As Malle pours my tea, I inhale the steam. A delicious sent enters my nose, I sip the tea after taking in the smell. It somehow quenches some of the hunger I have been feeling, I give it another sip.
After I sip, I begin to fully focus. Orgis and Malle are about to tell me the reason on why it is impossible for them to escort me back to my…, I guess I can consider them my friends.
Orgis gives me a stern and formal look.
"Me and my wife are considered military combatants, because of our cultivation, we are not even allowed near the border. Let alone inside."
He keeps his stern look as he tells me.
'So the world is more orderly structured than what most cultivation worlds would be, the answer was quite simple.'
I stiffen my shoulders.
"So, if I wish to go back.. I have to travel alone?" I ask them, feeling conflicted about my feelings I tap my cup.
"Yes." Both of them say, I see that Malle feels somewhat sorry for me. I keep my face normal.
'Damn, its suicidal if I travel back on my own'. I reflect on the wolf, the forest I ran through and the feelings I had felt during it.
"I would rather not do that without good assistance, I might have to go with both of yourselves advice". I tell them straightforwardly.
Orgis looks to his wife, as if trying to get proper premission for something. She smiles at him, agreeing to whatever they talked about.
"Hmm, you'll be staying with us, we'll teach of our culture and the basics of survival. You will have to do servant work". Orgis says, i look to his wife. She smiles.
'I need to be more respecting toward them, they definitely do not wish harm upon me. They only said I'll have to do servant work not that I'll become one '. I tell myself, they both sip their tea, I too sip mine.
Disbelief lingers within me, sill confused about my situation. The calming nature of the atmosphere could only do so much.
I breathe through my nose.
"Of course I'll except your hospitality, and live with you from now on. I do not mind doing some servitude".
I stand up and bow towards them while accepting their offer, understanding there is not much I could do anyway.
'The children will be fine, Adam and Renard are more competent than myself I'm sure they'll survive.'
Orgis stands up and pats my back.
"Good-o haha, we will have loads of fun!". He says with excitement, sweat trickles down my spine somewhat fearful of my future.
He guides me to a bathing area.
[-Camp-]
Some time had passed since Leon had disappeared, Ashley is still as worried as she was, she is currently hanging around Dale and Jack, distracting her distraught thoughts.
Renard who has just finished dropping off water to the children has returned with many thoughts on his mind.
He sees that Adam is now rooting through a bush near the encampment they have made, he decides to walk to Adam, to see if he had found any possible clues.
Once he arrives he coughs to indicate his presence to Adam, who is frivalently distracted.
"Adam, Have you found any traces of Leon". His voice sounding tired and exhausted. Adam was no better.
He had been workings on something essential, but had to stop since everyone's mental health has been twinning since the disaster of Leon disappearing.
He stops his fidgeting in a bush to answer Renard.
"No I have not, not a single thing". He voices in anguish.
The only thing they had found, were parted places where someone had been running with a great stride went through .
'I should just focus on the spears, making sure we can hunt larger creatures should be a higher priority than trying to find traces of a missing person in an all encompassing forest'.
He thinks to himself, knowing what should be the true priority.
'[Man who told me to go vegan], I hate them'. Adam thinks to himself.
"Fuck". He shouts out annoyed, he punches a stone, obliterating it into pebbles.
Renard flinches for a moment then returns his composure.
He pats Adam on his shoulder.
"I am sure, no I am fully confident that we will find him". Renard speaks in a voice of undisputed reassurance to comfort Adam.
He lifts his hand way from Adam's shoulder, Renard shows a smile as Adam looks to him, hoping it gives strength.
Adam doesn't say a word, instead he continues rooting through the bush. Renard walks away believing Adam will bare the weight that is forced upon him.
After a few moments Adam stops rooting,
Renard who has just left him walks to his tent, feeling tired and dehydrated he wishes for a drink.
'Adam, please relax. I want to say these things, but I understand he doesn't want or need them'. Renard thinks while walking to his tent.
On the way, he saw the children gathered together drinking the water he had only just gathered, Dale was boiling it for all of them.
Seeing this, Renards own worries lessened and a geniuine gentle smile appeared on his face without his control.
His mood had improve even if it is ever so slightly.
Adam went back to frantically looking through the bush.
He picks up a stick, one that had been snapped. He had seen many, but none this deliberately snapped.
'This fully confirms it, Leon was luring a predator away from the camp, forcing him to either leave or end up devoured'. He punches the ground believing it to be his own fault for delaying the creation of spears.
Knowing it can only be Leon or some giant beast he immediately assumes it to be so.
A sudden thought came to his mind..Traps.
