once; Anger and mild glee. She went with anger. Velvet's defense mechanism activated like iron walls breaking ground, rising to defend her soul against all that is emotion. "Start calling me like that, and you might lose an ear or two."

Her growling voice did not affect him.

"A bit touchy, aren't we. Is there something else you'd prefer I called you?"

"How about my name?"

Avernus' grin seemed even more naughty. "Right. But don't get yourself in a twist over it, gorgeous. I didn't mean anything by it."

Velvet hoped for him to open his eyes so she could shoot a deathly glare into them. He was doing it on purpose. "There you go again!"

"Fine. If it makes you feel better, you call me something. Go ahead, come on, I can take it."

"What? Don't be ridiculous." Velvet hummed in annoyance.

"What? Are you afraid you'll hurt my feelings? Come on, spit it out. You can do it."

Challenged, Velvet leaned toward him, placing her hand on the ground. "You're a pushy degenerate."

Avernus chuckled. "Is that it? You can do better than that."

Velvet bared her fangs for a moment, seemingly snarling like a wolf. "An inconsiderate egoistic, vainest man."

Avernus pressed his lips, and his forehead wrinkled. "Ouch. That is better. Well, I bet beautiful isn't so bad in comparison now, is it?"

Velvet suddenly realized that she went too far with him. All he did was calling her beautiful, and she called him names. Velvet fell silent for a moment in a pang of slight guilt.

"I'll bet you still have those questions in mind," Avernus said, breaking the silence.

Velvet heaved a sigh to remember what she wanted to ask. "You haven't changed. Not one bit. Only your hair is longer. Why is that?"

"Maybe because I was kind of dead for three years," Avernus said, then a mischievous grin carved on his face, "But your body became... much ampler."

Velvet blushed, "You-!" Before she could answer, they heard some sobbing from the next corridor.

Avernus opened his eyes, swiftly moving toward the wall and peeked around the corner into the next corridor. Velvet joined him, and they both saw Eleanor was shedding some tears. All of a sudden, a large orb of light appeared on the other side of the hall. Noticing it, Eleanor followed the sphere as it flew outside. Avernus turned to Velvet and nodded to her. With Eizen getting ready to stand up, they pursued Eleanor and the orb.

The orb levitated a few feet off the ground, and the hue intensified, shining more brightly. They heard Artorius' voice coming from it.

"I sent Melchior to check out the earthpulse, and what a peculiar sight does he find."

Eleanor bowed, and in a depressing tone, she spoke to the orb, "Lord Artorius! I have failed you."

"Lift your head, Eleanor." Artorius said, "The Shepherd has a special mission for you; you are to protect the malak Laphicet and bring him to the Loegres Abbey headquarters. This mission is highly classified and not to be shared with even the legates." He insisted.

"Protect the malak and bring him to the capital, then?"

"Remember to do it with the utmost secrecy. You're becoming his vessel is, in fact, quite fortunate." Artorius said.

"That might be it, but with me as his vessel, the malak himself may interfere. Besides, the rogue Shepherd and the daemon will try to stop any endeavours that may lead to snatching him away from them."

"This malak may have his own will, but he can be manipulated. As for the shepherd, I have my plans for him. I already dispatched someone capable enough to take care of that problem. Do whatever it takes to get the job done, Eleanor. You act under my full authorization."

Eleanor's face filled with uncertainty, she protested, "Even were it to mean obeying the orders of a daemon?! But, Lord Artorius, what malak could possibly be that valuable?"

"Are you saying that you cannot?"

Artorius' voice seemed to shake her resolve a bit, but Eleanor gathered her conviction, "Shame is only a fleeting emotion. It is will and reason that ultimately prevail in the face of calamity. My lord. I live to serve the principles of your teachings."

"The earthpulse will soon close. From here on, you must use your own discretion to execute your mission, Eleanor."

With Artorius's last command, the orb disintegrated. But little did Eleanor know that Avernus, Velvet, and Eizen were standing close and heard her conversation with the Shepherd

The next morning, the team headed out of the temple. Eleanor was tense. Rokurou cracked up a smile for her.

"You're finally up! How are you feeling?"

Having her mental guard up and felt that she was deep behind enemy lines with no friendlies insight, Eleanor reacted coldly. "I'm fine."

Avernus moved to Laphicet's side protectively, "Pay attention, Eleanor; there is no chance for you to get away from us. I hate to do anything severe, but I'm not afraid to use pain to keep you close."

