Three days after the battle against the nine Dire Wolves, the seven wagons arrived at their destination.
Cristopher, who was seated at the coachman’s seat, couldn’t help but feel anxious as he stared at the vast expanse of land in front of him.
The clouds in the sky cast a gray light on the surroundings, but even this light couldn’t penetrate the darkness that extended for miles on end.
“Furvus Grasslands,” Thirteen muttered as his eyes scanned the land, where everything that grew was darker than black.
Tiona eyed the surroundings and liked what she saw.
In this kind of place, she would be nigh invisible and invincible, bringing death to those whom she wished to die.
“This is a nice place,” Adira said as she, too, looked at the Grassland in front of her. Every blade of grass was the same color as her skin, and that pleased her eyes.
Everyone disembarked from their wagons and glanced at the land in front of them. For a brief moment, they sensed the presence of countless lifeforms staring back at them.
“The moment you step into their territory, you will immediately stand out,” Adira commented. “Are you sure you still want to hunt in this place?”
“Of course,” Thirteen replied. “Us standing out is actually a good thing, don’t you think? Since we don’t know where to find them, it will be easier to let them find us first.”
“A sound statement.” Adira nodded. “So, what do you plan to do now?”
“What else?” Thirteen placed his hands on his waist. “Set up camp, of course.”
An hour later…
The group of people had placed the wagons around them, creating an encirclement to block the view of any creature watching them from the grasslands, as well as the plains behind their back.
The campfire cracked merrily as Thirteen added another dried piece of log to keep it burning.
Cristopher, who was assigned to cook alongside Jasmine and Ariel, was busy adding ingredients to the pot.
He planned to have stew for the night, which served as a reward after traveling for three days.
During those three days, they made sure to steer clear of the herds as well as the predators targeting them.
There were close encounters, but Thirteen managed to intimidate them by ordering everyone to blow the horns that he had prepared for the journey.
The loud booming sound not only scared the Herd Animals, but also made the predators think twice about attacking them.
An enemy that was unaware of a sneak attack was different from an enemy who knew that they were coming.
Of course, before Thirteen ordered the blowing of horns, he would always consult Vassago, who was circling around them.
Noise not only scared animals, it also attracted them.
There was a possibility that there were other Hunting Groups in the surroundings that would hear the horns.
If they did manage to hear it, there was a possibility that they would send people to investigate.
The last thing that Thirteen wanted was to fight against other Hunting Parties, as well as Scouting Parties of the Tigerkins who had already managed to infiltrate deep within the Warsor Plains.
Although the possibility of this happening was small, Thirteen wasn’t the type to dismiss such variables.
While Cristopher was busy cooking, the Ogres and the Trolls were busy digging holes in the ground.
Thirteen had brought several shovels for this trip, and he made sure that all of them were used.
Adira found all of this very amusing, so she asked the boy why he was asking the Monsters to dig.
“I’m planning to build Monster traps,” Thirteen replied to Adira’s question.
“Traps?” Adira arched an eyebrow. “You surely underestimate the Monsters of this place. Do you really think that your traps will work on them when they can see your subordinates digging into the ground?”
“Yes,” Thirteen replied. “The smarter they are, the more likely they will fall into the traps.”
“Mmm, I’d like to see if what you say will really come to pass.”
“It will, Lady Adira. I’m sure of it.”
After that small exchange, Thirteen closed his eyes and meditated.
There were still a few hours before sunset, and he believed that once it came, the surroundings would become pitch black.
If the wagons hadn’t been positioned to block the view of outsiders, their campfire would have been seen for miles on end, alerting the predators, which hunted during the night, to move to their location.
Unlike the other Ogres and Trolls, Brutus and Bruno were now proficient in digging holes.
With them taking the lead and giving orders, it was only a matter of time before they managed to dig holes around their camp.
This would serve as their first line of defense against the threats that might attack them during the night.
Almost all of the creatures that lived in the Furvus Grasslands had Dark Vision.
Dark Vision allowed them to see in the darkness, which was there greatest strength in the Furvus Grasslands.
This meant that these Monsters could see between eighteen to twenty meters in front of them as if they were looking at a dimly lit place, even if there was no light source.
If there was dim light, they would be able to see things as clear as day, which was very advantageous to them.
The light of the moon and the stars couldn’t penetrate the dark clouds that seemed to be permanently placed in the sky above the Furvus Grasslands.
Simply put, the moment the sun set, the world would be covered in eternal darkness, which would be unnerving for the people who weren’t used to dark places.
Fortunately, with the exception of Thirteen and Cristopher, everyone in their team had Dark Vision.
Even Vassago could see in the darkness, for that was a trait of all Pocopocos.
“So do you plan to hunt tomorrow when the sun is up?” Adira asked as Cristopher respectfully passed her a bowl of hot stew.
“Why would I do that?” Thirteen asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to hunt during the night?”
Adira arched an eyebrow as she looked at the seven-year-old, who had started to eat.
Sensing her gaze, Thirteen decided to ignore her and continue to eat.
As someone who could see during the night, Adira didn’t know what the boy was thinking.
However, she decided to not pry into the topic any longer and simply waited for Zion to show her what he meant when he said that it would be easier to hunt in the Furvus Grasslands during the night rather than hunting those who lived in it during the day.