Liam looked around and found a proper place to hide Luna first.
He then entered [Stealth] and moved ahead by himself for scouting purposes. All of his soul minions had given the same response so he wanted to find out just what lay ahead.
He snuck beneath the trees and the dense brambles and moved for a while when the forest finally opened into a clearing.
However, before he could take another step forward he heard rustling sounds nearby and saw a group of barbarians walking towards him.
Liam immediately redid his [Stealth] and backed away a little. He did not even breathe and waited for the group to walk past him.
Thankfully, the barbarians did not sense him at all. They almost brushed past his body, walking so close to him but they did not detect him.
Only after the group crossed him, Liam took a deep breath.
He once again ducked out of the cluster of branches to take a look at the scene in front of him and he finally understood what his minions were talking about.
Ahead of him were huge gigantic boulders blocking the terrain and as for the path in between these boulders, there was an entire horde of barbarians settled in between them.
It looked like he had run into one of the military camps and there was simply no place to hide or take cover.
"So this was what the elves were talking about?"
Liam further retreated back a few steps into the safety of the dense forest. He definitely had to make some plans before continuing forward and for that, he needed some more information.
"What do you guys know about this camp?" He enquired the soul minions who were of only a little help.
He tried asking them in a bunch of different ways but they did not seem to know the answers. Only the ones in the camp probably knew the details of the camp.
"Hmmm. That's fine. I will just have to lure one or two and ask them about it."
It was either this or he had to travel a significant amount of distance to go around this camp which once again might not be fruitful as he could run into another settlement or another camp.
Taking a deep breath, Liam once again entered [Stealth] and started stalking the entire stretch of the campsite.
Though the campsite looked very crowded and rowdy at first sight, there was nothing special going on in the area.
The barbarians were simply spending their time in leisure. Some of them were strolling about, some were roasting their dinner, and some were simply sleeping in their tent-like structures.
Of course, there were also the ones involved in carnal pleasures and simple brawls, both activities having a lot of spectators watching the show.
What particularly stood out was their brutal nature. When the brawl ended, the winner casually broke the neck of the loser and crushed his skill by jumping on his head repeatedly, putting the weight of the entire body.
The others also cheered for the winner by shouting in high spirits. The barbarians were complete savages without a single ounce of respect or kindness for even their kith and kin.
If Liam was caught in the midst of this group, then he did not have to imagine the consequences. He made sure to remain inconspicuous and continued observing the campsite.
After a while, he finally had a rough idea about the total numbers in this area. There were more than a hundred barbarians blocking their path.
"Hmmm… this is troublesome. If possible, a direct conflict had to be avoided in this place." Liam decided to do another round just to be sure. At the same time, an idea was slowly forming in his mind about how to cross this place and reach the other side.
Not long after, he returned back to the spot where Luna was resting and picked up the little fox.
He fed a few persimmons to the fox and then summoned his small personal troop of soul minions. It was time to make a move. He now had a solid plan.
Before leaving he glanced at the elves one last time and asked again, "Are you comfortable just tagging behind me like this? I am warning you. This time you won't be able to do that. Either come with me or you will face the same fate as before."
He waited for a couple of seconds but the elves did not show any response. "Fine. Your wish." Liam ignored them and started his work.
He took out armor and chest guards from his inventory and made himself look bulkier like a barbarian. He then covered himself with a black cloak.
Well, the disguise was not perfect but it would take someone a couple of seconds to notice that something was wrong. All the elves stared at him in shock.
Liam continued to ignore them and double-checked himself a couple of times. He shoved the fox inside one of the armors and finished the final touches. "Alright, I am ready now."
Seeing that Liam was really leaving, the elves gulped in fear. They looked at each other and finally, Lyana stood up after making a decision. The group started following Liam again, this time more closely.
Liam shook his head helplessly. "If you are going to follow me again, then we need to do something else. Don't simply stand there."
These past few hours he had observed the campsite, he had managed to collect a few items, chains and cuffs to be specific.
He took out the bunch from his inventory and tossed it in front of the elves. "You will have to act as my slaves if this is going to be successful."
After a few seconds of hesitation, the elves finally relented and started changing into their roles as well. As it was, they looked tired and haggard so they did not have to do much to play the part.
Liam glanced at the group and everything looked satisfactory. "Now we are ready." He smiled and started walking, everyone else following his lead.
