He agrees to go

Shaking his head with regret and self-reproach, Ace smiled and said, "Sure."

"Then let's get going!" Venus loudly stated, walking towards her travelling pack.

Ace started, looking around in surprise. "Wait, what? You mean, you want to go to Regis right now? Right this very moment?"

"Of course." She replied. Rummaging through her belongings, Venus began selecting articles of clothing and tossing them onto the bed. A pair of comfortable travelling pants, a plain, woolen shirt, gloves, and her socks. She looked over to the open window, indicating the morning sun, and turned back to Ace, "We have cross several days of farmland and hilly ground to reach the city. So we need every minute of daylight. Come on."

Ace stuttered for a moment, mumbling something about getting something to eat and being on the road for hours, but when he noticed that Venus wasn't stopping, he shrugged his shoulders and got his things together.

A short while later, Ace and Venus were on the road together, clothed for the long trek to the capital city. The day passed uneventfully and in silence, as they traversed the well-worn roads that twisted their way towards the capital. It was looking to be like a dull and wearying trip, but then luck shone on them.

Several merchant caravans passed by them and they managed to hitch a ride on the last one, convincing the caravan leader to take them the rest of the way to Regis since it was on his trade route, which cut down their travelling time significantly.

To pay for their ride to the city and for food, both Venus and Ace contributed to the group. During the day, they worked as caravan guards to protect the merchants' wares. None of the people there were going to complain about having two Shadow Hunters to watch their backs, and after fending off two bandit attacks during the trip, everyone was very glad that Venus and Ace had signed on. In the evenings, while they were settling down for the night, the pair would entertain the caravan.

On some nights, Venus would dance for them. Her lithe and supple body twisted and spun by the light of the campfire as a flute played in the background and the onlookers stomped a beat with their boots. As her hips glided from one side to another, the men hooted and called out to her, begging her to come closer so they could grope her tits or waist, but she was never afraid of them. Whenever one of the men tried to get too friendly with Venus, either by fondling her bum or making sexual advances, Ace would show up and glare daggers at them. After seeing his skill with the blade, none of them challenged him and they quickly backed down.

On other nights, Ace played the storyteller. He regaled them with stories of terrifying monsters, gut-wrenchingly funny and bawdy songs, and epic legends of high and mighty heroes. The greatest of those stories, the one that they begged Ace to tell over and over again, was the tale of William and the lust demon Kalveroth.