The human tracks were not difficult to follow.
The slavers had made no effort to hide their passage.
Horse hooves had cut deep marks through the wet ground, while the wheels of two heavy carts had left parallel lines through the mud.
Broken branches and discarded food wrappers marked their route whenever the trail became less clear.
They were moving slowly.
That meant the prisoners were still alive.
The broad warrior led the group through the eastern forest with Broken Ear beside him.
Four dire wolves moved through the trees on either side, keeping enough distance that the horses would not smell them too early.
The small scout and the golden-eyed wolf had gone ahead, disappearing through the brush without making a sound.
Aizen walked near the rear.
The broad warrior had looked back at him several times during the first hour.
Each time, Aizen had said nothing.
Eventually, the goblin stopped walking and turned around.
“You said I was leading, but you keep staring at the tracks like you already know what I should do.”
“I know what I would do,” Aizen replied.
“That does not mean you have to do the same.”
“That sounds like a polite way of saying my plan will be worse.”
“It might be better.”
The broad warrior narrowed his eyes.
“Do you believe that?”
“I believe you know the people fighting beside you better than I do.
I also believe you are more emotionally involved, which can either help your judgment or destroy it.”
Broken Ear glanced between them.
“That answer did not help him.”
“It helped me understand why he keeps watching,” the broad warrior said.
“He is waiting to see which one happens.”
Aizen gave him a faint smile.
“You are learning.”
The broad warrior turned back toward the trail.
“I liked it better when I thought your silence meant approval.”
“It rarely does.”
The fire bearer walked behind them with the river chief.
The chief’s injured leg had prevented him from joining the rescue group, but the fire bearer had insisted on coming.
His burns were covered, and he had promised the healer not to use more power than necessary.
No one believed that promise.
The fire bearer moved closer to Broken Ear.
“If we catch them before the road, we can attack from both sides.
The trees are thick enough to hide the wolves.”
The broad warrior shook his head.
“We do not know where the prisoners are inside the carts.
If the humans panic, they may kill them before we get close.”
“Then we kill the humans first.”
“That is not a plan.
That is the part after the plan fails.”
The fire bearer frowned.
“You have become very difficult since he started putting you in charge.”
“He has always been difficult,” Broken Ear said.
“Now he has reasons.”
The broad warrior ignored them and crouched near the wheel tracks.
One of the carts had leaned heavily toward the right side, leaving a deeper mark.
“They are carrying more weight in the second cart,” he said.
“That is probably where the prisoners are.”
Aizen stopped beside him.
“Probably?”
The goblin looked up.
“You want me to say I am certain?”
“No.
I want you to remember that you are not.”
The broad warrior nodded and studied the ground more carefully.
“There are footprints beside the first cart.
Humans.
The second cart has almost none, which means the prisoners cannot walk beside it.
They are either tied inside or too weak to move.”
Broken Ear pointed to a smaller print near the wheel.
“Someone got out here.”
The broad warrior examined it.
The footprint was narrow and bare.
Blood had dried along the edge.
“One of the goblins,” he said.
“They made someone walk for a short distance and then put them back.”
“Why?” the fire bearer asked.
“To test whether they could walk,” Aizen said.
“Slavers do not want to carry someone who can move under their own strength.”
The broad warrior’s expression darkened.
“They see people as weight.”
“They see them as goods,” Aizen replied.
“Weight is only one part of the price.”
The fire bearer looked toward him.
“You say that very calmly.”
“Would you understand it better if I sounded angry?”
“No, but I might dislike you less for a moment.”
Aizen’s smile returned.
“That seems unlikely.”
A low whistle came from the trees ahead.
The broad warrior immediately raised one hand.
Everyone stopped.
The small scout appeared from behind a tree, moving quickly but carefully.
The golden-eyed wolf followed him, his body low to the ground.
The scout knelt and drew a rough picture in the mud.
“Two carts,” he said.
“Seven humans.
One has a staff, and another has metal over his whole chest.
There is also one person wearing a brown hood who keeps walking beside the prisoners.”
The broad warrior crouched beside him.
“How many prisoners did you see?”
“Eleven in the back cart.
Maybe more in the first, but they covered it with cloth.”
“The sister?”
The scout nodded.
“There is a female goblin with red cloth on her wrist.
She is awake, and she keeps watching the guards.”
