"The fuck does.."

"Yes we are human. And no we don't mean harm. You can speak ogre but not read that?" Interrupted Gramps as he walked out of the hut.

"Pretty straight forward huh? I didn't learn every language. Some species end up speaking the same tongue."

"Do we just wait now?"

"Why are you asking me? I haven't been here before." Arbor through his hands in the air. "HELLO! ANYONE THERE?!"

The sun in the sky slowly moved by as the team waited. The old man asked to learn tai chi from the young one in the hope that it would help his body. Not to his surprise, it wouldn't. His body's age was far past its prime and wouldn't benefit from the practice. During the practice, Arbor could feel the energy in his body grow ever so slightly. The ability to move his qi increased by a half percent. Although this was a miniscule increase it made his mind wonder how something so simple would benefit him.

Before long a movement in the wall caught the attention of all three. Eos stood on guard. A staff appeared in Arbors hand as he put himself between the wall and the old man. A small stone the size of Arbor, just 4 feet tall, moved and opened a passageway into the mountain. Countless humans dressed in makeshift armor carrying shields and spears came rushing out, surrounding the party. Eos became ecstatic by the fast movement and sudden encirclement.

“Eos enough!” Arbor commanded. Quickly after Eos stood tall still in the encirclement.

Arbor looked over at the old man “Could you talk to them for us?” Gramps nodded.

“No need to worry, I was once part of the Tazirus settlement just outside of Yamal City. We are seeking refuge.”

“You have a way to prove that?” One of the armored humans spoke from under his helmet.

“Boy were you even born when the city was still around? How would you be able to verify if I was telling the truth? I just spend god knows how long as a slave in a Orge mine just to get questioned by juniors.” Gramps first looked at the unknown man who spoke before looking at his compatriots. “He’s a cultivator,” he pointed at Arbor, “He damn sure isn't a demon and obviously isn't a Orge. Are you going to let us inside? Im freezing my balls off here!”

“Shit, my bad old man. I forgot.” Arbor took off his kimono and tossed it to the old elderly man, leaving only a simple nagajuban.

“The fuck is this going to do?” Gramps put it on and instantly got irritated. “You little fuck. You covered me with those damn leaves all this time to keep me warm while you wore this magical item? Some way to respect your elders.” He walked over and slapped him up the back of the head.

The one who spoke earlier squinted his eyes before softly requesting them to follow. The party disappeared into the passageway. Arbor expected an elaborate cave system that they would have to navigate to get to their camp, but it was just a hot minute until a colossal cavern opened. From what Arbor could make out, a couple thousand humans were moving around in the cave system.

Small luminescent gems on the ceiling granted sparse visibility throughout the cave. Makeshift homes were carved out in the walls. A few steps down to the side is a lake where a few people are fishing. Makeshift kitchens and tables at the shore provided a place to cook and eat.

Upon entering the cave, Arbor could feel a gloomy atmosphere just by sensing the essence. Abor associated the state of the essence with the current living conditions. “With nowhere to go, lack of daily necessities, and being trapped here, how could things not get to this point?” Arbor thought. His mind started to work on quick fixes to help the environment.

“Elder Janet, these are the three we have been monitoring outside. The old man claims to be from Tazirus. We don’t know anything about the boy except that he is a cultivator. They all submitted easily, which can be seen as suspicious.” The leader of the guards stated.

“Thank you Virgil. I apologize if they did you any harm. I hope you can understand our precarious situation here. We can’t take any risks with our situation outside this mountain.” An elderly woman struggled to stand up even with the help of a cane. She has almond hair that is cut just above her shoulders. Simple robes of different colors draped to her shins. She appears to be in her 70’s or 80’s from the amount of wrinkles on her face. Laying down next her is a medium sized beast that resembles a mix between a wolf and a lion. It felt a sense of inferiority from Eos. Thus, refusing to look at him.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“How may we address you and how do we know that we can trust you?” Janet asked.

