After a couple of hours of discussing how the two of them should proceed together. Trillia and Ialu finally made their way back to the tent. Amelia had a few backpacks and was stuffing them full of various wrapped-up packages.

"Our supplies?" Trillia moved over to help pack the supplies into the packs.

"Just some basic dried food for rations and water. I doubt we'll be gone long. It's good to see you again, Ialu." Amelia smiled as the wolf walked up and nuzzled her. "Do we have any other objectives in rift city?"

Trillia pulled out the bundle from the pouch on her side. "Just this. We're supposed to hand it to Mort. Seems like you were right, and he's acting as a stand-in leader."

Amelia nodded at that. "The Elder Shaman or General rule in place of the Chieftain for the orcs. The Grand Alchemist or Archmage rule in place of the Monarch. We haven't appointed a new Archmage since my mother passed, so it all falls to Mort."

"What do you think your people will do? Will they build a new permanent home where they are now? Is there some benefit to retaking the old location?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I know being on the coast was a boon. But from what I've been told, the sea is going to be dangerous in the coming years. Merchant ships will only survive the journey with a fleet of warships. It was a big point of discussion amongst the leadership of the various guilds and leadership of both cities." Amelia checked over each pack again. Pulling the flap closed and twisting the small piece of string around a little nib that stuck out on the pack itself.

Trillia put hers next to where she slept and, with some effort, secured the pouch she had been given to it. "Let's just focus on what we can do for now. We aren't capable of making real change to entire cities."

Amelia laid back in bed. A small gem set into a metal fixture shed the room in a soft white light. "Aren't we? You're a pact-bound to a deity. I'm the princess of my people. I know we need to get stronger. But I look at my father and your mother. Stas is twice their level. Queen Alliyah, if our parents are to be believed, is nearly four times their level. They chose to lead instead of seeking personal power. I worry that we're being greedy."

Trillia glanced over at her friend. Taking a few moments to ponder her words before speaking. "They didn't start to be leaders until after the end of the Great Beast Wars. They were already in the hundreds. Orcs will routinely challenge a weak leader to ensure the safety of the tribe. Even Tormash gets challenged, and he's well above our level."

Amelia let out a heavy sigh, raising an arm and placing it over her eyes. "I know that you're right. I just feel like there's a better way forward that I can't see."

Trillia nodded the best she could after laying down to rest herself. "Maybe. But that's also a fault of us being inexperienced. Look at that boss we fought. Or the immortal. We just don't know how to navigate problems until we've already faced them. Red River won't kill us, so we can learn through our mistakes. I just got lucky with that Immortal. Someone far more experienced than both of us combined wasn't so lucky."

"Mon'tag." Amelia let the name fill the room with silence. Mon'tag had been alive for centuries, was a high-level orc, and was a class that benefited from being clever and quick thinking. "Is raw power really all it takes?"

"I think it's both. Our parents have raw power, but none of them could beat Stas in a fight. Stas has power, and he's clever. He also keeps pushing himself further and further. I think... I think it's because my mother and your father didn't want to have another fight. I think they were preparing to walk away from leadership and leave the realm behind."

"Perhaps you're right. Father has seemed far more distant in recent years. Especially after we discovered the fate of God's Watch. It's like he's lost all hope for the future. It's disheartening to see him like this."

"That's my fear. That you and I will get to a point where we've given up on the fight. Where we have been alive for so long that we just can't stand to fight any longer. Despite them helping to save Alirast itself, they are still called the beast generals."

Amelia sat up a little and looked at Trillia. "I don't think that it's a matter of the fight. I think it's a matter of change. They sealed the [Primordials] before, and nothing has really changed. Now they are being called to do it again...but why bother if nothing is going to change."

Trillia sat up as well, pulling her knees to her chest and staring at Amelia. "The hope that things will be different this time? I've felt hopeless so many times throughout my life. Everyone has encouraged me to keep trying, telling me that things will get better. I think they are just losing that feeling."

Amelia frowned and laid back down. "I want to get stronger. I also want to start traveling to other continents. I want to see Alirast and interact with the people we're all willing to sacrifice for. Maybe along the way, we can find a way to reinvigorate the Generals."

Trillia rested her chin on her knees. "I hope so. I don't want to believe that our cause is hopeless. I don't want to believe eternal struggle is the truth that we must all face."

