Chapter 38: Located
"I'm picking up a lot of familiar scents, pretty sure we're getting close now," Remarked Raven, as he sniffed the air.
"Yeah, I do recognize a lot of what's around us right now, the grove where our hideout is shouldn't be much farther ahead," Nodded Celia, looking around at the familiar sights.
"I should familiarize myself better with this area, I'd probably struggle to find the hideout by myself," Replied Raven with a sigh, glancing up at the darkening dusk sky.
It was the next day, late in the evening. After waking up and having something to eat, the pair began making their way back to the hideout.
Raven used his senses to avoid any Monster encounters to save time and energy, so they made it back a couple hours sooner than they'd expected.
"I can't wait to get back, I really need a proper shower...bathing in lakes and streams really sucks, I couldn't relax with the lack of privacy, not to mention the possibility that a Monster might suddenly attack," Celia sighed wistfully.
"I know what you mean...even though I heightened my senses to their limits in order to be able to detect any Monsters well in advance, I still felt really vulnerable and paranoid when bathing out in the open," Replied Raven with a nod.
"Exactly! Even though you confirmed each time that there weren't any Monsters in the water, I couldn't help but feel nervous about one suddenly popping out and attacking me," Responded Celia wryly, before perking up and adding, "Oh, looks like we're almost there! The grove should be just beyond those trees over there, let's-..."
"No, wait," Raven interrupted her as he grabbed her arm with a grimace, before continuing, "This is bad...I'm sensing several Mana signatures up ahead, around where the hideout is. They're not Monsters, they're human...and none of their scents are familiar to me."
"What? Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding me," Groaned Celia, as the pair ducked behind a row of bushes.
"I wish I was...but there's no mistaking it, looks like our hideout has been discovered, the enemy's located us."