As a warm, comfortable breeze swept across the grasslands, sitting at a table that was placed atop one of the many, white carriages that created the horseshoe-like semi-circle, four people lazily chatted amongst themselves as they occasionally glanced at the growing crowd in front of them.

While this strange scene should have attracted the attention of the crowd before them, not a single person glanced in the group's direction, nor was their shadow cast upon the ground alongside the carriage.

Releasing a sigh, an enormous white-haired old man, judging from his muscled frame that was barely covered by his white robes, to easily stand around seven and a half feet tall, idly rotated three silvery-grey, metal balls in his left hand. "When we get back, I'm going to kick that dark, fearing twat so hard he will pass all of the halls and land in the Sect Master's palliation. Why the hell do I, the Iron Hall Master, have to cover for him?"

Nearby, a mature looking woman, her hair eye-catching golden-red, chuckled as a sharp-faced man, his nose and cheeks so sharp him gave him a bird-like appearance, shook his head with a defeated smile.

The woman flicked her long hair back, revealing orangey brown eyes that glittered with a playful mischievousness. "Pay up Hrafn; I told you he wouldn't last the hour."

"You win this round Dimi. Keep my money safe; I will be winning it back soon." Snorting, the bird-like man, his hair a matted, black colour, could only sigh as he quickly flicked a golden coin towards the woman.

Pocketing the coin in her white robes, a relaxed smile upon her face, the woman called Dimi placed her head on the table as she seemingly lost interest with what was going on around her. "Anyway, don't you think that Reu guy and that crazy light girl that the Welshmar Republic have been nurturing are similar?"

Next to Dimi, sitting between her and Hrafn, a slim, yet elegant looking man was leaning back as far as he could, enjoying the sunlight that was beating down upon him as he tried to doze. "Do we really need to make idle chatter? We only have a few more towns to test before we have to return. Can't we just enjoy this beautiful weather in comfortable silence and digest our meals in peace."

"Pfft, some of us actually need a small amount of stimulation in life Jorm. And no, watching these human brats make fools of themselves isn't entertaining anymore," grumbled Dimi, her lips pulling into a slight, almost unnoticeable snarl.

"Then you are right, the survivor of the Welshmar Republic's Night of Terror who solely cultivates light essence, and is rumoured to hate the darkness so much that people have to wear makeup around her to lighten their skin, is similar to that crazy bastard. However, without meeting her, we can never really know and should not degrade ourselfs to make baseless accusations," responded Jorm in a manner that made it seem like he was promptly ending the conversation.

"I guess that is why she was put in charge of the newly formed Demon Hunter cult or whatever it is," continued Dimi, seemingly happy to carry on the conversation even though it was clear Jorm just wanted to sleep. "Not sure what the dark has to do with evil or demons but cultivators have done weirder things I suppose."

"No," said the old man with resolution as he slapped the table. "We are not getting into another debate on who is better between beasts and cultivators so drop it there Dimi."

"Sounds like something a cultivator who was scared to lose would say," grinned Dimi as she lifted her head off the table, yet, before she was fully upright, she froze.

The old man, who had been observing Dimi, noticed the strange behaviour, which was reflected by Hrafn. He even spotted Jorm slightly opening his eyes and gazing into the crowd.

However, even with their strange actions, he didn't seem to be too concerned as he turned his head to follow the direction they were looking in. "What's up? Has one of the big fish in this little pond come to take a look?"

As he said this, his eyes scanned the crowd, halting for a moment at a group of cloaked men and women, before continuing onto a small disturbance were a group of youths had broken out into a fight.

Apart from a few oddities, like a blind girl, wearing a black blindfold and a tattered, worn out cloak, that was currently attempting to navigate the swirling crowd with the use of her walking stick, a person dressed in black, leather armour that seemed to be overseeing their surroundings and the cloaked men and women he had seen earlier, the old man couldn't spot anything suspicious.

Turning back to his companions, the man was startled to find that their eyes were not locked on once place, but searching the crowd as he had just been doing.

Just as he was about to release his spiritual energy, Dimi waved her hand, gaining his attention. "Timur, don't. You'll scare them off."

"Scare them off? Why would I? A cultivator won't be able to dete-" Timur's words abruptly stopped, his mind catching up with his mouth. "They're a beast?"

"Primordial if not a pure, high-level bloodline," responded Jorm, the only sign he was searching for the newcomer the slight movement under his eyelids.

Suddenly, Hrafn released a well-humoured laugh as he clapped his hands together. "Found it."

"So who is it?" asked Timur, his curiosity rising, wondering what kind of beast would be able to hide, even if they were quickly found, from the trio's acute senses.

