Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

"Oh, by the way, what did you do with the Red Demon we left knocked out in your forge?"

However, while Rothwind was making some big decisions internally, Alex blurted this question out of nowhere.

"What demo— Oh! You mean that red fella from a week back? I just killed him since it seemed the two of you were done with him. He was there to try and trash up my smithy anyway, so he deserved what he got."

'...'

Alex was surprised, but in a good way.

He was half expecting Rothwind to have released the poor guy since Alex and Mira had totally forgotten about him, but it seemed Rothwind wasn't that merciful.

It didn't really matter to him anyways, as Alex was already certain the guy wouldn't have talked, and even if he did, it was probably just going to be nonsense information he was already aware of anyway.

With that very minor detour out of the way, the two of them got back to the very important task at hand.

Deciding whether they should teleport to Mira's position or not.

"Hold on lad."

But it seemed like Rothwind had already made that decision for Alex, as before he could even react he was grabbed by the shoulder by Rothwind, and before he knew it…

Poof!

They were gone from the streets, barely even any evidence that they were there in the first place.

"Hey, you didn't even ask me where Mira was!"

The moment they reappeared, Alex had to let Rothwind get a piece of his mind.

"..."

Rothwind was speechless at first.

"Hahah!"

But then he let out a low and deep chuckle that reverberated in the still air of the clearing they now occupied.

He turned to Alex, a wry smile now on his lips.

"Did you really think I needed your help to find her, lad?"

He asked, shaking his head.

"I'm tied for the strongest person in the city, an A tier being. Did you honestly think there was anywhere in this entire forest she could hide that I couldn't sniff out?"

Alex opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out.

Rothwind had a point, but Alex quickly picked apart his words.

"If you could do that, then what stops the mayor from doing the same thing?"

Rothwind had hoped Alex wouldn't have noticed this, but it seemed he may have slipped up in what he had said.

"Nothing can, lad. The only hope we have is that he locked onto your location first since you were closer in proximity to him. Otherwise… I can only say to keep your prayers in mind for what we might find over here…"

At first, Alex was feeling a little sceptical about all of Rothwind's explanations, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but feel his rage boiling over.

Not at Rothwind, since he hadn't done anything wrong, but at the mayor!

'If that fucker dared to do anything to Mira… I don't care what happens or how long it takes, I will spend my entire life hunting him down if that's what it takes.'

He kept his rage close and internal, not letting it boil over for Rothwind to see.

But Rothwind could tell how furious Alex was at the moment, and he reassured Alex.

"I can guarantee ya that no matter what has occurred, the mayor has already signed his death wish. I'm sorry to say this, kid, but he's mine to kill."

Rothwind left the conversation hanging there, shifting his gaze away from Alex and towards the dense underbrush off into the distance.

His usual easygoing demeanour had long faded since leaving the city, replaced by a seriousness that Alex seemed to be seeing much more frequently in the old dwarf recently.

Without another word, Rothwind began to walk forward, scanning the forest floor and treetops alike with his sharp eyes.

Alex followed closely behind, his heartbeat quickly speeding up and hammering against his chest as they made their way forwards.

Each crackle of a branch, or rustle of leaves made his anxiety spike higher, and he had to resist the urge to call out for Mira, knowing that they needed to keep as quiet as possible in case there were unwanted ears around.

Every second that passed, Alex's thoughts grew darker.

Why wasn't Rothwind saying anything? Had he detected something dangerous in the area? Was Mira hurt? Worse??

Just when Alex was about to ask if Rothwind had picked up any sign of her, the dwarf suddenly stopped, lifting his hand to signal Alex to halt as well.

Alex obeyed instantly, his muscles practically tightening to the max with anticipation.

"Stay put for a moment, lad."

Rothwind murmured quietly.

"I need to check something."

Alex bit back his questions and nodded, watching as Rothwind raised his hand in front of him.

A faint blue glow enveloped the dwarf's fingers, spreading out in thin tendrils of light that swirled around in the air like smoke.

For a moment, Alex's eyes widened in surprise and he seemed to have momentarily forgotten about all of his worries as he watched with fascination — he'd never seen Rothwind use any sort of abilities before, and this particular ability was quite visually stunning to watch.

Rothwind's eyes fluttered shut, and he remained utterly still for several long moments.

Then, slowly, he exhaled.

The glow around his hand faded away.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a flash of something there — a glint of humour that caught Alex off guard.

"She's fine."

Rothwind announced casually, as if he hadn't just been holding Alex in unbearable suspense.

"Hiding just up ahead. Nothing to worry about."

The words took a few seconds to register.

Alex blinked, tilting his head in confusion, his brain took some time to catch up with the sudden shift in mood.

"Wait… what?"

He stammered, mouth hanging open.

"You knew she was alright this entire time!?"

Rothwind's grin was downright devious now.

"Of course I did, lad. Did you think I'd drag you all the way out here to see her corpse without being certain of it first?"

Alex's fury returned.

This time directed at Rothwind…