Chapter 197: Falling into ce 1
<span style="font-weight:400">“I bring gifts!” Drake shouted but frowned as he saw Natto be unresponsive to his arrival, “You know you can be happier. I just got like 40 E-Rank Monster Cores all cleaned and prepped for you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ahem…” Landin and Charlotte said in unison, coughing loudly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ok. <i><span style="font-weight:400">They</i><span style="font-weight:400"> got them ready for you, but I told them to do it,” Drake corrected.
<span style="font-weight:400">Natto still remained seated below the Crystal unresponsive.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ok, I know what will get her to talk. Time to bring in the big guns,” Drake smirked pulling a glistening small piece of delight from his inventory.
<span style="font-weight:400">There was still no movement from Natto initially but Drake tossed the sugary treat into the air only for it to be snatched mid-air by the jaws of the small squirrel construct.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Whash ahre shoo dohing…?” Natto said through small crunching of the candy.
<span style="font-weight:400">“<i><span style="font-weight:400">I</i><span style="font-weight:400"> am here to bring you more E-Rank Cores,” Drake reiterated.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You may hold onto them for now, I must concentrate on pairing with the Crystal until this is finished anchoring. <i><span style="font-weight:400">As I have told you!</i><span style="font-weight:400">” she sneered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Right,” Drake smiled and threw her the rest of the candy bag, “Don’t spend it all in one ce.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Natto snatched the bag mid-air cing it into her sleeve and went back to a seemingly meditative state.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake turned around looking at the pair of teens and the other person who had found them on their way to the ind, who would not let Drake from her sight since getting back.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So are you just going to actually follow me around from now on, like forever?” Drake asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Father told to be at service to… husband, so Sah Ul’ will follow,” Sah Ul’ grunted, obviously displeased.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Really? Sarah, do you even like me? Isn’t there anyone you have eyes for in your tribe?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Sah Ul’ tilted her head slightly the ornaments in her hair jingling slightly, “Care not for weak men. Since gods took Rhak Tribe to battle no man has ever defeated Sah Ul’.”
<span style="font-weight:400">She pointed to Drake, “First man to ever beat Sah Ul’. Strong is fine, you protect tribe, Sah Ul’ will give all to Patriarch.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Landin and Charlotte looked at Drake confused, not able to understand Sarah just yet.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What is she saying?” Landin asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“She said she likes me oodles and oodles,” Drake sighed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Charlotte crossed her arms and pursed her lips, “What is she really saying? You know we can’t even understand you when you switch to thatnguage right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake raised a brow,” Oh? That’s cool, what does it sound like?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Landin shrugged, “It kind of sounds like a mix between Dothraki and Klingon.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Dope,” Drake grinned, “Anyway, since little Miss Follow Along is with us, I won’t be needing you two for right now. There isn’t much we can do until you both are introduced to the system. I have an idea of what I’ll be doing for Charlotte since I was able to retrieve a stone from the Guardian Buzzard… But Landin… I’ll have to keep looking for now.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Awe… I wanted to know what ss I was going! Why can’t we pick again?” Landin asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, shouldn’t we get a say?” Charlotte agreed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. If you are going to have me teach you. You need to follow what I say verbatim. I’ve been through the process already and the process has to be correct. There are no ways of taking back a decisionter without severe changes to your race or personality.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Race changes…?” Charlotte asked then a light dawned on her, “Y-you aren’t human…?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake smiled, “You are very perceptive, good. No, I''m not human anymore.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You were never human!” Natto chimed in, opening one eye.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Aren’t you meditating or something!?” Drake yelled back, then turned back to the teens, “I didn’t have a choice when I was forced to change, but I don’t want to see that happen to either of you just for the sake of getting stronger. If you feel the need to do so down the line I won’t stop you, but for right now, it’s my n to not have it happen. Now,” Drake walked over ushering them back across the ice bridge he made, “Get some rest. Tomorrow you will be shadowing me and Sarah while we fight off whateveres for the crystal. Also, I want you both to look for anyone else who may be turning 16 and be interested in learning under me. I want to gather people here first before I go out looking for more.