"Hmmm?" Liam raised his brow. He felt as if he was missing something here. He looked at Alex questioningly, and the redhead explained things with a scowl.
"Liam, you didn't know? None of the predictions from this bastard's mouth come true. This is what I have been telling you from the beginning. This guy is not trustworthy at all."
Alex then elaborated on what had happened back in the game and her encounter with the damned monk.
"Is this true?" Liam asked the guy.
The monk, who was sweating profusely by now, could only laugh bitterly in response. "Good sir, I don't lie or swindle. I only speak the truth from my divination. I am bound to speak the truth and nothing else. Miss here is giving me a little too much credit."
Liam stared at the guy for a moment before looking back at Alex. "This piece of turd! Divinations? Oh please. You are just a lying swine wearing a saffron dress."
"Miss, please watch your manners."
Liam wordlessly looked at the two and felt a headache coming. Perhaps his decision to go this route was really a bad one.
However, right at the moment, the fourth party, the guy who was silent all this while, the Oracle, suddenly opened his mouth.
"Please pardon my intrusion. Miss Alex, if I may. I have a piece of information for you."
"Huh? For me?"
"The person who had been plaguing your life right from your birth is no longer alive. Actually, he is in a hell that is worse than death."
Alex immediately stiffened. "Who? Who are you talking about?"
"Ah… that I am not too sure about. Unfortunately, my level is not that high right now. Also, what I do is very vague… I am sorry I was not of more use." The Oracle shook his head.
"Okay." Alex nodded as her mind immediately went to various places.
On the side, Liam knew exactly what the guy was talking about. He instantly realized that he had forgotten something important!
"Ahem. Alex, we need to talk about something."
Liam asked Luna to land temporarily on the terrace of a nearby building, where only he and Alex got down from the fox to talk about the matter personally.
Alex had no idea what was happening, but her cheeks became a little red. "What… what happened? Why suddenly?" She asked, a little flustered.
With a sigh, Liam then summoned the sleazy uncle whom he had forgotten a long while ago. "I forgot to tell you something." Liam started.
It took a while, but this was something Alex, Rey, and Mia deserved to know, so he began from the start and quickly told her everything that happened—the vampires, the guild war, and how he had made the uncle into his soul minion.
Alex silently listened to the whole thing and then walked closer to the minion to look at the disappointment, rage, and unwillingness in her uncle or whatever was left of her uncle. She stood dazed there for a second.
"I am sorry for not telling you about this sooner."
Alex swallowed. As the wind whistled past her long red locks, her lonesome figure stood motionless, her body trembling ever so slightly.
The sun was slowly clocking out for the day, painting the sky with enchanting hues of pink and orange that danced gracefully behind her.
When she turned to look at Liam, something in her eyes caught him off guard. It was something other than her usual anger and hot-headedness, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Breaking the momentary silence, Alex mumbled, "Thank you."
Liam stared at her for a couple of seconds, taking in the depth of her words. But then, he turned his head to the side and said, "We should go."
It was not that he did not understand her feelings. How could they not be obvious when the woman cared so much about him so blatantly? However, he was also not in a position to return them.
Alex nodded. Liam then called for the white fox, and the group of four resumed their journey in silence.
"So, are we going to check out that place or not?"
Alex felt awkward and broke the silence forcefully. The poor monk did not know why, but he could feel her sharp dagger-like stares cutting him everywhere.
What happened on that terrace? Why was this woman angrier than before? The monk gulped and shook his head nervously.
"I stand by my prediction. There is danger ahead."
Liam ruffled his unkempt hair that had grown long and wild as he hadn't paid any attention to personal upkeep recently. The beard on his face was also a reminder of the same.
"Alright. Let's just go and take a look. What direction?" He asked. "Can you give me the exact coordinates?"
"Amitabha!" The monk sighed. "Good sir, I am not google maps."
"Hmmm?" Liam raised a brow threateningly. Immediately the monk once again changed his stance. "Good sir, the danger is roughly in that area. That is really all I can say."
"Fine." Liam looked at the piece of land.
It was the size of a small town. He closed his eyes and tried to get a sense of the space. He focussed for a few minutes, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't perceive anything at all.
Was there really danger there? Perhaps it was a beast that was much stronger than him? Was that why he was not able to get a feel for it?
One way or the other, Liam wanted to see it through. If there was a danger right next to their doorstep it was best to face it head on then leave it to fester.
So the next second, he summoned his soul army. "Let's see what exactly this danger is. Go and search." Even if his minions do not find this danger, their presence should at least trigger it.
Liam watched as hundreds of his soul minions sprang forth and began to turn the area upside down. Standing by his side, Alex, the monk, and the oracle also watched the show in awe.
"Amitabha!" The monk opened and closed his mouth speechlessly.
Alex saw the few isons in the horde of soul minions, and her heartbeat quickened with excitement. Every time she saw this army, it was getting bigger and stronger. Soon… she gasped.
Similar expressions were visible on the monk's and the oracle's faces. Caden had no idea about the difference in power he was dealing with.
Dragons? Elves? Barbarians? Isons? A bitter smile appeared on his face. Now he understood why Kouske was always losing. Now he understood why he was always losing. His opponent was simply too…
While these three were standing in shock, unexpectedly, something else happened. A faint misty light dust appeared in front of them, and along with it, a small rabbit also popped out.
"Huh?" Liam's eyes widened as he watched the creature glance at him briefly before scurrying away into the distance.
"What…"
Barely a few seconds passed when the rabbit also magically returned back.
And this time, she had something glittering in her mouth.