Chapter 16
„Good morning everyone!“ Raven sat close to the small fire of Zeyir’s blade. She grinned as Allen and Callo slowly woke up from their deep slumber. Allen rubbed his eyes and tried to brush his hair with his fingers, messing it all the more up…
“Here…” Callo yawned and threw his brush towards Allen. It hit him right on the head as he was just too sleepy to realize that something was coming closer… Raven had to laugh at the sight.
“Oh… thank… you…” Allen shook his head and looked over at the other group-members… “Where is Zeyir?”
“Who cares.” Narwa stated from her resting-place. She brushed her long silver hair right now as well. It fell like water around her shoulders, framing her fragile body.
“We do!” Allen grumbled and stood up. He just couldn’t get why those two didn’t went along with each other at all!! Narwa seemed like such a kind-hearted person, but in Zeyir’s presence…
“I went checking out the area.”A familiar voice came out from behind some trees. “Morning Allen! Hey Callo. Milady.” He bowed in front of Raven sheepishly while ignoring Narwa just as if she was mere air.
“Hehehe, you are a real gentleman, aren’t you?” Raven chuckled, not noticing Narwa growing red. “Anyway, we need to travel through this forest… Shall we group up until we—“
“NO WAY!!” Narwa and Zeyir both shouted in the very same second. Everyone glared at them…
“What exactly is your problem, Zeyir!?” Callo barked at his companion.
“I’m a demon! I just can’t get along with a—“ He stopped. Narwa looked at him nervous. She started shaking… it was over… Now he was going to tell Raven she was a goddess for sure… “I…” Zeyir closed his eyes, thinking for a second. “I’m a demon, I can’t fight with a light-magician in our team…” He looked over at Narwa who looked at him shocked.
“Oh come on! Don’t be ridiculous!” Raven laughed. “It’s not as if we are going to stand in your way. It’s just that we are saver all together than in small groups.”
“Then it is set! There is a split-road a one day marsh from here. The one leads to another town, the other one to Luna’s Chapel… So we are going to separate there I guess…” Allen smiled at Raven who grinned back right away. “Great!”
“I think that’s a good idea. That way no one will have to stay alone at the camp or go hunting all by himself.” Callo nodded and shot a deathglare at Zeyir that promised pain and suffering if he dared rejecting the idea any further.
The small group had been traveling through Alnutra-Forest the whole morning. Zeyir had stayed at the top of the group, using his senses to ensure a safe travel while Narwa stayed at the end of the group, staying out of ‘the grumpy demon’s way’.
“Is it only me or… are you getting hungry too?” Allen laughed and turned around, looking at Raven, Callo and Narwa.
“Sounds fair enough…” Callo sighed. He felt a little dizzy by all the dark Mana…
“Are you sick or something!?” Zeyir beamed and turned around, staring at the dark elf, yet grinning brightly.
“Shut it.” Callo smacked his friend as he passed him by before…
“Say… isn’t it time that you cook something finally, Callo?” Allen blinked curious. “I’d love to try some of Yora’s typical plates!! I heard it is delicious!”
“Oh well…” Callo turned around, not sure what to say. “Well, I’m not a very good cook so…”
“I am certain that as long as you are trying your hardest, the result can’t be that bad.” Narwa smiled and folded her hands in front of her chest.
“You always sound as if you jumped out right of a hypocritical priest-academy… Oh wait, right, I forgot…” Zeyir rolled his eyes and turned to the others. “Sounds like a plan to me! Who is going to hunt?”
“I will go of course!” Allen smiled, whirling his hunting-knifes around between his fingers.
“I want to go too!” Raven beamed right away, jumping up to Allen. She looked over at the others.
Callo got a bad feeling… Zeyir looked as if he was a little tired from the night… as far as he had seen, the demon haven’t slept a single second… He had extended his night-watch even… and Narwa was not the kind of person that’d go on a huntingtrip… and staying alone with those two lovely people… “No way, I’m coming too!”
Zeyir gulped… that meant… “Wait a sec! You can’t be serious!” He gasped and stepped forward.
“Just try not to kill each other!” Raven giggled and walked on towards the woods, followed by Allen and Callo. A small whisper from Allen reached Zeyir’s keen ears.
“Wise decision…”
“I heard that, Allen…” The demon shouted after them before they disappeared behind some trees. “Oh great…” He grid his teeth before lying down his flamesword, setting some dried leafs on fire.
“…” Narwa stood on the edge of the opening… not sure what to say.
“Stay away from the trees. A werewolf might be attacking you and I’m not certain if I can bring myself up to save you.” Zeyir stated to seemingly no one in particular.
