NOVEL WEB Chapter 132: First Layer of the Forest of Disruption? [1]
"Aren't you a bit too close, Marionette?"
After everyone had prepared themselves and got themselves a partner, they ventured into the first layer of the Forest of Disruption.
"I don't think I am."
Currently, both Marionette and Lillian are walking side-by-side at the very back of the group.
But Lillian noticed that Marionette was oddly close to her—enough to where instead of their shoulders brushing like, it used to, it was more like Marionette leaned against her sometimes, briefly.
Marionette then tilted her head. "Is there something wrong?" She then leaned her face in deliberately, "Do you not want me to be this close to you?"
Lillian reflectively leaned back away from her before shaking her head, "N-no. That's not what I meant at all—"
"Good," Marionette said, cutting her off.
She then leaned back and folded her arms. Lillian was at a loss for words. This villainess was definitely more straightforward than before, she knew she was. Could she be imagining it, though?
She sighed, rubbing the side of her head and checking out what the forest had to offer.
The trees weren't necessarily like the ridiculously tall ones found in the Entrance Exam. Although they were still tall, around 5-6 or so metres tall. But unlike the thick canopies of that forest, these ones felt... odd.
While there were indeed gaps in between its healthy, green leaves and branches, she felt as though she couldn't see past that. She couldn't even see a bird's nest in it if she tried.
But besides that, it looked like any other regular-old forest. However, she obviously knew underestimating something so simple looking could—
Swoosh!
—Be deadly.
Her eyes flashed to the side of the group, watching as an incoming bird, the size of an adult wolf passed through the hurdles of the trees to the left.
It had narrowed, sharp eyes with dark green pupils. Its beak was a golden yellow and was curved slightly, resembling the beak of an eagle. It had a brown feathery body with sharp tips at the end of each feather. And its feet were a dull grey, matching the colour of its talons.
After reaching over them, it swirled in the air, folding in its wings and diving at them with its spread-out talons out first. It let out an ear-screeching caw, which was soon silenced as it was—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
—Bombarded with projectiles of various sizes, shapes, and colours. Its body ragdolled through the air as the group's projectiles kept it uplifted.
BAM!
Its body was then slammed against the tree, fortunately for it, the group had already stopped their barrage.
Lillian stared at the horrid state the bird was in as it slid down the surface of the tree with: a riddled, bloodied body of holes, a missing wing that must've been torn off and left somewhere, and a shattered beak with half of its face missing.
But that wasn't all, for her eyes trailed the bits of shattered bones and torn flesh sliding down the paint of blood smeared on the tree.
At the angle that she was able to see it in, she swore she saw parts of scrambled brain matter still left in its open skull.
"Aww... nasty, bro." Said Lillian in a repulsed tone.
She then looked towards the group and saw them continuing on without any thought about what had happened.
Well... thoughts other than high-fiving each other and giving each other compliments.
Lillian then muttered aloud:
"Dude... they're brutal..."
Marionette stared at the bird's corpse. "Remind me. What Rank was this monster?"
"Hm? Feral. So E-rank. But I believe these monsters were a Gnarl, so two Mana Shells."
Marionette nodded briefly, "Then it's the minimum that they should be expected to be able to kill." She then turned to Lillian and said, "You also didn't have to explain the terms of ranking. I'm aware of what each means."
Lillian shrugged with a smirk, "Wha~... don't want me to overexplain things and baby you~? I thought you said my voice with pretty!" She then dramatically twirled, placing the back of her hand against her forehead.
"Oh... to think this gorgeous woman beside me actually got tired of my voice..."
Marionette raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head to the side, watching Lillian's dramatic spectacle. She then moved in and turned her around, so she was facing her.
With one arm wrapped around her waist, she leaned her back.
Lillian was left stunned again as her back was leaned back at an angle, in which she would most definitely fall if let go. She then watched as Marionette's face deliberately leaned in and then muttered.
"Quite the opposite. I wouldn't mind being babied by you nor am I tired of your lovely voice." She stared at Lillian's wide eyes before leaning beside her ear and whispering, "So speak to me lots... alright?"
Lillian was absolutely speechless at her words, shivering a bit at the wet, hot air blown into her ear canal. She quickly wiggled herself free and flusteredly yelled while cupping her ear:
"A-aren't you a bit embarrassed in the slightest by what you said, at all?!"
Marionette straightened her back, staring down at her jacket and adjusting it. "Embarassed? Of course not. I don't have anything to be embarassed about." She then raised her eyes and stared at Lillian with a slight smile.
"Well... not around you at least..." She teased.
"S-shush!" Lillian turned her back before continuing, "We'll see later, if what you say is true! But right now, let's catch up before we lose them." She said, referring to the group, who had already moved on without them.
This wasn't out of carelessness or whatever. Just pure confidence that the two were strong enough to survive and get back to them if were left too far behind.
Well... pure confidence in Marionette. Most of them still saw Lillian as powerful, even though they mainly saw her get mortally wounded in the Entrance Exam.
But times after that, they saw her skills during classes, so there were definite reasons to at least have some faith in her.
"Ah yes... I guess that's true. Do lead the way... my Guide~..."
"D-don't say it like that!"