WITS AND NEEDLES

"huh, huh, huh" heavy breathing from Merika as they ran. 

"huh huh Y-Yel... a, a mo-moment please" she requested

"Over there" Yel pointed to a nearby giant tree

They made course to hide behind it as Merika immediately takes a seat on the ground to catch her breath

"I'm sorry you have to go through this my lady, and dare I say it; but we can't wait here for long" Yel said, nervously looking around for their hostile guest

"I-I know, just...3 minutes" 

Yel nodded, then checked his equipment

"(smoke bombs, traps, flares and...good I still have the stones)"

"(Leon said they'll make us invisible, buying us 3 minutes; so I should save them for emergencies. The challenge is figuring what we can do without them...to get the enemy off our trail)" Yel contemplating their next move 

Then the sound of ripping fabric grabbed Yel's attention, he turned around to find Merika had torn her royal garments from the bottom all the way to her knees. 

"!? my lady?" 

"phew, much better!" she tied her hair up with part of the torn cloth and tossed aside the rest 

While no longer carrying the aura of a princess, she still had the composed look of one. 

"This will make running less tiring, given how much we've been doing that today" she said, then looked up to find a shocked Yel. 

"...what?" she asked 

"No-nothing, just surprised you ...did that" Yel flustered avoided eye contact

"Well, I can't brood forever. Besides, if it's between safety and a piece of cloth, I think safety is the obvious priority wouldn't you agree?" 

"Of course. (A shame though, those were some quality garments)" Yel thought. 

"Alright, where do we go from here?" Merika asked, eager to proceed

"Forward, but we have to be smart about it. Past the trees ahead is the sleepers, a more vicious breed of the redhorns that attacked the party before" 

"the sleepers!? why are they called that?" 

"They sleep a lot, and thus hate it when that is disturbed. When rudely awakened, they mark the target for death. From that point, it's either slain or be slained for them" 

Yel walked forward and offered Merika a smoke bomb

"The last thing you want is for 2 or more to be on your tail. If that ever comes to be the case, toss this smoke bomb and make for the nearest cover you can find"

Merika reluctantly accepted the bomb

"Their nose can't stand the fumes this produces, so they won't pursue if they inhale much of it" Yel said. 

"Are you expecting us to be chased by them?" she asked

"Not so. Like I mentioned before, I think our enemy plans to turn the dangers of the forest on us. If they know the lay of the land as well as I do, they'll definitely pull something to get the sleepers on us. So you could say...I'm merely thinking ahead" Yel said. 

"I see... and how far ahead are we talking about?" Merika asked 

Yel smiled proudly and said - "Very far"

While in the distance, Al was maintaining an eagle eyed view of the land from atop a tree

"...beyond that is the sleepers herd...unless they choose to foolishly intrude on the beastkin territories on the other side, that should be their next destination" 

Al heading towards the sleeping herd area

"I have to get there fast enough to lay my trap. The sleepers have thick skin, a needle alone won't do the trick" 

 Al got to position. A fair distance ahead of him a marshy area, with some beasts sleeping on the sides in groups. 

"...hm!?" 

From the distance, he saw Yel carefully guiding Merika across the marsh

They're being silent to avoid waking up the sleepers

"(hm, found them. Now then)

Al prepares another needle, and looks forward past the herd, to a giant tree

"(A flock of migrating crows should get the sleepers disturbed, and the tree will make for a good crow's nest. Let's get this over with)" 

He prepared to engage

Meanwhile, back at the outside

Leon and Jugo engaged in an intense skirmish that was causing the very earth to tremble, as Leon was doing everything in his power with Atelier to withstand Jugo's 4 claws onslaught attacks.

He was at the disadvantage

"tsk" he grits his teeth and stayed strong 

"HAAHAHAHAHAHA" Jugo was having fun pounding on his defenses. "NOT SO TOUGH NOW ARE YA!!" he taunted 

Leon's knees were weakening, but- 

"(Just...a little while longer, for her chant)" his motivation was clear, to buy time for Stella to complete her cast 

It was with a soft and gentle voice with which Stella sang, as several molecular orbs could be seen resonating around her, matching her serenade

Then they multiplied, and started gravitating to the skies above Leon and Jugo. 

"hm!?" Jugo spotted the distortion in the skies 

"(An opening!)" Leon saw and opening and pulled away from Jugo's attack, then gripped Atelier as the orb resonated 

"Atelier, Forward - Rising Sun!!!"

Leon lets out the slash wave attack but Jugo quick evaded the attack, while using 2 of his 4 arms to propel himself with a giant leap, over Leon and towards the unknowning Stella who was 15 paces behind him 

"!? He's targeting - STELLA!!!" Leon called out but she was absorbed with the chant. 

