"Sir, should we enter the forest being protected by the elven people?" A knight asked, choosing his words carefully.
"Yes, we'll be entering the forest. They're in there. I'm sure of it." Lawrence said confidently.
"But, sir! The forest—"
"Are you defying my orders...? What do you think would happen if they find out that that monster escaped?" Lawrence asked, cutting the knight off.
"I understand, sir... We'll do as you say." The knight saluted.
The other knights saluted as well. Lawrence entered the forest first. The other few dozens of knights followed Lawrence.
...
"We've arrived. It says the city is here. I won't even question the map anymore. It's got to be somewhere around here...!" Rem concluded, searching for the elven city.
Suddenly, Rem sensed many arrows coming towards them. She grabbed Alex and dodged the arrows effortlessly. Roy did the same. His human fingernails became longer and sharper. He charged at the people who shot the arrows at them, putting his dangerous nails right next to a person's neck. Rem looked up, seeing elves on the tree branches.
'They're elves...?'
"Roy, leave them," Rem ordered.
Roy reluctantly let go of the elf he held captive, jumping back down, next to Rem's side.
"Attacking us without saying anything beforehand is quite rude. Anyways, we're not here to hurt you." Rem claimed, raising both of her hands up.
She spoke in the language elves speak. Some of the elves were surprised that Rem could speak their language while others looked at her suspiciously. The elves looked at each other. The leader of these elves raised one of his hands, gesturing them to stop the attack. He showed himself, standing in front of Rem.
"How can you speak our language?" The leader asked.
"I'm friends with an elf. She taught me how to speak the elven language." Rem lied, facing the leader.
The leader seemed bewildered by Rem's response.
"I'll forget about your attack. Can you bring me to the elven kingdom?" Rem asked.
"No, outsiders aren't allowed inside. Especially humans." The leader said sternly.
"We're not humans." Rem replied, causing the leader to become even more confused.
He was skeptical of Rem because he could only see a human aura around the three outsiders.
"You don't seem to believe me. We're hiding our real forms... Well, I'll simply show you." Rem decided, getting rid of her disguise skill that was applied to Roy and Alex.
Roy nodded, shifting into his dragon form. Then, Rem shifted into her monster form, shocking everyone.
"This is the first time I've seen a dragon!" Someone said loudly.
"It's such an honor to see a dragon in my lifetime!!!" Another one yelled happily.
"If the dragon trusts these people, that means they're safe." Someone claimed.
The leader's eyes widened. He bowed down at the dragon before him.
"It's an honor to meet your presence." The leader bowed.
Roy couldn't understand what the elves were saying. Neither could Alex. Rem shifted back to her human form, so she could speak.
"He doesn't understand the elven language. He's still a young dragon." Rem exclaimed.
"I understand. We'll guide you inside immediately." The leader said in a hurry, guiding them inside their kingdom.
Roy shifted to his human form. Rem, Roy, and Alex followed the leader as the other elves followed them from behind.
"Outsiders cannot see the path to our kingdom. That's the reason why they usually get lost. Our kingdom isn't far from here." The leader claimed.
They passed many trees. After a while, the trees began to emit more powerful, outstanding auras. There were many vines, and the trees began to look larger. All of a sudden, the vines and trees began to move, creating a path for them to walk through.
"Wow... That's so cool!" Alex said, looking at the moving vines and trees.
"Yes, it is." Rem replied.
They arrived at the elven kingdom after a little more walking. There weren't any walls. The trees and vines were the ones that are keeping the kingdom hidden and safe.
"We have arrived." The leader announced.
The kingdom is filled with life. There were trees, plants, and other living organisms living there. The kingdom was enormous.
"Halt! Who are they?" An elf wearing armor asked, pointing his sword at Rem, Roy, and Alex.
"They're special guests. This great being right here is a dragon. The ones next to him are his companions. Put your blade down this instant." The leader ordered.
The elven knight put down his sword.
"I sincerely apologize for my rudeness." The knight bowed politely.
Bystanders just stared at the outsiders. Some were glaring while others were curious about who they were.
"The King wants to meet Sir Bernard and the three outsiders. It's an order. Please, follow me." One of the knights with a slightly different designed armor on said.
"Understood." The leader, Bernard began o follow the knight.
'As I expected, this isn't easy... I'll have to gain their trust first.'
Rem, Roy, and Alex followed them. Although Alex was tired from all the walking, he refused to say anything because if he did, people would think he's weak.
...
"As all of you know, we are in the elven territory. Be extra careful. Unfortunately, we can't find the elven kingdom by using birds or by flying since you can't see the kingdom unless you get extremely close to it. This forest is like a maze, so if any of you die, we're going to leave you here." Lawrence said in a serious tone.
The other knights were already used to how strict, cold, and cruel Lawrence is. Many of their deceased comrades have died in battle. The older knights knew how stubborn Lawrence is. Once he's determined to do something, he would never give up.
"All of you, we're going to split into 5 equal groups with 10 people in each group. There are 50 of us, including myself." Lawrence assigned the groups quickly in an organized way.
"Throw this green device into the sky if you've found the monster. Throw the red one if you're in danger and need help. Understood?" Lawrence asked, loud enough for them to hear.
"Yes, Sir!" The knights all said together.
The groups carried on in all directions, searching for the monster.
'No matter what, I'll bring that monster back. Hopefully, the wanted poster I created is all around Orthio City by now... If I can't manage to find and capture that monster by the end of this month, I'll have no choice but to have innocent people involved...!' Lawrence ran closer and closer towards the direction of the elven kingdom.