-Callen-

  Gathering what we could from the ruin of my bunker, the light of day finally broke, and the swirling clouds above slowed and stopped. Everyone was already suffering varying degrees of exhaustion after our early disruption. Lexia in particular had several broken bones that I needed to fix after getting thrown off twice. However, the most concerning discovery I had was that my outermost layer of skin had disappeared. I didn’t keep track of my mana because there was no time with how quickly it all went down. It wasn’t a consequential injury, but it made me realize just how closely I had toed the line in that fight.

  Despite how exciting our night was, we still needed to keep moving. Everyone packed up, and I carried the injured guard on my back as we set off again. After treatment Lexia ran off into the distance, and Callia took over the majority of scouting efforts. Honestly, I began to regret not going through the effort of making a new battlewagon. While the original wouldn’t be able to handle the overgrown weeds in the path, it wouldn’t be too hard to install some kind of mower to the front.

  Getting back into the groove of clearing the path and cutting down the persistent animals attacking us, it wasn’t long until the sight of another town based at the edge of a forest greeted us. Wearily we approached the gate and were greeted by a typical inspection team. Seeing so many of us were younger, we got an unusual warning about a black-haired ghost that had passed by the town some time ago. According to rumors, the ghost would steal valuables from families with children and demand they do strange tasks before returning the goods. The situation had been so strange that the town issued a warning to all travelers passing through that had children within the targeted age range. Afterward, several children confessed to having met the scary black-haired ghost.

  They even gave a small messy drawing that could only be described as a child’s drawing. I would’ve laughed at the whole circumstance if I didn’t notice how similar the drawing looked to Lexia, who was suspiciously absent for our entry inspection. Considering Lexia’s talent show in the previous town and her interest in Callia and me, it started to fill out the picture of someone hunting for talented children. Which begged the question: why would someone like Lexia, who so heavily preferred privacy that she regularly went on long-range hunts, want talented children/young adults?

  I put the question to the back of my mind as we got settled in town. Again I called for a three-day break, but this time it was so I could repair our equipment and make a new leg. Philip was the name of the guard who had lost his leg, and his expression reminded me much of Dad’s when he lost his hands. While losing a leg wasn’t as devastating as losing your hands, it was still something that would haunt Philip for life. As someone who was in part responsible for the man since he was under my command, of course I would do my best to give him a new leg.

  My previous prosthetic was made a long time ago, but now my level and skills are significantly better. In addition, we recently came into a significant fortune of high-level beast materials. Instead of a wood core, I carefully shaved a portion of the eagle's bones into a new leg, and I mixed the blood with the sap to make a new anchor for the runic inscriptions. Then I forged armor to strap onto the prosthetic and etched out the runic engravings into the metal so it would rest against the bone base. Then I took it a step further. I enchanted the bone in a manner similar to a wand, but instead of projecting the runes on air, it would function as a repair mechanism that would restore the runes of the prosthetic with mana. The only piece that would ever need replacement now was the sap that would eventually lose potency.

  “I now present my latest invention! A sap-powered artificial leg!” I gave a dramatic flourish presenting it to Philip. I carefully explained how to maintain the leg to him while he carefully strapped it on. I stopped my explanation as he was completely distracted by the fake toes moving about as if they were real. Just as I expected, the man didn’t wait even a moment before trying to put weight on the leg and then running around crying with joy.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I smiled nostalgically from the side as he made a commotion marveling at the ease of use for his new limb. I almost regret never learning to kick from Callia because it would be interesting to see just how a kicking enchantment would’ve complemented the prosthetic. My musing was then interrupted as Philip stopped running in circles and instead chose to give me a strong hug. I patted his back while his high gradually calmed down. Before he dragged me into another big emotional moment, I made my escape back into the temporary workshop I had rented.

  Making the leg had taken the first two days of our break, but I would be foolish if I didn’t recognize just how important the shelter had been in surviving the eagle’s original ambush. Using the remains of the original and some of my spare material, I used my earth shaping wand to restore the integrity, then reapplied the runes, and finally installed a second ceiling to protect whoever was on watch from another attack from above.

  Some part of me felt dead inside as the morning broke too early. Everyone else was in high spirits after spending time in town, but I had been occupied late into the night. Still, we set out, and immediately upon entering the woods, the thick brush that I would have had to decay from the path cleared out, leaving an easy open trail. I relaxed while moving next to Hew, letting the guards and Callia take care of the heavy work as we slowly moved deeper into the forest.

  With how much easier it was to move through the forest, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was actually going to be faster to travel through the forest instead of the plains. Though I suppose it came down to a matter of preparation. A group traveling on foot would find it easier to navigate around large trees, whereas a convoy with carts and escorts would be able to make easier progress in the flat if slightly overgrown plains. From the fun Callia’s having running along the branches, it’s clear what her preferred region is.

  Just as it's getting late, Lexia shows up, announcing we were getting close to the next village. Pushing through the dark, we arrive just as the sun sets, and for the first time I get a proper idea of what a village means in a native context. Port Town was small, but this village had at most a hundred people, and their walls were only half the height of the surrounding forest. They did at the very least clear away any trees close to the walls themselves. Despite the rundown and makeshift appearance of the town, the inspector who came out to meet us was significantly stronger than the teams we encountered in the previous towns.

  Heading in, the inhabitants of the town looked rather familiar. They reminded me of the barbarian berserkers who visited during the town festival. It was the group who had gotten themselves eliminated trying to cross Nixie’s trap zone. From the way everyone here walked, it was clear in this town you are a warrior first and whatever profession you chose second. Before we could even ask for directions, our inspector called out with a loud bellowing voice.

  “Makar village! We have visitors! Assemble the challengers!” I look over and notice Lexia’s eager appearance. Then turn back to the small crowd of bodybuilder men and women, all of whom were cheering and pulling us over towards a dirt clearing.

  “Rask, stands ready! Let me fight the black-haired champion!” A particularly buff man pointed at Lexia. He had the kind of look you would expect from someone seeking entrance to Valhalla.

  Lexia’s previous visit to Makar

  Makar was quite famous in the neighboring city. Lots of simple-minded but strong warriors who prided themselves on unstoppable strength. However, it was well known that despite their strength, they despised wealth, instead preferring honor. The village was so different from the rest of society because their founder had made a specific strategy guide to survival, and the people had taken it as a foundation for their lifestyle.

  Her previous uses of force to bend a population wouldn’t work as well here, so she changed her strategy. Instead of fear, maybe she could play off of their honor. Upon arriving, she immediately spat on the inspector and called him a coward for not arranging a test to earn her lodgings. The man was both enraged and intrigued. This outsider wanted to fight to earn her place of rest, unlike most of the other cowards from the south. It was something he and his people respected.

  Soon the village's work for the day was set aside as a gauntlet of warriors assembled to challenge Lexia. One by one she beat them down, and soon the warriors were cheering for her victory. Eventually nobody remained to challenge her, and she was granted the chief's house for the night. Lexia smugly went to sleep while plotting how to test the next town. Maybe play off human obsession for material possessions to make them fight each other? It might be more efficient than fighting everyone one by one.