"Quickly sound the alarm!"

"The Wind Watchers have already given notice, retreat and let the beast enter the entrapment, stall for time until one of the generals arrives"

"Roger"

The tree men blended into their surroundings after receiving the order becoming part of the trap used to ensnare the incoming airborne enemy

It wasnt long before a cyan dot appeared in the sky, quickly approaching as its figure revealed shiny scales blurred by the blades of wind keeping it afloat

Seeing as it was a dragon they were dealing with everyone got a little tense, dragons almost alwayse cuased casualties when they attacked, this one also seemed to emit some power even from such a distance making them hope the general arrives as soon as possible

Once a little beyond the gates of Hortus the beast halted its quick advance and started to descend at a slow pace, what suprised everyone wasn't the fact that it didn't continue on, after all they knew the only entrance was through the gates as the walls would warn and attack any airborne intruder, instead it was the beast stopping just a centimeter away from their snare

Coincidence? The possibly of that was low, this beast must have sensed the danger one way or another

The sound of wind fluttered past the gates with the beast's landing carrying with it whispers of trees

"What's the ordered procedure in case the trap failed to activate?"

"Respond based on its actions since we've lost the initiative"

Switching from their formation to a more flexible one the tree men efficiently rearranged themselves, trying to stay hidden as they shuffled locations

While they were busy with defensive prodecures the beast's shiny scales dimmed unnoticed, it wasn't until three figures jumped from within did the guards notice the abnormality

"Wait, aren't those..."

"Yes, they seem to be the black guards"

"Were they riding the dragon?"

"No, a few watchers confirmed their exit from inside the beast"

"Be careful, could be an illusion or some sort of trick"

With how vast the Infidome was there were bound to be many tricks and unique abilities warranting the caution of any who reside in it, Hortus has been around long enough to know this and act accordingly

...

"What are we waiting for Master? Do we need a pass to go in with the golem?"

"Sort of, it is hard to enter with all the guards after all"

The red head blinked her eyes a couple of times in confusion, all she could see ahead was a forest rustling with the wind and the harmless orange-red walls amid which was an unguarded and empty gate

'Hmm? How could they leave it without any supervision'

Her brows frowned at this, with how strict the tower seemed she didnt believe there to be no one at the gate, during her stay here there was alwayse a team of three manning the gate too so this didnt make sense

'Where could they be'

Instead of asking her master she questioned herself, eyes going through the scenery in a bid to find anything amiss

There was nothing out of the ordinary however, even after looking closely at it the scenery remained the same, a forest swaying with the wind and the ever still walls of vines

'Swaying?'

Raising her hand up she felt for wind but only a small breeze greeted her

'Earlier the wind came from us landing but what is causing them to move now?'

She thought and thought about it until finally coming to a conclusion

"Master, are those trees by chance some sort of creatures?"

"Oh? You can see them?"

He threw her a suprised glance, it takes a trained eye to spot tree men camouflaging themselves

"No, I merely noticed the trees swaying without wind"

"Aha, I see, quite observant, your guess is on the mark for those are tree men, using their racial talent they can become part of nature either to hide, prolong lifespan, or merely feel at peace"

"Talent?"

Somehow the word stood out on the sentence, it didn't seem like he was speaking of the normal talent known on earth

"Talent is like skill, its gives you a special feature or ability, though alwayse a passive one and almost alwayse exclusively gained through your own racial origin"

Sure enough it was a system related feature

"Are there any human talents Master?"

The red head questioned, though they were new to this world and the answer shouldn't be known to him her past experiences pointed otherwise

"No, we aren't attuned to any source or element nor are we good at technological advances like some other races, furthermore our moral isn't a set value, you could say we dabble in every field and are never chained to certain aspects, be them physical or spiritual, this gives us freedom to choose our own path but becomes the ceiling that bars our ascendance"

"Ascendance?"

"I think you got your fill of answers today, its time I go meet our troublesome escourt"

It only took a conversation's length for one of the generals to arrive, it wasn't something he cared for originally, even if the two fleshy ones were to come he wouldn't find it troubling, only this one general....

"If it isn't the rotten rattan"

Said he in the common language, clearly intending to provoke the general

The other side remained silent however, staring at the blindfolded fellow who never ceased to cuase problems

"Sir, those three came out of the beast just now"

Informed one of the nearby trees with a jarring voice

"Came out of it?"

"Yes, and not from the mouth, it seemed its back opend up like some sort of door, we suspect the likelihood of it being an Illusion or things if that nature"

After giving the shared opinions if the guards the voice went quiet leaving the general with his own thoughts

'Hmm, I trust the Watcher's testament but ni matter how I look at it it's the same annoying fellow'

That waning existence, always threatening to disappear the second your senses left it, it wasn't something easily replicated

'Guess it's a false alarm'

Begrudgingly the rattan shook, ready to let the troublesome man in

"....Stay in formation, I shall meet the enemy head on"

"Roger"

'On second thought I can test him out with precaution as an excuse'

The rattan swayed like the trees around him, swayed toward the three without wind nor goodwill