Laphicet turned pleadingly at Eleanor, "Listen... Don't try anything like that again. Pain is... Pain is scary, right?"

"All right, I get it. No more running away." Ensured Eleanor.

Laphicet smiled in satisfaction.

"I'm Laphicet. It's good to meet you properly, Eleanor."

Having been surprised because of his friendly attitude and her first time seeing a malak greeting her, Eleanor stuttered.

"Y-Yeah, likewise."

Velvet slid to Eleanor's side, looking intimidating, "Don't worry. If you try running when Avernus isn't looking, you won't get very far once I've eaten your arms and legs. We merely need you alive to act as his vessel. Nothing more."

"That won't be necessary. I swore an oath before our duel; An oath grants power in exchange for a certain constraint. Mine was, "If I lose, I will obey my adversary. Once put in motion, an oath cannot be broken by the one who swore it. I will keep my promise to you because I must."

"Hmm. An oath, is it?" Velvet said, pausing as her eyes narrowed at Eleanor in wonder, "In that case, I have a question for you. What does the Abbey plan to do with Innominat?"

"To wipe out all of the daemons, of course. We want to end the Era of Disaster once and for all."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Eleanor's voice was serene and believable. Eizen, however, spoke his mind, "And how exactly does the Abbey plan on wiping out the daemons? Is Innominat going to wander the land, slaughtering them all?"

"They... They never told me. Innominat's ritual is kept confidential even within the Abbey. All I know is that it involves Melchior."

Everyone wondered if she was telling the truth, but her innocent face laid bare her honest feeling.

"Then it looks like the only way we'll figure out Innominat's true nature is by deciphering Laphicet's book." Velvet added, "We'll have to track down Grimorih, the one who can read the Avarost ancient tongue."

Eizen scanned the terrain and the sky for a clue of their whereabouts. "Velvet is right, but first, we have to figure out where we are now. We need to find a settler or a village. Something."

Rokurou suddenly cracked up in laughter. "I'm surprised that us, eggheads, even know our own name."

Tiamat huffed in annoyance, gazing at Rokurou, "You can speak for yourself, daemon. We didn't deliberately come to this place. Not everyone knows everything at first."

"Tia is right." Laphicet said, "Even the greatest scholars need to experiment and observe. You can't get answers without asking for them."

"Hah, fair enough. Hard to argue with you two on that."

Eleanor watched those three.

"I have never seen malaks quite like those two..."

"Eleanor, your job is going to be to protect Laphicet." Velvet said, "Even if it brings you into conflict with other exorcists. Because if you turn on Avernus and me..."

"I know! As I said, I can't betray you." Eleanor distanced herself from them, squeezing her spear.

Velvet moved to Laphicet's side, speaking in a hushed tone. "Listen, Laphicet. If she makes any strange moves, I want you to stop her immediately, okay?"

"I don't think Eleanor is such a bad person. Besides, she's oath-bound to her promise."

"She is lying, obviously. That's only something you do if your life depends on it.".

Avernus put his hand on Laphicet's shoulder. "You need to listen to Velvet, Laphicet. Eleanor has a good heart, but her intentions are not sincere."

Velvet nodded, acknowledging Avernus. "I told you already. She wants to take you away from us. Women are creatures of deceit, boy. Their looks are all but deceiving."

"I-If you two say so..."

Magilou joined them. "She's right. Of course, that goes doubly so for Velvet the Vengeful Rapscallion."

Velvet's glance flicked between Magilou and Avernus. "Well, I won't deny it. But you all now know my true intentions. I have nothing to hide." She turned to the road in front of them. "Let's not waste any more time."

The team followed Velvet. After walking past a few hanging bridges, on the side of the cliffs, Laphicet nearly tripped over some stones, but Avernus quickly grabbed him, saving Laphicet from a fall into the ocean below.

"Watch out, Laphicet. Move to my left side. It's safer."

"I'm sorry. I was lost in my thoughts again."

"Do you want to share it?"

Laphicet shuffled his guardian papers and sighed silently. "Velvet told me that women's looks could be deceiving, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to see ."

Avernus chuckled, which grabbed the attention of Rokurou and Eizen.

"What is it, Avernus?" Rokurou asked.

"Laphicet wants to know why appearances of women are misleading."

"That's an age-old problem for men. You with us, Eizen?" Rokurou said.

Eizen nodded. "You're right. Women are deceptive and treacherous creatures. They lie as easily as they breathe, and men can never see through their deception."

