Before a rooster had gotten the chance to crow, Allen went around to wake everyone up. If anyone dared to complain about being woken up early, he would mention how they could’ve slept more if they didn’t go out looking for chickens. So they all kept their mouths shut.
As the party ate a quick morning meal, Allen rushed them to move faster. He delivered the unfortunate news that if they spent any more time than necessary in this village, they would likely need to camp out in the wilderness when night came. Not wishing for this to happen, they ate quickly and hurried out of the inn.
They decided to split up and question some of the townsfolk before leaving the village. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to know of Zarus’s whereabouts. At some point, Allen had caught Zack attempting to sell his drinks. Upon seeing this Allen stormed over with clenched fists and snatched the can out of Zack’s hand.
“You need to take this seriously!” Allen snarled. “We’re on a time limit here, don’t you understand?!”
“I am taking this seriously!” Zack retorted defensively. “I’m drawing in a crowd with the incredible power of Purple Paradise so that I can ask them about Zaru in bulk!”
Allen rolled his eyes. “You just want some extra gold.”
“So what if I do? Can’t I do both? Earn cash while getting information?”
“Pack it up,” Allen said sternly. “And quit trying to peddle your drink. Nobody’s going to buy it.”
Zack scoffed and grabbed the can back from Allen. “Psshh, speak for yourself Ponytail, my business is doing better than ever!” He let out a slightly dramatic sigh as he stashed the drink away in his pocket. “But, if you insist, I’ll do things your boring way.”
The time soon came for them to depart from the village. Luckily, things seemed rather peaceful this time as they traveled. Besides the occasional slime encounter, there were very few enemies along the road. Still, everyone kept their weapons at the ready in case something decided to strike when they least expected it. Nobody trusted the wilderness of Sarinia to stay quiet for very long.
Just as Allen had predicted, their travels were cut short by the setting sun. They split off from the road and searched for a safe and secluded area they could spend the night. When they found a decent clearing, Allen set up some basic bedding and began to dig a pit for a fire. While he worked, he informed the others of his plan: “You all rest for the night, I’ll keep watch.”
Charlie looked at him with concern. “Shouldn’t we sleep in shifts? It’s probably not a good idea for you to stay up all night…”
“If anyone else was keeping watch, I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, so I might as well just stay awake.” Allen sighed. “I’m the most trained here, anyway.”
“Hey, what about me?” Zack asked. “I stayed up for three days straight one time! Magic of caffeine. I could stay up, and still have the energy to keep going!”
Allen shot him a glare. “Absolutely not. I trust you the least.”
Zack scoffed, offended. “Come on, how’s that fair?! What did I ever do to you, Ponytail?!”
“Excuse me for being suspicious of the demon accompanying us on the quest to defeat the Demon King. How do I know you won’t kill us in our sleep?”
“You won’t know, because you won’t give me a chance! Come on, just let me do this one thing, you won’t regret it! Let me keep watch!”
“Absolutely not. I’m keeping watch.”
“Ugh!” Lynn suddenly called out. She pointed her scepter at the fire pit and lit it up with flames. “Your constant bickering is driving me crazy! Both of you keep watch, we ladies will get our beauty rest. You two better be getting along by sunrise, that’s an order!” With a huff, she slumped down into her bedding. Charlie gave the boys a look of concern before slowly laying down herself. Zack and Allen glared at each other. This was going to be a long night.
For a while, the only sound was the crackling of the fire. Zack would occasionally attempt to make small talk, but this was always met by silence from Allen. The lack of responses never stopped him from talking, however. He went on about various topics, somehow managing to hold a conversation with someone who was doing his best to ignore him. This went on for some time before Allen finally groaned with annoyance.
“Ugh, do you ever shut up?!” Allen snapped.
“No, actually. Being quiet is bad for business.” Zack grinned. “If you offered me cash, however…”
Allen rolled his eyes. “You and your stupid business. I’ll never understand how you make any money whatsoever from those awful drinks.”
“You haven’t even tried them!”
“I don’t need to, and I don’t want to. It’s probably poison.”
