Chapter -9: For the people

"My liege, what is your command?"

"I am not a king or anything. Call me lord since it is my highest title. But right now, you should get your hunting group ready. Are you sure that you are willing to eat anything you catch?"

"Yes"

"How many in the hunting group?"

"Currently only men, we have only 5 archers and two spearmen."

"It is quite okay to hunt down one by one a beast but, this is not okay to hunt if there is an ambush of beasts"

"But it is desert, no beast would go in a big group"

"Vultures never go alone"

"I understand. How do we improve manpower in this situation?"

"There is a way. Quit the archery and start using slings and club"

"But we aren't used to that"

"Practice makes perfect. Keep using it until you can swing a club and sling while running. You elves are good with your feet right?"

"Yes"

"About spears, try to use staves"

"Staves like those shamans?"

"Long and slim with round head"

"Those things are kind of hard to use for striking beast down"

"But easier to maintain in the long run right? In this desert, tools and gears are important. Less maintenance, less energy wasted, more time to rest."

Then I go in one direction in the desert. Hoping that might bump into someone on the way.

****

After few days of walking, I see in the distance.

A humanoid figure.

Is it human or an elf? Since he is quite tall and slim.

"Hey, strange person! How long have you been lost here? Come with me if you want to live!"

"Thank you!" I wave my hand back

I approach closer. Closer. Closer. Until I see a human being. Tanned and rough, he is a man who travels in the desert for years. Wearing mask and bulky black clothing

He invites me inside. He gives me drinks and some dried fruits.

"What is your name?"

"Dewion, a wandering scholar"

"What happened?"

"I guess I was kidnapped and somehow got dropped off somewhere. I don't know for how long"

"Amnesia?"

"Something like that"

"It must have been harsh. Anyway, you should take some food and drink from here. I have some spare and I will leave soon to get supplies from another house. Beware of those figures lurking at the dawn. They are dangerously armed but thankfully, they only aim for beasts around"

I think those are elves.

"Would you kindly show me where the nearest settlement is?"

"To the sun. Make haste, take rest when you need at the nearest oasis, don't forget about the sandstorm"

"Thanks"

****

The sun rises, he leaves the place. I head toward where the sun rises. I walk and walk.

Until, the settlement.

The people there are just wearing masks and bulky clothes. Trading spices, weapons and food with coins that I don't recognize. I think with my knowledge, I can bargain something out of nothing.

"Hey there, old man. Are you a scholar?"

"Yes"

"You know how to open this thing?" she points at a strange box

"I think I can" afterall, lockpicking is my second best thing after playing with magic.

This thing is not quite an easy task to open since the latches are quite strong and very small in detail.

With a wire or two, I hope that I can open this in a few minutes. Another thing I notice is the soft sound when I think it is correct.

Tick Clack Tick Clack Tick Tick Tick Clack

It opens.

"Here is your payment. This is for a meal and something to trade in this town. Thanks for your service." she hands me coins

Generosity is the first thing that I know from this settlement. I see no armed guard around here. Perhaps, there is no need in the first place. Afterall, this place will disappear after few weeks from what I heard.

"I need a place to sleep over for tonight, I am quite tired after walking this long"

"Two coins please, outsider" he raises two fingers

"Here"

He appoints me to a tent. A place to sleep is enough. But I don't need such sleep. I need to gather information while pretending to sleep.

"A scholar? You sure? I need to ask him about this strange relic's symbols meaning"

"Yes. Let him rest. You might get an answer"

"Thank you so much"

****

The next morning, someone with such bulky clothing. Charms, necklace, rings and bags on his body like a moving mountain, he holds a statue or some sort of idol

"Hey there, old man. Would you kindly answer me about some of the symbol?" he hands me the item

"Surely" I hold the item with my both hands

"Take your time, I will record everything you say for research. Also, would you like something for trading information?"

"I would like to know where a village that I can trade for the next time we meet. I might get something from a place. These folks are very shy so I would like to represent them to trade something for something. They just recently landed here from a distant land. Another thing is that they would like to have some metal tools for farming in the oasis"

"Hmmmm, are you telling me that there are elves in the desert?"

"What is wrong with them?"

"Heheh, we welcome anyone in this desert no matter what race you are. Orcs, we trade them meat and strange spices. Elves, metal tools and alcohol. Humans in grassland, we trade grapes and relics."

"So this symbol looks like bird means that there is some sort of flying creature. The chalice means ritual. So knife and bird mean sacrificial for something in the sky, in reverse, they mean that sacrifice something from the sky. This is meant for sacrificial ritual for something in the sky. Highly there were cultists who worshiped dragons or skybirds."

"Thanks you," He takes notes of what I said ", now head to the east from this settlement, you might find a village to trade, a perma village"

****

"A village? Humans? Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am sure that they welcome everyone"

"What can we trade with them?"

"Perhaps, bones and weapons to them."

"Weapons? But we don't have the materials to make such things. We need a forge, we need a craftsman"

"Forge? Who needs that to make weapons? Basic weapons like clubs and magic staves should do. Craftsman? I will find one for you."

"Thanks for your guidance."

And so elves who can't go hunting start to work on making clubs and staves. I guide them to make a furnace from scratch with sandstone. I doubt that making such things can last long like normal materials like stones and cements. Better than nothing.

But glassware is not what elves are best at. Drakes are well known for glassware work but only second to dwarves. But I can't teach elves how drakes do glassware since drakes use their hands to make weapons and tools literally. Shaping weapons and sharpening them while red hot are just basic tool making for drakes. However, as a human, I witnessed many artisans make glassware and tools. So I instruct them on what I know as human.

Blowing glass with a tube, shaping with tongs and lastly, cutting them with a clipper. I need these tools right now.

"Glassware? You know how to make them?"

"Yeah, that is how you make them with sand"

"For a pipe like that, you must have good lungs"

"He who works can gain benefits from what he makes"

"As soon as you give me tools, I will try"

For starters, I instruct him to make glass shards for spear tip so later on for the hunters to use for hunting those bigger games, but when it is broken, they have plenty to replace.

****

"So you're telling me that elves can hunt down these kinds of beasts on their own?"

"Yeah"

"I thought elves are vegan and don't eat meat"

"They are exiled"

"I see. How much for all of these bones and skin pieces?"

"I want to get tongs and a clipper. Also a tube"

"Fine, I will give you these coins and go to the end of the alley. If you meet highwaymen on the way back, please run away if you can"

"I will"

Although, I did encounter them on my way but I decapitated them all in a fell swoop. Maybe next times, all them will be wary of robbing me.