"Let us not worry about them. We have to retreat further inwards and prepare ourselves." Cailey said as she shot a look of annoyance towards the yellow-haired girl.
"Our priority is to find some Energy Berries," Sarah said as she shot a look at the running goats. Each Spear-Tailed Goat was bigger than her, with some of them reaching twice her height. Sarah quickly pulled the other two and rushed into the forest, trying to create some distance between them and the monsters.
The trees were huddled close together, with some trunks almost touching each other. Sarah and her group had to squeeze through the gaps in some places and detour in others. They also had to be careful while passing through the gaps as the trunk of the trees occasionally brushed past each other when a strong wind blew. They might get squashed into mush if they get caught in between during such an unfortunate time so they hand to time their movements.
Once they had travelled a certain distance in the forest, Sarah motioned for the two girls to remain silent as she placed her ear on the muddy ground. She failed to detect any vibration from the ground after staying in position for a couple of Chants and stood up, feeling relieved.
"We are safe for the time being. It is also difficult for the Spear-Tailed Goats to chase us within this forest due to their size." Sarah said as she groped the leaf of a short tree that was within her reach. Plucking it out after some effort, she realised that the leaf was quite tough.
"We can use this to make a bag," Sarah said as she began to remove the edges of the leaf. The leaf was as long as her arm and had the width of her thumb. Its edges were thick, with a solidified layer. The middle part was soft like cotton and as thin as the clothes they wore.
Sarah motioned for the yellow-haired girl to pick the leaves and for Cailey to remove the hard edges. Sarah planned to do the part of weaving it into a bag. The trio continued to do their respective tasks as they kept an eye on their surroundings. Even though they had hidden in an area where it would be difficult for the goats to move in, it was still wise to be alert. It wasn't like the monsters were their only enemies.
"I am Pinta Delton, how may I address you?" The yellow-haired girl took the initiative to start a conversation. She was getting bored with the menial task and also wanted to know more about her teammates.
"Call me Sarah."
"Yellow monkey will be a better fit for you," Cailey said as she lumped a couple of leaves together and struck Pinta's head.
"Ow," Pinta flinched in pain and scooped out a handful of mud. She quickly rolled it into a ball and threw it at Cailey's face. "Just mind your own business, you stinky firefly."
Cailey readily brought her hands before her face and blocked the splash of mud. Just when she was about to retaliate, Pinta threw a scoopful of mud in her direction. The mud splashed in all directions, with some of them falling in her mouth.
"Ptui…Puuu," Cailey spat out the mud from her mouth and coughed a couple of times, all the while Pinta was striking a pose of victory.
Sarah had long stopped her weaving and was enjoying the fight. She never had friends to play with till today, so everything was novel to her. Even though John was her age, he was a boy and there were many things they weren't on the same page with.
"Hahaha," Sarah clutched her stomach and began to laugh. Cailey's expression when she had swallowed the mud was just priceless and Pinta's actions in the background painted a comical picture. After she had laughed till her stomach hurt, Sarah stood up and rubbed the back of Cailey to ease her. After having rolled in the mud a couple of times, the vomit stench around her had almost vanished. Though she was dirty, Sarah didn't mind it.
"Once we are done making our bags, we should find a source of water and some Energy Berries. We should focus on the Spear-Tailed Goats only when our preparations are sufficient." Sarah said as she continued to weave her bag. The design she had opted for was a simple hip bag. It could be tied to her hip and would be easy to retrieve the items from. She planned to make three hip bags and one shoulder bag. The shoulder bag would be used to carry their task items.
The three girls busied about at their own pace and finished making three hip bags and one shoulder bag before long.
"Wow, this is so pretty." Cailey held her hip bag and exclaimed. Because she had put effort into its making, the hip bag looked prettier than all the decorative handbags she possessed back home. Pinta rubbed the hip bag on her cheeks and let out squeals of laughter from time to time.
Sarah gazed at her hip bag as her eyes moistened a little. It was her father who had taught her the method to make this. Sarah quickly concealed her emotions and strapped the hip bag on her hips while she strapped the shoulder bag on her back.
"I should have asked this before." Cailey hit her forehead and looked at Sarah, "How should we deal with a goat should we encounter one?"
A moment of realisation hit Sarah upon her question. Since she had never worked in a team before, she hadn't inquired about their abilities. She was so focused on the test goal and the need to hide her abilities that she had completely glossed over such an important detail. The other two also hadn't been bright enough to bring this up beforehand.
