As he stepped out of his hiding spot, the features of the three scouts entered Alden's gaze.
"Who's there?!"
The individual who uttered this had hair the colour of a roaring flame and eyes to match. Beside him, a blonde scout with captivating blue eyes turned to face Alden.
On the other side, a black-haired man with a menacing scar running down the length of his face did the same.
Alden sensed the red-haired scout's gaze scrutinise his appearance briefly, before locking onto that of his bond.
His skin crawled.
He inwardly frowned, very uncomfortable with the way the lookout was staring at Ignia.
…And it wasn't just one scout that was leering at his precious familiar that way, but all three.
An intense dissatisfaction roared to life in Alden's chest.
He wouldn't mind if they had been staring curiously. After all, phoenixes were a rare creature to bond with.
Unfortunately for them, however, Alden saw the fire of greed in their eyes from a mile away.
He cleared his throat, internally raising his guard.
The three scouts flinched.
The flame wielder - Alden logically presumed him to be the one with fiery hair - gave him an apologetic smile.
Alden suppressed the urge to shoot the red-haired scout a cold glance.
'Apologetic my foot! You immoral thieves.'
"What brings you here, Little Brother? Have you not heard? There have been an increasing number of Dryads sightings these days, it's not safe out here. Are you perhaps lost?"
Alden blinked at the barrage of questions.
He took a deep breath, resisting being rude to such two-faced people.
"I am indeed lost. I was separated from my party earlier today after a sudden ambush from a Defiled Djinn. Along the way, I was chased by a horde of Dryads."
Alden conveniently left out the fact that he had used another Defiled abomination to distract the nature spirits while he made his escape.
He observed the scouts sit up a little straighter. The way they looked at him also changed.
It was as if they no longer viewed him as a helpless young boy.
'Good.'
His little stunt had worked.
Hopefully, this would help dissuade the three adults from trying to steal his bond.
"I'm very sorry to hear that…"
The attractive blond paused mid-sentence.
Alden understood his intent.
"The name's Alden."
"... Alden. You did well to survive such a perilous situation."
As his gaze met the pleasant smile adorning Charmy's face, Alden felt his skin crawl for a second time.
He suppressed a shiver, merely nodding at the praise.
"Would you like to join our group for the last leg of the journey?"
Alden saw Scar look up from whetting his blade, his gaze and expression equally solemn.
Still wary, he mulled over the scout's proposal for a few seconds.
Even though they were probably a greedy bunch, Alden couldn't deny that there was safety in numbers. Especially out here in the Wilderness.
In addition, they probably had proper navigation equipment that would aid him in getting inside the Sanctuary much faster.
That was why Alden reluctantly accepted the offer even though he was paranoid.
Even as his gut churned with unease, he silently hoped the three scouts could keep their greed at bay.
***
"When should we make our move?"
Swifty asked his fellow scouts with a whisper.
His eyes flashed, a well of cunning in their depths.
The strange young man and his bond lay asleep on the other side of the camp. Swifty almost laughed seeing him engulf the small phoenix in a protective embrace. As if that would help shield the little creature from their nefarious schemes.
The scout resisted the urge to strike prematurely.
Instead, he looked toward Charmy and Scar, both of whom had the same wolfish glint in their gaze.
Swifty displayed a wicked grin.
"I say we wait until the last possible moment. His guard should instinctively drop when he's close to the Sanctuary."
Charmy's pleasant smile stretched.
"I agree."
Scar nodded, idly tracing the outline of his sleek blade.
His leisurely demeanour made it seem like success was already guaranteed and the rest was only a matter of formality.
Swifty inwardly shook his head, suppressing the urge to be rash.
"I'll take the first watch. You two get some rest."
He stood up with a silent groan and dusted his knees.
Staring at the newcomer with boundless greed, Swifty couldn't wait to get his hands on the young bird.
***
Alden's eyelids fluttered open.
It took him a moment to gain his bearings, but when he did, an unconscious sigh of relief escaped his mouth.
Ignia was still safe and sound in his arms.
'Phew.'
Alden would not lie, he had thought the three scouts would use the opportunity when he was asleep to dispose of him and steal his bond. His paranoia only increased when they offered to keep watch and let him sleep.
Alden was going to protest when he discovered his eyelids turning heavy.
The young man realised then that he had experienced a lot in just one day. From getting separated from Celeste, being chased by a horde of angry nature spirits, saving a baby phoenix from a defiled leopard, swallowing a beast core, receiving a vision of his future self advising him not to trust the Asterons… and so much more.
All those experiences caused him to be worn out, both mentally, physically and emotionally.
His body desired some rest.
Unable to resist the call of sleep, the only action Alden could take to protect Ignia was to keep her close and wrap her in his arms.
Thankfully, it seemed the scouts had some decency and left him alone.
'I still need to be wary, though. Who knows what they have planned? This could just be a ploy to get me to lower my guard.'
Alden had no plans to relax.
…Not until he was back within the Sanctuary, and back where there was an abundance of other people who could serve as potential witnesses.
Releasing a drowsy sigh, Alden shook his head to clear any last vestiges of sleep from his system.
"Finally awake?"
Alden turned his head.
He found Charmy staring at him with a pleasant smile.
He nodded silently, responding to the blonde's question.
"Good. We should be back in the Sanctuary by the afternoon."
Alden nodded once more, in no mood for an extensive conversation.
He inwardly frowned as he surveyed his surroundings.
The other two scouts were not in the camp.
Alden did not let his suspicion blind him too much. They were probably off having a private moment to relieve themselves somewhere in the brush.
'That reminds me…'
Alden felt the urge to pass water grow.
He grimaced.
Nature was calling.
And quickly at that.