Seated among the machinery in his workshop, Edward let out a sigh, with tools and many gadgets surrounding him. The change in plans had caught him off guard, although he didn't mind.
Picking up the three profile documents of Eve, Vulcan, and Eliza, Edward made his way to his computer. Instead of doing a background check on them, his goal was to figure out their location.
Checking the details on the documents, Edward noted, "Their last known location was at that mansion. Let me check the security cameras from around that area." He accessed the CCTV cameras in the town they were in.
Edward observed the CCTV footage, he said, "There they are, walking so carefree. Let me fast forward; I wonder where their destination is."
Edward reviewed the surveillance footage, his eyes caught the sight of Eliza entering a car dealership, retrieving a red car.
As he saw the trio getting into the car, Edward noticed their departure, the car maneuvering onto the road and setting its course in the direction of Legis. "Now, let me cross-reference this with live footage to make sure there are no misunderstandings," Edward said as he switched to real-time surveillance.
"Looks like Alexander was right; these three seem to be heading to Legis after all. Although, he doesn't have proof they're going to stop us, this could simply be a coincidence." Edward said to himself.
"However, just in case, I'm going to send a spy drone to monitor their movements."
In the corner of his cluttered workspace, Edward barely noticed the other profile documents of the remaining three individuals apparently also attempting to stop the portals construction.
Edward, a hint of annoyance in his tone, muttered, "Oh right, "group B", I almost forgot about those other three. Hmph, I'm sure the spy drone I sent after them to give me a report soon." Edward leaned back in his chair, "With these spy drones, I'll keep tabs on all of them. No surprises for anyone."
Eventually, Edward stood up, "Well, I better hurry up and start working on the portal before Alexander gets impatient." He vanished using a teleportation device he had created.
"Man, what a fancy-ass mansion, although one too many roses for me. Kinda ruins it, to be honest," A man said, wearing a dark brown leather jacket. Underneath the jacket, he wore a black shirt, paired with jeans. His red eyes were behind sunglasses, and his brown hair, combed straight up, although his hair was generally messy.
"Hmm, I must admit, despite how boring this town was, I wasn't expecting to see a mansion here," another man commented, with short, stylish, dark blue hair. Silver eyes glinted behind his glasses, and he wore a brown jacket with a grey shirt underneath, wearing black jeans.
"Hey Mary, why don't you have a house like that. Aren't you from royalty?" The man with sunglasses kicked the driver's seat, grinning.
"Are you trying to get yourself thrown out of the car?" The woman called Mary, shot the man a scary smile, her eyes closed. She had short pink, wavy hair, green eyes, and wore a grey, sleeveless turtleneck that exposed her back. Despite this, it seemed comfortable. She also wore black leggings, and a red ribbon adorned the chest of her turtleneck.
Mary sighed, "besides, royalty or not, I prefer a simpler life. Extravagant things like that don't appeal to me, Simon." She continued driving, unfazed by Simon's teasing.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Simon replied with a nonchalant tone, as he lowered the car window. "Besides, how long will it take again before we get to Legis, Bard?" Resting his arm on the door, he gazed out.
"Did you forget already, Simon? It's going to take two days with the shortcut we're taking," the man with dark blue hair replied, adjusting his glasses with a single finger.
"Right, I remember, through that creepy ass forest. Is that even a good idea? I mean, just look at the weather. What if we crash into a tree or something?" Simon said.
"Is it that, or are you scared of the dark, Simon?" Mary smirked.
"Hah? Even if that were the case, with both our ornaments. The darkness is the least of our worries."
"He's not wrong, you know," Bard chimed in.
"Anyway, I see your concern, Simon. But we have to arrive as soon as possible in Legis; that's why we're taking the shortcut," Mary explained.
Simon sighed, a tone of amusement in his voice, "You're real lucky to have friends like us, Mary. I mean, who else would agree to this dangerous idea of yours?"
"I think you're over exaggerating, it's just a forest."
"I'm not talking about the forest; I'm talking regarding WWP and what you're planning to do at their headquarters, which you still haven't told us much about."
Mary leaned back in her seat, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "I told you already, didn't I? I have a mole working for them. Apparently, Alexander Gear is planning something that will have more devastating effects than what Priliorm could ever do."
"Yeah, you told us that, but there's a lot more you could tell us, right..?"
Mary drove quietly, thinking how to respond, however Bard chimed in yet again. "Nonetheless, you know Mary isn't one to do reckless or stupid things. The fact that she seems so serious suggest it must be important."
