— And so, that’s how we ate all twenty-nine heads that the hydra managed to regrow.

  — Wow! — I exclaimed after hearing Scott’s story to the end. He had recounted, in exhaustive detail and minute particulars I certainly hadn’t asked for, one of their most perilous journeys. According to the spearman, it had happened in the turquoise forests near the tricolored lake. At first, I didn’t believe such a thing could exist, but after Drodul confirmed it, I accepted it as truth. I was amazed that such wondrous places and fantastical creatures could exist in this world.

  We were returning to the village and had already passed through the fields—the very fields where I’d seen the rinks that helped me sneak into the settlement. Yet now, strangely, I couldn’t hear them at all. Nor could I see any.

  — Hold on a minute! — I stopped to look around, but no matter how hard I stared with my empty eye sockets, I couldn’t spot a single slime. Not small ones, not large ones—they’d all vanished as if evaporated.

  — Why’d you stop? Want a spear in the ribs? — Scott came up beside me and started scanning the area just like I was. — Did you lose something? Drop some bones?

  — No, all my bones are here. Doesn’t it seem strange to you that there are no slimes here?

  — What? — The guy studied the fields carefully. — Yeah, now that you mention it… Maybe they went somewhere?

  — I’d understand if the big ones had chased after someone in response to aggression, but where did the little ones go? Weren’t they always clinging to the grass?

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  — You might be right, — Scott admitted, unable to offer a definite answer.

  — What’s going on here? You’re holding everyone up, — I heard a drowsy voice behind me.

  — Sem, look! — Scott pointed toward the fields. — There are no slimes here. Isn’t that weird?

  The squad captain had been about to shove the spearman forward, telling him not to waste time on nonsense, but instead halted beside us and began examining the fields himself. He crouched down, then pressed his ear to the ground. Suddenly leaping up, Sem turned to the twins:

  — Check the surroundings for living creatures. Exactly how many are alive? Any strange noises or anything else unusual?

  Lerry closed her eyes, while Drodul and Mikhael immediately shifted positions, shielding the two girls standing in the center. The twin nocked an arrow, and the big man raised his shield higher and gripped his axe tighter. Even the aura around Scott changed: once again, he resembled a hunter poised to pounce on his prey, whoever it might be.

  — There isn’t a single living creature with a heartbeat here, aside from us. Captain, how is that possible? — the girl asked.

  — We need to be careful. Something—or someone—has dealt with all the monsters, and that could trigger a wave from neighboring districts, — Sem glanced at Scott, then at me. — Looks like someone made your fantasy come true, Scott. Only now we might get ourselves into serious trouble because of it.

  — Captain, I…

  — Forget it. I know you had nothing to do with this. Let’s move toward the village without any more talking. We need to report this to the elder as quickly as possible. Maybe they’ve seen something like this before.

  I tightened my grip on my backpack and resolved not to fall behind the others by even a step, though it was incredibly difficult. Whatever was out there, even the big slimes—those I’d never managed to scratch even once—had disappeared. So with my weak little bones, I’d have to be even more alert. If I couldn’t defeat someone with strength, I’d have to outsmart them with my mind!