'My traps?, maybe he led it through them. A lead, he could've left a lead on the direction he was fleeing.'
He heads to his land of traps.
"All..of them. Broken.". He examines the paw prints, wolves. Giant wolves, bigger than prints left by moose's.
'He's dead, definitely!'.he thinks in defeat, he walks around wanting to look for clues on a proper direction Leon could have fled.
Yet he found not a single thing, it was getting dark he has been searching for hours, he was forced to return to the camp.
Just ahead of him behind a withering tree, a small torn piece of cloth that had been torn from Leons trousers ankle, it had blown all away from the river.
Now it escapes the area of traps, heading to an unknown direction.
Back at the camp Renard was chatting and playing with the children.
They were all laughing, Adam who was imprisoned by his darkened thoughts felt a small key open the lightless darkness, his guilt slowly shrinking.
Not enough to smile, but enough to walk to them and join them.
"Yeah, I really want to go. You rejected us the other day". Ashley says to Renard who has just asked her a question.
"Yeah you did. Same, same. I too want to go!" Jack who was on Renard lap jumps and says.
"Go where?". Adam says with a aggressive but friendly voice.
"Ahh". Both Jack and Ashley scream, pretending to be scared.
[Leon]
It has been a few days since I arrived at this small village, I am now a guest of Orgis and Malle, they have only placed a few burdens on me.
Both of them have taught me the basic courtesy during these few days, but with growing comfort I have had nightmares.
I am scared to even think of them, for each one of them showed my last moments. It seems the tranquil feeling only effects my waking brain, but the me of dreams has to suffer.
I am now reading a news letter on the kingdom I am now a citizen of Uman kingdom. It was not hard to register, it seems they are welcoming of human mortals.
Well that seems obvious, definitely now that I have read some books, information was retaining much better in my mind compared to earth.
I was kind of shocked that I understood the written language of this world, the glitch might have changed something deep inside my mind.
My thoughts linger, but I quickly get back to reading.
I am within the Uman kingdom. The first human kingdom, one which the first line of doctrine says; accept all who bare the blood of man, even if slims the chance of being another.
'Is this a cult?, I swear it's written like something a cult would write. All new letters had this statement upon it, so it has to be an influence of one'
I continue to read.
It mostly wrote out basic rules about passing laws and past achievements of the Uman kingdom within recent years.
Most of it I could say to be properganda to influence someone into supporting the kingdom.
'Not like I've got much of a choice.' I shrug of my suspicion knowing I am powerless either way.
Another section listed the current strongest cultivators within the empire.
It listed the current king who is named;
King Borǒwka Sok - nascent soul peak.
A guy called keap tar- nascent soul peak, it has a small info section about him and his deeds.
He has killed a member of the Sok family for trying to make him kneel, he is wanted.
Black-white hair. Scarred face. Burns on his left hand.
The other only have titles no names or true descriptions, it is stated next to the realms that it's an estimate and their true realm isn't known.
The gazing mistress - Golden core low. A beautiful women, who controls authority over economic districts. It labels some of her present profits.
Like the creation of a more devise way of knowing cardinal directions. It seems compasses are not a thing within this world.
If they are they must be rare.
Frog beyond the well - [One who has made steps], an old man that has mastered an ancient art. He is said to be governing over a small village to the west.
Three headed guardian - [one who has steps], the guardian of the king. A supreme powerhouse respected for his war deeds.
Ninth sword of the land of ice - golden core middle. A long stayed visitor who wishes to partake some of the kingdoms land.
Some are marked over with a rune that sends the words [one who has steps] into my mind.
'The average realm for the strongest people seems to be golden core'.
I move from the list section and go to the shared knowledge section.
-The walking Doom on the move!-
'We have spotted, the walking doom who has been flying around the empire of humanity domain heading south towards the river north of the Uman kingdom, from our sources he seems to have found something of interest.
Disclamer;
We have made sure not to disturb him, so no further information will ever be provided on this!'
I read it, noticing an interesting title walking doom.
'Sounds like a…, a monster. But by all accounts he is definitely a cultivator'.
I sigh, and look outside.
Realizing the nearing time, I set the newspaper aside and begin some chores. I walk out of the room I was in and head to a closet that stores mops and sweeping brushes.
'Guess I'll sweep.' I pick the sweeper up and head to the front yard.
'They are near that river.., I am sure they will be fine' I sweep away pebbles and fallen leaves. As I think about the people from the same world as me.
'Oh yeh, I promised I'll help those two with berry picking' he thinks to himself, clearly bringing it up to distract his mind.
He heads back inside after sweeping and grabs a fancy decorative basket, and heads to the back garden.