The walk stretched longer than Kaiden expected. The forest around them shifted from thick undergrowth to patches of cleared paths lined with tall roots and carved totems. The air carried a heavy mix of greenery, earth, and something else… something that clung to the skin.

He caught the scent when he came close to one of the native tribesmen who was escorting them.

He soon realized that it was a thick, oily musk that lingered around every native walking ahead of them. It wasn't the natural body odor of human beings, that much was for certain. His brow furrowed as he took a quieter breath, trying to place it. It wasn't blood or sweat. It had the burn of processed plant oil mixed with crushed herbs.

A strange kind of repellent.

Then Bastet's ears twitched as she, too, noticed. She turned her head, and her nostrils flared as her golden eyes tracked the group in front of them. "Do you smell it too, Master?"

Kaiden nodded. "Yeah. It's everywhere. Even on the totems they placed along the pathway."

Bastet's curiosity turned toward Naira. Before the girl could even react, the feline woman leaned in and sniffed her for a second time. Naira stiffened on the spot, her cheeks heating up.

The poor girl was flustered enough to stumble a step back. She didn't quite understand what was going on with her; she had never felt like this before. But what she did know was that in her eyes, Bastet was the epitome of beauty, and she didn't want to appear like an unkept, smelly girl before such a majestic being.

"S-stop…!" she yelped, more begging than forceful.

Bastet ignored her protest as if it never even existed, closing her eyes for a moment before straightening again. "Just as I remembered. You don't carry the scent."

Naira looked embarrassed for a few more seconds before her shoulders slumped. She looked embarrassed, almost ashamed. "It's something the elders make, a recipe that keeps the skin-walkers from tracking us. The supply's very small, though. Only hunters and guards get it."

Aria's eyes instantly darkened. "So they sent you out there without any?"

The Valkyries exchanged silent looks. Nyx's expression darkened. Even Bastet's tail gave a single lash of irritation.

"That's a death sentence."

"Someone has to go out there and bring food when the hunters fail…" Naira replied with a ghostly face, clearly traumatized by the mission she was given.

"Or just get eaten so there's one less stomach to feed back in the camp," Luna added grimly.

Before Naira could respond, the tattooed man at the front turned his head sharply. "Enough talk. You will not share our tribe's secrets with outsiders, girl."

Naira lowered her head at once. "Yes, Raho." Her voice was small.

Kaiden's eyes narrowed as he watched the exchange with understanding. The way her shoulders hunched told him everything he needed to know; she was being treated as a sacrificial pawn. Whether she succeeded or died didn't matter; the tribe benefited either way.

Though he wondered why they would send a girl out on such a suicide mission instead of boys. His pragmatic mind told him that not only would boys stand a better chance at returning with some food - even if that chance was increased very little - but in the case of failure, wouldn't such a cutthroat tribe lament the loss of a young and healthy girl?

Reproduction was any tribe's lifeblood, and obviously, women were more important there. A single man with good genes - one he suspected this so-called 'leader' might think himself to be - could impregnate a hundred women.

Anyhow, Kaiden didn't really need to know the answer to this question. All that mattered was that he now understood how dire the situation at this tribe was - either they were forced to do the unthinkable, which was to throw away young girls into the maws of demonic monsters, or there was something else going on.

Such as a tyrannical leadership going on a power trip.

The path opened into a clearing that looked nothing like a home.

Tattered tents made from patched hides and torn cloth dotted the field, each one sagging under the weight of damp air and neglect. Smoke from half-dead campfires hung low, carrying the stench of unwashed bodies and spoiled meat.

Kaiden's steps slowed as he took it in. This wasn't a settlement; it was a refugee camp holding itself together by instinct alone. Men and women crouched around empty pots, stirring water that had long since boiled away its flavor. Children peeked from behind ripped tents, their ribs showing through their skin.

The eyes that followed Kaiden's group weren't those of people defending their home. They were hollow and afraid, as if punishment lurked behind every wrong word.

That being said, Kaiden did not think badly of these people because of the sight before his eyes. He understood that their original camp was overrun with monsters, and they had to relocate. It was done hastily, and survival was placed much higher on the priority list than comfort.

One could even say that these people being alive today was a sign of powerful leadership. It must not have been an easy task to relocate so many people in the midst of a monster outbreak.

Compared to their circumstances, they might even be said to be thriving.

A few smaller kids, too young to know fear, ran up with bright faces. Some were greeting their parents among the hunters escorting them, while a few pointed at Kaiden's group with wide eyes of amazement.

"Pale Ones!"

"Are they going to eat us?"

"But they are so kind looking… The women, I mean…"

The moment they started being noisy, Raho barked, "Go back!"

Just like that, the children scattered in panic.

Kaiden said nothing. He simply kept walking.

Ahead, the camp changed again.

'Never mind. My thoughts about a capable leadership have already died,' he thought inwardly with a wry expression.

The ramshackle tents gave way to a single structure that didn't fit the misery around it. It was large and sturdier, with wooden walls reinforced by logs. Even in its rough state, it stood like a throne among ruins.

"Is this…" Nyx began, but she didn't need to finish. The native girl did it for her.

"That's where the leader and the elders stay."

Her tone alone was enough. Every Valkyrie's face darkened. Even Thomas and Diaz, who had stayed disciplined through the trip, frowned openly.

Then Kaiden saw movement near the entrance. A woman was kneeling on all fours, scrubbing the dirt floor with a rag that was already soaked through. Her skin was pale beneath grime, her ribs showing under a tattered wrap that barely hid the most private parts of her body. She moved slowly, looking as if her limbs were made of stone.

Kaiden quickly noticed the marks: thin, red lines running down her thighs and across her hips. Some were old, some fresh. Her breathing was shallow, every motion a visible struggle.

Then her arm gave out. The rag slipped from her fingers, and she collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Before anyone could move, one of the nearby guards stepped forward and lashed her across the back with a thin leather whip. The sound cracked through the air.

Naira froze. Her eyes widened, and a raw sound tore from her throat.

"Mother!"

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