The air in Fang's Café hung thick with purpose. Shu, perched on a stool, tapped her fingers impatiently. Ash, ever the pragmatist, meticulously reviewed their hastily scribbled notes. Ri, lean and observant, scanned the room, while Jihu, normally boisterous, wore a mask of solemn concentration. Raven, a creature of shadow and secrets, watched them all with knowing eyes, and Fang himself, a mountain of a man with a surprisingly gentle heart, tended to the sputtering espresso machine.
"Alright," Ash stated, her voice firm, "we agree then. We infiltrate the village." The grim nods around the table confirmed what they'd been hammering out for hours. The plan was simple enough: blend into the quiet village nestled at the foot of the hill, the hill that housed the unsettling presence of the trolls and Minotaurs. It was a risky gambit, but the alternative – waiting for the inevitable attack – was far more dangerous.
Fifteen days had passed since they descended into the charade of village life. Fifteen long, uneventful days. The villagers went about their routines, a quiet cycle of planting, tending, and preparing… for the Minotaurs. The promised threat hadn't materialized, and the unease was growing, a slow drip of dread. No trolls had ambled down, no shifty creatures had stalked the woods. Even the usual vibrant hum of natural magic was strangely absent. It was unnerving.
Today was the day. The day Shu and Ash were slated to serve the Minotaurs, a barbaric tradition that ensured the monsters remained placated, at least for a time. Fang, his face a mask of barely restrained fury, was assigned his other duty – to perform manual labour alongside the villagers, a stark reminder of the Minotaur's dominion.
Before they left, Jihu, eyes glowing with faint, controlled magic, weaved a spell over them. It was a subtle enchantment, meant to weave acceptance and normalcy around them, to ensure that they wouldn't draw suspicion.
The trek up the mountain was gruelling. Shu and Ash, though strong, felt the exhaustion tug at them. Fang, marching silently ahead, seemed to radiate a simmering anger, his hands clenching into fists. They reached the plateau, a desolate expanse of rock and scrub, where the Minotaurs made their lair.
The leader, a hulking beast with eyes that held a chilling intelligence, scrutinized Shu and Ash with a predatory gaze. Fang's hands twitched at the blatant disrespect, but he remained disciplined, focusing on the mission. He was led away to his assigned task, leaving Shu and Ash to face the leering Minotaur and the waiting tasks.
They moved with practiced ease, clearing plates and fetching food, their eyes and ears constantly seeking information. They weren't simply serving; they were observing, analysing.
It was during a lull, while they replenished the Minotaur's mead, that they overheard it. The leader, facing a tarnished mirror, was speaking to someone, or something, on the other side.
"Master, if you wish, I can attack the human world now! Should we attack?" The monstrous voice was a low rumble that vibrated in their chests.
A cold, silky voice answered from within the mirror. "No, you will attack when I say so." Then, the sound of a chilling laugh echoed from the depths of the glass. They couldn't see who was inside, just a flicker of shadows and a sense of ancient, malevolent power.
The Minotaur leader abruptly turned, his eyes locking onto Shu, a dark suspicion clouding his face. "What are you listening to? Why aren't you working?" he barked, his voice laced with menace.
Before Shu could react, he shoved her roughly, sending her stumbling back. Ash, quick as a whip, moved forward. "Sir, we apologize. We were distracted. We were working, truly!" she said with an obsequious air, while simultaneously rushing to support Shu.
As Ash helped Shu, she noticed her hand was twisted at a painful angle. Shu, teeth clenched, tried to hide the grimace. They had to be careful, they couldn't risk revealing their true selves.
"I am sorry sister," Ash whispered, her eyes filled with worry. She pulled a strip of cloth from her pocket and quickly wrapped it around Shu's wrist, providing some temporary support and hiding the injury from prying eyes.