“How dare you! I’d never poison anyone! Not with a drink, anyway. That’s way too cliche.” Zack laughed, which made Allen scoff. Zack thought for a moment, before he continued to speak. “Y’know, I think people would be way more willing to buy my stuff if I went with my second idea. I was this close to opening a bakery instead, can you believe that!”
Allen raised an eyebrow. “You? A baker?”
“Crazy, right? I’m actually good at that kinda thing, though. I can make cakes, cookies, muffins, and cupcakes! Man, I love cupcakes. You ever had one of those?” When Allen shook his head, Zack continued. “They’re these little pastries with this delicious sugary frosting on top. Simple, but amazing! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”
Allen was quiet momentarily, before asking, “Why did you never become a baker, then?”
Zack shrugged. “Ah, well, once you’ve burned your hand enough times, it kinda loses its appeal.” To his surprise, Allen actually chuckled a bit at that. Zack smiled, laughing along with him. “Maybe I’ll revisit it sometime. With gloves, of course.” They continued laughing, the tension between them finally beginning to melt away.
The moment didn’t last long, however; a sudden sound from within the darkness made them immediately fall silent. They looked at each other, knowing that they both heard the same thing. Allen cautiously raised his spear, and Zack clenched his fists, preparing himself for the worst. The sound was followed by another, and then another, rapidly getting louder as something large quickly approached.
Before they knew it, the beast was upon them. It burst from the darkness and leaped over their heads. When its feet hit the ground, it skidded to a halt and whipped around to face Allen and Zack with an ear-splitting screech. The cry of an eagle. But this creature was not an eagle; though it had the head of one, its body was that of a ferocious feline.
“GRIFFIN!” Allen yelled. This, combined with the noises from the griffin itself, sprung the party into action. Charlie and Lynn scrambled to get up and grab their weapons. The second Lynn had her scepter in her hands, she began firing spells in random directions, unsure of where the threat was in her half-asleep daze.
A fireball narrowly missing the beast’s face sent it into a frenzy, and it pounced toward Lynn with a growl. Allen quickly stepped in front of it and thrust his spear forward. The griffin swiped the spear before it could pierce, snapping the weapon into two pieces. The beast returned fire, attempting to slash at Allen, but he quickly held his shield up to block its attract while he unsheathed his sword with his free hand.
Shaking wildly, Charlie notched an arrow into her bow, but she couldn’t hold herself steady enough to properly aim. Holding her breath, she released the arrow, and it flew through the air. It barely grazed the back of the griffin’s neck. A few feathers were knocked loose, but besides that, all it did was make the creature angrier. It focused its attention on Charlie, its eyes locking on its target before it bounded towards her with a terrible screech.
“Charlie, look out!” Zack dove forward, pushing his partner out of the way. He attempted to evade the beast’s attack, but he was too slow, and it slashed its claws across his back. He cried out as he fell to the ground. Allen hurried over to draw the griffin’s attention away before it could do more damage, striking it with his sword. It whipped around with a shriek, bashing against his shield. Charlie knelt by Zack’s side, shakily examining his wounds.
“Z-Zack! Are you okay?!”
“I… Think so…” Zack slowly lifted his head, watching as Allen fought with the griffin. From his lower position, he noticed something strange… The creature seemed to have one of its rear paws up off the ground at all times. It almost looked as though something was jammed inside… Suddenly, he gasped. “W-Wait, hold on, stop!” He got to his feet as quickly as he could and stood between Allen and the griffin.
Allen stared at him with shock and confusion. “What are you doing?!”
“Just hold on! Trust me…” Zack held his hands up, trying to stop the both of them from attacking. Allen furrowed his brows as he clutched his sword tight, but he didn’t make another move. Zack turned his attention back to the griffin, who was stomping its talons against the ground and growling. Slowly, he moved towards it while making a soft chirping noise. Surprisingly, it chirped back.
Lynn stood behind Allen, watching this unfold. She stared at Zack with raised eyebrows. “Is he insane?!”
