The formation had been narrowed by the path of the grasslands, with both wagons at a single file;
Heimer and Gustev were at the front.
Rud rode behind them.
Saul's wagon was next, and behind it were Ricia and Lana.
Then Paul's wagon, and behind that were Ren and Heimlich.
–
"Are you done marking out everything?
How are you not making mistakes on horseback?" Ricia asked Lana who was with a pen and a cartograph in hand.
"Not yet done...
Can't be until we reach the boundary." Lana took another stroke then looked up.
"Everyone seems to ignore the pillar of light even though that's our goal." Lana said with a bit of disappointment in her tone.
"Now that you say so…" Ricia put her hand to her jaw and looked up.
She stroked her jaw.
"I don't even think about it at all, everything has been so convoluted that there is hardly any time to think of it.
Barely as much time as there is for everything else." Ricia added.
"I guess…" Lana's voice gently faded.
She took another look up, the guard settlement was now in sight.
"What is the meaning of this?!" She said with shock.
At that same time Heimer and Gustev had similar reactions.
"What do we take of this Heim?" Gustev asked with a disturbed face.
Heimer frowned.
{It had been known for a very long time now - the way the sprout and its spawns ran riot in the fourth sector.
The pattern of destruction was similar; the buildings were decimated due to the sprout's blast.
For larger towns like Mjiormire which exceeded the blast's reach, the buildings would eventually still be destroyed.
Either it be the sprout demolishing them, or the spawns stampede.
But it was clear; All the settlements had been attacked, including villages with less than fifty people, and the pattern of destruction was the same.
The guard settlement should have been no different.
Unlike its name implied, it was way more than just being a guard settlement, it was actually fairly large with its buildings being spaced out.
And it accommodated a fairly large number of people at six hundred inhabitants, with about 20% being guards of the border.
The others were offsprings of said guards and some few others.}
–
"...So what do we make of this." Heimer said to them.
They had gotten to the guard settlement and reduced their pace by a whole lot.
No building was destroyed, not even a dent in them.
Even when they had gotten to the middle of the settlement - still nothing.
–
Heimer finally halted their advance.
Everyone had to drop off except Lana and Ricia who went back from whence they came.
As well as Ren and Heimlich who kept advancing through the path.
"Everyone else, search the buildings around here thoroughly." Heimer ordered.
It wasn't supposed to be a hard task with the fact that all the buildings were in a straight file along the path.
But they were currently at the centre which had the most buildings, with less space between and multiple pathways which led to other paths.
They carried out the task as ordered.
–
They each searched one building at a time.
"Where is he going to?" Fiona watched through a window of a building as Leo ran eastwards far away the buildings.
"Can't really be thinking about other things right now." She sighed then looked at the walls once again.
There were blood stains on them.
Putting her hands on the wall as she gently caressed the blood, with a faintly disturbed look.
"It's dry, how long has this been here?" She muttered.
She climbed up the wooden staircase, it creaked at her steps.
"Am I getting a bit heavy?" She worried.
After checking the room above and below, she left the building.
"What did you find?" The voice of Zefroth rippled through Fiona's ears.
"It was empty, with bloodstains on the walls, and nothing else.
You?" Fiona asked as she took lightless steps towards Zefroth.
[Hiss!] A hiss from the distance.
"Exactly the same thing." Zefroth said.
She and Zefroth went on to the next buildings.
– Moments later –
They both exited the buildings at a similar time.
"What did you see?" Fiona asked.
"All the world's secrets…" Zefroth jested.
"So bloodstains?" Fiona asked.
"Yup, bloodstains" Zefroth replied.
-
– Moments later –
Once again, they were almost in sync in leaving the buildings.
"Same thing?" Fiona asked.
"Yeah" Zefroth replied.
She sighed.
Fiona's spreader her eyes...
"You still have your gift always active since yesterday right?" She asked Zefroth.
As she spoke she drew out her blade.
Zefroth looked confused.
"Yes why?
And what's with the sword." Zefroth asked.
"You will understand in…give or take four seconds" Fiona replied.
"Fiona, beside yo!...
Actually I wouldn't bother, she most likely already knows" The urgency in Zefroth's voice faded.
Beside Fiona, two blue snakes emerged from the grass that surrounded the buildings, with lengths of about six metres but very thin.
[HISS!]
She looked at them as they Attacked her ankles.
[Slash!]
Fiona downed them in one slash, cleaving both of their heads in half, within the same movement she drew in the sword.
"Three…
Behind you as well!" Fiona said to Zefroth with a little bit more urgency, although sarcastic in nature.
"Tch…it's pointless now." Zefroth muttered while she pulled out her sword.
Behind her was a blue snake like the ones that attacked Fiona, it was slithering towards her with speed.
She raised her sword up, as it attacked her ankles she stabbed it straight through its head.
[Eek] She left her sword in that position; she shivered from disgust.
Zefroth turned around to Fiona furiously.
"You could have said that like ten seconds ago!" She said while still shivering a bit.
"That's why I asked the question, to get your feedback.
Plus it's just a snake, we killed a lot in camp." Fiona responded with a slight cocky smile.
"And you know I'm disgusted by them.
Arghhh!
I just can't with you." Zefroth turned around, pulled out the sword, and splattered the blood on the ground.
She took a look at the blood; it was dark green.
"You look at this and call it a regular snake?!
Look at the length to body with ratio, look at the colour of their blood!." Zefroth said.
The snakes were very thin in diameter as compared to what you would expect from their body length.
Fiona walked towards Zefroth.
"I'm sorry" Fiona said with a sad face.
Zefroth sighed.
"You don't have to be.
It's your gift that's at fault here...
At least there are visible improvements." Zefroth replied here anger calmed, gradually transitioning to calmness.
–
Fiona looked at the grass beside them with cold eyes.
[Hiss] The snakes hiding there slithered away.