The camp was in shambles by the ti Kaede and Kirara made their way back toward the staging area. Britta greeted them with a lazy wave, her smirk sharper than usual. “You two missed all the fun,” she drawled, wiping a thin line of blood off her dagger.
Ordric strode up, his expression unreadable but his tone brisk. “The camp’s been cleared. Rhalin’s team reported minimal casualties, and we managed to recover so stolen supplies. Good work holding the eastern flank.”
Kaede glanced at Kirara, who had fallen unusually quiet since their confrontation earlier. “Yeah... That's what we were doing." She turned to Ordric. "Did we get the leader? Where is he?"
Ordric’s jaw tightened, and the lanky woman from earlier, her na was Veeno, replied. “Gone. Slipped out during the confusion. Tracks lead deeper into the forest.”
Kaede crossed her arms. “You’re letting them go?”
“No,” Ordric replied sharply. “We’ve sent scouts ahead to confirm their direction, but this isn’t so mindless pursuit. The forest of Jura is under the storm dragon's influence.”
Kaede frowned. “But we can’t let them regroup. If they escape, they’ll just rebuild sowhere else.”
Ordric hesitated for a mont before nodding. “Fine. You, Kirara, Veeno, and I will track him down. The rest will stay here to secure the camp. But keep your wits about you—the forest is filled with monsters that have adapted to the dragon's miasma.”
The group moved quickly, following faint tracks that twisted deeper into the forest. The further they went, the denser the trees beca, their gnarled roots snaking across the ground like traps. Eventually, the air grew thick and heavy, the faint calls of wildlife fading into an eerie silence.
Kaede felt the abrupt change, the air growing colder, a constant chill on her skin, promising pain and brutal destruction. "What is that?" No one answered, or maybe they didn't hear what she said. 'Artificia?'
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