2516 Lost Childhood (Part 2)



Even Lith wouldn't be capable of erasing every single trace of such an activity. At least not if it was a regular occurrence.

'Slip-ups happen even to me, let alone to brainless creat- The fuck?' He noticed marks in the stalks of the tallest plants and they clearly were caused by claws.

Yet the blow had been so weak that it hadn't cut all the way through, leaving the stems damaged but standing. Also, even though the creatures' footprints overlapped, making it hard to identify a pattern, it was still feasible for Lith.

His years spent in the Trawn woods with Protector had taught him how to read traces and his tours as a Ranger had given him plenty of opportunity to also practice with his bestial senses.

The problem was that there was no pattern at all.

Lith could discern dozens of different smells and all of them overlapped with no rhyme or reason.

'How can someone be smart enough to hide their trail and yet so dumb to not have a shred of military tactic?' He thought. 'What point does a drill have if all you do is squabble like a drunken farmer?'

"Guys! I think you have to see this." Faluel's voice came out from the communication amulets of the rest of the group in a whisper, in order to avoid yelling and potentially alerting hidden sentinels.

"Keep your eyes open on your way here. This is definitely the right place."

Amulets also allowed the user to share their location so Faluel's acted like a beacon that made finding her easy. Lith took War out of his pocket dimension and hung it on his hip while Quylla's Bloodbind slithered back and forth on her arms, ready to intercept an enemy attack.

The clink of the Adamant chains was muted by a Hush spell that Orion had imbued in the weapon, making it perfect for stealth missions. He had also added a Full Guard spell in the latest version so that Quylla could use Bloodbind as feelers that could perceive anything but taste and smell.

"Fuck me sideways! That's…" Lith's jaw dropped to the ground and the shock made him forget the rest of the phrase as the Hydra showed the group what she had found in the hollow of a big oak tree.

"Magus Chairs." Faluel completed it for him while holding the ropes bound to small wooden planks.

"Magus what?" Lith blurted out in surprise, not knowing whether to be more surprised by the rudimentary swings or their pretentious name.

'I made one for Tista years ago and no one else is supposed to know about them except for my parents. And my siblings. And Aran and Leria when I made more for them. And every one of Dad's farmhands who…'

Knowing that he wasn't going to meet someone else from Earth made him sigh in relief yet he still had lots of questions.

"Magus Chairs." Tista echoed. "I told everyone of the presents you gave me as a kid and for a long time the rocking chair has been a huge hit with Zekell's clients despite its underwhelming name."

Mogar had actual rocking chairs, but Lith had named swings the same way due to his limited vocabulary as a child. Those who heard about his invention always furrowed their brows until they saw the swing with their eyes.

"After you became a Magus, Zekell re-branded them in order to both exploit your fame and clear the confusion."

"Are you telling me that these things are popular?" Lith asked, obtaining a nod in reply. "Then why have I ever heard about this?"

"When's the last time you've been to a playground?" Protector asked.

"Never, but if swings, I mean, Magus Chairs are a best seller, I should have learned about it from the profits." Lith replied.

"You would be right if the design wasn't so simple." Faluel dangled the swings. "Anyone who can't afford Zekell's prices needs a minute to make one and kids don't care about designer toys, only about having fun."

Lith looked at the thick tree branches where the constant friction with the ropes had left marks that not even light magic could erase. Such a spell would have created fresh bark in stark contrast with the old and dull one that covered the rest of the tree.

"That's how I found them." The Hydra pointed at friction marks. "Once I noticed the traces, I looked around for anything suspicious. It doesn't make sense to bring them back and forth since the marks are already a giveaway.

"Anyone thorough enough to look in every single tree hollow is also bound to notice the damage on the branches."

"That's it!" Lith said before sharing with the others his own findings. "The kids made the mess while playing in the tall grass and the adults cleaned the mess to the best of their ability. The signs I found weren't drills at all."

"How many children are we talking about?" Faluel asked. "Here I found traces of no less than twenty individuals."

"And I found what I believed to be the training field of a small platoon, so between twenty and fifty." Lith replied.

"At least twenty more for me." Quylla said.

"Thirty." Ajatar chimed in.

"Add forty more." Tista said.

"I found nothing." Morok sneezed violently as the cold wind coupled with his drenched clothes made him freeze. "The waterfall was a bust. Just tons of water and rock."

"Same for the lake. The only thing at the bottom is mud." Protector shook off the water from the fur of his hybrid form.

"The good news is that if the monsters care enough about their younglings to bring them out to play and even build them toys means they don't behave like the Fallen races we know." Ajatar pondered out loud.

"It means that they are both smart and caring. Parlaying with them might be possible. The bad news, however, is that this is also a sign of cruelty."

"How?" Tista felt outraged at the thought that something that her beloved big brother had created for her might be used to abuse children. "This is a beautiful playground and some of my fondest memories are bound to the Magus Chair.

"I'm sure that it's the same for the younglings."

"Exactly, which makes it even more cruel." The Drake nodded. "Think about it. Monsters reach adulthood in a matter of days. Weeks tops. Creatures with a slow development like the Balors are very rare.

"Do you think that the 145, more or less, children we just counted are all Balors?"

"No." Tista shook her head. "If that was the case there wouldn't be just one of them per raid."

"Then every time the adult monsters bring the kids here to play, away from the mana geyser, they also make them grow at an accelerated rate." Ajatar's words sent a cold shiver run down her spine.

"By the Great Mother."

"Agreed." The Drake sighed. "There's no reason to bring them to sunlight. Everything they do here could have easily taken place in whatever cave they live in. As I see it, this is both a bait to bring the future soldiers out and a way to apologize."