14 - Village 8

“Eat.” I pass the food to Lani, and the rest of them look on. They’ve really been suspicious of my intentions since I “bought” her from the elders, so I can feel that uncomfortable glance, like trying to me that they are not okay with this.

Lani’s really really skinny, and we told her that if she wants to eat, she’s gotta follow me. So she does. As an insurance her legs are chained.

I turn to face the men in the camp. Anne and Sara is there too.

“So I did not want to explain my intent back in the village.”

Everyone nods, even Lani. I think she’s the one most surprised at being fed so much food suddenly.

“As some of you would have guessed by now, I have an eye for talent. And, I see that in her. So, I thought of rather than she lose her hand, she would do better to earn her right to food, by working for me.”

“Work?” Everyone asks.

“What can she do?”

I turn to Lani, “I think you have a talent… I think, perhaps, some kind of… elemental magic?”

Her face changes, pales. She looks at me, her eyes a mix of fear, suspicion and perhaps, anger.

“Or I am wrong?” I shrug. “If you want to live, follow me and serve me.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t want to.”

“Why not.”

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Lani doesn’t answer for a while, but as we keep eating and resting, she then suddenly says. “Because I don’t know you.”

“Then get to know me.”

Lani munches on the bread, and she seems to be thinking over what I said for quite a while, before she finally says, “Okay.”

Anne, Sara and Adam share a glance, and then they shrug. “That’s it?”

“Anyway, the next village is another day away?”

“Yes.” Adam says, and Anne looks at me funny. I find it strange that there’s no 70% affection scene, or perhaps I did not set it up correctly, that’s why it had not trigger. Ah never mind.

The next village is relatively disappointing, as once again, there is no rank 4 or above individual that I can recruit for my purposes. So instead, I have the guys practice, Sara, Adam, myself continue practicing.

Lani’s starting to look a bit less skinny. She’s following me to the feasts, and I insist she eats up, so now that she doesn’t look so anorexic, she starts to look a bit more appealing as woman.

This village, like the other one where we met Lani, are somewhat “border” towns, and though I did not find any worthy individuals to recruit, the news here is… worrying. There’s been increasing monster attacks in the nearby kingdoms, and armies have been deployed to suppress it.

The fact that an army is deployed means the matter is a lot more serious than I once thought. Yet, there’s no intel to inform us of this? Would the royal army back home know?

“Anne, can you send a note back home, to let them know that an army has been deployed?”

“Yes. I’ll do so.”

My gut feel tells me this is the early warning sign, of what I am going to face in 9 weeks. It is best I have some smaller battles, to get a taste of what’s ahead.

“Do some of those… creatures, come over?”

The village elder shakes her head. “Thankfully they are still contained over at the other end.”

Well, my gut feel tells me, that’s not going to last. “Do you guys, have an escape planned?”

The elder shakes her head. “No. We will stay and fight.”

“Do you want to reconsider that, and move to Loom?” I mean, I am trying to save lives here.

“No. Our lives are built here. So we will stay here.”

“Ahh… Okay.”

Later, after the event, I made a point to talk to a lot of the travellers, some from the nearby kingdoms. The monsters they face seem to be a kind of ogre, but ogres aren’t native to this area, so they frankly have no idea where they came from. Perhaps somebody is summoning them…

“You want me to scout it out?” Sara looks baffled, but at the same time, she understands why I am asking her to do it.

“Yes, I know its dangerous, but you are the only one that can do it, as a ranger of the woods.”

“Ah… okay.”

As Sara goes and prepare herself for her little reconnaissance mission, I walk to her, and give her a little gift.

A small jade bracelet. I made it using the jade from the market, some strings, and a few shiny stones at the mining village.

Jade Bracelet, Green, +6% affection boost and grants defensive perks. Special : Prince’s memento : One-time-save

“...Ah?”

“To keep you safe. Come back to me okay?”

Sara blushes, as she immediately puts it on. “Yes Prince Carlos. I will return to you.”