"Sounds like you've all been through hard times."

Rokurou put his hand on his chest, exhaling deeply, "The wound a woman leaves on a man's heart takes longer to heal than a cut delivered by a sword."

Laphicet startled in shock, "Is it that bad?"

"Well, it depends," Avernus added. "Not all of them are like that, but most of them are. Women are at the mercy of circumstances just as the sand is at the mercy of the wind. They will use men to get what they want. There is an old saying; "If thou givest thy heart to a woman, she will kill thee." They put up false fronts about nearly anything and not just their looks."

Tia sighed in disappointment and whispering to herself, "Says the man whose eyes are on a daemon girl."

"What Avernus is saying is that; beware of a woman's tears, boy, and guard yourself well," Eizen confirmed.

Laphicet repeated what Eizen told him. Abruptly, Velvet walked to Laphicet's side, giving men a stink eye. "Don't put any weird ideas into Laphicet's head. If you fill his head with any more garbage, I'm devouring all three of you. That goes double for you, Avernus."

"Hmmm..." Avernus pursed his lips in a juvenile grin, eyes brimming with excitement. "Is that a promise?"

Velvet's angry, gold-amber eyes clashed with Avernus's astute green eyes, "I remember the time I thought of you as a gentleman. But you aren't what you pretend to be."

"Of course. There is more to me than meets the eye." Avernus winked at Velvet before Magilou crashed their party.

"The shepherd, the swordsman, and the pirate having troubles with women? Well, women are nothing if not difficult. I have the deepest sympathy for you all."

Avernus leaned slightly toward Laphicet, speaking in a hushed tone."What do you think of the ladies' reactions?"

"Well, Velvet won't eat either Rokurou or Eizen, and Magilou didn't seem sympathetic at all. But I don't know about you, Avernus."

"What? Do you think I'm in trouble?"

Laphicet nodded as Velvet argued with Magilou. To their surprise, Eleanor walked to their side, stepping closer to Laphicet. "I'm not like that, though."

Avernus turned his attention to the young exorcist, and she stuttered as she looked into his gaze, "Y-Yes, some women use their tears to manipulate others. But not all do, and I, for one, hate such trickery. The women who did that to you all are just the extreme."

"I know you hate deception and deceit, Eleanor," Laphicet said.

"Alright. You can act like that person you're claiming to be and show Laphicet that not all women are deceptive creatures." Avernus suggested.

His kind smile was out of the place. In Eleanor's thought, a rogue and ruthless Shepherd shouldn't be that cheering. She frowned defensively at Avernus. "I intend to do just that, and I don't care what you think or want from me, rogue Shepherd."

Amidst their talking, they noticed unknown creatures were gathering on the other side as they reached the middle of the final bridge.

Laphicet whirled his head toward the back and spotted another group creeping from the end of the bridge, surrounding them.

"What are those?!" Laphicet yelled as he pointed to them, moving tree trunks with carvings on their front that looked like an evil smile.

"Treants!" Avernus identified. The bridge began to shake violently. Laphicet clutched Velvet's arm, and the rest held on to the rope swings.

"If we don't move, the extra weight will collapse the bridge," Avernus warned.

Eleanor gripped the ropes tightly. "But we're surrounded!"

Rokoruou brandished his short blades but struggled to keep his balance. "I've never seen these kinds of daemons before."

Avernus' gaze scanned over the horde, and his eyes glinted with a familiar encounter. "I've seen these daemons back in the far-continent." He then gestured his hand at the rear. "Velvet and Rokurou, cover our backs. Eizen, Magilou, and Laphicet will support us with only long-range artes; no area of effect magic or the bridge will fall. Tia, you're with me."

Eleanor felt that she was ignored and left out by Avernus. "What about me?! I can fight daemons, you know!"

"No, you will stay with Laphicet," Avernus ordered.

"But-"

"That's an order, exorcist."

Tia jumped into his body. Avernus unsheathed his staff, and it transfigured to its majestic, long engraved silver and gold form, long scythe blades darting from the top.

"Here they come, everyone. Stay behind me and protect our flank. I will carve a path towards the end of the bridge." Avernus lounged at the horde that converged on front. With a broad slash of his sceptre, the blades cut the hardened armors like a knife cutting butter. Burnt tree barks fell into the ravine below.

The team advanced towards the front on top of the shaking bridge, passing the daemons' burnt bodies. Velvet spotted more daemons pouring into the bridge. "There are too many of them!"

