There was a decently sized cave behind some jagged rocks, and a quick investigation showed that it used to be the home of a large creature, perhaps a bear, but it was now empty, nothing but dry brambles and withered leaves to be seen.
Dulce set down his travel bag and walked easily into the tall cave. It looked to be carved out of the earth, with trees and shrubs growing above it. He cleaned out the cave, pleased that the ground was stone, not earth; it made for a more comfortable camp, free of insects.
He took out the tent and laid it out flat on the ground as a cushion so they could sit with some comfort, starting a fire close to the wide entrance so that the cave wasn't filled with smoke.
When he was done, he stepped out to find Kath'tan standing in the same spot, his red hair bound with black leather. Dulce tried not to look at the Demon too closely, wary of him.
"I want to go hunt rabbits to roast over the fire," He informed the Fiend, silver blue eyes shifty. The wind had picked up in the woods, the smell of rain prominent in the air; it was only a matter of time before it began to fall.
Kath'tan walked past him to the cave, hunching over to get into the cave. The campfire brightened up the space inside the cave, the stone walls reflecting the warm light. He swept his gaze over the tent laid out like a blanket on the ground, walking over to sit on it.
He only sat still until the Vampire was gone, then he stepped out of the cave again, the wind blowing through his hair and clothes. He had spent all of his century of living in the city of Threnval, a city larger than many human kingdoms.
It was close to the Red Plains, so rains were scarce, and when they did fall, they were hued red like the sky. The only thing to be seen in Threnval was shades of red, the people, the skies, even the land and vegetation.
Earth had a lot more variety in color, the skies were blue, and the leaves on the trees were a deep green, varying in shade from tree to tree. The kaleidoscope of colors was jarring to his eyes, which were better suited to shades of red.
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Dulce easily found some wild rabbits, catching them was incredibly easy, the poor jumpy creatures no match for his superior speed.
While digging into their burrows, he stumbled into something he had been keeping an eye out for- wormwood. An important herb used in summoning rituals.
He was so excited by it that he let the rabbit slip past him, only for a moment, before he had the struggling animal in a hand, quieting it with a silver dagger to its neck.
He tied up the three wild rabbits he had found with a vine to make them easier to carry around, finding juniper bushes as he searched for a clearing to draw a summoning circle.
Fate seemed to be on his side because he stumbled onto a completely flat clearing, a strange sight in the woods rife with rocks and roots. Dulce didn't hesitate, he had very limited time. If the rain started to fall while he was still drawing up sigils, then he would have to give up for now.
The chalk couldn't possibly draw over soil, so he crushed it instead so he could sprinkle it on the ground in the right formation. It meant that he had to use more chalk but Dulce didn't plan to fail a second time, he wouldn't even mind using up all of his chalk to achieve his goal.
Fortunately, he had brought all the necessary items for a summoning, originally intending to show them to the witch in case she demanded them. He hadn't at all thought that he could perform another summoning so soon, beyond thrilled at how everything had worked out.
The wind blew through his hair, dislodging strands from his simple, low ponytail. Dulce paid no mind to it, completely focused on drawing the symbols. Fortunately, the chalk stayed in place, adhering to the soil. He carefully arranged crushed chalk, meticulously drawing every line and every stroke- he wouldn't make another mistake.
After placing the candles in the right positions, he realized how hasty he had been; if the candles were extinguished, it would put a halt to the ritual. Dulce looked around him, the wind blew periodically, the gusts blowing and going still.
His lips turned down, desperately wishing the wind would still for a short while. It seemed to listen to him, his hair going completely still- this wasn't impatient foolishness, the Hellhound would also be great for protecting him from Kath'tan's wrath.
He hastily lit the candles, he couldn't guarantee that the winds would remain still for the needed time. When the final candle in the middle was lit up, He hastily took out the well-carved silver knife that had been reduced to a hunting knife to kill the rabbits.
He cleaned the gleaming knife, although it was perfectly clean, making another gash over his wrist over the flickering candle flame. The flame grew, the sigils glowing, but that was the only change; there was no explosion, no Hellhound sitting in the summoning circle he had so meticulously drawn.
Dulce cautiously approached, frowning. Was it possible that adapting a different method sabotaged the summoning? He leaned even closer, peering into the wall of fire like it could give him the answers to the questions he had.
Without warning, the flame blackened and exploded, and although he knew it would happen, it caught him completely offguard, throwing him against the trunk of a tree, the glow of the summoning circle impossibly bright.