The old couple shared a look after Lapia's translation.

“My name is Natasha Novak,” I introduced myself. “I am a Halve Warrior. Who is it I am talking to?”

Lapia gave me a glance, her lips curling into a small, amused smile. She turned to the Fox-Elves and translated.

The collective of Elves knelt down and lowered their heads. The old couple stood up first and said a good amount of words back.

“They're thanking you for sharing your name,” Lapia translated. “They call themselves Dark Bog Dwellers. The gentleman's name is Tak'Alo, an extremely old name in Elvish. The lady's name is Azhi'Thara, also an extremely old name. The two have accomplished feats deserving of leadership, and guide the tribe as the strongest fighters and main hunters. The spiritual leaders are the group of elders behind them.”

As Lapia said, a group of really old Elves were kneeling behind the old couple. Their wrinkles were impressive, and their dark hairs had very noticeable gray strands mixed in.

I looked around us and hummed. Not swamp, but bog? I wondered. Maybe it's the different between center and centre? Or chips and crisps? Stupid language, I sighed and focused back on the Elves.

One of the really old people asked something in a wheezy voice. A confused expression accompanied the words.

Lapia replied with her name and a few more words in Elvish.

I observed the former Noble, member of an affluent family in a distant and ancient country conversing with people who perhaps had no concept or knowledge about abstract things like justice and nationality.

The leader couple were looking at me with concerned and troubled faces. Their eyes jumped between my face, my armor, and my spear.

“Ask them why they came, please,” I requested Lapia.

She nodded and translated.

The couple listened, looked up to where the tree previously, and said something. Their tall ears shifted when insects got too close.

“They want to know why the tree was removed,” the Wizard told me, then added, “They're using extremely courteous words, by the way.”

I nodded, turning to the old couple. “I was told the tree was dead for a long time and needed to be removed so the surrounding vegetation can survive the winter,” I replied truthfully. “Danuva informed me.”

The Fox-Elves reacted immediately to the Goddess' name, returning to their kneeling posture and muttering under their breath.

My eyebrows climbed my forehead at that. The few faces I could see weren't scared or fearful of her name. They were similar to the ones every Warrior I have met eyes with gave me.

Adoration.

Lapia gave me an uncertain look.

“Go on, tell them,” I urged her with a nod. “They need to know.”

She took a long breath in and translated my words.

The Tulmi Elf collective was silent for a while after hearing Lapia's words.

One of the elders said something with a deep and raspy voice, pointing at the hole in the ground where the stump was.

The rest of the elders suddenly started chanting a song, and the rest of the collective joined.

Confused, I gave Lapia a look.

My girlfriend was smiling from long ear to long ear. Her eyes squinted with glee and a few giggles escaped her.

I arched an eyebrow at her.

“The elder said there was a bad thing under the tree,” Lapia explained. “And now they're singing the story of how the tree got sick and the swamp formed afterwards. They have a vague idea that the Gods have a home nearby so they've never dared to alter nature in case they return.”

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“A vague idea?” I inquired in a quiet voice, not wanting to interrupt the Fox-Elves' song. “Have they met them? Did their ancestors or predecessors meet them and pass it on or something?”

“They've seen the eye in the sky, whatever that means,” the Domi Elf told me with a shrug. “They call it 'the oft-seen sun third',” she added.

“Ah,” I uttered with a nod, recalling the eye I had a staring contest with. “Makes sense.”

The tribal people sang for a minute, then slowly went quiet.

A few said some things to each other, then directed their words to the elders and the leaders, which prompted a conversation for a few minutes.

I observed them in silence, noticing their gestures and tones. I quickly noticed their Elvish was more guttural than the one used by Elena, Pokora, Alyssa, and Lapia. They also were naked under the poncho, so I averted my eyes whenever they moved their arms to gesture, causing the clothing to flap around.

When the short exchange concluded, the old couple turned to me and said something.

