Lars froze.

Based on his estimates, he was now barely 10 kilometres away from the town he was headed to. But as he drew nearer and nearer to his destination, he was also slowing down - firstly to conserve energy as he did not know what to expect once he found the place, and secondly because he did not wish to be caught by surprise a second time by hostile forces.

Logically, whether it was more goblins (which he had seen traces of in the form of messy camp sites, foot trails and the excrement) or humans, the chances of him encountering sentient life grew greater the nearer he drew to the town.

For that reason, he had been ascending a small green hill covered in trees that was roughly 30 metres higher than the surrounding lands with the intention of discreetly spying out the area.

As he crested the hill-top, he startled some birds from where they were perched on the tree tops and quickly ducked in case he drew anyone's attention.

And just as he did so, he heard a voice, barely discernible but clear enough to be heard, cutting through the quiet of the night with only the chirping of insects and occasional call of an animal to obscure it.

"What was that...?" A woman's voice spoke softly but was clearly alarmed by the birds scattering and the sound of their beating wings as their flight brought them rustling through the leaves of the trees around them.

Then it was quiet for a moment - as Lars imagined that the speaker and his party froze just like him while waiting to see whether anyone or anything was approaching.

'From the sound of his voice... Close... Less than 100 metres away...' Lars controlled his breathing as he pressed his body flat against the earth, feeling the blades of gra.s.s and weeds tickle his skin. He frowned; he would probably be itching for awhile after this whole debacle...

Lars patiently waited. He listened intently, knowing that no matter what, he had to first find out the other party's intentions and disposition, lest they kill him on sight...!

After all, it was not unheard of for people to be just as cruel or murderous as the goblin-kind, spurred on out of greed, hatred or for whatever reasons were birthed in their blackened hearts...

His patience soon paid off - the group he was waiting for apparently lost patience waiting and began to move and speak again.

"Looks like it's nothing; just some flock o' birds randomly taking flight... You be too sensitive, Katya, too sensitive I say..." A booming voice spoke firmly but gently, chiding the first speaker.

"What!? Don't tell me you didn't freeze and draw your blade too! You were just as wary about the rustling as I was!" The first speaker, presumably Katya, answered aggressively, sounding upset.

Lars could feel the moisture in the ground seep into his clothes as he continued to listen and wait. He paid no heed to the wetness; after all, he had already been drenched since he entered the stream. What was a little bit more moisture...? Though he wondered if he'd catch a cold now that he had a body not strengthened by mana and blood energy...

He heard the sounds of clothes rustling and footsteps ringing through the distance as the party regrouped. He judged that there were at least 4 people in the party; one more person who had not yet spoken.

Lars was wary - he realised that the casual conversations might be a ruse, while that silent someone might still be quietly observing and waiting for a spy or scout to reveal their position!

He kept his breaths shallow and suppressed any noises as he lay flat against the ground... Then heard words that struck fear into his heart.

"Guys! Look what I found...!"

To his horror, Lars saw the foliage around him part abruptly, so fast that he could not even get to his feet in time. And as the brush around him was pushed aside, it was just a split second later while he was stuck in mid-crouch when the person before him pressed her wooden-shafted spear against his neck.

And as Lars laid his eyes on his discoverer-now-turned-captor, he nearly gasped and had to steady himself from falling over from what he saw.

A grand mane of resplendent silvery hair flowing over her shoulders, crowned by a half-moon circlet resting atop her head. A pair of jewel-like eyes, sparkling as if they were a source of light unto themselves illuminating her surroundings. High cheekbones and an angular nose, imposing and yet also enchanting at the same time.

The beautiful and dark-skinned woman was not just a pretty face - her powerfully muscled yet lean and slim body gave off the impression of lightning-fast agility. She was dressed in flexible looking leather armour with metal plates st.i.tched on where her vitals were. The workmans.h.i.+p looked slightly rough while it also appeared to have weathered it's wearer through many a clash, but there was no question about the hardiness and durability - after all, despite it's apparent age, it looked to be in good condition and well-taken care of.

