Chapter 12

“Tell me again why I have to clear those plants and how it’s so important”

Orion asked still confused about the quest at hand as all three sat around a stone table in the center of the room that formally belonged to the Elder Snakeman. Light came from the labyrinth core as in floated in the same spot it was before but twice as large to hold the pure mana. Two day had passed since the core was set up and now they had their own rooms to sleep.

“What’s important is that we all can stop sitting on stiff chairs and sleeping on stiff beds, with that in mind there are two things that must be done in order for this place to expand” Aus urged

Weaken the forest

A number of plants are dissipating the miasma that’s coming from the young labyrinth before it can reach far away. If the plants are cut down it is highly likely chaotic races will want to live inside.

Difficulty: Y Progress: Accepted

Secure Supplies

There is only so much that can be made from stone before softer materials and food are needed in increasing large quantities. Go around to the local tribes and convince them to exchange their goods. Securing this will allow the labyrinth to greatly increase the amount of creatures it can house.

Difficulty: Y Progress: Accepted

To Orion both quest seemed hard it was just in different ways and neither of the quest descriptions giving a hint to go about it. Looking around at the barren room and a store room to house the food they don’t have he decided on what quest to tackle first.

If we really want this place to become than a cave house for three people then supplies should come first. After when the plants are cut down and the miasma spreads everything that’s needed will already be here

What it meant for Orion was the problem of keepings the creatures here that the Labyrinth’s miasma attracted would never become a problem in the first place. After he agreed Aus went back to the Labyrinth core and started again his work on expanding beyond the central room. After the main area and rooms were completed yesterday Aus focused on building out the pathway to the entrance of the cave. The reason being that they fear of someone random creature just walking in since it was now empty.

It would take days to reach the entrance and the Labyrinths ability to influence its surrounds only reached as far as it could touch so they could not just close the cave opening first.

Before Orion could grab his things Oliver rushed over from Aus side and started to walk over to the side of the main chamber that housed there rooms. Going into Orion’s room he emerged a short time later with a bag of food and the mold sword. It seemed that ever since the three of them started to live inside the cave Oliver had become much nicer and helpful.

Most likely it was because he saw how well his life became after I did work to expand the Labyrinth and now doing the same kind of work he gets excited to getting closer to whatever his Oliver’s end goal is

When Oliver finished gathering the gear and supplies at Orion’s feet his eyes seemed to glow with hunger, not of food but of power. Seeing as he felt no need to set the child’s path to one he saw as better Orion picked up the Mold sword to admire its new look.

It happened after the floor had been reshaped for the first time, its bend was no longer there and had actually grown longer. Orion guessed that the Elder Snakeman’s blood had repaired in the same way it healed him. With these changes the damaged had increased and become his primary weapon of choice.

I need more weapons

His last fight had shown him that his skill with swords would not be enough and if the same conditions happened again without a spare the fight would end quickly. That’s why one of his own personal ‘quest’ was to arm his body. With the improved Mold Sword and other goods tied to his back Orion made his way out of the central chamber to the cave entrance. Oliver rushed back next to Aus and resumed their discussion on how the remodeling should look.

Walking out and across the open plain he admired how much open space there was, the mount of room it offered was no small fraction of the town Trien. In time if all things went well camps could be where Orion was walking now. Now up the dirt ramp to the forest Orion already pulled out the Mold Sword.

These past days have made no change to how dangerous it is out here

Besides the skill [Rush] Orion had not got any stronger and the part of the Elf village Aus had told him about was not the west that they had come from but the east. There were more Beastmen but because they were too far away for now the Elf’s were the only choice for the supplies needed. The greatest challenge in securing supplies was not having anything to pay them with but the idea of supporting a place that drain the forest of life.

Orion’s first creature he encountered reentering the forest was only the last he had seen and finally knew the name of. The Legged Vulture noticed Orion the same moment he noticed it, the bent its legs in preparation and jumped forward. The first thing Orion did was smile, starting now these fights would be different.

As the Legged Vulture closed the gap Orion activated [Rush] and ran to the side, dodging the attack causing it to instead hit the tree behind where Orion had stood. With the Legged Vulture dazed he ran back using [Double Hit] easily causing critical hits. One more hit and the battle was done, the last attack was almost not needed with his improved damage output.

Traveling to the elf village would take six hours by his guess so after the battle Orion quickly resumed his walk. During the trip he reviewed what Aus had taught him about the Elf’s. His nation had claimed much of its land without actually having a presence in that area in order to ward off any other major nation. In return to this policy less than half the lands inside the national boundaries actually belonged to the government.

