"We need to stop here," Hisako says once we arrive on a path of trodden dirt.

I raise an eyebrow, “Why should we stop here? I think I can see the village’s walls from here.”

Calling them walls is a bit of an overestimation since they are no more than long wooden stakes reinforces by metal bands, but it’s still a sign of civilization.

The rabbit-eared woman points at my Portal Gun, “Can’t you feel the massive amount of World Energy that thing produces? Just looking at it makes my spine tingle, so if you use it to enter the village then the guards will panic, and they’ll think you’re an enemy. How does this thing even work anyway? I’ve never seen an Artifact like that… Is it even an Artifact? I can’t see any Power Stones on it, so-”

She keeps using terms I don’t understand, but I guess they refer to mana as ‘World Energy’? But what’s worrying is she can feel my portals’ mana, I never knew it was that easy to feel for people with sensitivity to magic.

I guess that means it's easy for other people to detect my portals…

I shake my head, now is not the time to worry about this. A blue rip into the fabric of reality isn’t the epitome of stealth in the first place, so it shouldn’t matter too much that the Gun is throwing massive amounts of mana around.

“Riko, you should know that certain people don’t like it when you pry into their secrets. And I’m one of these people.” I interrupt Riko by raising my right hand. “So, I assume I can’t just walk in and talk to this Elder of yours, right?” I turn towards Hisako, who grumbles an acknowledgment.

I sigh internally. Of fucking course, why would anything be simple with these people?! I take a deep breath, at least this is going to be over soon since I’ll just ask my questions and leave those barbarians alone.

"We have to follow the Clan's rules. First of all, you shouldn't be carrying this thing around." she points at my Portal Gun, "And you should show proper respect to our Elder. That means not speaking unless spoken to, and you must kneel when in his presence.”

My mouth twitches because the idea of kneeling in front of some old tribal who thinks he’s hot shit doesn’t fit well with me. But standing out will just get me in trouble, and I need them to cooperate if I want my information.

“You’ll also need to remove this helmet of yours, it’s impolite to not show your face when you speak to someone.” Hisako continues.

"Not happening," I say dryly. For all I know the atmosphere is some sort of face-melting acid or the pressure difference will be enough to make my head explode, so I’m not taking that risk.

She narrows her eyes, “How dare you-”

“Do you have any idea how long it takes to put on a suit of armor like mine? And don’t take it the wrong way but I won’t take a step into your village without protection.”

Hisako grits her teeth, “I’m guaranteeing you that-”

“No thank you, I’d rather place my trust in my armor rather than in the words of someone who’s shown nothing but contempt for me.”

She growls and reaches for her sword, "How dare you! You’ll-”

Fuck this shit.

I reach for my Field Pistol and point it at Riko’s face before she can even grab her blade, “That’s the problem I have with you. You resort to violence as soon as something doesn’t go your way, even when you have no chance of winning. And you aren’t willing to make compromises, even when your side doesn’t have much ground for demands.”

Riko’s trembling, her eyes are focused on the muzzle of my gun while Hisako is frothing with rage, “Who do you think you are?! To show disdain for any member of the Ironclaw Clan is-”

“Oh please, shut the fuck up for a second. I never even heard of your Ironclaw Clan before today, and I doubt anyone outside of your shitty village has. And look at yourself: You’re wearing simple and used clothes while I’m covered in a set of armor that’s more complex than anything your Clan has ever produced. Your primitive weapon also has no chance of even putting a scratch in my armor, but I could pulverize you and your friend in less than a second.”

Hisako let her hand flop to her side and look at the ground, “…Fine.”

I’m surprised to see that my outburst actually worked, I was regretting it during my entire tirade since I was certain that Hisako would attack me as soon as I drew my weapon. But it looks like she is able to listen to reason… as long as someone threatens her with a gun.

I hope that the rest of the village doesn’t share her attitude, or the situation will devolve into a bloodbath.

I holster my guns, and Riko releases her breath before hiding behind the fuming Hisako who glares at me with the force of a thousand suns.

“See? We can act like responsible adults. So, I’m willing to follow your customs, but I’m not kneeling and I’m not removing my helmet.”

Fuck it, they won’t like when I don’t remove my helmet, so not kneeling won’t bother them that much.

She looks towards the village, “Do as you wish. But don’t act surprised when you’re thrown out for your arrogance.”

“I think I’ll be fine, if they can endure someone like you then I’ll fit right in.”

She takes a deep breath and stops for a second, “Please follow me. And remember: No sudden movement and don’t pull out your weapons. Or do you have problems with that too?!”

I suppress my snarky remark and stay silent. The wooden gate leading into the village is bigger than I expected, and it could narrowly fit two small cars that are side by side. The two guards standing to the sides are armed with halberds with a used green tassel hanging from the base of each blade. Their armor is unremarkable: It’s a set of chainmail over a set of heavy clothes, and there are rough metal plates that add an extra layer of protection over the vitals. Interestingly enough, both guards are not wearing helmets.

