"…"
"…"
Ugh… I should probably say something.
We've been staring at each other - me and the Birdnosed commander Garran, that is - as if waiting for something to happen.
Though, im pretty sure he really is waiting on something.
With those thoughts, I glanced backwards.
The presences of the guards outside had vanished. Well, 'presences' wouldn't be the right word to use, as they never emitted enough for me to detect in the first place.
Really, I just used my hearing and smell pinpoint when the ones outside distanced themselves from our tent.
But I suppose Garran wouldn't know.
"We're safe to talk now."
I spoke with a nod, breaking the uncomfortable silence
"Hmm? How could you be so sure?"
He responded with a suspicious raise of an eyebrow.
At least it looks like my guess was on point. Well, aren't I just the smartest man alive?
"There were six people stationed outside, excluding the two you just sent off."
"!!"
A surprised expression crept up on Garran's face, but I wasn't done speaking yet:
"They're gone now. Yeah - I'd say there's nobody left within a hundred meter vicinity."
"Haha…"
Garran doesn't need to know that I used a roundabout way, right? Let him think I'm ridiculously perceptive.
"Good. In that case, let me ask you something first."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Why did you help our men in the conflict? It would've been safer for you to not get involved; I can't help but think you're hiding some ulterior motives."
"What makes you think I helped? I'm sure Nagi already told you that him and Lloyd managed to take the Coralridge guys down on their own."
I leaned back with my arms folders behind my back, nearly toppling together with the wooden chair as a result.
"…You okay?"
"Ahem, yeah. As I was saying - what made you think I helped? Don't trust your own men's intel?"
"They may have convinced everyone else, but I've personally trained Nagi in my spare time."
"So?"
My head quizzically tilted to the side.
"He's not strong enough to defeat that many enemies, and neither are his companions. We sent warriors best suited for speed and scouting - not combat."
"Aha, I see… Unless someobody intervened, you think Nagi's until would've fallen. And that somebody must've been me… Am I right, Garran?"
"Exactly."
"Tsk."
Hah, this is why I don't like dealing with smart people. He might have the face of a deformed parrot, but his brain certainly isn't a bird's.
"Fine, you got me there. I did help your men, if only slightly. Actually, I don't think you're giving your little guys enough credit - Nagi, though weak as hell, actually held his own for a while. Same for Lloyd. Ah, but everyone else was indeed pathetic. They were either out cold or straight up dead by the time I showed up."
"…Understood. I'll reassess their contributions when I have time."
Huh. He's being oddly compliant. Not that I'm complaining.
Still, I should bring this conversation back on track, lest we spend the next eight hours yapping about this and that.
"Anyways, you asked why I intervened despite knowing the danger of drawing Coralridge's forces onto myself?"
"Yes. I can't wrap my head around why you'd go to such a risk for a group of people you have no personal relationships with. Unless, of course, there is an ulterior motive I'm missing."
The last part was spoken with some heft, in a more serious tone than before. To me, however, it looked like nothing more than a childish power play.
Had to get intimidated by such a meager amount of pressure, when my fiend of a Master can make me vomit blood with the flick of a finger.
"Eh, sorry to disappoint but it was nothing like that."
"So you say. Care to explain your reasoning, then?"
I thought for a moment. Garran patiently waited.
Biggest worry about sharing too much about myself would be an accidental reveal of my identity as a Threadripper, but... Worst case scenario - let's say I slip up and say more than I should -, I could just kill everyone and dip.
Assured by my haphazardly concocted plan, I opened my mouth:
"Truthfully, I had no clue what I was getting into; matter of fact, I didn't even know what the hell a 'Stone Cauldron' or 'Coralridge' even meant."
"Unbelievable… To think the report was true."
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Report? What kind of report are we talking about here?"
*Sigh*
His reply was delayed, and preempted by a sigh.
"Despite Nagi's and Lloyd's earnest words, I still doubted them - and how could I not? They said that a kid showed up out of nowhere, and offered to haul them back to the main camp… But, fine. That much, I could accept."
I simply nodded, choosing to remain silent and let him finish speaking.
In the back of my mind though, I'd already prepared to beat the two fuckers senseless for spilling info about me.
Luckily for them, their fates weren't sealed right there and then; Garran's next words promptly saved their asses:
"They said the kid was a recluse. A hermit with no understanding of worldly matters. However, what kind of psychopath would the kid have to be, to willingly walk into a gruesome field of gore and blood? Simply put - I thought you were a Coralridge spy. Though, as I can see now, they've left out the part where you single-handedly saved their lives."
I could only smile at his words.
Guess they truly didn't say anything unnecessary. Had Garran not conveyed me their report, I fear they could've ended up as a heap of kibble for my cute little Sepulcher.
"Aha! Good thinking, my dear commander. Then, the reason you said 'thought' in the past tense is-"
"-Yes. I no longer believe you to be a spy."
"But why? If anything, your suspicion should've spiked once you realized I was much stronger than reported."
At my blatant admission, Garran shook his head.
"It's not so simple. If you truly were a spy, showing your readiness to start a fight would've been a ridiculously risky move, and one with no good outcomes for you."
"Heheh. Well, I'm glad the misunderstanding's been resolved. Now, I'm gonna come clean - I do actually have a secondary motive behind coming to your camp."
"…"
His face became even darker as he waited for me to explain, starkly contrasting with my cheerily mood.
"I gotta hide. There's a person… No, calling him a person is too generous; a fiend wearing the face of a human is after me."
His face changed again, this time adopting a mix of surprise and caution.
Keep thinking, Birdnose. No matter what you're imagining in your head, my Master's true colors are infinitely darker than your wildest dreams…
"Basically, you want to hide amidst Stone Cauldron's troops to avoid the pursuit of that 'fiend' you mentioned?"
