Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube

Continuing their journey, Thera felt stuck on what they’d seen along the way. She knew that an untold number of ghosts had made their way into the world along with the outsider but despite the time she still tried to make for the guild on top of her current hospital work, word about sightings were slim.

Of course, compared to demons, the dead were largely ignorable no matter what power they might have wielded and far easier to deal with too. It was even possible that plenty had passed on by themselves or that the planet’s main foes who wielded a natural power over souls were putting them to rest whenever they encountered them for the bit of security that would give. There were plenty of potential explanations but still it bothered her as she couldn’t escape the question of just how many problems there really were on the planet.

A question she’d get no answer to beyond the major ones and once they arrived in the area of their next destination she wasn’t going to have time to think as her eyes turned back to the chimeras, trying to appraise them the best she could despite her conflicted feelings on the matter.

As much as it annoyed her to admit it, they were a success already. Power was in short supply and the easier it was to claim, the better the world would be. If her aunt could so simply lift people up to greater levels of strength when the world hung in the balance then there was no reason not to take it, no matter what harm Ben was seeing in their minds. Even if it left them traumatized by the time things were done, they and many others could still be alive.

It was what she was telling herself at least but it still didn’t sit right with her. Why should those sacrifices be any less villainized than Iberu who’d tried to use her own paternal race as a power source or Naloth who’d gone and opened the gate to hell to try and get stronger? In the latter case, it would have even only been using people across the universe whose gods had found worthy of hell instead of the most easily manipulated that Vividus could find to take advantage of, with the outsider it also held almost certainly coming as a surprise to all of the casters involved.

She shook the thought from her head. She hadn’t been sent to judge the morality of it, if the gods thought it was wrong then they’d step in. All she could do was the job she’d been given and stood at attention as Fone started talking.

Same as the first two times, Fone turned to the chimeras.

“Anything?”

He didn’t get an immediate response like he had previously though, with the group looking amongst themselves for a bit before one answered for them all.

“To the left,” He pointed before going on. “We think at least. They’ve been in the area for sure, their smell is all around us but that’s where it’s the strongest. We think they must have traveled that way sometime after we’d received word of where to go.”

“Any guesses as to how far then? Is this a walking distance or should we teleport?”

“I’d say teleport about two kilometers to start. We’ll get our bearings again once there.”

“Understood. Pato, you heard him.”

“Got it.”

A new hole in space opened and they shuffled through, the chimeras sniffing at the air and listening to the surroundings before directing them once more through another portal and then again from there, trying to take them ever closer with each jump and still failing by the fifth, where all of them just looked confused.

“What’s the issue?” Fone asked, seeing the looks on their faces and needing information as one answered.

“Where we’re currently at there’s signs in all directions. We can’t say where to go.”

“And we’re not just surrounded?” Fone asked, keeping a hand on his mace, even as the other shook his head.

“No. There’s signs everywhere but we can’t detect anything close either. I honestly can’t say what’s happening.”

“I see. In that case, the rest of you, can you find anything?”

He was asking the rest of the adventurers but with whatever tracking skills they had, it didn’t seem to be enough. Everyone shook their heads, with Pato speaking from the side.

“We were told if we don’t find anything to head off to the next one, yeah? Should we just skip this place and do that?”

“We’ve only really just started and we’re still far ahead of schedule. For now, we’ll look around. Pato, open four gates about a hundred meters out in each direction, we’ll see if that can give them a better sense.”

The adventurer did as he was asked, opening holes in space for the chimeric group to stick their heads through before coming back, giving a negative.

“Again, there’s signs in all of them but nothing clear. We can only assume that if they are around, they’re hiding from us.”

That quieted their leader as he thought it over, trying to decide on the course of action to take before speaking up.

“Alright, this should be another group of a few hundred so we can’t just leave them if we can avoid it so we’ll be splitting into four groups to investigate, with each first rank taking the lead. If we can’t find anything in three hours then we’ll move on to our next destination but if you can, avoid a fight and start making your way back to regroup with the rest of us. Now Pato, I’d prefer to split your party between the four of us but I’ll respect your opinion if you take issue with it.”

“They can all hold their own,” He said as he cast a quick look their way, all of them nodding. “Put them wherever you think would be best.”

“Alright. Twee with me, Buwth with you, Galda with Thera, and Azeezol with Ben. For the chimera group, split yourself amongst each person and listen to the first rank with you as your active leader. Should you conclusively find any demons, tell them first before rushing in.”

With confirmation given, Thera looked at Ben as the rest began to divide themselves, worried about how things might turn out if she wasn’t watching while he tried to reassure her.

“Relax, I can probably handle myself.”

“Saying probably isn’t the most reassuring.”

“Well, if anything goes wrong on my end I’ll flicker bind to get your attention,” He told her, rapidly turning the skill on and off for emphasis. “You do the same if you have any issues, I’ll come running.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

They parted with that contingency made as her group gathered around her. Galda who she’d already spoken to a bit and twelve chimeras under her command and despite herself, it brought a bit of excitement to the quest no matter how it turned out. It was at the very least something different compared to acting as a simple observer and she waited for Fone to say anything else before she took control.

“I’ll take north, Pato south, Thera east, and Ben west. All of you use your best judgment and if you feel the need to turn around and regroup early for any reason, please do so.”

With that said, they all turned to go on their way, Thera walking behind the chimeras with Galda at her side. The two were still there to observe after all, though either would act if it came to it as they went on their way.

After walking for a while, the main thing they noticed was just how quiet that stretch of woods was. It lacked the typical sounds of animals and life one might expect save for their own movements, at least to her ears, with Galda seeming in agreement.

“This is just like it was before we found that giant wall,” She muttered, leaving Thera to try to keep from blushing as she reassured her.

“I’m sure this is unrelated. Demons can completely clear out any place they’re in. If anything I’d say this is a sign they’re near. Speaking of, are any of you finding anything more than whatever signs are already surrounding us?”

“Sounds,” One spoke. “Slight but there, though I’m not certain of what. In the direction we’re heading though.”

“And you don’t think they’re demons?”

“Not the way they usually seem at least.”

“Alright, well tell me if you hear anything else.”

Getting a nod, they went on their way. The chimeras occasionally spoke up when the distant noise started or stopped, changing their direction when they needed to given that was the only thing they had to go off of so far while she watched the world with her own senses, trying to feel any pounding of earth or tunneling nearby or else looking for any nearby signs of life with her other skills, coming up empty each time.

It was Galda who noticed something wrong first, speaking up for the rest of them.

“If we keep going this way we’ll have gone in a full circle soon. We’re being led back the way we started.”

“Everyone on guard.”

If they were being led then that meant there was an intent behind it which pointed to the very targets they were hunting but with the chimeras still not picking up on anything more definitive around them other than whatever subtle noise they were following, that meant the demons they were looking for had a level of skill that could outmatch whatever senses they held with all of the danger that implied.

With the fact that they could have been the ones outnumbered if they’d come across the entire group as well, that left only a single choice, turning back and finding the others once more and she moved to the others to tell them just that, with the only questions left in her mind being if she should alert Ben and if she should take to the skies with those in her care to avoid the confines of the woods, but she never got to answer that.

As if sensing the decision taking place in her head, a change came over her and the rest, with a weakness coming to her body faster than she could react and turning the world dark before she could so much at glimpse as whatever caused it.