Chapter 262: Return

Oof! A perfect chapter to return back to the business. Though my exams are still far from over, I am at least less busier than before. Though I can't promise daily updates this month, I promise you 7 chapters a week. And while we are at it, give my new book a try- one that I published from an alternate account. Title-

Secret Society: Grand Elder Chronicles

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Adrian and Irene jumped on their steeds and departed the place.

Though they could have moved much faster without the woolly animals below them, Adrian was just too lazy to use his feet.

After killing all the stray animals that stood in their way, they reached the hollow mountain where they once took rest. As there were no peering eyes on them anymore, they uses all their powers. But once they passed through the entrance of the camps, they covered their head again.

Their appearance attracted the attention of everyone, along with their scowls. Weren't there seven members in the party? Why were there two now?

The old man in charge of the camp heard the commotion and rushed towards the duo. The other present members surrounded Adrian and Irene as well.

"Lad. Where are the others?" The man asked with worry.

The duo hopped down to the ground. "I am sorry." Adrian said with a low voice. "We are the only ones who survived."

Silence. Utter silence.

But moments later, a commotion waved across the circle of crowd.

"Silence!" The old man yelled. "What happened?" He asked the hooded Adrian.

"We found our target- the serpent. But it was stronger than we expected and..."

"And?"

"Too close to the death zone."

Collective gasps could be heard among the grounds.

"How did you survive?" The man scowled.

"We were ordered to act as the rear guard, so that we can defend against any other stray creatures that appear and approach the tunnel."

The old man sighed. "Did you confirm anything?"

Adrian shook his head. "I wanted to, but once I got closer, I felt a terrible sense of foreboding, along side a force that attracted me forward. I felt that if I moved even a single step forward, I would not be able to return."

"I understand." The old man sighed yet again. "Whoever wandered too close to the death zones and survived said the same... I guess the other five were too engrossed in fighting the damned serpent."

"It's my fault..." Adrian lowered his tone even further, adding a melancholic charm to his voice.

"Don't blame yourself, lad." The old man patted Adrian's shoulder. "Go on, take some rest. It was too much for your first mission."

Adrian meekly nodded and sauntered to their tent as Irene slowly followed.

The remaining members of the camp, exchanged some words and returned back to their work. It was sort of an usual occurrence for them. Hunting was a hazardous occupation after all. But what was a little surprising were the fact that it was an elite team that was killed in action. Moreover, it they wandered into one of the notorious death zones.

And both of these were rare occurrence.

At the centre of the camp was the biggest tent of them all- the main tent. It was both the living quarters of the head of the camp, and the command centre of the camp.

The old man rushed into the camp, followed by some of his closest aides.

"Did you really believe those newbies?" One of his aides, a tall and burly man asked. "Dorian was one of the best in his field. It is unlike him to be killed by a death zone out of all places."

"I might have not believed them if it were anyone else." The old man sat on a bench shook his head.

"What do you mean?" The burly guy frowned.

"I was the one who trained Dorian. He is- was- a reckless boy who took too much risk. It was due to the luck that he achieved from his boldness that he completed all those dangerous missions. It seems he finally ran out of that luck."

"But still... it's not everyday we lose hunters to death zones. The last time we lost a team was many years ago. There's definitely more to it just than an accident." The tall aide stood his ground.

"Are you saying the newbies are responsible? Some kids who are barely low level circlers?" The old man gave him a look.

"Anything can happen when you are facing high level monsters..."

"You are thinking too much." The old man sighed. "Go and take some rest. And don't make trouble for the kids. They had no reasons to kill Dorian and his team. And they already faced too much on their first mission."

The aide sighed as well. "As you order."

Unbeknownst to them, alongside the top officials of the camp, there was someone else listening in the tent- someone uninvited.

And it was none other than the old man's shadow itself.

"Good call, old man." Adrian smirked inside his tent. "Looks like you will be able to survive a little bit longer.

As there were no more onlookers amongst them, Adrian removed the heavy robe and hanged it on the wall. Irene did the same as well. Though she had no emotions, she at least knew the difference between comfort and discomfort. Moreover, the coldness was her territory.

The day passed without any disturbances, and so did the night.

Both Adrian and Irene readied themselves and moved out as soon as the sun peaked out from the eastern horizon. A caravan of Grizzled Yaks stood on the frozen field, ready to depart.

"Good morning, newbies." The old man greeted them. "Had a good sleep?"

Both Adrian and Irene remained silent.

The old man sighed, understanding their turmoil. "Relax. As I said, this is not your fault. Return to Edenshield with this caravan, and take a few weeks off from hunting. Once you think you are ready, you can go out on missions again."

He added some other words of consolation before waving them bye.

They mounted a Yak and departed with the caravan towards Edenshield.

As the caravan was large, with dozens of seasoned hunters, no beasts dared to stand in their way. And the ones who did, met their demise.

And after a hike, that was easier than the last, they finally entered Edenshield.

But apparently, the fortress city turned out to be more dangerous than the snowy wilderness.