Chapter 294: Exposing The Hiding

The trees were silent, bare, and almost with hidden intentions. Their dark naked branches bowed as though greeting the moving people beneath them with their thorns. Over the treetops, one could see the sky slowly brightening yet cruelly dim. Nevertheless, it brought a sigh of relief from the lips of the men walking. They have survived the night unscathed. For a moment, they thought the gods had given mercy upon them. However, they know they would not have another chance of luck.

"Keep moving."

A voice, grating, and weary-sounding spoke. Flicking her platinum hair behind her shoulder with her spear, Ghana eyed their prisoners carefully. The tight grip around her spear never loosened even a bit. The grasp shaped her inner palms since last night, but she ignored it. Her cerulean eyes shifted to observed the woods, wondering if they would encounter some vicious creature. The silence last night made her increasingly uneasy. Would something jump at them now?

"Nothing will come out, miste- lady. The malibreeds roaming these woods wouldn't wake until late morning."

Ghana's gaze turned to the young man beside her, hands tied and stripped of his weapons. She raised a brow. "How are you so sure, kid?"

The boy was several inches shorter than her. He looked like he would break down, starving. He was as thin as a stick. The boy drew his brows together while turning away. "I've spent a few years in these woods."

"Ambushing people?"

There was a loud cough, and both of them were interrupted. This time the leader of the men spoke. There was an amused smile on his face.

"We do everything to live. It's not easy living in these wretched lands." He said with a voice almost lost.

Beside him, a young man with silver eyes glanced at him. The little snow-white fox sat on his shoulders, gazing at the treetops curiously. They have been walking since last night, occasionally stopping for short breaks before continuing their journey. There was no Shelter or Base near the outpost in Emlen's maps. These people explained that they didn't kill the survivors of the outpost. Instead, they were tasked to bring those people back to the city. They no longer know anything after handing them in.

Moulin recalled their conversations from several hours ago.

"It's a City governed by beastmen?" Moulin asked.

The bearded man nodded. "You wouldn't want to name them 'beastmen or orcs' in front of their faces, young man. They are not very kind to travelers like you."

"What are they?"

"Felines from Skilis Country. They have the blood of lions, and they're quite the carnivores. I wouldn't wonder about what happened to those friends of yours, nor do I want to..."

Moulin shut his eyes and let out a deep exhale. He shook his head, throwing the discussion to the back of his mind. There was no one else besides them who would rescue the men of the outpost. Whether they be dead or alive, Moulin and the rest would have to find out.

"That little creature on you..."

Moulin glanced at the man beside him. The bearded leader kept a grin as he observed Snow, who growled at him intimidatingly.

"I've never seen anything like it." He added. "Would catch a great price if you'd be selling them."

Moulin's eyes narrowed at the words, not liking any bit of it. He coldly responded, "He's never to be sold."

Snow bared his teeth. His silver eyes glowed with frightening intensity, much like the fearsome look of his master. The man closed his mouth as Moulin turned away. The little beast's tail swished like the sound of a whip cutting through the air.

"How far till we reach the waterfalls?" Jagra questioned. He trailed behind Moulin, trying to quicken his steps.

The bearded leader answered before Moulin could. "When you hear the sound of water, then it is near."

Suddenly, a series of howling noises filled the air. All of them stopped in their tracks. The howling was then followed by roars and screeches. Some of the men with Moulin faltered as they listened to the sounds. The malibreeds have awakened.

Moulin's eyes deepened. They must move quickly.

The group picked up the pace. None of them dared to speak a single word as they ventured through the woods. The beastly noise felt like hearing thunders, rumbling heavily over the gloom and the rising fear in their hearts. Perhaps, while they were hurriedly walking, there were ears hearing their quiet footsteps and noses catching their scent, triggering the hunger within those monsters. Are they lurking among the trees, amused by their fearful expressions? Moulin chose not to think. He concentrated on their path, hoping these men they've captured weren't leading them to another trap.

The young Aphrodite hoped all of them would arrive safely.

After a little while, the sound of rushing water finally entered their ears. Emlen's dark expression softened a bit as relief clouded inside his gut. The other felt similar. They turned and found a narrow pathway between two giant rocks. Hadrian paused shortly. He turned his head and stared at the people behind him. Moulin met his gaze, and he nodded, patiently waiting for him to continue.

Hadrian was suspicious. His eyes narrowed as he eyed the pathway. It was dark, and they couldn't see the interior. Feeling that they couldn't waste any more time, Hadrian had Kier lead the way, letting the golden-blood Beast inspect the pathways while they followed behind him. Each of their captives was made to walk in between two of his men. Through this, the thieves wouldn't be able to interact with each other while they travel through the cave.

Soon after, they were entering the dark cave. The ground was unusually damp and rocky. The air was warm and moist as it brushed their faces. The sound of water grew louder the deeper they went in. Until, finally they exited the cave, arriving in front of a small waterfall. An open hole gaped above them, revealing the listless sky.

