"Is it always so quiet around here-" Kailu whispered nervously as he clutched the hilt of his sword tightly.
"Shhh!" Noreen shushed him as she pressed her finger to his lips.
Liam gestured to Luka with his hand and the reddish-brown Werewolf leapt up onto the nearest tree trunk without hesitation. After pulling himself up onto one of the highest branches, he began to skitter from tree to tree, and if it weren't for the rustling of the leaves, they would have lost sight of him.
Ikaris was not familiar with the trees in this area of the forest. There was something unsettling about their charcoal gray trunks and deep purple leaves with black undertones.
Despite not finding the trees particularly unpleasant, the temperature and atmosphere had cooled noticeably after crossing an invisible boundary. Catching the inquisitive gaze of his Lord, Liam mouthed,
"Let's wait for Luka to return. We'll talk about it later."
Ikaris did not protest and nodded silently. Liam, Javier and Noreen would frequently sniff the air with a vigilant attitude and puzzled he decided to emulate them. From the first nasal inspiration in full consciousness his eyes widened to the brim.
'That smell? It smells... like nothing at all.'
It was even more shocking than if he had caught the stench of rotting corpses. In a forest there were all kinds of smells. Even a human with a stuffed nose could smell some of them. Let alone a hybrid like himself with the genes of a Dire Black Werewolf.
He could see why the other Werewolves were so alert. The ground was also muddy, as if it had rained the day before, although he had no memory of it.
A few minutes later, the leaves above them rustled again and a mass of red fur landed soundlessly before them. If Noreen hadn't pressed her hand against Kailu's mouth beforehand and immobilized the arm holding the sword with her other hand, their Healer would have no doubt let out a resounding scream while committing a regrettable act.
" All clear. We can talk." Luka succinctly reported in a low voice.
Liam, Javier, and Noreen's faces darkened at the news. "Are you sure? Absolutely nothing?"
"Not a living soul." Luka confirmed with a grim expression.
Kailu stared at each of them in turn with confusion. "If there are no skeletons, shouldn't you be happy?"
Ikaris wasn't sure how to answer him, but he somehow guessed what the problem was.
"This is a forest." Ruvaen snorted. "Didn't you notice that the buzzing of insects has stopped? Those bird-sized mosquitoes and flies are suddenly leaving us alone. Why do you think that is?"
"Because we decimated a bunch of them?" Kailu suggested with a semblance of hope.
"No." The elf ruined his expectations with a terse word. " There's no place for wild life here. "
"Fuck." Ikaris cursed. Was it because of his arrival as a new Lord? Or was he simply out of luck?
Regaining his composure, he asked gruffly, "Has this ever happened in the past?"
Liam thought hard as he squinted his eyes, then said after a while, "Not that I know of. It's happened before that the Undeads appear a little earlier like the one sighted yesterday, but that's not enough to scare off these overly territorial behemoths. These ferocious beasts would trample to smithereens any Skeleton daring to come within ten meters of them.
We are still a long way from the Tartarus Gate. None of us have been able to verify its exact location, but from the range and density of the miasma we could more or less predict its whereabouts. It should be about 25 kilometers from our position to the northwest. Between us and the Gate there is the Emerald River to cross. This is the limit of my Hellhound Pack. We never ventured further.
Too risky. Those who have tried have not returned."
It was Ikaris' turn to get lost in thought. He was conflicted about what to do next. Should he give up or continue exploring? Turning to Luka, he probed,
"Are you sure you haven't run into any Undeads?"
"I scanned the entire forest within a three-kilometer radius. I didn't see anyone. Not a soul." The Werewolf confirmed. "The tracks have also been erased. The ground ahead of us is extremely muddy. If it didn't rain, the Emerald River might have overflowed."
Finally, it was Liam who asked the key question.
"What about the medicinal herbs? Were they picked or eaten?" The Alpha Werewolf inquired with a somewhat anxiety-ridden expression.
"...They're still there." Luka growled quietly, but his eyes were brimming with excitement.
"Even more suspicious." Ruvaen tutted. "My Lord, I recommend retreating. I can't count the number of times greed has caused the deaths of talented young men and women like you."
"I recommend... pressing forward." Liam stiffly suggested the opposite.
A spark connected the elf and Alpha Werewolf's eyes as their gazes clashed.
"Hey, doggy. I was training mutts like you when your great-great-grandfather wasn't even born yet." Ruvaen's pent-up racism exploded with a bang. "Listen to the wisdom of an elder if you want to live a long life."
"GRRR!" The four Werewolves bared their fangs. Ikaris and Malia had to jump in to keep the quartet from eating him alive.
"If you're that old, you might as well be dead." Liam finally spoke back, retracting his claws grudgingly. Turning to Ikaris he said, "My Lord. Make a decision."
The teen felt a sudden pressure as he was stared at by his companions, but a few seconds later he gave the elf an apologetic smile. Turning to Luka, he asked,
"How much gold, uh, I mean herbs are we talking about?"