The broad warrior released a slow breath.
“What about the road?”
“They will reach it soon.
There is an old stone bridge ahead, but the water under it is shallow.”
Broken Ear frowned.
“Once they cross the bridge, the trees open.
We should hit them before that.”
The broad warrior looked at the scout.
“How close are the carts to each other?”
“About three spear lengths.”
“Can the wolves get between them?”
The scout looked toward the golden-eyed wolf.
The wolf lowered his head and moved one paw across the mud.
The scout smiled.
“He says yes.”
Broken Ear gave him a doubtful look.
“He did not say anything.”
“He showed me.”
“He moved one foot.”
“That is more useful than most things you say.”
The fire bearer laughed loudly enough that the broad warrior waved for him to be quiet.
The broad warrior studied the trail.
“We cannot rush both carts at once.
We need to stop the horses without making them run.”
The scout pointed toward the stream beside the bridge.
“The ground is soft there.
If the first cart turns, the wheel could sink.”
“How do we make it turn?”
The small goblin looked at the golden-eyed wolf.
The broad warrior shook his head.
“If the wolves frighten the horses, they might pull the cart over.”
“Not if one horse smells them from the left and another from the right,” the scout said.
“They will turn away from both.”
The broad warrior stared at him.
The scout shifted nervously.
“That was a bad idea?”
“No.
It might work.”
The scout brightened.
The broad warrior pointed toward Broken Ear.
“Take two fighters and move to the stream.
When the first cart reaches the soft ground, throw stones from the right side so the driver turns left.
The wolves will show themselves on the left and force the horses back toward the mud.”
Broken Ear nodded.
“Then the wheel sinks.”
“Exactly.
Once the first cart stops, the second cannot pass.”
The fire bearer asked, “What do I do?”
“You wait.”
His face fell.
“That cannot be the whole plan.”
“You wait until the human mage uses magic.
Then you attack him.”
“I can do that.”
“You can also burn the carts, so control yourself.”
The fire bearer looked offended.
“I know how to control fire.”
“The healer is still rebuilding a hut you burned last night.”
“That was Veil’s dark flame.”
“You added your own.”
“It was a confusing battle.”
The broad warrior pointed at him.
“Do not burn the prisoners.”
“I heard you.”
The broad warrior looked toward Aizen.
“Do you see a problem?”
“Yes.”
The goblin waited.
Aizen said nothing.
The broad warrior’s irritation returned.
“Are you going to tell me?”
“You asked whether I saw one, not what it was.”
Broken Ear rubbed his face.
“Please tell him before we are all too old to fight.”
Aizen looked toward the rough map.
“You have planned how to stop the carts and how to fight the guards.
You have not planned how to keep the prisoners from running into the battle once they are freed.”
The broad warrior frowned.
“They will know we are helping them.”
“Will they?
Some may not know who you are.
Others may panic when they see dire wolves.
The humans could also have threatened their families or placed magical restraints on them.”
The small scout touched the warning horn across his chest.
“I can go to the carts first.”
The broad warrior immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“I am small enough to crawl underneath while everyone is looking at the wolves.”
“You will also be close enough for the horses to step on you.”
The scout looked toward Aizen.
“Can you make them not see me?”
The broad warrior gave Aizen a suspicious look.
Aizen answered, “Yes, but that would make the success dependent on my ability rather than yours.”
The scout’s ears lowered.
Aizen continued, “However, there is no value in refusing a useful tool merely to prove independence.”
The goblin looked up again.
“I can hide your presence from ordinary sight for a short time.
You will still make sound, and anyone with strong Magic Sense may notice something is wrong.”
The broad warrior thought about it.
“You go under the second cart and speak to the prisoners before the attack.
Tell them to stay low and wait for the horn.
If there are collars or chains, find out how they work.”
The scout nodded quickly.
The broad warrior grabbed his shoulder before he could leave.
“If anything changes, you come back.
You do not stay because you want to see what happens.”
The small goblin looked offended.
“I do not always do that.”
The golden-eyed wolf made a low sound.
The broad warrior glanced at him.
“Even the wolf disagrees.”
The scout muttered something and moved toward Aizen.
Aizen placed two fingers lightly against the goblin’s forehead.
Kyōka Suigetsu had not been fully released to anyone in the valley, but a narrow distortion of attention required much less.
