บท 648: Unexpected meeting
Hera left the greenhouse/laboratory and started looking for the repair team. It didn't take long for that, but it wasn't quick either. She had to ask Multrak and a few other people until someone could tell her they were outside the village, fixing a few traps and part of the damaged wall. To her luck, as the Empress walked towards the gate leading outside, she encountered Adriel going the same way as she.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" the elf asked.
"Hey. Kadhan asked me to come to get some materials for a new field. Apparently, he already talked with the person in charge," Hera replied.
"oh? I think I know what you are talking about. But let's check with Berylla anyway. She'll be pissed if I give you the wrong things," Adriel replied.
"Berylla?" Hera tilted her head.
"She's the one in charge. And you don't want to be on her bad side. Trust me."
"Ok. By the way, what are you doing here?"
"I'm coming from the bathroom. I tend to drink a lot of water in places like this. Old paranoia because I got lost in a forest when I was little," Adriel chuckled.
"Really? What happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"It's fine. It's been a long time since I talked about this. Honestly, it's not an interesting story. I was little, my dad took me camping, and I got lost for a week. The jungle didn't have any good water sources, so I had to figure things out on that part. That was the only problem I had, the room was very safe, and the critters were not actually aggressive. I even ended up sleeping with a giant squirrel in a tree," Adriel shrugged.
"I see. Sorry to hear about it, but sleeping with a giant squirrel kind of sounds like fun," Hera chuckled.
"It wasn't that bad, but the smell was rough. Not all species have the care to piss outside their nest," Adriel shivered.
"I don't know if I needed to know that. The image of cuddling a giant squirrel is kind of spoiled now."
"Tough luck," Adriel smiled, and they continued walking outside.
It took a little while for them to arrive where the other repair team members were located. They were all doing their best to repair a part of the outer wall. The main issue was that what broke during the night was a piece of the top. Usually, that wouldn't be a problem, but since this particular side of the wall was very close to the trees, it meant that monsters could jump from one of the trunks to the village, and until the structure was fixed, the spells and protections that covered the place would be weakened. However, they didn't seem to be having that much trouble reaching the top. Instead of the usual struggle of carrying logs up the wall, they simply asked Blue to use her legacy to grab the wood and place it on top. Right now, the controller was holding part of the new, repaired structure with one massive cloud hand while the other picked a few of the materials from the ground and took them to the top of the wall.
On the ground, yelling orders to everyone, there was a short, stout woman with ashy gray skin, a pair of pronounced tusks coming from her mouth, and a short trunk in place of her nose, "C'mon you fucking rat, that is not difficult, hammer that nail on the side of the log… NOT THAT WAY, YOU MORON! It's supposed to go across the wood and come out to the other side. Fuck people. This is not difficult. Even the newbie gets it," Berylla turned to Blue, "You are doing great, honey. Keep holding the logs like that. Sorry about those dumbasses."
"Doing well, Blue?" Hera asked. She knew that holding the clouds like that took some effort, and the controller's face was showing.
"I can do this all day," Blue smirked and then noticed Berylla's glowing face, "It's just an expression. Help me out here. This is not easy."
"I'm trying. These people are sharp as a melon," Berylla yelled more and then turned to Hera, "So, who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"I'm working with Kadhan. He asked me to grab the materials you separate for him," Hera replied, but then remembered something the witch doctor asked just as she was leaving, "Oh, and to get the moss. He has to replenish it or something."
"Oh… We are kind of in the middle of something here. I don't think I can spare anyone to help you get the things," Berylla replied.
"That's fine. I can do it myself," Hera summoned Nimbus and Lurize. She found that the two of them walking behind her made people uneasy.
"Ah, you are the other one. Are those wings just for show, or do they work?" Berylla pointed at Nimbus.
"They do work."
"Can you help me here then?"
"Nope. I'm working with Kadhan, not you."
Berylla huffed, which caused a tiny elephant sound, "Fine. Adriel, take her to the warehouse. On the corner, there is a pile with the things for Kadhan. There is a flower on top of the pile. It's easy to see."
"Ok. Be right back then," Adriel nodded and pulled Hera to walk. She didn't say anything else but waved at Blue before walking back.
When they were out of earshot, Hera whispered, "Trying to skip work?'
"Pretty much. If I stayed there for too long, she would start asking me to help."
"I feel that pain. When I worked in a bookstore, I took every opportunity to get away from my boss," Hera chuckled.
They continued talking softly, making sure not to make too much noise since they were out of the village until reaching the gate. Just as they were about to go inside, a woman's voice came from behind them, "And who are you two?"
