Chapter 45: 45: Teams of two [pt1]

"That being said, does anyone know where this ancient deity is even located? I am not going to spend my whole vacation looking for a tribe that 'might' potentially help us out."Sakura had a few things to say in this regard and Amane understood her hesitation to move forward with this place.

The ancient tribe was a tribe made up of half-specie people and it had been deemed violent even back in her days.

So there was no guarantee that the tribe had managed to survive and thrive this long without suffering any casualties. Would the tribe even agree to help them out right now?

All these thoughts were prominent in Amane's brain. But Charlie looked relaxed enough to make Amane's fears come to rest as well.

"Don't worry. Ever since the great collapse and acquiring this island, that ancient tribe had also been under the Divine Guild's protection. As such, I am sure they will agree to help us out if I asked them to."

That was reassuring in so many ways for Amane. This meant that she had one less thing to worry about. (Not that she was worried about a lot of things in the first place. If worst came to it, she would eradicate the whole island and free the deity that way humans be damn.)

"This is good. We will leave for the tribe's location at the break of dawn tomorrow."

With that, the group was off to sleep. Amane took the baby moon dragon with her to keep an eye on. She did not want to wake up in the middle of the night and find one of her companions mauled beyond death.

That situation would not be ideal and it will make Amane lose an important asset.

"I think I will sleep in a separate room tonight. You do have a few empty rooms on this ship right?"

That was Aqua who spoke. She inched away from Amane quite visibly and her face showed how uncomfortable she felt.

At the same time, Sakura took a few steps back as well as soon as she saw the kid dragon give her the glare of doom.

She was letting Sakura know that her presence was not appreciated. Newly born dragons who imprinted on someone were territorial.

"Yeah, I think I need to shift my room today as well. I don't think it'll be good for my health to share a room with the dragon and Yoko today."

"Fine, do what you want to. But you both will be missing out on some great bonding experience."

Amane sounded annoyed and disappointed but she was amused and laughing inside. She knew that the dragon had scared off Sakura and Aqua a lot and this was always amusing to see for her.

At the same time, she considered herself lucky that her companions did not need to hear from her to back down.

"Let's meet in the morning then. I will talk with this kid here to make sure he understands to not bite anyone. We will meet you tomorrow."

Amane watched the dragon kid give a satisfying rumble as she took her near. The kid was already showing signs of attachment which meant that she had been accepted as a part of her family.

This connection would come in clutch in the future but Amane had no intention of using it just yet.

The night passed away with relative ease and the day came quite fast. Amane woke up as soon as the sun rose high in the sky. It was a new and bright day again.

Most of the group had woken up but there was a considerable absence of the members astound Amane.

Both Sean and Helios were gone, as had been expected. Everyone else seemed to be sitting around the campfire and preparing for breakfast.

"Here, you catch the dragon. You need to learn how to handle beasts like these sooner or later."

Amane handed the dragon kid to Eclipse who looked startled. Both Eclipse and the dragon kid gave each other stares of doom, not knowing what to do.

But then Eclipse reached out to the moon dragon with the help of his core and the dragon called down.

The familiar feeling of magic washing over him must be putting the kid to rest. And Amane had to give kudos to Eclipse for finding the solution so soon.

From across the camp, Sakura was glaring daggers at Eclipse and the moon dragon. Jealousy was clear in her eyes and Amane could not contain her chuckle.

"Did you have a pleasant night? It's time we start heading out and I already prepared the map we need to follow. I hope you won't decide to venture off on your own."

Charlie handed the map to Amane and she quickly stored it in her system. She knew she and Amane were someone careless enough to lose the map.

It would be better to have a backup just in case. Her system also had the old map of this palace which made it easier to get around and see the differences.

"For now, we should branch off into groups and continue our search. While one group heads toward the tribe to get information, the other needs to comb the island for intruders. I cannot ignore the real work of the Divine guide even if this is a vacation. So, let's draw lots to see who will go with whom."

"Why should we? Of course, I will go with Yoko since we are family. You can take your guest and keep her safe."

Sakura objected. She was feeling particularly bold on this vacation and voicing a lot of her suggestions.

Amane did not know how to feel about this change and frankly, she did not care much about it either. Whether Sakura landed herself in trouble or not was up to her.

Amane did not care about what Sakura did as long as it did not come back to bite her.

