Chapter 21: 21. A trap detecting raven
AN HOUR LATER
ALEXANDER
We set up camp just far enough from the broken road that it almost felt safe, which in dungeon terms meant absolutely nothing.
Scarlet created a small, controlled light barrier around the fire with practiced precision. Noa checked every perimeter twice without speaking. Rosalia sat slightly outside the light, gun resting across her knee, watching the dark like it owed her money. Isabella was already organizing supplies again, even though she had done it five minutes ago. I sat down heavily near the fire and Aiko immediately hopped off my shoulder and landed by the edge of my pack.
"Of course you’re still here."I muttered.
The raven tilted its head at me, then it pecked my hand lightly. Not hard, not painful, just... demanding attention.
I sighed and pulled out some bread from the supplies.
"Don’t tell anyone I am feeding an anomaly creature."I said quietly.
Aiko made a soft sound and immediately began picking at the breadcrumbs like it had been starving for years.
"It is eating normally."Scarlet watched it carefully.
"That is the least comforting thing I have heard all day."I replied.
"If it is eating, it is not attacking."Noa glanced over.
"That is not how I measure safety."I said.
"It stays near you."Rosalia leaned slightly closer, eyes fixed on the bird.
"Yes."I said.
Silence followed for a moment.
"It likes you!" Isabella leaned in way too fast.
"I did not sign a contract."I sighed.
Aiko fluffed its wings and continued eating breadcrumbs like it had won life. The fire cracked softly, the forest around us stayed too quiet.
"DING."The system flickered again.
"No. Not now."I groaned immediately.
Scarlet looked up instantly, Noa’s hand moved to her weapon, Rosalia straightened slightly. Isabella practically bounced in place. A translucent message appeared in front of me.
"Bond status updated. Aiko, current state: companion synchronization stable. Effect expanded: danger detection sensitivity increased."The system explained.
"So I get paranoia upgrades now."I blinked.
Aiko chirped softly, still eating. The guard, sitting awkwardly near the edge of camp, slowly spoke.
"I have officially stopped understanding anything about this mission."He said.
"Welcome."I said.
Rosalia reached over slightly and, without warning, gently placed a small piece of bread closer to Aiko.
The raven immediately accepted it.
"You are feeding it too."I stared at her.
"It is efficient morale support."Rosalia replied calmly.
"No, it is not."I sighed.
"It seems happy."Scarlet smiled faintly.
"We are adopting it."Noa exhaled.
"We are NOT adopting it."I groaned.
Aiko finished the crumbs, then hopped back onto my knee like it had decided that was its seat now.
"Warning: bond intensity rising."The system flickered one more time.
"I hate everything that is happening to my life."I leaned back slowly.
Aiko made a satisfied sound and closed its eyes, like it trusted me completely which somehow made it worse.
The camp finally settled after a long stretch of uneasy silence. Scarlet had organized the perimeter with surgical precision, Noa had already marked escape routes that made everyone slightly uncomfortable, and Rosalia sat just outside the firelight, cleaning her weapon in slow, deliberate motions. Isabella was loudly insisting that "camp morale requires baked goods," while somehow producing bread from nowhere.
I just sat near the fire, holding the lantern like it was the only normal object left in existence. Aiko, meanwhile, was having the best time of his life. The raven like monster bird hopped between scattered crumbs, occasionally stealing pieces of bread directly from Isabella’s hand and chirping like it had just discovered happiness for the first time. Every now and then it would circle above the camp before landing back on my shoulder like it belonged there.
"It is very attached."Scarlet observed softly.
"It is weirdly attached."I corrected.
Aiko chirped in agreement.
"That is not helping my argument."I sighed.
Rosalia glanced up briefly.
"It chose correctly."She said.
"That is not a sentence I feel comfortable hearing from you."I replied.
The guards trailing us stayed at the edge of the camp, pretending not to exist. One of them was openly staring at Aiko.
"That is an A-rank anomaly."He whispered.
"It is eating breadcrumbs."The other guard replied.
"That does not make it less dangerous."Third one added.
Aiko flapped its wings once and spun in a lazy circle above the firelight. Then it suddenly dropped back onto my shoulder and chirped sharply.
"DING."The system flickered.
"No."I groaned immediately.
"COMPANION BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS COMPLETE."The system said and a translucent panel appeared in front of my vision. "Aiko. Type: raven anomaly. Rank: a-rank. Abilities: high spatial awareness, trap detection via resonance disturbance, night vision enhancement, emotional bond synchronization. Current function: warning detection unit (passive)."
"Trap detection?"I blinked.
"You are joking."Noa immediately looked up.
Aiko chirped again, then suddenly took off. Fast, too fast. It flew ahead of the camp path, circling low near the ground. Then it stopped abruptly mid air and began screeching in a sharp pattern.
"Master."Scarlet tensed instantly.
"I see it."I said.
We moved carefully forward, the guards followed, visibly nervous now. As we approached, Aiko hovered over a patch of ground that looked completely normal. Then it tapped the air with its beak. A soft pulse of energy rippled outward, the ground immediately clicked. A hidden trigger snapped open, revealing a set of thin glowing threads stretched across the path. Trap line, perfectly concealed. The guards froze.
"That was invisible." One of them said.
Aiko chirped proudly and landed on my head.
"Stop celebrating."I muttered.
"It detected it before anyone else."Rosalia lowered her weapon slightly.
"That is extremely useful."Noa narrowed her eyes.
"It seems our companion is more valuable than expected."Scarlet nodded slowly.
Aiko chirped again like it agreed.
"We were walking straight into that."The guards looked at each other.
"Yes."I said.
Silence followed and then one guard finally spoke.
"We should report this to Michael."One said.
"Agreed."The other added.
Aiko flapped its wings and returned to my shoulder, settling down as if nothing had just happened. The path ahead toward the Crystal caverns suddenly felt a lot more dangerous, but also slightly less suicidal.