The day continued, marked by the same uneasy tension. The information they had gleaned was invaluable. They knew now that a larger force was at play, and that their mission had just become far more complicated. As the day drew to a close and they trudged back down the mountainside, they carried with them not just the weight of their labour, but the heavy burden of the secret they had uncovered. The quiet of the village was now a suffocating blanket, and they knew they had to be ready. The true battle, it seemed, was just beginning.
The rough, stone walls of the troll encampment seemed to vibrate with a low, guttural hum that usually faded into background noise for Fang. But today, the hum was different. It was punctuated by hushed, conspiratorial tones. Fang, while pretending to scrape grime from a cooking pot, subtly edged closer. He recognized the voices; two burly trolls, Brook and Bram, always together.
"Brother, how long will we stay here?" Brook's voice was a low rumble, barely audible above the wind whistling through the crags. "Won't we go to our world? When will we go?"
Bram scoffed, a dry, gravelly sound. "Don't you know? The boss didn't tell you? Before we came, everyone was told that the boss would attack the human world. Don't you remember what happened in Freedonia twenty years ago?"
Fang froze. Freedonia. That name, a raw, pulsing nerve. Freedonia was his home. The home from which his people, the magic-wielding Freedonians, had barely staved off a massive troll incursion two decades prior. He remembered raven's mother, weakened, her magical light dimmed by the battle. He vividly recalled the grief carved onto Jihu's face, the day his mother didn't return home.
"But the people of Freedonia have magical powers," Bram continued, his voice thick with contempt. "The humans don't. It won't take much time for us to control this human world. And the more humans they take into their own, the more powerful the boss will be. And if the boss is strong, we will be strong!" A chilling lust dripped from his every word.
Fang's blood ran cold. The trolls were targeting the human world, a world defenceless against their brute strength. This wasn't random raiding; this was a planned invasion fuelled by a thirst for power. The memory of his mother's strained face, the ache of Jihu's loss, solidified his resolve. This wasn't just about Freedonia anymore. This was about protecting everyone.
"Okay, I understand," Brook hissed, a nervous glance over his shoulder. "Don't say all this so loudly. If anyone hears, the boss will kill us."
A grim smile flickered across Fang's lips. "I heard you," he thought, the words a silent, dangerous promise. He finished his work, every movement deliberate, every thought focused on the information he had gleaned. Then, without looking back, he descended the mountain path towards the village.
The familiar sight of his home, nestled in the valley below, brought a small measure of comfort. But the joy was short-lived. Raven, his worry-lined face contorted with anxiety, rushed at Fang, nearly bowling him over.
"Where's Shu? Where's Ash? Why are you alone?" Raven's questions tumbled out, sharp and urgent.
Fang held up a hand, trying to inject calm into the chaos. "Hey brother, relax. Why are you getting so worked up? Don't you know they had to serve the Minotaur today? I just went to do some normal work for the trolls. I didn't want to serve. I'll come back, but they have gone to serve the Minotaurs. They won't be back tonight, they'll be back tomorrow morning."
Raven was visibly shaken. "Then we should go now! They'll be alone there. It's not safe for them!"
Jihu stepped forward, his usual calm demeanour replaced by a hard edge. "Yes, we should go. We should go and get them."
Ri, ever the pragmatist, intervened. "No. I know they are in danger, but they know how to send a signal if there is any danger. Now if we go in there, the trolls and the Minotaurs will understand that we are not ordinary people. So we have to hide now. Since they didn't send any signal, it means they are okay. We have to wait until tomorrow morning. This is what we need for our mission."
A collective silence fell. Ri's logic was undeniable. They couldn't risk revealing themselves prematurely. They needed to wait, to gather more information, and prepare.
One by one, everyone dispersed back to their homes, a heavy quiet settling over the village. Fang didn't mention the chilling conversation he'd overheard in the mountains that day. He held the information close, a dangerous secret waiting to be unveiled. He would tell them, but he would do it when they were all together, when Shu and Ash were back. The threat they faced was too big for them to handle alone. Everyone needed to be aware of the truth he held, and they would need to be united to face it. For now, silence was their mightiest weapon. He could only hope it would be enough.