Chapter 3

Part 1

Kris exited his abode, having taken the time to change into his hunting gear. Equipped with a black leather hunting jacket, dark green undershirt, matching hiking boots and pants, plus archery tools slung over the shoulder, the man could easily disappear into a brush if need be. “Alright, let’s go.” He greeted the demon hunters, though when attempting to push through the group, Clayton stopped him with a question.

“Pal, you sure the lady wouldn’t like to come along? She seems awfully strong, and if we were to run into anymore…”

“Don’t worry.” The large demon hunter’s inquiry was cut short. “I can handle anything we should come across. I’ll protect you.” The archer’s smirk riling Clayton with ease. Flanked by the demon hunters, Kris walked off into the forest. Their leader, Clayton pulled one man aside and whispered something in his ear. Nodding in confirmation, the man slowly slinked away from the group.

The lone hunter snuck back to Kris’s home and peered inside. Abagail sat atop the kitchen counter thumbing through a novel, seemingly without a care in the world. The hunter crouched outside, staring intently at the warrior woman, partly due to Clayton’s orders, and partly due to being taken with her beauty.

Growing tired of the act, Abagail wished she could just read the novel in hand, but needed to maintain a bead on the unstealthy observer. (…Come on asshole, leave already!) She thought. Her focus was split between balancing on the counter, being the same one she’d smashed earlier in the day, and hoping that the voyeur would remain taken with her and not notice Timaios! The little boy was hidden just out of view in the back room, shielded beneath bedsheets. The battle hardened warrior woman hadn’t felt so stressed in two years, not missing it at all.

The man continued to skulk around the outside of the home, while Abagail waited impatiently for him to leave. Just then a scream erupted from the front! “W-Who are you?!” Abagail recognized the voice as Jacquelyn’s. She exited the house and saw the townswoman alongside her daughter Amy, both recoiling in fear of the demon hunter! “Miss Abagail, this man…he was looking into your house!”

“I-I was just…” Caught red handed, the demon hunter frantically tried coming up with an out for the situation, however, Abagail's mind worked faster!

“Some pervert, you say?” She reached back inside and grabbed her broadsword! “I’ll lop off his little rod, then he won’t have anything to pleasure himself with again!”

“N-No…wait! No!” Running away with his tail between his legs, the demon hunter darted through the bushes and off into the forest! Abagail chuckled to herself.

“Miss Abagail, are you going to let him run?”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about him. If he shows back up, I’ll actually ‘handle’ that man.” Playfully smiling eased that across as a joke, despite Abagail being completely serious. “Jacquelyn, why are you here?”

“Sorry, I just wanted to thank you and your husband for hunting the Demon Lord’s son again.” A sentiment that choked Abagail up. “You worked so hard to bring peace to this world…so hard to make it so that humans could be happy and yet, here you are again; having to sacrifice your time and energy to help us. I’m so very sorry.” Jacquelyn hung her head in shame.

“No!” Abagail said in a strong voice, shocking both mother and daughter! “It’s true that I’d rather be doing anything else, but…” (But…I love Kris. More than anything in the whole world! He knows more than anyone what it’s like living with the sins of one’s father and having no control over your life. That boy…I hate him; I can’t bring myself not to. I want him out of my life, but if it’s for the man I love, I’ll do what I can.) “…The Demon Lord left a mark on this world that will never truly fade. I made a stand against him alongside my husband and the other heroes that day. We all knew what we were facing and still charged headlong into danger. The scars of that battle will be with me for the rest of my life, as will the memories of those who fought and lost their lives to that monster. I…will not let that suffering happen again!” Her words resonated with Jacquelyn, who broke into tears, but even stronger with her child.

“Thank you, Miss Abagail!” Jacquelyn hugged Amy, an action which warmed Abagail’s heart, but with a tinge of envy.

“You should go home. It’s been…a hard day.” Jacquelyn obliged and with Amy’s hand, they both walked back to town. Abagail rushed inside and began gathering supplies in a large travel bag! Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Timaios peeking his head out from underneath the covers in her room. She angrily stormed into the bedroom and threw the covers off the boy. “Get ready.” With a cold and quick demand, Abagail walked away. Timaios didn’t fully understand, but he got up and grabbed the two-headed wolf plush Kris had given him.

