Chapter 98: Moraly Stranded
Everyone began their preparations within the cabin. The operation will happen later in the evening when a surprise attack is possible. In the meantime, everyone took their time and did what they wanted with the little amount of peace and quiet.
"You're free to spend the day however you wish. Just don't go too far from the village nor think of leaving it." Quinn instructed the group. He wanted all the members to be as calm as possible before the operation starts. Hence the decision he made.
The group immediately dispersed with each of them doing a different activity. Some just stayed within their rooms, some roamed around town and mingled with the demons, then, there are those who trained their bodies, making sure that every muscle in their body is properly heated up before the fight.
Meanwhile, Quinn and Kaguya went up to the village elder to talk about the specifics of their plans. Although they have been generously accepted by the town, Quinn still thinks that it is their duty to inform the leader of the town about the path they are about to take.
The old demon's face remained indifferent throughout the explanation of Quinn. Kaguya observed this and thought how amazing the demon is. No matter what race or creature it may be, there is always a natural reaction to danger. And this should apply greatly to the leader of a group because, there are lives which he or she is responsible for.
Yet the old man only had a stern look on his face. No sweat fell nor were there any signs of nervousness in his behavior. Even Quinn noticed this and thought how good the leader is. Hence, after his explanation, he wasn't at all surprised with the response of the demon.
"I'll inform the citizens immediately. Some of them will surely go against this but, I believe your course of action is correct." The demon said.
"If I may ask sir, what makes you so sure?" Kaguya said, wondering why the demon could say such words so calmly.
"I'm not fond of making things difficult. When someone is corrupt, we exile them. When there are small problems, we patch them up immediately." The elder began, pointing at Kaguya's hand which also holds the insignia of Nisha.
"The goddess blessed your group. I know how a proper insignia of the goddess looks like and also, the aura it emits. And if you come here with those goals, it means the goddess came to us with those goals. Demons such as I hold the goddess in high regard and, we know that she would only do what is best for us." He continued.
The elder then proceeded to giving them some of the reasons as to why he approves of the humans and their methods. With the little time they spent within the farm, the elites have noticed how the backs of the demons seem to be wounded. And now they know why.
All their wings got cut off by the king. The demons gain power from the mana flowing around them and, this is gathered by their wings. Aside from its usefulness for mobility, the wings give them a huge advantage on mana storage. Knowing how dangerous this is, Glade made sure that all of the demons would have their wings torn off and, sealed to avoid any sort of regeneration.
The only ones spared from this punishment were the demons who took part in the warrior training and experiment. Some of which were forced to come against their will.
Aside from this, their crops and livestock have also been regulated by Glade's empire. The generals are the ones managing the farms as the king has other matters which he attends to. And since the king does not directly govern them, the generals in charge have been taking more than what they should. General Iron, the one in charge of the large farm, takes bulks and bulks of harvest each and every day.
He feeds his troops with a feast during the day, and they merrily drink all the produced liquor every night. This left the villagers with virtually nothing to eat, causing them to starve at the expense of other stomachs being filled. Furthermore, they take women from the town and play with them until dawn breaks. There are other reasons but, the elder said the list is too long for all of these to be mentioned. Instead, he ended with these words:
"Just tell us what we can do."
Quinn, as the leader asked nothing more than for the villager to stay safely within their homes. This is out of concern for them. Unlike Zeke, Quinn is much more of a righteous person, gaining all that he needs and those that he wants through proper means.
That's why he challenged every member of the elites before assuming leadership. He wanted to make it clear how he is far better than any of them and so, even if some expressed their dissent, they have no other choice but to follow his leadership.
With this both Quinn and Kaguya left the elder's house. They are amazed at how strong the leader's beliefs are. Even if none of them has ever encountered Nisha, they believe in her goodness and benevolence so much that they'd accept anything as long as it came from her. Both of them liked the idea because, they've only met the three major deities.
Unlike Zeke, they do not know of the dark history of Mythos. How the gods caused the world's demise and how the human sent before them died because of meddling of these same gods. They do not hold the grudge of those who were played with by the gods because, if they did, they would surely revolt against them.
