(Attendance… plz…)
….
The next day.
The group was up early in the morning, before the sun had even fully risen. The air was still crisp and chilly, a light mist clinging to the ground.
Reinhard and Felt were the first ones up. Well, Felt would still have been sleeping if not for Reinhard, who gently woke her as she had requested the night before.
Reinhard seeing her yawning, trying to open her eyes and scratching her belly despite still having some sleep in her eyes.
Seeing that he smiled and then exited the tent. He looked around and took in fresh air into his lungs, also hearing some birds chirping near them.
Though, he noted with amusement, his master Felt snored pretty badly at night.
Momon didn't sleep for obvious reasons, being undead meant rest was a concept for the living. Nabe was up too, but rested unlike her master and on his order but still cautious.
The Swords of Darkness were actually the last ones to wake up, even though they had planned to be the ones to wake everyone else to get ready. They scrambled out of their tents, looking sheepish.
After getting up and ensuring everything was packed, Peter and the others dismantled the tents and organized their gear within a few minutes, with Reinhard helping them efficiently.
Then came a quick breakfast that Reinhard made for Felt and the others. Momon didn't eat again or at least in front of them, saying he was full from the last one.
Once again, the compliments flowed about how it was even more tasty and delicious than the dinner before.
The group was fully set to begin their quest with their stomachs full and spirits high from Reinhard's cooking.
The sun was just on the horizon, beginning to shine through the trees by the time they were done and ready to move out.
And so, they marched.
….
A few hours later.
They were deep into the forest and somewhat near the monster area now. The whole forest was covered with thick trees with roots coming out, obviously not letting the sunlight pass through in some areas, creating a perpetual twilight gloom.
Peter was in front with his team, leading the group as usual. In the middle were Reinhard and Felt. In the back, Momon and Nabe brought up the rear, same as usual.
"We are close," Peter warned the others in a hushed tone. "So be ready, guys."
Everyone in his team nodded, their hands drifting to their weapons and ninya to her stick wand. They moved carefully, stepping over dead branches and walking on the soft soil.
From the back, Momon was observing. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed it at all during the whole time Reinhard was in front of him yesterday, or for whatever reason he missed it.
But what he noticed just recently was disturbing.
They were in a forest. When you step on dead branches, they make a sound, a crack or a snap, even if it's little. When you walk on soft soil, you leave a footprint normally even if he was leaving, including every but one.
Momon watched the party. Everyone… Peter, Ninya, even the light-footed Felt, was stepping on branches making somewhat audible sounds, and leaving distinct footprints on the soil.
The only "not normal" thing was Reinhard.
He was doing none of it.
Momon watched him step directly onto a dry, dead branch. The branch broke under the weight... but it didn't make any type of sound at all. Not even a little whisper. And when he lifted his boot, the soil remained undisturbed. He wasn't leaving any footprints at all.
'What is this?' Momon thought, alarmed.
He considered that it was some type of magic, [Silence], [Trackless Step], or a Ranger skill. But that didn't exactly make it solid proof. Because if it was a spell, why didn't Felt have it too? If only he had it and he could use it, why didn't he use it on his master, or everyone around him to aid their stealth?
So in his mind, only more questions arose, not solutions.
'Is it some kind of silent martial art? Was it magic? If it was magic, I didn't see him cast it at all. And if it was silent magic, when did he use it? And why only on himself?'
And thus, once again, he didn't know and couldn't know because of his little-to-no knowledge of this world's unique mechanism. He sighed in his mind. 'Information. I need information.'
The forest grew denser the more they went inside, making the path very unsteady, tangled with roots and undergrowth.
Peter, after scanning the ground, signaled for a halt. He saw multiple footprints, small, clawed prints of Goblins, though they weren't clear. Some were bigger, deeper.
"Tracks," Peter whispered to the group, not raising his voice. "Goblins. They passed from here. And not just a few. I think their numbers are quite huge. So their settlement, cave, or whatever is nearby."
Lukrut, the ranger of Swords of Darkness, moved up beside him. He squinted into the gloom of the forest, trying to hear anything, but he didn't pick up much, most probably because they weren't in his range yet.