"Aside from driving into a forest when the dirt road might be muddy later on," Simon smirked, his tone becoming more nonchalant, "fine, fine, but I'm expecting a mansion once we're done with whatever you're planning, Mary. A little luxury wouldn't hurt, you know." Kicking the driver seat again.
Mary sighed, her eyes reflecting amusement . "Didn't I tell you that you'll be thrown out the ca—" She paused for a moment, then continued with a smile, "I'll see what I can do, but no promises."
"Good enough for me, more importantly though, is anyone else hungry? We barely ate anything since we left."
"Stopping for a few minutes to eat wouldn't be a bad idea, Mary," Bard said.
"Alright, I suppose we could make a brief stop at a restaurant," Mary giving into Simon's request.
After a few more minutes of driving , Mary spotted a charming restaurant alongside the road they were traveling on. The warm glow of its lights and inviting exterior hinted at a promising place to stop and enjoy a meal.
"Let's eat here," Mary suggested, pointing to the restaurant. "And look, there's a gas station not too far away."
"As long as they have something greasy, then it's okay for me," Simon said, about to get up, but Mary stopped him by tossing him the keys.
"I believe it's your turn to drive once we finish eating, you know. However, it might be better if you start now. Go fill up the car with gas; don't worry, I'll order something you'd typically like," Mary smirked.
Simon chuckled, "Yeah, don't bother. Knowing you, you'll probably order something like salad or soup for me." Taking the keys, he said, "I'll be right back."
As Mary and Bard stepped into the restaurant and found a table, Simon took the wheel and headed to the nearby gas station.
Simon pulled up to the gas station, grabbing the fuel nozzle to fill the car's tank with gas. Opposite from him, Simon noticed a beastkin filling her red car with gas. He couldn't help but think she was beautiful.
"Hmm, to be honest, Mary should've gotten a red car instead of a blue one," he thought to himself. "More importantly..." As he prepared to make his move and introduce himself to the beastkin, he noticed she was joined by two more people who seemed to be her friends: a small girl with blonde hair and a man, although Simon couldn't sense any kind of ornament within him.
"Ah, that's what I get for waiting so long, I better hurry, I'm sure Mary won't wait for me when she's done eating." Simon put the nozzle back into its place and drove to the restaurant.
Observing Mary as they sat down, Bard couldn't help but notice that she was holding her head as if it was hurting. Before he could say anything, Mary stood up and excused herself, grabbing her backpack and going into the bathroom.
Making sure there was no one inside the bathroom, she whispered, "Not right now; there are too many people here..." The inside of her backpack began faintly glowing, as if a concealed light was inside of it.
Mary's headache worsened, she clutched her head more tightly, staring into the mirror. "These damn voices... I'll talk with you later, master; I just can't now. Please understand..."
The faint glow from her backpack gradually faded, Mary felt a relief from the persistent headache, the discomfort easing away in sync with the fading light. Having spent a few more minutes in the bathroom, Mary managed to compose herself after the stinging headache, taking the time to fix her appearance. With a deep breath, she returned to the dining room, ready to rejoin Bard.
As Mary stepped back into the dining room, she immediately caught sight of Simon, who had made his way back in as well.
"Hmm, you haven't ordered anything yet, Mary? Don't tell me you were waiting for me," Simon smirked.
Mary chuckled, "Don't make me laugh, Simon. Let's order something before you start complaining about being hungry."
Bard looked at Mary with some concern because of her earlier headache, but soon his expression changed into a smile as he watched his friends tease each other.
Once they finished their delicious meal, the group made their way back to the car, continuing their journey to Legis.
After a two-hour drive, they eventually arrived at the edge of the dense forest. Its canopy stretched out before them, casting shadows over the single dirt road and adding to the already eerie atmosphere of the surroundings.
"Does anyone else think this is a good idea? We could easily take the main highway road to Legis, which is just right over there," Simon pointed out.
"Good idea or not, we have to get to Legis as soon as possible," Mary replied.
"Let's just get this over with, Simon. Who knows, we might even see a bear," Bard said, adding a hint of humor.
"You better hope that bear doesn't decide to come out if we happen to crash," Simon sighed, a tone of sarcasm in his voice.
As Simon stepped on the pedal, navigating the car into the mysterious forest, little did they know, a secret drone hovered silently above in the sky, monitoring their movements.