Treading through the forest, the trio moved cautiously, Raven leading the way, Helga in the middle, and Wolfton covering the rear.
"Blue Beasts are Mystic Beasts, though of the lowest class. They're intelligent enough to recognize their owners. For one to go missing, it's either the beast ran away or it was kidnapped," Helga said.
"The latter sounds more probable. Its owner is a Counselor, he'd be treating it well. As for the kidnapper, they must be strong enough to invade a Counselor's abode and abduct a Mystic Beast."
"So, we're after a trafficker?" Wolfton said, scowling.
"Nah, I think the first idea is more likely. From Counselor Rodriguez's words, the Blue Beast vanished the day after she and her companion went playing in the woods," Raven replied from the front.
"If it were kidnapped, there'd be clues. Especially since the beast's a Mystic, it would've put up a fight."
"We can't be sure," Wolfton countered. "It might've been tricked by a powerful sorcerer. Traffickers are quite diverse, you know."
"You might be right… or something from the woods called to it," Helga added.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, they noticed something unsettling. A dead boar lay on the ground, its body brutally disemboweled and rotting, flies buzzing like a chorus.
The smell hit them before the sight did.
"Gods…" Helga whispered, covering her nose.
The trio covered their noses as the stench filled the air. They hurried past the spot, only to find another dead beast not far from the first , just as mutilated.
Then another body. And another.
Each one worse. Each one fresher.
"What the hell is this? Who kills Great Normals and leaves them to rot? This is unforgivable!" Wolfton growled, disgusted.
"I agree," Helga said grimly. "No beast would kill others and just leave them. They'd consume the body. And no one hunts low-class Great Normals for sport, they're barely worth selling. Maybe for a family feast, but nothing more."
Every few meters they traveled, the number of dead beasts increased, and so did their class.
"Okay, I'm starting to think a mindless beast did this. Probably the Blue Beast, maybe it went berserk. Look at those gory bodies," Wolfton said, nearly gagging.
"No," Raven said quietly. "Look closely at the wounds. They weren't made by claws, but by sharp slashing weapons. Single strikes, angled cuts, aimed precisely at critical points."
"An adventurer did this? But why?" Wolfton asked.
"I wouldn't know. I'm not them, and I wasn't there. But I do know this, we'll be in trouble if we run into them," Raven replied.
Despite realizing it wasn't a monster behind the slaughter, Raven couldn't shake off a strange feeling. The deeper they went, the higher the class of beasts they found. Yet, something peculiar stood out to him.
The wounds became fewer. Earlier, the boar's body was riddled with gashes, as if the attackers were searching for something inside but didn't know where to look.
As they went on, the pattern shifted. The newer kills had fewer wounds, the assailants had learned where to strike, wasting less time and effort. They went straight for one spot, retrieved whatever they wanted, and moved on.
'they were looking for the core shard which is usually found in the liver or heart...'
From the precision, Raven knew the killers weren't amateurs. They were experienced, methodical, but still, it was odd that they hadn't known the exact location at first.
'The assailants weren't one person, but three or four, he thought. Different fighting styles, I can see it from the cuts. Who are these people, and what are they after?'
Unbeknownst to him, Helga was thinking the same.
Suddenly, the grass rustled. At first, they ignored it, until—
"Ahhhh!" a cry of distress echoed through the forest.
With no choice, they turned toward the sound and hurried over. What they found made them sigh.
"What's a girl like you doing in a place this dangerous?" Wolfton asked a red female stickman, who blushed when she saw them.
"Hey, aren't you Counselor Rodriguez's kid? What are you doing out here?" Helga asked.
"It's your fault!" the girl snapped. "You said there was no need to worry about whoever was tailing us, and now look, it's the Counselor's kid!" Wolfton scolded, pointing at Raven and Helga.
"Go back. This place isn't somewhere kids should be," Helga warned.
"No! I can't just stay in my room while Rhodes is out there! She's probably cold and hungry right now!" the girl barked.
"That's why we're here we'll find her and bring her back to you. This place is dangerous," Helga tried to reason.
"Not while there's a maniac on a killing spree! I can't let her be alone!" she shot back.
"Do whatever you like. It's not like we're responsible for your safety," Raven said flatly.
"Raven! How can you say something so irresponsible? She's a kid! Of course we'll be held accountable!" Wolfton yelled.
"Says someone who's a kid himself," Raven replied, unfazed.
"You're also a kid!" Wolfton barked back.
Helga stared at the two of them, deadpan, before sighing.
"Enough, you two," she snapped. "Little girl, go back home. This isn't a playground. As you can see, this place is filled with danger."
"There's no use telling her that. She'll come with us anyway, this isn't her first time here since her familiar went missing," Raven said.
"Let her follow us if she can keep up."
He turned away, walking off as if it wasn't his concern.
"How can someone be so stone-hearted? Are we really the same age?" Wolfton muttered, baffled.
"He really took his name Stoneheart seriously," Helga chuckled.