[A snake? Which stage?]
Leopold asked seriously, his eyes peered into the surrounding forest, trying to find traces of the magical beast.
[It fled, I gave him a whack in the head. I thought it was a medium ranked one, but it was just a wounded low rank.]
She took a few steps forward before explaining herself.
She gave a glance behind her shoulder at Oresus, a complex expression etched on her face. She could only see his figure but she was sure he was looking back at her.
[Hmm, let's warn the others to be more careful tonight. Come, let's go back, don't wander around on your own.]
Oresus followed behind them, hearing the whispers from Mys and Harmon loud and clear. They had already come to their own conclusion and it wouldn't be long before Kali's lie was exposed.
When they returned to the camp, Oresus went back to his current home, the carriage taken from Lingston town.
He was surprised to find Castiane and Maia standing outside the carriage.
Only to remember that he had put a talisman on the carriage's only door.
Castiane complained about the cold when they got in, only to shut up when he threw an extra blanket at her from his treasury chest.
He also offered one to Maia which she gratefully accepted. Only for her to ask a few moments later if she could bring it to Nectas who was sleeping on the driver's seat.
While Ocelio made himself comfortable in the carriage, Kali had a discussion in the forest with Leopold. The rest of the team were scattered around, guarding the surrounding, but they could still hear their angry leader's words.
[Now go back and sleep. Make sure you don't make the wrong decision. Remember that this isn't the first one trying to take advantage of you. Don't let us down.]
Kali went back to the camp with her head down. Countless thoughts seemed to occupy her mind.
When she entered the makeshift tent she made with branches and leaves, she lied down but didn't manage to sleep.
Suddenly, the sound of someone entering her tent startled her enough to draw her short sword from its sheath.
[Calm down, it's me, Mys.]
Mys sat in front of her, playing with strands of his curly golden hair. The tent was extremely small, which made it awkward to have a conversation in.
[So what's going on with you, why did you let him in?]
He spoke with a strange expression, pointing to his head with his finger.
[I didn't. I was just surprised. I know what to do.]
She answered coldly, looking at him with annoyance.
[So why did you come, only to question my actions?]
Mys smiled sheepishly, nodding his head.
[Well, we all have times when we have this feeling of loneliness, if it can prevent you from screwing up, I'm willing to sacrifice my body for one night. How about it, let me fuck you and tomorrow I promise you won't think of him anymore.]
[Get out!]
She shouted so loudly, the people near her tents woke up with a start. Even the guards patrolling around the camp unsheathed their weapon with an alarmed expression.
Only for them to snort coldly and return to their job when Mys got out of Kali's tent in haste.
The next day, when the first lights of dawn landed on the camp, they had just finished eating their morning ration and getting ready to leave.
For this journey, every minute of daylight was important, as the sooner they reached their destination, the more people would survive.
However, despite the urge of the warriors to quicken the pace, the crowd was nervous and fearful.
They were about to enter a dangerous forest. Who knew what danger laid inside, they had lived at the border of the forbidden forest all their lives, they were all terrified of what was hidden in the large expanse of wilderness.
[We will lead the way and protect you. Come, start walking!]
Oresus was at the back of the crowd, watching the irritated mercenaries give orders to the countless starving refugees.
He had already given his carriage to the warriors, allowing them to send the weakest people on the safer, but longer road that went around the forest. At that time, he had tasked Nectas to drive the carriage and bring it to the city in one piece. He wasn't willing at first, but under Oresus words of:
[I used my energy to save your life, are you going to let my sacrifice go to waste by walking yourself to death.]
Only then did the old man listen to him and left under the escort of a warrior.
The forest ahead had no road and the densely packed trees didn't allow a carriage to travel inside.
Despite the inconvenience and danger, taking the risk would shorten the journey by at least 2 months, so no one made any complaint.
The pace was slow and the march difficult, the numerous dark trees hindered people's sight and rain started falling a few hours after they delved deeper in the forest, making the ground wet and soggy.
They did not stop for lunch, the warriors forced them to eat while walking.
But it was a mistake as the smell of food and human mixed together lured many unwanted guests.
Maia and Castiane stood next to Oresus. As soon as he sensed the presence of numerous magical beasts nearby, he used a low-grade elusive talisman with a short area of effect to camouflage their presences.
Only, it didn't hide the people walking in front of him.
A group of 1st stage malevolent wind monkeys headed straight to the back of the human crowd, using branches to propel themselves and glide in the air.
