Chapter 52: Just missed
Dorian darted through the forest at blinding speeds as Beck and Grug trailed behind him with excited expressions.
After half an hour of moving from deep in the southern forest, through the village, and back into the northern woods, they had finally arrived at Arbus's treehouse. The massive tree loomed before them, its orange leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.
They came to a gentle halt as each of them surveyed the area for any sign of life.
"Hmm?" Dorian muttered after a few moments, his eyebrow arching as something caught his eye.
He walked over to a small crater in the ground nearby and squatted down to examine it, running his fingers along the smooth edges.
"What's that?" Grug asked with a puzzled expression as he strode over.
"...I'm not sure yet," Dorian murmured, his brows furrowing.
Grug stared at the crater, scratching his head.
"Huh? Isn't it just a small hole?"
Dorian's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't look up.
"Yes. A very smooth hole."
"Oi, girl!" Beck suddenly shouted up at the treehouse. "We know you're up there! Come out now, and we might go easy on you!"
Dorian's head snapped up, his frown deepening as him and Grug abandoned the crater, walking over to stand beside Beck.
SLAP!
"Tsk," Grug growled, smacking Beck across the back of the head. "So much for subtlety, you loudmouth."
"Ow, what the hell?!" Beck rubbed his skull, glaring at Grug. "What other choice do we have?! It's not like we can go inside the house or anything!" he shouted defensively.
Dorian gazed at the house for several moments, then smiled coldly.
"...Actually, we can."
Beck and Grug turned to him, eyebrows raised.
"Chief Nash's orders were clear," Dorian continued. "No destroying the house. And no disturbing Arbus when he's inside. Well we're not destroying anything. And Arbus isn't home."
The two boys stared at him with stunned expressions, then grinned dangerously.
BOOM!
The three of them leaped high into the air, descending loudly onto the treehouse's platform with enough force to make the entire structure groan.
Dorian gazed around the platform, an irritated expression appearing on his face from its colourful nature. Still, it reminded him of the times the princess would use her abilities to perform for the people of the town, putting on magic shows that had been one of the highlights of their small village. Her presence as their ruler had uplifted everyone's spirits, inspiring them to do their best to be useful to her.
But now, all of that was gone. All because a human had managed to enchant her somehow. The Grimm family name, and the reputation of Tarokians as a whole, had been permanently damaged across the universe.
He gritted his teeth at the thought of Arbus. The physical embodiment of their shame.
He moved forward, pushing open the door, which had surprisingly been left unlocked.
The three of them stepped into the house, glancing around the living room briefly.
The room's walls were lined with various images, both photographs and drawings. All of them depicted similar figures. A young man with red skin, flowing dark hair, and emerald eyes. A female Tarokian with a towering physique, bright crimson hair and mesmerizing golden eyes. And a young boy with red skin and striking emerald eyes.
These were all depictions of the princess and her abominable family.
Dorian clenched his fists in anger. He would destroy all of these if he could, but he didn't want to break his chief's orders in any way.
"Let's do this quickly," Dorian said coldly as he walked toward one of the rooms while Beck and Grug checked the others.
Dorian opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes swept over the wooden bed, hunting tools, and various miscellaneous items scattered about.
He made sure to check the room thoroughly, until he was sure that no one was hiding inside, before walking back to the living room where Beck and Grug were already waiting.
Grug grunted.
"No one was hiding in the other rooms. But I did find a bunch of clothes that most likely belonged to the princess. They've been cut up and resized to fit someone far smaller."
Dorian's eyes narrowed as the implications hit him. "Interesting. Was the traitor living here too? How... odd."
Beck kicked at the floor frustration etched on his face. "What do we do now that we can't find her? "Don't tell me we have to forget about our plans and just report to the council that there's someone visiting Arbus"
Dorian didn't answer immediately, as he considered their next move.
"...Let's go back to the village first. There's a possibility we just missed her. She could be looking for Arbus right now. If so, she should be rather easy to spot."
Grug nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. And if we don't find anything..."
"We can just beat the information out of Arbus" Beck finished with a sadistic grin.
"Yes" Dorian said simply. "We can do that as well."
Dorian led the boys out of the treehouse and jumped back down.They ran back southward, towards the village, once again.
_____________
Arora came to a halt as she finally reached the forest area just outside the Tarokian village. She landed gently, not willing to blow her cover in record time.
She decided to study the town from afar first, wondering how she would successfully sneak into the village without being noticed.
A surprised expression appeared on her face when she actually took a closer look. Figures of all shapes and sizes were pouring in and out of the gate with pleased expressions plastered on their faces.
There were naturally full-blooded Tarokians with towering frames moving about, but there were also other species as well. Mornans of varying colours, from red to blue, filled the streets alongside other races that Arbus hadn't told her about yet.
She wasn't certain, but it seemed to her that they had just finished some sort of celebration that had brought these different races here. There was also virtually no security. She suddenly remembered what Arbus had said about how his race thinks: strength over all. There was a chance that guards weren't even a thing for this village in the first place.
She took a deep breath, gathering up as much courage as she could.
She decided to act as naturally as possible before calmly walking toward the towering village gates.
'Just hold on, Arbus. I'm coming.'