As their footfalls thundered across the lands nearby, the army of fifty men started walking through to the beginnings of the forest, approaching the monumental blackwood castle that was so far it was practically hidden in fog. The fact that they'd cover all this distance across a day and night was impressive to him.
'I wonder how she managed to plan all this out.'
The noble leading them had a notebook in hand, one he couldn't see clearly, and she was scribbling some things down. Though he would love to express curiosity, he wasn't willing to risk getting slapped by an armored gauntlet when they have what's meant to be a dire battle approaching so soon.
Truly, the curse of being Aster was the worst. He would have to ask in such a manner that he wouldn't put it above himself to stab himself.
Such a thought did confuse him for a moment. Would it be suicide or murder?
'Not a pointless thought process at all, Paper.' He grinned, rolling his eyes. It was about time for difficulty to start kicking in anyway. The peaceful hours were fun, and he loved hearing the chirping of the birds, but he was here for a purpose.
And it was to conquer the Orb. The faster he got it over with, the better. He'd have to study the Noble's armor for weaknesses that could kill her instantly. The crude spear was certainly good enough to pierce its thin, black fabric layers.
'Time is essentially the same here as in the real world. I don't like the idea of being gone for too long, but hey, what could possibly happen in a few hours? At max, maybe they found her body. But that's a worse case scenario. Best case is I wake up on top of her body, run away, and then report finding it. A simple lie of "I found her like that", further convincing, and boom. Scott free. Assuming I do manage to kill her.'
"You."
Her voice was powerful as she turned to single him out with a mere turn of her head and a sharp gaze, and he shuddered. Well, this was okay, at least. He can handle being called out.
'Just please, don't make me go up front.'
"Yeah?"
"Come up front here."
'Curses!'
Now, that was exactly what he didn't need right now! Up front? Being there? Sure, he may have talked all of that cocky drivel to the one man they left at the village, but he wasn't willing to actually front line. It was mere wordplay to get the man to drop his armor and go.
Plus, it was. A perfect win-win! He gets armor while the stout man got to live another day!
"Hm? You sure I should be front lining? I might be more effective in the back." He asked her calmly, before adding a whispered "bitch" under his breath to prevent the people from being alerted of his strangely calm tone.
Goodness, he was going to make a lot of enemies, wasn't he?
"This 'bitch', is certain." Her voice was stern with a hint of poison, and left no room for argument, making him pale in fear. She had heard him, from all the way there? Is she actually some sort of dog breed!? What kind of human hears a whisper like that from across a sea of fifty conversing men!?
...Nevermind that. If he's front lining near the probably strongest member, he gets the advantage of being the one in range of her protection. She may not have known he was the assailant too, so if it ever gets rough, he could just stab her. Of course, only after she slays or fatally wounds the Dormant Marauder.
'...Well, alright! It won't be so bad. As long as it doesnt turn out to be a Cruel Marauder instead. Or even a Dormant Fiend, in fact. Maybe Dormant Spirit isn't the worst...'
It was the fact that their enemy might have some glimpse of intelligence that had him so hesitant.
He walked through the river of men, reaching the front in what seemed like ages, due to his conflicted strut and reluctance to actually be up front despite his attempts to rationalise the act of putting himself there. Then again, it was a choice made for him by the noble.
As soon as he arrived, an awkward silence ensued between them two specifically. The birds kept chirping, the men kept talking, with a far away scream somewhere, yet they just... stayed silent.
He coughed awkwardly, before turning his head to gaze at some foliage. He then craned his neck upwards, scratching at the back of it. He met out a low grunt too, struggling to find something to say, before finally finding a point.
"You worried about something? I saw you writing in your notebook." He asked her, to which she only gave him a nod. He blinked at her, before frowning. Was she going non-verbal with him? The hells her problem? "You don't wanna specify?"
"Not really. All I wrote was that we had fifty men, and whatever rewards should be split amongst the rest of the men. I'm not interested in reward myself. Though you seem to be the sharpest out of the men. What is your name?"
He paused. He would've answered Paper had he not already learnt a horrifying lesson from Aster's mother.
"Aster."
"Oh... so that's why I feel this weird animosity to you. You beat me up once." She murmured to herself, and he blinked slowly, coming to terms with it.
He? Beat her up? Did she mean Aster beat... her character up? The character she replaced. It wasn't hard to imagine.
"...Ah, is that so?" He said with an absent look on his face.
"Yeah." She responded just as absentmindedly, before turning to face him. "No apologies?"
"Why would I apologise? You had a knife." He responded back just as calmly. It seemed he hit the nail on the head on who her character was, seeing how her shoulders loosened and her tense march became relaxed for a split second.
"Your right. I did." She chuckled, shaking her head. The silence between them was a lot more comfortable. How easy. "You want to stay up front?"
'No, but I do need a chance to inspect her weaknesses.'
"Hm. Perhaps if you take off your armor." He grinned jokingly, before breaking. Her head had snapped to him so quickly he expected a hook to also come. "...Not inappropriately."
She nodded, easing slightly. "Agreed. Stay up front."
The first hour went by silently, the men in high spirits and talking excitedly, their footsteps not once faltering as they headed deeper into dense foliage, a loose atmosphere between the men. The scent of nature was its own reward to few, and certainly a reward for Paper - having not ever smelt the scent of air without hints of ash, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and electrical fires, this change in environment made him feel great.
The winds whispered through the trees, gently grazing their skins, as the bushes rustled with muted fervor, as a clash of steel rang through them, and the chirping of birds came to a halt.
"On your guard!"
She barked, freezing the men, Paper included.
'...The birds have stopped.'
He should have noticed immediately. He truly should've. It was almost as if the idea of danger hadn't crossed his mind for a moment. He was so used to the almost serene quality of this Orb, he never expected it to be broken until they reached the blackwood castle. He never expected any sort of tension either.
"Men! Backs to backs, in battle formation! Look to your surroundings!"
Her sharp command did not go ignored, the assembled army turning to face their surroundings. The man furthest at the back, one of the tall men that seemingly vouched for Aster's prowess, froze up, looking at the ground near him before shrugging.
"All clear."
He spoke, lifting his rake into the air. For a moment, Paper could swear he saw a splash of red appear on the man's head, but it disappeared in moments, as if it were never there.
'That was weird...Maybe the Orb is having issues? Hah, who knows. I've never been in one of its trials before today.' He shrugged it off, while the Noble next to him seemed to tighten her grip on her swords hilt before shaking her head, turning back to lead.
"Maintain formation. I don't want to see anybody letting down their guard."
She continued to lead them through the now silent forest, causing him to let out a sigh of relief.
'See? Nothing happened at all... everything is fine.'
Then, the army of forty-nine men carried onwards.