“…” Narwa came closer. She was rather nervous in a forest, filled with dark energy like this…
*Sigh…* Zeyir stood up and looked over at the goddess. “I won’t bite you… don’t worry…”
“I… I did not thank you yet for what you did before… You didn’t tell the others who I really am and…”
“Geez! I don’t really hate gods just because they are gods, but I just can’t stand light-mana around me, so it has nothing to do with that at all!” Zeyir throw his vest on the ground, making himself comfortable on it.
“You… are not?” Narwa seemed surprised. “I thought all demons hate as Gods just as most Gods hate demons…”
“And that’s just it… most.” Zeyir looked over at her. “I’m special, don’t you know?” He rolled out his tongue, grinning widely. “It’s not my fault if you Gods are that simple-minded!”
Narwa had to chuckle at that. She took a look at her bag, searching for something to drink. A shiny amulet fell out of her bag all of a sudden. “Oh no…” She took it up from the ground, cleaning it like the most precious and fragile thing on earth.
“Hm?” Zeyir blinked and looked at the amulet. The cresent-moon shaped amulet looked familiar. “What is that?”
“None of your concern!” Narwa snapped all of a sudden and hid it in her bag again. “Hmpf!” She lowered her head, blushing… she had totally forgot that Zeyir was still around when the amulet had fallen on the ground…
“…” Zeyir bit his lip, anger grew in him again… It was just so much easier to hate this goddess than to try coming along… So why not hating her!? He laid down on the ground, napping a little while his ears still listened to every single sound of the surrounding.
“We are baaaack!” Raven hopped out from some bushes, trying to startle Narwa.
“How has it been?” Allen looked down at Zeyir who was…
“He fell asleep…” Callo blinked and rubbed his hands together, thinking of a nice mean little way to wake him up.
“W…WHAT!?” Narwa jumped up and looked at him. “I thought he was just going to close his eyes for a little!! Does that mean we didn’t watch the surroundings at all, all this time!?” She couldn’t believe it… Her eyes fell on her want attached on her back…
*SMACK*
“OUGH!!!” Zeyir jumped up from the ground as something hit him right into the stomach. “What was that for!?” He yelled before turning around, noticing the others were back already.
“Slept well, huh?” Raven tipped her fingers against her elbow while crossing her arms. “You are damn lucky that no monsters were around…”
“Whoops…” Zeyir scratched the back of his head. “S..Sorry… guess I fell asleep… Uhm… How about Callo starts cooking now?” He tried to change subject as fast as possible. The grumbling of Allen’s stomach added further necessity to Zeyir’s words.
“I will get started...” Callo sighed and took out some knifes and a pot from their bags.
“This smells really nice, Callo!” Narwa chirped satisfied as Callo presented his cookery on a fallen tree they used as table. “And it looks very interesting!” She smiled and looked down at their plates. “Uhm.. C.. can anyone make me some… sticks?” She grew nervous…
“Sticks?” Allen seemed confused about the question…
“Yeah, in some very unknown regions of Midgard they only eat with sticks instead of with knives and forks…” Zeyir added innocently…
“Y…yes, that is correct…” Narwa felt how her heart sank… That sadistic little brat dared mocking her!!! Her, a Goddess with at least 10x of his age and experience and yet he brought her in this kind of situation!? This was going to have a play-back…
“Oh right, sorry I totally forgot… You mentioned that before.” Raven slapped her forehead. “I will never forget the first time though you tried to eat with knife and fork!! It was so awesome!” She laughed out and looked at the others while a slight blush appeared on Narwa’s usually pale cheeks. “She tried to use them with one hand! It was so funny! And she still doesn’t get how it works…” Narwa’s head grew really red…
“Oh, that sounds like so much fun… I wish I had seen that…” Zeyir’s eyes turned all dream-gazed while the mocking toe in his voice vibrated in the poor light-witch’s ears.
“I’ve never heard of an area in which people eat with sticks…” Callo leaned his head aside a little while thinking.
“Why don’t you tell us a little about your home?” Zeyir grinned evilly while filling his plate with Callo’s food.
“Is that the revenge for the hit before?!” She hissed under her breath towards the demon so only he could hear it.
“Maybe…” The young man laughed and smiled at the others who now filled their plates as well. Everyone was waiting for the first one to start eating…
“By the way… What is that?” Allen poked with his fork against the brown substance that resembled an old carrot… Raven who now had finished carving new sticks for Narwa looked at the pot too.
“Yeah, what is that?” She asked curiously.
