"so why did the humans let the Giant beast attack the other one again?"

"Because it's natural, Hunter and prey"

"But it didn't eat the other one! It just kills it and leaves!"

"No, it feeds off the radiation the other one let out, it technically is eating it"

"That doesn't make sense!"

They had just finished watching another movie, it's Godzilla this time and Vina is having a hard time understanding the whole "feeds off of radiaton" thing that the movie had going on for it, he's not surprised, it was kinda bullshit for him as well when it first came up.

"What is radiation anyway?"

"Invisible energy radiating off of uhh... Radioactive things? I guess?"

"Sounds similiar to mana"

Luke had somewhat forgotten Eryn was right next to him this whole time, she was sitting so still she managed to make him forget she's there.

"Well yeah, but instead of giving you cool magical powers, it harms you"

"How does it harm you? The Monster seems fine feeding on these radiation"

"It's fiction, in reality radiation is kinda horrifying"

"How horrifying?"

"I'm pretty sure if i was exposed to a Lot of radiaton, let's just say i Will lose all my skin"

"Ugh..."

"Although just like mana, it's useful for some stuff too"

"How do you make something like that useful?"

"Well, we found ways to *mostly* supress the negative effect and take more of the benefit, example of this is a microwave"

"What?"

"It's a cooking utensil we make that use radiation to heat up food, radiation makes a lot of heat, and we use this heat to well... You heard what i said"

"But you said it was dangerous"

"Oh it is, it's just safer when there is a lot less of Them, one that is not safe however is nuclear radiation"

"Now what is this one?"

"It's the kind you see on the film, it's alot more dangerous, you remember back in town where i said we humans are capable of wiping a city off the map?"

"Your kind can do that?"

"Yes"

"I remember, so does this radiation have something to do with that?"

"Yeah,well not exactly, but yeah essentially there is this natural material called uranium, and it has this special attribute where if it's reacted with something, it can do something called fission, which can make a huge explosion"

"Ok i'm taking notes..."

"You're not even strong enough to lift your hand, just rest, anyway the weapon we use contains this uranium, it has a huge energy potential and if i'm not wrong, the weapon is not exactly efficient yet?"

"What? A weapon that can destroy a city in a blink of an eye is not efficient?"

"No, the fission is the one that is not efficient, you see when a reaction happen not all uranium is used, so theoretically if i have let's say 100 gram of uranium, it can completely destroy lannegar"

"Ok..."

"If i use the reaction technique this weapons use, only about... 2 grams actually reacted, the rest kinda just scattered"

"You're telling me the potential can be a lot bigger?"

"Yeah, it's kinda horrifying to think what would happen if all of it in these weapons actually reacted, although there might be an answer to that"

"What happened?"

"The sun"

"What does it have to do with the sun?"

"Eh... It's getting late, we should sleep"

"Oh come on, ow..."

"Whoa Chill Eryn, you're still weak, let's just rest right Vina?"

He looked behind him and found her already asleep.

"Hmm...."

"I really wish i know more about your world"

"Relax, you're gonna know sooner or later, and by the way, what you did was amazing thank you for that one"

"It's nothing too amazing"

"Oh really? Giant vines that look like it can destroy a building is not amazing?"

"Hehe... No It's pretty standard, alright i'll go to sleep..."

As he watched her fall asleep a thought come to his mind, he just realized the potential power level that is in this world, Eryn said she's a rookie, but what she displayed was way more than that in his Opinion, it seems Like the guards respect her too, so is mage way more than a title in this world? if it is true then Sylvia must be really strong as well, as if being a literal dragon isn't enough.

"Well... Eryn did said sylvia can just flatten a town if she feels like it..."

That did make him curious though, why didn't Sylvia just erased this convoy out of existence, damage reduction? Energy saving? Eryn did pass out, so she might as well, unless what Eryn did is a piece of cake to her then he got something to really worry about, if it is damage reduction then well... She might actually care about the lives of people?.

"Bah no way..."

He remembered that time Eryn told him about what kind of crime Sylvia commited and it was... Extensive, and some of Them just make his childhood trauma looks mild in comparison.

