On the road to the Malign forests, the carriages were steadily moving on.
In the one Klein entered previously, Luche had finally sobered up, sluggishly awakening from her slumber.
"urgh...my head..." she complained
"Well well, hello there lovely" Klein said, with a proud smile.
A smile Luche didn't want to be seeing first thing waking up, a smile that was saying - she messed up, big time.
"please...don't tell me!" she didn't want to believe her own suspicions.
"Yup, out like a Mescira's bulb, and boy do those bulbs trip" Klein jokes
"oh crap, I can't believe this" Luche covers her face, completely embarassed
"You'd better do! Still, while your ability to hold liquor is pitiable at best, I must admit your ogre-like recovery speeds is the envy of most men, especially 'drunks' like us eh? ahhahaha"
"Just great! now he's calling me an ogre" Luche said, clawing her hair
"Now now don't be like that lovely. First of all, I didn't call you an ogre; Second, I was throwing you a rather fine compliment-"
"Oh don't play coy with me Klein, I'll not go through this with you right now" Luche interrupted rudely.
"Where's Yel?" she asked.
"Set off already. Remember he scouts ahead, we follow, that was the plan"
"Ah yes, huh, sorry; my memory is still urgh, a bit hazy, so much for ogre-like recovery" Luche said, trying to keep herself steady.
"Aha! so you did appreciate my compliment"
"eh, why not. Just means I can drink the night away and I'll still get up earlier than you come dawn" Luche said proudly
"You really will do anything to one-up me at everything won't you Luche?" asked Klein
"Read me like a book hahaha" Luche had lightened up a bit as they both shared a laugh.
Klein stared at her a while, captivated by her boldness.
He adored Luche and a reminder promptly popped back in his head, the promise he made to Yel a short while back
"Hm. You can count on me as well, and when it's all said and done, I expect you to finally tell Luche how you really feel"
"(It will happen my friend, I'll make sure of it)" Klein's will strengthen as the carriages made headway.
Meanwhile the road ahead
Yel had resumed his scouting mission, but his mind was not fully focused
"(The voice...there's no doubt about it, it's the same as the one in my dreams...of this...Zenva)"
He walked around the fields, trying to find an explanation for what he experienced
"(But it makes no sense...he fell in the castle...there's no way he could've...)"
Distracted by these thoughts, he belatedly noticed his feet stepping on dried wood.
"hm?"
He immediately crouched down to analyze the wood he stepped on, then picked up a bit of the soil to get its feel.
"...Accounting for the warmth of the sun on the land since we set off...and...."
He rubbed the soil with his fingers and picked up the dried wood once more
"It's recent... there's been some kind of encounter here recently...but by whom...and why"
He quickly picked up the pace and ran up ahead, leaving the distractions behind.
"I should find further evidence ahead"
Running further down the road, he spotted the Malign forests on the horizon.
"The forest is up ahead...does the trail leads within?"
Before he could finish his line of thought, he found more wood a fair way from the forest entrance, this time burnt and scattered on the ground.
Looking around, he spotted a broken wheel, the same that made up their own carriages.
He went down to analyze the soil once more.
"A carriage was attacked...hm?"
He quickly looked up, feeling a disturbance close to the forest's entrance, as if someone was watching, but he found no one.
"...tsk, the voice is getting to me, I can't afford to be distracted right now, there's much at stake here" Yel rubbed his temple with a fist, a common ritual to regain focus.
Then, he started to analyze the situation.
"Alright, so the caravan was attacked back there... it tried to flee"
"Afterwards, they lost their carriage here, or at least most of it. No bodies found would mean... there could be survivors"
He said, looking up into the forest, as the only possible escape path they might've took.
"But, engaging in a solo rescue mission in the forest will be too risky... and also, I have to follow the plan"
Yel stood up, and removed the whistle Al gave him from his pockets.
"First things first..." He blows, but the only sound he could hear was that of his breath.
After a while, he stashed the whistle.
"Well, he did say only String Watchers could hear it. In any case, I should report"
Yel turned around quickly, leaving the area
Back to the party
Al's ears twitched. Like a furred animal, they had reacted to a disturbance.
