Dealing With Lukas, The Kid

The remaining bandits, seeing their leader defeated, dropped their weapons and fled into the night.

As the silence returned, Damien glanced at the boy, who stood frozen in place, his face pale.

"You made a bad choice," Damien said, his voice cold.

The boy swallowed hard, his bravado gone.

Arielle sighed, lowering her glowing hands. "What do we do with him?"

"Let him go," Damien said after a moment. "He's just a kid. Maybe this'll teach him a lesson."

The boy nodded quickly, stumbling backward before running off into the darkness.

Arielle shook her head. "You're too soft sometimes."

"Maybe," Damien replied, wiping dust off his trouser before turning and walking away. "But he's not my problem anymore."

~~~~~

The journey back to the Mercenary Guild was quiet at first, the night air cool against Damien's face as he walked alongside Arielle.