The Damned Demon

The echoing silence of the cavern returned as Asher released his hold on her, a look of faint surprise in Ceti's eyes as she even forgot he was holding her hands until now.

He pushed himself up to his feet with a grunt, dusting off his hands, "Where I learnt it from doesn't concern you," he said, a single brow arched up, "You ought to just focus on the task at hand and be grateful that you now learned that technique," Asher literally meant she should be grateful since this may not have been the most powerful technique he had learned, but it was quite dear to him.

And the person who taught him…He could never forget them.

A wave of heat flushed up to her cheeks as his words snapped her back to reality.

She realized the imprudence of her question in their current situation, not to mention the disrespect it showed to his personal boundaries.

Getting up quickly, she couldn't shake off the awkward tension in the air, so she chose to address it.

"Um... thank you," she said after a moment, her head bowing slightly, "For sharing that technique with me. I...I can imagine how important this technique must be to you," Ceti said with a serious look of appreciation.

The gratitude came from her heart, laced with a newfound respect for him.

He had a technique that could possibly alter the balance of power among the Houses and clans, yet he chose to teach her.

Even if he needed her, he could have turned back, and searched for another tunnel, but instead, he took the risk, helping her in a way she hadn't anticipated.

Asher's eyes didn't leave Ceti as she expressed her gratitude. His gaze was intense, piercing even, but not unkind, "I trust you with it because Rowena trusts you," he finally responded, his voice holding a firm and solid quality, "And also because you are Merina's daughter."

Ceti's brows furrowed at the mention of her mother, a flurry of emotions stirring within her. She lowered her gaze, concealing the confusion that crept into her eyes. Why would he include her mother in this? Was it a subtle implication that he really cared about her mother? Was she mistaken all this time?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Asher had his own.

Inwardly, he recognized the potential in Ceti that had started to show over the past weeks. She was more than just an annoying opinionated woman; she was fearless, strong, and adaptable. And her abilities were quite formidable despite the fact that she never transformed into her wolf form.

He also suspected she was hiding something. The fact that the cunning old king told Rowena a werewolf like Ceti, which the Bloodburn Kingdom had considered as mortal enemies since time imminent, could be trusted, it made him think about it and feel suspicious. Rowena never mentioned the same about Merina, even when he asked her.

It had always confounded him why Rowena's father would risk his own image and power by letting in werewolf refugees and letting Ceti always be close to his daughter. By now, he knew everything her father did would never be without a reason that could benefit him.

Asher felt that keeping Ceti closer would help him decipher this mystery and, maybe, figure out why all of this had happened to him. If she was the key to understanding what the demon king was up to, then he was ready to unlock the door.

So what better way other than to gain her confidence even if he didn't want to teach this technique to anybody else.

There was also the fact he needed her to be more sharp and powerful now that they were alone in this situation. He can't risk dying because he held back.

He gestured to her to follow behind him as he took the first step while Ceti watched from behind.

As the first step landed on the bed of dark violet crystals, the crystals beneath him remained dormant, devoid of their previous hum when she first took a step, making her feel astonished.

He must have completely muffled the vibrations of his heart! It was as if a corpse was walking on it.

However, when Ceti's foot made contact, the eerie hum returned, softer, but undeniably present. Asher's eyes locked onto Ceti as he watched her close her eyes.

The concentration on her face was palpable, and the hum from the crystals slowly receded until it was a mere whisper. They weren't completely silenced, but the soft resonance they emitted was a significant improvement.

Their goal was clear, to get across without causing an uproar that would draw unwanted attention. And with only a few meters left to their destination, Asher's eyes turned towards the small chest placed slightly aloof.

It was an ornate thing, made of a dense, dark, almost ethereal material that reflected an intriguing variety of colors under the dim light of the cavern.

But suddenly, the silent anticipation was disrupted by an ominous sound, a crackling noise that made Asher's brows furrow.

He spun around just in time to see Ceti's armour and weapon gloves begin to crack, lines of fracture spreading across their surface like spider webs.

*Crkkk*

Her eyes widened in shock as the last remnants of her armor crumbled and fell to the ground, revealing a tantalizing view that could make the staunchest of men falter.

The rich, dark red fabric of her undergarments barely covered her womanly curves, the thin fabric wrapping around her ample red breasts, accentuating her deep cleavage.

