They finally arrived near the stream, seeing that the water wasn’t deep and there were large stones next to exposed roots.
Zenash approached.
"You were right."
Draven blinked.
"About what?"
"It’s not interesting."
"I told you."
Zenash looked at him and Draven closed his mouth.
"I mean... yes."
She kept walking alongside the water, but Draven kept his attention on the surroundings, since he remembered that area.
There was a type of small creature that hid among the roots, a reptile called a river crawler.
It was low-level, but aggressive when someone approached its nest.
In the video game it was almost a tutorial enemy, but it had venom, which wasn’t too dangerous for an adult.
But for a child it could be different.
Draven looked toward the roots and there was nothing.
’Maybe it won’t show up.’
Zenash stopped in front of a part of the stream, since in the middle of the water there was a blue flower growing next to a stone.
Draven recognized it immediately, since it was a Lyr flower that was common, cheap, and used for basic mana recovery potions.
Zenash also seemed interested.
"It’s pretty."
Draven nodded.
"It is."
Zenash looked at the water.
The flower was a few steps away, so it could be reached by walking over several stones.
"Don’t go."
Draven said, but Zenash looked at him.
"Why?"
Draven pointed at the stones.
"They’re wet."
Zenash narrowed her eyes again.
’It can’t be.’
"I’m just saying that..."
"I can do it."
"Miss Zenash."
She was already advancing.
She jumped onto the first stone, then onto the second, and Draven clenched his teeth.
’This girl is going to give me trouble.’
Yruza took a step forward, but didn’t intervene, so Zenash reached the stone near the flower and crouched down.
"See?"
She looked at Draven.
"It’s not hard."
Draven was about to answer when he saw movement behind her coming from between two roots, from which something small and dark green with two yellow eyes emerged.
’A crawler!’
Draven reacted immediately.
"Zenash, don’t move!"
She looked at him.
"What?"
"Stay still."
His tone was more serious, at which Zenash seemed surprised and Yruza also lifted her gaze.
The creature came out from between the roots; it was similar to a lizard of almost half a meter that had long legs, small teeth, and an inflated pouch under its jaw.
Draven remembered the attack pattern.
’It spits venom when someone moves.’
Zenash saw the creature and her expression changed, but she didn’t seem terrified, rather, she was annoyed.
"It’s just an animal."
"It’s a river crawler!"
Zenash looked at Draven.
"So?"
"It spits venom."
Zenash stayed still and Yruza began to approach.
"Miss."
Draven raised a hand.
"Wait."
Yruza stopped.
Draven knew the creature’s behavior.
It was territorial, but it also had another characteristic: it couldn’t distinguish stationary objects well at a certain distance.
It was a minor mechanic.
Players could avoid combat by staying still for a few seconds, and Sam had used it several times in challenges without taking damage.
"Zenash."
She looked at him.
"Don’t make any sudden movements."
"Why?"
"Trust me."
Zenash frowned and Draven slowly pointed to her left.
"When I count to three, take a step toward that stone."
"Just one?"
"Just one."
The creature inflated the pouch under its jaw even more, at which Draven recognized the movement from the animation.
’It’s preparing the attack.’
"One."
Zenash tensed her body.
"Two."
The crawler opened its mouth.
"Three."
Zenash took a step while the creature launched a greenish liquid and the venom fell exactly where she had been an instant before.
Zenash opened her eyes.
"Now stay still."
She obeyed and the crawler began to move its head from side to side.
Draven looked around, since he needed to distract it, so he saw a branch and picked it up.
"Yruza."
The demon girl looked at him.
"When I throw it, grab Zenash."
Yruza nodded, at which Draven threw the branch toward the other side of the stream and it fell among the plants.
The crawler reacted immediately and ran toward the noise.
"Now!"
Yruza moved much faster than a normal child should be able to.
In a few seconds she reached Zenash, grabbed her, and returned with her.
Draven observed them.
’Definitely not normal.’
Zenash was back on solid ground and seemed angry, at which Draven expected it to be at him, but she was looking toward the crawler.
"I wanted that flower."
Draven blinked.
"That’s what you’re worried about?"
Zenash looked at him.
"Yes."
Draven shook his head.
"We can buy one later."
"I wanted that one."
"There are hundreds of those same flowers."
"But I wanted the one that was there."
Draven stayed observing her.
’When she wants something, she doesn’t let it go easily.’
Yruza looked at Zenash.
"Miss, we should go back."
Zenash didn’t answer and, instead, looked at Draven.
"How did you know what to do?"
Draven stopped.
’A new problem.’
He couldn’t say that he had fought against hundreds of those creatures, since he was still a very small child.
"I’ve seen them before."
"Here?"
"Yes."
It wasn’t a complete lie; he had seen them, just from a screen.
Zenash looked at him carefully.
"You also knew when it would attack."
Draven shrugged.
"It was easy to notice."
Yruza spoke for the first time in several minutes.
"I didn’t notice it."
Draven looked at her.
’For once you talk...’
Zenash took a step toward him.
"Well, it doesn’t matter, after all you helped me."
"It was nothing."
"And you did it without fighting."
Draven didn’t know what to answer and Zenash remained in front of him, but her expression was no longer the same as before.
She had lost a good part of that proud distance and now seemed genuinely interested.
"Draven."
"Yes?"
"Do you know a lot about animals?"
Draven thought.
"Some."
"And about demons?"
’Too many.’
"A little."
"And Fernus?"
’I know where almost every important chest is.’
"Some."
Zenash came a little closer.
"Then you’re not boring after all."
Draven opened his mouth.
"Thanks... I guess."
Yruza was watching them and Zenash started walking back, but this time she waited for Draven to be at her side.
"Tell me more about the Nhal steeds."
Draven looked at her.
"Shouldn’t you be the one who knows more?"
"I want to know how much you know."
Draven thought for a moment.
"All right."
He began to talk and Zenash listened while Yruza walked behind both of them.
Draven was still thinking about the crawler, the danger, the change in the story, and how much he could alter events using knowledge that for him were simple video game mechanics.
But he didn’t notice something else: that Zenash was no longer walking ahead of him nor responding with short phrases.
Now she was asking several questions, and every time Draven showed he knew something about her, about Fernus, or about things that interested her, her attention increased.
For Draven, that was only a way to avoid making mistakes with a future demon queen.
For Zenash, it was different.
It was the first time she had met another child who seemed to truly listen to her, and it was also the first time someone her age had managed to get her out of danger without trying to impress her with strength or magic.
When they could finally see the Dunvyr house again, Zenash looked at Draven.
"I want to come back tomorrow."
Draven blinked.
"What?"
"I want to walk again."
"Ah."
Draven looked toward the house and then toward Zenash.
’I don’t see the problem.’
It didn’t seem dangerous.
"All right."
Zenash smiled with a small smile, but Yruza saw it while Draven didn’t give it much importance.
That was his mistake.