Chapter 231: Dissatisfaction
The strike team had stopped in a small clearing deep inside the Gaiya Forest. The trees pressed close on all sides, their branches hanging low and still. The forest itself felt wrong in a way that was hard to describe. It was too quiet. Too still. Even experienced fighters kept their hands close to their weapons during the short rest break. The horses stood tied to trees at the edge of the clearing, occasionally shifting their weight but making very little noise than usual.
Rhuvia called the halt herself. She turned in her saddle and spoke to the group in a practical tone. “We’re moving fast, but fast and tired is worse than a little slower and sharp. You’ve got Fifteen minutes. Eat something quick. And don’t wander off alone. Stay close.”
The riders dismounted and settled into the brief break. Some pulled out dried meat and bread from their packs. Others drank water and checked their weapons again. The tension in the air didn’t ease much. Everyone stayed alert.
Among the Fiora hunters that came with this group, quiet dissatisfaction started to show by now. They sat close together, speaking in low voices between bites. One of them muttered, “Why are we following this small outsider woman? Sister Maya is our Niruha. We’ve fought in forests like this our whole lives. We don’t need some guild master from the capital telling us how to move.”
Another hunter nodded. “Yeah, she may be strong, but this is our land. Our way.”
Maya and Drosha were also sitting nearby and heard every word those hunters from their tribe were saying. Maya set her leather-made water-bag down and turned toward them. Her voice stayed quiet but firm. “Hey, you’re underestimating what a Tier 5 mage actually means. This isn’t about pride or who leads. Rhuvia is the reason this mission even has a chance. Don’t just say whatever comes to your mind.”
Drosha added in the same steady tone, “Yeah, listen to her. Haven't you seen what she can do at the guild already? How she pulled all these people together even in this crisis? This isn’t the time for old arguments. So, drop it.”
Seeing the three hunters quiet down, but still looking like they were dissatisfied with an outsider leading them, Maya opened her mouth to say something more before these guys became more unruly and uncooperative, and may even become the reason for this mission becoming unsuccessful.
But before she could say more, suddenly a sharp scream cut through the trees from somewhere behind them. It was short and sudden.
Just as that sound made the forest come alive for a little while, it also went silent again, making it more eerie than it was before. The quiet that followed felt heavier than the scream itself.
Vessa stood up instantly. “Who was that? What happened?” she called toward the sound. But no answer came back. The forest seemed to swallow her words.
Sensing something was wrong, suddenly Rhuvia’s loud voice cut through the tension with flat and immediate urgency. “Everyone on your horses. Right now. We’re leaving.”
The three Fiora hunters froze. Their people had gone in that direction, and they hadn’t returned. One of them started to speak, but Rhuvia looked at them with cold certainty. “They’re not coming back. They’re likely dead. And if you don’t move now, you’ll be dead too. So, move it. Now.”
Maya didn’t wait for them to process it. She stood and grabbed the nearest hunter by the arm. “Get up. We’re doing what the guild master said. Now.”
The hunters didn’t argue with Maya. They got to their feet and mounted their horses quickly. The whole group moved with practiced speed. No one wasted time talking. They rode out of the clearing fast, leaving the heavy silence behind them.
As they pushed deeper into the forest, the scream already started to fade into the impossible quiet. The formation had gaps now where two or three riders used to be.
No one looked back. There was no time to count losses or mourn. The mission continued forward, and the trees closed in around them once more.