Amelia closed her eyes. "Let's get some sleep. We wouldn't want to be late tomorrow."

Trillia offered a little nod before laying back down herself. As Amelia stopped supplying mana to the gem, it lost its light, and the two were left in mostly darkness. The flickering of fires outside their only light source.

-=- The Next Day -=-

The girls had a hearty breakfast, washed up in a basin as best they could, and were waiting at the Eastern Gate. As the sun began to peek above the horizon, a familiar voice called out to them.

" Hail and well met!" They saw the armourer from before sitting atop a heavily laden wagon. A young man in full plate sat next to him. The metal was a dark grey that seemed to hold no shimmer in the peaking morning light. A large two-handed sword hung on his back. A helmet sat in the seat next to the man. Rich brown eyes, olive skin, and dirty blonde hair made him the perfect cross between his parents. "This is my boy, Frederick."

With surprising ease, the man hopped down from the wagon and walked excitedly up to them, a wide smile on his face. "Good to meet. Uhhh... life-giver? Speaks well for you! Looking toward success!" Trillia smiled at his orcish, remembering she was rather rubbish at speaking the human tongue when she first began to learn. The fact that he was already doing this well with the language spoke well. The boy shook her hand and turned to Amelia. "Not many words. Still small horn. Sorry."

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Amelia tilted her head back and gave a hearty laugh at that. Shaking his hand all the same. "I speak the orc language as well. We can help you learn orc if you are willing to help me learn your tongue."

The man's smile somehow widened even more, and he shook her hand again. His father offered a pained little smile, torn between seeing his son happy and sad to know his son wouldn't be living with them much longer. "The two of you can ride in the back of the wagon if you'd like."

Trillia smiled and gently blew the whistle around her neck. Ialu bounded through the city and appeared at her side a few minutes later. Frederick could only stare at her. "That's ok. Ialu and I can ride ahead to scout as we travel. Amelia can stay with the wagon itself just in case something slips past me."

The old man nodded. "Can't really communicate with the lass as of yet. Might pose some problems."

Trillia shrugged. "A good time for your son to practice his orc and for her to start learning your language." Trillia translated the short conversation for Amelia, who smiled and nodded. A few minutes later, Layla arrived. The father blanched at the sight of her armor.

"Forgive me for being late. I went to say my goodbyes to Red River and let them know I wouldn't be here for a few weeks. Only to arrive to a young orc missing an eye. The third floor was far more dangerous than he had anticipated, so I stayed to do what I could to heal and regenerate him." She walked up to Frederick and shook his hand first before moving to the father and shaking his hand.

"By all things radiant... You won't strike out on your own until I've outfitted every one of your group with some real thrice-damned armor." The father shook her hand before reaching out and tapping a finger on the iron plate and tugging at the armor a bit. "If your people made good weapons and armor, you'd be unstoppable on the battlefield. I'm adding a new stipulation to my son joining you lot. Once a week, as you run that dungeon of yours. You'll bring your materials to our forge, and we will work on armor together with all of you."

As Trillia translated, Amelia got excited and nodded. "Tell him that we accept! Learning a new skill from a Master is something you normally have to barter for. We have almost no use for the materials anyway. It lets us learn a skill, trains our own armorer, and we get new armor out of it."

Trillia was also happy to accept. Layla looked down at her armor, a bit crestfallen. Trillia put an arm around her shoulders. Speaking first in orc for her sake, then translating to human. "Our people make do with what we have. We look forward to having better tools to work with."

The old man bowed his head. "Sorry. I speak before I think. I meant no insult to her or her holy order. I know I've had a lucky and blessed life. I shouldn't be judging others based on their armor."

Trillia grinned and looked up at him. "It's hard to do when it's your life's work to perfect armor. We look forward to learning from you. I apologize. We never really got your name or your wife's name."

The man rubbed the back of his head, even more embarrassed. "Alfred and Margaritte. Apologize to the little missy for me, if you would. I think I'll take this opportunity to learn a new language myself. Maybe not make such an ass of myself in the future."

Trillia translated, and Layla curtsied to him. Amelia helped her onto the wagon and informed them she'd simply march next to it. With Amelia's tall stature, she could rather easily keep pace with the Lovax that pulled the wagon. With that, they set off toward the rift city.

