Taylor Bolos moved on his soul beast horse into the Snake Forest.
He was protected on all sides by his guards as they moved gently, deeper into the forest.
This mission of there's, was at nighttime, a suggestion made by Taylor Bolos as he was sneaking to accomplish this without his father's permission.
Naturally, this meant that they were already at a disadvantage.
This was a disadvantage that could very well be paid for with their lives.
However, this military strength that strolled into battle was a very formidable one.
It was not the first time either the Black Axe guild or Taylor Bolos guards were dealing with the Snake Forest.
After all, it was their own back yard.
They knew it very well, as they did it's barbaric inhabitants.
Their formation made for effective assault of any enemy on sight, and great defense in case of any ambush.
A formation made specially to tackle the attacking methods of the snake tribes.
Annie led the way in front, and beside her was Evan the untouchable.
Even though it looked like they were far from Taylor Bolos in the formation, their soul energies were actually locked unto him.
His security was the most vital.
The winter had gotten colder.
This was not a very good time for the snake tribes.
Inheriting the nature of their snake origins, cold times were quite terrible for them.
Even the snake trees had entered a kind of deep slumber, saving up their energies.
Nevertheless, assumptions were not to be made based on scanty information.
After all, from time to time, they could hear sounds from the trees.
Evidently, someone or something was tracking them.
Out of curiosity, Evan the untouchable had even left twice to see what it was.
However, he came back with nothing.
When he desired to leave a third time, Taylor Bolos stopped him.
"Don't worry, I take they are just trying to get on our nerves. After all, we all know that they won't dare to attack."
And he was right.
As they went deeper, the noises within the branches of the high trees could be heard even louder than ever but like Taylor Bolos had said, there was no attack whatsoever.
It appeared that the Snake tribes were really afraid of them.
Then again, this much was expected.
After all, Black Axe guild alone was a scary bunch and they had effectively left their mark on the hearts of the snake people.
However, something happened along the way that drew Taylor Bolos attention.
They had changed paths.
"This is the way to the Naga tribe's Hole, is it not?" Taylor Bolos asked.
"Yes, it is young master." Annie replied.
Taylor Bolos frowned a bit.
Something did not feel right. As far as he was concerned, even if Eros wanted to seek shelter from the king's knights, the better option would definitely be to hide with the Medusa tribe.
However, he wondered maybe it was because of the destruction that befell the tribe due to the attack by the black Axe guild that influenced Ero's decision.
Either way, he had planned that Eros was going to meet his end by his hands.
The Naga tribe lived directly opposite the Medusa tribe.
However, it was separated well with about 30 kilometers in between.
A distance that was easy to cover for their groups.
Finally, they arrived as they did, the men came down their mounts, and took yet again, a different formation for battle.
While the Medusa tribe lived in a large mountain, the Naga tribe lived in the ground.
They dug the earth for hundreds of kilometers deep, and rumours had it that it was still going deeper.
It was a set of catacombs.
A labyrinth that even the most experienced of hunters could not navigate.
It was for this reason that even the ack Axe guild never attacked their home.
After all, entering such a place was a near guarantee that the individual might not see the light of day again.
However, as terrifying as it was an idea going into this place, this expedition group had a secret weapon, and that was Annie.n-(o()V)/e((1-(b.(1-(n
The technique she cultivated was one of trackers.
It is said that as long as a tracker had set foot in a place, getting there again was as easy as taking a glass of milk.
It was for this reason that trackers were a very valuable commodity, especially in exploring fresh unknown grounds.
From where they stood, they could see that they were hundreds of holes in the distance.
Some of them had even been covered by the snow.
The grouped stopped about two hundred meters to the closest hole leading underground.
It was also the known biggest hole.
A hundred meters from the hole, they could see the carriages that had left from the Tate Estate.
However, these carriages were empty of life whatsoever. Even the soul beasts that pulled them were absent.
Taylor Bolos looked around. "It would seem like they are no guards!"
"Hmmm!" Evan the untouchable nodded, "this is to be expected. As the winter grows, so does their need for warmth. They are cold blooded animals after all."
"And what of those ones in the woods?"
"Those are hunters. No matter the amount of food gathered for the winter, there is always need for more. After all, it is a very large Slither of snakes. Very large, and plenty bellies to fill."
Taylor Bolos nodded.
"It would seem like you were right Annie. They did come to the Naga tribe." Taylor Bolos complimented her.
"What do we do now, young master?" Annie asked.
Taylor Bolos massaged his jaw a bit, and then he turned to Evan the untouchable, "can't you just send explosives in, and explode the place. Let them get crush underneath."
Evan the untouchable shook his head, "unfortunately, it is not so easy. Firstly, I need to be in a specific range for my technique to work. Secondly, the underground range of this nest is just too large to cover. We might even..."