Before departing the count of the adventurers present that day stood at an exact number of 200. Along with 100 soldiers from the 2nd Company of the Zoit Army, the total beastmen prepared as reinforcement stood at 300.

A plan was relayed to all of the adventurers in attendance. The 200 strong adventurers were divided into two groups of each 100. The groups were given designation as A and B. The 2nd Company was given designation C. My team was assigned in Group B. As we were all Council of Zoit affiliated adventurers, therefore Javel stood within us as the most experienced one. He was awarded the command of Group B.

Marion was given the command of the Medic Unit within Group B. She was also the 2nd in command of Group B. I knew she was a high ranking adventurer, but I had no idea that she would turn out to the most experienced Medic within the Medic Unit of both the Group A and B combined.

Wei was chosen to act as a Team Captain within the Group B by Javel. Same responsibility was given to Paleg and Ron too. Paleg was given the charge to command the team comprised of Archers. Javel was in two minds over the decision of giving Ron the charge of a team or not. Ultimately Javel decided in favour of Ron and gave him the charge over a team comprised of adventurers who were both comfortable wielding sword and bow.

A small problem arose when we went to register our team. It concerned Deiti. Deiti had no team of her own. We could take her in as a temporary member without changing her Rank within the General Body. The problem was... she needed a guarantor in order for the change to be made officially. That guarantor would take the responsibility of her and would waive off any penalty upon the Council of Zoit in case of her demise while participating within this mission. Wei... as usual... passed the burden upon me. Her argument was that I was Deiti’s first contact and she was right. Deiti too made such a sorrow face that I reluctantly accepted the role of her guarantor, thus she became a member of our team... only for this quest.

Javel decided not to give me any position within the group and told me to act as a freelancer. It meant that I can fight anywhere I wanted and could take charge of any team or a small number of adventurers, but only if such situation that warranted that should arise. He also attached Deiti with me as I was her guarantor.

It was decided that three groups would advance to the Poison Ground from three sides. Group A would approach the Poison Ground from its west. Group B would approach from the south and Group C from its east. All three groups would travel together from the path close to the river Jahnavi. When we have reached close to the Poison Ground, all the groups would break up and approach from its respective positions.

The Council of Zoit along with the Council of Feli were generous enough to provide 15 Miden Class Transport Carriers. They were specialized for the transport of large numbers of troops. Each Carrier was designated for 20 beastmen. Therefore, each group got 5 Carriers.

It took one hour to sort out everything and start the quest. We were relayed the information that it would take us two hours to reach the Poison Ground and from there on we have travel to its middle where the facility was located. Search, Rescue and Destroy were the quest objective.

We had to find out what had happened, why it happened, if the facility is under duress, then to free it and rescue the beastmen staying within it.

The five Carriers, which had been designated for our group were leading the Carrier column. Me and my teammates were sitting within the very first Carrier of the column.

All the other adventurers, except us were all excited and anxious as well. Where as we were quiet and confident. I sat beside Marion at the end of the Carrier. Javel and Wei sat opposite to me.

For me, the new body armour that I bought in the Market District of the Feli land created some discomfort. It felt out of place and awkward. My Blood armour was much more comfortable and I didn’t feel any stiffness from it. It felt like wearing a normal piece of clothing over my body and also had a cooling sensation. The new one had no such qualities. Fighting for longer period seemed more and more impossible as my suspicion over its cooling ability grew larger. Frankly, I only bought this armour because Wei advised me that this type of armour was best for our type of warriors. It was relatively thin than typical armours and it’s weighed much lighter too. I hope it can last for this entire duration of this quest. It better be... this armour cost me 75 Gold.

The new wrist braces were okay. I think it can do the job if needed. The pair costed me 15 Gold. My new pair of twin swords was the only thing that was up to my satisfaction. They were not like my previous swords. These ones were straight double edged blades. The shopkeeper said that these were made from the finest steel available in the Zoit continent. I highly doubt that fact, but the swords looked fine to me so I bought it for a price of 100 Gold.

I knew the price was a bit on the higher side, but I thought that being stingy will not bear fruit for me. With these new armour and weapon I can fight and train with a restraint. I know Adi’Je would have trained me more if I asked her to, but some things I need to do for myself. I need to hone and improve the basics of dual swordsmanship.