"They are not near us from here as I can't hear anything," Lukrut whispered. "Or at least they are very far away. But the smell is here... yeah, though no doubt they are nearby somewhere. Ninya, keep your magic ready and everyone be alert."
Ninya nodded, gripping her staff tightly. "Understood."
They were tense. A Goblin nest was dangerous. Goblins weren't that much of a threat alone, one or two were easy for a trained man. But they were dangerous when they were in a group, and if they had Ogres, or worse, it could turn into a bloodbath quickly.
Before Lukrut or Peter could scout further or warn anyone that there were monsters ahead, a calm voice broke the silence from the middle of the formation.
"They are actually in that direction, ahead," Reinhard said.
He pointed to the left side as he spoke. Everyone turned to look at him. He wasn't whispering, but his voice wasn't loud either. It was just... factual.
"Distance is not that far," Reinhard continued, looking left through the dense wall of trees as if they were made of glass. "Their nest is probably there."
Peter blinked, confused. "There? How do you know? I don't see or hear anything."
Lukrut frowned, straining his ranger senses. "Neither do I. And my ears are pretty good. Are you guessing?"
"He is not," Felt said confidently. "They are probably there. His ears and eyes are very sharp."
She continued, recalling their previous experience. "When we fought Goblins previously, they had other monsters on their side like ogres. So it is not out of the question for them not to be with Goblins now."
Momon, standing at the back with Nabe listening to everything, narrowed his non-existent eyes from behind the helmet.
'Exactly how far is it that he can tell they are in that direction?' Momon thought, staring side-by-side at the dense forest wall. 'Is it some type of Ranger spell? [Enemy Scan]? [Enemy Detection]? [Life Detection]? Or does he have some sort of item... but he doesn't seem to be activating anything.'
Peter scratched the back of his head. "Well... I believe you. So how do we do this?"
He looked at Reinhard and Felt as he formulated a plan. "I know you guys are strong, and you can take care of it knowing you. But I think you would need help from like a surprise attack from the back or something. Or maybe covering you from the area when you can't... knowing you, we will probably get in the way."
Nope. Reinhard didn't need any of that. On the contrary, he didn't need anything.
But Reinhard being Reinhard didn't deny the help or anything, or even say something like "you would get in the way" or "you are useless."
He smiled warmly. "Thanks. That's fine with me."
"Well, he doesn't really need any help," Felt added. "But extra things don't hurt. So I think it is okay."
Momon interjected suddenly, his deep voice cutting through the planning.
"I would like to go with Reinhard in front."
All eyes turned on him as he said that.
Momon continued before anyone could object. "I know we don't know each other for long, but I'm pretty strong and I want to help in any way I can. I may not look like it... or maybe look like it… but nonetheless I'm pretty fairly strong."
Nabe assured them like his words were gospel. "Momon is right. He is very powerful. Strongest compared to all of you."
At that comment, a few giggles came at her and Momo, like seeing a child praising his father.
She didn't miss her chance to boast about her master's strength and superiority. That earned her a sharp whack on the head from Momon's side.
"Please ignore her comment," Momon said quickly, lowering his hand. "She is a very enthusiastic person and all. But I'm fairly strong and I don't want to just take advantage of all of you in the party. I want to help. If it is okay with all of you and Reinhard..."
"I do not have any problem at all, Momon," Reinhard said pleasantly. "I don't doubt your strength at all. You can take the other side while I can take the other."
"Thanks," Momon nodded. "Nabe here is a strong magic caster, so she can provide support with others from the back with you guys, taking any monster that may pass through us or any other monster surprise attack."
"Well..." Peter hesitated, then nodded. "I don't really have any problem. Just want to tell everyone once again that... it is not just a group of Goblins. But a whole nest. There could be more than two hundred Goblins in there... so let's just be a little bit more careful."
It was just a precaution. He even felt somewhat useless saying this to the "Ogre Slayer" party. But nonetheless, it wasn't exactly for Reinhard at all... but for everyone other than him or his party, aka the Swords of Darkness and Momon and Nabe.
Everyone agreed on that strategy: Reinhard and Momon would take the front line together, while the others would be at the back supporting and killing any monster that might slip past.
….
A/N: So, how was it? Vote below:-
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