Will of a Prince

Jacob and Slimo woke up to everyone chatting around the fire. They sat up quickly and looked at each other.

"Did you get hit too?"

Jacob rubbed his head.

"Yup."

"Should we say something to them about it?"

"Absolutely not... if you value your life that is."

Slimo paled.

"You’re right. Let’s just join them and see where she’s going to lead us."

Slimo and Jacob slowly walked over to the group. Slimo sat next to Lidia and gave Squabee a mean stare.

"Aren’t you going to tell us something?"

Squabee looked at him with curiosity.

"I believe I’ve already told you all everything. What else do you need to know?"

"I can sense it. You have a Zalo. Tell us how it works."

Squabee seemed to be shocked to hear this.

"What? What do you mean I have a Zalo? I don’t have any crazy powers like that."

"Stop lying to us. I can sense it in your being."

"Well, if I do have one, I have zero clue what it is or how it works. I’m sorry."

"That’s not good enough. Figure it out soon."

Lidia stared at Slimo with a menacing glare, causing him to flinch.

"I mean... just take your time figuring it out. No rush at all!"

Lidia smiled brightly and patted Slimo on the head. She stood up and announced to the whole group.

"Well, that’s enough laying around. Let’s go find our friends! Squabee, you can lead the way."

Everyone slowly started getting up and stretching. Maria walked over to Jacob and gave him a small hug and kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush. Slimo had built them wooden packs to carry a small amount of items in. Doc started packing a bunch of extra herbs to carry for any medicine or seasoning they may need. It was also the lightest thing to carry, so it wouldn’t be too harsh on his old bones. Maria and Jacob were in charge of carrying the water while everyone else was simply on the lookout for any dangers they may face on the way. As they walked, Lidia tried talking with Squabee more.

"So, about this camp. How many people live in it? Is it the main headquarters or are there multiple camps? What exactly do you all do in there?"

Squabee thought to herself for a moment before answering.

"Well, our base that we are living in is simply a prison camp. Our job has to do with capturing and converting as many people as possible. However, we aren’t the main camp or headquarters at all. That information is secret even among the wardens of the camp. If I were to guess how many people are working there right now, I would estimate three hundred."

"Three hundred?! And that’s only one camp?!"

"Yup! I hear the main base has thousands of followers."

"How powerful are the leaders, the wardens of your camps?"

"Hm... I would probably say that one of them is enough to take down an infant leviathan. Actually, that may be giving them way too much credit. That’s just what it feels like to me. However, it may also depend on the camp they are assigned to. I just know that they are truly terrifying individuals."

Slimo looked like he was going to get sick.

"Someone who’s capable of taking down a leviathan alone. Power like that isn’t human. It can’t be, can it?"

"See for yourself when you get there. Again, I don’t have any experience fighting powerful creatures so how am I supposed to tell?"

Lidia’s heart dropped slightly.

"Wait, you mean to say you’ve never fought a creature before? Even though you’ve been wandering these areas for a while? How long exactly have you been travelling?"

"I’ve been away from the camp for over six months at this point."

"Six months?! Are you sure you haven’t at least seen an infant beast?!"

"Nope! Not one!"

"What kind of crazy luck is that?! That’s simply insane!"

Slimo interrupted them.

"Wait, if you’ve been gone for six months, how are you sure that they will let you back into the camp?"

Squabee seemed to get slightly nervous hearing this question.

"Ah, well, you see... I-"

She started twirling her hair and looking away trying to pretend she was never asked the question. Slimo suddenly stopped the whole group upon coming to a sudden realization.

"Wait a minute. You aren’t allowed back, are you? That’s why you wanted to join our group!"

Sqaubee scratched her head and looked at everyone shyly.

"Oops. Looks like I’ve been caught."

"What was your plan for when we got back?! Were you planning on using us as new prisoners to earn your way back in with the group?"

"Absolutely not! That was plan B in case plan A didn’t work out!"

"What the hell was plan A?!"

"Prison break! Sounds exciting, right? Isn’t that why you all are going with me anyway?"

"Well, yes but we thought you would be able to get us inside on your own! Now we need to find a way to break in without your help. Tell us everything you know about the camp. All the entrances, guard outposts, everything."

Squabee pouted.

"More information? Do I have to?"

Lidia have Squabee a death glare.

"... right on it!"

Squabee describe the intricate layout to everyone with extraordinary detail. She even told them about this entrance that led close to where everyone was being held. Lidia started patting her back as they continued walking.

"See, was that really so difficult?"

"Yes. Telling information makes me so sleepy all the time."

Slimo stared at her, his face full of doubt.

"Yah, that. Or maybe because you are constantly using your Zalo at full blast every moment that you’re awake. I can practically feel the power touching me from all the way over here. How do you not know what it is yet? If you’ve been using it at full power all this time, that must be exhausting. You should learn to control its output."

"Well how am I supposed to control it if I don’t know what it is?! I’m sorry that I don’t have some flashy power that brightens the night sky for you!"

Suddenly, Slimo ran in front of the group and stopped them. Far ahead through the thicks leaves and tall grass was a stone statue. Lidia walked up to Slimo out of curiosity. His face was pale and stricken with fear. His legs started shaking slightly. She grabbed his shoulder, causing him to flinch.

"Is everything okay, Slimo? You look pale."

"You all didn’t feel that?! It was only for less than a second, but my senses were all screaming at me to stay away from that statue. What the hell is a statue doing in the middle of a forest anyway?!"

Lidia tried staring through the leaves covering the top half of the statue. There seemed to be a very small circular clearing surrounding the statue. Out of curiosity, Lidia kept walking forward. Slimo reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her. Lidia looked back at him confidently.

"It must’ve been your imagination. It’s just a statue."

After a few deep breaths, Slimo let Lidia guide him and everyone else towards the small clearing. Jacob looked at Maria, smiled, then grabbed her hand as well as they walked.