It was awfully quiet in the carrier. Nobody talked all that much and the silence was getting on my nerves.

Me: “Javel... you never told me that you were a married man.”

He gave me a surprised look to me. He stared at me for a couple of seconds before turning his gaze towards Marion. I too looked at her and saw her mildly smiling towards Javel. Javel let out a quick sigh before answering me. He looked me in the eyes and said.

Javel: “Does it matter?”

Me: “Yes... it does.”

Javel: “Why?”

Me: “You know almost everything about me, but the same can’t be said towards my knowledge of you.”

Javel: “Is it necessary to know about me?”

Me: “Stop with all the pointless questions and please... start with where you two met and what is her name?”

Javel looked towards Marion and said to her.

Javel: “You had to tell him about it?”

Marion: “Hey! I didn’t tell him anything voluntarily. Just that, yesterday we saw you while you were having a nice and quiet time with the missus. I just told him that she was your wife, nothing further.

Javel... he is right, you know. You know most of the things about him and now it is time to share something about yourself too.”

Javel looked to his right where Wei was sitting.

Javel: “Are you of the same opinion?”

Wei looked glanced her eyes at me once, then nodded her head giving her consent. Javel sighed after again turning towards me.

Javel: “It seems it’s only fair.

Where do you want me to start?”

Me (smiling): “Where do I want you to start? Do you think we are gossiping about your married life here? Just give me a summary. I don’t need to hear every little thing about your love life.”

Javel: “Her name is Nusiza.

We met six years ago while I was doing a quest close to my Clan’s land. At that time there was a beastwoman within my Clan who was known for her cooking. Nusiza worked as an assistant to her. Now, she runs a small sweet shop in the Market District.

We got married a little over four years ago. She is the best thing that happened to me in my life after this team of course.”

Marion: “She makes some of the best sweets. Le’On, after we return you should try some. They are delicious.”

Me: “That would be great... if Javel doesn’t mind that.”

Marion: “Why would he mind?”

Me: “I don’t know... maybe the same reason he didn’t tell me that he had someone.” I tried to pout to make Javel agitated.

Javel: “Nonsense!

Ahh... Nusiza knows about you and she would love for you to come over.”

Marion: “Alright! Then it is settled.

Upon our return, Javel would host an evening for the team.”

Me: “That would be great!”

Javel: “*sigh*”

Wei: “It has been a while since we had a gathering of that sort.”

Javel: “Hmm... anyway, I heard the Council of Reha met yesterday. Did they communicate something to you?”

Wei: “Yes.

Council of Reha talked with the Council of Zoit and it was decided that the Reha Clan will be returning back to our original land.”

Marion: “That is good news!”

Javel: “It is...”

Paleg: “What else was decided?”

Paleg joined the conversation. He was sitting beside Wei.

Wei: “The Reha Council received additional funds for the impending efforts to move its people back. It is a good thing our Clan had thought about stowing away funds for precisely this reason.

They also decided that I should take charge of the efforts of returning our Clan back to the Amoith Mountain.”

Paleg: “This is really good news Wei.”

Marion: “When will the shift begin?”

Wei: “I have not been informed of it yet, but I think once we return from this quest, I will received the orders.”

Javel: “It is big responsibility Wei.”

Wei: “Hmm...”

Le’On: “Doing something meaningful for your clan will give you great satisfaction. I can attest to that feeling Wei. You are a capable Reha member and you should take this responsibility without any hesitation.”

Wei: “Did you felt overwhelmed during your time Le’On?”

I smiled a little before replying her.

Me: “I was never sure of anything I did at that point in time.”

Marion: “Then... how did you decide what was for the best for your Clan?”

Me: “Whatever decisions I took, I felt they were the right things to do. I could be wrong, but with no prior knowledge about anything... all I could do is taking whatever actions needed and hope for the best.”

Paleg: “It would be a daunting task. Leading so many Reha members back to a place where most of them don’ even know of... only heard of it as a myth. Are all the members happy with this decision?”

Javel: “Most of them have rebuilt their lives in the Feli land. I think there would be some discomfort of packing again.”