"HAHAHAHAH TIME TO DIE PEST!! CLAW SLASH!!!"

Jugo descended with a SLASH ATTACK!!

Blood spattered!

It was a critical hit!

While in the Malign Forests 

"huh huh" Merika was being chased wildly by 3 sleepers

"KREEEEIIIIEE!!!" The sleepers screeched with bloodshot eyes had targeted the princess

She's never put this much effort into running ever; but this time it was between staying or being eaten alive. 

She wasn't willing to take the 2nd option as she was pushing down nearby bamboo shoots in her path in an attempt to slow down her pursuers. 

"huh huh (I- I have to get these guys as far as possible)" 

Merika was running away, but,

she was running alone! 

Yel on the other hand, had a giant horde of these sleepers chasing him, but he was heading towards the opposite direction

"KREEEIIIEE!!" 

The sleepers were not relenting, similar to the redhorns their steps carried much weight, as water from the marshlands splattered all around as they pursued their prey in anger

"(As I suspected, our enemy had plans to turn the sleepers on us)"

Yel recalled the moment a needle glittered in the moonlight the direction he is currently headed and then the crow's nest in a giant tree nearby was struck, causing a sizable disturbance that caused the crows to flap their wings, thereby awakening the sleepers 

"(Going by the glow, trajectory and impact point on the giant tree, our enemy should be this way)"

In the distance, Al noticed Yel and Merika had divided

"hm!?" 

He also saw Yel approaching with a horde of sleepers with him

"(did he discover my location by reading the needle's trajectory?)

Al hung his bow behind his back, getting ready to escape 

"(impressive eyes; he could easily make a string watcher with some mentoring however, he failed to read one thing)" 

Al vacated his previous position and was heading towards Merika's direction instead 

"(he just left my target wide open. Trying to turn the tide against me was a good idea, but not the right one in his situation)"

As Al made it away from his cover, Yel from the distance spotted a disturbance in the bushes ahead

"(leaves swaying...going by the angles I'd say...towards Merika)"

Yel put on the brakes and turned around to find a dozen Sleepers catching up to him, then he smiled

"(Good, they took the bait)" 

The sleepers surrounded Yel, as he silently reached for a smoke bomb in his inventory

Just when they were about to pounce, he used the smoke bomb in the area, dazing the sleepers while making his escape

"(I have to get to the other side of the fog clearing as early as possible)"

"(If all goes to plan, we should be home free from there on, and without the enemy to worry about)"

Yel picked up the pace approaching an area ahead that appeared to be covered in deep dense fog

"(Merika...I really hope she makes it...)"

Yel hopeful, as he recalled the discussion they had before this all happened 

"I'll need you to lead some of the sleepers towards the fog clearing" Yel said to Merika as they planned their move

"Fog clearing?" 

"An area ahead, through which the forest exit won't be far off; however, due to the dense fog, we have to be careful"

"understood. I take it you have some kind of plan to get through?" Merika asked

"One better, we can set a trap for our gracious spy therein" Yel said with a smile 

"A trap?" Merika asked suprised 

Yel nods. "Yes, but; you'll have to be ready to face the dangers of it. Think you can handle a bit of what being an adventurer is like my lady?" Yel asked

"Being an adventurer..." Merika pondered.

Ever since joining Leon's group, she's had this lingering in the back of her mind, the prospect of becoming an adventurer like the members of Grimstone Banner. 

"What do I need to do?" she strengthened her resolve and asked, willing to take upon the challenge

"Good. You'll need these when you get to the fog area" 

Yel gave her some flares and a small stick with a bit of light cloth tied to it. 

"When you get to the fog with the sleepers in tow, set off the flares as you drop the smoke bomb" 

Merika accepted the tools 

"The flares and the bomb? won't the bomb be enough to push the sleepers away?" 

"It is...for experienced adventurers, but you need something to draw their attention so you can make your escape while...affording any beginner mistakes" 

Merika pouts slightly in frustration

"mouuuh, I know where you're coming from but still..." she was not particularly happy he was calling her an amateur

"My lady, you have to focus, it's important not to make any fatal mistakes" 

"Fine, smoke bomb, flare, escape, got it! what about this...this." she didn't know what to call the stick and cloth Yel gave her

"Fog Compass" Yel answered

"Fog compass? how does it work?" she asked. 

"Air flow. Simply plant it to the ground and take note of the direction the piece of cloth sways, that's the direction you should take" 

"Note, if the smoke from the flare is going in the opposite direction, then you're reading it correctly" he concluded 

Merika was impressed by how knowledgeable Yel was. Impressed and delighted he was here with her at this moment in time. 