Avernus sliced a daemon in half, turning aggressively toward the new daemons. "The bridge's narrow path contradicts their superior numbers. Stay focused!" He whipped his head at Laphicet. "Shorten your time between your summoning and constantly hit them with weaker magic! I need them to be stunned all the time."

"But what about the accuracy of my artes?" Laphicet asked.

"There are many slow-moving targets. Don't worry about missing!"

During the battle, Eleanor listened closely to Avernus' instructions. His situational awareness and calmness were exemplary. Eleanor felt that she was in the presence of a seasoned warrior. Behind his young face, a war-torn soul resided.

As they reached the end of the bridge, Velvet quickly destroyed the swing ropes and the bridge, along with a large number of the remaining daemons, fell into the valley below. The sounds of howls and creaks disappeared into the darkness.

Magilou's guardian papers flew back into her hands, and she shuffled them back into a single deck. "Phew! That was close."

Suddenly, they heard horse riding nearby with heavy flapping distorting the air.

Avernus' forehead wrinkled as he scowled, eyes checking the top of the hill nearby.

"Is that a horse that I'm hearing?" Eleanor asked.

Avernus squinted and saw different silhouettes appearing from behind the mountain range. "We're not done yet."

Laphicet blinked at the leading figure in horror. "W-What is that?!"

A creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse appeared as it twirled a long spear in one hand. A large harpy climbed the sky and landed heavily beside it. Then a small group of goat-looking men joined them.

Magilou raised her arm in surrender, "What kind of daemon are those?!"

"A Centaur, an older harpy, and some Satyrs," Avernus observed, sweeping a glare over their new adversaries.

Velvet whipped her therion arm. "Let's kill them and be done with it."

The Centaur raised his arm and pointed his spear at them threateningly. "We've found you, White Devil!"

All except Avernus turned to Rokurou. He shrugged but squared his shoulders and stepped forward. "I guess they already gave me a name. Cool."

Avernus suddenly raised his staff and held it in front of Rokurou, stopping him. "No. You are not the White Devil."

Tia appeared from his body and landed beside the rest of the team. Avernus lowered his staff and nodded at them. "I will take them."

Velvet frowned. "We don't have time for you to play with them. Let's attack them all at once and finish it."

"That's not your fight," Avernus said, his voice was cold and emotionless.

The daemon Centaur slammed his spear on the ground. "We've flown from our land just to find you! You killed our family and butchered our tribes! Now come and face your doom!" The daemons growled, raising their weapons in the air. "We lost a lot of our comrades in our journey just to get here."

Avernus turned to the large harpy and discovered many of her feathers were torn, and she looked exhausted. The daemons had travelled all the way from the far-continent as the harpy carried those few numbers. They were a lot more, but they apparently were lost to the sea.

Avernus marched at the daemons with the rest bafflingly watching him.

"What are they talking about?!" Eleanor wondered, turning to Tia.

"Those daemons are from the far-continent. They all travelled here just for revenge." Tia said.

"Revenge?" Velvet asked.

"Yes. They are remnants of those that Avernus hunted down. Revenge is a powerful motivation. Even for the daemons."

Eleanor followed Avernus' movement as some Satyrs stormed him. Tired and spent from their travel, Avernus quickly slashed them away. Their motionless bodies rolled down the hill as they disintegrated into a cloud of smoke.

"What did Avernus do to them that they want him dead?" Laphicet asked.

Tia smirked as Avernus impaled another Satyr, raising its body and tossing it like trash to the side. "They killed his mother, and he massacred all the daemon tribes he could find. Even those he could save, he didn't."

Eizen kept tossing his coin as something bothered his mind. "I don't get it. With all that slaughtering, why is he still a human and not a daemon himself?"

The scream of the large harpy, burning in agony, sent shivers down their spine. Avernus threw a sizeable flaming ball right into her body as her feathers burned.

Tia suddenly caught Eizen's coin from the air and flipped it between her fingers. "Virtue and dark are two sides of the same coin. Avernus is walking on a thin line between them, carefully."

Velvet zoned out as she also felt a strong convergence of darkness coming from both daemons and him. "White Devil," she mumbled as Avernus took down the rest of the daemons and clashed with the lone Centaur.

Those daemons were at the mercy of him. In that fight, Avernus fought like a daemon, no... like a devil.