'ghh... What part about dipping your naked and paralysed colleague in a pot full of experimental potion is research?'

Although he had to admit, human scientist do tend to put things in place they're not supposed to be, but a living thing? A sapient one at that? And a work friend? That's some mad scientist level of actions.

He thinks about the potential damage can be caused by her and the more he thinks of it the more Sylvia look more like a living breathing nuclear bomb than a dragon, beside that though he also started thinking about how the hell shit work around here, he did understand that the alliance is essentially UN and the magiae is an ethics committee for magic usage and teaching, he just doesn't understand the hierarchical ladder of Them, is it one king or is there something like a president? He just had to ask Eryn about it the next morning.

----~----

"Damn, that's pretty"

Luke said as he watched the snow slowly falling down from the morning sky, he can see several mounds of Them already forming along the road, he can see a couple of kids playing snowball, seems like the beastmen cubs are winning, they have natural winter coat after all, meanwhile the draconian ones are simply afraid of touching the snow, cold blooded and all.

He looked around and noticed Vina getting assaulted with a barrage of snowballs, she's overwhelmed... Again, not by spiders this time though, no... Far worse, kids...

"Ow hey! Stop you little tyke!"

"Just retaliate! Return fire!"

"I can't!"

"Retreat! Rtb!"

"What?"

"Return to base!"

"You're not making any sense!"

He stood up, picked up some snow and Made a snowball, he aimed at the crowd of kids making what is effectively a machine gun nest judging just by the rate of snowballs is coming out of it hitting his companion.

"Artillery support! Watch out! Danger close!"

"Huh? I can't hear you i got snow in my ear- ow hey!"

He gave it his best throw and watched as the snow artillery Shell Made a downward arc towards the enemy fort and... Direct hit, one of the kids got hit and unceremoniously plopped to the ground, confused about what just hit them, lessening the stream of snowballs coming at his comrade.

But that isn't enough, and now there is a couple of Them directing their fire towards him, in response he started manufacturing a big pile of snow Shells, a fortification and gets ready to throw down.

He prepared himself and threw several snowballs at the enemy with that same artillery fashion, the rate at which he was firing right now is making modern day Arty team look slow, it was inaccurate but hey, the general use of it is basically screw whoever is in that particular direction and elevation so why not, the kids themselves scrambled as they see the practical cloud of snow Shells coming towards Them, it was hard work, but after several minutes the enemy force is nowhere to be seen.

He walked up to Vina who is lying face down on the snow partially buried, he helped her get up and led her to their carriage.

"Thanks"

"No problem, how did you let yourself be attacked like that?"

"It was an ambush"

"Haha... be more careful around Bored kids that discovered snow next time"

"Yeah i think i'll take that advice, kids out here is wild, they're a lot more calm back home"

"Probably because they don't have to be a Hunter to provide food, time changes things right?"

"Yeah... I missed the time where Hunters are what people rely on, wouldn't have to do these quests, those Times we're beautiful, now i'm just something to hit for kids"

"Speaking about getting hit, why do you look like a target practice?"

"What?"

"The winter coat around your neck, it's so thick it makes your face look wide, no wonder you're an easy target for those kids, your face looked like a target practice"

"What?... I don't look like a target practice"

"You do, a cursed one at that"

"Sorry i'm too beautiful"

"How did you turn from wanting to claw at my face to being smug again in one day?"

"That's the charm of such beautiful huntress like myself"

"Uh-huh yeah, anyway take care of Eryn i need to go"

"Where?"

"What do you Mean where? Practice of course"

"Is kottar still here?"

"Yeah, his part of the convoy is the last one that Will depart, and then after that it's just us"

"How is it going?"

"Lightning? Fine, perfect even... Speed? I still hit things on accident, this rune is way more potent than i expect, but progress is there alright"

"Good, go now, i'll take care of Eryn"

"Right, thanks oh wait if you hear Eryn talk about politics just ignore her"

"Why?"

"4 hour session of just talking about it with me seems to have gotten into her, if she says something that sounds like election, give her some water to calm down, however if you hear the word "USA" with election, knock her out"

"Alright..."

She entered the carriage and found Eryn curling up on the seat as if afraid of something.

