"We'll need to move fast, then," said Sile, still not sitting down. He glanced back at us before looking at the five others relaxing. "Alright, everyone. Be ready to move in an hour. Get food and cat naps to prepare yourselves. We strike at dawn."

"How bright is dawn?" I asked Kabi, thinking of the various lights I'd seen in the forest.

"It will be the blue sun today, not the bright sun. Normally, our people stay inside during it since the beasts tend to be more aggressive, but the Forgers won't expect it." He sighed and pulled out a blade, which he wiped down. "You should eat and prepare yourself."

"Maybe we will be able to free your family," I said as I stretched.

Lenna's eyes grew wide, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she headed toward a pot set on top of the campfire.

I pulled out a hunk of meat and got several looks.

"Is that Megafant?" asked the closest person.

"Yeah…"

"Let's roast it!" He pulled out a pan that reminded me of cast iron, and tossed it on the campfire. "I have some herbs in here, along with…"

"Jak, we have only till light…" said another.

"I'll speed it up," he replied. Before I could argue I was going to eat it raw, he grabbed it from me and tossed it in the pan, the meat sizzling as it hit and he added some leaves.

Lenna came back with a big bowl and started eating the portage-like substance that seemed to be their form of trail rations. At the halfway point, she handed me the half-filled bowl.

"They only have a few bowls available."

"Thanks," I said, before finishing it with the bland flavor filling my mouth. My stomach rumbled in a not-happy way.

Lenna took the empty bowl back, and when she returned, she pulled arrows out of her inventory and started using her skills on them. The scent of cooking meat made my mouth water, even though I had just eaten.

"Can I see one?" I asked, staring at the arrows.

She handed one over, and I spit on it, trying to be sneaky. No one commented.

[Star Arrow, coated in poison.]

"It worked," I whispered to her, handing it back.

She stared for a moment, and then I found a bunch of arrows in my lap. "Do the rest of them. I didn't realize that worked like that."

I chuckled and got to work coating each of her arrows in poison.

Kabi stared at my doings, but didn't say anything.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore once I finished Lenna's arrows, which she placed back into her quiver.

"What?"

"Can you poison my blades?" he asked quietly, though a few people nearby glanced at him.

"Sure." I held my hand out as one by one he brought them out. The first three looked exactly the same, and I assumed they were from the vault. The last one was different.

[Dancing Blade, soul-bound.]

Leather covered the hilt, and whirls were carved into the blade itself. I didn't want to spit on it, but I did, carefully letting it dry before handing it back.

"Never thought I'd see the day that a northern dud used poison," said one of the guys next to Jak.

Kabi's shoulders rose closer to his ears, and his skin flared a deeper blue.

My head whipped around, and I stared at the fucker.

"Excuse me," my voice came out ice cold. "What did you call Kabi?"

Jak elbowed him hard, and the guy quickly shook his head, glancing between the two of us.

"I meant nothing bad by it, honest! It's just, they stick to the old ways. We call them duds."

Jak face-palmed.

Kabi's hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping my fingers from going to my blade before letting go.

"My tribe left the north and settled in the forest. My grandfather and father chose to leave the immortals behind," whispered Kabi. "To find our way back to our family traditions. Now, my family is scattered, collared, or dead. I learn from the one I follow, which is the oldest path, the truest path."

He held the sword in his lap, one hand on the blade. "This sword came from my grandfather's father. He served the Honorable until his last breath. He would be proud of the one I serve now."

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The way he said Honorable made it seem like it was a specific person's title. It reminded me of something, but I didn't know what.

My cheeks blazed red, but at least I no longer felt like stabbing the guy with my spear. Kabi had rescued us from the outpost, and then stuck by our side in this strange land. Hearing someone insult the noblest person I knew pissed me off.

But now I couldn't stab him.

"The food's done," said Jak, breaking the mood. "Let's eat. Then I need to pack up."

Jak cut slices off the hunk, and the people each took one. He left the largest piece for me, which I quickly ate, not caring as it burned my tongue.

Garlic, the herb he'd used reminded me of garlic, but it was a leaf. Each bite fell apart in my mouth like a slow-cooked roast. Amazing.

I smiled at Jak. "Please, tell me you'll be around after this."

He chuckled. "Yep, I do a big cook up after an… event."

I flashed him a thumbs up as I stood and stretched. I didn't need to prep anything, though I wished my energy crystal was fuller.

Lenna stood next to me with her bow in her hands.

Sile led the way out of the wooden inn and down a dark tunnel without any lights. It only took seconds for me to see in the dark. The tunnel stretched out before us as I followed.

Kabi marched behind Sile, then me, and then Lenna. The rest of Sile's crew trailed behind while Geto stayed at the inn.

Silence reigned, and without being able to sense or see anyone, I'd guess no one was around me. Everyone moved quietly. No scuffs gave us away.