Her collarbones, sculpted like fine marble, drew a mesmerizing line down to her chiseled abs.

If it was any other moment, Asher would have appreciated such a sight, especially since it was her.

But their precarious situation allowed no time for such thoughts, as the crystals began to hum louder, reacting to Ceti's heartbeat getting louder as she instinctively moved to cover herself. The sudden shift in noise made Asher click his tongue in annoyance.

"Keep still," he admonished her, before abruptly swooping down and lifting her into his arms.

"You!" The embarrassing and audacious action of his startled her, causing her to instinctively push against his chest.

But his grip was iron-clad, and he shot her a warning glare, his voice a low growl, "Don't fucking move, or I will drop you."

The crystals, which were starting to hum dangerously, fell silent almost immediately. It was only then Ceti realized that the crystals reacted only to those who were standing on them. This made her stop resisting, as whether she liked it or not, this was the only way to get across.

This also made her realize Asher had been purposefully keeping his steps slow to keep an eye on her while she could only move slowly because of the immense concentration it took to muffle her heartbeat.

Just how much has he mastered this technique? And how long does she have to stay in this embarrassing position? Were his arms and hands always this strong and warm?

Asher released Ceti, dropping her on the ground freely once they were safely across the bed of crystals.

He stared at her incredulously, his eyes sweeping over her scantily clad form, before he heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, "How in the Seven Hells," he muttered, shaking his head, "did you not think to change your armor if you knew it was about to lose its durability? This isn't some amateur's game, Ceti."

Ceti's face flushed, embarrassment washing over her. She tightened her arms around herself, trying to shield her semi-nude form from his gaze as best as she could, "I...I didn't expect this to happen. The spare armor and weapons I had... they are in Isola's bag since she had the biggest storage."

His hand flew to his forehead, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips, "Are you seriously—"

Ceti winced, looking down at the ground, her voice barely a whisper, "I'm not trying to make excuses. I am just explaining why it happened. But I won't let something like this happen again," She said with firm determination.

She couldn't help but replay the whole scenario in her mind, the mortification settling heavily in her heart. As a proud Battlemaster and warrior, she had never faced such embarrassing situations.

She had always been careful, meticulous even, about her preparations and equipment. And of all the people she could have embarrassed herself, it had to be him.

Asher released a tired sigh, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Forget it," he said, dismissively waving his hand in the air, "How long are you planning to sit there? There's nothing to cover that I haven't already seen," Saying so, Asher turned around and made his way towards the chest. A message popped up in his mind signaling the completion of their quest.

Ceti's face turned an even deeper shade of red at his words. She snapped her gaze away from him, her hands subconsciously tightening around herself.

Ceti couldn't help but feel piqued by his words. Not only was he unfazed by her current predicament, but he was also reminiscing about that incident... She might have misjudged some things, but she wasn't wrong about him being a pervert after all.

Swallowing her embarrassment, she loosened her arms around herself, the chilly air making her shiver as it brushed against her exposed skin.

With a huff of annoyance, she rose to her feet and followed him toward the chest. Her pride as a warrior wouldn't let her sit there and sulk, not even in this mortifying situation.

With a loud creak, Asher opened the chest, revealing dozens of dark violet crystals. His eyes glowed in satisfaction as he received a message in his head,

[ You have gained 15,000 Deviar Shards ]

He smirked, not at all surprised by the handsome reward. After all, though the quest had been relatively simple for them, he knew that for others, it would be a daunting challenge, unless they could fly.

Hearing Ceti approach, he turned slightly to see her looking over his shoulder with curiosity, "Did we get anything good?" she asked, her eyes keen on the chest.

Her question pulled a smile onto his face as he replied, "We got 15,000 Deviar Shards and 100 Resonance Crystals," At her blank look, he added, "These crystals are pretty useful for detecting intruders. They can give us a warning if someone or something tries to get close."

A look of realization dawned on Ceti's face as she nodded in understanding, "We can use them whenever we need to take a break or rest," she suggested, her mind already thinking of how they could best utilize the crystals.

Asher nodded with a smile as he pulled over his spatial bag and stuffed the Resonance Crystals into them, realizing that these dungeons may also give them a chance to earn treasures like these to survive this quest.