I had heard that thieves and smugglers frequented this inn, and this passage had helped several lawbreakers manage to evade the guard. I was glad to have paid the extra coin for it as I lifted that trap door and felt the cold, damp air. Diana had stopped to gather some things, and aside from the incumbent fire I had chosen not to protest. I would have passed it all up and regretted it later. I was about to make a remark when she shoved an old lantern into my hands and dropped into the passage. She pulled the door shut.
I could see her stop cold in the pitch black of the passage. I heard the creaking of the building above us as the flames spread throughout it. Diana began searching her person for something, and holding out a hand presumably for the lantern.
"There's no need for that." I said, taking her by her outstretched hand and turning down the passage, and tossing the lantern from my grip. I heard her shout something as I got my pace to a slow run and remembered that not everyone else was capable of seeing in the darkness. I'm gonna regret dropping that other lantern.
After a few minutes we exited from a small cave into the woods outside of the village. The inn was an inferno at this point. We could hear the fire bells pealing across the village.
"Let's get moving." I said, turning towards the morning sun.
"Wait a minute. What makes you think I'm going with you? Do you even know where you're going?" She exclaimed, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's pretend you didn't just put yourself on a mass-murderer's wanted list. Your old protector is gone. A woman on her own in these woods, no matter how well armed with my weapons, won't do well if she runs into too many outlaws at once. Of course, you could always go back to town and explain what happened to what's left of its denizens. But in short... I owe you. So stay here if you want, but I don't want to find your body pinned to a wall next week." I watched her weigh her options, and eventually he made up her mind.
"I need time to make a new plan, so I'll go with you for now. But not East. I'll go in any direction but East." she said, her eyes glaring towards the morning sun as if she was trying to stare it down.
I weighed our options and decided that our best was to head South, so we set off. We followed the tree line for an hour or so and eventually came to a road. A worn road marker stood at the forest's edge, pointing to the South and the village of Kimbel.
"We'll have a walk on our hands for the day. Kimbel's a good 25 miles. Luckily, it's open and not a road frequented by highwaymen." I told her. She gave me an inquisitive glance.
"Are you scared of highwaymen? The big, strong demon slayer?" She chuckled at what I could only imagine being the thought of me running from a group of thugs.
"No. But I've been up and moving for about 56 hours. I'm getting weak, and the bright, beating day's sun isn't helping. I killed your... whatever he was, because of the same reason. I have to rest eventually. And..." I looked away. I've discussed many factors of my existence with many people, but not many people know my feeding habits aside from the ones I kill. I've never gotten accustomed to talking about it. Never had to tell anyone. She leaned around to look at me. I can't tell if she's enjoying this or if she thinks I'm insinuating I'm gonna kill her. I might as well come out with it. "I..."
"If you're going to kill me, at least have the decency to tell me."
What!? I stopped cold. Her face was blank and surprisingly honest. "I... I'm not gonna kill you! What the hell are you thinking?! I was gonna ask you if you'd be willing to keep watch while I recovered some of my energy. Jeez, quit being so damn morbid."
"How in blazes am I supposed to know?! I've been running around since yesterday without any real understanding of how I even ended up in this position!" She shot back defensively, then took a second to breathe. "...If you want to find a place and take a catnap, that's fine. It'll give me a moment to think, at least."
I sighed. "...Thank you. And don't worry. I don't plan on killing you."
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