CHAPTER 47: 47: INCOMING

The twin suns rose into the morning sky as Drake, Mike, and Chad walked down the long, winding road toward the mountain shaped like a massive dragon head. They needed to get there so they could complete their quest and go home.

Renn followed along in the thick trees, her gleaming eyes narrowing, seeing within the depths of the forest on the opposite side of the road. Due to her vision last night, she worried for her master. Her worried eyes scanned the area for danger, ready to defend Drake and the rest of the cohort.

It was a pleasant morning. Soft clouds floated lazily through the blue sky. The twin suns smiled down, warming the early morning air. A gentle breeze fluttered the leaves of the surrounding trees.

Drake kept his eyes glowing, sweeping the area for danger using his magical vision. There was nothing out there. There was nothing to see. There weren’t even ordinary animals anywhere around them.

Leaves floated down from the trees as Drake looked up. The musical sounds of a bird sang their morning song, greeting the new day. Drake hoped that this was a good sign. The bird was the only sign of life. He wanted an easy day for once. The territory they were in was level 3 beast territory; they would be in level 4 territory in close to two hours. He didn’t feel like fighting so early in the day.

Drake continued to walk, Mike and Chad following close behind. Even with the calm and pleasant morning, Mike had his sword out. He was ready to fight. Chad held his bow rather than keeping it attached to his back. Although they didn’t believe the vision was true, it still made them uneasy.

They worried that they would have to fight their fathers; neither was confident they would even attempt to defend themselves. It felt wrong fighting with me to the death.

Drake had swept the thought out of his mind. His thoughts were solely on the quest in front of him. He wanted to finish it; this madness had to end. At every twist, every turn, danger lurked, death followed. He himself had nearly died twice.

As Drake watched their surroundings, bright dots appeared, approaching fast. The dots were white. There were three of them. They were a distance away, giving Drake and his cohort time to prepare.

"Incoming humans," he stated, letting his whip fall gracefully to the ground. He didn’t want to fill it with energy just yet. Not until he discovered if these humans were a threat. "Renn, help us if we need it."

A soft bark-howl came from trees. It was Renn, letting her master know that she understood.

The dots were coming fast; they would be in front of them at any moment. As if it were second nature, Drake pressed his palm on the ground. Green energy rose, creating a wall. It was protection from long-range attacks. For all he knew, there was an archer with the coming group.

Drake’s thoughts briefly wandered to the dagger that had been thrown into his back, nearly killing him. An energy wall would surely protect them from something like that. At least he hoped it would. It had not been tested yet.

"There are no towns anywhere near here," Mike stated. His brown eyes focused on the area Drake had indicated. "If they’re coming fast, are they running from something or trying to get to us quickly?"

Drake shrugged, not sure how to answer. He scanned around them, his green eyes glowing brightly, looking for other dangers. There was still nothing. The only beast around was Renn. She was keeping a safe distance from them, still hiding in the trees, yet close enough to protect her master if the need arose.

Mike suddenly stiffened. "Could it be our fathers? You said there are three energy signatures." He was worried that perhaps the vision was true after all: A warning for what was about to come.

"It’s not them. If it were, one of them would have been green. These three are all white," he stated, then thought about it. "If they look like our fathers, they aren’t them."

"How do you know?" Chad cut in, watching the area where the intruders would arrive.

Drake, keeping his eyes on the incoming intruders, answered his friend. "Because, you two may have white energy signatures, but there is a thread of green light that binds us. I see nothing binding the three humans coming our way...Besides, if our fathers are like us, they would have something binding them together, and one of the energy signatures would be green. It’s not them."

"Could they be coming from Storm Town?" Mike asked. "Isn’t it in that direction?"

Drake stared in the direction of Storm Town. "Maybe," he offered. "Regardless, keep your guard up. Even if they act friendly, don’t trust them."

Leaves rustled. The sound of heavy footfalls slammed onto the packed ground. The humans were running. Heavy breathing was heard through the trees; they were getting close. Clearly, they were in a hurry.

When they finally arrived, the three figures stepped out of the trees, making a sudden stop. One man bent over, grasping his knees, trying to suck in air. He was out of breath, so were the other two.

Chad pulled his bow, ready to shoot. Renn had stepped forward out of the trees. Mike’s grip on his sword tightened. Drake, however, lowered his energy wall.

"You are looking for us," he stated simply. "Don’t mind my friends. We do not trust easily. Why are you looking for us?" Drake asked in a deceptively pleasant tone.

When the center man regained his breath, he stood up tall. "We need your help."

Drake raised a brow. "How did you know where we were? You seemed to have pinpointed us rather well. Explain that."

The three men looked at each other, clearly trying to come up with something to say.

Drake continued. "I’ve been watching you. You ran from pretty far away. You ran straight to us, without deviating as if you knew exactly where you would find us."

The man swallowed, then pointed up at the singing bird in the tree. "We have a scout."

The second man held his arm up. There was a leather sleeve with thin buckles that held it in place. The bird dove down from the large branch of the tree and landed gracefully on the man’s protected arm, singing softly.

Drake stared at the three men, not giving them any sign of emotion. "Renn," he said softly.

Branches cracked behind them as Renn stepped out of the trees. Her glowing green eyes narrowed at the men as she walked over to Drake, stopping to stand beside him.

The men froze, panic in their eyes, their faces turning white.

Drake spoke again, his voice soft, a sweet melody. "Tell me, what purpose have you sought us out. What help do you need from us?" He asked calmly. There was a small smile on his lips as he watched the three men try not to panic.

While he waited for the men to speak, he spoke to his system. "System, can you detect lies?"

{Yes, lies can be detected.}

"System, notify me when a lie is detected. Keep lie detection on until I ask it to be turned off."

The system remained silent, waiting for one of the men to tell a lie. They hadn’t even spoken yet, so there was nothing for the system to detect.

Finally, the man in the center spoke. "Storm Town is in danger. We need help defending it."

Chad stayed quiet, watching the conversation. He kept his bow ready.

Mike looked at the man, staring at the panic in his eyes. "What can we possibly do that you can’t. Don’t you live in a level 4 beast territory?" he asked. There was a touch of sarcasm in his tone. The town was in a powerful area. Far stronger than the three of them. He couldn’t help but wonder.

Drake waited for a few moments, but the system hadn’t responded to their words. "What is the danger?" he asked calmly. He knew the words were true. If it weren’t, the system would have notified him.

The man looked relieved, but not by much. "Monsters," he breathed out.

Mike started to laugh, making everyone turn to him. "Those assholes. Large winged guys, right?" he asked.

All three of the men nodded.

Drake waited for the system, but it remained quiet. "Can you send the bird to Draco Town to find out if it’s being attacked as well?" he asked. He was still calm.

The man with his bird shook his head. "I can’t communicate with her like that. I give her a command and she follows it. She sings to let me know where she’s at. That’s all. There is no way for her to tell what she is seeing."

{A Lie has been detected.}

Drake smiled. "You’re lying." He stepped forward, eying the man. "Speak the truth, or we don’t help you." His tone was still pleasant. Mike and Chad wondered what was going on. Clearly, Drake was up to something.

The man swallowed. He had been caught. "I...I can see through her eyes."

Drake’s smile widened. "Send her to Draco town. We will head to Storm Town. You will notify me if they are being attacked. If I need to, I can send them help. Now...Lead the way."