Luke was enraged. He fought tooth and nails for days to create a barely defensible position and these guy just show up with everything built for them (it was made by them in their world probably, but why did they spawn with their town instead of alone?). He theorized that they should have been transported very recently as there were more than half still passed out. It seems that anything smarter than a goblin were unconscious when they appeared.

“Stay here, I will see if they can be trusted.” it wasn't that Luke would selflessly sacrifice himself, he was confident in running away if he was attacked. After all, he was close enough to Treewalk back to the forest if circumstances demanded it.

He sent a mental message to Steve to tell him his current discoveries, bit he was firm in that the wolf should continue patrolling. It was a possibility that there was other beings popping out somewhere else.

He watched the whole valley for any other clue of inhabitants. He noticed than grasses had conquered most of it after the mana seed was removed. Not finding anything else worthy of attention, he jumped down the cliff (now a lot easier to do thanks to his increased Agility). Luke decided to not hide himself while getting near the hamlet. He wished to gain some allies, or at least not gain enemies. So approaching while in stealth may give the impression that he wasn't friendly. Yes, he lost the benefit of surprise but he won a chance of dialoguing. That was as much as he was willing to concede in the spirit of peace.

He walked at a constant rhythm towards the buildings. He was spotted three hundreds meters short of the settlement. Shortly after, two dozens of them left the town, marching in his direction. Luke was impressed by the of their formation. It looked like a well rehearsed choreography. They stopped a hundred meters outside their base and waited for him to get closer. He could now tell that each of them carried two swords, a shield, a short spear and maybe a dozen daggers that seemed suitable to be thrown accurately. That added with their dark skin, eyes and pointy ears suggested that they were Dark elves. He suspected that the low concentration of Mana of the valley, a byproduct of removing the seed, made this an ideal location for them.

“Halt! Who are you and what are your intentions with our noble tribe? Answer quickly or be gone. We aren't afraid of using our thirsty blades to enforce our position.” if the words of their leader (an elf with a better armor and some markings on his shoulders), the aggressive body language of the whole troop certainly conveyed the message.

“Hello there! I'm Luke. I was traveling through the forest when I came across your settlement. I must admit that I'm surprised as I pass this area everyday and there were no buildings yesterday. So, I introduced myself, I believe now it's your turn” Luke went for endearing, hoping that they weren't the pricks their attitude denoted. When their leader narrowed his eyes making a face of disgust, he lost all hope however.

“You are not worthy of my name, but I will tell you that you are going to be killed by the first legion of the Nuagu people. Soldiers Ready! Attack!” the words spouted by their captain spurred the rest into action. There were ten meters of distance which disappeared rapidly against the dark elves advance. Luke considered striking back, but there was no reason to: he couldn't win with the current circumstances and revealing his fighting style would allow them to prepare for the next time. He concentrated on one of the trees above the cliff and teleported to it.

Luke didn't know what was more entertainment, the fury of the Nuagu demonstrated by their shouts or Dahani surprise when he suddenly appeared. The surprise didn't last long, being replaced by wonder.

“You're a walker! They're a myth in my world. How did you become one? What did you do? Ah right. Who owns that settlement?” Luke was getting used to her rapid fire questions. His interactions with her showed that her mind wasn't as mature as her body.

“You were right, dark elves aren't nice. Too arrogant for my taste. Walker… I'm not sure, after completing the quest the option to become one became available. There are no legends about anything of this on this world so I just thought it was a slightly special job and nothing more.” Luke told her while he retreated. He didn't know how sharp was their sight so he didn't want to take risk. After a dozen meters, he climbed a tree. He didn't want to be seen but he did desire to know if they would invade his forest. Here, with the help of the trees, he could annihilate a group like the one that confronted him quietly. Sadly, he could make out between the branches how the small troop went back to the town. Although they were arrogant, they did understand what they job was (defend their tribesmen, not chase after intruders).

“There isn't much written or passed orally about the Walkers. In the few records that remain, they are depicted as travelers or protectors. They aren't strong per se, but they are really hard to deal with. What most agree in, is that they are impartial, they don't take sides. They only point out that you're going toward a cliff and will fall down if you don't change. They don't make the changes by themselves. Wait dark elves? Damn, I thought I could have some peace here.” Dahani talked about Walkers as if she was narrating the accomplishments of her heroes. However when she realized the other bit of Luke’s words, her face fell immediately. It appeared that the nature elves persecution was more severe that she had wanted to show.

Luke put a hand on her shoulder and looked her on the eyes. He still didn't trust her, but he felt sad for her situation. “You can stay in the house until you found somewhere to go. Or at least until I deal with this elves. Also, what is Nuagu?” Luke had made his decision so now he wanted to distract her of her thoughts.

“Nuagu is how the dark elves call themselves. It means sons of the night sky in their ancestral language. The word is the reason why they feel they should dominate all other creatures. In their system of beliefs, the most important entity is the sky. So if they are the sky own children, they should be above everything except the sky itself. In short, they are religious fanatics… I appreciate your offer and will accept for the time being.” She told him with a thankful look on her face.

Luke called a few sylphs and tree sprites and told them to keep an eye on the new neighbors. Dahani stared astonished at this creatures, but the amazement quickly vanished. It seemed that nothing that came from Luke could surprise her anymore.

With the sentinels in place, Luke continued his patrol in a circular route parallel to the forest perimeter.