“W-Will Kris be back soon?” An innocent question that managed to upset Abagail greatly, simply hearing the boy’s voice.

“He…!” She stopped herself just short of screaming. “…He’ll catch up.” Having only enough time to swap into a pair of black forest boots, and slide a leather breastplate and leather pants on, Abagail made for the backdoor. She put on her jacket, pulled the bag onto her back and…stopped when she spied Timaios unsure of what he needed to do. The boy was perplexed, and still horribly frightened, squeezing the toy for security, trembling. “Well…come on!” Abagail extended her hand, and reluctantly Timaios grabbed a hold. As the two walked through the door, they were met with a shock!

With her brown pigtails billowing in the wind, Amy surprised Abagail! First, the eyes of the girl rested on Abagail, but then looked toward Timaios, then back to Abagail, then back to Timaios. “Miss Abagail…?”

Abagail quickly knelt down and patted the young girl on her head. “W-What are you doing here? Where’s your Mom, sweetie?” With a cold sweat breaking out on her brow, Abagail surveyed the area. The girl was alone, her mother Jacquelyn nowhere to be seen.

“I want to be strong like you!” Amy shouted, total conviction burning in her eyes! “I want to be able to protect Mommy and Daddy! Just like you!”

“Oh, then I’ll train you later! For now, I’ve got to go somewhere!” Abagail reached back and pulled Timaios’s hood over his head.

Despite the enthused child wanting to speak with Abagail, her gaze kept drifting back to Timaios. “Miss Abagail, who is that? I thought you didn’t have a son.”

“He’s…nothing to worry about. Go home now. We’ll talk later about your training with me.” She shooed away the inquisitive child. Amy began walking home but stopped when she and Timaios met eyes. She was enamored with the boy’s deep red, ruby colored eyes, shimmering in the setting sun’s light. In return, even under the shade cast by the rays of the sun, Timaios stared deeply into her resolute cobalt blue eyes. Abagail waved goodbye as Amy returned to her walk. “Come on now, we need to hurry.” She once again tugged the small hand of Timaios as they headed for the woods.

Part 2

Kris unenthusiastically failed at pretending to search the forest, just aimlessly rifling through bushes. Clayton and his men also scoured the woods, but it was clear they all kept eying Kris. (What’s their plan? Are they just going to try and get me to talk?)

“Hey, hey Mr. Kris Pewter the hero, do you like demons?” Clayton’s brash and booming voice came over Kris’s shoulder.

“…What do you mean?” Without so much as a hint of interest, Kris continued to look at tracks in the dirt.

“You killed that dragonborn woman that burst into your place, right?”

“…In self-defense.”

“Self-defense? Could’ve sworn she was weak and dying by that point.”

(What’s this guy’s problem?) Clayton’s continued pestering of Kris left him with little room to ignore the grizzly bear sized man. “I was surprised. I don’t hate demons.”

“Demons…they killed lots of people in the war, mercilessly. men, women, children, the elderly…the demons didn’t care. Losing my eye wasn’t a joke, you know? I really did have a demon cut it out. Killed a few of my men too.”

“Men can be worse than demons…”

“…Oh?” The woods got darker as the sun began to set.

A flash caught Kris’s eye off in the distance. It was a red arrow jammed into a tree trunk. (A red arrow, that’s our signal.) Immediately he knew that Abagail must’ve made it past them and was leaving the village at that time. (I’ll lead these guys around for a little while longer, until they’re satisfied, and then I’ll catch up. Abagail, don’t worry, I’m coming!)

Part 3

The only village paths that weren't surrounded by hills and forest were the main entrance, and on the opposite end, the northern exit. Large rocks and tree roots bursting forth from the ground surrounding the plateau made traversing the area difficult for many, but not Abagail. Years of training and fighting on a multitude of battlefields allowed the warrior woman to conquer the terrain with ease! A problem in the making however was the child lagging far, far behind. Abagail looked back and saw the small boy attempting to climb the hill she stood atop. Timaios reached out with one hand and grabbed a root, but held tightly onto the plush in the other arm, unable to pull himself up.