“Maybe,” Allen observed with dismay. “But whatever he’s doing, it seems to be working!”
Zack was able to get closer to the griffin by continuing to exchange chirps with it. Soon, he was close enough to grab its hind leg. It immediately reverted to aggression and attempted to kick him away as it screamed in protest, but Zack held on and quickly yanked the lodged object out from its paw. He let go, and the griffin leaped back, letting out another ghastly screech that sent chills down the spines of all that heard.
It looked as though it were about to strike Zack down where he stood, but then it seemed to realize that the pain in its rear paw had dissipated. It tapped its foot against the ground a few times, then looked at Zack with a quiet trill. He smiled, cautiously holding out his hand and resting it on the griffin’s head. It leaned its face into his hand, then suddenly the rest of its body, happily chirping as it pushed its entire weight into his arms. Zack laughed, giving the creature a good rub all over.
Everyone else stared, absolutely flabbergasted. Zack continued petting the griffin, speaking to it in a cutesy voice. “Aww, you’re no meanie, are you? Nooo, you’re just a big sweetheart! Yes, you are!” It cooed, rolling onto its back so Zack could scratch its belly. As he bent over to do so, however, something slipped out from the fresh holes in his hoodie… It looked like a pair of purple wings, similar to those you would see on a bat. They were slightly ripped and bloodied from being slashed, but it was unmistakable as to what they were.
Zack didn’t seem to notice. He continued to pet the griffin, giggling as he spoke to it. Eventually, he caught the rest of the party’s eye, and he sat up, holding the griffin in a sort of side hug. “What? What are you all looking so shocked for? I tamed the beast! Except she’s not a beast, is she~? I think I’ll call her… Cupcake!” He smiled widely. “You like that, Ponytail? I told you I could be trusted!”
Slowly, Allen raised his hand, pointing at the wings protruding from Zack’s back. Confused, he looked to see what he was gesturing to, and his smile slowly faded. “Oh…” He looked back at the others. “Oh.” He was quiet for a moment, before chuckling dryly. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag, eh?” He shifted nervously. He knew they were suspicious before, but the way they were all staring at him... Lynn had a look of shock, Allen had an expression he couldn’t quite read, and Charlie… He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.
“Alright, I admit it, I’m a demon!” Zack finally said. “Is that what you want to hear? It doesn’t change anything, though. I’m still the same ole Zack!” He took a breath, his tone becoming increasingly desperate. “A-And I’m still going to help you all on the quest, y’know, saving the princess, beating up that Zaru guy…” Everyone remained silent, which made his heartbeat pick up. He clenched his fists. “C’mon, just say something already!”
Slowly, Allen stepped forward. Zack glanced back and forth between the ground and Allen’s face, unable to hide how nervous he was. Without a word, Allen put a hand on Zack’s shoulder and sat him down on the ground. He knelt next to him and began wrapping his injured wing in bandages.
Lynn stepped forward next, giving him a nod before returning to her bed. And Charlie… Remained standing for a moment longer. The two partners made eye contact. She looked… So scared… But still, she hesitantly took a few steps forward, kneeling next to Zack and gently running her fingers through Cupcake’s feathers.
Nobody slept that night. Save for Cupcake, who was curled up next to the fire pit, softly purring. Everyone else was quiet, either watching the flames dance or gazing up at the stars. The silence finally broke when Allen finished bandaging up Zack’s wing. “Could you remove this so I could tend to your other wounds?” He asked as he pulled at his jacket.
Zack hesitated for a moment. “Oh man, you’re gonna hate me for this.”
“Eh?” Allen raised an eyebrow curiously.
Careful to not rub against his cuts, Zack removed his jacket. Without the hood over his head, it could be seen that his ears were long and pointed, very similar to Allen’s. His hair was also much longer than expected… And was tied up in the back.
Allen stared at him, blinking a few times. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You… You’ve had a ponytail… THIS WHOLE TIME?!”
Lynn suddenly burst out laughing at the reveal, and Charlie couldn’t help but giggle as well. Allen buried his face in the palm of his hand with a groan while everyone else laughed.
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