This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Kain and Aria explored around the southern half of the lake, making sure to remain covered by the vegetation.

Kain also had the additional task of keeping an eye on Aria.

Thankfully, she wasn't causing any trouble. However, her face was strangely flushed whenever he checked on her.

If diseases weren't practically unheard of in this world, he'd be worried that she was sick with something.

An hour later they met back up as planned with the other three.

"Any chance you guys spotted the target? We did find an Astral Stag group, but neither the leader nor any of the members of the group had a flag" Kain asked hopefully.

They all shook their heads. "No luck. However, we did come across Addison's group. They said that they'd keep a look out for Astral Stags with a flag if we also kept an eye out for their target—A Mirror Hummingbird nest. Apparently, there should be a small badge with the college's crest inside of the nest."

"Hmm…I haven't seen a single Mirror Hummingbird, but I'll keep an eye out."

"Sigh… what do we do now then?" Fiona asked.

"All we really can do…keep searching. We only have the rest of today and all of tomorrow to find the flag. We're extremely far from the meetup spot so we need to every minute count," Kain stated in a resolute tone.

It had been almost exactly 12 hours since they had woken up and the sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the landscape.

"Alright, all of us will head back to the southern part of the lake. Maybe the Astral Stag group we saw earlier moved to another location, possibly one with the spiritual plants they like to eat. Then we'll have a second location we can search. At the same time, we'll keep an eye out for potential nesting spots for the Mirror Hummingbird."

"What does their nest look like anyway?" Aria asked.

Sigh

All of them couldn't help but let out a breath in exasperation.

"They were literally one of the main subjects of yesterday's lecture. They are attracted to shining things, therefore their nests are a combination of shining spiritual plants, their own mirror-like feathers, and their saliva as glue. Therefore, their nests from afar may just appear as a shining spot," Finn said.

Aria, not realizing that she was the cause of their irritation, suddenly perked up. "Actually, I think I remember seeing something unusual around the south end of the lake earlier, but I didn't get a good look."

Kain raised an eyebrow, glancing at Aria. "Something unusual? What do you mean?"

Aria's cheeks flushed suddenly once again, "I-It was just a glimpse of something bright and shimmering near the trees, but it could have been anything."

"Alright, we'll meet up with Addison's group and start with that lead then. If it really is a Mirror Hummingbird Nest, then they owe us and we'll have more eyes looking for our target," Kain decided. "Finn, Fiona, Liam. You guys lead the way to where you saw the others."

The group then headed to the North, with Kain and Aria following at the back.

Kain couldn't help but notice Aria's flushed face again. He decided to address it directly. "You've been acting a bit off all day. Is something bothering you, Aria?"

Aria's eyes widened slightly, and she seemed to struggle for words. "Eeek! I-I-It's nothing, really."

Kain frowned. "If you're not feeling well, it's okay to say so. We can take a break or—"

"No, really, I'm fine," Aria interrupted, forcing a smile. "Let's just focus on the search."

Kain nodded reluctantly, but he kept a closer eye on her as they moved, and as he did so he noticed that her complexion kept getting a deeper and deeper shade.

'There's definitely something wrong with her.'

As they made their way north, the sun lighting began to dim and the sky was painted with shades of orange and pink.

"This is where we met them last time… I think this is their team's meet up spot" Finn said, as the group stopped next to a tree with an X carved into it.

The group was too cautious to risk calling out to Addison in case it attracted the spiritual creatures by the lake. The forest had grown quieter as the day transitioned to dusk, and the canopy above cast deep shadows on the ground.

Thankfully, after a few moments, Addison's group emerged from the forest.

"What are you guys doing back here already. Don't tell me you've already managed to find some clues. Or did you just miss me Finn?" she said jokingly.

"We did actually get a lead for your task. However, before tell you we once again need to confirm that you will repay the favour."

This time another boy stepped forward, Dwayne, the 6th ranked trainee just outside of the top 5, and the leader of Addison's group.

"We promise to also help you look for your target once we get our badge." He stated.

"I'm going to need something more substantial than empty promises. If we do find this badge based on our lead, we'll be holding onto it to make sure you hold up your end of the deal." Kain said.

Dwayne frowned, before stepping back to communicate with the rest of his team.

Fortunately, after a few minutes they agreed to the deal. Although everyone except for Addison appeared quite upset about it.

With Addison's group joining forces, they retraced their steps southward. The sky was now a deep, velvety blue with the first stars appearing. The air had grown cooler, and the sounds of the forest seemed to have taken on a more serene quality.

As they approached the area where Aria had seen the shimmer they continued their search, scanning the ground and the trees for any sign of a shimmering nest. However, likely due to the lack of sunlight the nest was much harder to spot at night than during the day.

Aria, looking increasingly weary, suggested, "Maybe we should take a break for the night and start fresh tomorrow. I don't think we'll find it like this"

Kain glanced at the others who also all looked exhausted and nodded. "Alright, let's set up camp a further distance from the lake. Make sure not to make too much noise or start a fire. We can continue the search in the morning."

The group dragged their tired bodies about a half hour from the lake to be safe and set up camp.

The forest around them was quiet, the only sounds being the distant calls of nocturnal creatures.

After coordinating the look-out shifts for both groups with Dwayne, those not on first watch went to sleep. Or at least they tried to. Both groups were covered by an air of anxiety.

Kain knew that time was running short, and they had to make every effort count. Tomorrow would be their last chance to complete the task and secure the flag, and still have enough time to head back to the meet-up location.

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