"Mhm. Full points!"
"Haaah…"
He ran a hand down his face.
Refusal ain't really a choice for Garran, of course; not when I could kill him and all of his subordinates on a whim.
So, what's he gonna say? Will he comply, choosing to help me hide? Or refuse, and face me head on?
I was prepared for both options.
"You… You're really putting me in a tough position here."
"Damn right I am. So, what will be, my dear Garran?"
Am I being unfair?
Sure, of course I am. But, so what? I have the all the leverage in this situation.
He grimly looked me up and down. His muscles twitched, and his bloodflow turned unsteady. His breathing also picked up the pace.
Looks like he's picking option two..
However, just as his essense began surging-
-Within a fraction of a second, it vanished without a trace. At the same time, his accelerated blood flow slowed to a regular pace.
"Hmm? Weren't you going to lunge at me? Why the sudden change?"
I asked, my tone still laidback and uncaring.
"Hahahaha!! Yes, it's just as I thought."
He bellowed a hearty laugh.
The fuck? He's laughing now?
"You gone senile, old man? Or, are you a pervert to gets a kick out of people looking down on you..?"
My expression was one of sheer disgust, as if looking at an insect.
"No, no - it's nothing like that. It's just… I finally understand what kind of individual I'm dealing with. The fact that you noticed my tension, yet didn't get worried in the slightest. Haha, you're a damned monster, Ori."
And now he's praising me out of nowhere? Or, wait, is that more of an insult..?
I like to call myself a genius, but this is above my level of expertise.
Before I could ask what on earth this weirdo of a commander found so amusing, he spoke:
"I'll help you. Help you hide, that is."
"…Huh? What? Did I miss a page?"
Baffling stuff.
Is that what people feel like when dealing with me? Uhh, I see why everyone seems to wanna pick a fight with me all the time now.
"You've passed the test with flying colors, kid. It's clear to me now - even if I teamed up with everyone in the camp, we'd stand no chance."
A test? Like, to make sure I wasn't bluffing? And now, sure as he was, he was willing to take the gamble?
I really hoped that to be the case.
Cause if that's not it - he's an even bigger freak than Kaela.
Finally, with all of the misunderstandings settled, he began explaining his plan to cover for me, as well as what my part of the deal would be.
***
Seven hours later.
I stretched, noting that my ass was in pain form sitting on the wooden stool for so long, and began rising.
Garran also seemed drained from taking all night - especially so, given that he was human and needed even more sleep than me.
I threw a furtive look outside, at the rays of sunlight peeking from behind the tent's curtains, and turned to face Garran for what was - hopefully - the last time in a long time:
"I'll uphold my end of the deal. You keep your promise too, yeah?"
He weakly nodded at my words, too tired to squeeze out a proper reply.
Guess I'm free to go?
Deciding not to risk prolonging our conversation any more, I tiredly left the tent; at the same time, a clang rung behind me.
It was followed by a peaceful snore.
A smile crossed my lips involuntarily. Tired as I was from chatting on an empty stomach for the whole night, I looked more like a zombie from the outside. But, that didn't detract from my giddy mood.
"Hehehe… A tournament. How exciting."
That was right - I'd agreed to join a tournament.
Garran couldn't just add me to his until out of nowhere. However, were I to secure a fair victory in a tournament of up and coming young talents, I could easily ask to join his unit as the victory prize.
That only left the issue of disguise. And that needed solving immediately.
With those, giggling under my breath and catching weird looks from everyone around, I strolled outside of the camp.
My destination was a cosmetics store.
It was time to become a glamorous, pompous young lord.
***
Dren was pissed. Enraged, even.
It didn't take long for him to find traces of his misbehaving disciple.
A field of lifeless bodies carpeted across a wide plain, signs of a desperate struggle and the districts arts of Stone Cauldron and Coralridge present at every corner.
However, that wasn't all.
Amidst the people who were clearly slain by blades and arts, around twenty were grotesquely chewed up, as if ravaged by a starved beast.
Clearly, it wasn't Ori's bite mark - jaws were far from large enough to tear such enormous chunks of flesh out of these people.
But still, Dren knew that Ori must've been involved for one simple reason:
"His pet. It was Sepulcher's doing, wasn't it?"
The corpses' states perfectly matched those left by Sepulcher in the past.
In other words, Ori had passed through this area one way or another.
A recent memory surfaced on Dren's mind. Well, it was only recent to him, being a hundred and fifty years old; in actuality, the memory was from just under five years ago.
***
Dren was out to train in seclusion, settling for the Red Zone forest as his place of choice.
He never got the chance to begin training in earnest, though. A cacophony of human wails, filled with suffering, drew his attention.
Annoyed to have his training interrupted, he went to investigate the source of those pained cries, but… By the time he showed up, the people were dead; all that was left of them were mauled corpses, scattered across a wide plain without a care.
A large, centipede-like creature was chewing on said corpses. If that thing could emote, it would've certainly been smiling.
Without a moment's hesitation, Dren leaped towards the demon, raising it by the neck and applying pressure to crush its carapace on the spot.
It couldn't even put up a fight, squirming and fruitlessly scratching at Dren's insurmountable strong hand.
"W-Wait! Fuck are you doing?! Let my little guy down, you're gonna crush him at this rate!"
A youthful voice rung out, completely out of place for such a dangerous forest.
Dren turned his head towards the voice with an eerily neutral expression.
"Do you know who I am, to be giving me commands out of nowhere?"
The kid puffed up his cheeks, clearly displeased.
"Huh? And do you know who 'I' am?! Obviously not! So fuck off with those pretentious one-liners already and let my boy go."
What is wrong with this kid?
That was how Dren met his to-be-disciple… And what a weird encounter it was.