After Aelda used teleport magic, she and Pacs appeared near a mine. The place was quiet except for the sound of a pickaxe hitting ore.
Clang… clang…
They followed the sound and walked toward the mine.
Inside, a dwarf was mining. He was focused on his work, hitting the rock again and again. Small pieces of ore fell to the ground.
He noticed them and stopped.
The dwarf turned and looked at Pacs and Aelda.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Pacs spoke first. "I'm Pacs."
Aelda followed. "Aelda."
The dwarf looked at her for a moment, then lowered his head.
"Mother of all elves…," he said. "I'm Darwin."
He set his pickaxe down.
"If I can help, tell me."
Aelda said, "We need a place to rest."
Pacs stepped in. "No. We have to help the villagers. The demon lord will kill them."
"You can't win, Pacs," Aelda said. "It's better to leave the villagers."
Pacs shook his head. "No."
He looked at her. "I'm going to save them."
"If you don't want to come, then leave. You've already been rescued."
He turned away.
"Now I'm going to rescue those people."
Pacs looked around, trying to find the right direction. He couldn't tell which way to go.
Aelda watched him. She knew he wouldn't find the way in time.
Pacs turned to the dwarf. "Which way is the Kingdom of Ravenmark?"
Darwin pointed ahead. "That way. Follow the path and keep going north."
Pacs nodded and started moving without waiting.
The dwarf quickly grabbed Pacs by the arm.
"Wait."
Pacs stopped.
"Take these," Darwin said, handing him some weapons and Armor he had crafted. The Dwarf also wears the equipments.
He looked at him firmly.
"I'm coming too."
Pacs frowned slightly.
"You want to rush in alone, I get it," Darwin said. "But you said it yourself—it's a demon lord."
He picked up his own weapon.
"You won't win alone. But together… we have a better chance."
Aelda watched them in silence.
Two of them… against a demon lord and an army.
This is suicide, she thought.
If they fail, I'll just teleport them with villagers and leave.
With that in mind, she stepped forward.
"I'm coming too," she said.
She looked at Darwin.
"Give me a weapon."
They moved toward Ravenmark.
On the way, they fought a few monsters and kept going.
After some time, they came across a cage made of solid structure. Inside, a human girl was trapped. She was unconscious !
Around the cage, strange spells were written on the ground, like some kind of witchcraft.
Pacs stepped closer to the cage. He reached out, about to touch it.
"Don't touch it," Aelda said.
He paused.
"The markings," she said, looking at them. "They have side-effects. If you touch it, you'll lose consciousness."
Pacs pulled his hand back.
Aelda inspects the cage and began working on the markings, trying to remove the spells around it.
While she did that, Pacs noticed a trail of blood leading away. He followed it.
After a short distance, he found several bodies. One man lay at the front, with others scattered nearby.
Darwin came up behind him and looked at them.
It's the "Volg Hounds," he said. "They're drawn to mana. Ferocious beasts."
Darwin looked over the bodies.
"Only Volg Hounds do this," he said. "You can tell from the wounds."
After witnessing the spells around the cage, he says-
"Whatever they were doing here, they gathered a lot of mana. That's what brought the hounds."
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
"It's not safe. We should leave, fast."
Aelda was almost done. The spells faded, and the cage's protection was neutralised.
The girl inside was still unconscious.
Pacs opened the cage and carried her on his back.
In the distance, the sound of Volg Hounds could be heard.
They moved quickly.
Luckily, they didn't run into them.
On their way to Ravenmark, they talked about what to do.
Pacs said, "Me and Darwin will distract the demon lord."
"Aelda, you rescue the villagers."
He adjusted the girl on his back.
"If she doesn't wake up, we'll put her down before entering Ravenmark."
Aelda prepared herself. She still believed they wouldn't win, but the rescue might work.
The girl suddenly woke up. Seeing a demon(Pacs) carrying her, she panicked.
She pushed him away and quickly got to her feet.
"Where are you taking me?" she said. "I won't submit to you." you perverted demon !
Aelda glanced at Pacs.
"She won't submit to you, Pacs !," Aelda said lightly in a teasing manner.
Pacs got flustered. "What are you saying? I wasn't thinking anything like that."
He looked at Aelda. "Don't say things like that. She'll misunderstand."
The girl stepped back, still tense.
Darwin raised his hand slightly. "Calm down. You're safe."
He explained how they met and rescue her.
The girl stayed quiet for a moment, trying to remember.
"I was on a quest," she said slowly. "Then a group of people captured me."
"They were doing some kind of ritual… they were going to use me as a sacrifice."
She held her head.
"Then Volg Hounds attacked. I tried to get out of the cage…"
She paused.
"After that… I don't remember anything."
The girl took a breath and steadied herself.
"I'm Callie," she said. "An adventurer… I'm a summoner."
They told her about Ravenmark and the villagers.
Callie listened, then said, "I'll come with you."
She said -
"You saved me. I'll help you rescue them."