Chapter 20
The Request
Part 4A
Amran's point of view
"Then, let's go." Ajbadan said that and started to move: "Raco, keep the rearguard for now, and remember, our first priority is to protect our guests, we will not attack unless we are attacked first. Is that clear?" It was the same formation that we have been doing so far, and nothing changed. Heading towards danger to collect information was the best option we had at the time, although whether it was wrong or correct, I didn't object to it and didn't see a reason to. Maybe for a second, I thought to ask Ajbadan to go and check by himself since we don't know the level of danger we may face. Still, I didn't worry much or feel any fear or something like that at that time, believing that with this strange system, I would be able to handle most of what we may encounter.
The distance was not that far to reach wherever we were going to maybe a few more minutes and we will be there, and I will be able to see my first fight in this world. "Waw, an alien fight. I wonder what they are going to use?" Actually, this was not my first. I remembered my first day in this world, the fight between Raco and beasts. I tend to immerse myself in thoughts without considering the situation that I am in at the moment, at least that was what I tend to do recently, because at the instant I had a feeling that suddenly woke me up from my thought, and at the same time the statues screen poped up in front of me with a few new lines of information added to the previous ones.
{Insight skill has been activated}
Name of the Skill:- Insight
Skill Level: 1
Skill Description:-
{Just like if you have an extra eye that can see what you can't see normally, insight enables you to discover whatever is going on around you. You can't see exactly, but you will know what is coming; simply no one can sneak behind you while this skill is active.}
Skill Duration: Twenty seconds
{Skill can be upgraded by continuing usage}.
I guess the skills here can activate themselves without any command from my side. Of course, it's not something that I made I was just given it, so for sure, whomever gave it to me is able to control it also. Anyway, the skill showed me what appeared to be another group of people going towards the same location that we are heading to, but the path they are walking on will make us cross paths with them in less than a minute. I can't explain the way or how it happened, but I could tell that for people coming towards us, the other thing I didn't feel any hostility coming from them. As expected, Ajbadan was the second one to notice the change. I don't know how or what he felt or knew, but his gaze was focused on the same location I sensed the four people coming from.
He looked at me in a way that looked like he was confirming something. I guess he noticed my action the way I noticed his. Without giving it much thought, I nodded and said, "Four people are coming; they are heading toward the same place we are going to. The only one who reacted to what I said was Raco. You could see the surprise on his face while looking at me, but he didn't say anything back. We continued walking, but cautiously now, since we don't know what to expect except from this new company we are going to encounter at any moment.
It didn't take more than a few seconds for me to see them clearly, although the distance was not that far to begin with. But with this dense forest that always there is something that is hindering your sight and movement, it was strange to see the four men, or accurately, three men and a young boy, and without any doubt they were all looking towards me like they could see me the same way that I can see them. Still, they didn't hesitate or even reduce their speed. My thought as usual was going through a lot of things, like who they are. What are they doing here? At the same time, thinking about this strange skill that enables me to see something I would normally not be able to see unless using some other means, "So is this what is called magic?" For some reason, I became obsessed with this interface and the skills and attributes that I have been given.
The group of four men was being led by a middle-aged man. Since I was a kid, everyone who was older than me used to appear to me like an old man, but in this world I came to understand the meaning of age. When my thought reached that part, I shook my head to drop whatever I was about to think of and concentrate on the situation at hand. As soon as we all stooped, the gunfire started once more, but now it was so loud that we could feel it not even further than a one-minute walk. If it were an empty space, we would have been able to see everything.
But because of this forest, the visibility is very poor; no one can see anything more than a few meters of his surroundings. Maybe three seconds passed and everyone was looking at each other. The middle-aged man who was in front of everyone else nest to him half a step behind him was a man looking like he is in his late twenties who was attired in some type of uniform. I don't know what it is for nest to him appearing to be in his early twenties dressed in normal attire. The last one behind them all was the young boy approximately eleven years old. Based on the way he looked, I am not an expert on the ages of the alien beings in this world, but that is what I pictured in my mind.
Before anyone said anything, that was when suddenly Ajbadan knelt on one knee, placing his right hand on his chest, and said, "Greetings, your majesty, forgive us if we intruded in your land." It was something unexpected, both for Ajbadan to kneel for somebody and for a royalty to be in the forest in a situation that requires gunfire to be exchanged in the distance, but that actually could be an easy deduction from my end that all this is connected, but are we also included in this equation? Why am I jumping ahead of myself? I will come to know everything very soon, isn't it? I was asking that question to myself, but I was looking at the middle-aged man all that time because he was the only one who could be that his majesty, and of course it was because he was the one who spoke and said, "I guess there is no need for any introduction now, at least not right away; we are short on time; we can discuss all the details later on, but now we need to move,".
He paused for a second and said, "Please stand up; this is not my land. I guess I know who you are from the way you are dressed. I will try and explain everything later, but before we continue, I have a request for all of you. Will you accept?".
In my wildest dream, I never expected to be in a situation like this. Although it's not like a fantasy for me to expect to have a life full of adventure in another world, I know that I am the only one who knows the people behind the shadows who brought me my brother and Azmar here against our will and who have a plan for us. So the only question in mind now is: does this request have to do anything with why we are here? Is this man who was speaking with authority having anything to do with the people who kidnapped us?.