Austin was very happy with how the partnership with the orcs was going. The orcs were very proficient at hunting and taught many people how to hunt better and how to better prepare the animals. They even taught them how to preserve the skin and fur for clothing in the future. That was not the only benefit that the town got from the partnership, though. The orcs also taught everyone how to hide their Essence and started to join in on the scouting of the area. The improvements allowed Austin to feel more secure in their safety.
The security also allowed Austin to focus more on his own growth as an Essence user. He was able to get more time meditating and even sparring. When he joined in on training, it even seemed to improve morale. Like they were happy to see Austin spending the time to train with them. Many of the orcs had also joined in on training, which had drastically improved the fighting skills of everyone.
Austin had just finished training with Clive for the day. Clive was very good at going over the basics and even sparring. With his skill, it was always a challenging match, even with his age. As he finished up, he sat down and drank from a bottle of water.
“Phew, you always know how to push me,” Austin said to Clive as he sat down.
“I’m glad to hear that, honestly. I worry that my training is not sufficient for you. Especially because you have trained with a true master,” Clive said as he sat next to Austin. Since returning to Earth, he ran a lot of training and dressed comfortably. So, he wore a tank top and sweatpants. His body had also made a drastic change since returning. Since he already did not have much fat, he now just had a thin and muscular appearance. “Training with you is always enjoyable, though. You really can push me too. Some of the other people in the town can’t keep up with me as you can.”
“They’ll get better. I think the only reason I can keep up is the changes my body went through when becoming Iron,” Austin admitted. “If you were Iron, you’d wipe the floor with me.”
“Maybe, maybe not. I think you do have a talent for this that just needs a little refinement,” Clive said. “As for me? I’m not sure how much further I can go.”
“I think you’d be surprised what ascending can do for you,” Austin said. “I wouldn’t count yourself out.”
“I’m not sure if you’re right, but thank you for the sentiment,” Clive said with a smile.
Austin was about to leave to return to his home when he saw Gavin and an orc woman start to approach him. The orc woman was named Tuhi, and she had been working closely with Gavin. Her black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. She wore fur boots and pants. Around her top, she wore a sleeveless tunic underneath a long black jacket. Austin noticed that the pair were moving towards Austin with urgency.
“Everything okay?” Austin asked with a raised eyebrow as they approached.
“We have news, very important news,” Gavin said through gasps of air. His excitement or worry, Austin could not tell which it was, made him out of breath.
“Good and bad news,” Tuhi added.
“Well, go on and tell me,” Austin said impatiently.
“Good news, dungeons have started to pop up in our area,” Gavin said. “It looks like there are several dungeons of different Essence density.”
“Bad news, our scouts have reported a tribe of gnolls moving nearby,” Tuhi said right after Gavin, like they were in sync.
“Okay, I know what dungeons are, but what are gnolls?” Austin asked with a confused expression. “Is it not possible to make peace with them?”
“Not at all,” Tuhi shook her head with a grave expression. “Gnolls are terrible hyena-like creatures. They use blood rituals to gain more power. Back on our home planet, they raided whoever they could in search of sacrifices.”
“They can’t all be like that. Even orcs have a bad reputation. Maybe these ones aren’t that bad,” Austin said hopefully.
“I appreciate you wanting to see the best in people, but this is different from orcs. Gnolls do not reproduce like other species. They can only be created through blood ritual,” Tuhi explained. “From the day they are born, they seek to kill and create more of themselves.”
“I see,” Austin nodded with a grave expression. “I’ll just have to trust that you’re being honest. If that is the case, then we need to prepare ourselves for them.”
“Yes, but we also can’t ignore the dungeons,” Tuhi said. “I’m sure that the dungeons are part of what lured them here.”
“So, now we are racing the gnolls for treasure and have to worry about them attacking us,” Austin said in confirmation. “I guess this means we need to form some teams and plan a defense. Leadership is going to need to know about this. Until we have a strategy, let’s not tell too many other people.”
“We will go let them know,” Gavin said with a militaristic tone.
“Good, thank you. We will meet at my house,” Austin said.
With that, Gavin and Tuhi left Austin swiftly. Austin let out an exasperated sigh as he watched them leave. He knew that it was just a matter of time for trouble to start, but he still wished that they could enjoy peace a little longer. He could not help but feel disappointed at the end of the peace.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
***
Austin sat beside Maya on their living room couch as people started to file into their house. The room was quiet as people entered. Everyone had a serious expression and did not feel like making small talk. Drugos and Tuhi were accompanied by several other orcs while all of the human town leaders were there.
“We should probably talk out back,” Austin said flatly as he stood up from the couch. He walked to the back door of the house and opened it. The group followed him quietly as he walked outside.