“…” Abagail placed her large backpack down, then leapt to the bottom of the incline. She grabbed Timaios by the back of his cloak, then jumped back up the hill with ease. “You’d better keep up. There are people looking for us and I don’t want to be found.”

“Okay…” Timaios responded with a small voice. Then, his stomach began to growl. “I’m hungry…”

“Now?!”

“Sorry…” The young boy hung his head with tears welling up in his eyes. Abagail grunted and pulled some jerky out of her bag, handing it to Timaios. “Thank you.”

“I swear…” Abagail scoffed, then realized that despite her biases, Timaios was still just a child. “Your name is Timaios, right?” He nodded in response. “Do you know who I am?” Shaking his head, he responded with a ‘no’.

“Where is Kris?” The boy seemed to have latched onto her husband.

“Like I said, he’s coming! Do you know about…the war?”

“…” Met with a blank stare, Abagail realized her line of questioning was pointless. It wouldn’t have been possible for the boy to remember the war, nor understand the fallout at his age.

(What am I doing? This boy…he’s that bastard’s son, but he’s still a kid!) Weighing her hatred and conscience, Abagail was conflicted on how to approach interacting with the child. “Do you know…who you are?”

“I’m Timaios! I’m 4 years old! I’m left handed! My favorite food is potatoes! My favorite color is red! My-”

“Hold on, hold on, slow down!” The formerly downtrodden Timaios suddenly perked up when introducing himself, to Abagail’s surprise. (I guess he knows who he is…sort of.)

“Inga told me to always be nice and introduce myself!”

“Inga? Who is Inga?”

“My nanny…she’s…not coming back…”

“Guess that must’ve been the Dragonborn woman.” Abagail looked down and noticed the boy tearing up. “Don’t think about her too much.”

“Huh?”

“I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t want you to cry and sulk, and I’m totally sure that she wouldn’t want you to get caught. So, let’s keep walking.” The young boy wiped his eyes and followed Abagail as closely as he could.

Part 4

Night drew nearer, as the last rays of the sun slowly disappeared over the hilltops. Kris had shot his bow all of one time throughout the escapade. A single two-headed wolf was killed and handed over to Clayton. The demon hunters spoke amongst themselves, keeping their distance from the eager to leave archer. Resting his back on a tree, Kris sat far enough away that he couldn’t make out what the men were discussing. (I need to break from these guys soon. Abagail is probably going to be pissed.)

A demon hunter frantically rushed into the forest! Eying Kris as he whispered to Clayton, it was obvious something happened. “Really…?” Clayton responded, stroking his goatee.

(The arrow that Abagail left for me meant she’d already gotten past that point, and was headed for the meeting spot. That guy wasn’t here before, and I thought that they were down a member or two…he must’ve stayed behind to watch her.) Kris concluded as the demon hunters finished conversing.

“Hey, Mister Hero Kris!” Clayton called out. “Looks like we found nothing, so we’re heading out.” The aggressively polite smile Clayton displayed made Kris’s stomach churn.

“Yeah, cool.” Kris dismissively blew off Clayton’s announcement as he just wanted to catch up to his wife.

Ready to begin his trek back to his wife, Clayton called for Kris! “Oh, mister hero!” Clayton sauntered over and extended his hand for a shake. “Thanks for all your hard work.” Begrudgingly, he obliged by taking the gruff hand and shook it. “I know it bothers you as much as it bothers us, another demon lord. You killed the guy himself! I’m sure that all the people who lost their lives…”

“Yeah, I get it.” Shutting down the conversation quickly, he resumed his walk, glancing over his shoulder for only a second. Kris confirmed Clayton and the others were gathering their spoils from the hunt. It was the perfect opportunity to make a mad dash for the road leading out of the village!

