A Journey Unwanted-Chapter 425 - 414: On the road again

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Quadling Country]

"Seriously, why don’t we just fly there?"

The complaint came from Puck for what felt like the tenth time in the past hour. She floated a short distance behind Grimm, arms folded tightly across her chest, drifting forward in uneven little bursts that betrayed her irritation. A few steady paces behind them, the Cowardly Lion padded along in silence, his large frame moving carefully over the rocky ground.

Night still clung to the land, though not so thickly that it blinded them. The terrain had changed gradually as they moved south. Grass had given way to stone. The earth beneath their feet was no longer soft but jagged and dry, a strange brown that almost seemed red under the moonlight. Low hills of rock rose on either side of a wide valley, broken by shallow canyons and weathered formations. The path they followed was hardly a road—just a faded trail cutting southward through the stone.

"I want to take in the sights," Grimm answered without slowing his pace.

Puck stared at the back of his helmet. "The sights?" she repeated incredulously. "Grimm, there are no sights here. It’s rocks. Just rocks. Brown rocks. Slightly red rocks if you squint. That’s it."

"You were the one who chastised me for losing interest quickly," Grimm replied. "You insisted I fail to appreciate what is before me. Perhaps you should follow your own advice."

"That’s completely different," Puck huffed, spinning midair so she floated backward while facing him. "You ignore things that are objectively interesting. You don’t pay attention to details that actually matter. This?" She gestured widely at the barren valley around them. "This is objectively boring."

"To untrained eyes, perhaps," Grimm said evenly.

"Oh?" Puck arched a brow, drifting closer as she folded her arms again. "Then please, oh mighty and perceptive one, enlighten me. What profound revelation do your refined senses perceive in this endless stretch of dull rock?"

Grimm’s helm tilted slightly as he scanned the hills, the canyon edges and the shadows between formations.

"Nothing yet," he admitted.

"Ah-ha!" Puck pointed triumphantly. "Because there is nothing interesting about some rocks."

"Hm." Grimm raised a gauntleted hand and tapped lightly at the chin of his helmet as he continued to look around. "Absence of immediate stimulation does not equate to absence of value."

Puck gave him a flat look. "There is no hidden meaning in a pile of stones."

"Everything has potential," Grimm replied. "Even if it has not revealed it yet."

"Ugh." Puck spun back around to face forward, floating beside him now. "There’s no point scanning the horizon like you’re expecting the rocks to do something. Just admit this place is dull."

"Never."

She let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "You are exhausting."

"And you are impatient," he returned calmly, his words ironic.

Behind them, the Cowardly Lion watched the exchange with confusion. His paws moved carefully over the uneven terrain, claws occasionally scraping stone. He could not tell whether the two disliked each other deeply or simply communicated through constant argument. Every conversation between them seemed to unravel into bickering, yet neither ever truly disengaged.

Still, his attention was not fully on their words.

The land ahead tightened his chest.

The rocky hills rising around them, the wide valley path and the distinct reddish tint to the earth—it felt wrong in a way he could not ignore.

His pace slowed slightly.

("I... remember these hills...") A faint tremor ran through him. The formations grew more familiar with every step. With the height of the ridges and the way the valley narrowed farther ahead. ("The Hammer-Heads...") His breath caught.

The lion’s nerves tightened as he continued his slow pace.

His large paws pressed carefully against the reddish stone as his gaze shifted between Grimm’s armored back and Puck’s floating figure. The valley had narrowed without them truly noticing, the rocky hills rising higher on either side. The air felt different here, thinner than before.

He swallowed.

("Should I warn them?")

His eyes turned toward the ridges.

Shapes moved there. They were all stationary now, but aware of the three.

("Would they even take it seriously?")

He doubted it.

Not many listened when a coward spoke. Not many believed fear could be anything but weakness. He gulped again, throat dry, unsure whether remaining silent was safer—or more dangerous.

"See anything interesting yet?" Puck asked idly, drifting beside Grimm. Then she added, almost as an afterthought, "Besides the things watching us."

The lion blinked.

They knew? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"No," Grimm replied calmly, not breaking his stride. "Nothing of significance presents itself yet. The only notable development would be the inhabitants observing us from elevated positions."