Austin stopped at the center of his backyard, and the group started to form a circle with Maya and Natasha next to him. They looked towards Austin expectantly. Each person had been informed of the situation, and they waited to see how Austin wanted to handle things. Even Drugos, who stood opposite Austin, seemed to wait on Austin to speak.
“Everyone here has been made informed of the situation change,” Austin began to speak without emotion. He felt like the only way to keep calm was to suppress his fear and stress. “I have had some time to think about things, and I think I have figured out the best way to handle the situation. From today onward, all hunting will stop. Instead, the hunters will join the scouts and the protection force. The added men will provide us much needed protection.”
“What about food? If we cut off hunting, then our supply will go down,” Jess protested.
“Our food supply should be fine. We have hunted in abundance and stored that food. We also will continue to farm,” Austin responded. “With that in mind, we will need to share with Drugos’s tribe. I imagine they will cut down on their hunts as well.”
“That is correct,” Drugos nodded. “We will do our best to assist in protection, but we will need to focus a good deal of our forces on ourselves.”
“That is completely understandable. We will still be scouting the same area. So, it’s not like we are stopping cooperation,” Austin said. “Now, to our next matter, the dungeons. How many dungeons have been found?”
“So far, it looks like there are six of them, but there are several areas of incredibly dense Essence. We believe either a lot more will pop up or an especially strong dungeon will appear,” Gavin responded straightforwardly. His tone gave off the impression of a military man giving a report.
“Okay, then we will send groups of four to each dungeon. I want it split evenly between orcs and humans. Gather the best of each group,” Austin said. “I will not be going to these dungeons. Instead, I will wait to see what arises from this dense Essence.”
“Why? Won’t you need the power from a dungeon?” Gavin asked. “It seems silly to send our best and not send you.”
“There is something specific I am waiting for. I’m sure that Natasha, Drugos, and Brian feel the same,” Austin said. “With that in mind, Maya, Josh, and Sean will not be going to any dungeons.”
“I have some people that I would like to exclude from the dungeons as well,” Drugos said.
“Fair enough,” Austin nodded. “Please gather the best, excluding anyone that Natasha, Drugos, and Brian want excluded. Are there any questions?”
The group shook their heads in response. Austin was happy with the result. It seemed that everything had been made clear. He just hoped that these changes would provide them with the results he desired.
“Everyone is dismissed then,” Austin said.
The majority of the group left at Austin’s dismissal. Natasha, Drugos, Brian, and Maya remained there. While Maya had stayed for obvious reasons, being Austin’s wife, Austin assumed the rest stayed to talk about the potential towers. He knew it was only a matter of time for towers to show up, and each of them would want to conquer one.
“I just wanted to make something clear, and then I’ll get back to work,” Brian was the first to speak. “I’m not interested in the towers. I chose to work underneath you, Austin. The tower puts me in a position where I challenge your authority, and I don’t want to do that.”
“Are you sure? I completely understand if you want to challenge one,” Austin said with a confused expression.
“I’m sure, I appreciate your consideration, though,” Brian said with a respectful nod before he turned to walk away.
“That leaves us three, then,” Austin said as he watched Brian leave.
“So, it does,” Natasha nodded. “I’m not going to back down from the towers.”
“I’m not either. While I appreciate our partnership, I can’t just back down. My people need a strong leader,” Drugos said.
“I understand,” Austin nodded. “We will treat it as a race, then. I hope that it doesn’t come to us fighting each other.”
“What if there are multiple towers?” Natasha asked.
“If there are two, then I think we should allow Drugos to have one. Then we will race for the other,” Austin said.
“So, Drugos will be guaranteed one? I don’t like that,” Natasha said angrily.
“You can disagree with me if you want, but they may not want to always rely on us. They are a separate people from us. This is a gesture of goodwill for our alliance,” Austin said.
“Fine,” Natasha huffed before she started to walk away.
“We aren’t done talking,” Austin called to Natasha.
“I am,” Natasha responded coldly as she continued to walk.
“I’m sorry about that,” Austin said as he rubbed his temples. “I really did not expect her to be so upset by that decision.”
“Do you want to change your mind? I understand if you do,” Drugos said with concern.
“I made my decision,” Austin said. “I don’t really care if she disagrees with me. More importantly, if there is one tower, be careful around her.”
“Be careful? Why?” Drugos asked as his brow furrowed in confusion.
“When we were in the Survival Game, she was the leader of our group. The decision to make me the leader happened when we came back here,” Austin explained. “She has acted fine about the decision, but I don’t entirely feel that is the case. I think the results of this tower situation will bring out the truth.”
“I see,” Drugos nodded. “I’ll keep my eye out then. I appreciate the heads up.”
“Of course, you seem like an honest person and a good ally. I would like to keep our friendship going,” Austin said with a smile.