“Halt!” the first guard who notices us, a large and tall man who could be best described as a bipedal triceratops with human-like features, slam the butt of his polearm into the ground and raise his free hand.

“Aspirant Hisako, why are you bringing an outsider to our village?” the second guard, a lanky man with two nubby horns on his forehead and square pupil as well as notched goat ears, raise an eyebrow.

Hisako takes a deep breath and lowers her head, "Aspirant Hisako and Apprentice Riko are back from their surveying mission. On our way, we encountered John Thomson. He’s a trader and wants to see the Elder.”

The goat man snorts, “It’s been a while since we had a trader show up around here…” he glances towards the triceratops.

“All right, you can enter.” the dinosaur’s large reptilian eyes lock onto me, “but don’t cause any trouble.”

I nod, and we enter the village. I was right in assuming that the level of civilization here wasn’t high: The roads are just paths in the dirt and there are potholes filled with murky water everywhere. The houses covered by thatch roofs are disparate and irregular, it seems like they were built on the first available plot of land without any planning. They are all made with the same materials, a mix of large wooden beams and dried mud.

There are not a lot of people on the streets, but they all wear the same type of bland and tired clothes that look even worse than the ones worn by the two women who accompanied me.

Hisako and Riko lead me toward a small manor in an isolated part of the village. The two-story building is surrounded by a semi-maintained garden that has clearly seen better days. Two guards, who look similar to the goat-man at the village’s entrance, stand next to a rusty iron gate leading into the compound.

“Halt! Aspirant, what is your purpose here?” the first one asks, and I notice his hand slowly inching towards the sword at his left side.

Hisako sighs, “This man is John Thomson, and he’s a trader who wants to see the Elder.”

The guard’s hand stops moving, and he snorts, “We weren’t expecting a trader for at least another month. And I have never heard of a John Thomson before…”

The other guard taps his comrade on the shoulder, “Don’t worry about that, look at the man. He obviously has a good background, so we better not piss him off. The Elder wouldn’t be happy if we lost a good partnership because of your suspicions.”

Interesting, it looks like Hisako’s hatred for outsiders isn’t shared by the entire village. Maybe I judged them too fast? And when I think about it, Riko didn’t speak to me like I was garbage, but I still threatened her…

I glance at the rabbit-eared girl, but she cowers behind her friend as soon as our eyes meet.

Looks like she hates me now… I can only blame myself for that.

My eyes focus on the guard blocking the entrance, he exchanges a few whispers with his companion before the goat-man enters the compound.

He comes back after long minutes of awkward waiting outside of the manor and invites us inside. The building’s interior is cleaner than I expected, there isn’t a speck of dust on the polished wooden floor and the furniture looks sturdy and well made, even if it’s a bit tired by years of constant use.

The guard leads us towards a large wooden ornate door that has seen better days. The door, which is engraved with a faded shield surrounded by two ram horns, slowly creaks open.

We enter a small room which only contains a stone throne sitting on a raised platform at the back.

The guard, who’s leading our group, speaks to the figure sitting on the throne when we reach the center of the room, “Aspirant Hisako and Apprentice Riko bring the trader John Thomson!”

The guard and the two women then kneel while I remain standing. The guard glares at me while Hisako just smirks.

I observe the figure sitting on the throne in more details. The first thing that catches my attention is the set of large and polished ram horns on top of his head. His face is that of an old man, and his long white beard makes him look even older. He's wearing a long-sleeved blue robe with golden designs engraved on the garment's extremities. The robe looks expensive but way too old since the colors are faded. I also spot a few areas where it was patched up and there are a few loose threads hanging from the bottom.

“I’m the Elder of the Ironclaw Clan, Snaga Ironclaw. Now tell me, Outsider, what do you want?”

I raise an eyebrow, I was expecting him to lash out and threaten me since I didn’t act how I was supposed to. Now I need to find something to sell to this guy, maybe I could give him some random shit from the Bazaar-

“And you may have fooled my guards and your escorts, but I know you’re not a trader.”

Fuck, how did he figure it out?! Maybe he’s bluffing…

“I don’t know what you’re talking-”

The Elder snorts, “Please, I recognize a warrior when I see one. You don’t have the bearings of a trader, and it’s obvious that you’re someone who stared death in the eyes countless times.”

…This is surprisingly accurate. I wasn’t planning on being discovered, but I might as well see where this goes.

I shrug, “Well, you got me. I’m not a trader at all. I’m just here for some information, tell me what I want to know and I’ll be on my-”

“What?! How dare you lie to me?! Who do-” Hisako, who shouts at me, is slammed to the ground by an invisible force.