"Please not the second amendment... Keep it away from me..."

"*Sigh* Luke what did you do?"

----~----

Finding kottar isn't hard, he is the only orc around the convoy after all, that and he likes to sit around with people and make his soup with a recipe that is apparently passed down from the first Generation of orcs, it has a weird color to it but it definitely taste good.

He found him sharing some with the guards, they deserved it really, after the mass spider attack, he noticed zaka the poor draconian father as well, it's faint but Luke was pretty sure he Saw some bruise Marks in the shape of a stick on his tail, and a lot of bandage.

"Hey how y'all doing?"

The tired guards looked up from their soup and nodded to acknowledge him, then right back to the bowl except kottar and zaka.

"How are you Luke, are you here to ask for training?"

"Yep"

"You two know each other?"

"He's my student, he learn how to use his Axe from me"

"Yeah, he's a good mentor alright, how are you zak? You don't look too good"

"Not good, my wife is mad again about me just rushing in to battle, now look at me, all bandaged with a bruise from a broom stick on my tail"

'yeah figured'

"Atleast i got a kiss last night sooo"

"Hahaha that wife of yours is a menace"

The other guards spoke up, zaka's wife is popular among the guards it looks like, no not that kind of popular... get your head out of there.

"Oh she is, but i'll be damned if she isn't the most beautiful thing i've ever seen in my life, it's like we're Made for each other"

"You're lucky to have someone like Sona you know? She's pretty, smart, a really good fighter too and a good parent"

"Unlike her husband heh..."

"Hey! I'm a good fighter too!"

Sona... Zaka.... Soka.... Ah ok classic but smart naming scheme for their kid, they really are Made for each other.

"Come on we're just joking, You're probably the best this guard force can offer"

"Yeah right, just say that you are jealous"

"Alright mister who's wife is part of a royal family, we follow your order"

"Hah!"

'man i'm really out of my territory here'

Luke thought to himself, he's not used to speaking to a Lot of people, not to mention these people are not human, armed and admittedly are pretty jacked compared to him, he was just thinking about a way to speak to Them without making himself sound like a brick that just gained a half-assed sentience when a voice called out to him.

"Hey, you're friends with that mage right?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you the weird guy, you're friends with that elven mage right?"

"Oh... Oh yeah yeah i am, what's up?"

'Why do you say what's up you anxiety filled piece of stale bread?'

"Can you deliver our thank you to her? We all would have died if it wasn't for her"

"Of course, i'll deliver it, i'm sure she Will be happy knowing everyone is ok"

"She's a kind one huh?"

"Yeah, really soft, sympathetic too"

"Are you two a couple or something? We noticed you two really like to talk each other and spend some time in your carriage"

"Yeah, you two having it in there or something?"

Luke choked on his soup and coughed uncontrollably, that was not what he expected from this conversation at all.

"Uhk! Ehm... No we're not, just friends that's all, a companion, a work friend... I guess"

"Ah... Right, i thought we have a couple on a honeymoon here, could have used some teasing, right zak? Remember when we tease you about Sona? Good old days of teasing a young couple right?"

"Yeah-yeah whatever"

"Ehm..."

"So if not her then is it that pretty looking huntress chick? You always seems to be right next to her everytime we see you"

"No! I Mean... No, we're just work partners, all three of us"

"A quest filler eh? We need a lot more of your kind around here, makes our job easier"

"I suppose"

"What are you anyway, never seen your kind around here"

'damn it'

"Uhh... I'm a-"

"He's a human, he said his species is new to the alliance"

"Really? Damn what changed? Isn't there usually a big declaration when a new species is found?"

"Yeah, every city and towns would've been notified, plus you don't look like you came from here, your home must be far away, feeling adventurous?"

"Uh... yes, i really want to see what's out there"

"Oh that makes sense, Sona just calls him "weird orc" haha!"

"Well she's not wrong, i though he was an orc too at first glance, how about you Kot?"

"Same, i almost pitied him, i think to myself 'damn this poor guy is lacking some food!' turns out he's not"

'close call'

"Hey kottar can we go do some..."

