Bind

For now, nothing very interesting has happened. The two teens have taken the fox to a clearing in the forest where it seems they have set a camp or hideout or something as there is already quite a lot of wood as well as charcoal and a big as well as many small pots present. Yeah, this sure smells like witchcraft. That said though, I have been following them this whole time and I am starting to feel that I am wasting my time. Maybe I should have just saved the fox and be on my way. Because I decided to see what they were cooking up, it's nighttime now and I am stuck in this jungle. The only way to spend this night safely is to follow these two to the town or village that they belong to. Obviously, for that, they need to actually go to that town or village this night. I am hoping they will. I am hoping they are not stupid enough to want to camp out here.

"So, can we start now?" The boy asks.

"I just need to boil some water first." The girl answers.

"But we don't have any water."

"How hard is it to get some water? The river is hardly 50 meters away from here."

Seriously? There is a river that close to here. Since I have only seen rivers covered with ice on this planet, I would like to check out how a river actually looks when it is flowing. It probably looks the same as it does on Earth but there is always a chance for that to not be the case.

"We just need to do two rounds and we will have enough water." The girls says and, as she has finished tying the fox up, she starts heading towards what I assume would be the direction the river would be in.

Man, these two really are idiots, aren't they? Still, I would keep following them for now.

*****

I don't get what interest this guy has found in a couple of teens that he has been following them around for more than an hour. I don't even think those two are doing anything all that significant. It's just some basic witchcraft to obtain a strength increasing potion.

"Just what goes on in the heads of these humans?"

I had thought Irium would be different, that when push comes to shove, he would not let some idiotic curiosity get in his way. But well, he too is a human I guess. I misplaced my hopes in thinking he would be different.

Still, since he has found interest in them, I guess their plan is going well.

Also, since he is not in any kind of imminent danger that I need to bother myself with, I should probably think about that bother of a man. Cartel Hopkins, was it? Who is he? A piece of work, definitely. But, in a broader sense, who exactly is he?

He has been able to slip away from one of the most talented Tamers on earth as well as a Demigod who is probably the second most powerful person in the universe; the most powerful after me. Now, he sure has guts for going up against people like this. However, he is somewhat a fool as well if he thinks he can keep outsmarting those two.

He has no idea at all who is coming after him.

*****

And yes, I finally see a flowing river of this planet. And it's – nothing special. It does look pretty clean though; far, far cleaner compared to the rivers on Earth. But anyway, aside from that, it's not anything special. The two teens just take enough water to fill the five small pots they brought with them. I am guessing that much water will be enough to fill the half of that big pot. Makes sense why the girl said they needed two rounds of doing this.

Since I am feeling a bit tired right now, I think I am going to just stay here for now and follow them on their second round of collecting the water from this river.

So, thinking that, I let them go without following them. But, just as they leave me sight,

"What the hell!"

Something else comes in my sight.

"You are kidding me, right!?"

I ask myself, not really sure what to do. What I see in some distance and heading towards the place the two kids have set up their witch workshop at – is what we call in folklore and games a Cyclops.

"T-that thing … it looks hungry."

I think I have heard enough accounts of Cyclops eating humans to not just keep sitting on my ass right now.

"But … will I actually be able to do anything against that giant one-eyed creepy Troll-like thing?"

I, much to my dismay, doubt that.

*****

"What!?" Danny yells on the phone, surprising me and making me want to find out what he just heard from the other side.

"You … please tell me you are joking!" He says and from the angry and tense expression that follows, I guess the guy on the other line, Grey, told him that whatever he said wasn't a joke.

Soon, the call finishes and I ask him what they were talking about.

"Apparently, someone destroyed one of Grey and Jessica's gem shops and gave a not saying that he will destroy another one if they don't find and kill the 'little birdie'. You can guess who that is?"

Yes, I can certainly do.

"So someone wants Cartel dead so bad?" I contemplate on who it could be but it's no use. It's not like I knew him for very long and everyone Danny ever talked to about him was neither very fond nor hateful of him. I can't really tell who would want Cartel dead so bad.

"Is it possible that the news of Cartel's involvement in the drug shipment messing up reached some higher-ups in Remedy Corp. and so they are trying to get rid of the guy?"

Well, as far as possibility goes, that definitely is one … but,

"I just don't feel like Remedy Corp. would take a measure like destroying Grey and Jessica's shops." I don't think a corporation like that would adopt such a method.

"Fair point!" Grey says. "But then who did it?"

And so, another bind comes in our way. Cartel Hopkins, you sure have a lot of mysteries to you.

*****