Chapter 7

“So that's what happened” Garren says, muscles still spasming from his earlier exertion.

"Are you sure your ok old friend?" Centurian asks as he watches Garren grunt from the pain.

"As I said before, I needed to increase my speed to keep up with Grendel's daughter" Garren explains"forcing my muscles to keep up with her speed was needed if she is to learn her lesson"

Centurian stares at his friend, a silence descends the two.

"It is unfortunate that Grendel passed away, but I can understand why he did it. Taking out the hobgoblin leaders saved a lot of lives. I see no way of winning this and still have a sizable fighting force for the next year." Sighing deeply, Garren turns to the centaur as he sits next to the fire, the only light present in the room.

Centurian grunts in acknowledgment"Yes, every year the goblins come down the northern mountains, and every year we need an army to take them out. I just wish Wukong would realize the necessity"

“I still don't get it Centurion, was Wukong not one of the people that loved and looked up to Grendel?” Garren asks.

"He was, but he became bitter very quickly since a good friend of his followed Garren into that final push" tapping his hoof in annoyance, he looks at Grendel"Wukong is very bitter, but everyone has their vices, Garren"

Garren continues to think in silence, the fire crackling lightly.

"Tell me about that Valen guy, he doesn't seem very strong, even if he carries an artifact"

A smile forms on Garren's face"first off, he has no items on himself that are magical, his ability to form an interstitial space is completely his own."

“How? What is he? What else can he do?” Centurion asks, excitement in his voice.

“Slow down” Garren warns”I'll explain what I know, just give me a sec.”Garren slowly moves his body as he positions himself better in the chair.

"Alright, Valen has an enormous Mana pool. When I say enormous, I mean it. At least ten times larger than my own. He has a grand assortment of items, and I believe that includes weapons and armor. What species he is, unfortunately, I don't know. He looks like a forsaken, but clearly, he is able to use Mana, so he can't be one. He is too tall and not nearly bulky enough to be a dwarf. He could possibly be an elf, but the amount of Mana he throws around dictates that that is not true either."

“How does he fight” the centaur interrupts.

“I….I actually have no idea” Garren explains” I have never seen him fight. Why are you so curious Centurion, looking to recruit him?”

Shaking his head”No Garren, Wukong will probably attempt to fight him come morning” Centurian explains.

"No he won't, if he wants to fight anyone under my protection, then he will have to go through me" Garren interrupts, a scowl on his face.

Centurian stares at the still twitching muscles along Garren's arms.

"I will be fully healed by morning" quickly says Garren.

"Don't kill him, Garren, he is still a great general, and will be needed for the trials and tribulations to come."

A smile forms on Garren's" I won't kill him, just make sure you have a healing potion handy”

"Don't underestimate him, Garren, he wields the staff Jingu Bang" Centurian warns"He has practiced with that staff all his life, don't play around"

"Yes yes" Garren waves, wincing at the pain in his arm"I have heard of the staff, wood from a sacred tree, bathed in magic oils, enchanted by elves, blah blah blah. It has the ability to absorb kinetic energy and release it at will. It's not that great."Garren denounces as he cradles his sore arm.

“Oh, and Volendrung is any better” counters Centurion

“Of course it's better, it was created in a Dwarven volcanic forge!” Garren yells and slams his fist on the table, eliciting a cry of surprise as his arm starts to hurt again.

“I create earthquakes with my hammer. No stick is going to be able to stop a force of nature” Garren says as he nurses his hand.

Shaking his head, Centurian gets up from his sitting position"It is time for me to go, hopefully, you idiots don't kill each other tomorrow." And with those final words, the old centaur walks out, closing the door behind him.

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Saria awakens in the night, a shadow hovers over her body, piercing green eyes the same as her mother's stare back at her.

The shadow nudges her head towards the window and quickly climbs out and upward. Saria follows the shadow in silence. When she gets to the top, the light from the stars illuminates the area, allowing her to night vision to see in far better detail.

A Panther-kin stands before her, a replica of herself. Covered in black leather and sporting a large number of knives, a smile crosses Saria's face.

“Sarena, it is nice to see you hail and healthy”Saria says as her sister walks towards her.

“You allowed yourself to be captured” Sarena admonishes “ mother would be displeased if she found out” Sarena continues, her tone neutral.

"She would be displeased because she would need to save me" Saria interjects "not because I was captured" Saria explains as she pouts amicably and sits down at the side of the roof, feet dangling freely.

Sarena watches her twin sister, deciding internally on the best course of action, Sarena sits next to Saria, less than an arm's reach apart.

"So, tell me everything," Sarena says, a supportive tone in her voice.

A goofy smile forms on Saria's face as she looks at her sister." let me start by telling you about the man that freed me"

Sarena's eyebrows rise as Saria's cheeks start to blush.