The Elder sigh, “Hisako, that’s enough!”

Snaga turns towards me, “You must have your reasons to come so far for information, but it isn’t free… Of course, I could share my knowledge with you if you accept to solve a certain problem for me.”

I don’t really have a choice, but I hope it isn’t another fetch quest…

“All right, so what do you want from me?”

The Elder smiles, “You see, our Clan owns a large mine in the nearby mountains. It’s been a source of wealth and minerals for generations, but something terrible happened thirty years ago. All the miners died, and the groups I sent to clear the mine shared the same fate. So, we sealed the entrance to the mine and abandoned it.”

I cross my arms, “Let me guess, you want me to clear the mine out? That sounds dangerous, and I won’t do it unless I’m certain you actually have the information I need.”

The Elder nods, “Fair enough. So, what do you want to know so badly?”

I reach for my phone and search for a picture of the Starmetal and the Frostcrystal roses I took while the Scanner was searching for a suitable planet. The guards, who are still kneeling, eye me with suspicion as I give the device to the Elder who raises an eyebrow.

“What an amazing little Artifact…” he mutters before focusing on the pictures. He narrows his eyes and takes a deep breath before giving me my phone back. “I wonder how you heard about the Ancient Metal, but I know where you can find some. And I can help you find the flowers.”

“Of course… But why should I believe you?”

Snaga sighs, “I swear it on the Clan’s name, is that enough?”

Hisako gasps and the guards narrow their eyes. Their reaction tells me that swearing on your Clan’s name must be a pretty big deal, especially coming from the Elder of said Clan. So, the old man is probably telling the truth.

I uncross my arms, "All right, then could you tell me where that mine is?"

There's probably nothing that can threaten me in the area, at least if the spider-things… I think they called them Weavaans, are any indication of what’s considered strong here. So, clearing the tunnels should be a piece of cake, unless-

The Elder coughs, “I appreciate your eagerness, but we can’t let you wander in our territory without an escort.” His eyes scan the room and they land onto the kneeling Hisako, “Hisako, you brought him here, so you won’t mind escorting him to the mine, right?”

Hisako’s eyes open wide, and I react in a similar fashion.

Please no, anyone but her!

She glares at me, “E-Elder, I can’t possibly-”

“Nonsense, I know you’re perfectly capable of handling yourself. And it should help you grow out of your anti-outsider mentality.” Snaga interrupts.

“Then this Aspirant will obey.” the woman deflates and nod.

Great, so now I’ll have to endure her shitty attitude for the entire journey… Fuck my life.

“Is there anything else I need to know before I head into the mine?” I ask the Elder.

“I’m afraid not, we still don’t know what happened back there.” the old man says.

He gets up from his chair and dust off his robes, “I don’t want to delay you any longer, my guards will show you the way out.”

The two guards, as well as Hisako, glare at me with fiery eyes until we reach the iron gate. The panda-eared woman comforts her rabbit-eared companion and sees her off before turning towards me.

“What?” I ask while crossing my arms.

She grits her teeth, “I can’t believe you showed so much disrespect to our Elder… You’ll regret soiling our Clan’s honor!”

“Okay, sure. Then lead the way, the sooner we get to the mine the sooner I’ll be out of your life.”

She snarls, “Then follow me, I need to prepare my equipment before we go. We don’t know how long we’re going to be in this forsaken mine, so-”

"Wait for what?! You're going to follow me into the mine?!" I exclaim.

Hisako sighs and looks at me like I’m an annoying child, “Of course, the mine is still Ironclaw territory, so you’ll need an escort. And how else would we confirm that you actually cleared the mine?”

I cross my arms, “Yeah, fair point. So, this is your house?” I ask once we stop in front of a small, but well-maintained house.

She nods, “I won’t be long, so wait here.” I lean against the wall, and boredom settles in after a few minutes. The wooden door isn’t fully closed so I take a quick glance into Hisako’s home. The styling is, weirdly enough, almost identical to the Elder’s manor.

Interesting, so the Elder is either a very humble person or this Clan has been on the decline for a while… Their main source of income was probably the mine, so I will be able to get more out of the Elder than I initially thought.

I also set up a waypoint with my Portal Gun near Hisako’s home since I forgot to put one down when I arrived on the planet. Of course, I make sure to be as discreet as possible to avoid alarming the few passing villagers who eye me with interest. The annoying woman emerges from her home with a big leather backpack strapped to her shoulders a few minutes later.

“I only packed for myself, so I hope you have your own gear in your spatial container.”

I shrug and we head out of the village under the intrigued gaze of the villagers, who exchange whispers while pointing at my armor. Their expression varies from pure curiosity to outright animosity, a sign that this Clan is more divided than I thought.

The hatred for outsiders might be a source of conflict in the future, so I hope a civil war doesn’t tear the village apart while I’m gone.