Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Two days later, the group arrived at the water snipers' village, and while at first the inhabitants frowned at them since they had armed people with them, they relaxed a bit when they recognized Rain. It was a bit late, and it would be suspicious if they kept crossing the territory of the magic people at night, so they decided to take a break.

As Rain and their group arrived at the first village belonging to the water snipers, an undeniable sense of curiosity washed over them all. The village's distinguishing feature, a complex network of canals, immediately captured their attention.

Rain's vigilant friends, who had remained alert throughout their journey, found themselves inexplicably drawn to the sight of the canals. These waterways crisscrossed the village like a lifeline, offering a serene and picturesque scene that stood in stark contrast to the harsh realities of the war-torn world they had traversed.

This unexpected beauty momentarily diverted their attention from their usual state of high alert.

Even the typically reserved and cautious drivers were unable to resist the allure of the village's aquatic charm. The canals symbolized a departure from the relentless demands of their mission, offering a glimpse into the distinct way of life in this water-centric community.

"This place is a lot prettier than I expected… the vegetation is also thriving," Terra said while looking around. "Weren't they trying to invade us because we have more fertile lands?"

"That is what we all thought," Rain replied while shrugging. "Anyway, we are guests, but this place doesn't have an inn big enough for all of us, so we are going to camp outside."

As the rest of their group diligently set up camp, Rain, and Jori took it upon themselves to greet the man in charge of the village's security and training for new recruits. While Rain had encountered this individual on several prior occasions, there was a puzzling detail that caught his attention—he couldn't quite recall the man's name.

Their previous interactions had been brief, and it appeared that the man had never shared his name during those encounters. Still, he didn't make a fuss about that since Rain stayed silent since Jori was the leader of the team.

"This place is a bit cold, don't you think?" Jori asked.

"It is their aura, the stronger they are, the more they emit this cold aura," Rain explained. "It seems that most of the soldiers are still fighting on the borders, so it is a lot less cold than it should be."

"Still? They weren't here three months ago?" Jori asked.

"That is right… I guess with the truce, they can focus on facing the dragons," Rain said. "Or maybe they didn't have any other choice, and we lost the chance to shake them off to gain a lot from the truce."

"Lord Branden said that you turned quite dark after crossing the border, but we didn't expect that you would say such things again," Jori furrowed his eyebrows after he said it.

In any case, the group kept their guard up throughout the night and they split the guard duty in pairs. It has been a while since they did that, but it was necessary to avoid surprises. Since the guys who attacked had magic people, there was a chance that the magic people were involved… Rain didn't share those thoughts with the others, but the tribe of the crazy woman could have brainwashed them.

Otherwise, it was hard to imagine pirates taking their own lives for failing at the ambush.

In any case, the group resumed their journey on the next day, but soon, they realized that the trip would be pretty calm. Once they arrived where Geio lived, he also provided them a small guard to avoid problems.

"You guys think that something can happen to us as well?" Rain asked.

"As well?" Geio asked. "We are just trying to be sure since the frontline truly needs supplies."

"We were attacked just before we crossed the border, and the enemies looked like pirates," Rain said.

"What else can you say about them?" Geio asked.

"Nothing… aside from the fact that they used anti-magic bombs," Rain replied.

Rain decided to keep hidden the fact that the enemies killed themselves, at least half of them. Still, now that he thought about it. Why would the magic people have anti-magic bombs? That would be suspicious. It was also dangerous for them since their magic would be sealed in an area for a time.

Developing such technology and showing it to the others would be the same as telling their enemies that they just created the perfect tools against themselves.

"I heard that the beastmen are good at producing medicine, their sense of smell insane to pick up the scent of herbs is unrivaled," Geio said. "Still, I guess it is too soon to assume anything regarding that."

The guard that Geio sent with them was made of golem masters, so He didn't feel that apprehensive. Now and then, the golem masters used their skills to make themselves move faster, and while Rain kept a close look at that, he didn't understand the process. It would be nice if he could make golems and make them work for him.

In any case, nothing major happened until they reached the capital of the magic people, and much more than before, Rain's friends and the drivers looked surprised when they could see the city in the distance and its layers. They didn't have time to stop, though, since they would have to split into numerous inns.

"I can't see the signs of the attacks of the dragons," Jori said. "I guess it was weird to wait to see a half destroyed city after being attacked only by two dragons, right?"

"It was probably repaired, two months have passed since then, after all," Rain replied. "To avoid unrest, it is better to erase that kind of mark in their history to avoid countless problems.