The warmth of the midday sun hit my face as I stepped out of the house. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees and birds sang joyfully, filling the clearing with a symphony of sound. It was a beautiful day, and I was in a great mood. I basked in the perceived peacefulness despite the fact that a battle loomed on the horizon.

Based on Gallas’ warning during his last visit, the moderators were supposed to arrive soon now, with the earliest estimate being today. We couldn’t risk fighting a small army of beasts in the woods though. Instead, we decided to meet them somewhere along the path towards Alarna, where we could engage them on our terms.

I scanned the clearing, meeting the eyes of my companions as they prepared for departure. Most of them would be joining our little adventure, with only Hayla, Fae, Oryn, and Taul staying behind. We had debated whether to leave anyone at the camp at all, but ultimately, it seemed unlikely we would be attacked here. Given the danger that lay ahead, our non-Fighters were at greater risk following us.

Still, Taul would stay with them as a safety-measure. His space in our little strike squad was taken by Emeryn, in her first official outing as a guild member, hired for assisting us in case we needed another Fighter. As everyone was finishing up, I was about to ask whether we were good to go when she stepped forward, determination in every step.

“Ready, boss!” she exclaimed, standing at attention before me, her eyes gleaming. A smirk played on my lips over her eagerness.

Berla’s praise of Emeryn’s performance during the test had surprised me a little, but now that I knew she could actually hold her own, I was curious to see how she would fare against beasts. With a nod in her direction, I turned to the rest of our group, who were gathering around us.

“Everybody ready?” I asked. My question was met with determined nods. It was strange. We should’ve been filled with trepidation, but instead, the air seemed ripe with anticipation.

With Berla and Riala at my side, I took the lead, while waving goodbye to the others at the camp. Our destination was the other side of the forest, beyond the mana wall, where vast fields similar to the ones around Alarna lay. Hati had assured us that we were practically guaranteed to encounter the mods there, even if they were a little off-course. All we had to do was go there.

As we ventured on, it felt like a relaxing Sunday afternoon stroll for a while. We chatted amongst ourselves, discussing this and that, and got to know Emeryn better. Everything was good with the world, or at least it felt like it. There was not a worry on my mind.

Let’s see whether there’s any merit to your theory, Berla.

***

While Miles and the others worked their way towards the southern end of the forest, another group of six ventured in from the opposite direction. Their muscles tense with unease, four guards kept a vigilant eye out for any lurking danger as they moved forward. Having heard conflicting stories of the status of the Wildlands, they were uncertain of what lay ahead, and attempted to treat carefully. However, one of their charges was throwing caution to the wind at any opportunity.

“Ugh, get out of my way!” Zara grunted impatiently as she sidestepped her protectors and charged ahead without hesitation.

Irric, a young male guard, called out to her in concern. “Ms. Zara! Wait!” he pleaded, rushing to catch up to her. Zara glared at him as he blocked her path partially. “Please, we won’t be able to protect you if you charge ahead on your own!”

To his dismay, Zara was unmoved by his plea. “This is the pace I will go,” she declared as she sidestepped him once more. “You’re welcome to keep up or stay behind. It makes no difference to me. Just don’t get in my way.”

With that, she strode forth, a lone woman against the eerie silence of the forest. Irric watched as she pushed her way through the dense undergrowth, heedless of the dangers that may lurk. Turning to his companions, he sought support in reigning Zara in, but they passed him with wordless shrugs, while increasing their speed to keep up with her.

Lait in their midst did the same, his expression a mix of exaggeration and worry. The Fighters quickly got into formation again, with two guards taking up position at the front and two at the rear. They decided to allow for a larger buffer zone than before though, to give them more time to react to any sudden movements from Zara.

As the group trudged on, Irric found himself in the back now, seething with frustration. “That’s why I hate guarding Rulers,” he muttered to himself, casting a scowl in Zara’s direction. “Entitled bitch.”

Taeme, who was walking next to him, shot him a warning glance. “Psst. You should be careful about what you say out loud,” she whispered.

Irric rolled his eyes in response. “Yeah, I know... But can you blame me?” he grumbled. “That new beast was sighted in this exact area, and she runs in here as if owning the place. It’s always the same with them.”

Taeme hesitated briefly before stepping closer and speaking again. “She’s not actually a Ruler, you know?” she said, her voice low and conspiratorial.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Irric asked.

“I heard she’s a Handiworker,” Taeme said, amused. “She got married to Mr. Lait just yesterday.”

