Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"What do you plan?" asked Ya Lang. 

The others looked to Ming Yue with their ears open, waiting for her to explain. 

"I think that we shouldn't wait for her to come to us. Rather we force her to come out, take her by surprise, and either ambush or lead her into a trap. From there, we can send another group to take her stronghold. Both would require a diversion of sorts, and considering that there is most likely others, it will need to be something she cannot ignore."

After making her suggestion, she watched for everyone's reaction quietly. 

Ya Lang furrowed his brow and gave it some thought. 

"Certainly, it could work and we would have completed multiple objectives in one fell swoop but there is an issue. Who would be the diversion? What would it be?" 

As if waiting for him to ask, Ming Yue answered. 

"We could do it, or perhaps, only me."

"I see... Considering we not only escaped but also humiliated her as well, the Vore Demon would not forget us. If we were to meet, she would certainly come after us."

Ya Lang quickly understood her reasoning but still found a few problems. 

"Such preparations would take a long time, especially if we were to create traps for them. Not to mention, running from or even successfully killing one would be difficult. Their mouths are quick and they are a ruthless race of demons. What would you suggest then?" the captain asked. 

Ming Yue thought quietly before looking towards Xiao Yin and Hei Yue.

"These two can help obscure the demon's view and allow you to run away with ease."

"Like that black fog, right? From the fox?" one of the soldiers said. 

"Yes, as for killing them, as long as their attention is towards you, they will not be able to notice me. As long as I can get to them, I can assassinate them. We can use traps to slow them down as they will most likely be riding on those lizards."

Volunteering herself, Ming Yue felt that it was a suitable role for her as did the others. 

"That does work."

"The Fairy of the Moon is pretty strong." 

"Quick too."

They looked to each other, quietly muttering and agreeing to each other. Then Ya Lang spoke up. 

"While your plan seems solid, we will need to at least have the butchers and examiners check the corpses we bring back. We may even need to bring a live one if need be. Until then, this plan or any other plans should be on hold for now. Of course, we must gain the approval of both commanders before beginning."

 He stood up and stretched before looking to his comrades. 

"Alright then, I'm sure everyone has had their fair share of rest. Let's get going and return by midnight. This day trip of ours has gone quite long enough."

Everyone stood up and followed him back to the camp. 

As the moon continued to rise, they made their way through the thick marshes before seeing the lights and the familiar tents. And the construction work seemed to have progressed a lot more as the foundations were made and stones were being set down. 

Upon reaching the gates, Ya Lang called out to the guardsmen.

"It's me! Captain Ya Lang! We've returned with some important news!"

With a few shouts from above, the gates opened before them, letting them in. Standing there was none other than Commander Yu Zhen, waiting for them to come back. There was a frown on her face as she saw this group of dirtied and injured warriors enter. 

"So, you said you have news for me? Get yourselves cleaned first and then report to me and that goes for everyone. Drop off any spoils you found unless it is related to this news. Commander Zi Jing and I will be waiting so do not take long."

After making her orders, she promptly turned to go, leaving Ming Yue's group to themselves. 

"You heard the commander! We wash ourselves and report to her! Then, we show her the new beasts we found! I suggest everyone be finished within the half-hour."

Ya Lang looked to everyone afterward, restating her orders. 

Everyone but Ming Yue saluted and went to their own tents, grabbing a change of clothes and going off to clean themselves. As for the young woman, she looked to her two beasts, finding them both to be quite dirty. Their fur and feathers were wet and matted as parts of them had dried specks of mud. 

Giving a helpless smile, she sighed at them. 

"You two need a good wash and so do I."

Although her armor could self-repair and self-clean, her own body still needed to be clean. 

"Let's go!"

And the trio soon went off to wash themselves off. Luckily, a bathhouse seemed to have been the first thing that had been fully developed. A spacious building with one floor and steam rising from the chimneys. 

Entering it, she undressed and put her clothes into a basket before grabbing one of the towels. In the span of a half-hour, she gave herself as her two beasts a good wash. Lathering themselves in soap and rinsing off, she wiped down every nook and cranny of their body, making sure that there was not even a speck of dust. 

"Now that I think about it, when was the last time I gave you two a good clean? It must have been at the Iron Citadel? In any case, the both of you did amazing today."

She spoke sweetly to her two pets, both of whom cooed and purred under her care.*

"I'm sure you both heard but the others might be needing your help. Make sure they're all safe, okay?"

They both chirped and yipped so as to agree with her words. 

"Good, good, I have such good friends."

Scratching their chins and bellies, the trio spent a bit more time relaxing and winding down before getting out to join the others in their report. Walking through the camp, it was quiet as most of the engineers and soldiers were asleep, save for the night watches. 

As she passed by, she stopped by the medical tent and walked in. 

Compared to when Ming Yue last entered, there was a lot less noise as many of the injured were sleeping soundly, bandaged up, and sleeping in peace. 

"It's you! You're back."

Having noticed her, the doctors who had taken on the night shift walked up to her and bowed. 

"Thank you for the medicines and the herbs, with all that we were able to have them all properly bandaged as still have leftover for later. Thank you, thank you."

Showing their appreciation repeatedly, Ming Yue placed her hands on the doctor before her and stopped him from bowing any longer. 

"There wasn't much I could find out there but I still managed to scrounge up a bit."

Out of her spatial ring was a small pile of herbs that she gathered on her trip with the soldiers. With their help identifying them, she managed to find some but it was only enough to hold with both hands. Compared to what she gave last time, this was a pitiful amount. 

But the doctors didn't think as much, accepting them with joy. 

"Please, there is no need to look for more. In just a week or two, ships will come bearing more supplies for us."

Ming Yue smiled, cupping her fists and bowing. 

"That is good to hear, I should take my leave. There is somewhere I have to be."

Having left the medical tent, the doctors watched her go before crowding around the one that received the medicines. 

"To think she would have such kind heart, even with the hunting expeditions, she set aside time to collect herbs for us. Truly, fairy is a proper name for her."

They had nothing but praise for her.. Even if she felt that she did not contribute much, her actions were more meaningful to them.