They were close though, and Mash began to pick up the signs of life with his improved senses. Things like marks on trees, or the sounds and signals that could only come from another person. Aarushi’s words confirmed what he already realized.

“We are almost there.”

The truth was confirmed again as they broke through the tree line. The village was placed in the center of a clearing, and Mash could see it clearly once he got out of the forest. The village was more like a town as he knew it. There was a wooden wall erected around the buildings, and he could only see a few roofs from the outside. The walls were made of simple wooden stakes, but he did notice that several people were standing on a narrow walkway along the top of it.

Despite the gentle conversation that they had been in thus far, the chief grew oddly silent as they approached the village itself. Mash didn’t try to force a conversation since it was clear that the chief felt uncomfortable. The crunching grass underfoot, and the mixed sounds behind the village’s walls were the only things in the air.

[I believe this qualifies as suspicious behavior.]

Mash gave a mental nod of agreement but didn’t do anything. He wanted to see how it would play out. Aarushi was close enough that he doubted it would be anything violent. Although, he did let his gaze wander a little more fervently. Once they were about halfway to the village, Aarushi finally said something.

“Sorry.”

The word came as the sky was filled with hundreds of arrows. Arrows that were coming from every direction. From archers who hid outside of his domain’s range. Now, how had they noticed his domain? He didn’t give that question much consideration, another popped into his head to replace it. How did Aarushi plan on dealing with all the arrows? His gaze darted to his side, and he saw Aarushi praying. His face filled with resolve and resignation as he waited for the arrows to fall.

Mash shook his head and stepped a little in front of the chief. He still had the rope with the monsters in one hand and swung it hard, as hard as he could. His power was too much for the rope and it snapped. Even still the force of his swing disrupted some of the arrows. It was as if he chucked a block wind at the coming arrows. Some of them veered off course, but others hit their mark. Three arrows struck Mash. One smacked lamely against his leg. The black stone that tipped the blade, didn’t cut through his clothing. They were as durable as he was and were only further improved by the changes to his body.

Another arrow bounced off his chest. He felt a little invincible at that. The final arrow broke that sensation. It struck him in the side of his neck, having been shot by one of the archers that were hidden in the grass beyond his domain. He was shocked that the arrowhead managed to pierce his skin. The arrow lodged itself in his neck, and he stumbled to the side a little as blood began to fill his throat. It ran down outside of his throat too, but that came out a small stream. His muscles tensed to stifle the blood flow immediately. It hurt, but not a lot.

Mash turned and looked at Aarushi. The man had several arrows in him. A few had punched into his right side, but Mash had managed to block any that came from the front. Mash shook his head as the man stared at him in disbelief. Mash’s wound was more dangerous than it looked, and he yanked the arrow out easily. He dropped the weapon at Aarushi’s feet as the wound on his neck closed. He swallowed a few times; the blood would make it hard to speak.

“Why? You saw me earlier; did you really think that would work? If I didn’t bother protecting you, I could’ve easily dodged them all.”

The attack, while impressive for a normal village, wouldn’t be able to harm him. A thousand volleys like that wouldn’t do much. His bones were by far one of the strongest parts of his body, and he doubted they had the power to cut through those. Any other injury, he could heal. They didn’t know all that, but Aarushi had seen him handle the monsters. All three of which were riddled with arrows now.

“No, I didn’t think they would work. I just hoped that they could cut you though.”

Aarushi coughed. His words were strained by his pain. Mash got the meaning immediately.

[How bad is the poison?]

Mash sent the message. He checked his own pulse, but Priscilla would have a better picture than him.

[You are fine. The treant’s regenerative nature is quite adept at handling poisons. Not to mention the resistance that has come from a combination of many of the monsters.]

He didn’t respond to the mention and just looked at Aarushi. The man didn’t look immune to the poison. Mash stepped away from the man. He would just go to the village and take what he wanted. All he really needed was a single map, and he didn’t want to deal with this anymore. He really had no luck when it came to people, did he?

Aarushi coughed again, and Mash let out a loud groan. One filled with all the annoyance he could muster. He turned around and picked up Aarushi.

“You better have a damn good map.”

The man wasn’t heavy. At least there weren’t any more arrows. They probably assumed that a single volley was enough. Especially if the poison was as deadly as Aarushi implied. Mash saw the men atop the wall begin to panic when they realized what Mash was doing. Dashing toward their village wouldn’t do anything for his image, but he didn’t care. He charged at the walls and held Aarushi out. He hoped that it would stop any further arrows.

They didn’t have the time to fire another volley. At a full sprint, Mash was more than fast enough to reach the walls long before the archers could get ready. As he approached the walls, Mash realized that they weren’t that tall. They were bigger than the boars, but not that big. He jumped and pushed off the ground. The wall flashed beneath him, as he leaped over it. The archers atop the wall just stared in disbelief. Aarushi screamed with the rushing wind. Mash didn’t feel amused. He landed beyond the walls. He avoided the buildings but cracked the ground with the force. A lot of people rushed to surround him.