"You are an intelligent man aren't you Yel?" she said 

"I just know what makes a good scout that's all" 

"humble too... (I could use someone like him back in Malecia when this is all over. I shall put Leon on the case)" she thought.

Yel sorted out his gear and turns his attention back to Merika. 

"Sorted, the lighter your load the better so I won't ask you to carry anything else. So, are you ready to proceed?" Yel asked

"...huhhh" she lets out a deep breath to ready her mind. "Yes, I'm ready" 

"Good, let's get through this!" Yel rallied them together and they moved

Back to the matter at hand, Yel had just made it out of the foggy area due to his expertise and came across a clear area, bathed brightly in the moon light as the flowers expressed magnificent beauty and charm. 

Fireflies floating about adding to the magical atmosphere.

This area was by far the most refreshing of the entire forest. 

But now wasn't the time for Yel to admire nature's beauty, as he quickly turned back around, hoping to find Merika escaping from the fog any moment now. 

"(Come on lady Merika...come on...)" his heart was pacing. Even though he had confidence in his plans, he still couldn't help but worry if something had gone wrong. 

However, he didn't need to worry for long as Merika emerged from the fog a few meters ahead of him

She was breathing heavily when Yel spotted her

"My lady!" he quickly rushed to her side. "Are you alright?" he asked, offering his shoulder for support

Merika though was too proud to accept as she just gestured in appreciation 

"I'm huh, I'm fine, just need to catch my breathe but for a moment" she said 

Yel smiled. "You did well. Making it through the fog safely is no small matter; you should be proud" 

"Well" Merika finally regained stable breathing. "I couldn't have done it without your wisdom Yel, so you have my thanks" 

"No need to thank me yet my lady. Not until we have made it out of the forest" 

"Right." she said and joins Yel as they made their way forward. 

She was stunned by the beauty of the environment. 

"Wow...To think in this forsaken forest there could be an area so...magical!" she remarked, her eyes sparkly in the moonlight 

"yeah...It is said this was once home to a powerful beastkin tribe, that is why it's so well taken care of compared to the rest of the forest" 

"Oh...makes sense. Whatever happened to that tribe?" she asked 

"Nobody knows, but they're stories saying they went extinct, while others say they moved into the inner areas of the forest" Yel replied

"Interesting...I'll like to meet them someday if I can" 

"why's that?" he asked 

"To offer my thanks. A reminder that they're always two sides of the a coin" 

Yel smiled as they carried on

"Ah, so, I've been wondering Yel, what exactly was the trap you mentioned you'd set for our enemy? All I remember doing was the smoke bomb and the flares" Merika asked 

"That was the trap" 

"huh? I don't follow" she said 

"Flares attract the sleepers, so the bomb was a diversion, the flares drew their attention as you escaped. Going by our infamous guest's actions, it was clear they were after you" 

"..." 

"Thus, they'd imagine you weren't privy to the ways of the forest. Thinking you set off the flare to call for help, or merely ignorant of how to navigate the fog-" 

"they'll jump at the chance, but finding the attracted sleepers instead" Merika concluded

"Exactly. Distracted by the sleepers we can make it across without worrying about any more dangers from whoever they were" 

"Interesting, that was a well calculate move Yel. And given we've made it this far without any trouble yet, it'd appear it worked!" Merika said excitedly 

Yel nodded.

"Yea. As an adventurer you have to sometimes be willing to read your opponents move, and try to outsmart them before they get you" he said 

"I see..."

"That being said, unless we make it out of the forest, I won't exactly say we're in the clear yet"

"(Also, assuming our enemy is as smart as he managed to let on so far, we'll have to be prepared for anything. Luckily we still have the stones, with not too long to go)" Yel thought

"You're right, It's never over until it's over" Merika said 

As if on cue, a bullet of an arrow flashed past them and pinned on the ground ahead 

Merika was terrified, should the arrow had shifted just a bit further to the left, she'd be dead

"!!?" Yel quickly turned around and moved in front of Merika to shield her from further incoming attacks 

"Who's there!?" Yel called out, there was silence for a brief moment, and then they saw a figure approaching them calmly 

"Finally" a familiar voice to them

And then, revealed by the moonlight, Al stepped forward 

"I caught up with you" 

"Al?" Merika said with both relief and confusion

Meanwhile Yel stared at him with an intense look on his face; right from the reveal, he started harboring suspicions about the person in front of them 

"hm" Al let's out a cunning smile as he watched the 2 of them