"What way do you think she went?" Maisie asked the two men. Hide looked up from the ground and into the elf's blue eyes. The young man then pointed straight ahead in the direction of the deepest part of the forest.
"Probably that way," he answered. "It's far too dark to navigate, though." He added that he was studying the said area. Kalthona grinned and summoned her flamed axe.
"We'll just use this bad boy then to help us make our path." She replied, Swing the weapon around. Maisie grinned, anticipation coursing through her.
"That's it, then. We've planned our course of action; let's go on." The white-haired girl said she was excited to meet the mysterious elf.
"Hold it!" Lyon exclaimed. A look of annoyance was on his face as he pointed a finger at the Fairwood elf. "Since when was she the team leader!? Since when do we plan our journey around what the newbie wants!? Since when do I have to listen to her!?" He added. Kalthona and Hide stood there, expressionless but clearly unimpressed. How long was it going to take Lyon to get used to Maisie, since frankly, they had had enough? Conan, on the other hand, could only stand there nervously, looking back and forth between the elf and the ex-crusader.
Maisie was fuming, however. Just as she was about to march up to the semi-naked man and snatch her cloak from his waist, she was stopped in her tracks by Bonney.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to have to agree with Lyon. The elf has clearly shown hostility towards us. So trying to converse with her is stupid. We should stealthily grab Hide and Lyon's belongings and bounce." The mage said, rubbing her eyes over her blindfolds. Maisie gazed at the woman and bit her bottom lip, visibly dejected.
"There's so much I could learn, though!" The white-haired girl tried to argue.
"And there's so much you can't do if she decides you'll be short of a head!" Lyon answered, glaring at the elf. The blonde then held the white-haired girl's cloak tighter around his waist, clearly afraid she'd snatch it in retaliation. Maisie stared at the ground, a shadow casting over her face.
"I see." She simply replied, not having an ounce of energy in her to argue her case. Bonney immediately felt bad, and the looks sent her way by Kalthona, Hide, and Conan made her feel worse.
"Or, you know, we could always tag team her if things head south." She stuttered out nervously. Maisie immediately perked up, practically glowing.
"Thanks!" She exclaimed.
"We need to go back though and have these rummage through their luggage for some clothes to wear. We can't have them walking around the forest half naked, after all." Conan stated this with a soft smile stretched on his lips. The rest of the group agreed and proceeded towards the path to their campsite.
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After a while, they arrived, and the sight before them left them speechless.
"Where are all our things?" Conan muttered. The campsite had been ransacked with everything taken, leaving nothing by the firewood Kalthona collected behind.
"She took everything, that bitch!" Lyon yelled, grabbing his hair and pulling it in frustration.
"Unless she moves at the speed of light, she couldn't have possibly reached here that fast." Hide argued, looking at the scene horrified.
"That means there are more of them spaced out all across the forest, and we've literally walked into a trap." Kalthona said. Her expression then went serious before she closed her eyes. Maisie watched on, confused.
"What is she doing?" The elf asked Bonney. The red-haired woman looked to her side and began explaining.
"Mana detection." She simply replied. Maisie's eyes slightly widened, then she looked back at Kalthona. Her eyes further widened as she noticed the flame user's lilac eyes glowing. "Kalthona is better than most of us at this technique. No matter the amount of mana or distance, she'll always provide you with an accurate result." Bonney concluded.
"Straight ahead, and there's only one of them." Kalthona said, her eyes dimming down.
"Well, she usually can." Bonney corrected, confused by the results. Kalthona glared at Bonney, pouting.
"It is the correct result; there's only one of them." She argued, pointing straight ahead. "And it's the same one we found around Hide and Lyon." The auburn-haired girl added.
"There's no way." Hide argued against it, but to no avail. Kalthona was right. She always was when it came to the technique. So without another word, the group began their way towards the mana, running full speed ahead. Lyon and Hide's feet hurt from the sharp rocks and uneven ground their bare feet were running on, and they truly wished this suffering would end soon. Not to mention the cold breeze that washed over their bare bodies.
The team finally reached the depths of the forest, where the moon's light shone the brightest. However, just like with every surprise they were thrown at, this too was one. In the hollow space, with its walls covered with moss, stood the Oakland elf, holding her bow up towards the group. Six arrows are ready to penetrate them at the drop of the hat.
However, that's not what unnerved or even surprised the group.
"What is this?" Kalthona muttered, horrified, as she covered her mouth. Hide and Conan felt sick, while Bonney grabbed her upper arm tightly, hugging herself.
Maisie and Lyon, however, knew this scene all too well. They have witnessed this more times than they could count.
There stood the Oakland elf in the massive, hollow crater of ruins, with hundreds of lined-up tombs surrounding her and even more rotting bodies surrounding her. Men, women, and children alike lay there still.
Aidan Forest, as they knew it was no longer there. Rather, it was replaced with monsters and horrors beyond one's imagination.
The white-haired girl couldn't help but think cynically for the first time since she had arrived in Eldoria.
It seemed that wherever she went, death and destruction followed closely behind. Always ready to remind her of the life she couldn't escape. Maybe her prayers were answered. Maybe somewhere deep in her soul, ruins and death were peaceful to her.
Maybe she wasn't as normal as she thought she was.