Whenever they caught a human with their hand, they would disappear atop a tree to enjoy their food.
The powerless refugees had nowhere to run, the forest was their territory, they could lie down on the ground and hope the warriors would save them.
He noticed that different groups of magical beasts attacked different sides of the crowd. The warriors at the front were faced with a group of 1st stage brazen earth pigs, their bulky bodies and tough skin made it difficult for the warriors to kill them but it at least attracted the beast's attention.
At the moment, he noticed a one-meter grey monkey jumping above them, seemingly aiming for the person crouching right in front of them, when a punch made of aura came crashing on his body, making his spin in the air before falling dead on the ground.
Oresus gave a glance at the wild elf standing by his side. She grinned widely at the spectacle of blood and gore happening in front of them.
[I'm going to exercise for a bit.]
Saying so, she rushed up a tree, punching and kicking at the monkey who glided between trees.
[What a brutish girl, are all elves violent?]
He asked to no one in particular, but Maia seemed to take this question seriously. Even at noon, when the group continued their march in the forest, Maia was still deep in thought, occasionally glancing at Castiane's feet and arms.
It was during the night, when Oresus was about to meditate that she gave him her answer.
[Young master, I'm not sure but I think elves have skinny robust limbs that grant them better strength than us, they are faster too. They must all like fighting very much.]
Oresus didn't seem to understand what she was saying. Castiane nodded with a smile, satisfied with her words.
The journey continued in the same way during the next few days, the magical beasts attacked several times each day, only to flee after successfully catching a person in their maw.
The 1st-grade magical beasts possessed some wisdom and only used the hit and run strategy to avoid fighting the warriors and waste their energy.
The mercenaries could not do anything, the crowd was too big, there weren't enough warriors to cover all angles.
It took them three weeks to traverse the forest, during which they had lost one hundred and twenty lives to the magical beast's attacks.
The group had shrunk considerably the day before when a middle-rank 3rd stage hound magical beast and his pack slaughtered their way in.
The mercenaries were powerless in front of such a high ranked magical beast, suffering their first losses among their ranks since the beginning of the journey.
The pack only left when they were satisfied.
Even now, the mercenaries were still terrified each night when they tried to sleep, they all held their weapon close to them, always ready to fend any creature that would venture near their tents.
The next day, it was snowing when they managed to leave the forest. A long meadow that extended beyond sight laid before them. After traversing it, they would be able to reach a village where they could get supplied with food and clothes.
But the meadow wasn't without its danger. The survivors left the forest relieved, only for them to realise that travelling with such a powerless crowd would only serve to feed the wild magical beasts.
They had lost nearly 50 people in that meadow, mostly children taken away from cunning hyenas. Those beasts were both smart and fast, their bloodline and attunement to the elements made it very hard to spot them before they attacked.
Through the journey in the meadow, the mercenaries had killed several dozens of them, but more would always come, driven by the smell of flesh and blood.
When the reached the proximity of the village, the convoy stopped at the entrance. Only a few warriors and merchants would enter or else it would scare off the villagers, which wouldn't serve their interest in buying their goods.
After negotiation, the merchants managed to buy the fruits and vegetables that were growing on a few agricultural fields. They grew on plants and weren't ripe yet, but people were already starving so they still picked them up. However, the amount of food was nowhere enough to feed the two hundred refugees. It was winter and food was already scarce in the wilderness. If they couldn't reach the city in time, they risked dying of hunger.
They were getting near the central part of the region, they only had to cross one last forest, and walk for a few days to reach the regional city-state. They had lost half of their group during the journey but their eyes still glowed with the hope that they would survive and rebuild their lives in the city.
Oresus did not fight through the journey, He would only observe his surroundings every day using his spiritual sense.
Castiane was different, she would kill the magical beasts whenever they were within reach, even taking the decision to attack them to protect the people who had shared their food with her, thinking she was an old woman.
After seeing her strength, she had gained quite a reputation in the group of refugees. But she didn't seem to care and often chatted with some of them whenever she was bored.
When it was time for meals, Oresus often used his spiritual sense to seek Kali's location.
It seemed she was always sent on scouting missions far ahead of the group so he did not have the chance to see her these few weeks.
On the other hand, Harmon and Poliadas would often come to him to share their food or just provide news regarding the progress of the journey and how close they were to reach the city. They were confident and seemed cheerful at the prospect of reaching it, constantly joking about what they would do when they arrived, and how Oresus should join them for a meal or for a visit to the popular brothel with them.