By the morning of the next day, we could see the death willows from a hilltop. I'm back home. I have no idea when this place became home for me, but it is now. Shraaizar, the burly monkeys, the goblins. I had little contact with the goblins except to tell them to craft weapons. How are they now?

I climb up a hill, and Marcy comments, "Isn't this the hill where I shouted at Cloude?" She looks around and answers herself, "Yes, it is."

"You are correct. It was here that your bags were found. Thank you again for that 'care package'. It helped a lot. Specially Cloude's clothes. We wear the same number!" I climb the hill to the very top and tell the rest of the band, "Cover your ears. I'm shouting!"

Like some British noble kid that was lost in Africa, I let my war cry echo in the forest. Let all know that the lord of this place has returned. A lot of birds flew away, and a dozen rabbits had heart attacks. A few moments later some curious devil monkeys come out of the willows and stop at the foot of the hill.

I call them in the monster language, "It is me, Grendel. Go and warn Shraaizar that I have returned."

The monkeys are in doubt if they obey or not, but Kochurearc comes behind me and yells at them, "Do not make lord Grendel wait for you lowly apes! Warn lady Shraaizar of his return at once." I'm glad there is no canopy over the hill, or some forest fire could start. This big red and ash-grey gorilla really knows how to show who is boss. Maybe I can have him organize the hunters and defenders.

"Is everyone with poison resistance level 2 at least?" Nods here and there and a greenish-blue crested snake lady appeared from between the willows. Excited, I run down the slope to the edge of the willow meadow. The pattern of her scales changed and she was not that much blue, but I paid no mind right now.

"Shraaizar! It is really you!" This dizzying euphoria of seeing a family member after long. Shraaizar is like a big sister to me. How afraid I was that she would not make the journey back, that she would find hunters, that a stronger monster would...

I grab her where non-existent waist would be and pull her close. When did she become this big?

"I'm finally back! So good to see you again, Shraaizar!"

"It is alssso good to sssee you in good health, Beowulf! But why the outburssst?"

I caress those crests running down her back and admire her new scale pattern, "You've grown! And your skin is so glossy and pretty!"

"That isss because I've molted a few daysss ago after we arrived here. And now I am able to use water magic asss well."

"That might be the reason for the change of your scale pattern, I think." Shraaizar has grown at least some five or six feet longer.

There is a stronger reaction from her pemadra too. It might not be enough to be called a rank up or an evolution, but there is a noticeable change in quality. She unwraps from around me and I let her go from my embrace.

"Now, come. You mussst be tired from your journey. I shall have everyone assembled to receive you."

"You changed," Helen says after we start entering the syrup meadow, "there was a sadness hidden deep inside your eyes this whole trip, it was only lifted now."

"I was worried about her safety. Shraaizar is like an older sister to me. I would not be alive without her support. But sorry for cutting you off from our conversation. I must teach her the human language too."

"We could understand a little. Enough to grasp the feelings," said Marcy a bit behind in the line.

Helen thinks for a while and asks, "Say, you have unlocked the monster tamer job, right?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Why don't you use the skills of that job and bind yourself and Shraaizar. This way you will always know her status. I think it would be automatic because unlike Mittens she should be willing."

Helen has a point. She burned a humongous amount of MP and succeeded by the skin of her teeth in taming Mittens because the blood mantis wanted to kill us. If it is Shraaizar and other monsters from this camp, it would be an easy thing. Not unlike a party invite.

"Tomorrow, after we are settled and rested, I'll think about it. Come, let me show you the place. Marcy only came up until that big hill, shouted troubling stuff to make me frenzy and left. Let's get inside."

We walk for some fifteen minutes in a snake-like path full of half-buried roots and soggy terrain and reach the main clearing in the elevated part of the meadow. Here is where I fought the Shining Blades. There are several half-buried log-and-leaf hovels and the sounds of a lively monster camp can be heard. Monkeys are treating wolf pelts on the side that will get sun in the afternoon and in the middle there is a fire pit where some goblins are hardening wooden shafts for making spears.

Shraaizar uses a wind spell to make her voice be heard far and shouts, "Attention all of you, gather around, for this day there shall be a feast! Our leader has returned!"

I call her attention and when she slithers near me I show her the flame gorillas, "Shraaizar, this is Kochurearc. He and his tribe were attacked by a wicked troll - not me - and they were the only survivors. They decided to join us."

This is something I need to check. Why would a troll attack with glee a tribe of flame gorillas? Any troll fears fire. Even me. It doesn't hurt but there is that lingering notion that the thing might kill you. This troll with stag-like horns is something I will have to track down later.

The gorilla warrior nods to the naga, "Huk! It is an honor to meet Lady Shraaizar, venomous one, and Grendel's right hand. The feats and exploits of this powerful Naga were known far and wide!" He is just being a yes-man right now. But I am not one to meddle into such small talk. Let the gorilla do his bonding his own way. "I am Kochurearc, and my brethren and I will be part of this tribe now. Command me, my lady, as you see fit!"

