Chapter 3: Scout
With no hostile beasts nearby for a while, the trio of myself and the two cosplayer lookalikes slowed our pace to a walk until the sun had almost moved down below the horizon. I spared Noel some effort since I was able to walk on my own two legs this time, but I gave myself no breaks in describing everything that had happened to me before they found me. For a majority of the trek, it was actually me giving my side of the story instead of trying to learn more about this situation I was in. It was okay, I'd have plenty of time for the juicy questions later. I had been able to learn some things, though. The two girls told me this place was the Great Forest, which was largely uninhabited except for things that wanted to kill you. I also found out some other random facts, like Noel being a big fan of beef bowls. Flare also apparently had a little fairy familiar named Kintsuba who was keeping watch over her place back in the thicker part of the forest.
Everything they told me sounded like something out of a fictional fantasy, so any normal human could understand how difficult it was for me to comprehend it all. On the other side of things… and maybe understandably so… my two rescuers looked like they were being as respectful as possible while listening to me without calling me an absolute lunatic. I only described everything that happened starting with the bedroom sinkhole rather than giving my whole life story, but there were some basic things they couldn't grasp: for example, neither of them had any idea what earth was. If I was to get fully acquainted with Noel and Flare, something told me it was going to take a good while. It at least made the time pass by faster, and before I knew it the sky had succumbed to night.
"So that's why your nickname is Danchou?" I asked.
Noel, who was sitting across from me, nodded her head. "Yep! A lot of my knights in the Order use that name."
"I see…"
The three of us were now seated around a very small campfire. We had stopped our walking as soon as sundown started, and Flare made the suggestion for us to unload the two large packs and get to work. One of them contained the materials necessary to make a singular not-so-modern tent, while the other carried essentials such as food and water. I was actually able to contribute this time, since making a simplistic campground was not a life-or-death situation.
The pack with the tent supplies also had a very thick woolen blanket, which was currently wrapped around me while I sat. My wet pajamas were hanging to dry on a low tree branch right beside the tent, so aside from the blanket I was actually completely unclothed. Between the fire and the thick layer of wool, though, I felt pretty alright. The two girls had more to wear than soaked pajamas, so they offered the blanket to me with no hesitation at all.
"Are you okay with the food?" Flare asked me after taking a nibble from a thin piece of bread. "I'm sorry it's not much… I don't even know when you last had something to eat."
"It's alright," I answered with some appreciation. "Better than nothing, that's for sure."
The dinner was indeed nothing more than bread. I was actually more interested in Noel's reaction to the meal: her expression showed no sign of distaste or pleasure, but internally she was probably craving for something with more protein. A small grin formed on my face as I saw the knight's poker face, and I took another bite. After swallowing it, my grin disappeared. There was a moment of silence before I spoke.
"That word you mentioned when explaining why you saved me… the Lost. What exactly does that mean?"
Flare and Noel looked at each other.
"You really must be new here…" the half-elf started. "...If you haven't even heard of them."
"No matter who you are in this world," Noel explained. "The Lost are the common enemy. There are many kinds, and they come in all shapes and sizes. The one thing they all share is their permanent desire to consume."
I stared at my half-eaten piece of bread. "I'm glad I didn't end up becoming their meal then."
"No…" Flare corrected with a serious tone of voice. "Those wolves back there, they weren't trying to eat you… they were trying to change you. A single bite would've planted a very small part of their inner being inside you, and you would've gradually become one of them. One of the Lost."
"Which is why we're very glad we found you when we did," Noel reassured.
Noel's words didn't stop a shiver from running down my spine. "So those beasts were once people?" I asked, not looking forward to hearing the answer.
"No, they were once normal wolves," Flare said while tossing a branch into the fire. "Becoming one of the Lost doesn't change the form you were given. It takes over from the inside and consumes your identity, which is arguably even worse."
Images of those wolves flashed through my mind. The dark black fur, the purple eyes, the sharpened teeth.
"Then why were their fur and eyes like that? And why did they disappear into ashes when killed?"
"Slow down a little," Noel said with a small laugh. "We don't know exactly, but maybe it's because they were taken over a while ago and those small changes are seen over time. There's still a lot we don't know about the Lost, but that's because nobody wants to get close enough to study them."
"For the vanishing into ashes," Flare took over. "It might happen because the dark core has no more use for a dead body, and decides to just remove it from existence."
I couldn't blame anyone at all for not wanting to know everything about these deadly beings, especially if it meant risking their own lives. I guessed the only thing worth knowing was to prevent them in any way from turning me into a shadowy form of a human with glowing purple eyes. If this whole course of events so far was all a nightmare, I had no idea that my sleeping mind could create such crazy things. Dreams would stray far from reality quite often, though.
"Jeez…" I uttered. "That all sounds like one dreadful nightmare. Are we sure we're safe at all?"
Noel flexed one of her biceps with a proud smile on her face. "No worries, they're easy to defeat!"
'Sure, if you're an absolute unit of a knight,' I silently remarked.
"There seemed to be a larger than normal amount of the Lost in that area of the forest," Flare said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure why, but there were definitely more. It'll be a lot harder for the Lost to get us in the mountains where we're heading, and from there we can locate a safe town for us to leave you."