The Centaur jousted at Avernus. With a smooth turn to the side, the spear missed Avernus, and he grabbed the weapon. Avernus brought down the daemon with a hard yank as it lost the balance and crashed into the ground. Before the daemon could rise on its feet, Avernus slashed its legs, and it shrieked in pain.

Avernus slowly circled its large body. Foam began to spew from the daemon's mouth as it struggled with the pain. "You... Killed us because of that whore malak."

Avernus kneeled uncaring near his head, looking coldly over the daemon. "That malak was my mother."

His hands flared up in fiery magic, and he grasped the daemon's face. The flame lit up the Centaur's head and burned its eyes.

The daemon's screams made them uncomfortable. Eleanor suddenly cupped her hands over Laphicet's eyes. Avernus rose on his feet and put his legs over the body, and winded up his sceptre behind him. Then, he slashed the daemon's stomach and gutted it down. Eleanor shut her eyes and shuddered at his cruelty in horror, turning her head away.

After a few moments, the screams stopped. She opened her eyes and saw Avernus coming back to them with the Centaur's body disintegrating behind him. Dark blood dirtied his white clothes and his face.

"It's done," Avernus said.

Tia joined him and waved her hand near his body. A white and gold wave of magic washed over him, clearing the blood.

Velvet's eyes clung to him a bit more. As he said, there was more, a lot more to him that he admitted. A cheering and beaming face hid a dark existence.

Without uttering another word, they continued down the path.

A few minutes down the path, Laphicet found a strange rock on the ground. He picked up and examined it from up close, "This stone, I think it's scarce. The way it sparkles, I think it might be brightsteel!"

"Did you find a bright steel ore? It is a rare metal used to forge weapons and armor. You can't find it just anywhere." Rokurou observed.

"If there's brightsteel here, that means we must be in either Endgand or Islegand." Eizen said. "Both are a long ways off from Midgand. I doubt the Abbey has many forces stationed out here."

"At the very least, this could mean we will be left alone for a while. Nice find, Laphicet." Velvet said. But go now and wash your hands." Velvet said.

Eleanor observed another unexpected behavior from her enemies. Avernus and Velvet's concern for Laphicet led to contradicting thoughts brewing in her mind.

"The only way to understand where we are is to find someone to ask. We better move fast, so we don't lose more time." Tia suggested.

The team agreed and moved forward through the Cliffside. Once more, Laphicet was lost in his thoughts. This time, however, he was among the ladies. Velvet caught a glimpse of him thinking, "What's eating you, Laphicet?"

"If everyone says that you can't judge women at face value, does that mean you can with men?"

"Sure. Men are plain and simple creatures." Velvet said.

Magilou joined in their conversation, smirking. "Oh, is that it? You talk like you're an expert in all things male and masculine. But you can only speak for your own family and experience."

"As if you're the expert to talk."

Magilou moved closer to Velvet. "And I'm sure you've charmed a magnificent prince to be your lover."

"Sure."

"What does he look like? Is he tall, handsome and strong with broad shoulders?"

"None of your business."

Magilou gestured her arms dramatically toward the sky. "Don't tell me. He was always on the other side of a swinging door, so you only saw his shadow and legs?"

Velvet's memory flooded with the first time she saw Avernus after his instant recovery. That day when he came out of the room wearing his clean and fashionable outfit, joining her family for dinner. Her cheeks began to turn red as she felt that strange sensation in her heart again.

Magilou noticed her crimsoned cheeks and eyes zoning out. "I see... What a lovely crush that must be."

"I read that story. It was a book called... "The Legs of a Man"." Laphicet said.

Velvet recollected her scrambled thoughts. That book was also her favorite. It was about an orphaned girl who leaves an orphanage and is sent to school by a benefactor whom she has never seen. "Oh? I have never heard of it."

Eleanor nodded at Laphicet and turned to Velvet. "I have read it, too. It is a sad, bittersweet tale, but I enjoyed it quite a lot. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it."

"Maybe when I have some free time after killing Artorius."

Eleanor gasped silently and backed down with Laphicet moving away from Laphicet and joining Avernus instead.

"Is there something wrong, Laphicet?" Avernus asked.

"I just wanted to know if men could be judged at face value, but they got carried away and talked about something else..."

"Then maybe you need to spend more time with us men rather than to be with women."

Laphicet dropped his head in shame. As Avernus was grinning at his flustered face, he heard Velvet talking to someone.

"You there! Got a moment?"

