It took Rael and Ayobe the entire night to draw the array symbols throughout the compound, and throughout the entire process Rael made sure to get close to Ayobe as much as he could. He did so by first asking her deeper questions about arrays and runes ,topics she clearly loved and bit by bit, she cracked, letting him know more about the three sisters. He learned that the cranky one was named Yasmin, and that their main destination was the nomad territories. Aside from that, she didn't say much more, and he knew not to push, lest he seem too inquisitive.
Still, he made sure to plant the idea that they were welcome to stay as long as they obeyed some rules. Honestly, Ayobe seemed fine with it, but her lack of a direct reply clearly implied that such a decision didn't rest in her hands. Rael wasn't too worried, though he could see that they would have no choice but to stay, even if it required a little convincing.
Rael turned to Ayobe, who was chewing on some jerky he'd given her while inspecting the array.
"Can I ask something of you?" he said, briefly peeking at Iyvre and Yasmin, who were still seated by the fire that had now gone out. He couldn't help but wonder if their backsides didn't hurt from sitting in the same position for hours.
"Oh? What might that be?" Ayobe asked curiously, turning her bright green eyes toward Rael.
Rael paused for a moment before continuing. "I have some things to do in the woods, but can I trust you and your sisters to have no bad intentions while I'm gone?" he said, narrowing his eyes.
"We made an oath, and we elves always keep it" Ayobe replied confidently.
"But you're all outcasts. Does it till apply to you three?" he said, catching her off guard.
She wondered how he knew. She was certain she hadn't told him when he'd been asking questions earlier, but no matter. Without any change in her expression, she replied,
"If it doesn't, trust that we would have already tried something by now," she smiled.
Rael gazed at her skeptically before turning and heading into his longhouse, picking up and placing everything he deemed important into his magic pouch. Even though he planned on leaving the compound to accomplish the Tier 1 quest and use this as a test to see if the Elves oath truly mattered,he wasn't about to leave his belongings behind. Even though he still held onto their magic pouches ,but to him and them, he didn't really think that part matter at all.
After packing what he considered important, he went on to do the same for his other buildings. When he was done, he walked up to the now seated sisters.
He gazed down at them where they sat and issued a threat.
"I'll be leaving for a while, and I trust you three will remain gentle and not attempt anything foolish." He paused looking at thier unchanged expression,he continued"And just so you know, don't think it's only your Aether that can be drained."
Without bothering to gauge their reaction, he moved to the wooden gate of the compound, now filled with runic symbols. He stepped out, used hemp ropes to keep it shut, then headed into the woods.
Iyvre watched Rael leave the compound after his threat, and honestly, she couldn't help but grow more cautious. Though they had made an oath,Ayobe had already told her that he knew they were outcasts ,he should at least suspect that they might choose not to keep it. Yet he had still left, leaving behind a line that deeply unsettled her.
"Don't think it's only your Aether that can be drained."
That troubled her. She began to wonder if it was possible to drain one's life force as well, though she couldn't help but doubt it. It was entirely possible he was bluffing. From what Ayobe had told them during her inspection of the compound while helping him set the array symbols, there were clearly no arrays of that kind at all. An array capable of draining Aether or life force definitely couldn't be hidden from sight. Well, except if it were of a very high rank… but there was no way an exile could possess something like that.
"So what do we do now that he's gone?" Yasmin asked, inspecting the entire compound.
"Nothing for now," Iyvre replied.
"What?" Yasmin said, wide-eyed. "Don't tell me you're intimidated by his little bluff."
Iyvre shook her head, still deep in thought, as Ayobe spoke instead.
"I say we should be cautious. While he was asking me questions, I did the same to him and I could tell he has a way with words. He made it seem like he has nothing to hide."
"So what if it's just a bluff? I'd do the same if I wanted my enemies to feel like I had an ace up my sleeve," Yasmin barked.
"He's not an enemy just someone we can't trust. He's clearly trying to survive too. Why else do you think he'd set up a boundary ward sigil?" Iyvre said as she got to her feet and moved toward the center of the compound, having come to a conclusion. She cut Yasmin off just as the latter was about to raise another argument.
"Ayobe, do you think it's an artifact he uses?" she asked, turning to Ayobe, who quickly sank into deep thought.
"Hmmm… could be," Ayobe replied.
"Then that means he'll definitely carry it wherever he goes. After all, this is the Zodiac Woods he can't be stupid enough to wander the woods openly, right?" she said with certainty, for even her and her sisters, all Tier 3 aether users, had to be careful to avoid aether beasts.
"Well… I guess," Ayobe replied, still in thought.
"That means he was bluffing," Yasmin said, rising to her feet.
"Could be. Or he could've just left it behind to keep us in check," Ayobe replied.
"Possibly," Iyvre said, turning to face the four buildings. "And if it's here, it'll need a power source which he clearly didn't have earlier. So this might be a chance to gain the upper hand. Search the buildings carefully, okay? We don't want him knowing we did so."
"Finally, you say something reasonable," Yasmin said, not wasting time as she rushed into the nearest building to her ,the house of alchemy.
"Be careful," Iyvre said once more as she also moved to search.
---
From outside the compound, on a tree, Rael narrowed his eyes as he stared at the women searching through his compound
He hadn't left the premises he was merely hidden, still receiving information from his dominion senses, which filled him in on the activities within his territory.
"Tsk… curiosity really does kill the cat."