The Beastlands wasn’t unlike the Moonlight Forest. Nature hadn’t been altered much, even after the Beastmen occupied the lands for centuries. The surrounding environment was overflowing with life and beauty. Towering trees could be found everywhere, with smaller bushes and magical plants seeking protection.
Even though I expected the Beastlands to be different, I didn’t expect it to be like this. There are no streets, but even their paths are mostly trodden paths rather than being intentionally altered. It almost feels like Beastmen are attuned to nature as much as some of the old races were said to be.
The trodden paths weren’t as bad as Percy had feared, but his majestic mount had problems ascending slippery slopes. The Beastmen were forced to slow down and wait for the humans and their mounts occasionally and didn’t hesitate to make fun of them because of it. Most avoided making fun of Percy because the combination of his age, combat prowess, and attitude were respectable. However, the rest who had yet to prove themselves weren’t spared.
A handful of nobles cursed the Beastmen for their teasing, but they didn’t have the time or energy to do anything against it. They were busy holding onto their mounts, their eyes trailing the ground to find the most accessible path upward. Their butts were hurting, and their clothes were drenched in sweat. The nobles wanted to arrive at their destination and shower, though nobody was certain the Beastmen knew what a shower was. Would they have to wash up in a river? They sure didn’t hope that to be necessary.
“The Beast King is not in his lair at this time of the year. He would have been out hunting under normal circumstances, but he should be somewhere nearby because of the recent incidents,” Dex explained in disdain after Melissa had asked him about the duration of their travel and when they would meet the Beast King.
“That being said, you are not certain where he is, but you know where he rests most of the time. Is that about right?” Percy responded curtly, to which Dex added, “He is independent and doesn’t have to report his whereabouts to anyone.”
Some Beastmen had shapeshifted into monsters when they departed. Percy took in their scent with his [A Hunter’s Smell] Augmentation, but he lost them a few minutes after they entered the densely grown forest. The mana density in the Beastlands was rare, and it reminded me of the Moonlight Forest again, which was also why his Augmentation was inefficient. Too many potent scents hung in the air, dozens trying to attract Percy’s attention. Unfortunately, the Beastmen’s scents weren’t as potent and were thus less noticeable.
I’d be surprised if Dex knows where his subordinates are currently. His Beast Legion has no discipline, yet I doubt the Legions focus on that. Beastmen pride themselves on unlimited freedom and power. Sure, they’re powerful. I’ve known that…but the freedom part was difficult to understand. Until now, of course.
The Beastmen could roam around as they pleased as long as they would arrive at their designated destination.
“When did the attacks on your kin start?” Percy changed the subject to focus on business instead.
Dex didn’t stop walking but turned around to study Percy for a moment, “Your people never stopped attacking us. Since before the Beast War, they’ve been attacking us with small numbers, weaklings without any real power. However, we were certain the Kainesh Kingdom had nothing to do with this since your King made sure to abolish slavery and to bring back our children and beloved. Your King was trying hard, which is why we respected him, but it has been a few months since the attacks intensified. Strong humans started attacking our borders.
They stealthily enter the Beastlands – we still don’t know how exactly since our people seem unable to find out where they are coming from – and attack where we least expect it. It is almost like they know us better than we do…and which is uncommon for new poachers. They know what they are doing. They must have been doing it for a long time!”
That didn’t sound good. Percy knew about some issues with war veterans, greedy merchants from the time after the Beast War, and how easily Mercenaries and Adventurers were convinced to do something stupid at the sight of gold. It was nothing new. If anything, a human’s greed was something everyone heard or experienced at least once, no matter where they came from. It was universally known as mankind’s worst trade.
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“If you don’t know where they’re coming from, did you try locating the area they attack the most? As long as you do that, locating the closest border and devise plans to capture them in the act shouldn't be a problem,” Percy commented, but Dex only sighed.
“We did that already, but there have been no results. Even as we increased the patrols near the most attacked areas, more humans attacked. The patrols didn’t find anyone. The borders were dead silent, and not even the bats didn’t discover anything odd.”
That doesn’t sound great. So, the issue at hand isn’t that easy to solve. But then again. It wouldn’t have come this far if it had been easy to solve. The envoy wouldn’t be here…probably.
Percy was sure they missed something. The Beastmen, after gaining their respect, treated him with enough respect to answer most of his questions. Still, Dex didn’t go into detail. Not even after the question and answer session lasted for several hours.
“How are you handling the Demon resurgence?” Percy asked at some point, but Dex’s response surprised him.
“Demons? We have almost none in the Beastlands.”
Almost none? The Oracle prophesied that the Kainesh Kingdom would be the center of trouble in the future, but if I remember correctly, it also said that the trouble would spread outward rapidly. How is it possible that the Beastlands have almost no Demons?
After talking to the Snakeman for a while, Percy fell deep in thought. Unfortunately, most answers were on the surface level, not enough to grasp the big picture. He lacked information, and Dex was hiding some of it!
***
Percy liked traveling through the Beastlands. It reminded him of his long journey to the Wintermoon Estate with Melissa and the Glacia Knights. The situation was different than it used to be since he was stronger and actually in the position of the leader, but Percy didn’t have to do much. Melissa and the Imperials told him to focus on the Beastmen and to socialize with them rather than pay attention to the nobles’ discomfort whenever they got teased.
The Imperials didn’t have a fragile ego like the heirs, and Melissa was strong enough to stand up for herself. She ended up gaining some respect for being the crap out of a Porcupine-type Beastman. The Beastman had been provoking the nobles, poking them left and right – with words but also literally – and Melissa wasn’t the type to hold back. She’d learned everything about the Beastlands and its occupants that had to be learned, however, she wasn’t a punching bag. The Porcupine learned that the hard way.
While Melissa was busy handling the childish noble heirs and the Beastmen’s provocations, Percy was at the head of the group, talking to Dex and accepting challenges from various Beastmen. Most Beastmen daring to challenge him were youngsters not on the same level as Percy, but he knew it would be rude to reject their challenges. Thus, Percy showed compliance and beat the shit out of the Beastmen.
Only three days had passed, but Percy fought more than two dozen Beastmen. The challenges ended quickly, yet more Beastmen arrived to challenge him. They didn’t even seem to care about getting beaten to a pulp. It almost felt like a compliment, which seemed problematic in multiple ways.
At some point, Percy discovered new arrivals, Beastmen who weren’t even part of the Beast Legion. They arrived to fight Percy and watch him fight. Percy didn’t mind, but the rest of the envoy grew increasingly tense as more and more Beastmen arrived…some with the sole purpose of provoking the humans, hoping they would make a mistake.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and more honorable Beastmen defended the envoy when the troublemakers moved toward threatening Fiona. She was the Healer and had healed every Beastman who’d challenged Percy without hesitation. Even if she hadn’t done that, the Beastmen wouldn’t be this dishonorable.
Healers shouldn’t be harmed!
“How much longer do we have to travel?” Fiona asked Percy one afternoon. She was tired after healing a dozen Beastmen, which Percy had beaten to a pulp, and wished nothing more than some rest.
Fiona was one of the more resilient members of the envoy, yet she was worn out like the rest.
Unfortunately, Percy couldn’t give her a satisfying answer. He had no idea either. Nobody told him how long it would take, though, given the Beastmen’s attitude, Percy was sure they would arrive soon.