With the exit being different, the following surroundings were bound to be different and unfamiliar. Craig had simply rushed into the forest to avoid any conflict with the psychopathic Eric. Now that they had gotten away from him, he was lost for proper directions.
"I know where we are." Maeli stated, looking around. "This forest is roughly east of Greenwich. I'm not certain of our exact location but looking at the sun if we go that way we should reach the main road eventually." She pointed in a certain direction.
"Alright then." Craig nodded. "We should get back as fast as we can." At the same time his stomach let out a loud rumble. "Grrrrrrr." "We should also find something to eat just as fast." He cried. It had a been a long time since he'd eaten anything. Not to mention all the ordeals his body had been through it would be strange if there weren't a lack of energy.
"What are you going to do with her?" Maeli asked, tilting her head towards his hand. She didn't know what the agreement was between the two of them or anything for that matter. All she surmised was that he seemed to depend highly on her for assistance with magical things.
"She'll decide what she wants to do when she wakes up. For now she needs to rest in order to recover her mana." As he said this he looked at his torn up clothing, trying to figure out a place he could put her. He might as well just tie her to his shoulder again, he thought.
"Hand her over." Maeli commanded, noticing his intention. She took her from his palms and gently placed her between her beasts. She violated her with no hesitation as if it was only natural.
Craig couldn't help but sigh as he witnessed the scene. "How I wish I was a tiny wisp." His eyes glowed with Zeal as he stared at her chest.
Maeli cast him piercing glance then began leading the way. "Keep your disgusting thoughts to yourself."
Craig followed after her. "Oh so it's disgusting if I laid in your breasts but not her?"
Maeli ignored his ridiculous question.
And so, the return journey to the Bamboo Forest began.
***
A group of horseman being led by General Lius approached a thick grove of bamboo trees. There were five of them in total, riding five horses. They were all donned in imperial armour and carrying weapons.
General Lius, donned a golden armour with a large sword across his back. The sword's width was quite large, being nearly the Length of its handle, making it stand out in a unique way. Lius looked at the man to his right and asked, "I hope this is the right Bamboo forest?"
In their search for Asclepius, they had gathered any information they could find in relation to him. Eventually they heard word of him residing in a bamboo forest somewhere on the outskirts of the kingdom. The tricky thing was that there were over a dozen bamboo forests scattered throughout, and they didn't know exactly which one.
The man nodded. "There's no mistake this time sir. This is definitely where Asclepius lives. Some villagers nearby attest that a doctor resides in this bamboo forest." He explained confidently.
Lius hummed doubtfully. "Stay here, I'll go in alone." He commanded as he dismounted from his horse. He didn't feel the need to have anyone else with him. The only reason he had brought men along was to have them gather information in his stead.
"But sir..." The man tried to reason with Lius but one cold look from him and he immediately shut his mouth. He knew Lius's character very well. Once he made up his mind there was no changing it.
"This won't take long." Lius said as he entered the Bamboo Forest.
Inside the Bamboo Forest outside the entrance to the Main hut, Asclepius and Andre stood having a discussion.
"There's five of them all on horses. What do we do father?" Andre asked nervously. He had rigged the surroundings with many alert beacons. A few of them were triggered leading him to discover the arrival of Lius and the others. Knowing they were once on the Imperials hit list, he had justification to be nervous.
"Relax boy." Asclepius cast him stern gaze. "If they were here to cause us harm we would have been surrounded. Plus, we don't have targets on our backs anymore. If my guess is correct, they need my help with something." His expression was as plain and easygoing as usual.
Andre controlled his breathing and calmed himself. "Would they really seek the help of someone they banished?" He asked doubtfully.
"They make the laws, unmake the laws and break the laws. Who can tell them otherwise. A simple banishment is nothing worth mentioning." Asclepius kept his eyes locked on the main entrance as he spoke.
Soon, a tough looking bald headed man wearing golden armour walked through. He had a mighty disposition that seemed to make the plants bow to him as he approached them. With his arms folded behind his back, his eyes roamed the surroundings as he approached. He came to a stop a short distance away from Asclepius, his gaze locked onto him with a piercing intensity.
Asclepius locked sights with him, remaining unfazed and silent. His expression didn't change in the slightest.
Andre stood to the side, feeling an intense pressure from the tense atmosphere. Of course, the pressure he felt wasn't coming from his father. It all came from the disposition Luis carried himself with.
After a short moment, Luis chuckled with a light smile. "Ever the valiant man ay Asclepius. You haven't changed one bit after all these years."
"It's good to see you're alive and well, General." Asclepius replied. "To what do I owe this sudden visit of yours. I don't recall causing any trouble anytime recently." He didn't try to have any casual, unnecessary conversation and got straight to the the point. After all, if he had to look at things critically, then he was speaking with his enemy.