He shifted how observers would register the scout’s presence, causing their eyes to slide past him whenever he remained quiet.
The goblin looked down at his hands.
“I still see myself.”
“You are supposed to.”
“How do I know it worked?”
Aizen looked toward the fire bearer.
“Can you see him?”
The named goblin frowned and looked around.
“See who?”
Aizen removed his fingers.
The fire bearer suddenly noticed the goblin standing in front of him and took a step back.
“I do not like that.”
The scout grinned.
“I do.”
“That is because you were not the one who forgot someone was standing there.”
Aizen looked down at the scout.
“The effect will weaken if you speak loudly or draw attention to yourself.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
The scout looked toward the broad warrior.
“I will come back if anything changes.”
“That was the correct answer,” Aizen said.
The rescue group separated.
The broad warrior remained near the center of the trail with four fighters.
Broken Ear moved toward the stream.
The wolves disappeared through the trees.
The fire bearer positioned himself behind a large fallen trunk where he could see the road without being seen.
Aizen remained in the open forest several steps away.
The broad warrior noticed.
“You are not hiding?”
“There is no need.”
“They will see you.”
“I know.”
The goblin narrowed his eyes.
“You want them to look at you instead of us.”
“That would be helpful.”
The broad warrior adjusted his grip on the spear.
“You could have said that when I was planning.”
“You were planning well enough.”
The goblin almost smiled.
Then the sound of wheels reached them.
The first horse appeared between the trees, followed by a wooden cart covered with brown cloth.
A human driver sat at the front with a short bow across his knees.
Beside him rode a mercenary in metal armor, his chest marked with the crest of a merchant company: three golden branches surrounding a coin.
The second cart followed close behind.
Iron bars had been fitted across the sides.
Goblins sat inside with their wrists chained together.
The female with red cloth around her wrist sat nearest the rear.
Her face was bruised, but her eyes were alert.
Two older goblins leaned against the wall beside her.
Several younger ones had their heads lowered.
The hooded person walked between the carts.
Aizen recognized the magical pattern around him immediately.
Not a human.
A majin concealing his presence.
The figure carried a small wooden case marked with a symbol similar to Veil’s puppet crest.
Clayman’s network.
The broad warrior had not seen it yet.
Aizen remained silent.
The first cart reached the soft ground near the stream.
Broken Ear’s fighters threw stones through the brush.
The driver pulled the reins sharply to the left.
The horses turned.
Two dire wolves appeared from the left side, growling and showing their teeth without charging.
The frightened horses twisted back toward the mud.
One wheel sank deep.
The cart tilted.
The mercenary in armor shouted, “Get them moving!
Do not let the second cart stop!”
The second driver pulled his reins, but the path was blocked.
The small scout crawled from beneath the rear cart and raised his horn.
The female goblin with the red cloth saw him.
He placed one finger over his mouth.
Her eyes widened, but she stayed silent.
The armored mercenary drew his sword.
“Wolves!
Kill them before they spook the horses again!”
The broad warrior stepped onto the trail.
“You should worry about us first.”
The humans turned.
The mercenary looked at the goblins emerging from the trees.
He did not seem frightened.
He looked annoyed.
“How many of you are there?”
The broad warrior kept his spear ready.
“Enough.”
The mercenary laughed.
“You monsters learned how to speak clearly.
That will raise your price.”
The goblins around the trail stiffened.
The broad warrior’s face changed, but he kept his voice controlled.
“Open the cages.”
“You are asking the wrong question.”
The mercenary pointed his sword toward Aizen.
“You should be asking how much the man in white is worth.”
The hooded majin turned.
Aizen met the hidden eyes beneath the cloth.
“So you were expecting me,” Aizen said.
The majin’s voice was soft and dry.
“We were told you might come if we took enough goblins.”
The broad warrior looked toward Aizen.
“This was bait.”
“Yes.”
“You knew?”
“I suspected after hearing the rumor had spread faster than it should.”
The broad warrior’s jaw tightened.
“You could have told me.”
“You needed to plan for the prisoners, not for me.”
“That does not make it less irritating.”
The armored mercenary raised his sword.
“You two can argue after we put collars around your necks.”
The broad warrior looked at him.
“No.
We are finished talking.”
He lifted his spear.
The warning horn sounded.
The wolves attacked the horses’ harnesses instead of the animals.