Velvet addressed a man with old and rugged leather armor. He jerked out of fear as soon as he saw them approaching.

"Ghaaah! Are you guys with the Swordbreaker?! Get away from me!"

He suddenly unsheathed his sword and dashed at them aggressively. Rokurou immediately parried his slashed, throwing him to the ground.

The man crawled away.."I'm sorry, alright?"

"Ha! Real class act, attacking as you apologize." Rokurou snarled and readied himself to cut the man down.

"Please, might daemon. I beg you. I'll do anything! Just spare my life!"

Rokurou heaved a breath and stopped. Velvet joined them.

"I just wanted to ask you something."

The man gazed in fear at Velvet and stayed silent. Laphicet sensed his fright and beckoned at Eleanor. "You don't have to worry. This woman here is an exorcist."

Eleanor nodded, "R-Right, I'm Eleanor, a praetor exorcist. Please, remain calm and answer our questions."

The fear began to fade from the man's face. "You do look like an exorcist, but... what are you doing with daemons like these?"

"Mind your own business, thief and answer our question," Avernus said. "Where are we now?"

"You... don't know?"

"Don't test my patience."

"Um... You're on Cadnix Island in Islegand. The port is at the other end of that ravine." He pointed to a cliffside, connected with more hanging rope bridges.

Eizen wrote something on a small sheet of paper, placing it in a small cylinder. "I'll send a sylphjay to Van Eltia."

"One more question," Rokurou wondered. "Who's this "Swordbreaker"?"

"He is a daemon. Causes lots of trouble around these parts. He only attacks sword fighters, and he breaks their blades. He's even taken down several praetors." The stranger replied.

"So hence the name Swordbreaker." Rokurou deducted.

"He wields a fine sword, clearly forged in a foreign land. I tried to find his lair to steal the weapon for myself... but that's when I was attacked. I'd be careful if I were you. If he spots that sword on your back, you'll be in a world of trouble."

"Sounds like a nasty one," Avernus said.

"Well, he tries to pull anything on this daemon, and he's in for one crunchy masticate surprise!" Magilou declared.

"You folks are all crazy..." The stranger remarked.

Eizen released his sylphjay and turned to the man. "You're lucky to be still alive. Take this chance to abandon your life of crime."

Then, the man swallowed and pointed his shaking hand behind them. "T-There!" He darted away from the scene as Velvet, and the rest turned to their back.

"What's wrong?" Laphicet asked.

Velvet's eyes were fixed on her front, like a calm wolf watching her prey. "An enemy."

A daemon confronted them. It was spewing dark corruption from all around the cracks between his plates. It whipped his arm and summoned a unique sword out of ether which was unknown to all but Rokurou,

"That sword... Is that Stormquell?"

"A daemon, wielding a foreign-made sword. You must be the Swordbreaker." Velvet observed.

The daemon didn't respond and attacked them in an instant. The group began to disperse and readied themselves for its onslaught. The daemon swung his long sword at them, Avernus warped and quickly appeared on top of it. As the daemon whirled his head at Avernus, he smacked its faceplate with the end of his staff, and it staggered to the sides.

Rokurou saw the opening and raised his short blades, attacking him from behind. "Rangetsu, Heron!"

The shining blades connected with the daemon's armor, and the energy exploded against his body. The force pushed the daemon's body to the side as it struggled to keep his balance, but he slashed widely at Rokurou. He put his guard up, and the longsword bounced off of his blades.

Rokurou's daemon eye flared up, and his voice hardened.

"Good! a challenge! Leave him to me!"

The Swordbreaker and Rokurou dashed at one another. Concerned for Rokurou's safety, Laphicet cast a series of piercing crystals at the daemon. They whistled through the air and hit the helmet of the daemon, pushing it away from Rokurou.

Rokurou turned to Laphicet and lounged at him with blades raised to kill. "Don't meddle, you little brat!"

In a sudden bright flash, a long staff hit the back of Rokouru's head, and he crashed into the ground, smacking his face down in the process. As Rokurou raised his head, he sensed the cold blades of Avernus' staff under his neck.

Eleanor and Velvet moved protectively in front of Laphicet, shielding him from Rokurou.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Touch him, and I will kill you."

Rokurou suddenly snapped out of his rage and raised his head slightly to look at Avernus as he placed his foot on his back. "Did you cool off?"

Rokurou groaned and shook his head. Avernus retracted his blade and helped Rokurou back to his feet. However, as they turned, there was no sign of the Swordbreaker.