"Dimi, how about we bet if you or Jorm find them first? I will give two hints, yours before his. If you win, I'll give you another coin; if you lose, you give the coin you just won back?"

"Deal," spat Dimi as her eyes narrowed, leaning forward onto the table as she intensely scanned the crowd.

"Firstly, pretending to be strong while actually weak is foolish in front of a seasoned hunter, the same as the strong pretending to be weak before wise prey," said Hrafn, his nearly black eyes displaying the same level of mischievousness as Dimi had earlier. "And secondly, this person would be extremely suited to Jorm's Hidden Serpent Striking arts."

"What a cheap shot," snorted Dimi, believing that the clues given had been unfair and biased yet not willing to lose any focus from her search.

After scanning the crowd once again, she froze for a moment as a frown briefly appeared on her face before being replaced with a dazzling smile. "So that's how it is. Impressive. I would never have thought one of our own could stalk so brazenly amongst cultivators outside the sect."

Jorm frowned, not happy about being last, as a forked tongue darted out of his mouth a few times, curling at the tip before returning to his mouth.

"Give it up, even I can't tell what beast it is so you won't find any hints there," said Hrafn in a somewhat resentful tone as he reluctantly pushed another golden coin towards Dimi.

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However, she hadn't noticed the coin as, after turning around to gloat, the rapid movement of Jorm's tongue had drawn her attention, an intensely concentrated look appearing on her features as if she were about to try and grab it.

Opening his eyes a little wider after sitting up, Jorm carefully inspected each individual in front of him, only coming to a stop when he reached the short, blind girl.

While he has already analysed her a few times, quickly moving on to more likely targets, this brief pause caused Jorm to blink a few times, not a hundred percent sure on what he was seeing.

While the girl's movements were extremely natural, to the point of being easily dismissed, after watching her for a couple of seconds, he couldn't help but release a hiss in surprise.

The girl was slowly weaving through the crowd, surprisingly so for a blind person, yet every move she made put her in the most advantageous position to attack or defend against those around her.

Jorm nodded his head. "You are right, old bird, she's almost a natural fit for my martial arts. However, she has a lot of bad habits, including wasting a lot of energy and focus. I would hazard a guess to say that this is a self-taught style."

Timur, who had been watching from the side as he silently tried to compete with the beasts and discover the location of their mysterious guest, couldn't help but shake his head with a self-deprecating smile on his face. "I give, who is it?"

Dimi giggled, placing her hand over her mouth. "What's this? the great Iron Hall master Fang has been defeated by mere beasts?"

"Well, the Iron Fisted General can't be perfect at everything," snickered Jorm as he closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair. "Though not being able to sense this hidden danger amongst potential disciples is slightly worrying."

Hrafn could only roll his eyes at the other two, who had clearly needed help to find the person. "Its the girl who sees more than she should. While it appears she walks in darkness, she is actually more aware than those standing in the light."

Timur frowned for a moment before realisation appeared on his face and he turned towards the blind girl. After a few seconds, his pupils suddenly expanded as he discovered what his comrades had meant. "I wonder what kingdom she is from?"

"She isn't from a kingdom," responded Dimi after joyously pocketing the golden coin she had just found in front of her. "I can't sense any binding or collar interference with her beastial energy."

The old man frowned, the metal balls clacking angrily in his hand. "Then what is she doing wandering through a human kingdom? Does she have a protector or is she a fool that is looking to become someone's pet."

Dimi and Hrafn's countenance darkened at Timur's words, however after are few moments, Jorm responded. "She doesn't have a protector and, in all likely hood, is using that disguise to evade detection of the humans."

"So you noticed as well," said Hrafn, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head in a smug manner.

"Are you guys seriously trying to piss me off? grumbled Timur, his patience growing thin as the beasts seemed to talk in riddles and half sentences. "Because don't forget each of you has to spar with me once a week during the trip back and I promise you, it's not going to be pleasant."

Hrafn laughed light-heartedly, not paying the threat any attention. "The little beast hasn't received an inheritance yet, something that every high-level beast and above that hasn't been disowned or orphaned will have. As such, I doubt she has a protector."

Jorm nodded, though it was clear that his mind was starting to wander again now that his interest had wanned.

Dimi, who had been staring intensely at the girl, placed her head in her hands. "It feels like she has reached the bloodline bottleneck too. Without an inheritance, as well as guidance from an elder, the beastial energy will start to destroy her from within."

The three went silent for a moment, Jorm having already exited the conversation, and watched the blind girl move through the crowd, in a strange, yet pattern like behaviour. Different thoughts passing through their minds as they did so.

"So, no one is going to mention the elephant in the room," said Hrafn, breaking the silence that had descended upon the group and causing Jorm to click his tongue in annoyance.