Lius laughed through his nose, letting out a single breath. He could feel the enmity in Asclepius's words. It was obvious a casual conversation was out of the question so he got to the point. "I am here on behalf of his majesty, the king. He has requested that I seek you out and bring you to him. I shouldn't have to explain why he needs to see you." A cold glint flashed through his eyes as he said the final sentence.
Asclepius remained as calm as ever with his gaze fixed onto Lius. After a moment of silent pondering he shook his head. "I am no longer at the King's beck and call as you should know best. I shouldn't have to explain why that is to you."
Lius's fake smile was beginning to falter. In fact he didn't even try to maintain it and just let his face sink downward. "Am I to assume that you're refusing an invitation from the King?" His tone had deepened into a cold and threatening state.
"Am I to assume that I'm capable of entering the capital city? I don't seem to recall ever regaining that liberty." Asclepius countered.
Whoosh!
Lius's anger got the best of him and he grabbed the handle of his sword near his neck, causing an outburst of wind to scatter throughout the vicinity like a small hurricane. His lips twitched as he trembled, struggling to keep his emotions in check. Eventually, he took in a deep breath and let go of the handle, lowering his hand.
He forced a smile, "I seem to have forgotten that you excel in diplomatic relations and negotiation." slightly tilting his head to each side and looking around he said, "Such a peaceful life you've made for yourself here. I truly envy you in that regard. I hope it can remain this way for the remainder of your life." He turned around after saying this and started walking away. "I'll be waiting outside. Gather what you need and make it quick." He suddenly stopped and tilted his head to the side. "The king is dying." Then he continued walking away.
'The king is dying.' That sentence echoed in Asclepius's mind. For the very first time there was a small change in Asclepius's expression as his eyes narrowed slightly. Whatever crossed his mind must've really been something. He looked at Andre, "Come with me for a moment."
They both entered the main hut together, shutting the door behind them.
***
A few hours after midday, Craig and Maeli arrived at the border of the Eldenwood Forest. It had taken them quite a bit of time to get back there, but they had finally arrived at their first checkpoint.
Craig sat and leaned against the stem of a large tree as he exhaled deeply. He was tired beyond explanation. The only thing that kept him going this long was the rabbit they had caught and eaten along the way and probably some effect from the Divine Lotus. He couldn't wait to take a proper bath, a proper rest and put on a proper change of clothes.
Maeli leaned against a tree with her eyes closed, calming her rapid breaths as her chest rose up and down. She too was exhausted and wanted nothing more than a proper rest.
Glowmyth was still tucked in her breasts unconsciously recuperating. It was taking much longer than usual for her to recover due to the over exhaustion of her body. She remained sound asleep, like a newborn baby after a meal.
Along the way, Craig had practically summarised the events that unfolded after he fell to Maeli. He described the cave, gave an exaggerated recount of his battle with the Death Weaver, explained what he had seen in the mysterious laboratory, and had given an altered explanation of what happened in the ruins. Basically, he had left out anything relating to the Divine Lotus and replaced it with 'the fairies helped.'
Maeli had been shocked several times, feeling that Craig's tale was nothing short of incredible to say the least. What caught her attention the most was the strange laboratory with the infants in cylindrical containers. She felt disturbed and disgusted and swore to explain everything to the princess. She couldn't believe that the king would go so far as to experiment on infants and knowing that Eric had a part to play in it made her stomach turn.
Craig had also mentioned the turmoil that the land would be facing soon and stated that he was supposedly a prime factor in the result of the future, good or bad.
Maeli didn't know what to think about his claim. She believed that the land of Terramis would soon be turned upside down but she doubted that a single human nobody could have any great impact on the big picture. In a nutshell, she felt that Craig would be useless in such a large scale conflict.
After they had rested for while and regained their stamina, they were ready to move out once again. At approximately the same time, Glowmyth had regained consciousness and woken up, full of energy.
As she woke up and stretched her arms from deep relaxation, she was pleased when her hands dropped onto the soft pillowy bedding around her. She squeezed a few times, enjoying the cotton-like heavenly comfort. It was only a moment later that she focused and realized where she was and what she had been caressing with her tiny hands. Looking to the left, to the right and downward, she realized, "These are... BREASTS!" Her eyes widened as she forced herself out of the bewitching deadlock and flew into the sky, looking down at Maeli with a stupified look.
Looking at her, Maeli was confused. Although she had felt the tiny touching and groping, she couldn't understand what Glowmyth was saying so she hadn't heard her scream the word 'Breasts.' She could only make out the look of horror and embarrassment on her face which gave her an idea of what she was thinking.
Craig however, heard loud and clear and couldn't stop himself from laughing at the scene. "You should feel honoured little fairy. I'm sure that was the best sleep of your entire life." He teased.