Chapter 201: Twali: Just Like the Old Days

Twali and Margaret bypassed trees by hopping through them. Twali decided to proceed directly to the fifth settlement. Margaret contemplated since her role was to attend and evaluate the quest's difficulty. And if things went south, the Association has given her the power to stop the quests as she saw fit. Luckily, for Ned's team, this wasn't the case. Perhaps.

"That explosion is definitely close," she said as she flicked her wrist, throwing knives hitting four wargs that tried to lunge at her. Three knives bore at the temple of the Wargs while the other hit under its rib. Grey furs smudged with blood, followed by a whimper.

"They can handle it," Twali said, his twin-blade slashed goblins and butrikis in a vortex formation. Bodies hurled midair. Limbs and bones followed suit. The already extended reach of the blades was even added by his long forearms, giving him reach as an advantage.

"What made you say that?" Margaret said, connecting a knee at the goblin's green jaw. Bone cracked and the beast was thrown, hitting its buddies along the way. "No offense, but Hallowguard team is mediocre." She breathed and dashed to meet the goblin champion.

They fought side by side after they have located the fifth settlement. Thinking they might save time raiding. Twali came up with the idea. Afraid that his Lady might get hurt, he decided to finish the quests as soon as possible.

Twali fought like a beast with his twin blades. Every wave of his thin metal was blood collected. Around them, bodies piled and orange blood made a tiny pond.

Margaret flipped backward after cutting the champion's head. He then continued with his voice in a rush. "To be precise, Lord Sven's hunters have been stagnating lately. They—no, you barely received high grades quests from the Association. Employers from both the Capital and Bogmoor rarely contracted your House. What happened, Twali? Was this"—she backhanded a goblin—"because of your damn lord?" She cocked an eyebrow seeing Twali's black suit never gotten a smear of blood.

"I for once have never called Lord Sven that," Twali said, flicking twin blades to get rid of both green and red blood. "And Lord Sven has done what is necessary for the House."

The smell of iron and rotten skin engulfed the settlement. They stood a bit far from the campfire, which was made in haste as the duo raided the settlement before the beasts could prepare.

"There," Margaret noted the incoming beasts of mixed breeds from their north side. She crossed her arm, and throwing knives appeared between her fingers, she smoothly waved her hand. Killing eight of the incoming beasts with precise control.

Lizard-like beast ran with two legs, wargs dashed in four, and a ball of green energy hurled behind the heard of the beast. Its path toward Twali and the Overseer.

"I'll handle it," Twali said, dark eyes turned deep green from the coming ball of green energy.

"Just like the old days," Margaret said in a reminiscing voice. She sprung behind Twali.

Twali knew better how to handle a mass of energy. He struck the blades beside him. He then lifted both of his hands in an open palm to catch the ball of green energy. For a moment, dark-purple fur arose behind his neck. He took a breath and cried in a guttural voice.

The ball of energy spun around his hand without touching it. Twisting his waist, he then flicked the green ball back to its caster.

"Just like the old days," he said after the ball exploded above the herd of the beast. Shower of green acid deteriorated anything it touches. A handful of incoming beasts went down with dissolved skull, and dissolved limbs. They didn't stop, though.

Behind the beast was a shaman. Purple and green tentacles wiggled under its chin, it held a crystal ball that shone green along with its muttering and gesture.

"Where are the hunters?" Twali said, hurrying. He picks the blades and spun, preparing for the third wave.

"Where at the side of the island," Margaret responded. Pepper hair danced along with the throwing knives. "And who would hunt goblins, and wargs, and look"—the tip of the knife pointed to her side—"a mud-slime. Ye, they'll get rich hunting here. The quests are to raid, not us being raided. There's something wrong here, Twali. I'm telling you that. There really is. Ever since that Evolved Goblin reached the gates of the Association, hunters had been disappearing. And not all that, we received reports of new kinds of beasts roaming the base of the mountain. What made you think you can trust the kid and his request?"