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Lin awakens during the night, blinking quickly as she looks around at her surroundings, an alcoholic smell in the air. Immediately realizing that she is at Valens home, a safe smile forms on her lips, only to be replaced by a frown as she remembers what happened yesterday. Touching her head, she finds a cloth wrapped around it. Forcing it away, Lin feels around where the cut would be, and only finds a scar.

Looking around, Lin finds Valen on the opposite bunk, a leg sticking out from under sheets, drool flowing down his mouth. Moving her covers away, Lin gets up and off the bed, her toes touching the cold Metal floor. Taking slow steps, Lin walks towards Valen, finding him asleep she lifts his sheets, climbs into his bed, and snuggles closely to Valen, who remains fast asleep.

Smiling happily, Lin uses Valen as a pillow, falling quickly asleep again.

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"Centurian" Wukong yells, as he exits his tent, holding his bruised face. Looking around, Wukong notices the sun only starts to rise in the sky, frustration present in his voice. "Ugh" he grunts as his still bruised face twitches from the cold morning air.

”Wukong!” the old centaur yells as he trudges close”you should be resting, healing potions need a lot more time to heal broken bones” Centurian explains.

“Then get me another” Wukong yells “I will not stand being humiliated any longer and where is my armor” Wukong continues to yell, words partly slurred from his not fully healed chin.

"These Health potions are only made by the elves" Centurian tries to explain " and they cost a significant sum each bottle" Centurian continues. "their effects also decrease our ability to heal quickly for a time."

"You" Wukong points at a bull Beast-kin as he feeds the Elkin mounts."Get me my staff and armor" turning to Centurian "and you get me another health potion, that's an order!" Wukong yells.

Sighing loudly and shaking his head, Centurian heads towards his tent to grab the potions."This will not go well" Centurian whispers inside his tent as he listens to Wukong continue yelling around the camp.

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Opening his eyes slowly, Valen finds himself staring at the ceiling of his trailer, a heavyweight pressed on top of him. Looking down, Valen finds Lin's sleeping form laying on top of him, her head sleeping calmly on his chest while her tail swishes randomly across his leg.

Slowly moving his hand, Valen parts the fur on her head, only a vanishing scar present."So, your kind does heal fast" Valen whispers, a smile forming on his lips as Lin's ears twitch. Lin's eyes open and she looks up at Valen, orange slit eyes stare back at him.

"Morning Valy" Lin says in English, a smile forming on Valen's face at her weird pronunciation. A yawn escapes Lin's lips, showing her razor-sharp teeth. Lin's head falls back on Valen's chest, eyes closing quickly."Oy, don't fall asleep again" Valen says, with only the soft breathing from Lin's sleeping form the only answer he gets.

"I guess I can give you a few more minutes," Valen says as he also lays his head back on a pillow "You had a hard day yesterday" a frown forms on his face" I should have killed that monkey" Valen says, sleep slowly taking over.

"Did you find out where the orcs came from?" Garren asks his son as he bites into a large amount of salted meat.

"No father, as I said before, I heard them talking about a tunnel traveling through the northern mountains near the dead zone." Breon answers as he sips a bit of tea."I still can't believe they have a tunnel that travels to the ocean" Breon says.

“ugh” Garren grunts in understanding “ You also made sure to warn the hunters to stay as far from the Deadzone as possible?” Garren asks, washing his food down with water.

"No worries, they know they are too close when the number of living animals starts to decrease." Sighing loudly "I am worried father, a tunnel extending through to the ocean is a dangerous proposition. Our most valued protection is the geography of this content."

"I understand" nods Garren "the mountains covering the entire north and east of Geralyn, the Deadzone covering the west side and the massive desert that is the south of this continent." Garren says.

"But Breon, isolation is also a weakness" Garren starts" If we need assistance or rare supplies, we have to travel the entire desert before we can hit a port, and that takes up to a good month or more of travel."

Breon looks up to his father” are you saying that it would be a good idea to use this shortcut through the mountain for trade” Breon asks, curiosity in his voice.

"Of course" Garren says, a laugh escaping his mouth. "Brentanol is so close to this possible shortcut, it would no doubt turn our town into a huge trading hub" Garren says, a confident smile on his face.

Breon stares at his father ”It was moms idea, wasn’t it” he admonishes, as Garren looks away from his son, a guilty expression on his face.

"Anyways" Garren interrupts" I need to put on my armor and get my hammer" getting up he looks to his son "You should come along, it will be a very good learning experience"

Breon shakes his head “No thank you father, I would rather help get this orc business taken care of. Did you notify the general yet?” Breon asks as his father is about to walk out of their home.

"I notified his tactician," Garren says as he closes the door behind him.