Broken Ear and his fighters rushed from the stream, striking the guards beside the first cart.
The broad warrior led the center group toward the second.
The female goblin inside the cage immediately moved.
She wrapped the chain between her wrists around the throat of the guard standing near the rear door and pulled him backward against the bars.
The small scout grabbed the keys from his belt.
The human struggled.
The female goblin pulled harder.
“You should have tied my hands separately,” she said through clenched teeth.
The small scout found the correct key and opened the rear lock.
The prisoners remained inside.
He looked at them.
“Wait until the fighters clear the road.
If you see the wolf with the pale cloth, he is with us.”
One of the older goblins stared at him.
“You came alone?”
“No.
I just arrived first.”
The human mage raised his staff.
A circle of red light appeared above the carts.
The fire bearer stepped from behind the fallen trunk.
“I have been waiting for you.”
He released a narrow stream of flame.
The mage formed a barrier, but the attack struck from the side and pushed him into the wheel.
The fire bearer stopped the flames before they spread to the wood.
He looked toward the broad warrior.
“See?
Nothing burned.”
The mage threw a blast of wind into his chest.
The fire bearer flew backward into the mud.
The broad warrior shouted, “You can celebrate after the mage is unconscious!”
“I know that now!”
The mercenary captain charged the broad warrior.
Metal struck wood as the sword met the spear shaft.
The human was stronger and better trained than the river chief had been.
He used his weight to force the goblin backward, then kicked his damaged shield aside.
“You monsters always make the same mistake,” the mercenary said.
“You think surviving one fight makes you soldiers.”
The broad warrior stepped away from the next swing.
“We are still learning.”
He struck the mercenary’s wrist with the bottom of his spear.
The sword moved off course.
Broken Ear attacked from the side.
The mercenary blocked him with his armored shoulder and drove an elbow into his face.
The broad warrior thrust toward the opening beneath the human’s arm.
The spear point entered between the plates.
The mercenary cried out and stumbled.
The broad warrior did not wait.
He struck the human’s knee, forcing him down, then placed the spear against his throat.
“Open every lock.”
The mercenary spat blood into the mud.
“You think the kingdom will let monsters attack licensed merchants?”
The broad warrior frowned.
“Licensed?”
The human smiled.
“These roads belong to Falmuth.
Any monster without a recognized master can be captured, sold, or killed.”
The broad warrior looked toward Aizen.
“That cannot be a real law.”
“It can,” Aizen said.
“Writing cruelty into law does not make it less cruel.
It only spreads responsibility until no one feels guilty.”
The hooded majin opened the wooden case.
A silver powder exploded into the air.
Aizen’s distorted presence became visible in three places at once.
The majin laughed.
“Veil warned us about your illusions.”
The three images of Aizen looked toward him.
“Did he?”
The majin threw three black needles.
Each struck an illusion.
The images shattered.
The majin’s confidence grew.
“I can see the disturbance around false bodies.”
Aizen’s real hand rested on his shoulder from behind.
“You learned to see what I expected you to notice.”
The majin froze.
Aizen removed the wooden case from his hands.
The figure tried to turn, but Aizen struck the side of his neck with two fingers.
The majin collapsed.
The mercenary captain watched from the ground.
His expression changed.
“You were supposed to be weakened.”
“By what?”
“The ruin.”
Aizen looked toward the unconscious majin.
“You should be careful when receiving reports from people who escaped before verifying the result.”
The mage attempted to stand.
The fire bearer struck him with the end of his stolen staff.
The human collapsed again.
The named goblin looked down at him.
“I could have burned you.”
Broken Ear wiped blood from his mouth.
“You say that as though hitting him with wood is more impressive.”
“It showed restraint.”
The remaining guards dropped their weapons after the dire wolves surrounded them.
The broad warrior ordered the cages opened.
The prisoners emerged slowly.
The female with the red cloth stepped down first.
She still wore the chain around her wrists.
The wounded young goblin’s description had been accurate.
She was older than him, taller, and far less frightened.
She looked at the broad warrior.
“My brother?”
“He is alive.
The healer is caring for him.”
Her shoulders lowered for the first time.
“Did he reach the village alone?”
“With an arrow through his shoulder.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
“I told him not to run east.”
The small scout handed her the keys.
“He ran the right way.”
She looked down at him.
“You were under the cart.”
