The Valkyries [3]

"Stop shooting at me! I am not any enemy!"

That was really close. Even with Nemus' Hardening skill, the arrow probably would have done damage.

A new lesson for Nemu. Be more careful when going to a group of adventures in the middle of the night. He'll remember that and jumped back behind a tree.

"Who are you?" A female voice shouted from the middle of the camp. Everyone had their weapons in hand and had focused on Nemu's direction. Although no one but the bow-woman could see him, they were ready to attack at any moment.

"I am Nemu. I came from the Rabbit tribe. Please stop shooting at me!" Said Nemu. Actually he wanted to run away, as soon as another arrow came in his direction he would do so. But maybe a conversation would save him.

"Why did you suppress your aura?" Shouted another woman. The woman with the scary aura. Well, they must be very surprised but still didn't get upset.

"I..." Nemu had almost forgotten why he was actually here. "I wanted to know if you were one of the bandits before I showed myself."

Nemu heard the adventurers whispering, but he couldn't understand a word. He was ready to use his famous Waterjet escape at any time.

"Are you alone?" Came the next call from the camp after painfully long seconds of whispering passed. Nemu was very tense.

"Yes." Said Nemu. But he was calculating whether to tell them about Trewy. If she came here now, they would surely have trouble if he didn't tell the adventurers. "But I have another friend in the forest. She... Is a dryad." He even pulled out his Dryad trump card. Nobody without an ill-attend was afraid of a dryad.

Another pause. This time without a whisper.

"Are you kidding me?" He heard another shout. Before, there was only determination in the women's voices. This time it was doubtful. This was to be expected.

"No! And I'm a slime." Shouted Nemu.

Now the silence was longer than before. Followed by whispers. Nemu just waited. Slimes were harmless and he thought he could calm the group with them. However...

"Are you the demon lord?" He achieved the mutual effect.

"What? No!" Pretending to be a talking slime just before a talking slime became the Demon Lord was not so smart. "I'm an adventurer."

And again, silence.

"Come out! But slowly!"

Nemu sighed. What was he supposed to do? Would they shoot at him again? But if he just left now the group wouldn't leave the forest and might run into the rabbit tribe. He had to avoid that at all costs. The bandits were already gone, he knew that, and he had to tell them before there was any more fighting. And so he decided to leave his hiding place and slowly moved to the camp.

He moved slowly, as slowly as he could without making any suspicious movements. Until he was close to the camp and the group could see him. That the adventurer who had tried to shoot him with an arrow earlier had a surprised expression on her face like the rest of the group could only mean that her skill was enhanced hearing. She didn't see him before. Such an accurate shot without him being seen was really scary.

"It is indeed a slime."

"And it's red."

"It even has a name!"

"How is that possible?"

"What's going on in this forest?"

While they debated, Nemu looked at the women. If it weren't for the leader's aura, the woman with the broadsword would look the most dangerous. Her sword was as big as she was, yet she held it with an ease as if she were holding a stick. Neither of them averted their eyes from Nemu as they spoke to each other. The woman with the bow still held the bowstring behind her ear, ready to fire a deadly shot at any time. The bow looked as if it was about to break under the power of the archer. Nemu could hear the wood groaning. There had to be really good enchantments on the bow to withstand such a strength. All of them were powerful. Even more powerful than Corsar. Interrupting them now would certainly not be a good idea.

"How did you get around the magic barrier?" The leader asked Nemu directly.

"I am a slime. I can nullify my aura and as a slime my body is part of the environment. Detection magic doesn't work on me." He answered honestly.

After another surprised look they realized that his explanation made sense. Although the leader looked a bit disappointed, as if she doubted her abilities.

"And you're here with a dryad?" She then asked.

"Yes, but she stayed behind because she can't conceal her aura like I can." Explained Nemu. "Can you please put your weapons down." The situation was still tense and he really didn't like them pointing their weapons at him.

After a few glances among themselves, for the first time without staring at Nemu, they lowered their weapons. They knew that Nemu was not a danger, but they were still cautious. Compared to Corsar, who had underestimated them all along, Nemu could see that the adventurers before him were very capable.

"You say you came from the rabbit tribe? How do you know we're headed there?" For the first time the woman with the big sword spoke.

"Yes, and I overheard your conversation, you are adventurers and you want to drive the bandits away from there." Answered Nemu.

"How... how could you listen to our conversation?" The woman looked at him doubtfully. She had heard him first before and immediately shot at him. Probably she thought Nemu had just arrived, but that he had overheard their whole conversation before, even though he was so far away? This hurt her pride, as she was always proud of her sense of hearing.

"Magical senses. They are much better than simple hearing or sight." Explained Nemu. The woman only looked at him more disappointed.

"And you even sensed my barrier." Said the leader lost in thought. She had to work on that. It has always worked so far. Before anyone could perceive the barrier they were already inside it and she was warned. "From how far away?"

