"I assume everything went well Master?"

Mia commented seeing his unharmed figure fading into sight

"Somewhat"

Someone got wind of his presence so it wasn't all that good, hopefully it wasn't anyone from Hortus

"Should I wake Zero or let her have her fill of rest"

"Wake her when we get to the next nest, strength is needed if we meet another hardy beast like the last lizard"

Mia nodded in acknowledgment, knowing neither she nor her Master could do much with the hard skinned fellows

With that the group left the forest's vicinity, heading toward the west where another group of beasts took shelter, this place should be simple however as it was only a matter of numbers, something only Zero who awoke moments ago seemed worried about for some reason

Soon as they approached the nest they heard faint shouts and flapping sounds, alerting them of an unexpected third party

"Don't let them escape into the sky!"

"Why don't you try and stop them then?! Think it's easy doing this crap!"

"If you got time to yap you got time to swing more, get to it!"

When they were lurking not too far from the battle the shouts became clear, and with them YuJu's expression turned annoyed

"It's them again"

How could he not recognize that voice? It's only been a week since he'd seen them so it was still fresh in his memory

And indeed he was right as the figures of Joco and company came into sight once they inched close enough to the fight

"Are they one of the people supplied with weapons, Master?"

Mia was quick to notice two axes cleaving through the blue and grey parula birds trapped in a hole filled gymnasium, her heart would have died for the cute little birdies if not for the teeth filled maws in their stomachs

He nodded in acknowledgment, still focused on the fact that Joco only held one axe while his wife held the other

'That's not a bad idea, if he's not good with two handed weapons its best to distribute it, two swinging a dangerous weapon is better than an amateur trying his hand at dual wielding'

It was a small detail but something that most people wouldn't do, trying to do everything on their own instead, at least in the beginning

'Solid teamwork, no one too greedy to get kills, a well balanced control of troops, overall good leadership'

What's more he saw a total lack of casualties on the human side, something really rare in these tough times where humans moved from their civilized weak selves into a full blown war for survival

'He really knows that the most precious resource is human lives, they are your only ally after all, and their numbers are limited'

Well, it only applied to normal humans though, he could make alliances with just about any force he wanted since he spoke the language, humans on the other hand would stick to their race until they could form relationships with the surrounding worlds, those who would approve of them at least

"Such a boring fight"

Mia's yawning words interrupted his thoughts, once couldn't blame the strong woman however for their speed was way too slow for her, there was a lack of technique as well since all they did was slash, stab, or slam with their weapons before retreating as their comrade covered for the small birds' counter attack

Furthermore there was a person among them who kept swinging an entire pillar wherever the birds thought to escape, slow as he was the small things didn't risk mass massacre to try and squeeze through what was left of the open holes

"Should we leave them to their own devices? They seem to be more than capable of handling the situation"

"Let's wait, I want to know where they will head next, the birds will risk escape soon anyway"

He foresaw, and so did an old man with spiked hair who signaled for the one holding the pillar to throw it in his next swing

The next time the birds tried to escape they rushed through the hole just as predicted, that's when the man let go of the pillar causing the unexpecting birds to suffer more casualties than they could handle, barely flying away with a hundred left to their flock

"Nice job"

"Well done everyone, drinks on me tonight!"

"As if I'd let you waste the precise beer on something so simple, save it for a bigger occasion"

Everyone was joyous, except Joco who couldn't get his beer

"Get the meat tested and stash it if it's edible, we will come get it on the way back"

"Were not finished for today?"

"Yah boss, lady boss is right were tired"

"Yah we been fighting all day"

"Don't be a bunch of babies, none of you even got a scratch, and we won't fight, just explore the next land since were already so far from camp"

After a reprimanding frm the boss the grumpy group had to go forward with much reluctance

"They seem to be heading toward the land we cleared, since we're done looting there might as well let them have at it?"