Wei: “Some of them have spoken against the plan of shifting back citing the exact reasons. They are stable here and happy. The Council of Reha has left it upon me to figure out a way to move them without much discontent amongst our Clan.”

Me: “You could move them little by little. As the only one who saw the current situation of the earstwhile land of the Reha’s, I can say that many building structures are still standing. If repairs are done... it would do just fine as a starting point for your Clan members to move in.”

Javel: “That... that could work. Hmm... I agree... you should think about this.”

Paleg: “The shift will also need huge amount of Miden Class Carriers to transport Reha members.”

Wei: “Feli Clan doesn’t have that many to offer us. We need to employ more directly from Kalais Clan.”

Marion: “Still, it would take a considerable amount of gold to hire sufficient amount of Miden Carriers.”

Javel: “It is true... they are not cheap.”

“Just make the count of how many do you need and give to me. I will take care of the rest.”

We all looked to the right of Marion. It was Ron who said that. I thought he was sleeping.

Paleg: “I thought you were asleep.”

Exactly!!

Ron: “I was... just a while ago.”

Javel: “How will you handle it? The number of Carriers needed would be huge and it would cost heavily for the Reha Clan.”

Ron: “I have a contact back in the Kalais Clan. I am sure that I can get whatever number of Carriers you need with a huge discount.”

Marion: “Huh! Finally... you seem to be good for something.”

Ron: “I am good for a lot of things. You just don’t know about it yet.”

Paleg: “And when will we see those things Ron?”

Ron: “Shut up.”

Paleg and Marion snickered while Ron went back to sleep. The mood lightened up within the carrier as more and more adventurers started socializing within themselves. It took us over two hours to reach the outskirts of the Poison Ground.

The other two groups divided and went to their respective designated areas. All the adventurers dismounted as directed by Javel. We set up a base camp close to our point of entry to the Poison Ground. Tents were set up and the base camp was being clearly planned. The Medical Area was the first things that were set up after the sentry posts. Then came living or resting area and in the middle, the command area was set up.

Within the hour after disembarking, Javel ordered the Scout Team to enter the Poison Ground. Their objectives were to search and detect what types of dangers were awaiting us and to charter a safe path to the Water Treatment Facility for us.

Paleg and Ron were ordered to take their respective teams and create a barrier of sorts. They will stand between the base camp and the Poison Ground. If something does crawls in from there, they are allowed to take care of it. Though this plan may be crude, but at this moment we are not sure what we are up against or what exactly has happened in the Water Treatment Facility to send out the highest level of distress call. So many unknown variables are bound to create unpleasantness within a Commander.

We sent a message back to the Council of Feli, informing them that we have started our Quest. We also received messages from the other two groups that they too have started their Quests. No other information of vital importance was exchanged. Nobody was sure what was happening.

I was sitting inside a tent which was turned into a Command center. Wei was ordered to ready her team to move in at a moment’s notice, so she went out to be with her team. Marion was busy sorting out details in the Medical Area. Deiti was getting jittery so I sent her back to her tent and told her to rest until further orders come.

“Why is it taking them so long to report!?” Exclaimed a pacing, anxious adventurer named Numis Feli. He was a tall beastman with messy golden hair and black slit pupil over light hazel eyes, the trademark of all Feli members. He was a General Body adventurer and Javel had given him a Captain’s role in this group.

Javel: “Patience... Numis... Patience.

Pacing throughout the tent will not yield any result.”

Javel was very calm. He was overlooking a map which was provided to us by the Council of Feli. It contained what route to take while advancing towards the Facility.

Numis: “But Commander! It has been well over an hour since they had been deployed. They should have been back by now with the scouting report.”

Javel: “I know that, Numis.”

Javel answers him without averting his eyes from the map.

Numis: “We... we should send some more teams to- to find out about their status.”

Javel: “Numis... do you know what is the last thing you should do while facing an unknown danger?”

Numis: “N-No, Commander.”

Javel: “Rash... you should never be rash about any decisions in that situation. You... we need to keep patience. They are well trained and I am sure they can slip through any danger.”

Numis, still not happy with what Javel advised him and continued to pace around the tent. Javel continued to look for something in the map without even averting his gaze for even a single moment.

