Al, Merika and Yel shared the space of the clearing
"Finally, I've caught up with you" he lets out a sly smile
"Al..." she was confused, the arrow that flashed by was disturbingly too close for comfort
"Why are you here alone, where are the others" Yel asked sternly
"Right, if you're here then that must mean Leon and Stella-"
"I'm afraid I've got a bit of bad news lady Merika"
Merika heart almost dropped, bad news? it can't be could it? the thoughts raced in her mind.
"Leon and Stella won't be coming back to us"
"No...no...it-it can't be" Merika legs grew weak as she dropped to her knees.
The thought of Leon and Stella no longer alive, 2 people she had grown to strongly admire, dead was one she was not taking well.
Yel was not taking Al's words without doubt though
"..."
He analyzed him from head to toe, and noticed his shoes were barely muddy from the marshlands they had to get across.
"(scarcely dirty...you can only traverse the marshlands by tree or land, all indications point to the former. The precision and traps we had to overcome, all executed from afar, and yet he only chose to reveal himself when we're in the clear. Then the shot just now...was it just to grab our attention or perhaps)"
Al wanted to walk towards the group but Yel reinforced his guard instead, his hand slowly reaching for his dagger.
"hm? What are you doing Yel?" Al asked coldly
"I have a few questions for you"
"hoh? and pray tell, what are these questions so important we must risk lingering in this forest any longer than we already have?" Al asked
"Funny you say that. Implies you've been keeping an eye on us for a while, but it also makes me wonder why you didn't bother to join us when we were braving the dangers of the forests earlier"
"What makes the forest dangerous is tight groups can easily fall prey to the dangers. It's best traveled in split and lighter groups. You should know better as a scout-"
"Of course, and as a string watcher, you should know that approaching flares within the fog clearing is a bad idea, especially as it tends to attract all kinds of monsters"
Yel said pointing to a smoke stain on Al's left shoulder
"hm? oh you mean this. Figured you lot might've gotten yourself in a tight situation and the flare was a signal for help. Obviously I rushed in to assist and put off the flare in the process, some must've gotten to me"
Al waved off the question and resumed his approach but Yel pulled out his dagger, Merika was shocked he's resorting to a weapon
"Stand back! I'm not done yet" Yel said
"...What exactly are you playing at Yel" asked Al
"You appear to be in an awful lot of haste Al. Considering we're in the clear and almost out of the forest, I see no reason why we can't take it easy going forward. Tell me, why's that?"
"Unlike a mere rank C I have many tasks up my plate-"
"Then how'd you explain this-" Yel removed a needle, the very same Al uses and he was slightly shaken by the sight of the needle.
"(Just as I thought, he recognizes the needles, no matter how hard he tries to explain his way out of this, it's only going to make him appear suspicious)"
"We were being assaulted from afar, by an...acutely observant guest, so to speak. One who appears to use the same needles as you do, and also happens to be rather good with a bow"
"So much, he can precisely pull off a warning shot, at hair's breathe like the one just now" Yel piling on his evidence
Merika wondering why Yel was having this trade of words with Al started to doubt too, and wondered if truly Leon and Stella had met their end like he said.
"Al...is Leon and Stella really-"
"Hahahah, HAHAHAHAHAHA" Al uncharacteristically lets out a maniacal laughter. "Aren't you something! I can't believe you managed to recover one of my needles amidst all the chaos. I must commend you for your bravery, Yel"
Al casted aside his mask of innocence, and right in front of the group; his eyes gained the contrast of the deilons, then slowly the rest of his body followed suit, as he was transforming from human to deilon.
"Al...you-you're ...with the shadow walkers?"
"That was a masterful trap you set there Yel. My surprise when I got to the flare expecting to find the helpless princess, but met with a pack of angry sleepers instead. As if that wasn't enough, it seems that insufferable Leon gave me a scent stone instead of an invisibility one; got me in a lot of trouble that."
Al said, casting aside the rest of the scent stones in his possession.
Yel and Merika watching in disbelief at the sight in front of them.
"A-Al...were you really after...my life?" Merika said, terrified at the prospect as she unconsciously clutched Yel's hand for comfort.
"hmph, your life? Your life is insignificant to me. However, you have in your possession what the shadow circle values highly; and I shall get it, at the cost of your own life if I must"
Al said, completing his form shift technique
"I won't let you!" Yel announced reinforcing his determination to protect his charge
Al stared at him with a frown
"And you! just as I grew tired of your pointless questioning, I've grown tired of this charade. Step aside, or I'll make you bleed in ways unimaginable by your kind"
Al said, as several needles portruded from his fingers, stained in black blood.