Ika asked in the groups steed, she couldn't help but want to support them since they seemed like really hard working people, much unlike what their earlier words told

Her lord did not agree however, merely shaking his head and following with narrowed eyes

One slow crawl of a journey later the group arrived before the forest he had been to earlier, standing at the periphery with curious eyes

"Right, I've yet to ask what resided in here Master?"

"Resides, I didn't kill it, merely struck a deal"

"A deal? I can't imagine one needing Master to offer something in return, unless perhaps, it's yet another scheme?"

"None of the sorts, merely getting some supplies in exchange for not so troublesome help"

He didn't further add what the things in question exactly were, nor did he seem intending to so Mia ceased the curious questions and continued to watch the boring group scout the place yet again for danger, something they've been overdoing for the entire walk here causing it to take so long

In the end there did not seem to be anything harmful in the vicinity allowing a few select members to move forward, into the peaceful looking place, though no one believed it to be so

"Hold it!"

One of the advancing people screamed, an old man with spiked hair who predicted the bird's escape earlier

"Something is wrong, the scenery seemed to be shifting yet I could still see the real one with my other eye"

His words warranted a frown, not just from his comrades but from YuJu as well

'Mutation? Title or perhaps a skill?"

His guesswork did not last long as the old man spread his arms apart, spreading white light into the eyes of his comrades who now lost their pupils, only the whites remaining giving them a somewhat solemn look

"Truth Seeker of all things?!"

Before his followers responded to the quiet burst of his YuJu was already in front of the group, covered with wisps of smoke

The sudden appearance garnered an instant reaction from everyone, those with defensive skills taking the front and those with supporting roles running to the, not making it however as they stopped their steps hearing the unforgettable voice accompanying the unique shadow

"I thought I heard a familiar sound, it turns out it's my human friends"

"Umm, mister Ephai?"

Joco questioned, tone signaling the weirdness of the sudden situation rather than making sure who he was

"Yes indeed, what brings you here?"

"We were merely exploring the land, it's such a coincidence to have met you here"

"That's no coincidence, I deployed this warning here to dissuade any of my customers from delivering themselves to death's door, wouldn't want to lose any prospect treasure hunters after all"

There was a second of silence as the well built man tried to understand what this suspicious trader was saying, his wife however didn't need to ponder much as she quickly caught on

"So you're saying this isn't you?"

"It is not"

"Just some sort of skill of yours?"

"A one time use warning type of skill, would appreciate it if you left someone here to warn any of your friends of the dangers inside, those rich type of friends if possible"

With that the smoky person poofed into nothing, leaving behind only doubtful eyes

"...Do we go in or what?"

One of them had to be the first to ask, the rest however couldn't come up with a decision

On one hand, there could be treasure inside that wasn't guarded by too strong of an entity, if guarded at all

On the other hand, their dear 'friend' warned them of danger, which could be the truth or not

"There is no reason for him to lie"

Joco's wife was the first to support the careful decision

"Or he could have hidden some stash here, I mean, where does he store everything anyway?"

The pillar swinging dude argued back, in favor of going in

"And you think we would be fine once he knows we stole it?"

She responded angrily but merely received a shrug from him who looked at the decision maker for the finally rule

"Hmm"

Joco looked torn for choice, so torn he actually couldn't decide, instead asking the old man for more information

"Was that really Ephai?"

"Yah, same vision blocking smoke"

"And what do you think is happening forcing our vision to shift?'

"A mind attack, some sort of light manipulation, maybe even illusion cast using energy? I can't tell exactly with my low level Truth Vision"

"Mind attack seems dangerous, the rest are just petty tricks"

"Petty for an entrance trick?"

The other two were back at arguing, Joco interrupted them with his made up decision however before they could devolve into a brawl

"Were not going in, if not for the potential danger then for respect of Ephai's good hearted warning"

That was his way of swaying he feared the mysterious shadow's wrath, something no one called him out for, they were happy not to engage with an unknown entity too after all

With that the group turned back and left for their shelter, choosing not to venture further into unknown territory