Kier was already waiting behind the falls, not bothering the spray of water towards him.

They walked forward, carefully walking around the pool of water, holding on the edges of the wall of rocks around them. Moulin wore a serious face. The mist caressed his face delicately. The supple skin became moist and looked tender to be touched. While the men curiously examined his face, he was oblivious as he carefully stepped over wet rocks.

"What are you looking at?" Emlen was glaring at the others as he hurriedly pulled Moulin's forward.

Moulin blinked, "..!"

Moulin yelped when he bumped on Hadrian's back. The ground was too slippery.

"Be careful." Hadrian wrapped an arm around the young man's waist and brought him closer as they entered a little opening behind the waterfall.

Once they were inside, the bearded man rubbed his thumb and index finger and snapped.

The cave lit up in an instant. The torches that are embedded on the walls brightened with orange flames.

Moulin and the others faced the thief leader with their weapons drawn. Ghana moved swiftly and raised the tip of her spear to the man's neck, pressing on the pumping vein.

Ghana hissed, "You little-"

"Malibreeds cannot enter here. I assure you. This place is protected," The man said. His face is deadly serious as he forced himself to tilt his head upwards as the blade pressed deeper into his skin. "I am not going to fight against you."

"Lower your weapons."

Hadrian's deep voice echoed throughout the cave.

...

Slowly, all of them lowered their weapons hesitantly. The men exchanged glances, uncertain about the Lord's command.

Moulin took advantage of the silence to look around. There were a few large woven baskets placed against the rocky walls. Droplets fell the tiny stalactites from the ceiling, creating small puddles on the ground.

"What protects it?" Jagra asked the bearded man as he tucked the daggers in his clothes.

"The energy field of the portal." The man glanced at the place behind Hadrian and Moulin.

Turning his head, Moulin is welcomed with the sight of a gaping hole on the ground. The air seemed irregular around the mouth of the hole. Moulin could sense the same energy when he first used a portal a few days after his rebirth. With the portal under his silvery gaze, everything clicked together.

The reason the city could not be found on the map was that it wasn't even there in the first place. These men used this random portal to travel back and forth between their city and this forest. How did they even discover this portal? It's hidden deep within the inside of a waterfall.

"Listen, you seem like understanding people. From Helion, right?" The bearded man drew his brows together. "I think we can negotiate-"

"You're in no position to negotiate." Ghana scowled.

"I know where your people are." The man declared.

...

Silence sank within the air. Ghana slowly turned to Hadrian, who nodded to her in response.

"Speak," Ghana responded to the leader. "Tell us."

The leader nodded. He exhaled and gradually turned to face Hadrian. The golden-eyed man seemed to be the superior of the group, he thought. He began, "I am Nhero, and I am a maeruthan. The year when the Kron began to poison the lands, I and many others searched for refuge." He then turned to the men and women behind him. "These people are what's left of my companions."

Moulin glanced at the women, men, and teenagers, restrained by his group.

The bearded man continued, "Gaclan City took us in. The shelter was generous. However, the High Lord of the City was attacked by rebels and replaced with another person. They were Feline orcs. They began to corrupt the city, steal our needs, and force those who were not of their kind to work for them. When our food storage began to deplete, they switched to devour... 'meat.' Those weaker humans... orcs..."

He shut his eyes and was unable to continue.

"So they had you hunt for them?" Ghana assumed with a dark expression. She gripped her spear.

"They let us choose whether to be food or to hunt food for them," Nhero said. His voice began to soften. "I tried not to let them get what they deserved. I never wanted to..." He stopped and realized that no matter what he said, he was guilty of his actions.

"The skeletons..." Moulin muttered. Yet, no matter how soft his voice was, everyone could hear it. Ignoring the attention he was drawing in, he continued and faced Nhero. "You put them there to scare off travelers..."

"..."

Nhero slowly nodded.

Jagra stepped forward with a questionable expression. "Why did you burn down our outpost and capture our people?"

"We didn't do it!" A high-pitched voice shouted.

Moulin realized it was the boy Ghana had talked to back in the forest.

The boy breathed heavily and looked around. "W-When we hadn't caught even a single person for three months. T-The High Lord got suspicious and sent his men to join us in the hunt. They went beyond the forest and... and..."

"Hey, calm down." Ghana went over and patted the boy's back. She began to help him breathe as the boy stuttered in his breathing.

Silver eyes lowered. Moulin knitted his brows and slowly turned to Hadrian. He felt the arm around his waist tighten slightly.

"They burned down the towers and captured your people." Nhero finished as he turned away from the boy. "We... couldn't do anything..."

"..."

There were murmurs within the cave, but it ended briefly when Emlen took one step closer to them.

"What do you want from us?"

The question was straightforward, almost catching Nhero off guard.

The bearded man took a few seconds before he spoke.

"We want you to aid us in assassinating the Orcan Lords."