Dreu wasn’t sure how he felt about the sight of honey badgers a few meters away from him. Back in the kingdom, honey badgers already had quite a reputation of being fearless creatures capable of defeating strong foes. From what he had seen, the demonic version of the honey badgers had to be far worse. The worst part was that one was heading towards the cave mouth right this moment and only he stood between it and the children.

  “Who is there?” growled the honey badger as it turned its head to the sky.

  The young man followed the creature’s gaze until he noticed Azurys staring down at the creature.

  Try communicating with the honey badger but avoid angering it.

  What followed was an interesting conversation where Azurys made clicking sounds and the honey badger responded in words Dreu could understand. Once the conversation ended, the young man got the gist of the situation. There were apparently four demon honey badgers traveling as a group but one of them was badly wounded and poisoned. The regeneration was barely keeping the creature alive from the wounds which meant the poison was slowly killing it. The badgers had planned on using the cave as their safe haven while one of them went in search of an antidote. Surprisingly, the honey badger leader, upon hearing that Azurys’ companions already occupied the cave, offered to leave without causing issues. The honey badgers were turning around when Dreu stepped out of the shadows.

  “We are willing to help your wounded if you trust us.”

  Dreu didn’t know where he found the courage to appear before the demon honey badgers but he stood before them unarmed. Deep down, he felt that they could use such an ally, especially if they hoped to get to safety. With the demonic creatures in the demon realm and pursuers from the kingdom threatening their survival, they needed to grow stronger in numbers. He was gambling that, by aiding the honey badgers, they could acquire valuable allies.

  “How do you intend on helping us?”

  “I have two demon companions capable of healing others. With their help, the worst case scenario is them buying more time for your wounded companion while the best case scenario is your companion fully healed and only needing an antidote for the poison.”

  “Healers? From demonic creatures?” There was a short pause. “If that’s indeed the case, then we’ll accept your help.”

  With the help of a honey badger, the wounded one reached the cave mouth where Dar and Loryss were on standby. As soon as the badger was ready, the two of them went to work. Lloyds snuggled close to the creature’s head while Dar hovered nearby. The wounded honey badger appeared to be at death’s door when it laid down but, after several minutes of healing, its breathing became less labored and it opened its eyes. The young man knew the initial healing was the most effective due to Dar’s passive only triggering for those with low health. The demon butterfly had limited uses of her other skill so he wanted to see if Loryss’ hibernation was enough and leave the charges to desperate situations.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “The healing has brought us precious time,” he said to the leader. “I assume the other two are looking for the antidote?”

  “Yes, they know what to search for.”

  “What was responsible for the wounds and poison?”

  “Demon Poison Steel Spider.”

  Dreu listened as the honey badger leader spoke of the dangerous spider that roamed the forest by itself and feared nothing. The creature relied on its steel claws as its primary weapon and the claws were sharp enough to cut through many demonic creature hides. In an emergency, it would shoot the steel quills on its back at foes. Both its claws and quills were coated with a slow painful poison.

  “We were caught up in a battle between one of these spiders and several demon primates. All of them might be dead but our youngest member came out wounded and poisoned.”

  Using this opportunity, Dreu asked the honey badger more questions about the demon realm and was fascinated by the knowledge of the creature. In return, he shared about his unexpected arrival in the demon realm and how he traveled with demonic companions. Their conversation was only interrupted when one of the honey badgers returned with the antidote or, more specifically, an herb that served as the antidote. The wounded badger consumed the herb and, minutes later, got back on its feet.

  “Where are you headed now?” asked the honey badger leader.

  “We’re leaving the demon realm as it’s too dangerous. As for the exact location, I don’t think we had one in mind. I guess we’ll go wherever it’s the safest while we get stronger. Only real strength can promise safety in this dangerous continent. We may keep moving until we figure out a purpose and a destination.”

  “Let us join you on your journey then.”

  < Congratulations! Four demon honey badgers have joined your roster. >

  “I know you’re curious why we joined. You can say we’ve been waiting for your arrival for a while. We were told that a human would travel with demon companions in the demon realm and he would take us to where we are needed. Fate has brought us together.”

  “Who are you? And who told you about my arrival?”

  “My name is Olgron and Eglallin told me of your arrival through one of her visions. I trusted her and now we meet.”

  “It’s good to have you on the team, Olgron. Do you know any safe routes we can take to escape the demon realm?”

  Dreu then shared his concern of the humans tracking them down. Olgron shared that he was aware of the humans who dared to enter the demon realm and many of them paid for their foolish decision by losing their lives. No other humans entered since but that meant they could be guarding all the escape routes.

  “Give me some time and I’ll find a safe route out of here. This may take time since the demon realm isn't as safe as it used to be. The underworld and hell forces are making their moves.”