While this went on, Jake got out of the farm without anyone's knowledge – contrary to the instructions given by Quinn.
"You can't boss me around if I'm stronger than you." He said, getting the information on the nearest monster spawn point from one of the town's kids. Luckily for him, it isn't far from where they are and, it is within a cave so he won't be causing much of a scene.
"I'm going to stack up some experience points and surpass you guys in no time." He said to himself, entering the place. Goblins soon greeted him, reminding the human of the first monster type he encountered on [Trial Island].contemporary romance
He threw his javelin forward, completely piercing through three of them at once. This shocked the only goblin which remained as Jake punched the monster's gut. This momentarily placed it on a state of pain which gave Jake enough time to pull his weapon out and, into the final goblin's head.
Indeed, he is already proficient when it comes to monster hunting. But he felt something oddly different with these goblins… even with the little light available he could make out that they are a dark shade of blue and, another odd thing is how their eyes glowed yellow in the dark. He wasn't told that there were goblins such as these nor did he think they could possibly exist.
Then, something more peculiar happened. The ones he just killed suddenly disappeared – leaving a thick blue mist which ran toward the depths of the tunnel. The human would've continued going forward. However, he felt an ominous presence lingering at the far end of the cave.
Then eh felt it, fear… one which is so vivid that he couldn't simply dismiss it. He froze in place with his breathing getting heavier and heavier. Hence, the human immediately retreated. No matter how much of a hotshot he thinks he is, Jake knows when the odds are too one sided.
As he came back to town, he saw Quinn and Kaguya walking back to the cabin. He brushed all the dust on his clothes and, made sure that no cave-like smell lingered on his clothes. Then, he proceeded to joining the two who told him about the elder's decision. And as all of these came to pass, night finally came.
"Is everyone set?" Kaguya asked, being the second in command to the group. In terms of raw power, Kaguya beats Quinn by a hundredfold. But, since Quinn can use tactics efficiently, this gap was destroyed. Making Kaguya the biggest fan and supporter of their leader.
"Mirio is still in the bathroom. I think he's a bit constipated from nervousness." Curio said, making some members laugh.
Among the elites, Mirio is the oddball member. He is a nervous wreck and a clumsy airhead. Yet, because of his innate skills in fighting, the gods still chose him to be part of the group and, this is something which can only be seen once the human holds on to his weapons.
It didn't take long for the elites to finish their preparations. All of their gears and weapons have been properly set. But just before they left the cabin, they heard hurried footsteps come their way. A man soon barged through the front door, breathing heavily and having a panicked look on his face and, behind him is the elder.
"We've got trouble." The old man said, wearing worry on his face.
"What happened sir?" Quinn replied, asking Kaguya to manage their comrades as they listened to the old man.
The group got shocked from the news. Even before they made their move, a general has already been killed. But it doesn't stop there, even he general's men have bene wiped out entirely, leaving their camp with nothing but a pool of corpses.
"Where did you get this information?" Quinn asked, staying calm despite the situation they are in.
"Every afternoon, before the sun sets, we send some of our villagers there to deliver the food. And that's when they saw the gruesome sight." He said, confusing some of the elites.
"Maybe it was a rebellion?" One of them suggested.
"No. That's not possible. Iron and his men aren't that easy to take down."
"And yet here we are." Jake replied, making Quinn give him a sharp stare from his disrespectful remark.
"The trouble doesn't end there." The elder said, throwing the communication bracelet to the group which immediately played. This is the same message given by the hooded figure who wiped out General Iron and his forces.
"With this, the other generals will come to this town. The horrors that would follow will be nothing like what we have experienced. And I fear that, you will not be able to escape if they found you wandering outside town." The elder said, worried about Nisha's chosen humans.
"I understand, please give us a minute before we give you a proper response." Quinn said, making the old man stay in the lounge while the group went to the dining hall to discuss.
There are various factors to consider. But the most concerning factor among these are the generals who are on their way. With Quinn's righteous attitude, he won't allow the villagers to be left unprotected. Hence, the meeting went to a single direction and, came to a conclusion favorable to Quinn's wishes.
The group will stay in town and defend it against the generals.
done.co