She stood as though bearing the stature of a conqueror surveying her demesnes, lording over whatsoever she observed with her eyes - her piercing, G.o.ddess-like eyes that bored into his as if she were gazing into the depths of his soul.

Then those fierce eyes began to soften as they widened in shock when she realised what she was looking at.

"A... Human...? Out here in the Bad Lands...?"

* * * * *

Lars trudged along carefully in the middle of the group, hands bound together by a hemp rope, placing one foot ahead of the other while trying to remain silent.

The bonds were not too tight, but even then, the roughness of the rope chafed the skin on his wrists, but as he was just a captive in a tenuous situation, Lars could only bear with the discomfort and hope this journey in bonds would not affect the dexterity of his hands.

After his captor and her team of 3 others discovered him in the brush, they surrounded him and tied him up before asking any questions, silencing him with the threat of a spear and hunting knife when he tried to give voice to explain who he was and plead for their mercy.

They then quickly trekked across the grounds of the forest following the lead of the commanding dark-skinned young woman who showed clear familiarity with the lay of the land, all the while not forgetting to keep a knife barely half an inch away from Lars' throat to remind him to keep quiet.

And so they moved with just the sound of the rustling of the brush, leaves and branches accompanying them for what Lars estimated to be around 15 minutes before they arrived at a secluded area - a camp site that looked to have been packed up recently.

It was there that the regal young woman signaled for the team to stop briefly to discuss what to do with their find - what to do with him, Lars.

He could only gulp and hope they would spare him and give him a chance to speak... Or else his journey, his hopes, his promises would all be for nothing...!

Finally given a chance to observe his captors more carefully, he saw that they were all dressed similarly to their leader, the earlier young woman, except that her armour looked to be the oldest and in the worst state, which was curious given that she should be their captain of sorts.

All of the 4 of the hunters also bore hunting knives probably 7 or 8 inches long, the thick and st.u.r.dy blades just as useful for carving meat and wood as it was for committing cold-blooded murder.

The group was made of a woman with a medium-sized hunting bow made out of an unknown wood. It was simple and unadorned but looked to be of exceptional quality due to a certain sheen of something like aura or light, something he couldn't quite make out with his bare eyes right now.

She had sharp and handsome features, her skin supple and youthful despite the wrinkles on her forehead and cheeks and the graying of her brown hair that betrayed her age. Her steps were light yet balanced perfectly and she easily kept pace with her much taller leader and two other far taller male team members.

Of her two male team members, one was gigantic, looking like a bear standing on it's two hind legs rearing up. His girth was such that Lars doubted whether his arms could even encircle the man's waist...! He had distinct deep-set green eyes and a heavy brow, but seemed rather good-natured. In addition, despite his size and stature, he moved with a spry and light step, weaving his way through the forest without snapping the branches and twigs that his towering height made him brush against.

On his back was strapped a sword that looked just about right for him to be a long-sword for his size - or in other words, a humongous two-and-half handed sword that probably weighed more than 50 kilos and could probably cleave a bear in half with just one swing.

Lars s.h.i.+vered as he imagined just what it would be like to face the man bearing down on him with rage and an ice-cold killer's look painted on his face... He'd much rather face a real bear than this man!

At least, that was the case right now without any magical powers or nomological laws of the universe...

Finally, the last member of the group was an average looking man slightly taller than Lars. He had a head of entirely gray hair tied into a pony-tail by a slim hemp rope and in addition to the hunting knife on his belt, he also had two curved combat knives as long as his fore-arms sheathed at his waist. To top it off, he also had an ornate looking long-sword hanging from his back.

Lars was curious as to his ident.i.ty as it was clear that he deferred to the young woman's authority but also clearly held great confidence in his own skills and authority.

However, at this time, he was more curious about one fact - whether he would live or die...!

He listened with rapt attention as his captors convened regarding his fate, his entire body tense as he considered ceaselessly his options - or lack thereof - of escape and his odds of survival.