"(The whistle...)"
Al caught up with Merika's carriage and gave an update
"Leon, a report" said Al.
"Yel whistled. Judging by the frequency and our distance covered, it'd appear he noticed something close to the Malign forests" Al reported
Merika got a bit worried upon hearing the report.
"How long till we reach the forest?" Leon asked
"Not too long from now. If we keep up this pace we should arrive by sunset" replied Al
Then Leon turns to Stella, she sighed
"Huhhh, a smooth journey, was that too much to ask?" Stella commented and was about to exit the carriage
"Al wait! Yel, what about Yel? is he safe?" Merika asked, worried their involvement of Yel might've put him in harms' way.
"He blew the whistle, he's played his part, that's all I know; that's all you need to know" said Al bluntly, before jumping to the top of the carriage for a wide cover perspective.
"Ah, you'll have to forgive our partner. He's got so sharp a tongue - one might say - that's the reason he doesn't talk too much" Stella said with a comforting smile
"No...I take no offense. He's right. I shouldn't burden everyone with my selfish demands and requests any more than I already have"
Merika replied in a reserved tone, and a willingness to accept whatever happened in this mission as her responsibility.
"Princess...you have nothing to worry about. We've got this" said Stella as she was about to jump off the carriage.
"Where are you going?" Merika asked.
"While on the road, I shall take command of the operation from the outside in case of emergencies. Leon will remain in the carraige to ensure your safety as we rid the surrounding area of any threat. Plan B, so to speak" answered Stella with a charming smile.
"Stella, watch your back" Leon said, she nodded in response.
"Will do. Talk later, my lady" with that, she jumped off the moving carriage.
Executing a landing so expertly, you'd think she was a warrior rather than a priestess.
She wasn't afraid to ruffle her cloak a bit either, as some of the dust particles from the earth due to her rough landing dirtied the seams.
Then, she immediately took command, making her way to the party members ahead.
Merika and Leon could hear her passing orders to the team - 'gear up, assume positions and stay alert'.
"You...really trust her a great deal, don't you Leon. I can tell..." Merika commented
"Yes...I do" he replied
"I find that...confusing. I've heard the rumors you know, about Stella and her...Saintly magic. Is it true she once used this power on her previous companions and other adventurers to bend the guild rules in her favor?" Merika asked
"..." Leon was silent
"It was also after she joined Grimstone banner, that they momentarily climbed the revered ranks from 9th to 5th in record time, no named party has ever gone 4-up in just 2 years"
"..." Leon stood silent again.
"So you don't deny it..." continued Merika.
"I may not be an adventurer, but isn't it a bit to risky to keep company with such a cunning person?" she asked
"...Your concern is appreciated. However, as our future ruler, I'm sure you're aware - the past may shape a person, but they're judged by their actions in the present"
"..." it was Merika's turn to be silent, as she considered deeply Leon's words and the meaning behind them.
"Stella's past is hidden, because there's no memory of it that exists, hence the rumors. But, as far as I'm concerned, she's been our most valuable companion for 2 years and that's not about to change now" Leon concluded
"...I understand, and you're right. It'll make a weak leader if their decisions were swayed by rumors. I think I'll watch Stella, and arrive at a conclusion for myself, about what kind of person she really is" Merika said
For a brief moment, Leon let out a subtle smile, it took her by surprise.
"!? color me surprised! I could've sworn I saw you smile just now!"
"hmph, Not really. I was just thinking you'd make a fine adventurer that's all" Leon responded
"How bold of you. But yes, adventuring sounds...interesting" Merika felt relief.
She felt she was surrounded by people who were capable.
This gave her a bit more confidence in the mission's success.
Then, outside the carriage, one of the party members ahead spotted danger.
"Danger ahead!!!"
The carriages stopped as the party members stepped out, assuming their assigned groups.
Stella stepped forward and could see a pack of red-horned wolves approaching them from the distance.
They had thick fur, vicious eyes and an unrelenting desire to hunt their preys.
Every step they clawed ahead left ruin in its wake, due to the intensity of their charge.