“Please Commander... don’t mind him. He always acts like this when certain situation arises.”

A beastwoman sitting on the other side of the tent said that. She was another General Body adventure. She had a long face with messy short silver hair and narrow green eyes. She wore plate mail and wielded a spear. Her name was Nim and as she informed us, she was from the Rielye Clan located in the southern quadrant.

Javel: “He he... I take it that you have explained this many times for him, Nim.”

She rolled her eyes and answered.

Nim Rielye: “Many... many times Commander.” She chuckled a bit while Numis appeared annoyed while looking towards her.

Javel: “Tell me Nim, how long have you been together?”

Nim: “A little over two years Commander. We were taking a short vacation here.”

Javel: “If we finish this up quick then there is still time to enjoy your vacation.”

Nim: “I hope so Commander.”

Up until now, no one knew me. Javel did not say anything and neither had I introduced myself to the rest. Both Nim and Numis kept stealing glances towards me. From the look on their faces, they were highly interested in knowing my name. It was done not in any kind of malice, but for a simple reason.

Javel: “Le’On... will you come and take a look here for second.”

I got up and approached Javel. He pointed towards the map, especially where two roads were marked.

Javel: “These are two routes marked by the Feli Council falls under our jurisdiction now. I told the Scouts Team to follow these two routes.

Enough time has passed.”

Me: “I know. What do you need?”

Javel: “I need you to go and cover these two roads.”

Me: “Do you want me to report back or stay there?”

Javel: “Reporting back will take more time. Hmm...”

I looked towards Numis who was trying to hear what we were conversing.

Javel: “Numis!”

Numis: “Yes, Commander!”

Javel: “Quickly go to the Message Relay tent. Tell them to send one adventurer under their command with a portable field messaging system to the main exit of the base camp. The adventurer should be ready and should wait for my next order.”

Numis: “Yes, Commander!”

Numis quickly walked out of the tent. Javel looked back towards the map.

Javel: “Take the adventurer and report while instantly. Do not advance on your own. Wait for my order.”

I smiled and replied.

Me: “I will not promise you that, but I will promise the safe being for that adventurer.”

Javel: “Hmm... They should have reported back. I don’t want to walk in blind.”

“Please don’t mind, but you are a member of the Zuma Clan are you not?”

I looked behind me. Nim was already standing and was thinking of something.

Me: “Why do you ask?”

Nim cracked a faint smile.

Nim: “I was wondering from which Clan you belong to and when I heard your name it suddenly came to me. You... you lead the Zumas now.”

I look towards Javel who looked at me and smiled.

Me: “So much for going low profile.”

I turned and faced Nim.

Me: “Yes, I am Le’On...King of the Blood Zumas.”

Nim (smiling): “How lucky am I? Meeting you here out of all the places.”

Me: “How did you come to know about me?”

Nim: “You’re kidding, right... I mean you are the hot topic in every Inn, Bar and Adventurer Offices in the entire continent. The beastman who led his Clan and the Zoit Army to victory over the Dynoths and the one who defied the Council of Zoit.”

Me: “Word traveled fast.”

Nim: “How did all of it happen?

The Zumas were not Zoit material before. How did it turn out like this?”

Me: “Not Zoit material... He he he... seems like the stereotype runs deep inside the Zoit continent. And as for how did it turn out like this... well, we were always like this. We only chose that other form so that the other Clans in the Zoit continent can grow without us interfering. Judging by how the Zoit continent has turned out... I think we did a pretty good job.

Now, the time came for us to revert back to our old selves. That... is what happened, Nim.”

Silence fell throughout the tent. Nim kept looking at me and amidst this awkward moment, the Numis entered.

Numis: “Commander!

It is done. The adventurer is waiting at the main exit of the base camp, awaiting your further orders.”

Javel: “Good... Le’On, it is time.”

I nodded towards Javel and proceeded to exit the tent. I smiled towards Numis and Nim while exiting.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:- Due to me being a stupid idiot 15 chapters worth of story materiel got deleted. I had to rewrite everything and still haven't finished making up for the lost chapters. I hope I finish it soon... Please Rate this story, Comment, ask and theorize anything you want and give a Review of the story if you can.

Thank you.