The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 255 - A Wet Ghost, A Peculiar Deer, & The Stupid Fox

Chapter 255: Chapter 255 - A Wet Ghost, A Peculiar Deer, & The Stupid Fox

The shadows between the venue’s tents and other simple structures all seemed like enemies as Nohre and Fusand tried to snake toward the main event area. Competition equipment and supply crates created a maze of potential hiding spots, a fact that hadn’t escaped their notice. Elua’s lessons ran through their mind as she shakily guided her fellow disciple between two of the larger pavilions.

’Stay aware of your surroundings. Always note your exits. Keep essence rolling close to your body.’

The braided teen had already loosened the cap on her water container when they first sensed someone following them. Her fingers stayed near the leather vessel while scanning for others who might help if it came to it. But their pursuer had been careful - this section of the grounds was conspicuously empty of any cultivators...

"I just want to talk, okay?"

The voice from behind them prompted instant action. The Projection half formed in Fusand’s hand grew in form even as Nohre shoved him strongly toward the gap between supply stacks.

"Run!"

An orb of water arced through the air as she spun and launched it at their stalker. The throw had more determination than skill behind it - her Element control only adding enough force to keep the liquid together mid-flight. But it was only meant to be a distraction in the first place.

The woman in her orange dress made no attempts to dodge. She stood there with closed eyes as the water splashed into her. A partially-formed luminescent crab that had been made with the same plan in mind as the girl flickered and faded as Fusand stumbled back against some crates.

The expression in their pursuer’s jaw was clenched with wry amusement. Drops ran down her face as she brushed wet, dark hair away from her eyes and opened them to check that they were both still there despite the girl trying to sacrifice herself for time. They just stared at the person who seemed only mildly inconvenienced by their sort-of synchronized response.

"Okay, I probably deserved that."

The woman made no sudden movements as she tried to wring out the part of her light ochre sleeve that she had wiped her face with. She seemed to carry no hostility, but that only made Nohre even more wary.

’Unclear motives doesn’t mean that they are not being hidden intentionally.’

"You could have just approached us directly instead of... all this."

The teen shifted to keep herself between the stranger and *stupid* Fusand - who couldn’t even run away properly! Her green eyes darted toward the more populated areas they’d been guided away from, knowing that there were likely more mortals in those locations than anything else. The woman grimaced slightly at the accusation.

"I needed to be certain no one else was listening or following you. Particularly after seeing you show that letter to the investigators."

Fusand edged sideways off from the crates, trying to get a better look at her face. The style of her hair and the proportions of her face tugged at his memory from the other day... but it seemed more appropriate to address his current theory.

"Are you the one who kept buying things in the market and staring from the training grounds?"

"Yes. Though I wasn’t working with the others. I was trying to figure out what they were planning."

She kept her distance as she spoke as though she was trying to show she understood their lingering suspicion. The woman absently touched the scabbards of her curved blades as her expression flickered with something like shame.

"And... you’re connected to Elua er Goltbred?"

The way she said the name made both teens tense up again, but she seemed to have noticed this and quickly raised her hands. The woman stood nearly as tall as their master’s spouse and had an athletic build that spoke of years of combat training. Her hair was still a little plastered to the side of her face from the soaking, but framed features that held a sort of determination despite her sodden state.

"Sorry, I should have started with an introduction first. My name is Leysah. I know following you wasn’t... ideal. But after the incident with my weapon at the duels, I’ve been keen to find a way to make things right."

Understanding dawned in Fusand’s eyes even as Nohre’s narrowed further. They had heard about the incident from others, including tersely from their master, though neither had been present.

"You were the one whose blade broke."

"Yes. She treated the man I injured, but wouldn’t hardly look at me. She just told me to get out of her sight..."

Something in her voice and face suggested the harsh dismissal had affected her more deeply than made sense. The young medical and sigil prodigy’s frigid response had stirred something she couldn’t quite grasp.

"Since last night, I’ve been hoping to find the right moment to speak with her. To explain what I discovered about those men."

She shook her head and a few water droplets flew from her hair.

"I don’t understand why I keep feeling like I should tell her specifically. I really don’t. And now I’ve probably made things worse by scaring her... friends?"

