Returning to Nolten (Final)

We continued our travel through the dense forest of Nolten. We go through the large opening of where the bandits held Taudera in a cage and struggles to get out. We raided their camp and killed every bandit, freeing him.

Later down the line, we recruited Mavros who is at first a small, floating hooded cloth at the size of my palm. Now, he's a monster that will assassinate anyone at any time of day. I mean, I evolved Mavros to a point where he is immune to Sunlight.

Even if Mavros isn't immune to sunlight, Gris and Noire can wipe those bandits tailing us anyway.

For Valtuz, the reason the Noltian Army didn't come to me while I was camping is because they stayed for the night to resolve the bandit and the fire situation...maybe two. But, at the very least, I managed to contain the disaster worse than a forest fire.

Now, I'm returning with many monsters. And I got Space Magic to hide them away because not only they'll freak the villagers out, some of them might bump into something. Especially Taudera, his horns will get caught by the trees and cramped spaces.

Saeva and Arex are in their own realms so I don't need to worry and my undeads are in the shadows too.

After Hyoran and I make it back to Nolten, I'll crash and do nothing for a whole day. Maybe two.

*Caw!*

Burya called out saying that we're close to the village. Hyoran also noticed it too.

"I can see the village!" Hyoran pointed out. I put my arm out for Schwarze to walk on and he flew away to one of the trees.

{Meanwhile...}

The Nolten Village continues on with their daily lives as many people, except for a select few...a icy blue haired female Lycanian waited anxiously at the wooden gate, waiting for someone, someone important to her. Important to Tuya

"Tuya, our children will definitely come back. It was their own decision to go, remember?" said Ezo, comforting her.

"I know...but to think there was an Ogre bandit raiding our village. If it weren't for that dragon..." Tuya clutched her hands, lamenting that she wasn't there for Kain nor Hyoran.

"W-worry not, Tuya. The lad and lass are strong. I'm sure they'll return soon." Olken said nervously.

"You better hope you're right." Tuya hissed. As she hissed, she began emitting an aura of cold mist from her body. The ground below her began to freeze from her feet and glared at Olken with her cold sharp eyes.

Olken shivered at the sight of Tuya's eyes and her words, making him think those eyes could freeze his blood solid. He knew that Tuya wasn't bluffing.

Ezo also shivered as well, remembering the time he barely managed to save Olken and possibly everyone else from Tuya's wrath.

{Earlier...}

*Krrrk!*

In Olken's room in the dead of night, Olken's life is now being threatened as the formation of ice forms beneath the feet of an angry female Lycanian.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn this place into your grave." Tuya growled. Her claws began to protrude, her hands began to grow the same icy blue fur like her hair, and her fangs began to grow. Tuya is visibly enraged, but it has yet to reach the threshold.

"It...it was my fault! I am the Village Chief of the Nolten Village and yet I let my fear take over by comparing the event the Hellkin I fought! Despite Hyoran vouching for him, our fear was still fresh!" Olken explained.

"So you compared our son to a Hellkin and tried to kick out our daughter as well!?" Tuya yelled, letting out a vicious growl, turning her fair skin on her arms and legs into the icy blue fur.

Ezo became concerned as she might kill Olken if he doesn't intervene. Ezo noticed Olken's expression that is a cry for help to calm Tuya's anger. But Ezo fears that his intervention could increase Tuya's anger further.

"I am sorry! I have failed as a Village Chief! If it appeases your anger, take my life!" Olken begged. "But please spare the villagers that are involved! It was my decision all along!"

"Oi, Olken!" Ezo exclaimed, protesting against his hasty decision. "Tuya, don't take this too seriously. He fully regretted his actions, right?"

Tuya looked at Ezo who is trying to diffuse the situation and Olken on his knees, placing his head on the ground.

Tuya was rightfully enraged given the fact that her son was ostracized including her daughter. Ezo was too when he first, but his anger faded when Tuya heard it next and he felt death was near.

"Haah..." Tuya sighed and the extra fur on her arms and legs retreated. The cold aura faded, the claws and fangs retracted, and the tension in the air has calmed.

"It's late." Tuya said and walked away. Tuya opened the door and closed right behind her. Ezo looked back to Olken who is still pale in the face.

"It's been a long time since I've seen her partially transform, let alone being this pissed off." Ezo thought to himself.

"Uh...have a good night." Ezo said and walked out the door.

"I don't know which one is scarier, Kain or Tuya. Either way, it's bad for my heart..." Olken thought and shakily staggers onto his bed, but it will take a long time for him to calm down.

Ezo follows Tuya back to their home where the other villagers steer clear of the two as they have felt Tuya's wrath even if they are at a considerable distance.

Tuya stops inside her home and Ezo closed the door behind them.

"Please don't fault Olken too much, before you were pregnant, we had a lot of bandit encounters." Ezo said. As he held Tuya's hand, he felt her body tremble.

He instantly realized that Tuya was crying. He can hear her sobbing softly.

Shortly after, Tuya hugs Ezo tightly.