"It wasn't me," Twali said, black boots connected at the gut of the warg, throwing it midair, and stabbing it before it reached the ground. Blood sprayed and Twali grunted, dashing forward, killing more, and going back to his spot. All happened in a quick succession of stabbing and slicing. "The kid caught Lord Sven's soft side. He was even given a seat at the House, if only he agreed."

"That's something new," Margaret said, tying her hair to avoid distraction. This was her fourth tie to snap in two as goblins and any beast intelligent enough to grab her hair to distract her footing. "A kid was given a seat. Wait, why are you telling me this? I'm Soak. Why?"

"Just like the old days, Marga," Twali said. Narrowing his eyes. He bent, his knee touching his chest. He was a shadow under the moon with his black suit. "Just like the old days. And if you're still following, you knew who my target next. I'll leave the rest to you." Twali nodded. A couple of deep breaths and his pants tightened with what seemed to be his muscles swelling. He then sprung upward, figure almost departing in the night.

Twali then landed beside the tentacled shaman.

Surprised, the shaman let out a screech, tentacles wiggling like a lizard's tail cut from its body. It then raised a limb of slimy skin and muttered bestial word to conjure another spell, oozing green energy—

Its head, along with its tentacle cut to half as Twali casually swung his sword.

Firepit crackled in the center of the settlement. Woods snapped as the unwanted fire swallowed the shacks. Goblins and wargs nearly became extinct as Margaret curved his knife at the helpless beasts. A Pile of bodies formed a hill, and atop these mutilated bodies were the goblin champions (uncountable as their limbs and heads lose connection with their bodies) and atop these goblin champions was Margaret with a grin painted all over her face. Where was the rule that she only needs to intervene in life and death situation? Excitement overruled the rule.

Margaret pulled a blue vial in her bag. She drunk it and wiped the remaining with her tongue around her lips. She seemed satisfied with the killing.

Twali nodded in the direction of Margaret. The fifth settlement has been raided. That would be a stamp of 'A' on Margaret's evaluation. Twali looked up at the sitting Margaret, uncaring of the iron and green liquid oozing of foul odor.

"What now?" She said. Wiping the last of the blood around her neck. Gold necklace dangling.

"The caterpillar is not here," Twali said, his master-servant semblance showing, back straightened, and brows formed a thick line. His blade nowhere to be found, and his arms folded behind his back. His breathing, smooth while he fiddled the ring between his fingers.

"What are you thinking?" The Overseer started.

Twali sniffed something out of ordinary, he spun around, his eyes gazing at the thick forest far side the settlement.

The settlement was built as if it was an intersection going to the deep and unexplored part of the forest. A speck of light flickered in the distance. Two orbs under the dark lit red as if staring at Twali.

"Looks like we have a friend here," he said and dashed.

The red dot flickered, staggering in many directions.

Behind Twali was Margaret, knives unsheathed from an unknown scabbard she had.

Suddenly, the world around them shone bright yellow then orange. Green leaves, trees, the blue river next to the settlement, the boulders scattered around, even the pebbles underneath Twali's foot looked cleanly visible as if magnified a hundred times. Everything was crystal clear. Then an explosion roared behind them.

Twali's breathing raised to the highest.

Margaret's reflexes heightened. To her surprise, she unknowingly threw a barrier rune behind their back to shield them from any upcoming projectiles, or magic spells.

No magic spells, no projectiles. Just the sky lit brightly. Then hundreds of orbs resembled shooting stars came raining down south of them.

Twali instantly stopped, eyes turned deep grey, and fangs extended under his jaw.

"Lady Sasani," he growled. His pants torn as his muscles kept on expanding, he jumped to the nearest tree he could find—which was around thirty to forty meters away. "Keep up." He howled midair.

His heightened senses caught Margaret's disapproval. "Damn cat. Just like the old days." She hissed and followed Twali. She zigzagged over the pile of bodies.

They have completely forgotten the eyes behind the deep forest.