Irric’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?” He looked forward, monitoring Zara for any signs of being a commoner. Seeing her bicker with their companion Jonan, Irric sighed in annoyance. “Could’ve fooled me with that attitude. What’s wrong with her?”

Taeme’s eyes lit up at the opportunity to share more information. “She’s Riala Fera’s sister, and apparently she’s very motivated to retrieve her. That’s why they think there’s a chance of bringing the girl back to town in the first place.”

Irric nodded in understanding. “Oh. So she’s acting out because of her sister? Hm... I guess that’s at least somewhat of an excuse. Still, she’s endangering all of us by forcing this pace.”

“Maybe. Did you know the king didn’t even want to let them leave? But Ms. Zara is convinced that the beast didn’t appear by chance. She says it was just another ploy from Tomar Remor. It was quite impressive actually. Took her barely ten minutes to convince him to let them go.”

Intrigued, Irric considered the implication. “If that’s true, we might not be in mortal danger right now. That’d be good news.” He cast a sideways glance at Taeme, suspicious. “But did you just say ‘she said’? Were you eavesdropping again?”

Taeme smirked, unapologetic. “I prefer to call it gathering intel. A good guard must be prepared for any eventuality and learn what they can about their charge.”

Irric rolled his eyes. “You’re just thirsty for every piece of gossip you can find.”

Taeme raised a finger, her voice taking on a lecturing tone. “Don’t discount the value of information. If I hadn’t listened— er, done my research I mean, you wouldn’t even know who we’re protecting. So, you may thank me now.”

Irric stared at Taeme, irritated by her smugness. “I don’t even know how to respond to that...”

“Yes, you do,” she said, nodding knowingly.

Shaking his head, he sighed deeply and forced a weak “thanks.”

Taeme grinned at his discomfort. “You’re welcome!”

“I still don’t like her,” he said dryly.

“We’ll survive a couple hours with her,” Taeme said, curiosity written all over her face. “And think about all the juicy information we’ll learn about the banished!”

Irric stifled a groan. He appreciated Taeme’s knack for uncovering secrets and gossip at times, but it could also be tiring to deal with, and it was difficult to turn her off once she got started.

As Taeme indulged in spreading more rumors and half-truths, their squad leader, Keo, glanced back at them, having noticed their distractedness. “Stay alert you two!” she cautioned.

Caught off guard, they quickly straightened themselves, bellowing “Understood!” in unison. They refocused their attention to their surroundings.

Meanwhile, Zara was growing more impatient by the minute. “It must be around here somewhere,” she said, scanning their surroundings.

The approximate location the group made camp at was no secret. The smoke rising from their fires could be seen from the distant town walls, and Zara charted a course straight for it.

“Yes, Ms. Zara,” Keo confirmed. “Your sense of direction is remarkable. I estimate that we’re less than ten minutes away.”

Zara nodded, appreciative of the confirmation.

As they walked, the trees slowly gave way to a clearing. The moment they stepped into it, they could see that someone had recently been there. Not only did they find a burned out campfire, there were also a plethora of fresh tracks on the ground.

Analyzing the scene, Keo’s expression became troubled. “It appears as though a battle took place here,” she mused.

Zara’s head snapped in her direction, panic in her eyes. “A battle?”

“Yes, Miss. I don’t see any beast tracks though, nor any signs of blood,” Keo reassured her. “It might’ve been a sparring match between two Fighters. There are also tracks leading further south. I assume they moved to another location.”

Zara frowned. “We had visual confirmation this morning, didn’t we?” she asked, looking to the guard for confirmation.

Keo nodded firmly. “Yes, Miss. They couldn’t have gone far.”

Without wasting a moment, Zara resumed walking. “Let’s go then,” she declared. Everyone else did their best to keep up with their group’s driving force.

They walked for just a minute until they suddenly noticed a strange structure in the distance. A tall fence made of wooden stakes stood out against the surrounding trees, appearing unfinished.

“What is this?” Lait muttered in confusion, perplexed by the sight.

Putting a fence in the middle of the woods seemed to make little to no sense, but it appeared to be constructed with purpose, as an aisle had been cleared just to place it. There was also an opening, allowing easy access to whatever lay beyond it.

Guided by the unobstructed path, the group prepared to follow it, only to be greeted by another surprising sight. A young man emerged from a nearby tree’s shadow, adjusting his leather armor before grabbing hold of his spear. He froze momentarily when he noticed the interlopers out of the corner of his eyes. His head snapped in their direction as he took a wide stance and raised his free arm.

“Halt!” Taul shouted. “State your business!”

