After the Goblins escaped from Thirteen's Mercenary Squad, the Wanderers were finally able to breathe a little easier.
Now that the vines that hid their Tree House from the sight of the monsters that roamed the forest were gone, they no longer felt safe staying there.
Thirteen, who had plenty of spare clothes in his storage ring, gave the Wanderers something to wear because their clothes had been ripped apart by the Goblins.
Fortunately, none of them died. Even the boys were spared because the Goblins didn't think that they were a threat to them.
"I have a question, Zion," Phoebe said after making sure that everyone on her team hadn't suffered any serious injuries from the Goblin attack. "Do you know someone named Rianna?"
"Yes," Thirteen replied. "Do you know her?"
Thirteen was quite surprised that Phoebe knew the girl, whom he hadn't seen for the past three years after completing the quest in the Valbarra Archipelago.
"I knew it!" Phoebe said, as she looked at the boy in front of her, who had removed his steel helm. "She talks a lot about you. Rianna often said that she might not have been able to make it back home if not for your help.
"She even told me that if I happen to come across you here in Solterra, I should tell you how thankful she is for your help. She, Cristopher, Harry, and her Hunting Party Members are now part of a group, who communicated with each other frequently in Pangea."
A faint smile appeared on Thirteen's face after hearing that everyone seemed to be getting along.
What he needed the most were connections. He didn't know what the background of the other Wanderers were aside from Cristopher and Harry.
If their parents were Business Tycoons in Pangea, wouldn't that be amazing?
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Do you know what Rianna's background is?" Thirteen asked.
"… You don't know?" Phoebe asked with wide eyes. "You really don't know?"
"I didn't ask her anything about her private life," Thirteen shrugged. "Everyone was just busy trying to survive, so knowing their family background was not important."
"I see." Phoebe nodded in understanding. "She did say that you were someone who did things your way, and only asked for help when it was needed. I think someone who doesn't like to meddle with the private life of others is a good person."
Thirteen arched an eyebrow because he was far from being a good person. But, being labeled as a good person was useful, so he didn't correct her.
"You still haven't answered my question," Thirteen replied. "What kind of background does Rianna have?"
Phoebe hesitated for a bit before giving her answer.
"Rianna and everyone here came from Military Families," Phoebe replied. "That is all that I can tell you because the rest is her private matter."
Thirteen nodded and decided not to pry any longer. He could just investigate her once he returned to Pangea, which he believed to be happening very soon.
"What do you plan to do now?" Thirteen inquired. "Do you wish to stay here?"
"No," Phoebe answered in a heartbeat. "This place is no longer safe. Can we come with you? Rianna told me that as long as I am with you, everything will be fine."
Phoebe had short black hair and brown eyes, which could have made anyone mistake her for a boy with delicate features.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Thirteen had a feeling that she had cut her hair before she was sent to Solterra, so that it wouldn't get in the way if she were to fight.
In fact, the other girls and boys who were part of her team all had short hair, which he believed to be a tradition among the Military Families in Pangea.
Just like how some soldiers would shave their heads when they joined the army, these children came here perfectly knowing that they would have to fight for their lives.
"Okay, you can come with me." Thirteen then looked in the direction where the other Wanderers were last seen by Vassago. "But, I still need to meet the leader of the other group of Wanderers on this island."
"Are you talking about Herman's group?" Phoebe asked. "Why do you need to talk to them?"
"I want to know if all of you have the mission called, Enter the Gate of the Moonlight," Thirteen replied.
"Yes, that is exactly what our mission is." Phoebe nodded. "Is that your mission as well, Zion?"
"No," Thirteen replied. "But, I believe that it has a connection to it."
The ten-year-old boy's quest was to prevent the Moon Princess from getting corrupted.
Although it wasn't the same quest as entering the Gate of the Moonlight, he believed that the two quests were related to each other.
A few minutes later, Thirteen's and Phoebe's groups headed towards the base of the second group of Wanderers on the Island of Phecda.
Since Phoebe knew who Herman was, the ten-year-old decided that it would be best if she were the one to introduce him to the Scion of the Stallard Family.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})But, when they were only a hundred meters away from the second base of the Wanderers, they immediately noticed that something was wrong.
The campsite where they usually gathered was in disarray, and blood stains could be seen on the ground.
However, there were no corpses around that could tell them if the blood belonged to monsters or Humans, which made Phoebe suddenly feel anxious.
"Let's enter the cave," Phoebe said. "Herman told me that the cave where they were staying had an underground network. He offered to let me stay there if I wanted, but since we wanted to operate alone, we decided to reject his offer of forming a single unit."
Thirteen looked at the cave in front of him and frowned. The entrance, and the size of the cave was too small for Giga and the Trolls to enter.
"You go ahead first, but don't go too deep in the cave." Thirteen smiled at Phoebe. "I need to talk with my team for a bit."
"Understood," Phoebe motioned for her team to follow her.
All of them had their weapons drawn, ready to fight if ever they encountered something dangerous inside the cave.
When the Wanderers were gone, Rocky emerged from the ground and opened its mouth wide.
One by one, Giga, The Ogres, and the Trolls, entered his mouth as if this was already part of their routine.
Once his private army was inside the Magma Bal-Boa's Mobile Fortress, Rocky once again burrowed to the ground.
He would follow Zion, while traveling underground to ensure that he could assist him if a powerful monster were to appear inside the cave.