The two girls both gave me encouraging smiles. They were both doing a lot to help me already, there was no denying that, but their plan wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. As strange as they appeared, these two seemed like the ideal companions to help me find a way off this world… especially after learning how threatening this world was. Could there be a way for me to convince them to stick around for a while? As I resumed eating, a light bulb moment struck me: if I could be useful at all to them, then maybe they'd have the desire to help me in return. It would be hard since I seemed like a delusional person who claimed to be from another world, but it was a reasonable approach.
"I know you mentioned mountains…" I began after finishing my bread. "But where were you both heading before you found me? Why were you in a forest you said was barely inhabited?"
It looked like they took a few moments to process my questions before Flare leaned over to Noel and whispered something into her ear. It became a barely-audible exchange, and I could only make out the words 'classified' and 'trust' being whispered between them. After a minute or so, they turned to me.
"The truth is we're on a mission," the half-elf explained. "One we signed up for and one that might take a very long time. That's because we're searching for someone and honestly, we have no idea where she is."
"You see, right near the Great Forest is a kingdom," the knight stated. "Less than a week ago, their princess was on a horseback ride outside the capital's walls when a dragon suddenly swooped in and kidnapped her. It carried her off without even bothering to attack her mounted escort."
Flare furrowed her thin brows. "When we heard of the news and the large reward of money offered to anyone who could locate her, we instantly made our way to the capital. The place… was a very sad sight. The kingdom must've already been in mourning, and the royal court wished us well in finding the princess so they could at least 'give her remains a proper burial'. We insisted the dragon would've killed her on the spot if it wanted her dead, but they wouldn't believe us."
"So now we're on our way to gather information on dragon lairs, while hopefully narrowing the list so we can find the poor girl," Noel finished the summary.
The success rate of this mission sounded extremely low to me. Even if this little adventurer party was somehow able to find the right location, they'd have to make their way past a freaking dragon. If I was personally making the decision, I would've rejected this task in a heartbeat no matter how much money was offered.
"Why are you going out of your way for this?" I asked. "For someone who's likely dead anyway?"
Flare had a look of intense determination while staring into my eyes, the glow from the fire illuminating her face. "Because we know she is alive… and if we can bring her back, then this mission is worth every risk imaginable."
I was taken aback by this response. I did have some regret in considering a plan to assist them after hearing about this daunting mission, but I wasn't going to abandon this plan immediately. The two girls strongly believed they could get this done, and I'd admit this gave me some inspiration to find a way home… no matter the risk. I held the blanket a little tighter around me and took a deep breath.
"Let me help you."
I could see the green and orange pairs of eyes widen a bit as they stared at me.
"Don't you want to find a way home?" Noel asked with some confusion.
"I… I honestly don't know if there's a way. Plus, you both saved me earlier. At least let me return the favor. There's not a lot I can offer, but I'm pretty fast and… uhh… I have quick reflexes! My eyesight is pretty good, too…"
I trailed off much faster than I thought. Why was I turning this into a formal job interview? There was no way I could fight like they could, and I'd be the first one burnt to ashes by any dragon. If this was an interview, I would've bombed it so hard right now. It wasn't long, though, until the girls interrupted my state of discomfort. Noel was giggling while Flare let out a small, hearty laugh.
"Of course you can join us!" the archer said between laughs. "Only on one condition, however: we get to give you a nickname like Noel has hers."
My expression deadpanned. "What did you have in mind?"
"Hmm… you aren't really trained in combat, but you said you have good vision…" Noel considered. "Oh, I know! How does Scout sound?"
Flare gave a thumbs up. "I like that! Much simpler than Tyler."
"Sure," I grunted, just glad that their laughter wasn't due to how bad I presented my selling points.
"Then it's settled," Flare said, rising from her place near the campfire. "We can discuss how we'll split the money later. It's important that we set out early for the mountains tomorrow, so we should sleep now. Scout, feel free to put on your clothes and take the tent with Noel while I keep first watch."
Without any arguments about my new given name, I helped the girls extinguish the small fire.
It was a relief to me that my pajamas were nice and dry as I sat on the grass, trying to keep an eye on the trees around our little resting spot. It was an even bigger relief that I was accepted into the little party by the ones who rescued me. There was just something about those two… I saw firsthand how strong they were together, and together they believed they could accomplish things normally seen as impossible.
It didn't take me long to notice that the two of them seemed pretty close. It made me think about what kind of past they've had, and what kinds of journeys they shared together. Clearly it resulted in a very strong bond, and it actually reminded me of how close I was with Kenny. At least when he wanted to spend time with me, that is.
I nearly jumped in a small fright when I heard a voice in the darkness. Once I realized it was Flare's, I let out a small sigh and wanted to scold myself for even letting that scare me.
"Danchou, I can't get any sleep at all with you holding me tight like this!" I heard her complain from inside the tent.
"But you're so warm~" Noel's voice protested sheepishly.
Okay, on second thought maybe Kenny and I weren't that close.
My attention was distracted from their banter when I heard a slight rustle from the thin tree branches above, along with some wings flapping. There was nothing to be seen when I looked up, so I dismissed it as a bird and continued to survey the surroundings, wondering what kind of days awaited me ahead.
