Vitmori POV

I can't remember the last time I was able to freely take a hike through the woods without having to be vigilant for zombies. The smell of nature without the tinge of rot and ruin in the air is so refreshing; despite having no lungs to breathe with, I find myself enjoying the experience. Before long, I find myself sitting in the shade of a tree, leaning back and resting along the trunk as I quietly observe the treeline. I watched as small animals scampered around, animals that looked remarkably like rabbits, along with other various rodents, though before long, a small herd of white deer pranced along, grazing and moving along through my territory. I find myself holding my breath, even if I don't need to breathe, as I watch them settle around me, seemingly resting for the moment. It's almost as if they don't see me or even recognize my presence... Well, if I have stealth skills, I've likely activated them somehow, which explains what the deer are doing. Well, either all that, or they don't recognize a magic wooden man as a threat for some reason.

After what felt like an eternity of peaceful silence, I could hear birdsong getting louder around me, as well as many curious eyes. Focusing back on the moment, I look about and sense quite a few of Jack's crewbirds twittering at each other as they look me over with unbridled curiosity. Though it isn't long until I hear more fluttering as Jack swoops in, landing before me and looking me over; soon enough, there is recognition in his eyes as his feathers poof out and his wings flap once before offering me a salute. "Boss Vitmori! It's a true surprise and delight to see you out and about." He enthused, a cheerful whistle coming from him before he then looked around at all his crewbirds lingering and watching me. "What do you lot think you're doing?! Scram! The boss isn't some piece of fruit to gawk at!" He exclaimed, flaring out his wings admonishingly, which caused the others to scatter. Though he startled the deer while he was at it, the small herd scampered off, leaving the two of us alone.

I couldn't help but smile; even if my quiet time had been interrupted, it was nice to finally meet Jack in person, as it were. "It's nice to see you too, Jack. Have you grown bigger?" I mentioned as I looked at him; the last time I gave him a once over, he was around the size of a raven; now, he looked to be bordering on raptor status, which was impressive for what used to be a little round bird. He was somewhat sleeker now, and his pointed beak did seem pointier than before.

Jack preened a little at that as he sauntered around in front of me. "Ah, I had my suspicions, but to think that even you have noticed my growth. Hehe, yes, I've been working my hardest to patrol the outskirts of your lands, and I've killed many a beast who dared cross me. Why, there was this one particularly hardy plant monster that tried to lure me in with a perfectly vibrant red fruit that looked just a little rotten. It, of course, could not fool me with a mere trifle such as that; I, of course, knew what it was on my approach and managed to successfully dispatch it, lest it attempts its pitiful tricks on a bird of lesser instincts or ability." He enthused proudly as he seemed to preen and look generally satisfied with himself.

I could tell that he wasn't being entirely truthful with that particular story, but his results still spoke for themselves as I grinned cheerfully at him. "Very impressive, Jack; I'm glad to hear you're doing so well." I mention as I get to my feet. Jack hopped back to give me some space before flapping up to my shoulder and settling there for the moment. "By the way, I've been meaning to tell you, but the other day I discovered a magic map room that shows my territory from an aerial point of view. I figured you might want to get together with Oururu and Legosi and maybe check it out when you three get the chance. I feel it might be rather useful for the three of you when it comes to coordinating patrols and having a more detailed understanding of my territory." I had been thinking about how to best use that room, and while I now have my own body, I would like for the three of them to get used to that particular room since I'm almost positive it will help them with their duties overall.

Jack tilted his head at that, not fully understanding the concepts I just put before him but seemingly understanding the main point. "Aye, very well; I'll see about rounding up the others then." He replied with a bob of his head. He then whistled thoughtfully before looking at my face. "How long have you had a physical body?"

The question vaguely surprised me, though I couldn't help but flash a small smile as I glanced over at him. "Not long at all; in fact, I think only you, Reyvyre, and Historietta even know about it."

Jack seemed to be amused at that, a smile appearing in his eyes as he bobbed his head once again. "I see; well, if you'll excuse me, boss, I have somewhere I need to be right about now." With that, he quickly took flight before disappearing beyond the tree line.

I was alone again, just me and the trees for now, as I took a deep breath and savored the scent of nature. Exhaling out of habit, I look around the treeline while briefly wondering where I should start walking towards to get to the Haven since I've never personally been there, not to mention I don't even really know where I am. After a moment of thought, I opted to close my eyes; with a little concentration, something almost instinctively seemed to point the way as I started walking again.

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Trisha POV

Trisha found herself staring up at the mountain once more; with the delivery of tools, supplies, and equipment that Legosi had brought over, she knew that the more pressing of her responsibilities had been handled already by Vitmori. It was a little disconcerting, to say the least; she was supposed to make those things for the group. That's initially why she asked Vitmori for a forge. She had heard from Zasutir that Vitmori had been building a forge for her, but did he figure out how to make things on his own or something and decided he didn't need her after all? With all this pondering, she ultimately ended up just giving herself a headache as she sighed softly, her heart simply longing for the heat of the forge.

