Standing up with the help of my spider legs, I grab Rebecca's waist lifting her up as well, kissing her on the cheek. Placing my giggling partner down, I help Evan up as well smiling at him as he pats my shoulder. The both of them looked the same as they did in real life with Evan changing his height slightly to look taller.
"My lord, who are these people?" - Gewari
Turning to Gewari, I introduce her to my friends.
"Gewari, these two are people really important to me. They are-" - Ian
"Hello there, my name is Evan, or as I am more commonly known, Elves_or_Nothin. Please to make your acquaintance." - Evan
"Ah… okay?" - Gewari
"Don't worry about him, Gewari. I'm Rebecca, but you can call me Bec." - Rebecca
"My name is Gewari, a hobgoblin that serves under my lord, Ian. I am also the vice leader of the Shadow. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you." - Gewari
'Wait, Shadow?" - Ian
"Yes, that is what Stellar and I have decided to name the group of assassins and scouts. We were going to ask you for your permission about the name, but we didn't have a chance." - Gewari
"You have an assassin group? And it's called SHADOW? You have got to be kidding me." - Evan
"I'll allow it. I don't mind that as the name." - Ian
"Thank you, my lord." - Gewari
"Babe, are you sure we don't need to help Evan's NPCs?" - Rebecca
"Oh, I'm sure. Look." - Ian
Turning around, I point toward the group of NPCs that were surrounded by the Hoplites. Each Hoplite stood tall, proudly banging on their shields in unison as they shout out my name. However, their bodies started to fade into small specks of blue dust floating toward the Emblem in my pouch.
"Cassidy! Cassidy, over here. How is everyone?" - Evan
Evan rushes into the crowd of NPCs, grabbing the shoulders of a tall male. Under the moonlight, I could make out his sharp jaw line and hazel eyes as a tear drips down the side of his cheeks. Grabbing onto Evan, the man weeps, and like a wave, the rest of the NPCs gather around Evan. Humans, demi-humans, and kobolds as one.
"My brother, we have lost many tonight. Even with the help of those mysterious loud warriors we were unable to prevent the deaths of our comrades. James, John, Jane, Kololo, Kobobo and Kororo may they rest in peace." - Cassidy
High-pitched squeals escape his lips, as he tries to speak through his tears. It wasn't just him that was crying over the loss, it was all the NPCs. Even my heart throbbed a little hearing Evan's group crying.
"Everyone! May our fallen comrades rest in peace. However, I also have good news. For the past couple of months, we have been traveling. Walking through forests, swamps, mountains, and plains. We have lost many comrades and friends along the way, but we have also found each other along the way. I am truly saddened by all the loss, but now we have reached our destination.
Tonight, we were saved by my friend, Ian. Ian and his elite squad of warriors has come to our rescue, destroying the monsters that stood in our paths. Without him, it might be more than just the 7 comrades that passed away tonight. We might have lost Cassidy, or Tera or Komomo. Tonight, we mourn the deaths of our comrades and also celebrate reaching HAVENFALL!
From now on, we don't need to live off the small berries we find in the wild. We don't need to search every nook and cranny for water. We don't need to live under rocks at night or run from monsters that look too scary. NO! Not only that, but we now have a place to live. To eat. To sleep. HavenFall is our safe haven. Ian! Will you accept us? " - Evan
Thrusting his hand towards me, from the middle of the crowd, Evan looks at me with sparkling eyes. Bending my head toward Rebecca who was standing next to me, bewildered by Evan's speech, I whisper to her before answering Evan.
"Did he always speak like that? Or did he start doing this in-game?" - Ian
"That's his persona in the game. I swear he is like a politician. His words make no sense but at the same time, they do. I couldn't wrap my head around it after I met him in the game, since his real-life personality was so vastly different." - Rebecca
"I see. I guess I should play along with his speech?" - Ian
"You can if you want. I just speak to him normally and so far it has worked out." - Rebecca
"Alright, got it, babe. I'll just speak normally." - Ian
Straightening my back, walk toward Evan's stretched hand, grabbing it firmly before giving him a handshake.
