Safe to say, that I ended up going along with Steel and Rez to patrol the surrounding of the Forest.
But there's still something that's not fully understood, why do they have to do that?
Marcilene is an elf, wouldn't other elves be okay to enter towns.
"Why do you patrol?"
I ask, as Steel flicked his hand to discard of the blood on his hands and as Rez swings the sword after pulling it out of his own bear like creature, with a snout of an owl.
Rez looks at me with a dumb look, and a puff of air.
And Steel tilts his head.
"Is something wrong with your other eye?"
Steel asks.
"No, I mean, do you patrol because of the elves?"
Steel and Rez give each other a glance.
"Not necessarily because of the elves, Lazuli."
Steel pauses.
"It's more of ahhh…."
He looks around and snaps as if trying to find the words.
"More of a safety precaution."
Rez finishes for Steel.
"Yeah. A safety precaution."
He reiterates for me.
Steel swipes the blood of his hand a bit more and walks closer to me.
"But the many reason I do it is because I need to protect both you and Marcilene."
He says as he pats my head.
"And if you want to protect Marcilene too, you'll have to learn to shoot with the bow."
He moves his hand off my head.
"I'll give you the best advice I can, but after your tutor comes over, she'll take over."
"Who's going to be his tutor?"
Rez asks.
"Someone I knew from the war…"
He answers with a groan.
"Oh, well. I should maybe teach my son to a little sword play soon, he says he wants to be a knight. I'll have to train him."
Steel chuckles.
"Good luck, I disliked using a sword."
Rez followed his chuckle, turning and walking away.
"Yeah, I can see that, you just coat yourself in Soul Energy and punch everything that moves."
Steel laughs.
As he follows Rez.
I pause for a second. Wondering if I truly can become better.
'No, I need to, the last time I didn't have a chance, I was unable to protect myself along with Marcilene, I'll not let that happen again.'
A slightly click sound is heard.
Steel and Rez talking loudly, maybe unable to hear it.
I've, unknowingly been looking into the forest as I stayed deep in thought.
The clicking sound happens again.
I look deeper but I can't see anything.
Taking a few steps closer to the treeline I look for the sound.
It's too dark and the sun isn't looking like it's going to rise quickly enough.
Reluctantly, I slowly pull up my eyepatch.
My eye catches sight of two faint orange auras, their figures still, completely still.
I look at it for a while staring.
My hand reaches for the bow and I slowly began to lift it.
"What's happening!"
Steel says as I jump back.
Making me stop lifting the bow, before it even reaches the halfway point of me aiming.
Steel is still with Rez as they pause to look back at me.
"Hurry boy, we don't have all morning to be out here, Marcilene will freak if she doesn't find you asleep."
Steel tells me.
"Yes. I'll be there."
I turn back, eye patch still up.
The glowing aura are both gone.
After that I move away from the treeline, pull my eye patch back over my eye and walk back over toward Steel and Rez.
They continue talking as I follow after them.
'Who was that?'
The silhouettes did look human like.
Unless there's a clicking creature.
'Wait!'
"Steel, Rez… is there a clicking animal?"
'I forgot I was with them.'
Both of them turn to me and their faces look like I've just told them I saw Satan himself.
"You heard clicking? Let me ask, was the clicking the same as the ones you heard the night of that the slavers caught you?"
Steel asked.
And Rez paid complete attention to what he said, then waited for what I said to be heard.
"I'm not fully sure, I'd say so."
Then the memories of the white figured man and the orange figured girl.
Steel opens his mouth to speak, but instead I interrupt him.
"Yes! It was the same, they are the ones that helped us."
I say with a smile.
But they don't share the same feelings, it seems as they look between each other.
Rez opens up first and begins to walk with urgency.
"Get your armor Steel. I'll try and hold this area make sure it's clear."
Steel nods.
"Don't go in there and try to fight them off alone."
Rez nods.
"Wasn't planning to."
Steel with some pep in his step.
"Follow me Lazuli."
He calls for me along with him waving his hand to call me over.
"We're going home for now, you need to go back to sleep anyway."
I walk over to him.
"Wait I thought I was supposed to follow you for the rest of your patrol."
"No, that's changed."
"Why?"
"Because these guys are way more dangerous than you think."
"Even more dangerous than that weird bear with a beak?"
Steel stops and looks at me.
"Way more dangerous."
We have just entered the outskirts of the villiage.
Steel continues his speed walking again, moving as fast as he can so that he can get to our house faster.
But my feet can't keep up with his speed walk so I've had to move into a run to even hold up next to him.
I do feel it though the heaviness on my eyes, most likely I'm meant to be asleep for much longer so that my body can grow, but Steel needed me to wake earlier so that I could train.
We pass some houses, as I try to keep up with Steel, I don't feel like he'll be open to the suggestion of slowing down for me to catch up.
My now nearly drops in my hand as I trip and get back into track.
We reach the house house in a quicker time than it took to get to the forest.
"I'll just put on my armor, and the gauntlets then leave."
He opens the gate to the housing area.
Breaking into a jog, that I can't keep up with at all.
He opens the door.
As I still try to make it past the gate, I rush as fast as I can to get to the door and when I enter I end up seeing Steel in leather armor, the heavy metal gauntlets clinking slightly.
"How long will you be away?"
Steel straps himself with the armor tighter.
"About a few hours later."
I nod.
"No need to tell Marcilene, but if she asks just say I took on someone else's shift."
Steel told after he strapped another piece of armor around his body, his shirt, sticking to his body as the leather exposes the abs under it.
"Yes, Steel."
"Good."
Steel walk past me and pats my head the metal cold against my head, it must have been about a week since he's put that on.
He walks out the door, then after a few steps out, he reaches the gate, then he breaks into a full sprint as he gets past it, most likely not wanting to leave Rez there for any longer than he should be.
Soon the sun rises slightly over the trees of Warren Forest. Shining light over the village.
~~~
Far off in the distance of it all, just reaching the square of Terafor.
The Countryside.
She looks at the map carved on wooden board guiding her to toward a village called, Squea.