TF Chapter 87 Preparations

***Danny***

Faint light from the stars filtered through the leaves of the trees in the night to fall upon me and Alistair, who were on the ground below while the others were up above, in the safety of the trees. I was scared of the ground but since I was the one who had suggested this whole get together with my enemy, I couldn't afford to show any weakness.

Alistair was dishevelled, yet that smirk upon his lips was one I would have loved to wipe off with a punch to the cheek. He was an insufferable human. I had to admit that in terms of scheming, he was above me, but there was no way I would ever say that to his face.

Clothes, a pair of dark pants and a brown vest, adorned his being, a size too big for his small frame, probably a steal from the natives, as those ones who had gotten into a small scuffle with senior Nat had been wearing the same.

"Alistair, what are you really doing here, near our drop off point?"

"Danny Danny Danny tsk! Tsk! Tsk! We both know that that's a very dumb question to ask, right?" His grin widened as he mocked me, giving me more fuel if I ever decided to punch him in the face.

"Okay...why don't you leave me and my group alone? Why don't you focus on your little plots somewhere else?"

"A great being is about to rise and you want me to give this all up when I have such knowledge? Wouldn't it be better if I hugged his thigh when he's still too weak?"

There was a metaphorical sound of thunder as our spiritual domains clashed, each trying to gain ground on the other. This guy was simply very insufferable, the kind of person I wanted to kill with all my being.

"What? I am pretty sure that there is absolutely no way I would be stepping on your toes or anything for that matter. We can even aid each other." His face had lost that smirk, instead adopting a serious expression.

"I am pretty sure that with your talent and background, you can still rise to the pinnacle, so why are you encroaching into my territory?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"(Sigh)...this is the difference between you and me, Danny. You weigh everything with materialistic eyes...don't look at me like that! Just listen!...I do the same, but...I never ever try to degrade a human being into an inanimate object. Even with the small time I have spent with your group I can see it. The fact that those two don't trust you!"

That was a nail in the heart right there. I had thought that he had been too panicked and tired to catch such a small thing, but it seems I had once again underestimated the human known as Alistair.

"You have this mentality that you can just jump ships when you find a better one, but trust me on this, no one! Absolutely no one would give you their full trust. Why do you think your other family members have stuck with being tied to one single person their entire lives? Do you really think that they hadn't met those with greater providence or luck than their current charges? Think very very carefully about your next steps."

Those words had caused my mind to become so dazed I even missed the time of his departure. His words resonated with me on such a fundamental level, they had hit home. He had been right and I had been wrong. Ever since I had been born, I had never met anyone with as much providence as senior Nat, yet here I was, thinking that if it all went wrong, I would simply find someone else! That was a very wrong trail of thought! Even those forger prospectives back onto the continent had failed to have any single one, have luck on par with his...

I slapped my face, the pain causing my mind that had been in a rut to awaken. As much as I hated to admit it, Alistair had been right. I had been taking this the wrong way.

***Bora***

Alistair... I barely knew the man, yet I was happy that he was around. Why? Because I had seen the uneasy and wary looks Danny had been sending his way ever since we had met him.

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He had just come up from below, having told us some joke about Danny having finally achieved enlightenment and was in the middle of having his dumb brain ascending into the heavens of intelligence. It had been hilarious!

"So, Alistair, right? Why were the natives pursuing you? With you good head, I doubt you would have simply sauntered into their village or whatever they call it here, willy nilly?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes maintaining a gaze that was screaming, Zero Trust!

"Thank you for saving us by the way. I hadn't had the chance to say that to you yet. Its interesting how you have managed to get a headstart on that intent thing. Even we, only discovered it upon infiltrating the alien village."

"Oh! You managed to get inside the village!" I exclaimed almost too loudly. I hurriedly covered my mouth when I noticed my mistake.

"Is there anything particularly interesting? For example...how these natives have managed to evolve this drastically?" I asked. Whatever they had managed to gather was going to be important. And there was no way I was going to let them off without learning everything they had to offer.

"Apparently, a genius was born within their tribe, someone whose mind was sharper and curious..."

*****

I sat there, my back to the trunk of a tree as I stared up above, into the stars. It was interesting how the mist that covered this whole planet was visible outside the planet, yet didn't obscure anything the moment you stepped foot onto the planet.

Alistair...the guy was...organised...? It was like he had many plans and contingencies in place. I, on the other hand, lacked direction. I wanted to become a forger, but right now, I lacked any concrete plans, simply sailing along any whims the wind decided to blow towards.

He had just given us plenty of intelligence about the natives in the village...and I couldn't lie to myself about the fact that these natives were going to be very difficult to take down. I plucked my gaze from the stars and decided to look at my companions, failing to read any facial expressions due to the darkness, but I knew that they must have been ruminating about the information.

The natives had managed to make progress in genetic technology, even creating their own unique path that didn't require the advanced technology humanity had developed. They were instead relying on the clarity provided by their spiritual powers. Alistair had even claimed to have seen some bodies of the creatures from this forest, signifying a fact that they weren't simply targeting humans.

I sighed for the umpteenth time. The reason was the fact that I knew what was to come in the future...tussling with these natives. And it was all because of an important piece of information, one that had caused these natives to pursue Alistair and the woman following him. There was something in a cave system that allowed these aliens to learn more about intent. Alistair had even theorised that these natives had gained information about intent from there.

I didn't know whether it was even important, but the statue had called out to Alistair, dangling a bait that he and all of us simply couldn't resist! Information about the universe!

That alone had already proven that the statue had originated from a civilised space faring alien race!

"We need to come up with a plan." Alistair was the first to break the stifling silence that had enveloped us.

"I believe all of us here want to really meet the statue, right?" He continued, standing up from his seated position with grace. His family must have been some sort of nobles in history.

"How are we supposed to take on an entire village of those natives? That spiritual pulse would locate us the instant we enter into range!" Bora analysed. She wasn't trying to dissuade the endeavor, only asking the important questions.

"That...device can't be kept on for a long time, not to mention the fact that my plan involves us not taking action right now. A year later would be the optimum time."

"You want to attack the village with all of us possessing intents." It was a statement on my part, not a question.

"Yes, and we won't be going in stealthily. We are going to have to battle groups of creatures in this forest in order to hone our 'multiple-opponent' combat prowess."

"Alistair, are you certain that the five of us can pull it off? You did say that most of the natives are also going to birth their intents. Won't this be detrimental to us in the long run?" Danny's question caused my heart to skip a beat. I hadn't thought of that!

"It doesn't matter really, does it? The forger path is one of risk and reward. You must have the resolve to head forward without looking back or having any regrets. Currently, the three of you lack this trait."

Alistair's words resonanted with me intensely. I had been too laid back, simply letting the situation drag me along. A forger had become as strong as a tempered metal if they were to survive in this world.

I breathed out a sigh and stood up, feeling as if I had been ignited. I was going to work hard such that I could get stronger in this one year!

"It looks like we are going to have to stay in this gloomy forest for another long duration!" Lamented Bora, though, her eyes were bright, a sign that a flame a desire had been ignited within her.

"There are certain monkey-like creatures that live as a collective of some sort in the north. Maybe we could start with them?" Danny appeared to be rearing to go.

"Alistair, we must first find something to eat. I am starving!" The woman who had accompanied him complained.