"(tsk, I have never bested Klein in a single bout. it'll be foolish to think a head-on battle here will make a difference with an even stronger opponent)" Yel thought, they noticed the grip on his sleeve growing stronger. Merika was scared, very scared.
"(...then there's lady Merika. Al is after her life, or the true scripture within her...I have to think of something...and I have to do so fast)"
"Last chance, scout" Al readied his needles as some of the black blood was dripping off its tips, and his face twisted into an intimidating frown to drive home the message to Yel - said blood could be swiftly replaced with theirs soon.
Al knows he doesn't have much time here, as there's a chance Leon and Stella could catch up to him if they managed it past Jugo.
Thus, he's going for the scare tactic to avoid any resistance with whom he was starting to be cautious against, going by their battle of wits in the forest.
But that only gave Yel time to think of their next move
"Lady Merika, the moment I say go, run for the exits alright?" Yel whispered to her
"huh? but-" Merika had no idea what he was planning and wanted to protest
"TIme's up!" Al interrupted and was about to dash forward, but-
"Go! Now!" Yel shouted and crush one of the invisibility stones, making both Merika and himself vanish out of sight
"huh!? (he had invisibility stones!!?)" Al grits his teeth and looks around in panic
"tsk, You can run! but i know where you're going Yel, princess! Your stones can only last 3 minutes, and once I make it to the forest exit, I just need to wait for time to run out-"
Al with his wide range of senses, noticed faint steps behind him. He immediately reacted by turning around, shooting 3 needles with pace towards the area, they were immediately replaced by 3 others portruding out of his hand
"argh!" a suppressed moan from Yel as he picked up the scent stones Al had casted aside and rushed for cover
"hm? hohhh... I see now. So that was your plan all along..." Al smiled
Yel got caught with his needles and was leaving a blood trail to his cover position.
Al was carefully following that trail, distracting Yel with his upcoming monologue
"hahaha, you humans are so easy to infiltrate. All we had to do is prove our worth, show a little bit of power, and we're in without a second's hesitation, thus I bought my way into Grimstone banner"
From the nearby cover, Yel was struggling with the pain of the needles, as he tried to remove them one by one
"urgh...it burns...what are these needles" he tenses
Al steadily closing in
"Foolish humans. So long as you still cling to this simplistic idea of power dictating everything in this world, then there's no way you shall be allowed to rule over Leithel"
Al smiled and spread his arms out wide proudly
"We shall revive the one true savior in the image of a Deilon! and as such, would require the true scriptures, one of which belongs to the little princess. That's why I'm here to claim it, that's why I went through all the struggle - because dead or alive - I shall claim my prize!"
Yel managed to get all of the needles and tied the bleeding area with a piece of cloth from his inventory to stop the blood oozing out.
"(tsk... I can use this in my favor. The plan was to buy time for Merika to escape after all, and if I have to call a horde of sleepers, snakes and whatever this forsaken place is hiding with these scent stones then so be it)"
Yel breathing heavily as he held the stones
"Your precious invisibility stones should be wearing off soon, and having been hit by my needles there's no where left for you to run, so choose wisely Yel Arki, what your next steps will be!"
Al said and finally arrived behind the tree cover Yel hid himself
"I know you're a calculating scout, and you might've fooled everyone else into thinking the princess is on her way out the forest right now. Have them rush ahead in an attempt to intercept. That'll put you at the advantage, for you can now move on, while keeping an eye on them in the process"
Then he smiled diabolically
"But that won't work on me scout! I know you have her nearby. Getting the stones was just a ploy to reinforce your plan, by feigning an attempt to buy time"
Then before Al could continue he heard Yel laughing behind the cover
"hahaha, I am surprised to find a string watcher...or should I say, traitor deilon think so highly of me, so much you've basically outsmarted yourself"
"what?"
The invisibility stone time ran out and Al could see Yel standing infront of him, armed with several bombs, but no Merika in sight
"!? impossible!" Al was baffled, he read the situation all wrong.
"WHERE IS SHE?" he hollared
"Where indeed, take a wild guess"
"Grrr, I'll KILL YOU!"
Al was about to pounce but Yel took the initiative and used the smoke bombs, and also crushed the scent stones at the same time as the area was largely covered in smoke