"I don't see anyone. Maybe they're inside?" Amelia wondered while looking at the entrance of the largest mountain in the forest.
The entrance to the mountain was so huge that it made them question if it was natural or man-made. However, with no one guarding it, the girls wondered if they were in the right location.
The girls were currently on a tree branch, far enough not to be spotted but close enough to observe anything happening near the entrance of the mountain, although nothing was happening at all.
"Even if there are guards inside, there should also be a guard on the outside. Perhaps it's a trap?" Anna said with a cautious look on her face.
"Not necessarily," Lilia said with her eyes closed in meditation. "Think about it. With an illusion covering this whole forest, there isn't really a need to guard the entrance of their base."
"When you put it that way, it makes sense," Amelia nodded.
Anna also nodded her head. What Lilia said was true; why waste time guarding the entrance of your home when there's an illusion making it invisible, even though the goal of the illusion cast on the forest wasn't to make it invisible.
Opening her eyes for a brief moment to observe the entrance, Lilia said, "I think that most, if not all, of the guards are absent."
"What makes you say so?" Anna inquired.
"The fact that no one attacked or at least tracked us down during or after our battle against the horde of monsters. I doubt the continuous waves of monsters attacking us the moment we entered this forest are a coincidence. It's probably a safety measure to kill or at least slow down invaders until the Night members get to their locations," Lilia explained.
"So there's no one here?" Anna wondered.
Lilia shook her head. "Unless they are complete idiots, there are probably some people left. But then again, it's not like they could predict that someone would break the illusion, enter the forest, and manage to survive the waves of monsters. So there might actually be no guards left."
"Still, I think there should be some guards left; otherwise, who will keep an eye on the abductees?" said Amelia with a shake of her head.
"They could always-"
Before she could finish, Anna felt a presence approaching from behind. Swiftly turning to observe in that direction, her daggers appeared in her hands. After a moment, she sighed in relief upon realizing that the approaching figure was Alex.
Leaping from another branch, Alex landed on the girls' branch and carefully set Cedrix down before anything else. The moment the old man touched the ground, he crouched down and began vomiting once again.
Turning to look at the girls, Alex raised his hand in greeting, but before he could say anything...
"What took you so long?" Lilia questioned.
Alex raised his hand and revealed the sleeping monkey, saying, "This is what took me so long."
"Oh, it's cute," commented Amelia while taking the monkey from Alex's hand.
Anna bent a little to observe the monkey, then nodded her head, "I also find it cute."
"No, this bastard is anything but cute," Alex snorted.
"What happened?" Lilia wondered.
"Well, after you left...." Alex narrated everything that happened, from the chase to his battle against the monkey.
"None of it would have happened if you hadn't been greedy," Lilia commented with a serious expression.
"I know, I know, but there was no way I would leave all those cores without trying to get some of them," Alex sighed as he leaned against the tree's trunk.
"What do you intend to do with it?" Lilia wondered, pointing to the monkey.
"I haven't decided yet, maybe leave it in the hands of Scarlett; she might discover something-"
"Absolutely not!" Amelia exclaimed. "I won't let you pass this cutie to Scarlett! That girl is capable of dissecting it or running weird tests on it."
Alex's lips twitched hearing Amelia's words, "this 'cutie,' as you say, is a dangerous level 5 monster; it's not a pet."
"Still, I won't allow you!" Amelia hugged the monkey protectively and stared at Alex with a fierce expression.
"I—sigh, we will settle it later." Alex turned to Cedrix, who seemed to be regaining his bearings after emptying his stomach for the second time today. "Your daughter is here?!"
Cedrix nodded, "Yes, I can feel her presence emanating from this mountain."
"So, how do we solve this, the frontal way or-"
"I'd rather us find another way. We just came out of a battle and aren't at our peak form. We should think of a way to save Cedrix's daughter without fighting," Lilia stated.
"So, an extraction mission?" Anna demanded confirmation.
"Yeah, that would be better," Lilia nodded.
"Then I will be the one going" Anna volunteered with a determined expression.
"No, I will go, I-" Before Alex could finish his sentence, Anna raised her hand to stop him.
"I will go. My ability is more suited for this kind of mission than yours," Anna declared in a tone that left no room for argument.
Looking into her firm eyes, Alex sighed. Truth be told, he also knew that Anna's ability was better suited than his own for this kind of mission. Even if the factor of 'ability' wasn't taken into account, she was still better suited than him; she had been trained for this kind of mission, after all.
'Hell, even her clothes are more fitting for this mission than mine,' Alex chuckled internally as he observed Anna's jet-black attire that seemed to be made of sleek, durable fabric designed for stealth and agility.
In their group, there was no one better than her for this, but he still hesitated about letting her be the one to infiltrate the Night group base.
Just from the illusion, Alex understood that the Night group wasn't as simple as it seemed, and he didn't want to send one of his wives into their clutches, especially since Anna was the weakest among them in terms of level.
However, being a former soldier, Alex understood that sometimes it was better to set aside one's emotions and make the logical decision. In this case, sending Anna to retrieve Cedrix's daughter was the most logical decision. That's why he didn't try to convince her not to go anymore. Instead, he walked to her, took her hands, and placed something in them.
"If there is anything weird going on there, let us know, and we will immediately come," he said with a solemn tone.
Anna glanced at what he placed in her hands and witnessed a white paper that exuded a mystical aura with some symbols written on it in something that looked like blood.
Her eyes widened a little, "Is it..."
"Yes, it's a talisman, specifically a communication one," Alex confirmed, addressing the thoughts swirling in Anna's mind.
"How did you manage to get your hands on something like that?" Anna wondered in disbelief.
Talismans were crafted by witches, and much like anything created by those money-sucking beings, they cost an arm and a leg just to obtain one.
There are various types of talismans depending on the purpose, and the cost depends on the kind you desire. In comparison, a communication talisman, like the one Alex had given to Anna, wasn't excessively costly, but it still exceeded Alex's current pay grade. That's why not only Anna but all the girls were stunned when Alex pulled out such an item.
"Hehe, your husband is amazing, right?" Alex smiled proudly.
Anna nodded in agreement, her eyes glowing in awe as she stared at Alex. Meanwhile, Lilia and Amelia snorted, certain that someone had gifted it to him, and they were right; Grace had given it to Alex when he went to inform her that they were leaving.
Ignoring the two bummers, Alex spoke to Anna, " as I said, if there is anything weird going on, let us know"
"Okay, I will do so," Anna said with a serious expression.
Alex kissed her on her forehead and took her in his arms in a tight hug. He didn't say anything, and neither did Anna. They just stayed in that position for a while before Anna finally stepped back.
"I will be going now, wish me luck."
***
There won't be a chapter tomorrow. Instead, I will be editing (rewriting in some cases) the first chapters. So, check them out if you have time tomorrow.
Almost forgot, leave suggestions for this chapter as a title, and I will choose the most fitting.