When she sighed, the crimson ball of fur that had been lying in her lap stirred, looking up at her with seemingly genuine concern. "Myet?" He chirped out, sitting up to reach out and tap her cheek with his pleasantly warm paw pads.

Trisha couldn't help but smile at that as she reached out and scratched the young cat's throat and chin. "Oh, Hephtio, you're too cute; I can't possibly stay in a bad mood around you." She cooed affectionately as the young feline murred audibly at her touch. Though after a few more quiet minutes, his ears suddenly perked as he went silent, his fluffy little ears now twitching and flicking as he turned to look off into the distance. "What is it boy? Do you hear something? Is it trouble?" She asked, an edge of anxiety creeping along her throat and into her voice as she watched Hephtio react to something out of view. Before she knew it, the crimson cat had lept off her lap and began running off. "W-wait up!" She called out, scrambling to her feet as she ran after him.

Following after Hephtio, she heard mreowls and yowls of the other cubs in the near distance; soon returning to the clearing of the haven and rounding the longhouse, she spotted a man she hadn't seen before being swarmed by the four cubs. At first, she thought they were attacking him, but it seemed they were actually showing affection; even the usually standoffish Basmori was all the way up on the man's shoulder, nuzzling their head against his neck, Grimm even hurrying over to hug the man's other leg, his fluffy little tail wagging audibly with excitement. She wasn't sure what to make of this, though she spotted the others of the haven starting to gather with varying degrees of curiosity. However, she noticed the Empress looking amused by all this, having made eye contact with her as she watched everyone instead of the new man.

The man, for his part, had a face that looked intense yet handsome; his vibrant green eyes carried a certain coldness despite the joyful smile he had on, his gaze sharp and piercing as they passed over her. He carried himself like the veteran warriors and adventurers she had seen come into her father's shop; despite how relaxed he appeared to be, she could tell this man was a predator. His exposed chest and right arm were riddled with wounds, and his clothes looked both comfortably luxurious while being incredibly simple looking. There was something about him that intimidated her, though she couldn't help a nagging sensation in the back of her head that she knew who this was.

That was until Zasutir stepped forward, followed by Rita, Zasutir getting to one knee and bowing his head, while Rita gave a slight bow of her head in a show of respect, but not lowering herself to the extent Zasutir had. "Vitmori, it is an honor to see that you've obtained a physical form; welcome to the haven you created." At that, Zasutir practically bounced up to his feet, looking down at the man and flashing a warmer smile as he cleared his throat. "S-sorry, I was just so overwhelmed; I completely forgot that you don't care for such formality." Zasutir mused, carrying himself much more casually now as he chuckled a bit.

The man chuckled heartily, in a great mood as it seemed as Basmori continued to nuzzle into his throat, the man returning the gesturing by nuzzling his chin against the black cub. Meanwhile, Freyli was laying happily on the man's right arm, mewling with delight and clearly too excited to use her words; Sekha was scaling his back as she moved to clamber onto his other shoulder, with Hephtio starting his own climb as he was the last to arrive. "It's fine Zasutir, this was a recent development, so I apologize for not at letting you know I was on the way." He expressed sincerely as he plucked Hephtio from his side and cradled the cub in his left arm. "I just promised to see Historietta off, and I am one to keep my promises." He expressed simply as he then looked to the people of the community. "I also wanted to personally thank you all for looking after my cubs, I was sad when they moved out, but they've clearly come into their own while among you all." He mentioned as he returned Sekha's nuzzles with his chin while he spoke.

This caused many folks to start murmuring amongst each other. It was one thing to be told that the dungeon core in the mountain used to be a man, and it's something else entirely to see the man standing before them. Sylvia was the first to approach, eyeing the man curiously before lowering her head and looking back at him. "I never got to say this before, but thank you for saving us and giving us this new home, and thank you for saving my daughter." She expressed as she lowered her head once more. Aug, for her part, just offered a bit of a smile and waved as she stood behind Sylvia, peeking out from behind her mother.

The man, who turned out to be Vitmori, looked vaguely uncomfortable but offered a kind smile. "Y-you're welcome, but you don't need to thank me. It was just circumstance and coincidence that everything happened as it did, but I'm happy to see you all doing so well. I do hope I didn't interrupt anything." He expressed as he returned Aug's wave with a small wave of his own before looking to the others. "Oh, and before I forget, I should properly introduce myself; better late than never." He mused with a cheerful smile as Basmori mushed his paws into Vitmori's cheek. "My name is Vitmori, a man from another world who ended up here somehow, and I hope we get along and that you all are able to thrive on my land." He said, bobbing his head politely.

With that done, it seemed it was the perfect excuse for everyone else to approach and greet the man, shaking hands as thanks and names were exchanged. It was all rather charming, Vitmori looking almost ecstatic to meet everyone. It was all going smoothly too, until Basti came out of nowhere and tackled the man to the ground.