∼ DAY 144 ∼

With a little more than a week passing, I was happy to say that the other half of the journey across the lowlands had us all unmolested, even if we did manage to draw a lot of attention from various greenskins settlements. But that was to be expected as tens of thousands of monsters wouldn't exactly be able to pass by unnoticed anywhere.

We even made a brief stop by Ruela's clan where we held good on my word to share a feast with Frenn, the other chieftain. I had sent word ahead of our procession so that she would be able to be there before we arrived. With how many we were traveling, even though most of them were monsters with durable bodies and all, still slowed our travel speed by quite a bit.

After enjoying the one evening of camaraderie, discussing various business-related topics so that we could include Frenn some more, we had once again set off towards our goal; home.

And at last, after a calm but arduous journey, we had arrived. With the mountain range coming up on the horizon, I felt my itch to be home grow by each passing second. I turned to the two figures riding alongside the mastercraftsmen wearing the distinguished clothes of what I would say was the medieval equivalent of a supervisor's or an advisor.

One was a Grendor, short of stature, but round and plumb. The other was an exotic type of troll race that specialized in intelligence rather than brawn and reminded me more of a furry hobgoblin if nothing else.

"Irick, Rykas - We will be riding ahead, I trust you two to take charge the rest of the way, alright?" I asked them.

Initially startled upon being addressed, they both nodded emphatically once they regained their practiced and professional demeanor.

"Will honor, my lord!" They both intoned simultaneously.

They had both been recruited as both overseers and advisors, just in general to work as managers of the settlement that would hopefully help and teach Darkan how to properly administrate everything regarding the more intricate work that would be required of such a position. And although they were very new to being out in the real world and putting their learned skills to use, they were both incredibly gifted individuals from what I had seen after just briefly interacting with them during the journey.

Riding along with Mia and Bob in tow, I had instructed everybody to take it slow, including Maldrak and his daughter even though Melane was positively jumping in her seat to follow us and see what laid just beyond those might mountains looming in the distance.

With the steady gallop of our feline mounts, we closed the distance in no time, and when we passed the mountain range, I was met with the sight I had been longing for so long, and then some.

A lush ecosystem of wildlife that called this basin home was ever sprawling with life, the massive jungle and the gargantuan lake cradled in by the mountain range made for a beautiful sight. But what I was truly taken aback by, was the splotch in the distance that had grown significantly from what I remembered.

Like the first time I arrived, I couldn't really see anything from how far I was away from the coastline of the jungle to the lake, but the before nothing more than a dot settlement was now a visibly a place of buildings and inhabitants. It had grown at least ten, maybe even twenty-fold, and I couldn't wait to see what changes had occurred in my absence.

So I didn't.

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My approach didn't go unnoticed either, as even though while I made my way down and through the outskirts of the jungle which blocked all view from the ground below, the beacon of power that was the source of my blood stirred within the hundreds of greenskins that had been soaking in its power ever since I came into leadership.

And when we finally stood before the sprawling settlement, the close to a thousand original greenskins stood gathered at the entrance with a gathering of curious individuals who looked on at the scene with unaware intrigue. I supposed that were the many laborers that Ruela and Frenn had gifted us, many of which had yet to even receive the Sanguine Plague.

I marveled at the rustic, but well-made and huge wooden constructions creating what I would even say was the framework of a small city. I had barely even made it off my mount when the swift embodiment of wind that was a particularly lithe and tall woman, almost knocked me off my feet as she threw herself at me.

She had literally thrown her arms around my head and locked her legs around my hips, and before I managed to get more than a glance of Lily's devious grin, she kissed me deeply. The fervor at which she did it had even me finding myself flustered, and when she finally gave me an opportunity to breathe, I chuckled awkwardly since I had not expected her to be so forward.

"Ahem - Missed you too?" I coughed to clear the air, looking into the face of charming danger that was Lily. "You seem... rather pent up..."

