Four figures made their way along a narrow forest path, the dense canopy overhead casting dappled shadows on the ground. The air was filled with the earthy scent of pine and the occasional rustling of unseen creatures. Tall trees, their trunks thick with age, lined the path, creating a natural corridor that led toward a distant village.
“We’re approaching the vicinity of Luo Yang’s region now, Zafir. Keep your hood up and try not to let them see your face. They don’t like beastmen here,” Milli advised, her voice low and cautious.
Zafir nodded silently, pulling his hood further down to obscure his features.
“And Lil Reggie, try not to talk to me when we’re in the village, okay?” Milli told Regina, glancing back with a wry smile.
“Fueh?” Regina tilted her head in confusion, her wide eyes reflecting her puzzlement.
“I don’t want the villagers to know I’m here,” Milli said, scratching her head sheepishly.
“Why?” Regina asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Big sister Milli did something mischievous to the villagers here before. Eheheh.” Milli tried to sound cute, deflecting the question with a nervous giggle.
As they continued down the path, the trees began to thin, and the outline of the village appeared in the distance. The group moved cautiously, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of fallen leaves, each aware of the challenges that lay ahead.
"The last time I was here, the villagers in Meng Jin Village really don't like beastmen. They treat them as mere animals," Milli cautioned Zafir softly, glancing around the forest path.
"So this is the outside world..." Zafir murmured, feeling a pang of disappointment. This wasn't the 'outside world' he had imagined or longed to see.
"And you made them hate beastmen even more," Richard smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"It’s not my fault that happened!" Milli protested, pouting.
"What happened?" Regina asked, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
"Are you reallyyy sure you want to know?" Richard replied with a mischievous grin.
"It's not important! Why are you suddenly being so talkative?!" Milli retorted, giving Richard a playful smack on the head.
"We should refill our supplies and leave that town quickly!" Milli urged, taking another step closer to the town. Suddenly, an idea struck her.
"Hey, why don’t you guys go into the village and refill our supplies while I wait here?" Milli suggested proudly.
"Can I stay here too?" Zafir asked nervously.
"Fine," Richard smirked, taking Regina's hand. "Let's go, Regina."
They headed into the town, leaving Milli and Zafir behind on the forest path.
"Let's set up a small resting place here," Milli suggested, laying out the camping equipment.
"Do you know how to set up a campfire?" Milli asked.
"Yeah, Khalid taught me how..." Zafir's voice trailed off as memories of Khalid flooded his heart, making it ache.
Zafir proceeded to set up the fire for the camp, his movements precise and practiced. Meanwhile, Milli went to fetch water from a nearby river.
As she knelt by the water's edge, a shout rang out. "I-i-i-it's her!!!" A man, who happened to be nearby, had spotted Milli gathering water. His voice carried a mix of recognition and alarm.
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"Why didn't Milli want to enter this village? What did she do?" Regina asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"You should ask her yourself," Richard replied with a teasing grin.
Regina pouted, frustrated by Richard's evasive answer. "You always do this," she muttered, crossing her arms.
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Richard chuckled. "It's a story worth hearing from Milli herself."
Regina sighed, still pouting but slightly mollified. "Fine.”
"Now, let's focus on getting those supplies," Richard said with a mischievous smile. "The sooner we're done, the sooner you can satisfy your curiosity."
After thirty minutes of walking, they arrived at an expansive field of flowers. Amidst the vibrant blooms, the ruins of what were once houses stood in stark contrast, their crumbled stones and scattered debris a silent testament to the past. Not a single human soul was in sight, leaving the area eerily quiet.
From a distance, it appeared to be a picturesque village surrounded by blooming flowers. However, as they drew closer, the truth revealed itself—a ruined village swallowed by the overgrowth of blossoms.
“Woow... pretty...” Regina was mesmerized by the endless field of flowers stretching out before them. The vibrant colors and delicate petals created a breathtaking tapestry, and the sweet fragrance wafting through the air was almost intoxicating, making her feel drowsy and at peace.
Richard pondered silently, "Why did the village turn into ruins? And why is there a huge field of flowers here?" His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Regina moving slowly toward the field of flowers, seemingly entranced.
He quickly grabbed her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. "Wait, don’t go forward."
"But they are so pretty..." Regina complained, her eyes still fixated on the vibrant blooms.
"There’s something wrong here," Richard cautioned, his voice tense. "Stay close. We need to be careful."
He cautiously scanned the surroundings and the field of flowers, searching for any clues.
Reaching for a pouch on his belt, he opened it carefully. The powders inside swirled out violently, as if they were screaming a warning of imminent danger.
"There must be high levels of magic traces here for the powders to react so intensely," he thought, frowning.
“Type: Magic.”
“Particle level: Four and above.”
“Trace on.”
The powders continued to swirl violently, then abruptly dispersed into the air.
"This presence is potent enough to completely nullify and break the search powders," he thought, his concern deepening. "We must remain vigilant. Something formidable is at work here."
“Ah!” Regina quickly covered her mouth with both of her hands to stifle her scream.
“What’s wrong?!” Richard asked urgently.