"My skill is power focused. By combusting my energy, I can create a powerful physical attack." Sarah said.
"Then you will be our prime attacker. My ability is pretty weak in a direct confrontation. I can condense heat and emit it but, irrespective of the material, it can never burn them." Cailey said.
"Humph, that's why you are a useless firefly." Pinta laughed as she wriggled her buttock in front of Cailey and acted like an insect by flapping her hands.
Cailey sent a kick to her butt and tried her best to control her anger. "And, what about you? All you can do is act like a monkey."
"How dare you. I'll let you know, my ability can unleash blinding light." Pinta said as she got up and wiped the mud from her face.
"Why…are you guys fighting so much?" Sarah wondered. Their abilities, even though they weren't direct attacks, could prove to be plenty useful if she planned accordingly. The only thing she felt odd was how they fought after each sentence. It was fun at the beginning, but after witnessing it so many times, Sarah felt that there might be an underlying reason.
After all, she didn't want them to bicker when they are in the midst of combat in the future.
Cailey controlled her emotions and ignored the figure of Pinta that was itching for a fight. "Our families are based in the same city. In Nightglow city, everything is controlled by either her family or mine, so, conflict between the two of us has always existed. Moreover, their monkey family is composed of a really annoying lot, so conflicts…"
"Hold on," Pinta interrupted. "What do you mean by annoying? It if you fireflies that have always interfered in our business. It would have been for the best if you fireflies just migrated to some rural village which is where you belong in the first place."
When it seemed like another fight will begin, Sarah interfered. "Anyway, one can emit light while the other can emit heat. We can make good use of these two abilities if you add mine into the picture."
"How?" The two girls exclaimed simultaneously. Sarah took a moment to sort out her thoughts and relayed her plan in detail; as they heard her plan of action, the eyes of the two girls widened in surprise. Cailey held Sarah's hands in admiration, "You are really smart. I made a good choice to team up with you."
The trio of girls then moved through the thick foliage that blocked their vision. After walking for some time, their surroundings changed as they could spot shrubs of various sizes growing around them. There was also a change in the species of the trees; the surroundings were no longer occupied by just the pine tree types. The soil below them also turned coarse while they could occasionally spot small rocks the size of pebbles.
Pinta shouted in pain when one of the sharp rocks injured her feet. Sarah hurriedly crouched on the ground and removed her shoe. The wound was rather minor for her scream which felt as if a sword had pierced its way through her feet. Sarah applied some pressure around the wound as she tore off a piece of fabric from her sleeves and tied it around the area.
"T-Thanks," Pinta said as she wore her shoes and gently placed her injured leg on the ground. On seeing that the pain had subsided a lot, she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Caged monkey," Cailey muttered in the side, disdain present in her eyes. She had long forgotten the fact that she had vomited near the Rat Head. The trio took a moment to rest before resuming their journey. Anyway, it was safe for the time being since they hadn't spotted any monsters so far.
"Berries," Pinta muttered as she pulled Sarah and motioned for her to look in front of her. In a shrub that grew below a large rock existed a bunch of fruits that looked like strawberries. Just when she was about to rush towards the shrub, Cailey blocked her path.
"Wait, do you hear that sound?" Cailey murmured. She had prior experience in exploring a couple of dungeons so she always maintained a vigilant nature.
After her warning, Sarah noticed faint rustling sounds from behind the rock. Upon a closer look, she could also spot a thin shadow that mixed into the rock's shadow. Motioning for the other two girls to retreat, the trio quietly traced their steps backward. Hiding behind the cover of a thick trunk, Sarah signalled for the two to enact their plans.
Cailey nodded and slowly crept towards one side of the rock while Sarah and Pinta crept towards the other side. As they moved, their field of vision changed as Sarah noticed the figure of a Spear-Tailed Goat appear in her view. It was a Dobin in height and was munching on the leaves of a shrub.
Sarah scoured through her surroundings and hadn't noticed another beast in her vicinity. She also noticed a path among the foliage that was wide enough for the Spear-Tailed Goat to enter.
'That must be the path it had used to appear here.' Sarah split a part of her attention to the path while the rest were directed at the Spear-Tailed Goat. She nodded to Pinta and hid behind a tree.
Pinta carefully walked forward and picked up a stone from nearby. Standing before a tree, she inhaled a deep breath and took aim.