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You think anyone would be insane enough to learn from you like us..?” Landin asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, but never hurts to ask. Everyone will turn 16 at some point and I’m not so sure anyone will have a choice in joining the system or not. There are always Nonbat professions but everyone will need to fight at some point, unfortunately,” Drake said, giving a solemn smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Nonbat? Why didn''t you mention that before?” Charlotte asked, walking onto the bridge.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Because it’s nonbat. You can’t protect people if you don’t fight, I’ll exin more in the morning, get some sleep.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What about you?” she asked back.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t sleep. Perks of being a super non-human. Besides I need to make sure nothing disturbs you kids while you sleep,” Drake grinned waving them both off, as Sah Ul’ walked up next to him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Once the teens were off Drake dropped his hands and turned to look up at Sarah.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You’re too tall,” he said tly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sah Ul’ is average height for Rhak tribe women,” she answered with a frown.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake clicked his tongue.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright since you are gonna follow me, might as well put you to work. Did you get a recement weapon?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, being made by tribe warsmith,” she said, slightly disheartened.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake rubbed the back of his neck feeling responsible for destroying her weapon but he sadly didn’t have much to offer in the way of weaponry that would be worthy as a recement. But he did have quite a bountiful amount of material the warsmith could use.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ok, take me to them tomorrow, I have some stuff he might find useful. Until then, just stay close, I won''t let anything happen to you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Sah Ul’ looked confused for a moment unsure how to respond.
<span style="font-weight:400">Picking up on it before they left the ind on the bridge, Drake raised a brow curiously, “What?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Never…” she began her face looking down at the ground, “Never been <i><span style="font-weight:400">protected</i><span style="font-weight:400"> since became warrior. Don’t know what to say.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake scoffed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How about thank you? If you’re feeling really gracious, how about. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Thank you almighty Drake for protecting the small slightly shorter, more than a little bit weaker than you, I can’t express my thanks in words but I hope these small amount words of thanks suffice-</i><span style="font-weight:400"> OK OK! I WAS JOKING PUT YOUR TEETH AWAY!” Drakeughed holding Sah Ul’ back by her shoulders as she growled at him, disying her tusks and pearly whites.
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake let her go taking a breath before he chuckled walking across the bridge.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Take a joke will you or you won’tst long around me,” he smiled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Jokes are for fools and children,” Sah Ul’ hissed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Good thing I’m a man-child by definition then…” Drake mumbled, “Alright,” he added, snapping his fingers, summoning another Elemental, “We’ll go keep the area safe till morning. Even with the other warriors and my elementals patrolling, I’ll need you to keep the munchkin safe.”
<span style="font-weight:400">The elemental responded only by traveling back over the bridge and standing next to Natto silently.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How use such magic but so strong?” Sah Ul’ asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh did I never say? Then, we’ll have to have a good conversation while we patrol.”
<span style="font-weight:400">—-----------
<span style="font-weight:400">After crossing the bridge, Drake checked up on the tents he had set up. Making sure all of the children and adults that hade with him were asfortable as they could be under the circumstances.
<span style="font-weight:400">He couldn’t give them everything they wanted or needed but he tried his best to amodate them. They were still children after all. They each gotrge beds that he had gotten from the Gnolls and Goblins in the tutorial and all the amenities he could muster.
<span style="font-weight:400">Once he had a chance to speak to Natto after the anchoring, he would need to discuss how the town would be built. He wasn’t an architect by any stretch but he hoped someone would have a profession or he could somehow manage to find someone that survived the tutorial with the profession.
<span style="font-weight:400">His main concern was infrastructure, fresh water, and food in the short term. But if what Natto told him was correct he would need to think about much more after and he would need people to do so.
<span style="font-weight:400">Looking through the camp he made next to the tribe he was satisfied, making sure to keep his Aura Sense expanded to the max to make sure everything remained fine. Also, he made sure to stay in tune with his elementals that were patrolling the area with the packs of Orcs making sure none were defeated.
<span style="font-weight:400">With that he had a constant flow of notifications he had been ignoring. Quest updates for some of the monsters in the area which he was d for, and some that he hadn’t gotten quests for. But most had been F-Rank with a very scarce number of E-Ranks.