She pointed toward the flower field, her eyes wide with fear. Amidst the vibrant blooms, she had noticed skeletal remains hidden beneath the flowers, visible only to her because of her shorter stature.
As the wind began to blow across the flower field, the petals started to dance in the air. One of the petals flew close to her, sharp enough to cut her skin as it floated by.
She tried her best not to scream but was too frightened to move.
“Shit!” Richard quickly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back with enough force to throw her further away from the flower field.
He swiftly retrieved a round object from his pouch and hurled it toward the space between them and the flower field. The object exploded with a powerful burst of air, blasting the dancing petals away from them.
"That was my second-to-last Wind Bomb, not good," he thought urgently. "We need to get out of here, fast!" With a firm grip on Regina's hand, he began pulling her away.
A resounding 'thump!' reverberated through the flower field, indicating the impact of something hitting the ground. More petals began to scatter into the air, swirling in an arc toward them.
"I can't waste my last Wind Bomb!" Richard thought urgently as he swiftly pulled Regina close, shielding her with his body from the encroaching petals.
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"You've mistaken me for someone else... heheh," Milli retorted, pulling her hood further down to obscure her features.
"No, it's definitely you!" The man insisted, his voice filled with conviction.
"I think you've got the wrong person. This is my first time here, after all," Milli continued, maintaining her facade and trying to deflect the man's accusations, avoiding eye contact to reinforce her innocence.
"What's going on?!" Zafir rushed over to check on Milli.
"It's a beastman! I knew it!" The man confirmed upon seeing Zafir.
Milli was left speechless as the man's accusation landed on Zafir.
Zafir stepped forward, positioning himself between Milli and the stranger, ready to defend her. "Who is this man?" he asked firmly.
"Uh..." Milli stammered, unsure how to explain.
"She's the summoner of death!" The man continued to shout. "Everyone! I've found her!"
A tense and accusatory crowd of about ten people gathered around Milli and Zafir. Their clothes were tattered, and some among them bore visible injuries, adding to the gravity of the situation.
"Are they enemies?" Zafir squinted, adopting a defensive stance, prepared to strike back if attacked. He thought to himself, "If they're normal humans, I should be able to handle them."
"Well... eheheh," Milli chuckled nervously, scratching her head as she struggled to find the right words amidst the weight of the accusations.
"I knew it was you!" Another man yelled. "Why won't you leave us alone, you monster!" one of the women added, her voice filled with anger and fear.
“Eh?” Milli exclaimed, bewildered by their sudden accusations.
A man picked up a rock and hurled it toward Milli, but Zafir effortlessly deflected it with his claws.
“Grrrr…” Zafir growled menacingly, fixing a fierce glare on the person who threw the rock.
“Go away, you monster! Leave us alone!” cried one of the women, her voice filled with fear and anger.
"Excuse me?! You're calling me a monster when all I did was free the beastmen you were enslaving?" Milli retorted angrily at the accusation.
"You destroyed our houses!" one of the women angrily replied.
"Says the people who were pointing their pitchforks at me, chasing me, and shooting arrows!" Milli retorted angrily. "You even killed some of the beastmen as they were trying to escape!"
"Enough! Please, enough of this!" An elderly man stepped forward, calming the group of strangers with his presence.
"Whatever we did is in the past. We don't enslave beastmen anymore. Why do you continue to torment us?" he said sorrowfully.
"What are you even talking about?!" Milli demanded, her voice tinged with frustration and disbelief.
Zafir remained steadfast, standing protectively between Milli and the angry group, his stance defensive.
"You unleashed monsters on our village and killed most of us, you monster! Don't pretend to be innocent in front of your guard dog!" one of the women shouted accusingly.
"First of all, Zafir is NOT my guard dog! He is one of my companions! And I did not unleash monsters upon your village!" Milli countered vehemently, trying to reason with them amidst the escalating tension.
"Wait a minute, did you say monsters in the village?" She interjected, catching onto their conversation about monsters.
"Were you not the one responsible for unleashing monsters onto our village?" the elderly man asked accusingly.
"What monsters? My companions were heading to your village to resupply; they could be in danger!" Milli replied urgently.
"The village is no more... those lizard-like monsters destroyed it," the elderly man explained sadly.
"One of the monsters was huge, covered in flowers," one of the women cried out.
"Flowers sprouted from the ground and bloomed," another woman added tearfully, "and their petals were as sharp as blades. Many of us lost our lives to those petals as we tried to escape..."
"Zafir, we need to hurry and chase after those two. They might be in danger!" Milli exclaimed, sprinting back to their camp to retrieve her staff before heading towards the village, with Zafir following closely behind.
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"Ugh!" Richard grunted as he jumped and rolled on the ground, tightly hugging Regina to shield her from the sharp, razor-like petals that swirled around them.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, quickly getting to his feet and scanning her for injuries.
Regina shook her head, her wide eyes filled with fear but unharmed.
She noticed countless cuts on his body, feeling an urge to comfort him and ease his pain, but her thoughts were abruptly interrupted.
"Who dares disturb my slumber?!" a thunderous voice boomed from the flower field, shaking the ground beneath them. The flowers seemed to pulse with the sound, their vibrant petals trembling as a massive figure began to emerge from the blooms, its eyes glowing ominously.