“They think you ate the tree, and are worried you'll get sick just like the tree did,” Lapia translated. “They know you're not of flesh, but want to share some medicine with you.”

I tightened my stomach to keep the laughter in. Ate the tree? That's cute in a weird, primitive way, I thought with a tiny smile. “Do they not know about storage items?” I inquired with curiosity.

“I told you they reject technology,” Lapia reminded me. “I'd say they don't.”

I nodded. “Right,” I muttered and showed them my spear.

The collective took a step back.

I stored the weapon, showing them the vanishing item.

Their eyes widened to the limit, and they got close to me while speaking loudly.

A wide smile formed on my face at their ignorance, and I retrieved my spear.

A chorus of “oooh!” and “aaah!” echoed in the small hill as the tribal people witnessed storage magic for the first time.

I gestured at where the tree was, produced a root, and stored it back. “I didn't eat it,” I explained to them.

Lapia translated my words.

The Elves stood close to me and said things quickly and loudly, but didn't touch me or my armor. Their faces showed fascination and awe, and some laughed while others shared looks of light suspicion and heavy confusion.

Among the group present, the Tulmi Elf that had spotted us was near the back, looking around at attention. The reddish orange hair stood out extremely noticeably in the sea of black and brown heads. The individual stood next to a group that was scanning the surroundings.

“They're impressed and confused,” Lapia translated the words thrown my way. “Most are saying things like 'As expected of the Eternal Protector, such high-grade spells!' and things like that.”

I chuckled at the silly situation. “Thank you for offering the medicine, but I'm perfectly fine as you can see,” I told them.

After Lapia translated my words, the leaders and elders took control of the collective and calmed them down. Turning to me, the old couple said something.

Lapia hummed in interest, then translated, “The bad thing the song talks about is a word I don't know, maybe a monster or something. They want to know if you'll kill it so it doesn't spread the sickness.”

“If there's such a thing, I will. Rest assured,” I replied with determination, looking into the couple's eyes to convey the message.

Both nodded before Lapia could relay the information, then turned to the tribe and said some words. Then, as soon as they arrived, they started to leave while singing.

Lapia and I watched them until they vanished between the trees right where they came from.

“That was fast,” I commented. “Didn't even say goodbye,” I lamented with a sigh.

“That's what the last song was about,” Lapia corrected me. “They wished the Eternal Protector the best of outcomes.”

I turned to her and my eyebrows climbed my forehead. “Seems awfully cold,” I joked. “Just saying good luck and leaving?” I sucked air through my teeth. “The world is cruel.”

The Wizard chuckled while shaking her head. “Do you think there's a monster down there? Can you feel any danger?”

I turned to the hole left after removing the stump and focused on it.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Nope,” I denied. “Maybe a dead body? I don't know how it works, though. Some spore maybe infected the tree or something like that.” I walked to it and moved the dirt with my armored boot. “Give me a hand for a second. Let's see if there's some foul thing under here. If not, we go back.”

Lapia approached and retrieved her staff. “It'll be faster this way,” she stated and activated a skill. Chunks of dirt vanished from the ground, reappearing a few meters from the hole. After Lapia shifted ten or so chunks out of the way, a bone-white surface was revealed.

It had familiar engravings on it, and the material reminded me of something.

I squinted my eyes at it, searching my memory for anything similar to it.

Lapia hummed and crouched next to the hole. “Doesn't look like a monster to me.”

Then, it hit me. “That's a dungeon door,” I blurted out, recalling the one I pushed open in Mountroad. I turned to the Elf with confusion. “Can that happen?”

My girlfriend gave me a doubtful look. “Are you sure? It looks nothing like a dungeon door. Not like I'm an expert in the field, though.”

I held my chin and considered the circumstances. “We should get Alyssa and Yolin to come and take a look. They're the experienced Chasers,” I proposed.

“Mhm,” Lapia agreed with a nod.