For the elf’s many lived in smaller villages that answered to their own leaders and a separate capital. Their race was not unified, sub races had their own villages with some vassals of the national government but most completely independent. On the other hand a much large percentage of the Beastmen races were conscripted into the military. Thinking about all the other races and there culture overwhelmed Orion, compromising and just understanding the people around him was the best choice for now.

When Orion was less than an hour away he encountered his first Elf’s, there had been no warning as arrows fell in front of him. The shock of people around him without any indication froze him in his tracks. It was not until the first Elf walked in front of Orion that he regained his senses.

“My name is Gaelin, who are you and what is your business in this area?”

Gaelin was slightly shorter then Orion, cloths that matched the forest colors for what he guessed helped them blend in with the environment. The bow was clearly well made with cravings, it was clearly seen everything Gaelin wore as better than his. Six others soon appeared surrounding the both of them, scanning the area around them much more than they watched him.

“I am sorry if this area is one I should not be in, my name is Orion and I have come to trade with the leaf village”

It was the words he had prepared on the way as a formal greeting so that the first encounter did not start off badly. Gaelin’s expression relaxed into a friendlier one while the other elf’s stayed in their place. Noticing Orion’s worry about not everyone standing down Gaelin reassured him.

“Not everyone is as kind as you, between the Beastmen and the dark elf elite rangers this area has become deserted. Talking here is unsafe, my squad will escort you to our village”

The Squad formed to walls of three on either side of Gaelin and Orion, the guards in the center pulling out circle shields and swords while the rest keep their bows pointed the forest around them. Gaelin held out his hand and a moment later a small bird landed in it, he swept his other hand over it causing it to start glowing blue.

“This area still needs to be guarded so I am sending out this bird to tell a nearby squad to cover it until we return”

Gaelin had guessed Orion’s nature so he felt it alright to tell him the information. In little time the village had come into view where Orion could see easily more than a hundred people lived here. There were four guards standing at the opening of the village, Gaelin waved his hand for a guard to come over.

Four guards at the entrance and experience squads so close to their town, just how bad is it here?

The entrance itself was closed with a gate that was six of him wide and three times his height. The guard that ran out to them carried the same unease as everyone in Gaelin’s squad, Orion had thought if anyone a wall guardsmen would be relaxed.

“Please tell Vulas that a human has arrived to trade”

Nodding the guard ran back in and the gates opened back up, when it was fully opened two more guards were waiting just inside the entrance.

“Those guards will be with you for as long as you are in Drannor and they are just meant as a token guard for important visitors since you are new and don’t have your own, my squad will be returning”

“I thought since you were the first one to meet me that you would be introducing me to Vulas”

Gaelin grasped Orion’s Shoulder to relax him in any worries he may have

“That guard will tell Vulas I escorted you here and if there were any dangers I saw in bringing you here you would have not been”

With those final words Gaelin’s squad sprinted into the forest and quickly disappeared

That has to be a skill, I wonder if there’s some way to convince them to teach me it

Entering the village gave off a different atmosphere then the one of the people outside, they seemed relaxed and happy but still on guard. There were only elf’s as far as Orion could see, Drannor seemed more empty then it should for the size and number of buildings he concluded.

The guards did not try to direct Orion in any way to go to one place in another, they really were a token guard as a sign of respect. Seeing that he came up with the reason that the military forces must think only these two guards could handle him and they had some way to track him.

“Can you take me somewhere?”

“Of course, just us what you would like to see”

The answer to his question came swift so Orion saw no reason to ask for extra permission of the both of them. The fact that they did not even tell him an area he could not go made it harder for Orion to choose one. The experience the guards and troops showed was impressive so he wanted to see where they learned it.

“Can you take me to your training area?”

“May you”

“What?”

“Nothing I am sorry, please follow me”

The guards changed their positions around him, the one Orion spoke to went in front and the other behind him. Being guided now Orion could tell that humans or at least outsiders were unusual with the surprised and worried looks he got as he crossed through the village. The area they arrived at had dozens of troops training both alone and in groups. Orion tried to watch their movements but was unable it, to him there actions became blurs, showing off the level difference, there skills and training.

Once again Envy swelled watching them move at such speeds, wishing that he himself could do such things or people under him could. There armor was the same in all but a few, those that used bows wore less and Orion even saw some troops on Legged Vultures.

“Those men and women over there are the pride of our village, they are the ones who protect us in such an ill time. I am Vulas it is my pleasure to meet you”

Looking to his side Orion noticed Vulas for the first time, it would have surprised him more if Gaelin squad had not done the same thing. It still had taken a moment for him to connect his thoughts to answer.

“It is my honor to meet you Lord Vulas, thank you for agreeing to meet with me”

“The honor is mine to meet someone new who means my people well, If you would come with me we can talk now about what you would like to trade”