Looking back on it, Detrick wished they had put some more thought into what they were doing. Wearing wet clothes was awful in his experience. But he managed to pull the pants on, and Cecilia pulled the shirt on too.

He found the sword in the grass where he had dropped it. The fire in the red stone had died away.

Not far from the blade, crouched the demon. Seemingly recovered from their ordeal, it stared at him as usual.

Detrick reached down hesitantly, ...