First encounter

All nine of the attendants were surprised when Vritra suddenly spoke. 

He had been silent the entire time; a couple of them even thought he was mute. 

But seeing the serious expression on his face, they focussed their gaze on the letters he was scribbling on the ground. 

-The rune masters are going to use us as bait; if we follow them, we are all going to die.

The surprise on their faces had now turned into scowls and confusion; they turned their gazes back to Vritra as he rubbed off the text. 

" I heard beasts are more attracted towards larger groups or prey which are running, so they often ignore people who abandon the group to escape alone slowly." Vritra spoke as if it is a cover for their secret discussion. 

" What do you mean by that?" Azhar asked, wondering if it is some kind of joke. 

-I had heard about it before; after entering, they will use us to draw a certain beast away so they don't have to fight it. 

" I had read about it in a book, quite an interesting fact isn't it? " Vritra spoke and rubbed the message off again with his feet. 

Everyone had turned silent; they were confused and afraid. 

-But I know of a way through which we can escape. 

This was a simple trick: first, give them all the scare of their life and then show a way out of it. 

Of course, even if they want to cling to it, but it still would need a slight addition of proof to it, since they would be doubtful of his words.

" How?" Harris was the one to question this time. 

-There is a secret passage; if we escape inside it, then they won't be able to use us. 

" Since I know how to read." Vritra replied.

" Even if that is the case, how are we-" Azhar had started to speak, but he understood why Vritra was scribbling instead of speaking. 

With their heightened senses, the rune masters would be easily able to hear them, and if that happens, they would be in even more trouble.

So he also picked a stick and began to write with it. 

-But after escaping into the cave, we still have to go back to the city, and without their help, we can't go back. 

Vritra had already expected the type of questions they would ask, so he wrote his answer instantly. 

-We will need to act as if we have fallen into a trap and later we can regroup with them. At least they won't kill us on their own. 

The others felt there was logic in Vritra's answer, since even if as attendants they are still connected with the Monethian Sanctum, so it wouldn't be wise to just kill them openly. 

" And how do we believe that is true? " One of the boys in the group asked; they all had this same doubt. 

Vritra immediately gave his answer. 

" You don't have to; you can read it on your own. "

-I know what kind of beasts will appear inside the inheritance. 

"!!!"

Not even the deacon seemed to be aware of this info, at least that is what these teenagers all believed. 

Yet Vritra knew it; if that's truly the case, then the others would have no choice but to believe him. 

" What kind of beas-? Mmph " Jackal almost blurted it out but was stopped mid-way by the boy sitting beside him. 

Vritra glanced at them all, then he wrote a name on the ground. 

-Slug Winged Raptor

They were all surprised to hear this name, since all of them had heard about it.

There are always stories going around about the rune masters who had died under the attacks of Slug Winged Raptor in this forest. 

Unlike what their names suggested, the Raptors weren't slow at all, but they got this name because of the slimy material present around their bodies. 

If a lot of them attacked the Qortern city, then a big part of it would be easily destroyed, but thankfully, only one or two Raptors had been encountered occasionally so far. 

Till now, the Raptors that have been encountered eyes all up to the 4th Gate, and that's probably why the Zhorian inheritance is at the 4th gate inheritance.

All of them had a look of realisation as they understood that Zhorian must have found the breeding cave of the raptors, and since he hid it, that's why no one was able to find the cave. 

" Are you sure? You aren't lying or anything, right? " One of the other boys, who was the second oldest member of the group, asked. 

" Yes, I am sure. As for whether or not you want to believe it, that depends on you— " Vritra was just speaking when he was interrupted by the voice of the petite girl. 

" I believe in him; he won't lie. " Linda spoke, her sweet smile replaced by a solemn expression. 

"M-Me too. What is there to gain for him by lying about this anyway? " Sana spoke hastily, making sure that he saw her trust in him. 

" Yes, I have known him the longest. He never lies or, more like, he barely speaks. Anyway I believe in him too. " Jackal spoke, glancing at Sana and taking it as a challenge as Vritra's self-proclaimed best friend. 

" Yet he didn't even know your name. " Sana accepted the silent challenge and retorted. 

" Heh, at least I can speak to hi— " Jackal replied. 

" You can have your discussion later. " Azhar interrupted them and then asked: " What are all your thoughts about this? "

The group stayed silent, thinking deeply about his words. 

" I agree. " Jackal was the first to respond, with a smirk on his face directed towards Sana. 

' Tsk. Before Linda and now he beat me to it. Sigh. My mind just stops working, and I end up staring at Vritra. ' Sana came back to her senses and hastily spoke: 

" Me too. "

Harris picked up a stick and wrote something on the ground. 

-If what you said really is the truth, then...

" Yes, I will follow you inside the Zhorian inheritance. " He added with a nod and confidence in his eyes. 

And soon, all of them agreed to follow him, but they put a condition that they first need to see if his words were true or not. 

That is by seeing a Slug-Winged Raptor. 

" So what's the plan? " The third girl who had been silent for a while now spoke. She was fourteen and quite lacking in terms of appearance. 

Two eyes shone in the darkness, unbeknownst to the group of teenagers.

Slight rustling of the tree leaves could be heard, but none of them paid it any attention, dismissing it as wind. 

Amidst the trees, a towering figure, standing at least ten to eleven feet tall, fixed its piercing gaze upon its unsuspecting prey. 

The two wings on its back were spread wide, blending seamlessly into the darkness, making its figure appear even more terrifying. 

" After entering, we will... " Saying that, Vritra began to write the plan on the ground. 

-We will follow behind the group of the rune masters with at least a distance of five to six meters or more. 

Azhar will be at the forefront, and behind him will be Harris, then... then the three of the girls and I will be at the last. 

" Then I will be second last. " Sana accidentally interrupted their discussion, then she apologized, and Vritra continued. 

Vritra had seen Sana and himself falling into some space along with others in a vision, though since this vision was related to Sana, he wasn't able to see the others properly. 

But one thing he saw clearly was that since he was standing at the end of the group, he clearly had the time to jump away, but he had willingly allowed himself to fall, which meant that was the correct way. 

This was also the reason why he placed himself at the back. 

-The way to open the secret passage will be on the left side of the cave, so we would have to stick close to it and keep pressing secretly with our hands on our waist length. 

But if we walk in a line, it will be too suspicious, so we will be walking in groups of-

Suddenly, a message appeared before him, bringing an abrupt stop to his scribbling, causing Vritra's eyes to widen and his heartbeat to race wildly. 

[ 1st beast encountered. ]

[ Slug Winged Raptor, 2nd Gate. ]