Rounding the outside of the village, and avoiding the townspeople, Kris rushed to reach the destination the couple had agreed on. Said location was off to the side of the road, a decent stretch from the village. A small, vine and moss covered shack that had fallen into disrepair, sat amongst a smattering of dilapidated buildings. Abagail waited inside patiently, but Timaios kept inching toward the window.

“Didn’t I say to stop that?” Abagail scared Timaios with her stern voice and sharp glare.

“B-But you said Kris was coming soon…”

“He is a bit late. Wait here, and I mean it! Do not leave this room!” Timaios nodded in response to Abagail’s instruction. He sat down hugging the plush as she left the single room hut. Abagail skulked around in the darkening remnants of the town, searching for her husband, until suddenly she felt someone’s gaze rest upon her back. Stealthily closing the distance between them without so much as a sound, the often-cautious warrior woman drew her sword on instinct alone! With the tip of her blade resting at the neck of her pursuer, if not for a momentary pause, she’d have cut down the man, her husband.

With his hands in the air, Kris smirked an awkward half smile and joked. “Are you mad…that I’m late?” He said sarcastically.

“You idiot! What took so long? No, never mind. I can guess.” Sheathing her blade, Abagail took a breath, releasing a hefty groan. “That one-eyed bastard must’ve slowed you down, huh?”

“Only a bit. I was able to avoid the townspeople on the way here, so I’m not sure if he stopped to slander us. Anyway, we’ve got to hurry; late at night, that section of the Pauldris Woodlands near Zéme gets more dangerous.”

Abagail was conflicted. “Wouldn’t heading through Zéme definitely be safer?”

“Cutting through the forest is the fastest way for us to reach the harbor, then off to Fausthood!”

“Again, like I said at the house, Zéme isn’t anti-demon. We could drop him off at an orphanage there.”

“They’re not, but…I want Timaios to feel safe. Fausthood is the unofficial demon capital now. I know suddenly traveling like this all the way over to Beldris is asking a lot of you.” Abagail noted Kris’s sincerity and came in close with a hug.

“It’s fine…only because I love you, remember that.” Sharing a brief smile and kiss, they began walking back to the shack. “Do you know people in Fausthood though? I came up with the escape, but you have to have a plan for whatever comes now.”

“I spoke with someome via messenger bird a few months ago. They should be in Fausthood still.”

“Who is it…?”

“A friend. We got separated during the war, but were reunited once things slowed down. If anyone knows what to do, she will!”

“I’ll trust you on this, but honestly, I still want to dump him in Zéme.” A fountain of red hair and a tiny black horn peaked out of the shack’s ajar door. “Didn’t I tell you…!” Before Abagail could finish yelling, Timaios dashed out of the hut and hugged Kris’s leg!

“Kris!” The child hugged Kris’s leg tight with a smile on his face. “Look, I kept Bravo safe and he kept me safe too!” Timaios held up the two-headed wolf plush triumphantly!

“Bravo? Is that the name for both of them?” Kris knelt down to speak with Timaios.

“Uh-huh, that’s what he said! Wait…both?”

“Haha! That’s right! It’s a two-headed wolf, so both heads need names. Surprisingly though, all the years I had them and they never told me a name. They must like you way more than me!” Watching Kris pat the young boy on the head sickened Abagail to the stomach, making her wish she could abandon the sweet moment in favor of anything else.

“Are you done now? Can we go?” Abagail rushed them. She walked into the hut, bringing back a sack, then tossed it to her husband. “That’s filled with everything we’ll need for the trip. It should only take a few days if we keep up a good pace. The sun’s almost down too, so let’s go!”

Kris grabbed Timaios’s hand and followed his frustrated wife, storming off in a huff. “...I’ll figure out the other name soon, promise!” Timaios whispered to Kris, who smiled in return. The trio jogged down the path as the sun faded behind them. Following said path, they traveled alongside a growing mire of trees and bushes known as the Pauldris Woodlands. Deafening silence from within the confines of the woods were occasionally broken up by the sounds of howling, and bashing of tree trunks, or earthshaking stomps; fearful, Timaios pulled himself closer to Kris for protection.

