She gnced over at Kirara, who had finally drifted off, her breaths steady and soft. Kaede couldn’t help but envy her ability to fall asleep so easily, even in a situation like this.
Kaede’s fiwitched against the b. She whispered softly, “Alright Artificia, is it ready?”
"The's go." Kaede got off her bed, already dressed in her armour.
[Cover Move]
She instantly vanished in a transparent fsh of light.
Kaede materialized in a small, moonlit clearing in the Forest of Jura, her shield arm raised instinctively as she sed her surroundings. The soft rustling of leaves and distant chirps of noal creatures greeted her, but no immediate threats. She lowered her arm, taking a moment to steady her breath.
“Acer,” she whispered, her eyes searg the underbrush.
A faint hum echoed through the clearing, followed by a rustle of leaves as Acer emerged from behind Kaede herself. Acer's glowing eyes brighte the sight of her, and its viretched toward her in what seemed like a gesture of relief.
Kaede k, pg a hand on one of Acer’s vines. “Good girl. You stayed put, just like I asked.” She smiled faintly. "Were you spotted?"
Acer suddenly frowned and her vine arm poi a tree a few feet away.
Laying in the lowest branch of the tree, was a familiar ogre, his bck horn somehow gleaming uhe moon glow.
Kaede froze, her hand still resting on Acer’s vine as her gaze locked onto the ogre. He sat perched on the branch with an uling ease, his crimson eyes gleaming like embers in the shadows. His purple skin and bck horn seemed to blend into the night, but there was no mistaking the bandit that had her riled up a day ago.
“You’re quick,” the ogre said, his deep voice cutting through the stillness. “ She said you would show up tonight, however, I didn’t expect you to teleport. A you're no sorcerer.”
Kaede’s hand instinctively moved toward her shield, her eyes narrowing. “I thought you weren’t keen on staying here long.”
The ogre smirked, his fangs catg the light. "Of course, if we had fought anywhere but here, then I would be all too eager to leave. This forest, though... this is home.” He leaned forward slightly, trying to look imposing. “And you’ve wandered right into it, girl.”
Kaede didn’t flinch, though her mind raced. If this ogre had tracked Acer—or worse, been aware of its presehe eime—it meant he was far more dangerous than she’d initially assumed.
“What do you want?” she asked evenly, keeping her voice calm.
The ogre chuckled, low and gravelly. "It's actually quite simple. You're different, from all the others. Not many humans do something like that.” He gestured toward Acer, who emitted a low warning hum, its vines subtly shifting into a defeance.
Kaede looked fused, but shook her head slightly, clearing her mind. "Who are you by the way?"
The ogre seemed to think for a moment. "I... Have no name."
Kaede stepped back. "W-What?"
The ogre smiled. "That's why you're iing. Humans and monsters don't tend to mix very well. But here you are with a monster. You even named her. Now she's a named monster."
Kaede froze. "That wain, what does it mean? A named monster."
The ogre tilted his head, a glimmer of curiosity in his crimson eyes. "You really don’t know?" His tone was ced with both amusement and disbelief. "Naming a monster is more than just calling them something cute, girl. It’s a gift of power. The strohe name-giver, the strohe monster bees."
Kaede’s gaze flickered to Acer, who remaiill but hummed faintly in response. "A... gift of power? But I didn’t do anything like that. I just... named her."
The ogre’s smirk widened, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. "That’s the thing. Naming takes something out of the giver. If you didn’t notice, it means you’re strohan you look."
Kaede frowned, her fingers curling tighter around her shield strap, remembering how her exhaustion suddenly grew tenfold after she had named Acer.
"She called you mom." The ogre crossed his arms, leaning back against the tree trunk. "She trusts you."
"Mom?" She g Acer, whose glowing eyes met hers, and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. 'I just realized, I only ever referred to Acer as 'it' but if this ogre uahen she's a person now. She thinks of me as a mom. I'm a mom now.'
"Let’s get back to why you’re here," the ogre said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You didn’t just wander into the forest by act. So tell me, why are you skulking around in the dead of night?"
Kaede hesitated. Revealing too much could be dangerous, but lying wasn’t an optioher. Not with someone who seemed to see through her so easily.
"I needed a pce troup," she said carefully. "Somewhere safe, where I wouldn’t be found."
The ogre’s gaze bore into her, and for a moment, Kaede wondered if he was about to call her bluff. But instead, he snorted. "Safe? In the Forest of Jura? You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that."
"I doly have a choice," Kaede shot back, her tone firm.
The ogre chuckled, pushing off the tree. "Fair enough. But here’s the thing—this forest isn’t just some hideaway fitives. It’s full of dangers, some even strohan me."
Kaede’s grip on her shield tightened. "And you’re saying?"
The ogre’s smirk returhis time with an edge of danger. "Let’s just say I’ve got a history with this pce. But I’m not your enemy. Not yet, anyway."
Kaede’s brow furrowed. "Then why are you here? Why wait for me?"
The ogre’s expression shifted, his crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark. "Because..." His demeanour suddenly ged, his oppressive aura disappearing. "I need your help."
The sudden ge, threw Kaede for a loop. "Wha... What was that? What do you need me for?"
Kaede studied the ogre’s expression, his earlier cocky demeanor now repced by something far heavier. His gaze flicked away, as though gathering his thoughts. She didn’t press him, sensing that whatever he was about to share wasn’t easy for him to say.