"Redhorns, we must be approaching the Malign forests their natural habitat. Resistant to fire magic...forward thinkers...30 in number..." Stella said, thinking up strategy.
"The forests...but still no sign of Yel...Klein do you think?" Luche asked him, starting to worry
"Nah, he'll be fine. If there's one thing Yel is good at, is getting himself out of trouble. Trust me, I should know."
Luche found Klein's reassuring reply comforting.
Then Stella initated her strategy.
"Alright, it's time. Mages! prepare water magic! Turn their charge path muddy. Redhorns charge relentlessly ahead, so they can't easily change their direction"
"Without a level terrain, their charge is impeded. Assault team, that'll be your cue to hold the line" Stella said
The mages responded and started their cast,
Klein nodded to Luche and joined the soldier of the other rank C party who could also play assault
"Cast ready!" said the mage team leader
"Hold" Replied Stella raising her hand, as the redhorns approached. "Need to get them within range of our archers..."
As soon as the redhorns were within said range, Stella ordered the cast
"Now!" she signaled, bringing her raised arm down in force.
"Water spell, dowsing sink!!"
The spell casted caused water to swirl from the earth, as if being drained through a kitchen sink. This causing a wide area of the redhorns' path to turn muddy.
Their charge was heavily impeded as planned, slowing them down
"Assault team now! Archers! cover fire. Take out any redhorns that break through the line!" Stella commanded as the teams acted
As the knights were holding their own against the redhorns claws and vicious horns, the archers - Luche and Al - expressed their skill and precision, picking out the wolves one by one from the distance and covering the knights and the mage team from any redhorns that attempted to slip through.
"Mages! ready lightning magic, Clerics lightning resistance spell on our brave knights! Now!!" Stella issued the next orders as more of the redhorns got impeded by the muddy terrain
The clerics of the rank C party casted minor lightning resistance on the assault team as the mages completed their thunderbolt spells
"Thunder cast ready!" the mage leader announced
"Assault team, fall back!" Stella ordered
They responded by gradually moving away from the area, as the redhorns tried to break through.
"Mages Now!"
The mages unleashed their thunderbolts on the redhorns.
The spell also combined with the muddied earth's moisture, making it super effective against the redhorns as the wide area effect wiped them out.
Some of the effect also got to the retreating knights but their resistance made the damages minimal.
"Oufff! that was intense" remarked Klein as he rejoined the team, Luche ran up to him.
"Are you alright?" Luche asked
"Yup. Fit as fiddle! all thanks to Ms. Stella's excellent command" Klein responded as the other members of the team nodded, backing his statement.
Her orders and tactics were masterfully executed.
As a result, 30 redhorns were dealt with effortlessly.
"It was all about the numbers" Stella begun to explain her thought process.
"30 redhorns can't be dealt with head-on, as the redhorns gives them deadly reach, and good defense"
"Thus, it was paramount our strategy revolved around taking many of them out at the same time, otherwise we would've run the risk of becoming overwhelmed"
The team listened attentively
"However, those same numbers attacking at once implies they're being led, probably by a redclaw...so I don't think we're out of the woods yet"
And right on cue, the party heard a loud howl from the distance, followed shortly after by another approaching pack of redhorns. Total of 25 were incoming.
This time, they were led by a horned werewolf, with a bigger red horn and deep red vicious looking claws.
Saliva dripping from it's mouth as it couldn't wait to gnaw its teeth into its next meal.
"Another threat incoming!!!" announced one of the mages.
Stella stepped forward once again to gauge the situation
"A redclaw and its pack...what to do, what to do..." Stella started brewing another plan
Meanwhile Luche was starting worry again
"Tsk, this is not good... come on Yel, where the hell are you..." she's looking around anxiously, trying to see if she can find out were Yel could be.
"(The wolves are coming from the direction of the forest...I hope he's okay)" Klein was getting worried as well.
Then Stella's voice called them back to the matter at hand.
"Remain focus team! This should be the last wave! The redclaws may be dangerous foes, but follow my orders and we're getting through this unscathed!"
The confidence behind her words resonated with everyone present, as they prepared to face the incoming threat