Zéme’s tall building roofs peeked over the horizon, as did a mountain checkpoint. Two knights, dressed in full armor, manned the station. They appeared to be checking the paperwork of some travelers who herded cattle up to the front gate. The thick leafs of the Pauldris Woodlands deflected any warm glow cast upon them by the checkpoint’s torchlights; a void of bushes and trees stood guard, shrouding the inside with mystery. It was the perfect cover for the group, as no normal person would dare walk through such a thick brush. The couple waited in line with Timaios at the roadblock behind other farmers and merchants. As soon as the knights were occupied with the other travelers, they snuck off to the side and into the forest, disappearing with no one the wiser, ducking into the shadows.

Part 5

Enormous tree trunks covered in moss reached for the sky, obscuring what little sunlight was left. Off in the distance, Kris could hear people discussing passing the checkpoint, as he jumped down into the thicket cradling Timaios in his arms. Abagail joined him after making sure they weren’t being followed.

“Kris, I’m going to depend on you for navigating through the forest. I’m terrible at finding my way around places like this, so please, please focus on getting out of here and not on the boy.” Abagail stressed.

“Okay…” Kris placed Timaios on the ground and pointed the boy’s small hand to Abagail. She looked perplexed at the gesture. “Go on. We need to make sure he’s safe. Take Timaios’s hand.”

“…” Disgusted by the proposal, the woman’s face did little to hide her feelings.

“…I don’t want to!” Timaios spoke up as he pouted. “She’s mean! I want to stay with you, Kris!”

“Oh!”

“What do you mean ‘I’m mean’, you little brat?!” Timaios ducked behind his preferred caretaker!

“Abagail!” Kris gave Abagail a stern look. Clearly annoyed, she quickly submitted to Kris’s own look of frustration. “Timaios, it’s okay. She’s nice, I promise.” With a warm smile, he assured the frightened child.

Timaios reached out his hand, grabbed Abagail’s, and the group trudged on. It seemed that many people had walked through the area before. A well-worn-in dirt path with weeds and tire tracks ran deep in massive roots breaking up the ground.

“We’ll follow this path for a little while, but then we’ll get off it.” Kris ran his hand over the dirt while calling back to his wife.

“Why?” She replied.

“There shouldn’t be many demons left around here, but I’m pretty sure that Zéme’s knights patrol the area by the shape and distance drawn between these footprints. If we stay on this path, we’re sure to be found. Also, I’m sure that one-eyed bastard isn’t too far behind.”

“You think he’s following us?”

“I wouldn’t rule it out, and there’s always a threat of monsters. Point is, we need to make it to Fausthood as soon as possible, all while watching our own backs.”

“Seems like a lot to ask for…” Abagail stopped when she felt Timaios not moving. “What are you doing, come on.” Timaios crossed his legs while hopping in place.

“I need to pee!” The boy said earnestly.

“Seriously?”

“Come on, Timaios.” Kris walked back and took the young boy’s hand, bringing him behind one of the trees to relieve himself. Abagail pulled out some jerky from her bag and started eating it, irritated once more. “Oh, is that from the boar I caught?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“You’re really good at making jerky.” A smile flashed from her loving husband made Abagail blush.

“Don’t try and butter me up.” She exaggeratedly turned away from him. “You want some…?”

“Yes!” Abagail pulled more out for Kris. “I know…that you don’t want to do this.”

“Yeah…”

“With the chaos that Uzziel caused, finally being rid of him was a weight off all humanity’s shoulders. I won’t deny that, but Timaios is just a kid.”

“Kris, you’re too soft on children. I mean, I get why, but it’s a pain.”

“…Where I grew up there wasn’t much difference between the demon kids and the human kids. If you didn’t have parents, then you were the bargain bin workers that anyone could pick up. Kids have it hard, and it’s usually some adult’s fault. It’s the same with Timaios.”

“If it weren’t for the fact that I love you, I wouldn’t even give this a second thought, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know. What do I owe you for all this?”