“That is the rabbit we hunted down before with sausage and potatoes.” Callo smiled. “An old recipe from Yora. But I didn’t have all ingredients so it might taste a little weird…”
“Oh well, who cares!” Zeyir grinned and started wolfing down the… the… “Uah!!!” He turned away from the others gulping heavily, as if he had problems keeping the food inside…
“Huh?” Everyone looked at him in confusion and concern.
“Are you alright?” Allen looked at him worried while patting on his back.
“Y... yeah…” Zeyir caught heavily before turning to the others again… His face looked a little… green… “I just wolfed down… a little too fast…” He tried his best to speak calmly, while it seemed as if he was going to faint every second.
“What kind of wimpy demon are you!?” Narwa shook her head. “You have no manners!!!” She looked down at the food… “I’m sorry… I can’t eat this, I… I don’t eat meat… My apologizes… I will eat some bread.” She smiled and offered Allen her plate.
“I didn’t know you were vegetarian. I’m sorry.” Callo scratched his head ashamed. “If you had told me earlier…”
“Oh, please don’t worry about it! It was my own fault not to mention it…” She blushed a little and watched the others that were still looking at Zeyir a little worried.
“Alright, time for lunch!!” Allen chirped taking a bite. Raven took a giant portion on her fork as well…
“Hm, yeah, tastes a little different than it is used to… guys?” Callo looked at the others that were coughing heavily trying not to spit out the food…
“Ugh… You are… so mean…” Allen shot a deathglare at Zeyir who was regaining his usual skincolor slowly. In return, Allen and Raven seemed a little green around their noses right now.
“I… am full, sorry, can’t eat anymore…” Raven spoke these word in such a speed, it took the others a few seconds to understand what she had been saying.
“Uhm… Same here! I think I… I lost my hunger after hunting! Sorry, Callo!” Allen shook his head hesitantly as if it was about to fall off every second…
“I’m feeling a little sick after wolfing down this… err… after wolfing your food down too fast… I can’t eat anything anymore…” Zeyir only lowered his head into his hands… He was never ever going to ask Callo to cook again… Next time he was going to try it… Even if the only thing he was able to cook were boiled eggs or soup, this was a hundred times better than whatever he did to the poor lil rabbit…
“Oh…” Callo seemed a little confused but kept eating whatever he cooked. The others kept staring at him blankly as he even took a second plate… Narwa, a little confused about the whole situation, kept nibbling on her piece of bread.
“Well then… that’s it…” Allen stared at the two paths that were going to separate their group again…
“It was a funny little trip!” Raven chuckled and looked from Callo to Zeyir and back to Allen. “It was a real pleasure to meet you guys! And who knows? Maybe we are going to meet again?
“Sure!” Allen smiled and scratched his goatee.
“Don’t take this wrong but… The first thing I’m going to do when I’m back in a real town is, going into a fine good restaurant and eating a nice giant portion of steak!” Raven shook her head in disgusted memory before turning to Zeyir. “Bye~”
“See ya…” The demon yawned and shook her hand in good-bye. Narwa waved with her hand in Good-Bye to the boys and their paths separated again…
“Too bad… It was so much fun with the girls around…” Allen sighed deeply and looked at the other guys. “Don’t get me wrong but you are a lot less attracting than those two girls…” He chuckled and received two deathglares from his companions.
“How far till we reach Luna’s Chapel?” Callo turned to his demonic friend.
“Not far… If we rest for the night and travel on tomorrow morning we should be there by noon.” He replied flatly yet somewhat amused by Allen’s joke.
“That’s great.” Allen smiled. “Woah! Think about this! I’m going to form my very first pact ever!” He grinned like a little kid while thinking about how the whole pact-making-process used to work.
“You are taking this way too easily…” Callo sighed deeply while rubbing his knuckles. “I’m curious though what Sol intended when he said he was going to meet us here…”
“We will find out tomorrow, right?” The demon grinned and fastened his pace. “I can’t wait to see Luna’s Chapel! It used to be Nocturne’s home first, you know?”
“So Luna took over the chapel of Nocturne after her death?” Allen blinked curiously.
“Yupp. And I can’t wait to see it!” He grinned excited.
“You are acting weird, you know that?” Callo shot his friend a suspicious glare.
“I… Nocturne used to be a demonic warrior during the Eternal War before she became the Great Spirit of Darkness. And her home was Galdor, so she is linked very closely with my home-country. Besides, the Chapel of the Midnightqueen was built right above the capital city of Utgard!” He looked at the others, homesickness slowly started growing within him…
“That’s cool!! I’m sure we are going to have fun there!” Allen smiled encouraging while putting his arm around Zeyir’s shoulder.
“I think so too. This is going to be interesting!” Callo smiled softly and patted the demon.
“Alright… then our next destination is the Dark Chapel!”