“Yes.”
“That was reckless.”
The small goblin crossed his arms.
“It worked.”
The female unlocked her wrists.
“I did not say it was useless.
I said it was reckless.”
The scout smiled.
“I like her.”
The golden-eyed wolf walked toward them.
Several rescued goblins backed away.
The female held up one hand.
“Do not run.
The humans wanted us afraid of everything in the forest.”
The wolf stopped beside the scout.
The older goblins slowly relaxed.
Aizen searched the slavers’ carts.
The first contained supplies, spare chains, collars, and written contracts.
The documents carried Falmuth seals and the crest of the Golden Branch Trading Company.
Some contracts authorized the capture of “hostile monsters threatening recognized commercial roads.”
Others were blank.
The merchants could fill in the location and reason after taking their prisoners.
At the bottom of one ledger, several payments had been recorded from an unnamed buyer operating through Jistav.
Goblins.
Dire wolves.
Lizardmen.
Ogres.
Magic-born creatures with unusual abilities.
Living specimens were worth more than bodies.
The broad warrior read none of the words, but he understood Aizen’s expression.
“What did you find?”
“A list of creatures Clayman’s agents are buying.”
The female goblin with the red cloth stepped closer.
“Clayman?”
“A Demon Lord whose territory lies beyond this forest.”
The rescued goblins became nervous.
The broad warrior looked at the ledger.
“Why does a Demon Lord need weak goblins?”
“He may not.
Someone beneath him may be collecting information, soldiers, experimental subjects, or food for stronger creatures.”
The female goblin’s face hardened.
“They took three people from another settlement before they found us.
I heard the humans say the buyer wanted monsters that could survive naming.”
Aizen turned toward her.
“Did they mention where that settlement was?”
“South of the stone hills.
They said it belonged to ogres.”
The broad warrior frowned.
“Ogres are stronger than goblins.
Why would humans attack them?”
“They did not,” she said.
“The humans found three wounded ogres traveling alone.
One died before they reached the carts.”
The fire bearer looked toward Aizen.
“Clayman is collecting ogres too.”
“Yes.”
The next part of the path had revealed itself.
The destruction of an ogre settlement might already be approaching.
Perhaps Veil’s network had been studying it.
Perhaps the same force manipulating goblin tribes intended to create a larger war.
Aizen closed the ledger.
The mercenary captain was tied beside the cart with the surviving guards.
He still wore the Golden Branch crest proudly.
“You attacked licensed merchants,” he said.
“Falmuth will send soldiers.”
The broad warrior walked toward him.
“You captured children.”
“They are monsters.”
The female goblin stepped forward so quickly that two of the rescued prisoners tried to stop her.
The broad warrior moved between them.
She glared at him.
“Move.”
“If you kill him now, we lose information.”
“He put a chain around my brother’s neck.”
“And my people were forced to give food to the river tribe.
We kept their chief alive.”
“That is not the same.”
“No, but anger feels the same when you are inside it.”
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then she stepped back.
The mercenary smiled.
“You see?
The smarter monster understands business.”
The broad warrior turned and struck him across the mouth with the wooden shaft of his spear.
The human fell onto his side.
The broad warrior looked toward the female goblin.
“Keeping him alive does not mean he gets to speak freely.”
She laughed despite herself.
Aizen approached the mercenary.
“You will return to Falmuth.”
The broad warrior looked surprised.
“We are letting him go?”
“Eventually.”
The captain wiped blood from his mouth.
“You think I will stay quiet?”
“No.
I expect you to report exactly what you believe happened.”
Aizen crouched in front of him.
“You will say a divided group of goblins and wolves attacked your convoy.
You will describe the settlement as poorly defended, newly formed, and desperate for food.”
The captain laughed.
“Why would I lie for you?”
“Because you will believe it is true.”
Aizen drew Kyōka Suigetsu slightly from its sheath.
The broad warrior watched carefully.
Aizen did not expose the full release.
He only altered the captain’s memory of the battle.
More goblins than there had been.
More confusion.
Arguments between the two tribes.
Wolves that ignored commands.
Aizen present but injured and unable to use more than minor magic.
The human’s eyes became unfocused.
The story settled into place.
Aizen returned the blade to its sheath.
The broad warrior looked uncomfortable.
“You changed what he remembers.”
“Yes.”
“Could you do that to us?”
