บท 37: The Trio on the Bridge
"That's another lesson for you! Whether as an assassin or a demon hunter, never let your guard down after dispatching a foe, or your precious little life might end up in someone else's hands!"
Grayson strode down the wooden steps, stepping over the goblin corpses to reach Katheren. He pulled the silver sword from the ground at her feet and passed it to his left hand, then patted her head with his right, saying:
"You did well, but you used my signature move without permission. Don't do it again without asking!"
"Ah?" Katheren looked up in surprise as he walked past her, a playful smile tugging at his lips. She couldn't help but return the smile when Grayson called out, "Stop grinning, little fool, or all the good stuff at the feast will be gone!"
"I'm coming!" Katheren hurried after him, still suppressing giggles.
Grayson led her deeper into the cave's depths. After navigating the labyrinthine bridges for a while, he stopped and crouched down, pulling Katheren to his side. "We've got more blockers ahead!"
"I'll take them out!" Katheren said, reaching for her bullet pouch to reload her pistols.
"No, not this time. You'll mess things up," Grayson said, shaking his head gently.
Katheren looked up defiantly in the direction he pointed, only to see a multitude of goblin soldiers scattered across the intersecting bridges ahead, standing in pairs and small groups.
"They're too spread out. Even if we both acted, we couldn't possibly take them all out at once. Besides, we're very close to the bottom of the cave now. There are too many goblins around. Any noise would alert them."
Grayson flicked Katheren's nose and added, "That's another lesson to learn. As a demon hunter, you must know when to strike and when to hold back. You can't just brute force your way through."
"Got it! So, what do we do?" Katheren asked, looking up at her teacher with respect.
Grayson didn't answer right away. He peered over the edge of their bridge and then moved to the other side for a better view. Returning to Katheren with his deep blue cloak in hand, he asked, "Ever learned tailoring?"
"Tailoring?" Katheren stared at him in bewilderment, shaking her head in disbelief.
"That's right. As I told Miss Seraphine before, a demon hunter should know how to do everything. Besides playing the piano and painting, tailoring is also essential!"
Grayson spread his cloak on the ground and used his silver sword to cut it into strips as wide as a forearm, then tied the strips together with sailor's knots. He pried loose a plank from the ground with his sword, securely tied a knot around the log supporting the plank, and threw the other end down. The knotted cloth landed above a wooden walkway nestled against the cave wall, a dark, deserted spot far from any torches.
"All set, abseiling is the best way to surprise your enemies. After you, miss!"
Grayson grabbed the makeshift rope and leaped off the bridge. Katheren watched nervously as he descended with the agility of a monkey, sliding down the knots with speed.
As he neared the end of the rope, Grayson swung forward and released, tucking into a roll as he landed on the walkway, absorbing the impact in silence. He rose to his feet and waved at Katheren.
"Come down, don't be scared, I'll catch you!"
Positioning himself under the rope, Grayson spread his arms and beckoned. Katheren secured her pistols at her belt, looked down at the daunting drop, and, mustering her courage, began her descent.
Her initial movements were cautious, consumed by the fear of plunging into the abyss. But Grayson's encouraging voice and the smooth descent emboldened her, and she sped up.
With only a third of the rope left, Katheren heard a strange sound above. She looked up to see the cloth strips fraying under the strain. Panicked, she hurried to reach the bottom before the rope snapped, but her rush only hastened the tearing. With another ripping sound, Katheren screamed as she fell towards the cave floor.
"Katheren!" Grayson was shocked, prepared to leap to her rescue when a shadow swiftly flew up behind her. A flash of red, and a girl in dark feathers kicked Katheren squarely in the buttocks.
The unexpected kick redirected Katheren's fall, sending her tumbling into Grayson's arms, pushing him back against the cave wall.
"Ouch, that hurts! Hey, it's okay now, you're quite the lucky star!" Grayson grimaced, rotating his shoulder, then patted Katheren's head.
Katheren looked up at him shakily, then realizing she was nestled in his arms, quickly backed away, her face flushed.
Suddenly, a pair of black-feathered arms encircled Katheren's neck from behind. Startled, she lost her balance and fell backwards towards the abyss.
Grayson grabbed her swiftly, catching also the small arm of Elyra who was responsible for the prank.
"Little one, no pranks that could cost lives! This isn't the time for mischief," Grayson said sternly as he placed Elyra aside.
The little girl looked up at Katheren's pale face and cheekily said, "Well, I just saved her from falling, didn't I? If she had dropped, it would be as if I hadn't kicked her."
"But you did take advantage of that kick," Grayson said as he pinched the little girl's cheek.
He pulled Katheren away from the edge to the safety of the wall. Katheren glanced gratefully at him, then sneakily at Elyra's mischievous grin, torn between gratitude for the save and irritation at the jest.
"So, is the mission accomplished, little scout?" Grayson asked, crouching to ruffle Elyra's curly black hair.
Pointing below, Elyra piped up in her childlike voice, "The bad guy is tied to a post down there! They're going to eat him soon. The goblins are lighting a fire; are they going to have roast meat?"
Grayson glanced into the cavern depths. "Don't think too highly of goblins. They don't have the patience to care how well their meat is cooked."
He waved the two girls over. "Come on, we can't see clearly from here. We need to get closer to see what's happening to that poor sod!"
"I don't want to walk on my own!" Elyra transformed into a small owl and flew onto Grayson's shoulder. Grayson rolled his eyes at her antics and turned to Katheren. "I have another shoulder available. Want to hop on?"
Katheren shyly declined, her cheeks still aflame from Grayson's recent embrace and her heart racing uncontrollably.
Together, they crept along the walkway, using the shadows to avoid the goblin sentries' gaze. They found a vantage point to see the bottom level clearly, where the black-cloaked man was tied to a post, struggling helplessly against his bonds.
"How are we going to save him?" Katheren asked, looking down at the countless goblins below, then back at Grayson with concern.
Grayson's brow furrowed as he scanned the scene. Before he could decide, a goblin with murderous intent approached the black-cloaked man, brandishing a gleaming bone-carving dagger.
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