"Let's just draw lots. I don't care whom I go with but that would be the fairest method to decide our groups."

Aqua spoke as she took out a stick from the cup Lady Suzuki had managed to get out of nowhere. Amane and Eclipse followed suit and Sakura had no choice but to follow along as well.

And just like that, lots had been drawn for their group.

___________________________

"How did I end up with a kid like you as my partner? Why were the fates so cruel to me today? Now I will need to take responsibility for you as well."

Sakura mumbled her words as she walked faster through the forest. She was getting more and more irritated with each passing second, her eyes lamenting her fate of being stuck with the kid.

"Piss off. I didn't want to be stuck with you any more than you wanted to be stuck with me. I didn't want to come on this journey in the first place but I had to since Yoko asked me to."

Eclipse snapped back, his voice bitter to no end. He had wanted to relax back at the camp and practice his art but he had been discovered.

That sharp-eyes Divine Guild leader had spotted him when he had tried to get away and now he was stuck with Sakura for company.

They both had gotten unlucky with the draws and were now venturing through the forest with slow steps.

"Just where the hell is that civilization? How come we are not able to find it even after looking around for so long."

Sakura's complaining was a given. She had to go through so much forest while still in high-heals.

'To think that my mother said that there is no 'wrong time' for high heels. What a load of crap.'

To more Sakura worked, the more she realized how many flaws her mother's words had. She had stopped counting a while back.

"If you are feeling faint then rest for a while. But know that I won't stop to wait for you if you decide to take a break. And this forest is filled with creatures you won't want to encounter so you better be careful."

Sakura flinched at the kid's words. Whether he was speaking the truth or not did matter. Sakura knew that this forest was dangerous and that was why she was walking around it carefully.

After all, she did not want to die out in the wild area. Even her bones will not be recovered, never mention her body.

She quickly opened up the map she had been given and checked her current position. Luckily, they seemed to still be on track the whole time.

"I still have it good. At least I did not have to team up with that 'Lady Suzuki. I would have gone mad had I needed to do that."

That was a little extreme of Sakura to say so but that was just how she felt. She did not like Charlie Suzuki despite the fame and fortune attached to her name.

That woman had a scheming face that looked similar to Sakuras. Not to mention, her unnatural interest in Yoko.

That was the part that irked Sakura the most but she was not going to say anything about it.

"I feel sorry for Yoko's classmate who had to spend time with that two-faced bitch but I guess better her than us. But still, it would have been better if Yoko came with us."

Yoko had been the only one who did not get a partner and she even insisted on not re-drawing again.

No one could say anything to her when she argues that she was the best current fighter to go solo due to her ability to tame beasts.

Even Lady Suzuki had been at a loss when Yoko had brought up this point and had left the group with that pet dragon of hers.

"That Lady Suzuki woman gives me the chills as well. There is so much magic forced into that body of hers that it is difficult to look at her properly. Every time I try to look past her façade, I get the feeling like I should not."

And that was why Eclipse did not bother with that lady.

That and her unnatural interest in Yoko. He did not want to be a part of that upcoming mess. Sёarch* The nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

A subtle rustle of leaves told Eclipse that someone was in the vicinity. It was because of his sharp senses that Eclipse managed to hear the moving of those leaves and managed to avoid being stabbed in the back.

He also managed to pull Sakura out of the way in time for her not to be raptured with the sharp weapon their opponent carried with her.

Luckily for Sakura, she was a fast learner and managed to get out of the attack's way before she could become a casualty.

Unlucky for her, the opponent they were up against did not seem to have any intention of letting them go.

"Who are you intruders and why have you come here? I will warn you all that no one gets out of these forests alive if they intend to show us harm."

Sakura swallowed hard as she was faced with those intense eyes. Her body seemed frozen as her heart sank at the feeling of doom she had come face to face with.

"Don't freeze like this. Hurry up and get moving or you will die."

Eclipse shoved at Sakura's shoulder as he blocked the next strike. His small body was dragged along the floor with the amount of force he had to face but the female warrior in front of him had no mercy for him.

Her muscular body paired with her impassive face made anyone realize that they were in trouble. And right now, she was staring both Sakura and Eclipse down.

'I am so going to complain about it if I manage to survive today. I will have my revenge.'

Sakura preyed on her life as she stepped forward. She was the older one so she had to take the charge to make sure they will be alright.