<span style="font-weight:400">The entire time he had been shadowed by Sah Ul’. Her face showed how disgruntled she was about doing so, but Drake also noticed how she had be slightly more rxed the more she saw him interact with everyone.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Suppose she’s lowering her guard now that I’m not murdering andughing… Man, I went a bit far with that Guardian…</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Drake sighed, remembering his personality shifting the longer the fight went on.
<span style="font-weight:400">Finally done checking Drake made his way to the outskirts of the popted area, noticing a familiar name pop up in the line of notifications.
<b>[The 11th Honing Crystal has been ced by Shigure Kenzo - The Sword Saint, 72 hours untilpletion]</b>
<span style="font-weight:400">Drake scoffed, “Took him long enough, 11th huh? Already 11 people have started the anchoring process.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Before Drake could continue his thought process he felt an elemental wink out of existence on the East side of the encampment forcing him to double back.
<span style="font-weight:400">ncing at his status he ced his points into his status, a majority of them going into his Dexterity to round it out to 600, his Intelligence to over 1000, and cing the remainder into his Endurance.
<span style="font-weight:400">His stats once again ballooned thanks to his two-level increase and massive race and title bonuses, especially the newest ones.
<b>[Fledgling Ruler]</b>
<ul>
<li><b>You have found the fealty of the masses in your new domain granting you a newfound power in your noble oblige in protecting your subjects.</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>+5% to all stats.</li>
</ul>
<b>[One of Four]</b>
<ul>
<li><b>You have thwarted the first of four major beings still remaining in your world. The being known as Thunderbird H Garunda - Guardian of the West was one of the Four Cardinal Beasts meant to contain the world.</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>+50 to all Stats.</li>
</ul>
<strong>[yer of the West]</strong>
<ul>
<li><strong>You have defeated the Guardian of the West, H</strong> <b>Garunda, one who is known for their wisdom and expertise in magic.</b></li>
<li><strong>The leader of the Thunderbirds has now fallen under the might of your actions leaving a gap in its domain and the leadership of its brethren. The West now stirs.</strong></li>
<li><strong>+50 to Wisdom. (Bonus +50 to Wisdom due to solo-kill)</strong></li>
</ul>
<b>[Drake Wallen]</b>
<b>[Race: Asuran] [F-Rank]</b>
<b>[Profession: Miner P5(0%)[F-Rank], Jeweler P5(0%)[F-Rank]</b>
<b>[Elemental Miller] [Unique] Level 27</b>
<b>[Vitality] 622 (20+ 220%)</b>
<b>[Strength] 762 (100 +15%)</b>
<b>[Dexterity] 600 (85 + 25%)</b>
<b>[Intelligence] 1050 (105+20%)</b>
<b>[Wisdom] 688 (30 + 220%)</b>
<b>[Endurance] 491 (90 + 230%)</b>
<b>[Free Points] 0</b>
<b>First Blood, Two versus One, One vs Many, Monkey yer, Living on the Edge, Close Call, Dead Man Walking, Dual ss, Punching Up, Improbability, Rounded, Dog Hater, One Man Army, Dog Killer. Battle of Attrition, First of Your Kind, Goblin Hater, Goblin yer, Murderer, Serial Killer, Vanquisher of Kings, Tutorial Forerunner, First of Many, Well on Your Way, Glory of the Patriarch, Highest Contributor, Expectations of the Host, Dawning of a Tyrant, Incectocide, Marked by Dragons, Race Change, Birthright, Vanquisher of Kings II, Exterminator, Named in the System, Dawning of a Tyrant II, Hated by Many, The Awe of Many, Bounty, First Completionist, Top 3, Top 1, Fledgling Ruler, One of Four, yer of the West</b>
<span style="font-weight:400">Once done, he didn’t even spare Sarah a nce knowing she would understand as he shot past her to the other side of the encampment.
<span style="font-weight:400">His hair shifting to a bright yellow he left the area at speed leaving scorch marks on the ground.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Nothing should be able to beat my Elementals right now except….</i><span style="font-weight:400"> Drake thought as he found the area abuzz.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Man… And I thought I was done with the bugs!” Drake sighed looking at the scene.
<b>[Muscas Insectmancer Level 31]</b>
Spoiler
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[copse]
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