"I was scared...scared the fact they tried to kick our children out...and they're out facing more bandits or worse." Tuya said as her tears flow. She then buried her face into Ezo's chest and began to let out her emotions.

"I know you were and so am I. If they don't arrive tomorrow night, we'll look for them." Ezo said.

"Promise?" Tuya whispered as she looked at Ezo with a tearful expression in her eyes.

"Promise." Ezo replied, hugging her tightly.

{Now...}

Tuya stands in front of the gate where Hyoran and I left from, waiting for our arrival anxiously. She hopes that no worst-case scenario will come to pass that something happened to us on our way to and fro.

That is when Hyoran see our mother, Tuya at the gate and she darted off of Zala.

"Mama! Papa!" Hyoran cried. She sprinted ahead, leaving Fennec behind.

Tuya saw Hyoran and I and began sprinting too; to meet in the middle. The father followed suit.

Mother and daughter finally embraced each other and hugged them tightly.

"Hyoran! Oh, my Hyoran!" Tuya cried, snuggling Hyoran vigorously.

"Mama? Why are you crying?" Hyoran asked.

"I'm just happy to see you again." Tuya said. "Where's Kain?"

"Hey, mom." I said, leading Gris, Noire, Zala, and Fennec. As I approached her, she hugged me with Hyoran.

"Thank goodness...you two are safe." Tuya sighed.

"Yeah, we're only focused on you returning safely." Ezo said, hugging us as well.

"Papa, I missed you too." Hyoran said.

"Let's head inside, you guys must've went through a lot." Ezo said.

We walked to the gate and the villagers see a spectacle.

"Woah...it's a Silver and a Black Wolf!" a villager said.

"It's an Inferno Fox too! These beasts must be further out beyond the bridge."

"Is that a Umbra Horse?! Those species are elusive and hard to track!"

The villagers speak out of astonishment and bewilderment that a kid like me who managed to tame those monsters that aren't anywhere near the village or in the forest at all.

As we went home, I took the backpack off and let off a huge sigh. Hyoran too.

"Seeing you two sigh like that must mean it was a huge journey, right?" Ezo said.

"How was it? Your journey." Tuya asked.

"It was hard." I said. Even if Zaneth didn't become a hero, he'd still be a threat if I fought him with all my monsters. The bandits would be no problem, but Zaneth is a whole another league. Even if I did kill him with that method, I would've suffered losses.

"When we went to Valtuz, everything was bad. There was a ranking system and the faces are depressing." Hyoran said.

"Of course, that city was gripped by a corrupt feudal lord. It's been so long since I've been there. The name started with an A." Ezo scratched his head as to recall a name, but we already knew.

"Alphonse Yulix." I said. "He also one of the guys that funded the Red Claw Bandits."

Ezo and Tuya was shocked, they thought the bandits are there just to kill and pillage for the sake of it. But they did not know that there was a mastermind of it.

"Wait, you said one of them?" Ezo said.

"Yeah, he had other nobles with him that sent mercenaries after we finished the rebellion." I said.

"Even mercenaries!? Did you at least escape?" Ezo said in concern.

"The city was surrounded by them, but then he appeared." I said. "The Black Horseman."

"What does he look like?" Tuya said.

"He had plated armor painted black with a cape wielding a halberd, riding a horse just like you saw earlier." I said. "There was an army and then he defeated them all easily."

"My goodness, he must be at least an S or V rank giving the fact he managed to take them all down." Tuya gasped. "Did you encounter any bandits there?"

"Yeah, a whole lot. Far worse than the bandits that invaded here." I said. "Their base in the mountain near the city."

Ezo and Tuya's face went pale from my explanation. Although it was related to it, but I feel bad for lying to them.

"We saw a portion of the Noltian army, a large army coming through here. They said they were going to Valtuz about the bandit problem." Ezo said.

"I did that. I sent a letter to them and to the Ergexian kingdom." I said.

"Both empires? You? How?" Ezo said.

"Message birds. They came to Valtuz for it and the undead problem too." I said grimly.

"An undead!?" Tuya shouted.

"Both of you could've ran at the sight of them!" Ezo yelled.

"We could, but there's an army of them and it's night time. We couldn't risk facing them in the dark." I said. "In the end, both armies handled it and Alphonse and the others will pay for it."

Ezo and Tuya looked at each other and then back at us.

"If that's the case, it's probably safer to adventure when it came to the massive drop of bandits. Well, at least you came back safe and sound." Ezo grinned.

"Also, we don't have to arrange a funeral for Olken when Tuya pops her lid. But all is well." Ezo thought.

"Now that we're together, lets eat. I'm sure you two were hungry coming back here..." Tuya said, clapping her hands.

Hyoran's face lit up.

"Yes, please!" Hyoran shouted with glee.

Although I feel bad for lying to them, but I have to leave out most of my monsters including Arex and Saeva. And definitely Mirtis along with my undead army. I also left Viridesca to the other Wind Elementals. If she is there, she could evolve them just by being there.

I'll get to Dystoark soon. But first, I'll take a breather.