"You have no idea," She said a bit breathily. "I haven't gotten a proper release in years, and then you leave me in a place filled with horny greenskins for almost two entire months. The nights filled with the sounds of moans - and I swear, whenever I walk down these damned roads, I can literally smell the sex on the air."

Realization at that, I felt rather guilty. Although the relationship between me and Lily had practically been sealed in stoned, or blood rather, I decided to take it slow with her. Which meant essentially that I had to pursue her as a woman after I returned from my journey that took much longer than expected.

While Lily was a very salacious woman in her mannerisms, she was still a human woman. That was one thing I needed to remind myself; that she was not Mia.

Mia was a monster, and a greenskin to boot. That meant she was extremely forward, although presently shy at times, with what she wanted. There wasn't the same courting and relationship building that there were with what I was familiar with back in my human life. It simply just wasn't the same. And I couldn't treat it as such.

Smiling back at the wily woman that had managed to entrance me, I met her gaze which now conveyed a cute pout; obviously, a ploy to make me feel guilty, in which she was very successful.

"How about you allow a humble fellow to take such a fine woman as yourself out on a tomorrow evening date?" I asked in my best mock impersonation of a gentleman. "I have quite a lot to take care of I'm guessing, especially with the... uhm, handful of monsters we've brought back."

Giving me a surprised but pleasant glance over, Lily's grin turned into a genuine smile.

"My oh, my - what a refined man we've got here," She giggled. "I would love to."

Letting her down, I watched as she greeted Bob with a pat on his chest as that was about as high as she could reach. With Mia, it was quite different as she practically swept her off her feet with her having to bend down to hug her much shorter stature. It was pleasant to see those two gettings along so well as they were already talking excitedly to each other like friends getting back together.

Only a little more than an hour later, and essentially all the rest of the monsters had arrived at the base of the newly rebuilt settlement, and I could already see the unabashed faces of awe coming from both sides. Those who had already spent a considerable time here in the basin and helped start the settlement stared with awe at the sea of new monsters, whereas the new monsters gawked with open amazement at the surroundings that was the paradise-like basin.

It also brought my attention to a certain figure that had me do a double-take. About as tall as me, lanky, and furry, like Rykas the advisor, this individual was a troll-subrace and one of the important workers I had recruited. Mar'v, an architect and city planner by my understanding, was someone appointed by Nosferas himself.

In fact, Mar'v was one of the few apprentices who had been mastered under the late master craftsman who had laid out the infrastructure for most of Ebongrave, so my expectations were quite high for this individual who had otherwise been very muted in the few interactions I had with him.

But the main thing about him that caught my attention was that... he was... crying?

"Ahem... uh - Mar'v?" I tried hesitantly, unsure how to handle the crying man. "Something wrong?"

He just looked at me, peeling his gaze off the settlement and the sprawling surroundings.

"I-I..." He muttereed, his face almost seeming like it was twisted between euphoria and injustice.

A long silent moment passed, no additional words coming from the man. Restraining myself from letting out a groan of exasperation as these master craftsmen and workers seemed to get more eccentric by the second they were in my presence, I put on a placid but consoling smile.

"What is it?" I asked.

"This place is... beautiful! A lush untamed paradise - a unique habitat breeding unique resources! Perfect locality to uncontested waters, and so much more!" B the end, he was practically preaching but his face suddenly turned dark and his tone somber. "B-but... this!"

He pointed an accusatory finger at the settlement behind me.

"It's blasphemy! It's a waste of the gods' gifts, look at it, it's as if a gods' blasted goblin built all of this!" He shouted, drawing awkward glances from nearby monsters.

I had expected him not to think much of the settlement beforehand as it was quite bareboned and we had made do with what we had, but this was this reaction was beyond anything I had imagined.

Drily listening to the troll's rambling, one thought went through my head.

"I have a sneaking suspicion these next few days won't be as relaxing as I had been hoping them to be..."