"A kilometer or so. But I was above the treetops and didn't know what the barrier was at first." It took Nemu by surprise that they were interested in his skills. He had nothing to hide. But he expected them to be more interested in the rabbit tribe than in his skills.

"That's... unbelievable." The leader said and they started debating again.

"Is that even possible?"

"Why would he lie?"

"We should take him with us. He would be very helpful." Suggested the woman with the sword.

Now it was Nemu who interrupted them. "What, no! I already have a travel companion!"

"The dryad?" Asked the leader.

"Yes! And... she's coming here. Don't shoot at her." Nemu threw an angry glance at the woman with the bow. Nemu had already expected it. For half an hour he had been hiding, listening to the conversation. She really had to worry and Nemu would probably have gone after her, too. "I will bring her here."

"Wait... You still have to tell it from the rabbit tribe!" Said the woman with the bow.

"No. I'll bring her here first." Nemu demanded. Nemu didn't want Trewy to worry any more. Besides, she was surely afraid to approach the barrier, as she was sure she would be discovered. If Nemu and the group had started talking right away, Nemu would have already picked her up. But he had to hide for a long time.

"No, first you're going to..." The bow-woman began to speak, but the leader raised her hand.

"Andrea... Stop. Let him go, I'm sure he won't run away." She definitely had the skills for a leader. While they were debating with each other before, her statement now seemed... like a command. And the bow woman immediately stopped speaking and puffed in resignation. She knew there was no room for discussion.

Nemu was already gone. After meeting with Trewy again, he explained the situation. She was quite angry that he had taken so long but also looked relieved since he was fine. Nemu decided that he wont tell her about the arrow.

After returning to camp, the three adventurers had their 'Wow, it's really a Dryad' look on their faces. Nemu and Trewy had seen this look before with the demons and the rabbit people. It was uncomfortable for her, but... she had to get used to it. By the way, Nemu also got a similar look.

After they introduced themselves, they sat down around the fire that was still burning in the middle of the camp. Apparently the name of the leader was Vice, the woman with the bow was Andrea and the woman with the sword was Lea.

"So... What do you know about the rabbit tribe?" Vice asked Nemu. Finally they got to the topic they were here for.

Nemu began to explain what he had heard in the village. "There were bandits and mercenaries. They were sent by a criminal organization and attacked the Rabbit Village for weeks. But one day, just before they won, they just disappeared. Apparently the organization learned that the Jura Forest is now the territory of a Demonlord and the group was ordered back because of that."

"How do you know all this?" Vice asked and raised her brow. She was surprised at how much information Nemu had.

"The rabbitmen... they had a human prisoner and they had told them why they were there. And why they just disappeared.... It made sense." Explained Nemu. Trewy nodded as he spoke.

Vice was satisfied with the answer. He was right. That they had a human prisoner? Didn't interest anyone in the group. They knew that the organization had sent only human scum. Nor were they in any human supremacy group, as there were other adventurer groups.

"Are the other bandits all gone?" Vice asked.

"Yes. I was with the rabbit people at the human camp. There was no one there anymore. There should be no one left in the surrounding area either. If there had been anyone there, I would have found them with my magical perception." Said Nemu. Well, he had already proven how good his magical perception was, and without question, none of them could duplicate it. All of them were aware of it.

"Is that enough?" Asked Lea Vice.

"No, unfortunately not." Said Vice, shaking her head. "Even if I believe him, the word of a slime is not enough to complete our mission."

"And a dryad." Said Trewy.

"Even that... Is not enough." Vice sighed.

"You shouldn't go there.... The rabbit tribe is pretty angry at humans." Said Trewy.

"Understandable." Said Vice and sighed again. "But so would the guild if they're not satisfied with our explanation."

There was the problem. They had their mission and it came first. Even if they got in trouble with the rabbit people, they could still run away. The Valkyrs, as they were called, would not shy away from capturing a Rabbit Man... or worse. They had to make sure that there were no more humans in the area and if they run into a rabbitman, faith decides. That was their mission and they had to fulfill it.

"You really shouldn't mess with them. They are under the protection of a demon lord now." Said Nemu and it was a threat.

The mood immediately became tense. There was something that the group did not know...

"After we arrived at the Rabbit Tribe, we made contact between them and Tempest. So now they are officially part of the Jura Tempest Federation. You really shouldn't make trouble there. Even if it's not your intention." Explained Nemu.

All of them gulped and stared at Nemu. According to their information, there was no contact between the Rabbit Tribe and Tempest so far but... If they show up there now, it will definitely reflect not only on the group, but on the whole Adventurer's Guild. Even if there are still bandits there, that would be the worst possible scenario.

"Is that true?" Lea asked while looking at Trewy. Trewy just nodded. If they get back to the Adventurer's Guild and they can say it's confirmed by a Dryad, then there's no doubt.

"Is that enough?" Lea now asked Vice, and she nodded.

"Definitely. We'll go back tomorrow."