The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 116: Quiet Forest

Chapter 116: Quiet Forest

Leaves and tiny branches rustled and cracked underneath their boots, as the team made their way through the forest. The sound wasn’t loud at all - it was a scouting mission, so they were extremely careful, trying not to make too much noise and attract attention - but in the quiet forest, it could all be clearly heard. And when once in a while, someone took a wrong step, resulting in a slightly louder crack, they all couldn’t help but flinch.

After all, beside their steps, the only audible sounds were rustling of the wind, and chirping of the birds. Or at least what they assumed to be birds, even though their... ’singing’, if such screechy noise could be called that, was very different from what they knew from Earth.

The forest itself was dense, the ancient trees spreading their lush crowns high above their heads, blocking the sky completely from the view. Only faint, highly diluted light made it to the ground, leaving it submerged in murky darkness. With the trees claiming all the sun for themselves, there wasn’t enough left for other plants to thrive, and so only some wet, sludgy moss, suspicious looking mushroom, and a few low, thorny bushes sprouted out from the forest floor.

It all gave off a creepy vibe, but overall, it wasn’t the ugliest dungeon Lane had been to, far from it. If it wasn’t for the smell, it would be more or less alright.

Cautious of the monsters that could be - or should be, considering the dungeon just had experienced a dungeon break, and had never been raided before! - hiding behind the trees or the bushes, lying in wait, ready to attack, they moved at a snail’s pace. Truly, Lane couldn’t help but wonder if it was even possible to walk any slower!

And so, an hour or two in, his eyes started wandering around, glancing over Damien and the rest of the team, searching for a ’prey’ for himself, to relieve his boredom with. He had never been one with much patience for dreary things, such as sitting in class for example... And while they were at least moving right now, honestly, it didn’t feel that much different.

His eyes, naturally, first fell on Damien’s wide back. But, as much as he enjoyed teasing the man, Lane knew that trying anything right now would be pointless. Two sentences in, and he would undoubtedly get scolded for getting distracted instead of looking out for monsters.

So, he looked left and right, at Tina and Arlo, who were the closest to him. Tina was out - while Lane liked her, and they got along well, but she was a tad too serious. Just like Damien, she would probably advise Lane to focus on his mission...

But Arlo was much more chill. When Lane quietly scooted closer to him, and nudged him on the waist, Arlo returned his glance, equal boredom and desire for some mischief shining in his eyes. "Hey, do you think-"

"Ahem!"

Damien was standing right in front of them, glaring down, his frown deep and dark. Even though Lane barely opened his mouth! Such reaction speed was unreal, as if Damien had been on his case the moment Lane shifted closer to Arlo...

...Ah?

A flash of understanding passed through Lane’s eyes, as an idea sparked in his head. Before it could fully blossom though, Damien spoke in a gravely serious voice,

"I thought we agreed on something?" He stared straight at Lane, treating Arlo as if he was air. It was kind of weird, for him to ignore another person like that! Almost as if he wasn’t angry at Lane for messing around, but rather... getting jealous?

Lane glanced between Damien and Arlo, a playful smile tugging on the corners of his lips. However, sensing what was to come, Damien quickly cut him off before Lane got to say even a word,

"You were supposed to take it seriously," he pointed out, a hint of... frustration, or maybe disappointment? vibrating in his low voice.

"But I am!" Lane instantly exclaimed, defending himself. "I’m still keeping an eye on my surroundings... See?" And, to prove himself, he tossed a small projectile made of his Toxic Ooze to the side. It flew a ten feet or so, landing on the leaves...

And the moment it did, a loud, aggressive hiss sounded out. The leaves stirred, and a snake monster shot out, charging straight at Lane...

Only to be decapitated by Damien’s sword.

"Still doubting me? If I wasn’t paying attention, how would I have noticed it?" Pleased with himself, Lane curved his mouth in a smirk.

Everyone else, however, momentarily fell silent. Well, they were already quiet before, but now even more so, as even their footsteps ceased. They only stared at Lane and the dead monster in shock.

How did he knew? None of them realized there was a monster hiding there... And for ’Xavier’, who was pretty much a newbie, to be the one to notice it...

It was a stroke of luck, actually. While Lane’s experience played a part - he had noticed some traces earlier, so he knew they were in the snake territory - the snake in question was asleep, unmoving, so it would be hard to spot from a distance without the use of any abilities. Lane just happened to catch a glance of the tip of its tail sticking out from beneath the leaves, and so he knew.

But as no one else noticed it, they were all in shock. Only Damien, Hallie, and Kiara, a scouting expert, weren’t too surprised, as their observations and understanding of terrain matched Lane’s.

Still, Damien’s frown only furrowed. But with his argument pretty much successfully dismissed, he had no choice but to let it go. "Let’s move on."

Lane stared at his back for a moment, his chest weirdly tight, his thoughts tangled up. Technically, he could carry on with trying to find himself some entertainment, now that he had proved himself... There was something in Damien’s voice that made him think that perhaps it wasn’t the best idea.

After a brief deliberation, he chose to catch up with the man instead. "There will be more snakes if we go that way," he whispered, moving so close their arms brushed against each other.

And maybe it was a good decision, because Damien’s frown seemed to have relaxed, even if just a tiny bit, as he calmly responded, "I know. But our mission is to scout the dungeon, not fight the monsters. First, we are looking for the Wall."