Chapter 12: Thieves Shouldn't Be That Hard

Trad and the cat were walking in the darker part of the forest. The small creature was walking in the front, as he was the one who knew how to navigate in this place.

"Will it still take too long?" Trad asked.

"You shouldn't care about how long it will take... don't you remember? We are here because you wanted to."

Earlier, when Trad noticed his bag wasn't there, he didn't want to take the cat's route until he caught his bag back. When the cat asked him what he had in that bag, Trad told him it was money, or gold.

Fortunately, it seemed like the small creature actually had a good knowledge of the place, as he said there was a race in the forest that was attracted by gold, and now he was leading Trad to a place where he might find it.

"Are you sure we aren't just walking on a random path?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I'm just saying... because I can't see how you would localize yourself in this place, there's no trail or something like that to guide us!"

"Are you dumb, human? What would you need something like that for if you can feel the smell?"

"Smell?"

"Yes. As you must have already realized, the forest has a soft and weak smell, which makes it easier to feel different scents."

"Really? That's pretty interesting."

"Of course it is. I guess the standard knowledge of humans is really slow."

"Ahh... human this, human that, you hate humans, don't you?"

"It's common sense."

"Oh... really?" Trad was confused. "I heard someone say humans are like... gods."

"What? Did a human say that?"

"No... actually, I don't even know."

"Seems like you've been interacting with some dubious individuals."

"Yeah..." Trad looked at him. "I've just noticed that..."

"If a comparison has to get such a massive scale, then I would say they are more like demons."

"Demons? Do I look like a demon to you?"

"Yes, you do. Without a doubt."

"But I am curious, what would be a valuable reason for you to hate humans?"

"..."

"Won't you tell me?"

"Quiet, we arrived."

Trad noticed they were in a big open space in the forest now, where the trees were more spaced out. He would have thought it was the end of the forest, but there was still more forest on the other side.

What surprised him the most was that there were some structures in that place. Simple, almost cylindrical houses made of some kind of brown, shiny material. There were also other creatures living there. They were smaller than Trad, but taller than the cat.

They were all bald with a long nape. Their skin was a grayish tone, with yellow eyes without pupils. Their bottom teeth were bigger than the other ones, and their ears were almost completely round, smaller than a human's.

They looked like they were having a good time, most of them running, laughing, and even fighting, although it didn't look violent.

"What? ...Who are they?" Trad questioned, speaking almost in a whisper.

"Miltras... they are a race that lives mostly in forests. And also, they love gold for some reason, and they constantly appear next to my home... That's why I brought you here."

"So... they probably stole from me, right?"

"Yes."

"Then what can I do knowing that?"

"It's your gold, you need to take it back yourself!"

"You said you would help me!"

"I will, but first, take what's yours."

"Urgh... alright."

Trad started to walk slowly toward them, still hesitating to talk to other creatures in this strange place, especially if they were in groups. But before getting too far from the cat, he stopped.

"They aren't violent, are they?" he asked.

"No..."

"Hm... I'm gonna trust you."

Then, Trad finally walked and approached them enough for them to notice him. When everyone looked at him, they went quiet for a moment.

"Uh... Hello?" Trad spoke, not knowing how to approach them.

"A human..." one of them whispered. "Yes, it's a human," another said. "What? Is it really a human?" one asked loudly.

Then, progressively, their voices grew louder and sounded more violent, until they all started to scream.

"Catch him!" An older one said, pointing at Trad.

And, in response, they started to run toward him.

"You're kidding me, right?!"