"You can't go, senior," Nina insisted, not for the first time.
Since there was going to be a scouting mission, Kigen had been the first to volunteer. For a moment, he had been excited by the possibilities of another adventure. While he was conscious of the danger, he was exhilarated by the joy of being able to fly free.
For the longest time, he had been constrained around the mother tree. First it was the competition, then it was the impending danger. He missed the days where he would fly without caution or worry.
Now, he had hoped to get some of that back. Unfortunately for him, the fairies were having none of it. How could they allow the senior, the last line of defense, to go to such a dangerous mission?
All the fairies, from the oldest to the youngest, were united in this. There was no way they were going to let their pillar of hope go galivanting about. This meant that Kigen was stuck back home.
"I will go," Nixa had been the first to volunteer. Many gave her knowing looks, as though they expected this to happen. Who didn't know of her insatiable curiosity.
"I will go as well," Luita spoke up. "We will need people with speed and keen eyesight, not just sightseeing."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Nixa demanded, but Luita simply ignored her. The others looked at each other, no one spoke up.
"If I'm not going, then make sure you take a few juniors with you," Kigen said, resigning to his situation. Eventually, the expedition team was selected. It consisted of twelve fairies in total. Two from every faction, and the two leaders, Nixa and Luita.
Everyone gathered together to bid them farewell, and soon, the group took to the air.
Nixa and Luita, alongside the rest of the council had discussed the mission at length. They knew a few things. First, was to follow the river, see how far deep into the forest they were. The second, was to find the bog, and possibly, the headquarters of the power behind all this.
They would do their best to avoid notice. Travelling as a group, they would have to organize proper rest procedures, keep watch and sleep on rotation. They also would have to do something no fairy loved, sleep someplace far from the mother tree.
It would be an arduous journey, but the group were confident that they could get to the target and collect information. The problem was, what if the information was too shocking.
Meanwhile, Tande finally decided on a mascot bird. His decision was the mighty condor. While technically still a vulture, the condor had the advantage of being the largest flying bird in the world. Much larger than an eagle.
They were known to be powerful flyers, and with their impressive gait and powerful body, they were a perfect fit for Tande's faction. He too was built for power and endurance.
According to the rumors, it had been quite a hassle for the faction to storm the beast's nest and come away with multiple eggs. Now they were figuring out how to hatch these eggs. The other factions that already had bird mascots had already done some experimentation on that, so they were very confident.
Far away, a water golem was materializing from a pond before walking into the hall. The setup was the same, only this time, there was one less bird.
"Dianah, I see you've returned," A voice sounded from one direction.
"I see you've returned alone," Another in a different direction.
"What fate befell Diguin?" Another voice.
"How come you did not bring any fairies?"
Multiple questions came rushing at her from all directions, but her gaze was firmly fixed on the ground. She was bowing down at the throne, and the being seated on it.
"Master, I have failed," she whispered. A slight frown appeared on the figure's face. All the other beings under the throne were shocked.
"How do you mean?" A voice asked behind her.
"Failure? How?" Another.
"Master, we were waylaid by the fairies, and the started a fight with us. Diguin was killed by the guardian, and I held no advantage, so I decided to retreat," she said, her voice piercing through her shocked fellows, and her master.
"The fairies killed Diguin?" The voices began once more. This time, more agitated. These figures did not seem to marry what she said with their expectations. How could fairies be that powerful? This was a golem made of fine kinetic particles, how could he perish just like that?
"Silence!" The master's voice silenced everyone. Then, he slowly turned and faced the water golem. "Do you know where the mother tree is?"
The one good thing about hunting fairies is that they can never stray far from their mother tree. Hence, if the mother tree's location was found out, they you could just swing by, then capture a few at a time, and let the rest grow and multiply.
"Yes master," Dianah answered. At least, she had done something right.
"Good. Mongik, take your unit and go get me that guardian. Diana will lead the way." The master said heavily. "One thing, failure will not be tolerated."
"Yes Master," A powerful human rose from among the figures under the throne. He was wearing nothing more than a leather skirt around his waist. His upper body was exposed for all to see, and what a sight it was. Chiseled, muscular, and handsome. A finely built human.
Mongik, as the master had called him, seemed so assured of himself. His powerful gait and stalwart stance made it such that he left a lasting impression on anyone who cast a glance at him. A true lady killer if there ever was one.
Turning towards Dianah, he simply said, "Lead the way."
As the two left, something curious happened. The figures they left behind seemed to get frozen in place, neither moving, nor making a sound. The place looked more like a collection of statues than a tower.
As the two left the place, they did not know that a group of fairies was following the river. Afraid that there could be enemies along the river, they chose to fly in the forested area. This was Luita's call.
As they flew, they found that the river they had been following seemed to merge with other rivers, coming together to form a very huge river. It was quite impressive, and the fairies had to leave marks behind to ensure they would find their way back.
Nixa and Medina were the most excited. Both loved discovering new things, and they loved hunting the new kind of fish they found in this massive river. There were also more variety of animals around them, and they seemed to come in all shapes and sizes.
The fairies were also proving to be apex predators. No matter where they went, they remained unchallenged. No animal or bird could hunt them, and they managed to take down anything they set their mind to. Naturally, they did not go after the bigger animals, but any small animal, or bird they encountered, would quickly become fairy food.
Down the river they went, flying close to it. Along the way, they even found a human in a boat. The curious thing about this boat was that it was moving against the current, without the human even paddling it.
The fairies were shocked by this, but they decided to keep going. Little did they know the human in the boat was no man, and the boat was being moved by a water golem they were familiar with.
Just like that, the two groups met and passed each other without anyone noticing the other.
On occasion, the fairies would encounter a stream, or small river, branching out from the main. Whenever they found these streams, they would have to follow them, since maybe that was the location they were searching for.
On one such incident, they found a small stream branching out, similar to others. However, this one was draining into a bog of some kind. The acrid stench could be felt from miles away. Even though the small river was a supply of fresh water, the place still reeked.
Once they found this bog, they realized they might have found the mission target. Unfortunately, this wetland was massive, stretching for miles. It would take them several days to cover the entire ground. Moreover, the place did not seem to hold any living thing, so even finding food would be a difficult chore.
As the group flew into the marshlands, in a certain corner of this land, in a white tower, a figure was seen seated on the throne. The figure was so still and unmoving that one could mistake it for a statue. Suddenly, the eyes of this figure, which had been shut, suddenly opened, revealing a dangerous light.
The fairies had been exposed.