CHAPTER 17: How Can You Tell?

Before they finished their sparring, many of the other knights have heard the smashing coming from this side that they had come to check it out.

Most were shock to see that it was among the teenagers who were fighting. And to think that it was a captain of the black squad that she was fighting against.

Though she looks battered, it doesn't seem like she was too battered.

Hamlet was agape looking at this scene, their sparring had always been one sided, only a few could stand firm just like her.

He was already commending Hunter because Hunter was strong enough that he can actually be on par with him.

Yet he didn't expect that the other was actually even stronger.

"She is the strongest among us, though even we didn't expect that she is this strong," Hunter commented.

His vigor to become even stronger was ignited even more.

This is the first time he had seen her improvement after meeting up again.

Though she was already strong enough back then, she had improved even more now.

'But with her gift, it feels like it's lacking,' Qirin commented.

'Was it?' he asked in return.

Saphira was gifted enough that she can improve at a tremendous speed.

'I don't know I just feel as if she could have been better,' Qirin replied.

Hunter returned his eyes to Saphira who was now approaching them with Ezekiel behind her.

"Y- Y- You..." Hamlet and the rest of his squad rushed to her.

Saphira laughed, "I guess I am still weak? Ending up with being so battered."

They turned agape, she was weak?

She was still weak?

But she can still walk after a sparring with Captain Ezekiel.

"Everyone get back and rest. We still have work tomorrow," Ezekiel clapped his hands as he said this.

They wanted to speak more with her but since an order was given most of them could just give up.

Hunter helped Saphira walked towards their tent since she was having diffculties with it.

As Nixon helped her with her injuries, other than Ridge, who was still busy with the poison and Drake, who didn't care, the others are surrounding her.

"Hey Saphira, Roc said that you seemed to have not trained properly over the past eight years," Stormie commented.

Willow nodded her head, "Azure Dragon said the same thing."

"Black Tortoise too," Nixon followed after seeing that all her injuries are mended over.

Saphira looked at Hunter and he nodded his head.

"Is it?" she asked looking down at her hands.

"Well, I guess I was too carefree that I actually neglected my training?" she asked looking back at them while tilting her head to the side.

They wanted to comment that she had been training with the former emperor of Scorpius Empire which means that she didn't neglect her training but she already yawned.

"I'm tired, shall we sleep now?"

Without waiting for them to answer, she went ahead and lay down while closing her eyes.

This left them with no choice but to go and rest already as well.

"What do you think?" Hunter approached Ridge and asked.

Ridge nudged his glasses up, "Just got the result. The amount of poison in the soil was of the same amount as the water we got from the shore. Not the cliff."

He looked at Hunter with confusion.

"There is only one possibility for that, the beast was just passing by the cliff. The amount of poison was a lot in the soil because it entered battle mode. For the shore to have the same amount of poison even though a battle didn't occur there means..."

"That the snake was closest to the shore, it's main base is near that place."

Both of them looked at Saphira who appeared beside them.

She was the one who said that she was sleepy yet here she was once again.

"Snake? How were you able to tell?" Hunter furrowed his brows as he asked, Ridge nodded his head on the side.

"Did I say snake?" she asked acting clueless.

"Saphira," Hunter called.

Saphira smiled before she brought out a scale that was as big as the palm of a hand.

"I picked this up a while ago, crocodiles may have scales but they aren't your usual scales. The only ones who have scales that could leave such track as what we saw was a snake."

Ridge took the scale from her hand and studied it.

"Why did you bring it out only now?" Hunter looked back at her from the scale in Ridges hand.

"I forgot, when we got here we all went our separate ways in doing things. I just remembered it now," she shrugged.

"You have to inform us earlier when you find such solid clues," he said exasperated.

"I'm sorry, I will not forget it the next time," she replied with sincerity.

"You can make an antidote for the poison tomorrow, for now get some rest. We are not yet in a rush," Hunter placed his hand on Ridge's shoulder while Saphira returned to bed.

Ridge readily agreed and all of them turned for the night.

*****

"What about the other?" Hamlet asked when Ridge was not with the group now that they are going for subjugation.

"He has a different task sir. He will join us on the next time we are going for subjugation," Hunter answered looking towards the tent.

"And we hope no one will disturb him," he added.

What Ridge was doing right now is very complicated that being disturbed is not an option.

Hamlet noticed that he was being serious that he tasked two of his subordinates to stay and watch over.

Ezekiel, who walked over, heard this and tasked another two of his subordinates to help in watching over.

Some higher badge knights does not listen to all the yellow badge knights after all.

He was not belittling the yellow badge squads but he was among those who look up to them because of their diligence and hard work just to become knights.

"Thank you," Hamlet understood his thoughts and thanked him sincerely.

"I also would like to thank you, sir," Hunter added.

He can tell from the looks the other knights, who are obviously nobles, are giving that if they were to leave Ridge alone, he would be disturbed nonstop by these people.

Once everything was settled, Hamlet and Ezekiel's team together with Hunter and the others, walked towards the shore.

Saphira gestured for Hunter of what they talked about last night.

Hunter sighed because she hated this part, explaining over and over again about things.

She was too lazy to do so, that he knew this work will be left to him instead.

And he can see his future already, no matter what position they will hold by then.

As they walk, Hunter started telling Hamlet and Ezekiel about their conjecture of the position of the giant beast and of it being a snake.

Though he did glance at Saphira after speaking about the beast being a giant snake.

When she spoke of it last night she seemed to have been so sure not only because of the scale that she found but because she had either seen it or something, that's the vibe that he got.

Saphira, on the other hand, felt the look he gave her but she acted as if she didn't.

She also knew that he was having doubts over the things she was doing and the way she was acting but all she could do was to act as if she was not noticing it at all.

Not because she has no choice but because she chose to do it that way.

The day may come that she will have to speak of so many things but if she can keep it under wraps for as long as she can then she will do just that.

Her eyes turned sharp when they got close to the shore.

She walked over to where Hunter, Ezekiel and Hamlet were.

"Get everyone to stay on guard, the movements around here are very much different than yesterday."

"How can you tell?" Hamlet asked but he too felt that the aura around the place were different.

He and Ezekiel could tell because of how long they had been battling here but Saphira just arrived two days ago.

"The air have changed," was her answer before pulling out her sword.

'She was right, the air is different. Be prepared,' Qirin spoke to Hunter.

But even they were shock to hear her speak of it when they only started feeling it.

As mythological beasts they are adept in feeling the changes in the dark aura around them but Saphira did it faster.

'I would like to speak with the rest later on,' Qirin said towards Hunter.

He nodded in agreement, he didn't need to ask to know what Qirin wanted to talk about with the others.

Saphira was just simply too mysterious right now.

She is clearly with them but she acts secretive instead, unlike her past self that was an open book.