Abagail smiled and grabbed Kris by the collar of his jacket. “We’ll discuss that later in private.” She strolled over to the tree just as Timaios finished. “Come on, kid.” Kris was happy to see that his wife was being a bit more tender toward the young boy.

Deeper into the Pauldris Woodlands the group went. With occasional animal cries and the sounds of Zéme at night barely piercing the forest, they were constantly being put on alert. So long as they continued at the rate they were walking, they’d escape the wooded maze by late evening just beyond Zéme. The pitch-black darkness of night had finally rolled in, fortunately Abagail came prepared. She pulled out what looked to be torches, until they were struck on the ground. The tips lit up like a glowstick, illuminating some of the surrounding area. After passing one off to Kris and keeping one for herself, Abagail noticed Timaios ogling the glowing torch, eyes filled with curiosity. He wanted to hold it.

“Kris…can I have one?” The child innocently asked, already motioning his hand with the stuffed animal in it toward the light source.

“One? You mean a torch?” Kris answered. “Sorry, bud. We need these. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to see. I’ll let you mess around with it later. Okay?” Timaios’s cheeks puffed out as he pouted.

“…Here…” Abagail sneakily handed Timaios her torch. The boy looked confused for a second, but then quickly took it with a smile, his pale cheeks being eaten up by the boy’s happy expression. An unintentional smirk was reflected from Abagail, but caught herself doing so. (No! Stop, don’t forget who this kid is…) She turned away suddenly and retracted her hand, causing Timaios to drop the torch! It rolled across the ground as the young boy gave chase! “Timaios!”

Timaios ran after the torch, Abagail following suit! The torch bounced down a small hill, and Timaios, unthinking, leapt after it! Abagail grabbed the boy by the back of his cloak, and pulled him tightly into her chest while sliding down the slope! Upon landing on the ground, hard, Abagail tucked and rolled. She’d accidently released Timaios who was launched toward the torch!

“Ah, I got it!” The little boy cheered as he reached out, halting when something stirred near the light. Long, spindly legs unfolded out and over the torch, as dozens of beady eyes opened up, locking onto Timaios. Up from the dirt rose the massive, ten-foot-tall body of a spider, with its dripping fangs drawn. Timaios was petrified with fear, clutching the stuffed two-headed wolf for dear life.

“Timaios!” Abagail quickly grabbed Timaios by the waist and darted away! As the fleetfooted warrior woman ran, she felt the monstrous arachnid giving chase with the ground quaking behind them. Using her powerful legs, Abagail leapt up the hill they’d chased the torch down in a single go! Overhead a rush of wind blew past! As she looked up, the spider landed in front of them! Now locking eyes with Abagail, she knew they weren’t going anywhere without a fight. “Wait here…and don’t move!” Abagail placed Timaios on the ground, dropping her bag as she drew her broadsword.

The clouds opened up, allowing some moonlight to break through the trees, giving Abagail a clearer look at the beast. Its red and black body shined; as did its sharp, dripping fangs. Abagail backed away slightly, sizing up the enemy. The spider drew slowly closer.

(I had no idea that they got this big in the Woodlands…no wonder this place is mostly uninhabited with these beasts running around.) The spider quickly lunged forward with its fangs drawn! Abagail blocked the attack with the flat side of her blade, despite it pushing her back with great force! She’d been pushed so hard that she nearly bumped into Timaios behind her! (This is bad. If I move, it’ll just get the boy! What do I do?) Out of the corner of her eye a glint of light caught her attention. Straight into the abdomen of the spider flew a myriad of arrows.

Kris sat atop a branch, eyes trained on the beast as he readied more arrows. “Come on…look over here, you ugly freak.” Kris mumbled to himself. The spider turned its attention to him just like he wanted, but only for a moment. It quickly lunged for Abagail again, but forced its head past her, launching a thread from its mouth that latched onto Timaios’s leg! “No!”

Abagail raised her sword into the air preparing to cut the thread, but at the same time Kris had already shot an arrow at the same target! Her sword and his arrow bounced off of each other throwing Abagail off balance. A rare instance of the two being totally off cadence. The spider shifted itself and pushed Abagail down the hill and out of sight!