A simple smile curled on Gramps face as he answered, “Princess Janet? You can call me Russ.” Arbor gave a questioning look between Russ and Janet. “This is Arbor and his companion Eos. As you can tell none of us are ogres and too handsome to be of the demon lineage.” Arbor cast an even more questioning look at Russ.

Arbor put his hand out and willed some vines, leaves, and wood out of his palm. All the guards that were present along with Janet gave ecstatic expressions. Her thoughts quickly formed, “It has been years since they have seen a human cultivator. Could this boy be their saving grace? Is Arbor going to bring the rise of humanity? A demon possibly can’t have any cultivation abilities that relate to nature.”

Elder Janet waved her hand, “Titles aren't needed anymore. There’s no kingdom to be a Queen of. What's the secret to becoming a cultivator? Can anyone become one?”

“In a place like this it will take a lot more work, but yes anymore can become one. Unless they were born as a cripple. The lack of essence in this realm creates a limit on the chances to become a cultivator. The first step is to increase the strength of the body until it can withstand the essence in the body. When you reach that point the dantain will awaken. At that point you can begin to absorb the essence in the realm. Was this not taught by the cultivators that were the pillars of the old human empire?” Arbor instructed.

“Many things were lost all those years ago. Unfortunately, that was one of them. What do you mean by this realm and lack of essence? At what age does one become unable to break through that barrier?” Elder Janet questioned.

“The prime age to break through the barrier and become a true cultivator is before adulthood, or a few years after puberty starts. Unfortunately, the body only has a limited time to change. I come from a realm that is at the top of the multiverse. That one has the richest essence out of all of them. Beneath that one are the four Sovereign realms. We are a couple steps below the sovereign realms. This realm is the lowest on the rung when it comes to the amount of essence. If you go one step below us there is no presence of essence at all.”

The room fell silent as Janet seemed to be in deep thought. After a few moments she spoke, “Can you help us? Are you able to help any of the kids become cultivators? Are there any special requirements? Herbs? Rituals?”

“I already planned on it. Nothing special, just need to whip into shape is all then their bodies will take over the process of the change. But first I will need a few days. Spread the word to not worry about the vines.” Arbor added.

“We can't thank you enough. I'll get the guards to show you where you can sleep. If there is anything you need, come directly to me.” Janet added.

“Of course. It's my pleasure. Also, send your pet out with Eos, he will take care of it.” Eos gave Arbor a discerning look akin to an elder sibling having to watch their younger sibling by exhaling through his nostrils. While the mixed beast gave a soft cry in response. Arbor bowed before he followed the guard to their room. Arbor requested that Eos be led back to the entrance of the cave so that he could go hunt and grow. Staying inside the cave would be of no benefit to himself nor Arbor. Gramps sneakily stayed behind to talk with Janet.

The guards escorted Arbor to a cave dwelling before leaving him to his own devices. Moments later he noticed that the guards did not stay on guard outside the door. “Do they trust me so quickly? There are no people hiding in the shadows. From their point of view, they might not have a choice. There is no telling how long their food supply will last, if and when they get found by those outside.”

Arbor sat down in a kneeling pose as he began to formulate a timeline and plan on how to proceed in the development of the current human race. At the same time he released his aura and let it seep out of his body. Half a day had gone by before a multitude of small, thin vines started growing beneath him and spreading through all of the cracks in the rockbed. Another day went by as the vines had reached a radius of fifty feet from Arbor. At the two day mark Arbor was covered in sweat. The vines had spread out one-hundred and fifty feet.

Close to the two and a half day mark Arbor took a big gasp of breath as he stood up. His vines reached just a little bit over a two-hundred foot radius from him. His plan with this is to start a foundation for plant life to grow. Mostly to increase the quality of air in the cave system and to increase the overall aesthetic, until he could find better accommodations for his newfound people. The hope is that the vines will absorb the moisture in the air and begin to grow into a self sustaining system by themselves. Otherwise they would only last a few days before they began to wither without any action on Arbors side.