The reluctant bodyguard

chapter 3

The drive is quiet, even after getting off the dirt road and onto an actual road. Alina found herself looking at him a bit too much, and he definitely noticed, "If you want to ask me something, then feel free to ask." He glances at her quickly before putting his eyes back on the road. "Okay..." she turns to look at him better "Arabella mentioned in her journals that she gave you strength as your ability. What exactly does that mean?" She was very curious about him, always has been, and now she can finally satisfy that curiosity "It means I can really take a hit, I'm stronger than your average human and strong enough to throw a demon around." She looks him over for a moment as he says that, he doesn't look overly muscular or anything, but it did seem as though he stays in shape at least "I've never seen a demon...what are they like?" Now her tone was more concerned and cautious.

Merek didn't like talking about the demons, that was evident from the look of disgust on his face "Most of the time they are mindless savage beasts, but then there are the elites, the ones who take over human bodies, gaining human knowledge while keeping their demonic strength, speed, and abilities. Elites are not to be underestimated. They may look human, but trust me, they have zero humanity." He was visibly tense now, his hand gripping the steering wheel tighter."And what about you? Are you...human?" This is what she was most curious about as it was never specified in her ancestor's journal "I mean, yeah, I think so." He shrugs "I do all the normal human things." He says with a quiet chuckle which makes Alina smile, he did seem pretty human. "But you don't age, and you're superhumanly strong. So, not completely human." She looks at him again "Hey, I was wondering-"

Everything happened so fast, Alina didn't even see what caused it, all she knew is that the truck is now upside down in the ditch and she's shaking, she wasn't sure if it was fear or shock that was making her body shake. "Are you okay?" Merek's voice was calm and collected as he snapped his fingers in front of her face "Hey! You good?" She stared at him for a moment as she tried to gather herself "Y-Yes, I'm good." Honestly, she wasn't even sure. He didn't say anything else as he unclipped her seatbelt, catching her before she falls, and gently setting her down against the roof of the truck that is now underneath them.

There is a growl from outside the truck that makes Alina nearly jump "Is-is that what I think it is?" Her voice is a shaky whisper. Merek is still calm and collected as he reaches into the back seat for his duffel bag, he opens it up and pulls out a short sword, the hilt looks silver while the blade itself is sleek black steel covered in ancient markings. "Stay here." He gives the driver side door a swift kick, busting it open and then climbing out of the truck. The growl they heard was indeed a demon, an elite, standing in the middle of the road holding a sword, waiting expectantly.

The elite didn't look anything special, he took the body of an average middle-class working man. The white eyes are the only things that give away the fact that he is an elite. "You must be Merek, I've been given orders to dispose of you and take your witch." Merek could feel the thrill of battle building inside of him as a smirk crept onto his face, and he raises his sword. "Well, what are you waiting for?" The demon wasted no more time as he charged at Merek, violently swinging his sword towards him. Merek was quick to react, blocking the strike with his own sword, the sound of metal clashing against metal.

Alina listened to Merek's command at first, but once she heard the sounds of metal against metal, she couldn't resist. She climbed out of the truck and cautiously walked closer to the road to watch. The demon chose a perfect part of the highway, rarely traveled so they would have privacy to fight it out. When Alina saw them, she couldn't look away, it was like watching something out of a movie, except instead of armor and shields they are in jeans and t-shirts. The skill though, that was authentic, they both had this concentration on their faces as their sword clashed and clanged. It was becoming clear to her though that Merek was holding back, his strikes seemed...lazy? Perhaps it was just for fun, or maybe he was just a bit rusty. Either way, he did take the opportunity to end the fight the moment it presented itself, he plunged his sword through the demon's chest, which made Alina gasp and turn away. Merek had a satisfied smile on his face as he pushed his sword through the demon's chest. "I hope whoever sent you will send someone worth my time in the future." And with that, he twists his sword in the demon's chest. Almost instantly the demon turns to a pile of ash, the markings on Merek's sword lightly glowing, but only for a moment.

"Never seen battle before, have you?" Merek asks walking over to Alina who is still turned away, but she does peak over her shoulder at the ash pile "No, and even if I had it definitely wouldn't have been seeing someone get stabbed with a sword." He lets out a quiet laugh "I suppose that makes sense. You better get used to it. A war with demons will be filled with blood and violence." He says as he walks back to the truck, grabbing his duffel bag and wiping the blood from his sword before tucking it back into the duffel bag. He then grabs Alina's backpack, handing it to her "we are going to need a new mode of transportation, this road doesn't get alot of traffic so we'll need to walk to the next town, about 5 kilometers." Alina nodded since there wasn't really any other options at this point in time and she wanted to be off this road before it got dark.

They walked in silence for a little while, Alina was watching him again, still curious about him and now maybe even more curious "You...enjoyed fighting that demon." It was suppose to be a question, but it came out as more of an observation. Merek smiled at her statement "I was created for war, built to be a warrior. I crave battle, crave the thrill and excitement of it. I even crave death by the end of a sword. So, yes, I enjoyed killing that demon, and I will enjoy slaughtering many more." There was a casual honesty in the way he spoke, his words are a truth he can't escape, it just is and always shall be. Alina felt as though she was starting to understand him, but she had this odd nagging feeling that she's misisng something. She didn't think too much into it, though.

When they reached the next town they went to the nearest motel and got a room for the night. Once settled in the room, Alina called her father to update him on her progress, informing him of the demom attack and assuring him she would have Merek at the tower by tomorrow. After she hangs up, she lets out a long sigh before laying down in the bed, she glances over at Merek, who has perched himself by the window, his eyes watching every sign of movement outside.

Alina wasn't entirely sure when she had drifted off to sleep, but when she opened her eyes the sun was shining, and there was Merek, still perched in the exact same spot. When he heard her moving around, he looked over at her. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to get up." There was a playfulness to his smile which nearly made her blush "Sorry, it has been a long couple of days." She speaks in a soft voice as she gets up. She took her backpack into the bathroom, where she had a quick shower and got into some clean clothes. Once she was done, she stepped back into the room to see Merek ready and waiting, duffel bag in hand. She wasted no more time, grabbing her backpack and followed him out.

Alina wasn't entirely sure what Merek's plan was without a vehicle, but it became clear once they arrived at the bus stop. They got tickets to the closest town near the mountains where the tower is located. Thankfully, they only had to wait about an hour before getting on the bus and getting settled in for their long journey. It would be three hours by bus and then a good few hours hiking up the mountain. Merek didn't tend to sleep much, a bit of an insomniac, but he wanted to get some rest before their hike, so he leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. He didn't fully sleep, though, still staying alert, listening, and sensing for anything that seemed off.

Alina was perfectly content reading a book to pass the time, making sure not to bother Merek. She wanted him to rest, considering he stayed up all night keeping watch while she slept.