At first light, Gaia and the group broke camp with the quickness and agility of an experienced army platoon. They had performed this same motion countless times before…setting up camp and breaking down camp. It was muscle memory at that point.
Thalia moved ahead of the group, her eyes scanning both the sky and earth for possible dangers. She clutched her cutlass close to her side…not only was it her sole weapon, but it was also the only memento she had of her adopted father Vidar. He had given it to her as a treasured gift.
Memories of that day and the subsequent daily training sessions they had together, made Thalia's eyes sting with emotion. She missed him every single day…and truthfully, part of the reason she insisted on being the group's scout was in hopes she would catch a glimpse of him somewhere.
Her thoughts of Vidar suddenly vanished. Thalia's eyes brightened as she saw a glowing heat silhouettes far away. Mana.
Thalia calmed her breath as she counted the mana signatures…25, 30, 35, 40. 40 in total. There were 40 mana signatures up ahead. Based on their motion, they seemed to be fighting.
Thalia signaled to the group behind her that danger was up ahead. Gaia quickly closed the gap between them. As Gaia approached, her eyes were fixed in the direction Thalia had signaled. The group moved forward slowly, careful to not attract attention.
As they approached, they could hear screams…it was people!
People were battling magic beasts. The desire to help quickly flooded Thalia's senses…almost moved by instinct Thalia lunged forward cutlass in hand. The iron smell of blood scratched her throat as she approached the chaotic scene. The sounds of scream, shouts and growls filled the air.
Upon arrival, Thalia quickly noticed a small group of people were desperately fighting a hoard of magic beasts resembling wild dogs.
'Doggos,' Thalia said to herself as her heart calmed. Doggos attacked in hoards but were relatively weak individually. The key is to defeat the pack leader as quickly as possible.
Thunk!
Thalia drove her cutlass deep into the first Doggo she encountered as she rushed toward the pack leader.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Her cutlass rang loud as it ripped apart 3 more Doggo's. Each gave a final death howl alerting their pack of coming danger.
Suddenly, the remaining Doggos all stop their attacks and fixed their eyes on Thalia. The pack leader gave a sharp howling command. Instantly the remaining Doggos all rushed Thalia.
Her body stiffened…fighting a few Doggos was no problem…but 20 at the same time? That would be a hard task for anyone. She tightened her grip on her cutlass, her stance dropped into a defensive technique that she had learned from her father.
Thalia took a deep breath and prepared herself for the oncoming wave of beasts.
SWOOSH! BOOM!
A bright light briefly blinded Thalia followed by an explosion. Her vision cleared after a few seconds.
All the remaining Doggos including the pack leader were instantly obliterated in one precise yet savage attack. Thalia immediately recognized the origin of that one attack…it was Gaia. The residual mana signature from the attack was unmistakable.
Although Thalia rarely got to see Gaia fight, she knew from brief glimpses and from conversations with her father Vidar that Gaia was a powerhouse. Having been a former high-ranking general in the Cherubim Army and a former Apostle of the Itarim, Gaia wielded massive power, attack precision, and battle experience.
As the battle commotion settled, Thalia, Gaia, and the children cautiously approached the group of people that had been under attack.
Most seemed ok, frightened, but ok.
"Who are you and where are you going?" asked Thalia as she approached the group.
"We are a traveling merchant caravan…" replied a man struggling to calm his breath after the intense battle with the magic beasts moments earlier.
"My name is Siv…this is my caravan," his breathing becoming steadier with each passing word.
"We are on our way to Lanka to sell our wares…when these savages attacked us…thank the Gods you were here to help…and who can I offer my thanks to?" asked Siv as he did his best to hide the curiosity behind his words.
Siv was by trade a traveler.
He had traveled to many places across many universes. Buying and selling everywhere he went. Furthermore, he had developed a sixth sense about people…with one quick glance he could deduce a person's background, history, temperament, and more importantly whether they were friend or foe.
With only one quick glance at Gaia, Siv knew she was an Itarim Apostle. Her blue hair and the faint blue tint in her skin also suggested she was a Cherubim. Furthermore, Siv could tell that she was suppressing her immense mana in order to not harm the children with her. A powerful Apostle like her could easy overwhelm and suffocate a person with the pressure of their immense mana.
But why was an Apostle here? Why was she traveling with children?
Based on their body language and appearance, it was obvious to Siv that the blue-haired Apostle had been with this group of children for a long time.
"We…umm…are passing by. We are looking for a gate out of this place. Do you happen to know if there is a gate nearby? Thalia asked politely.
A long and uncomfortable silence followed. Siv was lost in thought…Thalia waited for a bit and finally repeated her question.
Siv smiled and apologized.
He replied with a serious expression on his face, "we are not leaving this place for a while…business will keep us here for months. So, our usual routes will probably not help you."
He continued in a bright and chipper tone, "but you are in luck! There happens to be a man living nearby. He is a historian of sorts…he studies and collects artifacts and objects of interest. He has a map of this place…if anyone knows a quick way out, it would be him!"
After some more chatter, the two groups agreed on a plan. The traveling merchant group would continue onward with their journey. Siv would momentarily guide Thalia, Gaia and the children to the historian as a repayment for their protection against the magic beasts.
Thalia and Gaia inwardly thought Siv likely had an ulterior motive for guiding them to this "historian" but decided to not press on the matter…they had managed to secure a guide and that was worth more than the risk.