Well at first, but then...

"You sure about this?" Aqua was teasing Kazuma as they reached the territory the griffin and manticore were fighting over. "That bamboo gathering quest that showed up on the board today looked much easier, this isn't like you..."

"Yeah well, Darkness talked me into taking this one if it was still available, and I wasn't going to disappoint her after I had already agreed," Kazuma grunted, slightly regretting that agreement. "Besides, this one pays better, and will save me the effort of the usual Megumin wanting to blow something up after. It kills two birds with one stone. And with any luck, two monsters with one blast," he added, and a giddy looking Megumin nodded in agreement.

"I'm ready to play my part!" Darkness declared, currently wearing her armor... And on it, a makeshift vest of raw alligator meat from the quest from yesterday. They had too much to eat themselves anyway, and Darkness had come up with that idea to make herself an even more appealing target for the monsters.

"Remember the plan?" Kazuma asked.

"Yes, I find the griffin first, lure it over this way, and the moment the manticore hears the griffin, it should show up, and Megumin blasts us all!" Darkness replied, looking just as giddy as Megumin.

"...you sure you're durable enough for Megumin's Explosion?" Kazuma deadpanned.

"Oh, I can make sure of it!" Aqua declared, holding her hand out to Darkness. "Protection!" The spell hit Darkness, and Aqua cast it a few more times. "There, your defense should be boosted mightily now!"

"...it'll still hurt, right?" Darkness asked.

"With my Explosion, definitely," Megumin huffed, slightly insulted that was even a concern. With that, Darkness headed off in the direction the griffin was reportedly in. Before long, she was running back down into a valley in view of the group, the winged creature right on her tail.

The manticore showed up soon after, and Darkness got down the moment the two monsters started fighting. Kazuma was a bit creeped out by the human looking face of the manticore, but shook it off, and turned to Megumin. "Now or never."

Megumin nodded, a savage grin on her face, and quickly cast the spell down into the valley. KABOOM!

Kazuma picked Megumin up and gazed down as the light and smoke faded. There was Darkness, groaning happily as she was clearly scorched, as well as the mangled corpse of the manticore. Excellent... Except... Where was the griffin? He looked up in time to see the creature, burnt, damaged, but still very much alive, and looking EXTREMELY pissed off, flying right at him and Megumin, **** in its eyes.