Flint cursed loudly as the hideous creature whooshed by.
That little bugger had come out of nowhere and nearly taken off his head! Actually, it should have taken off his head. Flint wasn't sure how the monster had missed by such a narrow margin, but he wasn't going to tell it that.
"Die, you corrupted creep!"
The blade at his side was drawn in an instant, and it cut through the many-toothed millipede when it rebounded and lunged.
The squelching sound was nothing compared to the spray of blood. The flood was far more than the small body should have been able to contain.
Flint was soaked by the torrent, looking like a bedraggled puppy when the monster's body finally hit the ground.
Flint wiped the blood from his face. He hadn't even had time to summon his helmet.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Mealy Milipede.]
The Spell's voice mocked him in his head.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious."
"You've called me worse." A voice answered cheerily.
Flint flinched, wielding his sword until it came within a hair's breadth of Noble's face.
"Don't worry, that creature was a bachelor, and I come in peace."
The surly legacy frowned, returning the sword to its sheath. "Where were you a minute ago when I nearly had my face eaten?"
"Helping you." Noble smiled sweetly.
Flint rolled his eyes. "Helping me into an early grave, maybe."
The lady did not retort. Instead, she fell into step beside him. Regarding the blood-covered belt draped across his shoulder, Child of Promise raised one eyebrow.
"I'm surprised you still have that. Planning to attach yourself to something?"
Flint guffawed. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Seeing me flounder again! I took it so no one else ends up like I did…chained to someone like you."
"On behalf of everyone like me, thank you." Noble dipped her head.
Flint jutted out his jaw.
"Go away, Blondie. I'm in no mood for banter. What are you even doing here?"
Noble hummed softly. "Can't a lady go for a walk in a cursed, monster-infested forest?"
"Ha, you think you're a lady…" Flint adjusted the relic on his shoulder, slinging blood from the divine leather.
"And you think you are good at evading your problems, yet here I am." Noble felt the man's emotions spike.
She had hit a nerve.
"Finally, you got to the point. You are here to tell the lowly younger brother of a Legacy Saint how wrong he was for walking away from his cohort. You can save your breath." Flint quickened his pace.
"That's not why I'm here." Child of Promise caught up to him.
He stopped in his tracks. "Then why in the Spell are you here?"
"I have a better question. Why are you here? Why are you heading to Lady Lyra and the seaside? I can't imagine that you like Syrce so much that you want to meet the younger version of her."
The man clicked his tongue. "You are the genius prodigy fighter who is loved and adored by all; surely you can discern the reason I would be heading to the only other concentration of people in this blasted world."
Noble floated back from her companion. There were only three reasons that Flint would be heading toward people.
One way to solve the Nightmare. But as far as she knew, Flint still believed like her that the crux of the trial existed in Bastion.
The second reason would be so that Flint could disappear in a crowd. But if his goal was to hide away until the Nightmare was finished, he was better off going into the countryside, where he wouldn't have to deal with "figments of the Nightmare."
That left only one option. If Flint wasn't running away, that meant he was running toward a goal. He was looking for something, or rather, someone. Noble's eyes opened wide.
"You are looking for Helie."
Flint grunted. "She needs to be found. You three goody-goodies won't rest easy until she is back with you, so I thought I would expedite the process."
Child of Promise tilted her head. "You were looking for Helie…for Roan, Aether, and me?"
"Well, I certainly wasn't looking for her for my own sake. I can't stand that brat any more than she can tolerate me." The surly Master spat.
"Let me get this straight. You think we don't want you, so you have gone out of your way to find someone we do want instead…all while cursing our existence under your breath?" A smile crept onto Noble's face. "You really are a curmudgeon."
"Am not!" Flint stuck out his chin.
"You have no idea what that means, do you?" Noble's eyes were filled with amusement.
"That is beside the point." Flint walked too close to a tree, forcing Noble to float around it.
"Maybe it is. Let's go back to the main point, then. About last night…"
The man held up his hand. "I don't want to talk about that. I left before you could kick me out. End of story."
"No one was going to kick you out." Noble shook her head. "That's not what good cohorts do."
"Guess I've never been in a good cohort then," Flint muttered loudly.
So that was it!
Noble had always felt like there was a wall up around Flint. He always had one foot out the door, almost as if he was working to make people hate him. But really, he was just expecting the inevitable.
Flint believed he would be rejected, so he rejected others first.
"Well, you are part of one now, and we aren't ready to let you go just yet. You said what happened with the flames was an accident. Is that true?" Noble tried to put on her most neutral face.
"I don't make a habit of setting people on fire without their permission if that's what you are asking." Flint pursed his lips.
"Then the solution is simple. Don't get drunk again..." Child of Promise felt the man's anger spike.
"I wasn't drunk. Something was wrong with that stuff!"
"All the more reason not to drink it again," Noble continued. "Avoid drinking suspicious things, and be more respectful."
"I said before that respect was earned." The man grunted.
"And if we haven't earned it by now, I suppose we never will. But respect you will give us anyway." The floating Master nodded. "I have one other caveat, well, two...really."
Flint slowed his pace. "I'm listening."
"You will apologize. I know you think it is somehow unmanly, but in reality, it is the most honorable thing in three worlds to do. You were wrong, but you can make it right." Noble took comfort in the fact that the man didn't immediately spit in her face.
"I see." His mouth twisted in contemplation. "What's the other condition?"
"You need to be nice to us. We are your teammates. At the very least, act like you don't despise our very existence." Child of Promise nodded.
"I can't do that." Flint lost all the defiance in his eyes. "You might as well ask for a blood sacrifice."
"I know it will take some practice," Noble tried.
"You don't understand," the man sighed. "I can't."