Both of them stopped and turned around, only to be met with a 2-meter-tall woman with vibrant orange hair. Her ears were human-like but also very fluffy, with fur growing around it and from the inside, and she had pale white skin. She had a large scar on the side of her cheek that looked almost as if she had an unnatural smirk. She wore a fitted orange top that showed a lot of cleavage, with some straps going around her exposed ribs. There was also a necklace with different kinds of fangs and teeth resting on top of her chest. Round shoulder pads with some fur around them, a leather skirt matching the same color of her hair, and three fox tails coming out of her back. She also had orange leather wrist straps and boots to complete the look. In a way, Hera expected this look from a character in a videogame, not from a real person. However, what caught her attention more than anything else were her eyes. They were completely black with red irises.
"We could ask you the same," Hera replied while talking in her head, 'Everyone get ready. Just in case.'
"No, no, no. That's not how it works. I live here, and I know for a fact you don't. So I'll be polite and ask one more time before I skin the two of you and make a new pair of boots. Who are you?" the woman stepped forward, moving her hands and showing that she had claws instead of nails. The movement made Adriel step back, worried he might be the first target.
"We live here now, and as far as we know, you are the one who is not from around. I'm not answering anything before I know who you are," Hera replied.
"You live here? Since when?" the woman scoffed but stopped to think for a moment, "Fine, I'll play along," she turned back to the forest, "You guys go ahead. Ask Grilat or Multrak if we have newbies. If we do, send the signal for fresh water."
From the jungle, a group of four walked out and rushed past Hera and Adriel. Armory, already on top of the Empress' head, noticed them before they were even out of their hiding spot, allowing Hera to continue her staring contest with this new person. At the same time, she didn't bother with the people who were running to the city. Even if they were dangerous or here for a bad reason, her entire party was in there, not to mention the actual members of the Vanguard. And this woman in front of her seemed much more dangerous than anyone who walked away.
The woman didn't say anything, while Hera did the same. They continued just staring at each other with intense expressions. Armory kept creating more and more plans of attack in case this person decided to do something. Adriel seemed to be more free to move, but when he tried to step back, the woman glanced at him, making the elf stop in his tracks, not wanting to start this battle prematurely. A few minutes passed when a melodic whistle sound reached their ears.
With an eerie smile, the woman stepped back and retracted her intimidating presence, "Well, how about that? You were telling the truth. I'm Reynara, the leader of the hunters here, and until you are done with your sentence, you will be working under me every so often."
"Oh, you are Reynara? Grilat talked about you," Hera quickly realized why this person was trouble. Her threat of turning them into boots didn't sound like just a random way of making them scared but something she had done before.
"He did?" Reynara smiled, "All bad things, I hope."
"Depends on your point of view. I think," Hera replied.
"Tell me. Wait, no. It's not fun if I know. I like the chase," Reynara smiled.
"I could tell. You seem the kind who don't like it when things are easy," Hera nodded.
Reynara stared at the Empress with an intense expression for a moment before chuckling, "You know. I like you. You're fun. People here are afraid of talking back to me. Probably worried I would show up in their house in the middle of the night."
"That wouldn't be a problem. It's not like you can invade our house without us knowing anyway," Hera shrugged.
"Is that a challenge?" Reynara had a glint in her eyes.
"Take it as you will," Hera turned around to head back to the city.
"Where do you think you are going?" Reynara rushed to stop Hera.
"To work. Kadhan is waiting for me."
"Oh no, you are not going there. Your sentence includes you hunting whenever asked, and that is exactly what you will do now. We are hunting," Reynara turned to Adriel, "You are coming too, pretty boy. I need to see what you can do."
"What is with the people in this village and making us prove ourselves? I beat Grilat. Why do you have to know what I can do?" Hera rolled her eyes.
"Because I'm the one who leads the hunters. Grilat is overstepping his job," Reynara snarled, "Now come. I noticed a few packs of monsters nearby, and they are a bit too close for comfort."
Hera and Adriel glanced at each other. Neither of them wanted to go to the woods with this woman, especially since she had black eyes. That screamed curse for them, and the last thing they needed was to be picked off one by one. Still, it looked like she wasn't asking but telling. If they said no, she would mark them, and that could bring a mountain of problems. Not to mention that they still needed information, and Reynara was one of the people who were doing suspicious things.
"Fine, but I can't take too long. I still have a lot to do. Everybody out," Hera said and called her entire court. Nimbus and Lurize were already in front of her, with their hands on their weapons staring at the chief huntress while the rest of her court circled the woman. Daskka was wrapped around the Empress' neck, protecting her from any attacks aimed at her.
"Oh? You are full of surprises, aren't you? Isn't that a legacy?"
"Yes, and if you get any funny ideas, you will be dead before you can do anything," Hera replied. During all this interaction, she heard her court cuss and threaten Reynara, and she was letting their influence get the better of her. Then again, they weren't wrong. This woman was aggressive and started the interaction by saying she would kill them and invade their house. If Hera pulled back now, she might look like a pushover in the huntress's eyes.
Reynara laughed wholeheartedly and turned around, "You really are a delight. I would love to see you and your little friends here trying to kill me. Now let's stop those jokes. We have work to do."
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