"Of course, let me finish my bowl first"

----~----

They went outside the convoy and into a nearby clearing in the forest, the convoy Will not be moving for a couple hours so why not take the time? They we're followed by zaka for security reasons, it Made Luke kind of anxious, the guy looked like a wimp next to his wife but here he just looks big despite being injured and if what guards said back on the campfire was true, highly skilled at combat as well, it was unreasonable that he was afraid really, he's just here to help of something goes wrong, but he can't help but notice the occasional glance of suspicion thrown his way.

"Alright, i taught you most of the basics last time, now let's practice some fighting style, you have to adapt to your opponent and decide when you have to be careful or aggresive, you're following?"

"Yeah i do"

"Right... You have to learn how to react quickly although thinking about our last test, you already have that covered?"

"I think so"

"Good, now block!"

Kottar suddenly attacked with a punch and Luke immediately blocked it, getting an interested look from zaka and a good laugh from kottar.

"Haha... Looks like you do, now let's go"

He took out his Axe and Luke did as well, zaka just sits by a tree watching Them with interest.

"Right, now let's see how you handle a really aggresive opponent, my attacks Will frequent and relentless, ready?"

"Ready"

He didn't said another word, he just rushed forward and attacked with a swing, he deflected it with his Axe head and go in himself, but kottar two axes, he used the other one to throw off his Axe and tried to attack again immediately afterwards, he dodged by quickly stepping backwards, they looked each other and nodded, and the Axe heads collided again, creating a beautiful spark.

----~----

"Alright that was good, you did a great job"

"Thank... You..."

They had just finished training and now there are two additional guards on the spot, he even fought zaka to see what he Will do against different types of weapons, zaka himself is using a polearm and by God was he good at it, he witnessed some moves that looks Like they came straight from an athletic championship, and planting your polearm on the ground, climbing it and then jump off it with a flip while taking the polearm with you doing a mid-air spin attack with a surprisingly high Velocity and land with perfection is definitely one of them, and he did that while injured.

his little armshield he got from that dungeon crawl proved to be his best friend at blocking attacks, as it is light and just the right size to be able to deflect all types of weapons, he fought other guards who came to see as well, so now he knows how to take on an Axe, polearm, sword and a mace.

And he learned a new trick, electric Slam, turns out speed rune also affected jump height so activating the lightning rune and then slamming your Axe on the ground with enough force from a high enough jump can make a shockwave, that's how he managed to even beat zaka, out of pure accident, his small experience with playing dark souls seems to pay off as well, because now he likes to do a roll to Dodge an otherwise unblockable attacks, like that mid air spin God that shit is cool, rather than just stepping aside which is risky.

"You're pretty good"

"You too, holy shit, where did you learn that?"

"I Made it"

"You Made it?"

"Yes, this polearm is my father's heirloom, i kept it with my life, and trained my whole life with it, and you tend to make some new moves once you master a weapon"

"Dang..."

"He struggles more against my mace than your polearm! That means i win"

"Hah good joke but his equipment is not Made to counter a mace so you just have an unfair advantage against him, plus he was tired so i think it's clear who's the better one here"

"Oh come on..."

"Well"

Luke straightened his back and felt the satisfying crack it Made.

"Thank you for today, let's go back convoy is moving soon no?"

"He's right, come on otherwise we'll be left behind"

As they walked back, Luke looked around at the trees and noticed a fallen one in the distance, but rather than cut or rotted away, the tree looked like it was crushed by something, suddenly he can feel something on his shoulder, he turned around and see zaka grabbing his shoulder.

"Hey man can i ask for a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you take care of my son tonight?"

"Soka?"

"Yes, can you do it?"

"As long as your wife says yes, then yeah i can"

"Good, thank you"

"No problem"

They exited the forest and the first thing Luke sees is Vina waiting on a tree stump, looking annoyed.

"What took you so long?"

"I told you i was practicing!"

"The entire convoy had to wait for you, where is zaka?"

"Here, what is it?"

"You're the captain right? Your wife is waiting for you, mad that the convoy had to wait for you to finish"

Luke looked at him with surprise, captain? The other guards didn't say anything!

"See man? This is why i need you to take care of my son tonight, here i go getting another earful"