“I wasn’t always... like this,” the ogre began, his voice quieter now. “I used to have a . A family.” He paused, as though the words themselves carried weight. “But I lost that long ago.”
Kaede tilted her head slightly, her curiosity piqued. "What happened?"
The ave her a wry smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "That’s not something I’m ready to tell. Not yet, anyway." He sighed, leaning back against the tree trunk. “Let’s just say... I was cast out. Banished.”
Kaede nodded slowly, deg not to push him further on that point. "So, you’ve been on your own sihen?"
“For a while, yeah. A me tell you, it’s not easy being a monster without a home. Every day was a struggle just to survive.” His crimson eyes dimmed slightly, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through his tough exterior. “I went through weeks of starvation, hiding from stronger creatures and humans alike.”
Kaede’s grip on her shield rexed, her expression softening. Despite his imposing appearance, she could see now that there was more to him than she had initially assumed.
“But then, I got lucky,” he tinued, his voice gaining a bit of warmth. “A group of farmers found me. I was barely hanging on at that point, but they didn’t care that I was a mohey nursed me back to health, gave me food, shelter... kindness.”
Kaede’s eyes widened slightly. "Humans helped you? Even knowing what you were?"
He nodded, a faint smile tugging at the er of his lips. “Not all humans are bad, I learhat the hard way. These people… they were just trying to survive themselves. They didn’t have much, but they still shared it with me.”
Kaede felt a pang in her chest at the thought. “What happeo them?”
The ogre’s expression darkened. "Falmuth happehe kingdom’s taxes were crushing them, bleeding them dry. Little by little, they were forced to leave the try—those who could, anyway. Some risked starvation just to get away. The ones who stayed…" He trailed off, his fists g.
Kaede frowned, her thoughts rag. She’d heard whispers of Falmuth’s harsh rule, but hearing it from someone who had lived through its effects made it all the more real. Especially sidering the area of the try she and the otherworlders lived in was pletely different from what he described.
“I couldn’t just stand by ahat happen,” the ogre said, his voice gaining an edge. “They saved me when no one else would. They gave me a sed ce. So, when they left Falmuth, I went with them. I vowed to protect them, no matter what.”
Kaede’s gaze softened. "So you became their protector?"
“Yeah,” he said simply, theated before adding, “But it wasn’t enough. More people joined us—farmers, peasants, people who’d been pushed to the brink by Falmuth’s rule. They needed food, supplies, a way to survive. And... that’s whearted stealing.”
Kaede’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Stealing? From Falmuth?”
The ogre nodded, his expression hardening. “They didn’t have a choice. They took only what we needed and only from the kingdom that had driveo this. I know it’s ly noble, but if it meant keeping those people alive, I’d do it again.”
Kaede stared at him for a moment, processing everything he’d said. She couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of admiration and uanding. “So, you’re not just a bandit. You’re... leading a group ees.”
"Refugees that are now prisoners in Falmuth's dungeon. They took the children too." The ogre sighed, though his fist gripped tighter.
"The reason why the third camp was rger." Kaede realized. "The other ts had the people capable of fighting, the third one was for everyone else. That's why it was so easy to take down. There weren't many fighters, just, women and children."
Kaede’s breath hitched at the revetion, her mind rag. She recalled the camp—the eerie stillness, the ck of resista hadn’t struck her at the time just how vulnerable the people there had been.
“Falmuth took them?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She ched her fists, anger bubbling up inside her. “Even the children?”
The ogre’s eyes darkened, his usual smirk repced by a grim frown. “Yeah. I'm not really sure they care that much.”
Kaede looked away, biting her lip.
“That’s why I’m here,” the ogre tinued, his voice rough but steady. “They wanted me to escape... but I o get them out. I don’t care what it takes.”
Kaede gnced back at him, her anger simmering just beh the surface. “You’re asking for my help.”
The ogre nodded. “You’re strong. Strohan most humans I’ve seen.” He motiooward Acer, who let out a low hum of aowledgment. “You care about more than just yourself. I see it in your eyes. That’s why I waited for you.”
Kaede hesitated, the weight of his words settling over her. She had already seen firsthand how cruel Falmuth could be. The otherworlders for example. The people in that dungeon didn’t deserve this, least of all the children. But getting involved would mean drawing even more attention to herself—attention she couldn’t afford.
“I...” she started, her voice faltering.
The ogre fell on his knees his crimson eyes bzing with determination. “I don't care what you ask of me. Please help me, and I'll serve you for as long as i live.”
Kaede swallowed hard, her mind rag. She thought of Kirara, still sleeping soundly back at the castle, blissfully unaware of what was happening outside these walls. She thought of Acer, who had trusted her without question.
Not again.
Her grip on her shield tightened, and she straightened her posture, her resolve hardening. “Alright,” she said finally. “I’ll help you.”
The ogre’s eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn’t fully expected her to agree. But then his lips curled into a genuine, relieved smile. “Thank you.”
“But,” Kaede added, holding up a finger, “we do this on my terms. No unnecessary risks. We get i them out, and we leave. Uood?”
The ogre chuckled, his smirk returning. “Fair enough. Now what was it you really came here for specifically.”
Kaede blinked, caught off guard by the question. Then she g Acer, whose glowing eyes watched her ily. "I'm looking for Veldora."