"Inhabitants," Puck repeated lightly. "That’s a polite way to describe a group of strangers crouched on cliff edges, staring down at us like we’re prey." She tilted her head, glancing toward the hills. "Maybe we should agitate them. If they’re going to watch, we might as well give them something worth watching. They might reveal themselves sooner."

The lion’s ears flattened slightly.

("T-they want to provoke them?")

He stared at her in disbelief.

It unsettled him that she suggested it so casually. Though when he thought about it, there had never been much to suggest she was the more cautious one between them.

"Hm. Perhaps," Grimm said, tone thoughtful rather than reckless. "Provocation could accelerate the inevitable." The lion’s heart thudded heavier. "But I do sense hostility within these watchers," Grimm continued. "Their restraint feels thin. This may devolve into another battle."

Puck’s expression shifted, just slightly.

("Another battle...")

Her mind drifted briefly to the previous ones she had witnessed. She had seen how Grimm fought. How efficient a killer the General was. His bladework had a strange precision to it, it was almost elegant. He was unquestionably lethal.

Yet she could not describe him as someone who delighted in bloodshed. He did not seem to chase it, nor did he linger in it. Even with his face hidden, there was no sense that he reveled in violence.

("He’s strong. That much is obvious. Most opponents won’t last long against him...")

Still.

Curiosity tugged at her.

"I mean," Puck said aloud, folding her arms loosely, "if they attack first, that’s self-defense. We wouldn’t exactly be the aggressors, right?" She didn’t sound entirely convinced of her own reasoning, but she voiced it anyway.

"Hm. They may provide modest interest," Grimm said as he came to a gradual halt. His sabatons settled firmly against stone. Puck stopped midair beside him. "Either way their hostility suggests they are already inclined toward confrontation."

"Uh-huh." She gave him a dry look. "Something tells me you’re going to stand there, look at them for a few seconds, decide they’re beneath your interest, and then walk away like nothing happened."

"Perhaps," Grimm admitted calmly.

She exhaled through her nose. "At least pretend you’re not proud of that." Her gaze drifted ahead toward the narrowing valley. "Still, we shouldn’t linger too long. If Albion decides to leave the Heart Kingdom before we arrive, we’ll lose our lead." She reminded. ("Though I do want to see more of Quadling Country’s inhabitants,") she admitted to herself.

"If the dragon relocates," Grimm replied, "I will consult the Goddess again."

"You’re saying that way too casually," Puck noted, studying him. "Most people don’t talk about ’consulting a Goddess’ like it’s asking for directions. Did she really think you were that important? Or are you inflating your own significance?"

"She was the one who pressed for an alliance," Grimm answered evenly.

Puck narrowed her eyes. "I’m still trying to figure out why. Is it just because you’re strong?"

"Well," Grimm said, "I was regarded as the mightiest warrior of my nation. I do not doubt my ability to contend with a Greater Dragon." There was no boasting in his tone. He spoke as though stating the facts of the matter.

"Seriously?" Puck looked openly skeptical. "Greater Dragons were among the primary threats during the Great War. They fought Gods. Killed them. Not minor deities either—strong ones." She hovered closer, peering up at his helm. "You’re basically saying you’re equal to a God."

"Then perhaps I am greater than I initially assessed," Grimm replied idly.

"...Right." Puck leaned back slightly, staring at him as though evaluating whether he was delusional. "But aren’t you just the Descendant of the Elemental Dragon? And you yourself said that lineage wasn’t particularly remarkable compared to the others." She squinted at him. "Honestly, you’re very confusing."

"Indeed," Grimm agreed without offense. "The Elemental Dragon’s power appears simplistic when compared to the grandeur of others. But in my hands, it reveals depth." He flexed one gauntleted hand slowly. "What you have seen thus far has been nothing of note. Parlor tricks, if you prefer. If we encounter a worthy opponent, you may witness something more substantial."

"If you say so," Puck replied, though her tone carried doubt.

She glanced upward.

"...Seems our stalkers are tired of waiting."

Grimm’s helm shifted slightly.

Then a voice thundered from above, sharp and echoing across the rocky valley.

"INTRUDERS!!!"