Chapter 205: Trouble in the woods

Whilst in the outer sections of the forest, in an unnamed, unimportant clearing a black egg was in the process of transforming the innocent white fluffy creature into something completely new. A couple of miles away from it, the duo of a purple-haired girl and a black-haired boy was sneaking forward, aiming for the depths, the inner sections, layers of the humongous forest.

"So, what's the plan? Are we just going to sneak around like your men, or do you have an actual plan?" The black-haired boy, Aiden asked with an aloof look. He had his arms behind his head, as he walked a few steps behind the girl, not really bothering to cover his tracks.

Stopping in her tracks, Sarah turned around and looked at the smiling boy with a pouting look.

"Of course! We have already discussed this, Aiden! First, we will go and map out the area the recon team has investigated. Although they did not stumble on the Orc's camp, it should be somewhere close by."

As she spoke, the pouting soon turned into worry, settling on her face as she continued after a momentary silence.

"We should also go and take a look at the Goblin's camp. From the report, it should be somewhere at a relative distance from the Orcs. You know, what is strange?" Her worry changed once again, as a troubling thought surfaced in her mind. "Why are the goblins so quiet? It's really not their race's usual method. They settled in a place, hidden but close to a target civilized settlement, and begin to raid it for their resources. Hunt around the village, keep their little fingers on their settlement's lifeblood and pulse, slowly suffocating it. Once the villagers or citizens are weak enough and the little monsters are certain there are no more obvious threats they would launch their all-out assault and kill and pillage everything they could before they pick their stuff and march towards their next target…"

Thinking about it for more, she was even more confused than before. Shaking her head, clear annoyance began to express itself on her face as her mind couldn't process all uncertainty and lack of information she had to work with.

"It just doesn't make sense! Why did they team up with the orcs? It's not their style at all! Something is not right…"

Aiden kept silent all the way as Sarah tried to make conjectures about the report they received. He of course could make out more about the situation that the girl found so strange. After all, he had already visited the little creature's settlement before and had access to more information than the girl. Still, he couldn't just blurt out what he knew, as he wouldn't be able to explain his source at all.

'That shaman told me that they were forced to march and set up camp here. Although he didn't know much, what he knew was that they were forced in great numbers to settle here and be ready. Too bad, I couldn't learn more from the previous leader…' Remembering how he couldn't even see the being or beings that were in contact with the previous leader from his memories, he could only sigh. It seems that the world has many mysteries that he has yet to understand and unveil.

How could someone plant such a strange defense mechanism into another being's mind? Was it to protect his own identity as he knew that these primitive creatures' minds' could be easily manipulated and read?

Remembering the old leader, he took a glance at his System's inventory, where he still had their 'Sacred Relic' the gnarled piece of a wooden stick with the scarlet gemstone resting peacefully. He still wasn't entirely sure what it was but based on the information he gained from the fallen ex-chieftain of the goblins, it was a necessary item to establish the connection with the mysterious forces that ultimately controlled everything behind the scenes.

Just who was this mysterious being, or group that managed to command so many savage, unruly, ruthless creatures and force them to fall in line obediently? What was his goal, what was the reason behind the gathering of this so-called 'horde'? Aiden doubted that it would be for such a meaningless goal as to punish the humans, there had to be something more… Something deeper… The set up for something pointless such as that would be too wasteful. 

Still, there was simply too little information available. Also, remembering his master's words, they would need at least a few months before they would be able to launch their first wave of attacks. So why reveal themselves now? 

Aiden could only sigh, and give up trying to figure out everything. At least for now... Hopefully, this little 'trip' could shed more light on the underlying mysteries.

"What are you thinking about?" A gentle feminine voice woke Aiden from his thoughts and forced him to return to reality. Sarah was standing in front of him, with her hands on her hips, looking at him with a pouting, hurt expression.

Leaning closer to the youth, she gave him a fierce look. She repeated the question, with a bit of pert behind her tone.

"So, what were you thinking about? Hmm?"

"Just this whole assignment in general…" Aiden answered with a wry smile. For now, it was best to not reveal any of his thoughts and issues, he couldn't trust nor the Masked Mistress, nor her daughter, no matter how kind and friendly they looked on the surface. They were powerful, not your average humans. Sure, they sold their abilities as heritages from their 'bloodlines', but who knew if that was the honest truth?!

'I really miss Enya… She would be able to spot the truth between all the lies…' He lamented inwardly, whilst keeping the smile on his face.

"You know, this whole thing… It's just too strange…" Sarah added, dropping her facade in the process. Worry began to resurface once again, as the most troubling thoughts popped into her mind once again. "What do you think, what could be happening? Could it really be the early stages of an invasion?"

Aiden wasn't sure how to properly respond to her questions, he continued to stare at her silently for a while longer before eventually, he nodded his head.

"Yes. Probably." He responded curtly, startling the young miss in the process. However, before she could speak, he continued. "But… don't you think that there's something else… something more?"

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked surprised and shocked by Aiden's words and confirmation of what she was most fearing about.

With a thoughtful look in his eyes, Aiden responded to the girl, voicing his own theories for the first time.

"Well… Sure, an invasion would probably be bad for the city, but if that's the case, why are they showing themselves so carelessly before the preparations would be completed? Why risk it all for some meaningless hunts? Something just doesn't add up…"

Then, as he did not want to dwell on the subject any longer, he turned his attention to the deeper parts of the forest. His eyes flared up with bright golden luster for a brief moment, surprising Sarah for the nth time since their departure. At the next moment, however, the glow faded just as quickly as it appeared from his eyes, equipping his usual calm, aloof attitude, he spoke.

"Anyways, we should continue on, but make sure we are careful. Make sure you are alert at all times if you want to avoid being spotted."

Matching the direction where he was looking at but failing to see anything in particular besides the dark looming shrubbery up ahead, Sarah could only nod her head before they resumed their trek through the forest.

As they continued to traverse through the thick undergrowth that served as a natural separator between the outer edges of the forest from the inner layers, she found the peace and quiet strange.

"You know… Something's been bothering me… Why have we not met any predators so far? Shouldn't we have met some by now?" Perking her ears to reaffirm herself, she raised her arms in the air. "Just listen… We can't hear a thing… It's quiet… Too quiet…"

"Well… If it is true that there are orcs settled down nearby, then I would guess most of the wildlife ran away from this place or have already been hunted down. You mentioned that they are a savage, brutal race, so this reckless hunting of the surrounding wildlife would fit the profile. Besides-" He answered, but suddenly he quieted down. His eyes flared up again and seemed to pierce through deep into the woods. His whole body began to stiff, he slowly began to clench his fists, cracking his joints.

Seeing the sudden change in the boy's demeanor, Sarah immediately followed suit and reached for the hilt of her weapon hanging on her side. She looked at Aiden with a stern, focused look. As she spoke, her voice was different, it had a serious tone, without any trace of cheekiness. She was just as equally focused as the youth.

"There's trouble up ahead, not too far away. I see 4 figures in battle. But… I'm not sure, one of the figures seems vaguely familiar… Shall we take a look?"