With its fangs watering the monster drew Timaios in closer and closer! “N-No!! Kris help!” Tears flooded down the boy’s face as he cried.

“…” Kris remembered something just then.

A horrible memory of a boy crying for help as a demon stood atop him. The demon looking down on him, badly wounded; the boy crying for help from a much older and stronger soldier. The soldier, only tossing the boy a knife said. “What good is a kid that can’t earn his keep.”

Kris screamed as he leapt onto the spider’s back and jammed a knife into the beast’s head! As the creature howled in pain, the ace archer grabbed the thread running from its maw and attempted to cut it! However, the spider bucked, launching Kris from atop its huge frame, crashing hard onto the dirt! He landed right between Timaios and the monster. The spider tried to attack Timaios again, but Kris had already grabbed the boy in his arms while using his legs to keep the beast’s fangs at bay.

The beady eyes and enormous mandibles opening and closing as the monster inched toward them, Kris realized the situation had turned dire! The spider was clearly wounded, but still too strong for Kris to fight off barehanded. He wanted to reach for his bow, but with Timaios in his arms he couldn’t! A deep pain began to dig into Kris’s right calf! The beast had dug its fang into Kris and was looking to make him into a meal as well. “This…is bad!” Kris grunted. (If I toss Timaios off the hill, he may break an arm or something, but he’ll survive, right? I can’t take that risk!) “Abagail…where are you? Abagail!!”

His call was answered as from behind him and Timaios, over the hill, with such speed it felt like something was shot out of a cannon, leapt Abagail, sword drawn over her head! The warrior woman swung her mighty broadsword down, cleaving the beast’s head clean in half! Then, she jumped onto its back and ran the blade down the spider’s whole body, splitting the monster from head to tail with ease! The resulting swing of her sword shook the nearby tree, scaring off any nearby bats and birds.

“Kris, are you alright?!” Abagail ran up to her husband, still covered in the massive bugs guts.

“I’m fine, dear…ow! Shit!” When Kris attempted to stand he’d noticed that the fang on the spider had dug deeper into his calf then he originally thought. “W-we need to clean this, quick!” Kris got to his feet leaning on Abagail’s shoulder.

“Kris…” Timaios grabbed onto Kris’s pant leg, distressed.

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay.”

Part 6

Underneath a large rock formation sat Kris, breathing heavily, sweating profusely like someone emptied a pitcher on top of his head, beside a still unnerved Timaios. The night’s encroaching darkness was staved off by the moon’s rays peeking through the tall trees, and the warm glow of the campfire Abagail constructed. Timaios kept quite a distance from Kris while eying the wound on his leg. Even with it being cleaned and bandaged, the venom had clearly taken effect. From the shadows walked Abagail, a dead doe slung over her shoulders, and freshly picked berries in hand.

“Are these the ones you wanted?” She asked Kris, who only barely kept himself seated upright with his unsteady hands placed on the ground.

“Yeah…I…think so…” With that, he collapsed.

“Kris, wait! Hang on!” Abagail shook her husband trying to wake him!

“Sorry…” Kris opened his horribly bloodshot eyes struggling to focus on his wife’s face.

“Don’t be. Just…close your eyes and sleep. I’ll figure out how to fix these! You said it wasn’t that hard to make this medicine, right? I can do it. Just rest.” She laid him back down on the ground using her bag as a makeshift pillow. Timaios inched closer to check on Kris, but Abagail shot a furious glare in his direction, making him retreat.

“Abagail…please…don’t…be upset with…Timaios.” Kris said as he closed his eyes and tried to relax.

“…” Abagail crushed and mixed the berries along with water, then poured the concoctions into a bowl over the fire. In order to occupy her time, Abagail began skinning the doe and making rations. “…It’s because of you…” She said under her breath, eyes trained on little Timaios. “…” Though the stressed wife wanted to explode and yell at the boy, she relented as Kris would’ve disapproved. In her mind, if not for the little boy’s existence, her beloved wouldn’t be in the situation he was.

