At their speed, the squad was able to come out of the strange forest within minutes.
Malakai instantly felt the change of vita density in the air. He frowned, sending a glance back towards the forest getting farther away as the seconds passed.
'Too bad.' He was fighting the urge to turn back and enter that forest in order to train.
He couldn't understand how the high vita hadn't spilled out into other parts of the forest. It was as though there was a barrier around that forest, blocking the vita from leaving.
He could see his strength improving by leaps and bounds if he trained undisturbed in that forest. But unfortunately, it was too dangerous.
He tore his gaze away from it and faced his front. He glanced at his squad members and took in their expressions. If there was one thing he was good at, it was observing and deducting.
Laila wore her emotions on her face. She was frowning. It was obvious that everything she just found out disturbed her.
Renlo had a relieved look on his face. And Malakai could glean that the boy didn't give much thought to everything they had just found out.
Instead, he was more focused on the fact that they had left that creepy forest unscathed.
Grunde was a tougher nut to crack. His face showed no emotion. He simply ran behind the squad with a calm look.
Malakai narrowed his eyes.
'He's hiding something.'
He didn't come to that conclusion based on his current expression. No. It was his actions that had rubbed Malakai the wrong way.
'The secret entrance…'
The group had never been on a mission to the Murkroot Hollow and yet Grunde had led them to a secret entrance to a forest no one knew anything about. Not only that…
'He was holding back.' During his fight with those savages, the Gor'Mekhai as the blood guardian had called them, he had been holding back. As though he didn't want to hurt them. It would seem Grunde was not as simple as he had thought.
They didn't stop on their way even as they passed by the walled city, and with their speed, they soon reached the high boundary and crossed into the Kaer Thorn district.
Eventually, they reached the base to meet their baffled Captain.
"Where the hell did y'all go to? Been looking everywhere for you." Captain Rhett stood at the entrance to the base along with a new face Malakai didn't recognize.
The captain had a stunned look on his face, seeing his squad members looking as though they had just returned from war.
Laila shot Rhett a glare that could pierce through steel and proceeded to ignore him.
"Good job out there today everyone. Including both of you," Laila said, turning towards Malakai and Renlo, flashing them a smile.
"Thank you, lieutenant!" Renlo said with a sharp salute.
Malakai shot him a what the hell are you doing look, causing the boy to clear his throat and look away, slightly embarrassed.
Malakai shook his head and turned towards Laila. "Thank you."
Laila nodded. And then, shooting the still baffled Rhett another glare, she stormed inside the base, wanting to be elsewhere from here.
"Hoo." Rhett let out a breath. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked.
"The captain is really dumb," Grunde suddenly said. He patted Rhett with his massive hand, shaking his head as he walked into the base.
Rhett looked even more confused. "Mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Rhett turned to Malakai.
"We had a mission. Where were you?"
Rhett scowled. "Ahhh, shit." He sighed. "So that's why she's pissed."
"You didn't answer my question." Malakai cut Rhett from his thoughts.
Rhett cleared his throat. "I was em…" he scratched the back of his head. "I was preoccupied. Yes, that."
Malakai stared at his captain for a few long seconds. He looked as though he wanted to stab the man.
"Who is he?" He decided to let it go and turned towards the man standing beside Rhett. The man flinched as Malakai's gaze fell on him. He bowed.
"I-it's an honor to meet the Ninth Vein!" he said, a little too loud. "I watched the hunt from beginning to end. You were awesome!"
Malakai didn't know how to react. The man was clearly in his thirties and looked it. The fact that he was currently acting like a fanboy left Malakai unsure of how to respond.
"…Thanks…" he replied after some seconds.
Rhett chuckled and placed his palm on the man's shoulder. "Oh right. This is Igyan."
'I know that name.' Earlier today, Laila had mentioned the same name.
"He came to fix the house?" he asked.
Rhett nodded. "Exactly. Since it was your idea in the first place, I'll let you iron out the details with him."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go grovel and beg." He waved and entered back into the base.
Malakai turned his gaze at Igyan who flinched and turned his eyes down.
The hours went by quickly.
And when the evening arrived, a loud shout echoed across the base.
Rhett burst out from a room on the middle floor, closing the wooden door behind him.
The crashing sound of a vase hitting the door reached his ears just as he leaned away from it.
Rhett wiped the sweat from his brows. "What the hell's gotten into her," he muttered under his breath.
He had done worse than what he did today, and usually, a few rounds of begging and pleading had always set things straight.
But this time, Laila hadn't seemed to hear anything he had to say, sending him away before he could even start begging.
Rhett shook his head. He frowned. He didn't like it when Laila was angry at him. It always made his heart beat weirdly.
'I'll let her cool down,' he thought, sighing. Gazing at her door for a moment, he turned and left.
Inside the room, Laila took deep, calming breaths, trying to stabilize her breathing.
'Why did I react like that?' She sighed deeply, placing a palm on her forehead. She regretted the way she had just acted.
She couldn't explain it. As soon as she had seen Rhett, the scene of her walking into the bedroom that night replayed in her mind.