Amazing. He willingly placed himself under Shraaizar. I can see the corners of her mouth sliding up slightly. She is a bit sadistic, I pray for your well-being, flame fists. Introductions made, everyone goes elsewhere to explore the place with monkey guides and a flame gorilla kid as interpreter. Their only orders are to avoid the slime area.

After spending the whole morning and part of the afternoon making a guided tour of the place, I took Marcy to help me map the place and the outskirts.

Map:

We are sandwiched between the Dragonspine mountains to the north and the Dragonclaws mountains to the south. This stretch of hills and forest is called the Dragon Valley. Both mountain ranges and the valley are crawling with dragons and dragon-like monsters, or so the legends say. I still shiver when I remember the big one summoned by the Orc King.

"And I am thinking of building some log cabins for us. This clearing should be enough."

Marcy seems to disagree with my plans, "Beowulf, are you really making a settlement down here? This place floods when the Spring comes around and the rain in that season is not to be underestimated. The rivers going south to the sea are very violent. And with the thawing of the ice on these mountains, it is like adding insult to injury. See the dark band on this tree's bark? It was submerged by this much in previous years. I don't know how much ice will thaw during the Spring, but this place will become a marsh if not flooded entirely."

"So where should we build?"

She points from where we came. "The hills southwest of us should be a good place. It is high, dry, defensible. And you can get a good view of the willows. Without the having to walk and breathe poison haze! That should be a big bonus. But we will have to hurry. Because the first snow was several days ago and it will only get worse. We will be caught without shelter."

"I want to build an arena for the monsters to spar. Hold a tournament sometimes. Where do you think it would be better?"

"Around here, I guess, between the foot of the hill and the willows. There is a depression..."

Helen arrives to check on us, "What are you doing?"

"Planning our village. We are building it on the hills to the west of here."

And she points the same thing as Marcy, "But there isn't much time to build from scratch before the snows. You don't even have a lumber mill."

It is an RTS game. I can build only crude hovels now. I need to gather resources and make the lumber mill, barracks, mine, and get that annoying 'You Require Additional Resources' message every time I try to build something and can't. And then research the tech tree, unlock upgraded troops. Like monkey brutes or goblin shamans. My faction choice for this RTS sucks. But the advanced troops would be raging trolls. Of course none of this will happen because this is real life.

But I don't need to build stuff when I can just move around stuff already built. Mirfield has a lot of houses they don't need right now. "I got an idea on how to get some houses ready in a day. I have to go to Mirfield." And I am an idiot to not have set an anchor when I had the chance.

Helen reads my mischievous face and scolds me, "You are going to steal houses from Mirfield and bring them here. Tell me I am wrong."

"You are wrong. Not stealing. I am buying them from the town. Then I'll remove 'my houses'."

Marcy asks, "How are you going back and forth between here and the town?"

"Let me check one thing first. {Dimension Anchor: list}!"

Colchester Warehouse (permanent) Beelzebub's Hive B5 - Bee Level Strawford falls: north Demon Scout Crater Barnsley Alley Beelzebub's Hive Outskirts

There is an anchor related to the demon scout incident that might be useless. Should I delete it?. I don't want to remove the others, and I need to set one here. Mirfield is about 24~25 miles away, i guess. Let's assume 125,000 feet. I would need 13 anchors at the current level. Not possible.

"What did you find out?"

"I have to spend SP on space magic. Level 7..."

Blink Learned.

Toggleable, no chant. The user will phase in and out of space shifting in random directions away from incoming attacks. Chance to fully evade physical attacks and single-target magic increased by x (magic/100)%. Own attacks are unaffected. Drains 100 MP/minute while active.

Helen is disappointed, "Good for combat, but not for travel. One more?"

"Space magic level 9..."

Long Range Teleport learned.

Incantation time: 1 minute. MP cost: ln(distance in feet) x 40MP. Teleports caster to the location of a preset Dimension Anchor. Can carry up to a light load. One creature per 2 levels can be brought together. Cost increases by 25% for each creature. Range equals to miles. Instantaneous.

"I learned {Long Range Teleport}. I can go to Mirfield in a single jump but it should use up almost all my MP pool. And I left no anchor back there." I'll need more MP than what I currently have if I want to reach Colchester and even a lot more to reach the dungeon. I can probably already reach Strawford though.

"One more for an ultimate?" Helen is like a rich aunt in Vegas. I'd like to but I am saving SP for emergencies.

"Nah. I'll wait for this one to level up on its own now. I already spent 30 SP here. Anyway, {Dimension Anchor: set}! I'm running back to Colchester now and will teleport back with the houses. Bye."

My worries lifted, I put my athletics and stamina skills to the test and return to Mirfield to buy a few houses.