Al sighed as he heard his stomach grumble.
He should've gotten food before running of like that in the middle of the night.
*Yawn*
He was also very sleepy. Though the insistent crowing sounds of the Forest's resident crows was doing a fine job of keeping him awake.
Pesky birds.
Shaking off the intrusive thoughts, he continued his watch on Kevin.
Kevin was a young but prominent member of the bandit crew from what Al was able to gather. Young as he was about Al's age and prominent as evidenced by the keys cluttering about with every step he took.
The bandit group, he gathered, seemed to have an extremely powerful backer. They also seemed to deal in slaves as well. Female slaves.
From what he gathered, they would abduct young women and later sell them in the capital to gangs and the like for benefits and cash.
Al also learnt something particularly interesting. It seemed Henry and the bandit leader, Marco, had a bit of a history. Specifically, they had both tried to court Martha in their youths. With Henry ultimately succeeding in the end. Which was why Marco had been more than pleased when his men brought him Marie, who resembled so much his 'former love.'
His men later delivering Henry himself was just the icing on the cake.
Mmh. Cake.
[Snap out of it, Al.]
Right.
Honestly, Al had initially planned to light the camp on fire.
Then, he would incapacitate Kevin and use the ensuing chaos as a cover to free Henry and Marie. Especially if, using the Flame Ritual, he made the flames inextinguishable. He could even use parts of the hearth so as to not spend so much time preparing the ritual from the ground up. Substituting anything he felt wouldn't work.
Why didn't he do this, though?
The bandits had a mage amongst them, somehow.
*Sigh*
Stupid luck.
This threw off all his plans.
Al needed to gather more information before he could act.
And that's why he was currently dressed as Kevin, though with his face covered, and standing guard outside the bandit leader's tent.
In the dead of night, not many would be able to spot the difference.
Straining himself, Al tried to listen in on their conversation.
"And you're sure that this magic device is gonna protect us from the Ghost Storm?" Al heard Marco question.
"Have we ever led you astray, Mr Marco? Don't you worry, this prototype Storm Shielder is on the same level as those supplied by the Kingdom, if not better since it can be mobilized and is not fixed. Our best researchers have guaranteed it will not fail. I wouldn't be here otherwise." The mage answered. Her tone, one of indifference.
It seemed Al had not understood the situation clearly. She isn't working for them, but with them.
[Another complication. Now, your actions might draw interest from whatever group is backing the bandits. What will you do, Al?] Voice spoke in his mind.
He was testing Al.
If he decided to go with his original plan, Al wasn't sure if the mysterious lady had a way to counter him.
And he couldn't take all of the bandits alone.
Al wasn't a combat mage, nor did he have any techniques he could use mid battle. He would have to remedy that, later.
[If you survive until later.]
His original plan was also a no go as he gained a crucial piece of information. They had a way of surviving the Ghost Storm. He would need to factor all of this in before he tried anything.
[Good, you've learnt.] Al could hear Voice praise.
He just had to wait.
Wait and listen.
_____________________________________________
Lily had been quiet ever since their departure, Kianna observed.
It was to be expected. Elves were a race who valued friendship and love above all else. Just as the Wolf-Tribe valued loyalty and companionship.
So to Lily, it must've felt like she had just left a friend to die.
But she didn't understand.
Al was definitely not normal. She and her sister could tell from their first encounter.
He reeked of the scent of death.
Had she not lived with him for the past week, Kianna would have sworn he was an Undead.
It took all her willpower just to restrain herself before she could rip him to shreds.
He was human. Both her and her sister had confirmed that. And an Undead could not hide from the powerful noses of the Wolf-Tribe. But he reeked of death.
And that made him very dangerous.
But as she watched her dear friend barely touch her food, she also began to feel bad. She turned her gaze to Dianna.
Who seemed to get the message.
*Sigh*"Come on, let's go after the boy while his scent is still fresh." Dianna said in a gruff tone.
Reluctant, but she had lost out, two to three.
The smile on Lily's face was worth it in Kianna's opinion.
And if Dianna's tug of the lip was an indicator, she agreed as well.
