The Demon Sword: Sorataki (Deaths Gamble)

Chapter 2: A Chip Down

Andrew

The gallivant of horses hooves echoed onto the beaten path as the carriage rocked and rolled in an effort to stay on its wheels, accompanied by the panting of fatigued horses the carriage rider posited but nervous persona concentrated on the path ahead. Andrew who was latching onto a support beam within the carriage weighed out his options.

As he looked over to Aaliyah who was bracing herself on the other end of the carriage he was assertive enough to hear her cuss under her breath before pulling out her short sword and looking out the window to inspect this recent source of unrest. Looking over on his head Andrew spots a swarm of gigantic bees covered in big thorns along their hide as if a hedgehog. An even larger spike sat at their tip.

As he looked up to their sheer numbers a sense of dread washes over him. He pushed up one side of his cheek to his inner conflict, this was until a sharp spike came darting out of the back carriage making him flinch in the process. Deeming this a wise sign to get his sword he stood off the chair and pull it out of the case on his back, a black soothing mist begins to cover him like a second layer of skin.

As the thick buzzing hung over them on all sides he looked at the stinger that poked into their ride withdraw itself. Meanwhile, Aaliyah's expression darkened a little to this outcome.

"Now I'm going to have to pay more for damages," she spat.

"Yet another reason why I don't bother with hiring transport," Andrew replied, his eye still on the hole the giant bee made.

"If your freeloading ass is going to be witty about this then at least make yourself useful and help!" she commented before leaping through the open sunroof.

Knowing that he struck a chord with her he shook his head a tad amused before following suit. Leaping on top of the carriage he is met with the sky full of gigantic bee like demons. As he counted twelve hovering around them he rests his sword over his shoulder as he sizes them up. The heavy and ever present buzzing left a blanket feeling of danger and foreboding. The carriage hitting a sudden bump made both Andrew and Aaliyah stagger to regain their balance.

Looking over the beaten path he noticed that what they had run over was the rotten remains of a waggon left up on the way side. Roots and moss sprout their way over its wheels and tent like roof. Signs of a traveller that did not make it this far. One of the giant bee's began charging in towards the cart to strike it again until Aaliyah suddenly jumped off the carriage before stomping her feet onto the beaten path. A great wall of earth came shooting out like a spring board smacking the incoming demon dead in its tracks.

Right after smacking the demon flat she launched herself forward by sending another wall of earth springing upwards under her feet making the long leap back on the carriage where she landed and walk past Andrew and towards the rider.

"How far are we from town?" She asked.

"I-I don't normally have an estimate on these things!" he confessed nervously.

"Well, you better start giving me numbers and fast!" Aaliyah snapped as she yanked at his shoulder. "All the damage that could happen from here until then will be included in your travel fee, and given how high they are I need to know how long we will be playing defence!"

"'We'?" Andrew repeated with a puzzled look.

He turned around when he felt as if the statement was somehow being directed to him. This was all but confirmed when he noticed her quickly glance a peek at him from the corner of her eye as to make sure he got that. Having dealt with her sass leading up to now his eye's narrowed knowing where this was heading.