The group was taken aback by randomly meeting a guard in the middle of the woods. They exchanged confused glances, though Keo and Jonan quickly stepped forward to shield Zara and Lait from potential harm.

The only one entirely unperturbed was Zara, who stepped forward with determination. “My name is Zara Fera, I’m here for my sister!”

Taul lowered his arm in surprise. “Ms. Zara? I apologize, but Ms. Riala is not here at the moment.”

Zara’s eyes blazed with anger. “Where is she?” she demanded.

“I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say, but—”

“What about Tomar?” Zara interrupted, her voice rising.

“He’s not available either. However—”

Zara was about to erupt when Lait’s hand landed on her shoulder, halting her. She glanced at him, his exasperated gaze signaling that it would be better to let him take over.

“Tsk,” she spat, turning away from Taul.

Taking charge, Lait introduced himself formally. “Good morning. I’m Lait Dana. We would like to talk to whoever is in charge in Mr. Tomar’s absence. Ms. Hayla perhaps?”

Taul paused for a moment as he looked the newcomers up and down. “I will inquire about your request. Please wait here,” he finally said. With that, he turned on his heel and left, throwing the occasional glance to ensure they remained in place.

When Taul was out of hearing range, Lait turned to face Keo with a concerned expression. “Have any guards disappeared recently?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, Sir. It’s my understanding that at least seven guards stopped reporting for duty within the past three days. A report should’ve been sent to the king’s office.”

Lait nodded thoughtfully. “I see... It seems we were too preoccupied with other matters,” he muttered.

“I told you,” Zara interjected.

“What do you mean?” Lait asked, confused.

“I warned the king that many people are on Tomar’s side and would rather leave with him. You stood next to him as he dismissed the chance.”

Zara spoke in a monotone voice, as if she didn’t truly care about this happening, but there was a smidge of annoyance over them discarding her warning.

The memory returned to Lait. “Now I remember. But to think that guards actually left Alarna to live in the woods... It’s outlandish,” he said, shaking his head. “Is Tomar held in such high regard among the guards, Keo?”

She hesitated before answering. “That is not something many would confess openly, Sir. But there are whispers that praise their fighting skills and questions regarding the validity of their conviction without physical evidence.”

Lait turned to the other guards. “Would such thoughts move you to do the same?” he asked them.

“No, Sir!” came a unified response.

“Peculiar,” Lait muttered, making a mental note that the public and even some Fighters might’ve been at a much higher risk to desert than previously believed. Thankfully, this couldn’t affect many of them, as living in the woods couldn’t possibly be an attractive proposition.

As he spelled this out, Zara scoffed. “I also told you not to underestimate him,” she rebuked. “If you haven’t picked up on that yet, you’re not paying attention. It baffles me that I even need to explain this to you.”

Lait, seeking to ease the tension, raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. “I understand that he would be able to protect people, so maybe it’s not actually dangerous to live out here, but it eludes me why someone would choose to do so.”

“That’s because you’re used to a Ruler’s life, Lait,” she chided. “You should spend a day in a commoner’s shoes some time.”

Out of sight of the two, Irric nodded empathetically at the notion, until a frown formed on his face as he realized who he was concurring with. Despite his reluctance, Zara was right. A Ruler couldn’t fathom a life of such simplicity, for even a lower ranked nobel like Lait enjoyed a much higher standard of living from that of a commoner. However, to the latter, the difference in living in the Wildlands wouldn't be as stark, as long as they got access to food and a water source.

Although Lait was indeed a little spoiled by his upbringing, he quickly acknowledged that not everybody lived this way, readily accepting Zara’s explanation.

They continued discussing the situation until Taul came jogging back their way a couple of minutes later. He stopped near them and beckoned them forward. “Ms. Hayla will receive you. Please follow me.”

With Zara at the helm, they set off after Taul. Soon enough, they arrived at a second clearing, and Lait furrowed his brows in disbelief as a house came into view. His mouth fell agape, and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the second house. Stepping into the clearing, his amazement was beyond measure. He had envisioned something similar to the first clearing—a shabby campfire, perhaps surrounded by dirty rags that people could rest on. What they found instead couldn’t even be called a camp anymore. It was a home. The clearing was clean, the campfire was surrounded by proper benches, he could see a work area with half-finished desks and chairs, and scripture sigils on trees, resembling those on water sources. It was a settlement in the making.

Overwhelmed by the realization that Zara had been on point about not underestimating Tomar, Lait turned to her to acknowledge her insight. Yet, her expression mirrored his own.

“What in the world...” she uttered under her breath, stunned.