After over half a day of travel, the caravan had decided to stop for a break, letting the horses rest. The towns people, had their own circle, chattering and joking around; while the soldiers had theirs. The atmosphere was cheery and lively, filled with laughter in the air.
"-And when the giant wolf jumped out of the bushes, Ryan screamed and jumped up a tree! It was hilarious, I tell ya!" The adult hunters were telling stories around the fire to entertain the group of people. This particular story was about one of their more recent hunts where a newbie that joined the hunting group was nearly scared to death by one of the tamed wolves of the village.
The crowd burst into laughter, slapping their thighs and laughing their lungs out. The said Ryan just grunted and bit off a chuck of meat from the barbeque he was having. Normally, he was full of pride, flirting with young ladies and having the time of his life, but that particular experience had damaged his pride.
Noticing his glum mood, a young lady stood up from her perch among her friends and made her way over to him. Having caught sight of her, Ryan peeked up at her, paying close attention.
The fire painted her blonde hair a deep golden, her smile showed finely placed dimples on her cheeks, and her fair skin exposed the light dusting of freckles over her nose.
"Feeling a little down, Ry?" She asked, sitting down next to him.
"It's nothing, Suzy." He turned his face the other way, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Of all people that could come to bother him now, he least expected Suzy, the lady he had eyes on.
"Don't act all stuck up, Ry. We're just joking around." She chuckled and nudged his side with her elbow. "Here, have a bite." She stretched out a stick that had an assortment of meat and vegetables hanging off it.
"I can't take that, it's yours." He pushed her hands away.
She laughed again. "That's why I'm giving it to you, you dork. Have a bite." She urged, pushing in into his mouth. Reluctantly, Ryan took a bite ad gave her a smile. "See? Tastes good, doesn't it?"
"Mhm..." He mumbled around the piece of meat stuffed into his mouth. She grinned at him before leaning against his side. Ryan's brows shot up before he gave her a goofy smile, slinging an arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer.
...
In the middle of the forest beside Kai's hometown, a sudden swirl of wind kicked up dust and dead leaves, drawing the attention of the nearby wild life. Within that swirl of dust, a rip in the fabric of space appeared, growing wider by the second. It finally stopped growing at the height of three meters. From within it, several robed figures stepped out, gracing the backwards world with their graceful auras.
From within that group of robed figures, three of them were of the Lord class. They took the mission of the retrieval of Kasuyi's Inheritance as a mission of utmost importance. The resources it took to cultivate a single Lord class powerhouse was substantial, not to mention three. That was just counting those that took part in this mission, not including those that were reserved.
Of those three Lord class powerhouses, one was built like a giant, standing at the height of 2.5 meters. His race was an offshoot of the Giant race, adopting the name of Titans. This individual was the leader of the current mission.
"We've arrived, but it seems we were a bit too late." The Titan murmured under his breath. His hand reached into the endless darkness that veiled his face to stroke his chin. "Law, Fay, the both of you should search around for clues. I'll head to the village the Lantern directed us to. Contact me as soon as you find them."
"Alright." Law replied simply. He was a lanky man, unremarkable by all means. He turned to look at Fay before nodding. At once, a breeze drifted through the trees, wrapping around the both of them as they literally faded into the air.
The Titan merely watched, before walking into the darkness of the night.
.....
A gentle breeze blew between the tents, rustling leaves and swaying branches.
'Gonzuk, we've found them.' Law and Fay were currently situated on a high branch, studying the encampment of Imperial Soldiers below them.
'Good, I'll be there soon. Feel free to engage.' The Titan replied back to them on their mind link.
'Roger...' Fay cast a glance at Law before hopping down from the branch, letting the wind carry her silently through the night. She quietly snuck to the edge of the encampment, setting up a perimeter of rune stones to enhance her magic. After setting them around the camp, she sat down, cross legged and began murmuring to herself.
Seeing this, Law began to cast his own spell. With a few gestures and low whispers, a light fog began to spread out from his body, running down the length of the tree and spreading down. It moved between the tents, slipping in through the flaps. With the enhancements from the runes Fay had placed, his spell was much more effective.
Not long after, the sound of groaning and grunts of pain could be heard. The fog was slowly twisting its way around the throats of the soldiers, making sure to put them out of commission, for good.