"You mean how is a beast able to take a human form before reaching the Gem rank or receiving its inheritance?" Timur stroked his wizened beard as he spoke, this very question has been circling his mind since discovering that a beast in human form was wandering the area nearby.

"Recon it could be that Nyx lass everyone's been singing on about?" said Jorm, knowing that until the others had exhausted the topic, it was pointless to try and sleep.

"You mean the primordial beast that is also a guardian? Who slaughtered the republic's princess and guard while at the foundation core stage, slaughtered over two hundred people in her escape and has a royal elemental mark?" responded Hrafn, looking at Jorm as if he were an idiot. "The one that if you say her name into a mirror three times, the last thing you will see is her glowing blue eyes as your throat torn out? Or that haunts the streets of towns and hamlets, killing everyone she meets after demanding that they return her soul?"

"I like the version where she was betrayed by her angelic lover. After killing the princess who had stolen his heart, the devil-like angel tore out her heart and left her to die alone. Yet, was so filled with the bitterness and resentment that the dark element took pity and decided to revive her as a revenant. Now she stalks the lands, ripping out the hearts of those that betray their loved ones."

Jorm snickered. "I heard that the town where that story originated from was slaughtered down to the last man, woman and child. It seems that Nyx, whatever she is, didn't appreciate that rumour."

"That or they just wanted to cover it up," said Dimi as she controversially lowered her voice. "Not wanting others to know that their First Princess was assassinated over a mere lover's tiff."

"What about the one where she was actually the princess?" interrupted Hrafn, now wanting to let Dimi's overactive imagination to run rampant. "Who had gone mad from the inhuman experimentation that turned her into a beast when she was kidnapped."

"That's even more ridiculous," responded Jorn. "Not only is it impossible to turn a cultivator into a beast, who would destroy such a brilliant setup by freaking out for no reason? She could be sitting on the throne now, with a nation at her feet. Able to sleep and eat as much as she wanted without worry."

Timur couldn't help but chuckle, wondering how such absurd stories had not only appeared but gained increasing popularity over the last ten years.

Even so, he wasn't about to completely discredit them, having experienced many strange things in his long lifetime. "We live in a world where stranger things have happened, and while we shouldn't trust everything we hear blindly, most things have a grain of truth to them. Every myth, legend, story or rumour has an origin."

Hrafn nodded, rubbing his chin. "Going on that theme, If we take the common parts and remove the impossibilities, Nyx is either a high-rank or primordial beast, has very distinct eyes, probably blue, is female, extremely cunning and merciless, and searching for something."

After a few seconds, a look of respect appeared in his beady, black eyes. "So that is why you suspect the girl. She has obscurely adhered to all of these facts."

Timur chuckled as he sat back in his chair, his mood has brightened significantly since the start of this conversation. "That and the fact that my main affinity is metal. Though I can't use my spiritual sense to search the area, now that I am focusing on her, I can sense the absurd amount of daggers, and armour bindings on that blind girl's body. Something that a blind girl, even if she was using a special ability to replace her sight, would not have need of."

Dimi slowly stood up, stretching her graceful, streamlined body as she did, before moving to the back of the carriage. A place where she could drop down and emerge from the barrier that surrounded them without alerting the large crowd at the front.

"Where are you going?" grumbled Timur, his mood instantly sinking as a foreboding feeling that trouble was just around the corner started to grow in his chest.

"Just going to take a look," laughed Dimi in an absentminded manner, quickly checking the position of the blind girl before lifting her foot over the edge of the carriage.

"I swear if you are going to cause trouble, I will beat you to an inch of your life and leave you on the side of the road for someone to turn into a rug," growled Timur, the metal balls in his hand spinning much faster.

"It's just taking a look," replied the woman as she stepped off the edge and landed silently on the grass below. "What's the worst that can happen."

"Dimi..." Timur couldn't help but frown, feeling a slight headache developing.

"You want to order a cat about as if they were a dog?" laughed Hraf before he was suddenly hit in the side of his head with a golden coin.

"I'm not a cat, bird brain. I'm a lioness." hissed Demi, before stepping out of the barrier, which extended a few feet away from the carriage, and moving towards a gap in the encirclement nearby.

Releasing an almighty sigh, Timur massaged the ridge of his nose as he leant back in his chair and stared into the sky blue sky above. "Why can't you guys, just for once, not cause any trouble. Does it have to be every freaking time we stop."

"What troubles?" laughed Hrafn as he pocketed the coin, a victorious glint appearing in his eyes. "At heart we are beasts. Your dull, boring world full of meaningless laws and restrictions is what's wrong, not us."