Mash didn’t give them the time for composure and threw Aarushi at the forming group. He could’ve been gentler but didn’t care to. The gathering warriors tumbled as they attempted to catch Aarushi. Mash scanned the village in the meantime. He would get what he wanted and leave.

The village wasn’t as small as it looked from the outside. There were a little over thirty homes that he could make out easily. Two of which were obviously larger and nicer. All the homes were made of wood. He easily spotted the blacksmith as it was the only building made of brick. He saw several of the red metaled weapons. Most were just simple hammers, but he saw one that drew his attention. More people dashed out from beside buildings. Many were obviously terrified, but they preserved and held up black-tipped spears. Mash ignored them, dashing through the crowd. Two people thrust spears at him. He easily dodged them and walked over to the blacksmith.

There were some noises inside the building. Oddly it sounded like a person working. Really, who would continue to work when their home was supposedly under attack? He shook his head and reached for the weapon. It was a tall piece of metal. It wasn’t particularly sharp, but it wasn’t smooth either. It almost looked like a piece of something that had been broken. However, he thought it would work well as a staff. As the metal was not smoothed in a way, it was more like grabbing onto a staff made of teeth. It had awkward ridges and some places jutted out with sharp edges. Some places could probably even cut through his skin, not that an injury like that would matter much.

He picked up the staff of red metal. The staff that looked nothing like a proper staff. The sharp jagged piece of metal that would like to serve better as part of a barricade. It was heavy for a weapon, but he swung it easily enough. With his domain, he could feel more people fill the streets around him, but he ignored them and looked toward Aarushi. The man was being made to drink something.

“I’m keeping this. Give me a map and a water skin too.”

That seemed like a fair trade for saving his life. Plus, they couldn’t stop him from taking it. Aarushi coughed to clear his throat. It was the wet cough that came after drinking something syrupy. He didn’t say anything to Mash, just nodded. He spoke to one of the men beside him, though Mash couldn’t understand what was said. If another attack came, Mash wouldn’t let them go with just a warning. If they did anything now, then they were just suicidal.

A man ran off, presumably to get him what he wanted. Aarushi got to his feet, slowly. He had been half sitting on the ground as they tended to his wounds. Someone had to help him just to stand. And they continued to help him, as Aarushi walked over to Mash.

“Why save me? Why do any of this?”

“I feel like I should be asking that. What was the point of all this? What do you think would happen if you killed me?”

Mash’s words were sharpened by his mood.

“You are evil. You have power that should only belong to the lord. You claim to have come from his home. Dare to act like one of his equals. I had to try. Failure is the same as death. The Lord will hear of this and know that we had failed to uphold his honor.”

Only a few people around him seemed to understand the language. The ones that did, looked just as distressed as Aarushi. Mash looked into the older man’s eyes and saw his faith. That unshakable belief in his lord and their power. Mash shook his head and replied coldly.

“That’s just stupid.”

They said little else. A man ran back with the map and waterskin as requested. Mash took it and turned to leave. He was done here. As he did so, he heard a roar coming from the entrance of the building that he stood in front of. The blacksmith stood in the doorway. An orange-red sword was held in one hand as he stared at Mash in horror. Mash analyzed the blade, certain that it was sharper than the axe he had seen earlier. The man ran towards Mash, shouting something that he could not understand. He had a thick fuzzy beard of grey hair but was bald otherwise. The man had the same tan skin as the rest of the people, but he was so wrinkled that it looked like leather on him. He wore what looked like an apron made of the same fur as all of their clothing. It was a weird outfit. The man had thick arms, and he lunged for the staff in Mash’s hand. Mash pulled the staff out of the way.

“I’m keeping this.”

The blacksmith adapted quickly to the language and replied without hesitation.

“That is no weapon. It was just a part of the metal I used to forge this sword. Let me at least shape it. Turn it into a proper staff. I can’t let my craft amount to that.”

Mash shook his head.

“No, I’m fine with how it is.”

The blacksmith didn’t reply. His gaze had turned to more than the staff, and he seemed to take in the surroundings. He took a step back and dropped to his knees. It was the same gesture that Aarushi had done earlier.

“Your holiness, I am Gus the blacksmith. I beg you to let me forge that into something that would suit your blood. That is but a piece of scrap. I could not let you carry something like that from my forge.”

Mash was about to speak, but Aarushi beat him to it.

“He is not one of the lord’s children.”

“Silence. Young Aarushi you forget the lord’s words. To be a lord or one of his children, all that is required is strength. I know that you can feel this man’s presence as well as I. Whether approved yet or not, he possesses the lord’s blood.”

The blacksmith’s words were said with the kind of wisdom that people believed. And Mash could feel as more people dropped to their knees around him. Aarushi himself joined the crowd. Mash only let it continue for five seconds. Five hated seconds was what it took for him to react.