Thankfully, everyone else was super tall, making the tunnel feel big instead of constricting. Yet, it just kept going on and on. Eventually, the ground rose slightly, and Sile paused ahead. He did something, and a cool breeze filled the tunnel.

Everyone funneled outside into an area covered with green mushrooms with purple spots.

"If we get separated, this is where you need to go," said Sile. "The festival grounds are a hike from here, and by the time we get close, it will be sunrise."

The shadowy forest felt safe as I hiked under the mushrooms. My stealth kicked in automatically, like an old friend.

Kabi kept glancing at our surroundings as I focused on the auras of the trees. These had the same feel as the ones before, but the green mushrooms felt different. Warmer, and spicy, though I didn't know why mushrooms would feel spicy. They lessened the more we hiked away from the entrance to the hidden enclave.

Eventually, a bright blue line flickered in the far distance, and everyone grew more wary. Up until now, nothing had moved within the trees. Only some bugs, and small flying creatures, had disturbed the stillness of the pre-dawn. Now, the sounds of the forest increased, with things stomping through the trees in the distance.

Sile paused more and more often as we traveled. Every time we stopped, everyone hid. Finally, he held up a hand and then walked from person to person. He sketched runes on a few people, including Kabi, Lenna, and me.

"We are almost here," he whispered inside our heads. "The festival grounds start just over that ridge. The structures here have been destroyed, and Forger equipment is about. Everyone knows their jobs. Focus on the Forgers and Harvesters, while the four of us will work on freeing the captured."

The team behind us drifted away in various directions.

I stuck close by to the others, and now stayed completely hidden under any deeper shadow I found.

We crept forward as a group and then paused behind a large tree. Sile peeked out, then pulled back.

"We're here." He pointed to an area. "I'm heading there to get a better look. Lenna, any of these trees will provide a good line of sight."

She nodded and started looking up at the various mushrooms to climb.

"You got this," she whispered as she started climbing up.

Kabi followed after Sile, while I waited and glanced ahead.

Among the trees sat a large camp with people huddled in the middle of a clearing. Burned wooden huts smoldered, and nothing remained standing. A circle of flat metal things circling the people drew my attention. I focused on one, triggering Insight.

[Hover cart.]

The Forgers had hover carts? How was that fair?

Though John did have his shuttle, it still felt strange seeing that level of technology here, of all places. So far, nothing like that had been evident on Kabi's world. Everything here ran on runes.

Maybe the Forger world used technology-based energy for things. The dark energy connecting the crystals and the metal rings came to mind.

A pop-up tent stood next to one of the hover carts, and I just stared. It reminded me of the canvas tents we'd used as temporary shelters in the settlement. A shiver ran up my spine, but I ignored it.

There weren't any Forgers in sight, and I wondered how the hover carts worked. If we got one of those running, we could save everyone quickly. Especially if one would fit in my inventory.

The buzz of crystals came from the mass of people, though not enough for everyone present. It fit with my theory that they only had so much crystal to work with.

Sile inched forward and appeared in the shadows of a hover cart, on the opposite side of the tent. He slipped into the circle, waking one of the people.

"He says there is only one Forger, that the two others left last night," said Sile.

A few people swore, and then shut up.

Less Forgers meant an easier rescue, but where did they go?

One of the captured collared Azura stood, and others tackled him to the ground. Someone knocked him out, while others streamed past Sile in the shadows in my direction. None of these people had collars, and they fled in the direction Sile pointed.

My senses stretched out to find any Harvesters, since there should be some here. We knew this was a trap, and I waited in the shadows for it to spring. None of Sile's team reappeared.

Kabi directed people deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, the rest of the collared stood up all at once, and there weren't enough people to stop them from shouting.

The tent flung open, and a Forger marched out with a staff.

[Nooh, Whirlwind Monk, Level 122, Predator, Unknown.]

[An OFFENDER has been detected in your area, with an active bounty. You have been given a temporary boost to stats and abilities.]

[Nooh, Whirlwind Monk, Level 122, Predator, Unknown, OFFENDER.]

Every single person with a collar suddenly pulled a weapon out of nowhere.

This was the trap.

Sile's team members appeared on my radar as the Forger marched forward. Three of them attacked him, while the others all went for the collared captives.

I darted across the shadows from the hover carts toward the closet Azurafolk with a collar. With every step I took, I focused on silence, and they didn't even notice me until the very last second, as they swung their sword at one of the uncollared people running away.

My fingers wrapped around the collar and I yanked, ignoring the screaming from the presence inside the crystal. It came loose in my hand and then vanished into my inventory.

One down.

As the now free Azurafolk turned toward me, I rolled back into the shadows, aiming for the next person.

I didn't pick the one immediately next, skipping them before going to the next. I waited until the person they fought grabbed their arms before dodging in for the collar.

Number two!

Yet, this time, my radar went wild as I vanished under a nearby hover cart.

A sword sliced the head off the person I had just freed, and it hit the ground with a thud that echoed in my ears.

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