Trillia and Ialu walked along the wagon next to Alfred. "We have to deliver some messages to the city's leadership and search out our last potential companion. I hope that won't be a problem."

The old man leaned back in the wagon, rather lazily holding the reins. Frederick, Amelia, and Layla were near the back of the wagon, having a very patchy talk in Orcish. "No problem at all, lass. This load is a sample of our wares. I've heard the minotaur folk are good at earth magic and mining. I'm looking forward to acquiring some good metal to work with."

Trillia nodded at that. "If you've never been to the rift city, it's certainly an impressive sight. Though, I felt the same way about the glass spire of D'Jamu. Have you traveled much, Lord Alfred?"

The man chuckled and nodded. "Stop calling me a Lord. I'm about as far from that title and position as a human can get while still being free. Aye, I've been a few places. Wife and I came up in a port town on the central continent. A little out-of-the-way place that was still being ruled by some shitheads. At least before Queen Alliyah and General Brutus swept through the city. By Infernus! That was sixty years ago. Maybe more."

Trillia looked over at him, extremely interested. "You've met Brutus and Queen Alliyah?" She didn't mind calling her uncles by their first names. But the reverence everyone put on the Queen's name told her to only address her with a title.

"Aye. It's humbling. Being a human, I can look at an orc and accept they are just stronger than me. I see a minotaur and know that their presence is going to put me in my place. That's just racial skills doing what they do best. But standing in front of two humans after watching them wipe out a hundred mercenaries and slavers?" Alfred shook his head as he sat up. "It pushed Marg and I to be better. We were humans, but we were bottom of the barrel of what our species offered. Don't mistake my words, lass. I won't ever be on the same level as the Great Generals. But I am damn proud of how far we've come. If it lets me make armor that keeps the real fighters safe...I think I can die happy."

Trillia rode along in silence before turning her head back to him. "Is it enough? To just get by and be content?"

Alfred glanced over at her with a raised brow. "Deep question, that is. Plenty of humans do it. But plenty of humans complain about being weak as well. Marg and I aren't very good fighters, but we aren't pushovers either. We are also very useful. Chieftain Tormash saw that, saw our armor in action, and knew that we had use far beyond swinging a blade around. That lad is going to be a damn fine leader. Marg and I are content because of where we come from. Born into poverty and obscurity, to being armorsmiths talented enough to be recognized by a leader as prominent as Chieftain Tormash? That's a long way for us."

Trillia nodded idly as she listened.

"There's also Freddie. We want to instill good morals in him. We want him to understand that he doesn't have to fight on the front lines to help save people. Not that it will do much good. You kids are all so damn ready to take on all of Alirast to do the right thing."

Trillia smirked and glanced over at him before letting her eyes trail along the plains around them. "You and your wife weren't?"

That got a deep belly laugh out of him. "By Infernus, no! We were worse in every way. We became sailors for a time and helped to liberate slaver ships. Learned how to tear a ship apart piece by piece and build one back the same way. Settled in another no-name town near a port. At the time, humans were at war with some goblin dungeon that was spewing out the little bastards in a berserker state. We started learning how to repair armor because that's what was required of us. Led to be a passion, I suppose."

The man wore a smile remembering it all. "When Marg got pregnant with Freddie, we decided it was time to put down the blade and pick up hammers full time. I don't blame you youngsters for being who you are. I don't want to see your spirits crushed. Times are tough."

Trillia nodded once more. "Don't worry. None of us want to die. I've had too many close calls to count. I won't push my luck if I can help it. It's why I want to get stronger in a safer environment. It's why I want to align myself with people who can help keep Amelia and I safe."

Alfred flicked the reins as the road began to curve. Leading the Lovax into the bend. "Hence the armourer, the enchanter, and the cleric. I've heard some rumors about you, lass. All of it's been good. I'll do my part to make sure you kids live long, happy lives."

Trillia smiled at that. They had been on the road for quite a few hours at this point. Frederick and Layla had fallen asleep in the back of the wagon. Amelia was walking along in silence with a little smile on her face. "I'm going to go scout, Alfred. The roads should be safe, but it's a habit I want to build."

The old man nodded and waved her off before leaning back to relax once more.