For some reason, the words sounded strange in her mouth. Like it wasn’t what she wanted to call them in relation to the Goltbred heiress. The two disciples exchanged a quick glance, both feeling the same thing. The woman’s explanation covered her actions just a bit, but didn’t really excuse her methods.

"You still haven’t told us why you followed *us* like this instead of just... walking up to talk."

"Would you have stayed to listen? After seeing me watch your conversation with the officials?"

Her voice carried no judgment if they would not have, just a sort of tired practicality. Fusand shifted his weight, something uncomfortable about the assumption she made nagging him and making that fuzzy feeling return.

"I think we would have. You also could have approached them directly with your information then and there."

"I don’t think they would have heard me out and let me leave. Not without proof of who those men were - which I don’t have. But your... your friend. There’s something about how she handles things that I can trust."

The woman’s spirit was muddled with frustration at her own inability to articulate the pull without sounding creepier than she already understood she came off. Her hand moved absently toward her blades again before dropping away.

"If I’m right, the thieves will try to move the birds soon. Before anyone thinks to check certain routes that won’t be as heavily patrolled during the main events."

That drew both teens’ full attention. Along with what they learned so far, wouldn’t this be the very sort of thing their master had sent them to find?

"You know where they’re going?"

"No, but I think I know the direction they went."

She gestured vaguely toward the eastern edge of the competition grounds.

"A different set of them spent too much time yesterday studying the patrol patterns near that section. The way they moved... they were mapping different escape routes. Looking for gaps between guard positions."

"The plains out there are pretty flat and empty. Wouldn’t they be easily spotted?"

Nohre spoke huffily over being shown a light that was too distant and a slight smile touched Fusand’s lips despite himself. Their mentor had shown them how deceptive that emptiness could be - her own hidden camp was proof enough of that. Of course, he decided to keep that to himself.

’This woman has already trailed after us today, we shouldn’t talk about spots where Elua hides...’

"The terrain has more cover than it appears from here. There are gullies and other chunks of water eroded land to serve as hiding spots."

The woman spoke confidently and it wiped the smile off of the boy’s face. It was one thing to have read about things like that in accounts of terrain in the region, but he had been truly impressed when seeing it himself. It made the possibility more real and more thought provoking than mere text.

"And during the team events, most of the guards will be focused on crowd control near the fortress demonstration. If they make a run for it..."

He spoke quickly to show that he too could come up with a theory based on the information she had shared. Leysah ran her fingers through her hair from her forehead and slicked her bangs back. Her expression grew more urgent.

"I need to tell her what I saw of them. For simple thieves they were too practiced and too coordinated. This wasn’t some random theft of opportunity. It was a heist..."

She trailed off before clutching the hilts of her weapons.

"I should have reported it immediately. But something kept telling me to wait. That the Medical Fairy would know best what to do with the information. Even though that makes no sense - I barely know anything about her beyond what everyone says."

There was something almost mournful in her admission. Despite her obvious capability as a cultivator, she had a way of sounding like a kicked dog. Having been informed in part about the people that were attending the tea party yesterday, her behavior made Nohre a little - a lot - uncomfortable.

’Master... that Talva, Dima, and even your servant - how come the women that surround you are all so strange? Wait... am I...?’

A moment of dread that she was *anything* like those malformed adults surged through her spirit. The girl shook off the search for her own peculiarities... recognizing that they had more immediate concerns.

"We’ll make sure she gets this information. If ma- Elua wants to know more details..."

"I can wait here. Or return in a half hour, if that would be better."

Leysah offered first, understanding their hesitation. Part of her hoped they would agree to a later time so that she could get a towel to dry herself. Fusand nodded, glad they didn’t have to suggest it themselves.

"We’ll tell her you’ll be back here. That should give us time to report everything properly."

The woman’s shoulders relaxed at their acceptance of this arrangement. She stepped further back, giving them lots of clear space to leave.

"Thank you. I apologize again that I approached you so poorly."

The disciples retreated carefully, maintaining awareness of her position as they had been taught. Neither noticed the mint eyes glaring through the curved blade wielder... from the ’empty’ air they passed next to.