"Elves_or_Nothin, Evan, HavenFall would gladly help you and your comrades. From tonight onwards, both of us will be together through thick and thin. We will help each other grow and build a happier and safer HavenFall. For those of you who want to join us, follow me. We will be traveling back to HavenFall as one." - Ian
"You heard him. Everyone! March!" - Evan
With a spirited yell, accompanied by Luna's howl, the group marches toward HavenFall. During this time, Evan, Rebecca, Cassidy, Gewari and I, marched at the front. I needed to know some information about Evan's group to understand them so that they can live in HavenFall happily.
"What do you want to know? Ask away if I don't know the answer, Cassidy will. He is the second in command and while he isn't much of a fighter his brains are bigger than mine." - Evan
"You say that as if your brain is big, but I do agree with Evan's comment. Cassidy is an extremely smart individual. Isn't that right, Cassidy?" - Rebecca
"No need to say such nice words, Bec. I am just a humble being who remembers more than most people that is all." - Cassidy
"Right, well the most obvious question would be who is part of this group? I need numbers. I would also like a small run-down on the number of warriors. Tell me their strengths and their weaknesses." - Ian
"We have 15 humans,6 of which are female and 5 that are children with only 4 male adults. The 4 males usually fight in the front lines, so their stats are geared towards Vitality and Strength. 8 demi-humans, 6 of which are of the cat tribe and 2 of the dog tribe. They are fast but are afraid of battle after their tribe was wiped out by an attack.
Following that, we also have 10 Kobolds with a 50-50 split in gender ratios. They are also quick on their feet, and they hit hard, but their low Vitality is their weakness. Overall, the whole group is weak in battle, but we can run away pretty fast." - Evan
"Any mages? Archers? Or special skills?" - Ian
"I used to have the Kobold staff, but it got destroyed when we were fighting a group of monsters. Other than that… Not really." - Evan
"Actually, most of us are well versed in plants, tracking, and scouting. After traveling for so long, we became a lot better to understand which plants are edible, which plants are poisonous, and which plants can be used to make potions. Tracking is also easier for us as well. Small marks on the ground or marks against trees, we can use to track most monsters, especially, Komomo. He is the best tracker in our group." - Cassidy
"Tracking is a very useful skill. Gewari, I want you to learn from Komomo. Bring him into Shadow and have him teach not only you but all the scouts and assassins." - Ian
"Yes my lord. I am also interested in learning about tracking as well, especially if we need to hunt down any monsters that try to run away in a fight." - Gewari
"GREAT! Komomo is a little shy, but I'm sure he would be able to open up to you!" - Cassidy
"I will do my best." - Gewari
"Alright, what else? Surely that isn't all you need to know." - Evan
"What are the preferences of your people and what do they think about living in HavenFall? I know you haven't asked them for their opinion, and they are just going along with your decision. I don't want any fights between my people and you people." - Ian
"Hmm… Most of us are fine so long as we have food, water, and shelter, which HavenFall has all of. The Kobolds prefer caves to live in. They have told me they are great miners as well, but we haven't had a chance to mine anything yet." - Evan
"Miners? That's excellent, I have a bronze mine and a tin mine in the works, so they will be a great addition to the team. The rest will be able to either join the army or join the blacksmiths. I need more people who are interested or keen on making things." - Ian
"Oh, then Tera is great! I've talked to her a lot after meeting up with Evan, and she has always told me she wanted to make equipment for the people she loves. Protecting them with her armor is one of her dreams, so she will be perfect for blacksmithing." - Rebecca
"Really? How come she never told me this? I've been talking to her for so long." - Evan
"Maybe she doesn't like talking about her dreams with you, Evan but that's okay, I'm sure the both of you talk about other things." - Rebecca
After talking to them more and learning more about the new additions to HavenFall, we eventually reach home. However, all was not well as I see Noah pacing back and forth beside the waterfall with Gobi, Howard and Melody hugging Kaede.
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