The Arcadia System

Reve pointed to the remaining time left before the big battle.

The human adventurers were really ignorant of their predicament.

Nevertheless, for them to have the courage to enter the island, they must have the strength to back it.

Due to the rain, it looked like they wanted to camp here for the night.

It was a perfect choice but it wasn't the time for that.

They needed to see…...see the dangers lurking around them. It was foolish to put all their concentration on the human child.

As the group got closer, Reve observed them further, "Hmmm….let me see. One. Two. Four….Fifteen. A group of fifteen. Five females, ten males. The two attending to the human child are the head of this party.  They are most likely the child's parents. Interesting..."

...…..

Below the tree Reve was on, the pair of leaders argued

"Simona, I have said it a thousand times. I'm sorry, alright?" the male leader clenched his fist.

"What do you mean sorry. Is sorry going to fix this? One year. It has been one year since we embarked on this journey. Now, all our efforts are put to the test because of your action," screamed Simona.

Simona was a beauty in her own rights. At a young age, she occupied the hearts of all the young men in her village

Perhaps, that was why he married her. And perhaps that was why he could never get enough of her.

However, right now, she was in her rare angry state.

Tophes wrapped her delicate body in her arms. He refused to let her go.

Even the sound of their crying child didn't stop him.

He brought his index finger to her lips, "Hush, love. I know. It was my mistake. I should have resisted your beauty. How can I make it up for you?"

"Hmph! I warned you to watch your libido. However, since you have apologized, I will forgive you if you promise to take me to ladies' parlour when we get back," squealed Simona.

Ultimately, he was her husband. She couldn't be angry at him for long.

"Yes. Yes. I, Tophes of Salazar, promise to take you to the ladies parlour a hundred times."

As soon as he had successfully cajoled his cute wife, he said to the rest of the party, "The boss lady has given us the go-ahead. We camp here tonight."

The others nodded at him in response.

They knew not to stick their toes in troublesome family matters.

Still, they sympathized with the boss lady.

She had gotten pregnant on their journey. She was with a child before they had even crossed the sea.

Nine months. The journey was stalled for nine months. It had been a year since they had embarked on it.

"Tophes, shouldn't we go back? We are not in the right conditions for the mission. I hate to say it, but the baby is a liability," said one of them.

All of them were good friends from a village in the faraway kingdom.

Their strength was below average and they thought they would live the rest of their lives in a hut.

However, they received a miracle in the form of a nation-spread quest with the stamp of the king of Salazar.

The mission was to scout or map lands close to the Azea Continent.

It was the huge break the group of friends needed. One that demanded little to no risk.

As long as they were careful, they would nip the prize of massive coin bags.

Red shade spread on Tophes' face as he confronted the one that spoke, his best friend, "James, I understand your frustration, but don't you dare say my child is a liability. I don't like that sound!" 

"I apologize for his bashfulness but acutely you must recognize the disadvantage of our situation. I suggest we retreat," said Vicar, the main scout of the party.

It was also his responsibility to assess the threats of the forest.

After cooling down, Tophes reasoned with them, "I know that. We will retreat first thing tomorrow after the weather has calmed. For now, let's just take a deep breath and rest"

He noticed the absence of any tragic noise, "Hmmmm...it seems like Simona has managed to soothe that little monster."

The others noticed it took.

James used it as an opportunity to disperse the foul tension in the air, "Reminds me of a certain someone that likes to run around the village naked...Hahaha"

The rest joined him in the laughter and quickly, they forgot their troubles.

Watching this from her tent, Simona smiled.

However, she couldn't join them. She was the mapmaker of the party.

She needed to prepare for tomorrow.

Yet, she couldn't deny that the jolly atmosphere had motivated her to work.

As she went back to her tent, she heard a loud piercing scream, "Vicar, watch out----"

A loud yet soft sound of movement followed the scream.

"Ahhhh! There is something around us. Vi-Vicar is dead!" screamed one of the adventurers.

Tophes' domineering voice addressed the issue, "Gather up. Circle formation. Simona!"

Following his call, his wife joined them but not before making sure their child was safe.

The archers stayed at the center. The heavy fighter positioned at the four main directions while the others fitted themselves into the formation.

As the leader, Tophes tried to assess the threat, "Be alert. Tell me if you spot anything. Whatever it is, it is very fast. Fast enough to bypass Vicar's defence."

His sight caught on to the dead body of Vicar but he could not linger on it for long.

"I want one archer to decipher, from Vicar's death mark, the beast we are dealing with. Sh*t! By God's bone, we should have gotten a damn magic-user."

He had the option to hire one, but their price was too much especially for a long trip like this.

Noticing his downpour of curses, he tried to calm himself, 'Easy. Easy. Easy.'

"Hey, what do we have there," he asked the archer's behind him.

"It's a snake bite. Yet, the bite didn't kill Vicar, it was the--"

The sound of rustling bushes behind them didn't go unnoticed by the party.

They focused on the bush, hoping to stop an attack before it even began but…

Tophes felt strange…

All their attention was on the bush. It shouldn't be that smooth.

A predator wouldn't open its tracks easily. Moreover, where was the damn snake?

It couldn't still be hiding in the bush, right?

"It's a decoy!" realized Tophes but it was too late.

The devilish snake arched behind them and bit one of the party members.

It went on to catch four others by surprise but by the time it was about to make its fifth kill, Tophes put an end to its rampage.

He buried his sword in its skull!