Stranger Danger

"Who's that?"

Alex pointed to something in the distance.

"Izel doesn't know..." Izel claimed.

Alex, Izel, and Chloe were all near the waterfall, which has a medium-sized lake and a river that was connected to it. Next to the waterfall was the cave the three were about to enter before. Not far from where they were was someone sitting by the lake.

"Should we ask that person for directions?" Chloe asked, walking towards whoever was sitting by the lake.

"No, don't. We shouldn't speak to strangers carelessly." Alex warned, grabbing Chloe's shoulder with his right hand to stop her from going any further.

"Izel has great eyesight. Izel sees a lady with very long, dark brown hair." Izel pointed out.

"I wanted to ask her something... I mean, you're right for once, midget. Strangers danger, right?" Chloe said confidently, finally agreeing with Alex.

"Of course, I'm right. Unlike you, old hag, I'm not the reckless type. I don't suggest stupid ideas either." Alex argued back.

"At least I was suggesting something. Compared to a midget who is clueless, I actually know a few things. Way more than a mere baby like you do." Chloe replied, crossing her arms.

"I'm stronger than you!" Alex said loudly.

"All strength, no brains. All I did was ask you something. I don't do anything before I think about it thoroughly." Chloe claimed.

Izel stood there quietly. She watched the two fight because she didn't know what to do to stop the two of them. She tried to stop them multiple times, but the two just ignored her. Alex and Chloe continued to bicker as the lady chilling at the lake watched them.

...

{people are coming towards us at an accelerated speed.}

'Yes, I can sense them clearly. They're obviously trying to hide their presence. Are they trying to ambush me? No... They seem to be in a rush. Don't tell me it's that sly fox...'

{First, you call him an annoying detective and now, you've changed that to a sly fox.}

'He IS sly. Just like a fox.'

Master, shouldn't we get rid of him first? He'll keep following us if we don't. It'll become troublesome later on.

'Hm... You're right. The only question is, can I defeat him in this form? The men he brought with him won't be a problem. However, if we're talking about fighting with almost a dozen men AND the sly fox himself. Plus, I'm a little injured from the fight I had with that angel. I'm not in my best condition if you couldn't tell.'

I apologize for my rudeness, I only wanted to say that it would be better to get rid of all problematic things before they become even more problematic.

'Thanks for the suggestion. I know the sly fox is a huge obstacle. I completely agree with your statement. I'll take care of him when I'm confident I can defeat him.'

Understood, Master.

'Alex, Izel, and Chloe should be around here somewhere. Oh, there they are. What are they doing, standing there?'

Rem looked around, spotting a lady sitting near the lake. Her feet were in the lake, as if she was bathing, except she has clothes on.

'Why's she staring at those three? Ah... We made eye contact.'

Rem stared at the lady for a good minute. Then, she inspected her stats.

<Inspect Status>

[Name: Samia]

[Race: Naiad]

[Role: Protector Of Crystal Falls]

[Level: ???]

[HP: ???/???]

[MP: ???/???]

[Element: Water]

'I don't think I've ever seen a naiad in my past and current life. Did they even exist back then? I don't know. If they did, I don't remember it. Well, as long as she doesn't attack us, I won't do anything.'

{Naiads are nymphs. They live and were born to protect something or somewhere. Usually, they would never attack anyone if you don't go near them and whatever they're protecting. In some cases, they will attack you. That's extremely rare though. The naiad over them looks like she's only watching you and those three. Unless they approach her, the naiad probably won't attack.}

Rem ran towards the three, making sure not to frighten them for appearing so suddenly.

'I better bring them out of this place. It's bad enough that we've gotten banished from the Elven Kingdom by the Elven King himself. Since those three are with me, the elves most likely won't treat them well anyway. This forest is dangerous for three kids to run around. Who knows what may be lurking in it?'

Rem tapped Alex's shoulder.

"Whaaaa??!" Alex jolted, letting out a yelp.

"Who told you guys to leave the Elven Kingdom?" Rem asked, beginning to scold the three youngsters.

Izel and Chloe pointed at Alex. Alex glared at the two girls who pointed at him, avoiding Rem's menacing gaze.

"Do you know how dangerous this forest can be? This isn't a normal forest. Many other powerful beings live here. Next time, don't go anywhere without my permission. At least not until you're stronger so you can yourselves properly."

Rem continued to scold the three in front of her for another few minutes.

"Got it?"

Rem stared at the three, waiting for them to answer her.

"Yes!" Alex and Chloe said at the same time.

"Izel understands." Izel nodded.

"May Izel ask a question?"

Izel faced Rem, looking at her seriously in the eyes.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Who's that lady sitting over there? Izel is curious."

Izel pointed at the lady near the lake.

"You mean the lady who has been watching us ever since I arrived here?"

Rem raised her brow as she asked the question.

"Mhm."

Izel nodded.

"She's a naiad." Rem gave Izel a simple and short answer.

"Ohhh...!"

Alex and Chloe said at the same time in amazement.

"Why are you copying me???" They both yelled at each other, saying this at the same time once again.

"Pah!" Alex said, turning his head to the right.

"Humph!" Chloe said, turning her head to the left.

The two turned their heads at the same time, in the opposite direction of each other. None of the two wanted to see either one of their faces.

'That's a first... I feel like these days, I've experienced and saw way too many firsts. Geez, if I hadn't known that they're not related in any way, I would have thought they were twins or something...!'

Rem sighed as she rubbed her temples.

'Kids these days... Why do I feel like a parent? Is this how parents feel whenever their children fight? I honestly don't know since I never had a child before. At least not that I remember.'

Rem glanced at the naiad who was still watching them. Suddenly, she sensed a few people coming towards where she was.

'I can't let them notice that I'm here!

"We need to leave this instant." Rem said with a serious face and tone.

This caused Alex and Chloe to shut up immediately.

"I'll help." An unfamiliar voice said aloud.

Suddenly, a bubble surrounded Rem, Alex, Izel, and Chloe.

'What in the world...?'

Surprised, Rem touched the huge, human-sized bubble that surrounded her.

'It's water, but it doesn't pop... I can also breathe inside it. Hm...'

Rem stared at her hand she used to touch the bubble. After that, she wiped the water away with the hem of her shirt. She saw the other three in bubbles as well. The others seemed surprised just like Rem was.

'Glad that they're alright. Anyways, who's doing this?'

Rem looked around. The only ones she saw were herself, Alex, Izel, Chloe, and the lady.

'Was it that naiad's doing?' Rem wondered.

The naiad went in the water. The bubbles quickly went underwater too.

'Yep, it's the naiad.' Rem confirmed.

The four went underwater with the naiad. They kept going down, and down, and down.

...

"Where could that monster be??? I saw the monster in Alkia. After that, I followed it. The monster was faster than me... I couldn't keep up. Despite this, I could sense it. Why did its presence disappear all of a sudden?" Lawrence mumbled, getting frustrated.

"Should we go back?" One of the knights asked.

"Of course... NOT! Failure is not an option. Spread around and try to find the monster. Fire the device immediately after you spot it. This will be our meeting spot. Don't think about slacking off. GO!" Lawrence demanded, emitting an aura that made the knights tremble and become horrified of him.

"All monsters should die...! Especially ones like that one! None of them deserve to live!!!" Lawrence yelled in anger, walking away from the lake.