“Yes.”
The answer came without hesitation.
The rescued goblins looked toward him.
The broad warrior held Aizen’s gaze.
“Have you?”
“Not in the way you are asking.”
“That is not a full answer.”
“No.
It is not.”
The goblin remained tense.
Aizen continued in a calmer tone.
“I have altered what enemies perceived during battles.
I have not rewritten your choices or created false loyalty.”
The broad warrior studied him for a moment.
“I do not like that you can do it.”
“You should not.”
The honesty eased the tension slightly.
The female goblin crossed her arms.
“You speak openly about being dangerous.”
“Hiding it from those who live near me would only make them easier to manipulate by someone else.”
She looked toward the captives.
“What happens to the other humans?”
“The mage, the majin, and the documents go to Greybank.
The remaining guards will carry the wounded and confirm the captain’s report.”
Broken Ear frowned.
“You want humans to see the valley as weak.”
“I want Falmuth to believe capturing monsters here is still profitable, but risky enough that they send someone more important than common slavers.”
The broad warrior understood.
“You want the person giving the orders to come closer.”
“Yes.”
The fire bearer shook his head.
“We just finished one trap, and you are already building another.”
“The first battle revealed a road.
It would be wasteful not to follow it.”
The rescued goblins gathered their belongings from the carts.
The female with the red cloth found several knives, blankets, and sacks of grain taken from her people.
She divided them without waiting for instructions and made sure the oldest goblins received water first.
Aizen watched her.
Another useful pattern.
Not strength.
Organization.
The valley would need people who noticed ordinary needs before they became crises.
The broad warrior approached Aizen while the others prepared to return.
“You said we were going to Veldora after this.”
“We are.”
“What about the ogres?”
“We will investigate their territory afterward.”
The goblin looked toward the ledger.
“You think they are in danger.”
“Yes.”
“From Clayman?”
“From someone who wants Clayman blamed.”
The broad warrior frowned.
“How can both be true?”
“Clayman’s people are collecting information and prisoners.
That does not mean they created the larger conflict.
Someone may be using his ambition the way Veil used the river chief’s.”
The broad warrior sighed.
“Another enemy behind the enemy.”
“Possibly.”
“I am beginning to miss the dire wolves.
At least they attacked from the direction they were standing.”
The golden-eyed wolf looked toward him.
The broad warrior raised one hand.
“I did not mean that as an insult.”
The small scout smiled.
“Your face looked worried again.”
They started back toward the valley before sunset.
The rescued goblins walked between the fighters and the wolves.
Some remained afraid of the pack, but the fear weakened as the animals ignored them and guarded the trail.
The female with the red cloth walked beside the broad warrior.
“My people do not have anywhere safe to return to.”
“You can stay in the valley for now.”
“Do you decide that?”
“The council does.”
She looked doubtful.
“How long will that take?”
“Longer than I want.”
“That sounds badly organized.”
The broad warrior glanced at her.
“You may fit in better than I expected.”
Ahead of them, the small scout rode briefly on the golden-eyed wolf’s back while carrying the slavers’ keys around his neck.
He was already telling the rescued children how he had crawled beneath the cart.
Each time he told the story, the number of human guards increased.
Aizen heard him claim there had been ten.
The fire bearer corrected him from behind.
“There were seven.”
“I was underneath the cart.
I may have seen more than you.”
“You could barely see their feet.”
“Some of them had very large feet.”
The rescued children laughed.
The sound moved through the forest without fear.
Aizen looked toward the north.
Veldora’s pressure remained there, vast and restless beneath the seal.
To the south, ogres were being watched.
To the west, Falmuth merchants were buying monsters while Greybank investigated altered records.
Clayman’s network had entered Jura more deeply than the valley understood, and somewhere above it all, Michael and Feldway still believed a corrected vessel was moving according to their design.
The world was beginning to connect.
Not through friendship.
Through trade, fear, ambition, and carefully placed lies.
By the time the group returned to the valley, the settlement would contain another displaced tribe, evidence against a human kingdom, and the first clear warning that the ogres were about to become part of the conflict.
Aizen had planned to visit the Storm Dragon in search of knowledge.
Now he would also ask about the powers moving monsters across Jura like pieces on a board.
The humans had believed they were carrying monsters toward a market.
Instead, they had delivered Aizen a map of the next war.