Downtime in a village

“What did you find out?” Theo eyed Suri, who came back from her investigation, which was mostly flirting but still effective enough.

“They are in an expedition from some town called Hillfront.” Suri sighed. “He didn’t seem to take me seriously, but, from his words, it doesn’t seem safe enough to go there by ourselves. The zone around is still too dangerous, a canyon, or something.” She stretched her arms. “But it seems we are safe with them. This clan of theirs holds much more influence than the town, stretching even to the only city around these parts.” She eyed Theo and Hamon with a smirk. “There is some suspicion around them due to the low number of orcs alive.”

Theo nodded, orcs aside, he already knew as much but was surprised Suri could grasp it with such speed. He reevaluated her worth, this woman had potential, she only needed some nurturing.

This situation made him think about all the others who never had a chance to grow. My strategy of searching and recruiting only the shining stars of the future may be flawed, he pondered as he followed the group’s march.

They were called Lion’s pride, Theo liked them, full of reasonable people. Fifty people were sent all the way from Hillfront town to work in the village’s area. Bring newcomers to safety, conquer dungeons, settle disputes, and establish their influence; those were some of their tasks. The group was currently the strongest people in this area, mostly composed of level five to six people with some new recruits and the leader deviating from the level norm, a leader whom Theo knew for having much more authority than the low-level area they were in.

The explanation they gave the newcomers once they were bunched up was simple. They were in a new world, it was harsh, and they would have to fight for their lives, the same old story. They would be brought to a village, receive training, and participate in hunts. Those that showed exceptional talent or performance would receive special attention and training. Everybody would have to help in one way or the other. For those who couldn’t, wouldn’t fight, or were best suited elsewhere, there would be plenty of work.

That was it, and most surprising to Theo in his past life: there wasn’t a catch. The ‘Lion King’, was as righteous as he was goofy with his nickname. The guy truly wanted the best for his people and played a huge part in Theo’s survival and ascension. Obviously, there were still some bad apples and corruption inside the clan. However, most of those types strayed away, were evicted, or killed. The Lion King didn’t just simply rule people. He established policies to structure the people under him, thus fortifying his position. Theo very much agreed with the man, he would have gone far if not for the number of enemies he made along the way. Don’t worry ‘Lion King’, Theo chuckled, I will be able to do much more to help you now.

To the side, Hamon was bored. Theo had been talking with Suri in private for a while now, and he had run out of rocks to throw. There was nothing to do while walking, and some old lady has been bothering him to no end. He had to find something to occupy himself, but there was no one his age, and everybody had this somber or focused mood around them. With arms on his back, Hamon tried straying from the group a bit twice already, but Theo always stared at him with hawk eyes as soon as he tried. There were also no girls he found as pretty as Suri in the group, so he soon gave in to boredom. The rest of the way, he dragged his feet away, imagining himself running and jumping around like a ninja breaking every boulder and tree they encountered.

The village they arrived in had a medieval feel. There were just many wooden houses over hard soil near a river. “Welcome everyone, from now on I will leave you to the care of my friend here, Robert.” The leader of the escort group said as he excused himself. Many others followed him into one of the largest buildings in the village.

“You probably heard it already, but I’m the village chief under the Lion’s clan. For now just rest, dinner will be at the village square. You may find yourself an empty house to settle down.” He pointed to a man by his side. “Five per house, any problems talk to him.”

After that, he set out, tired after a long day. It was almost night already, and after cleaning themselves on the river, the trio went for the village square looking for food. There were many small campfires bundled up with roasting animals above them. Theo recognized them as many of the level zero monsters that toiled around those parts. Aside from the roasting sticks, there were also pots of stew. The atmosphere was as relaxing as you could get in the abyss. The feeling of civilization calmed the hearts of those who just arrived.

Hamon ate his food heartily, not bothering in the least to ask what it was. “Monster meat is surprisingly nice!” He cleaned his mouth with the back of his hand.

Suri, by their side, eyed the food warily but resigned herself after a while. “It’s weird isn’t it? Where did they find those plates?”

Theo shrugged as Hamon answered. “Maybe they made them, it’s not hard to make stuff with clay. Mom and I used to do that a lot.”

Theo knew but couldn’t be bothered to answer that. In towns and cities, Imps established some permanent shops to sell basic necessities in exchange for experience. Some items were just daylight robbery, but it made life much more convenient.

“Hamon, eat, and sleep well. Tomorrow we will have… an adventure.” Theo smirked. “You and I are going to another village.”

“Won’t Suri come too?” Said Hamon with a full mouth.

“We have talked already.” Theo eyed her. “I think she will be much more useful to us here.”

Suri stroked Hamon’s hair. “I’m also not much of a fighter as you guys.” She laughed. “But don’t worry, it’s just for a while.”

“We planned to meet in the next town, is that fine Hamon? We have monsters to slay my man.” Said Theo.

Hamon reluctantly nodded but soon started to joke. “What can we do?” He sighed. “With such skinny and frail arms, she definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up with us.” He shook his head but soon received a sharp flicker in the forehead, which made the three start laughing.

The next day Theo and Hamon departed early. Theo had managed to ‘get some supplies’ in the barracks of the escorting team; Suri’s blessing, ‘Persona Incognita,’ proved to have many uses. There had been backpacks, traveling supplies, leather armors and some normal sized swords. He didn’t take much, just the necessary for himself and Hamon to not arouse suspicion.

Hamon was less than pleased for a while, he could swear that swinging a sword bigger than himself was better than those flimsy ones. Theo almost thought the same, however, Hamon would never hit the target against any monster, not bleeding, encumbered, and latched as the orcs were.

Theo thought about the ones living in the village and those that just arrived. At some point, he probably was friends with them, shared some food, and fought side by side. In the past, they probably were people he could trust. Now, however, he barely remembered them without using his blessing. There was no remorse in leaving the village so fast. He wasn’t some cold guy for ignoring those that fought beside him. It was just that… it has been such a long time. Way too many things have happened since then. Theo shook those thoughts away and looked at Hamon by his side and Suri overseeing their departure from afar. Those were the ones that mattered.