(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 47

"That man could've at least told us that there was a freaking weapon cache in out plane," Jacob muttered angrily as the group walked through the forest. "Or at least let it fall somewhere close to us."

"True, but we'd not be able to see as much of this forest if we didn't," Kamatsu said, smirking as he looked around the illuminated forest.

"That's easy for you to say. You're a Spirit elemental. You're supposed to have a 'find beauty in everything' type of emotion. Do you even see-"

"Ah-ah. I'm a Wind elemental. My sister is the Spirit elemental." Kamatsu placed his hands behind his back. "Besides, you're a Nature elemental. You're the one who's supposed to find beauty in all of this. I mean, just look at it all. This place is truly beautiful. Besides, we're pretty close to the weapon cache. It's in a stream just beyond that curve."

Jacob gave an angry sigh before he ventured with the rest of his group. For a while, they traveled in silence, with only the sounds of the birds tweeting in the distance and various insect life breaking the tension. "Look," Katherine said as she pointed to the ground. A large, square imprint laid in front of them. The ground looked as if something large and heavy was dragged away from them. "Does anyone else hear that?" she asked before smiling. "I hear running water."

Placing her index finger under her bottom lip, Ayeka muttered "Something's not right about this. Is anyone else creeped out by the fact that we aren't alone?"

The group collectively stopped breathing. After a moment, Alisha asked, "So, you can feel them too?" She darted her eyes around the forest. "We're completely surrounded."

The group halted immediately. Both Jacob and Ayeka looked fervently around the forest, suddenly seeing the dozens of glowing eye-shaped lights glaring back at them. They both began breathing hard, breaking out in a sweat as cold as hail. "We should leave. Now," Jacob said in a low voice. "I don't care where, but not here."

"They're probably just some friendly people wondering who we are," Kamatsu said with a carefree smile. He rested his hands behind his head as he walked to the thicket of the forest. "Don't worry, people. We come in-" Before he was able to finish, an object darted towards him, grazing his thigh. Sighing, he reached for his katana resting under his belt and pulled the blade from the scabbard; it sung gleefully as it soared through the air.

"That was a warning shot," he heard a voice say in an untraceable accent before the trees ruffled at his depart.

"Yeah? Well, why don't you come out here and do that in the open?" Jacob exclaimed as he armed his crossbow strapped on his back. His was answered by a voice yelling in the distance. The group listened in, but couldn't make out any words being said. Abruptly the yelling stopped. "What was that all about?" he asked, frantic.

"Someone has died," Alisha said, holding the blade end of her scythe away from the source of the yelling, as if she was preparing to slash at whatever appeared through the trees. "The voice sounded pretty close. I believe that it's the other team."

"Megumi's team?" Katherine said, hurriedly perking up. "You mean she's alive?"

"Could be. You're more familiar with her presence. Try and sense her."

Closing her eyes, Katherine used her telepathy to try and pinpoint Megumi's location, if she was alive. No, she thought to herself. She is alive. Sure enough, she felt Megumi a ways away in the opposite direction of the cache. "She is alive," she said with a relieved smile.

"That may be so, but something killed one of their teammates. Whatever did, we'll all have to be ready to fight," Kamatsu said. "We have a choice; either keep going and abandon a team in need, or see and we can consolidate with them."