Imps In the Dark

The horses' sounds continued to echo as a group of mercenaries rode onwards.

"Move! Get out of the way!" A mercenary of the Sword Quest group shouted and surprised the marching refugees.

Leading the group was another captain who served Arvus Brent. He was Brent's right-hand man. No one was as loyal to Brent as this man. And therefore, no one had vowed to torture the murderer of his leader, like this man.

Riding with him was a bound captain. Frank had the skill of harnessing his Will to increase his eyesight.

He was frantically looking around. Should he fail to find the killer, he would die!

The captain himself was a very skilled man and also had his eyes on the crowd.

They sought a beautiful woman who was infamous and was thought to be dead.

Crystal Diante.

The accusation that she faced was something so absurd that two other mercenaries were killed in the heat of the explosive wrath.

Captain Ryan had killed two of their own before Frank and Janker had pleaded and insisted that Arvus Brent died at the hands of the woman.

But no weapon was found on her since her escort here.

Aside from that, As an Arvus, Brent had already succeeded in the Enrichment Tribulation and would be close to stone. To penetrate through the skin would take a powerful attack, which Crystal was unlikely capable of wielding.

Yet the insistence of the group and their arguments did make sense.

Why would they kill Arvus Brent?

Ryan still held the captains liable and had sent two parties to search for Crystal.

"That! Over there! That's the boss's cloak!" Frank shouted as he used his head and face to point.

Ryan saw an old man and a woman walk the road alone as they pushed further from the march.

"Stop!" Ryan shouted as he charged.

The pair stopped, and the woman's face was revealed.

Ryan frowned as he approached.

"Who are you? And where did you get that cloak?!" Ryan demanded.

"My lord! I apologize! But a fair noble gave me this as a gift and promised I wouldn't have to pay fees on our journey!" The woman pleaded.

"A noble? Was it a beautiful woman?"

"...Yes. Her beauty was… quite captivating." The woman reflected.

"Why did she give you this gift?"

"She was asking for the road towards Merchant's Rest. She went ahead of us and said we were to keep a fast pace to outmarch the rest of the crowds… but not so fast as to keep up with her. We lost sight of her since the curve!"

"Frank!" Ryan shouted.

"It's impossible! I cannot track her steps since many have just used these roads!" Frank complained.

"What else did she ask?" Ryan demanded.

"That was all! I swear! If I have offended you, please take this cloak away! I merely thought she was of your company, good lords!"

"Captain… They are innocent. Mere peasants that Crystal may have used." Another soldier spoke as he could see Ryan's rage.

"Good lords…" The old man spoke.

"We are but travelers trying to flee from this calamity. If we have offended you…" The old man bowed.

"Enough. Hand me that cloak. If you find her, inform the mercenaries who would pass by. Any information about that woman will be rewarded in silver!" Ryan spoke.

With that, the group marched onwards.

"Captain! I can't search for her! But believe me! I did not-"

"I am starting to believe you. All of you had the same account, even when questioned separately. You all spoke of being drawn to Crystal. Perhaps this is magic or alchemy. But your senses were twisted. And her actions continue to bear suspicion." Ryan spoke as he suddenly ordered his beast to take the left route.

"Captain?"

"Release Frank and go back. Send word to send a team to Merchant's Rest and another to Riverbed."

"Riverbed?!"

"She must be leading us into thinking she would take the long way. She is still the daughter of a mayor and is well-educated. We ride for Riverbed!" Ryan ordered as they marched on.

Meanwhile… It had been nearly twenty minutes since Crystal separated from Amisha. But instead of taking a straight path through the forest, Crystal headed towards the mountains.

Her focus remained, but there was no fear as evening approached.

Already, the howls and movements of the forests with its monsters call out to her.

But she kept moving.

"The closer I get to Viridian Raptor Mountain, the safer I will be! With that mountain a nest of reptilian-kind, no other predators will be there, and the only ones will not eat me! Not with his soul!" Crystal thought as she kept moving.

The minutes turned to hours, and no sign of the mercenaries following her could be seen. Amisha's distraction would force the mercenaries to search and expand the search perimeter beyond the place where Amisha was. But she had already turned to the wilds minutes before they found Amisha!

Crystal focused on following the path and used his strength and stamina to keep climbing and cutting the forage.

But though she had the strength, she was new to the wilds and soon grew exhausted.

As the darkness of the night appeared, Crystal's eyes were somehow able to retain its light.

"...Sight of the Quarter Dragon." Crystal sighed as he once more recalled Adam.

"Ahhh! No time to think about that jerk! I already have a mercenary group who kidnaps women to deal with!" Crystal shook her head.

But as she moved, something caught the side of her vision.

The creature was hiding. Crystal would have never seen it if not for how her sight could not only see several times clearer than normal humans in the dark, but Crystal's eyes could even faintly see temperature.

"Soblings…" She recalled the name of the impish creature. And if there was one, there would be a dozen close by!

Crystal's hands began to sweat. It was the first time she would face the monsters of this world in the wilds.

As she moved further and further, she could see the creatures moving on her side and starting to surround her.

One was crouched just in front of her. Preparing for a deadly pounce.

Crystal took a deep breath and took the same path as if unaware of the deadly monster nearby. But her hands were ready as the magic in her Immaterial Body was prepared to move out.

"WAH-!"

STAB!

The moment it pounced was the exact moment that Crystal stabbed its small, gruesome head.

FLASH!

Flames appeared on the sword as Crystal began to run ahead.

"WAHH!"

"WAH!"

"WAH!"

Cries akin to the sobs of a baby would be heard as the Sobling imps began to run towards her.