Nerou

"He's dead," One of the underlings looked at the dial strapped to his hand, speaking in a cold tone.

"Send the next one to retrieve the package," The leader waved his hands, turning silent as he gazed at the breach, his expression stoic. He gazed at the sky, watching the rain fall on his face, noticing a decrease in its intensity, "Hurry up with it, the rain might stop any moment now."

Another underling dropped the rucksack he carried on the ground, opening the cover to gaze at a trembling girl within. The moment she saw his face, she immediately began to bawl, making grunting sounds as her mouth had been covered—her limbs were tied up.

The moment the underling tried to remove the cover on her mouth, the girl shook her head crazily, her muffled screams increasing in pitch. The underling's chill-inducing voice resounded, instantly silencing her, "Make another sound, and you'll meet your parents."

Her face turned pale with fright while her eyes spewed venomous hatred. The underling seemed unfazed by her expressions, swiftly untying her. He showed her a pouch similar to the one the boy had received before, "Enter that breach, turn right and find a similar pouch there. Bring it back and I'll set you free."

He then put a choker around her neck, smiling as he spoke, "This will allow us to track your whereabouts anywhere. So, I hope you won't try anything stupid. Once you return, I'll set you free. This I vow on my honour."

The girl glanced at the leader, watching the other party speak with no change in tone, "The Iron-Tipped Scouts always uphold their word. That is the sole fact you can be assured of us."

For some reason, hearing his words convinced the girl; she turned around and began to head towards the settlement, her body trembling as the rain drenched her. She felt weak, fear enveloping her mind. Still, she dared not escape, the choker on her neck serving as a reminder.

When she had moved a fair distance away, one of the underlings snickered, "Wicked bastard, putting a choker on her. It's not like we need something like that to track her."

"Sometimes, a false reality is better binding than an unperceivable truth. The choker would remind her not to escape." The underling that had instructed the girl commented.

Soon, the girl returned, her pace slow, carrying the pouch in her hands. She stopped ten paces away from the group, "Release me."

The underling shrugged, pointing at the choker, "Pull the ring in it. The choker would come off on its own."

The girl was hesitant, staring at the eyes of the underling to judge whether he spoke the truth or not. Due to the rain and the distance, she wasn't sure. Moreover, none of the twenty before her expressed anything humane, preventing her from finding out anything.

She craned her finger to the ring in her choker, touching it as she hesitated for three breaths in time, finally mustering up enough courage to pull it. With a plot, the choker came off. The girl stared with an unbelievable gaze, finding the choker in her hands, her neck was free.

The underling chuckled, waving with his hands, "Throw the two to me, or you can just place it on the ground there and make your way out."

The girl dropped the pouch and the choker and began to backtrack, her gaze never leaving the group, intending to react at a moment's notice. She increased the distance between them before turning around to sprint at the maximum speed her legs could carry her. All the while, nothing expected happened to her.

"It took a lot of effort to carry her all along you know." One of the underlings complained. The leader waved his hand, "If she can survive in such dangerous times, then she has more than earned the right to live. Let us proceed with our mission now."

The leader's disciple picked up the two items from the ground as blue radiance radiated from his body, condensing into a sphere before him. Five tendrils projected out before thickening, their shapes defining into a beast. Everything happened in an instant, the disciple had summoned his Pranic Avatar.

It had four legs, with its forelegs twice the length of its rear legs. Its tail was a horn curved upwards while its only eye was positioned on its forehead. It had a long neck and a narrow head, through the mouth of which hung a tongue touching the ground.

It was the beast—Nerou!

Nerous were capable of perceiving through numerous means, sight, smell, sound, instinctual presence, prints, etc. with everything surpassing what any person could ever hope to achieve. The Nerou sniffed the pouch, using its tongue to wrap around as it paused, unaffected by the rain.

Without it doing any other action, the disciple beamed in joy, "Re'Kha passed through here."

"Alright, let's proceed with the same in the four gates. If her presence isn't registered in them, then it means Re'Kha is still within this settlement." The leader waved his hand, "Three per gate, return swiftly."

Twelve of his underlings branched into four groups before heading towards the four gates of the settlement. They used the same method as before, sending the people they had brought inside. Those that returned safely were just freed, waved away to escape.

The first to return was the group headed towards the west gate. Since they were near, they swiftly finished it. One of them made a salute as he spoke, "Sir, there wasn't any presence of Re'Kha near the west gate."

"Good," The leader smiled, watching the groups headed towards the north and south gates return simultaneously, delivering the same news. The leader smiled, watching the rain become a drizzle.

Finally, after some more time had passed, the final group returned, bringing with them the news concerning the east gate. One of them spoke with relief, "There were no signs of Re'Kha near the east gate."

"So, she is within this settlement, either dead or under the control of the Kalhas." The leader nodded, gazing at the five Nerous standing before him, noticing the rain show signs of stopping, "We'll retreat and return when it starts to rain again."