“I’m sorry…” Timaios said while crying into the stuffed animal he carried.

Abagail caught wind of his words, then got up and snatched away the plush demon, looking down on the boy with disgust. “This belongs to my husband, it’s not yours. Your father, he took away my happiness… and now you’re trying to take away something that belongs to the person I love most in the world!” Timaios was confused and scared as Abagail continued riling herself up! “You being here, you simply existing is causing everyone and everything in my life to be thrown about!” Abagail further increase in tone. “Why? Why did it have to be us!? Why couldn’t you just have…!” The boy was back on his seat, tears running down his cheeks as he looked at the furious warrior woman in front of him. “…This isn’t yours.” She left it at that. Kris was still sweating horribly, so after placing the plush down near his head, with a towel in hand, Abagail went about wiping his brow.

Timaios looked over to the bowl of medicine. Believing the concoction ready, he walked over prepared to retrieve it. “…It’s done…” Which was said in the smallest voice possible.

“Don’t touch that!” Abagail shot up to her feet and slapped the boy’s hands down. “…I need it for Kris.”

“Uggh…uwaahhh!!” Timaios cried loudly!

Abagail ignored him as she walked over to her unconscious husband, and spoon fed him. The medicine had, in fact, been warmed sufficiently. Timaios slowly stopped bawling and sat clutching his legs, simpering in silence near the fire.

The two remained silent as Abagail simply watched over Kris. After a few minutes he sat up, surprising his wife and the young boy. He rolled over and vomited the contents of his stomach.

“Kris! Oh no! Did I mess it up?” Abagail stroked the man’s back.

“No…this is…what I wanted. W-Water…I need water.” Abagail frantically searched for her canteen in her bag, not realizing it was on the ground behind her! Timaios grabbed the container and gave it to Kris, who guzzled down the contents, and almost immediately fell back onto his headrest. “I’ll sweat out…the rest. I need sleep for now.”

“…” Abagail stroked her spouse’s head gently.

Timaios looked at Abagail, then darted back to the other side of the campfire, silently clutching his knees once again. Abagail got up and finished working on the doe meat. She threw some jerky to Timaios and sat down near Kris. “I’m sorry…” The young demon boy reiterated.

“I don’t care. Just eat and then go to bed.” Abagail blew off the boy’s sincere apology and went back to caring for her husband. (After everything we’ve been through, you and I…if you were to not make it out of here…I don’t know what I’d do.)

The sound of firewood crackling helped break up the merciless silence. While eating, Timaios began messing with the horn atop his head, it was somehow sharper than he’d remembered. After finding a leaf on the ground, he ran it through with the small black horn! Then he picked up another leaf and did it again. It was clearly amusing the little boy, who wanted to try something harder; so when Abagail wasn’t looking, he crawled over to what was left of the dead doe. With all of his might he rammed his tiny black horn into the side of the doe’s body! It pierced the flesh with ease. “Hahahaha! It’s so sharp!” Timaios laughed, but quickly realized that he was stuck! His horn, being slightly jagged, got stuck in the doe’s rib. “Aghh! Help, help! Kris!”

The boy began to flail and buck, unable to free himself. He was scared he’d be stuck forever, until he heard a loud snap and flew back onto his butt! The rib had been broken by Abagail, who looked down at him coldly. “…Go to bed.” Was all she muttered as she returned to Kris’s side.

Scared of angering Abagail again, Timaios tried to lay down and sleep, though wasn’t able to find a comfortable position. He eyed the stuffed toy, which sat next to the sleeping Kris. “Can…I have Bravo back?” With the plush in his arms, surely Timaios would be able to sleep; is what the young boy thought.

“…Fine…” Abagail thought back to Timaios bringing water to Kris, and relented, feeling she owed the child that much. As she picked up the plush and walked over to the young boy, ready to hand it off, rustling in the woods caught her attention. “Shh…stay quiet.” Timaios had no idea what was going on, but still hid behind Abagail.

“Well, took longer to find you than we thought!” Far worse than a monster, out from the shadow walked Clayton and his men.

End of Chapter 3