Chapter Thirteen

Screens floated about as Shameless sipped on a cup. "His training is going pretty good, though he can't be considered too great at it." He had been watching Alem train the three for many months now. From reflexes to sword skills. He taught them everything. There was a bit of improvement, but it wasn't anything too impressive.

"Although Alem is great at fighting, he doesn't understand how to train. He is just pushing them to an extreme that doesn't need to be pushed to." Most noticed this about Alem. He could do well, but was no teacher.

"He seems to be using my method on the rest, but that won't work well. Sure, the method used on him is great for someone like Kir Nillian, but Nor and Eli? Everyone has a different way to learn, and Alem doesn't understand how to utilize that yet." More and more comments were thrown about, but Shameless didn't get upset. They were right. Alem wasn't using the most effective method to teach, he was just fighting them. That was all.

Alem and the rest had become much more comfortable with each other over the many months. Whether it was their personal relationship, or how they worked together as a group, there was great improvements. "Alright Alem, don't you think it's time to finally head out?" Nor sat on a well-designed chair while speaking. With Alem able to do much of the heavy lifting with Kir, Nor and Eli were able to greatly improve the living conditions around Alem's original base. Their farms even improved by a lot. More animals were present, and even Brown and Yellow had their own places to stay.

Alem scratched his scruffy face while swinging around wooden sword. "We could go explore now." Just to teach them how to fight and defend themselves better, Alem didn't push for exploration. He knew it was better once they reached a certain level of skills. Afterall, even if he could defend against many, that was only if the weapons were relative to him. What if someone brought a gun? No matter how fast he was before, currently he was a normal human with above average speed and strength. A gun would take him out instantly.

"Good, I have been exploring more with Yellow's pact. We saw a few things out in the desert, of course many dangers as well." Eli had been the busiest of the bunch. Alem also focused on her more then others. As the only scout and long-range fighter, Alem needed to teach her lots of self defence moves. He also taught her more killer moves that could take out opponents quickly. Alem didn't include himself as a fighter of group, since he was mostly trying to train the rest to get better.

"What kinds of dangers?" Alem was curious. Whenever she went out to explore, most information went to Nor, since she was the brains of the groups. Although Alem was smart, Nor was better. He couldn't deny that. In the end, he was just the brawns.

"Eli actually discovered two camps two months ago. Both fairly small, consisting of around four to six people." Nor puled out a small map that she was making with Eli. "Approximately a few dozen kilometers away is the first camp, while the second is a little further." Pointing at various location, she began to explain the general topography. "We could launch attacks from here because of the deformity near this area, giving us better hiding, yet because of the critters, that could cause problems."

Alem listened quietly and nodded along. War and strategies for big battles weren't his forte. He could do it, and maybe well, but unlike Nor, he only knew basics and even then through experience. Nor and Eli were taught formally and knew the ins and outs. Really, they just lacked combat skills, aside from that, they surpassed him in every sense. "Rather then attacking directly, we could grab a few from the pack and have them lead it? From various points, we could surround them." Kir gave his own input, which was actually the better of the plans.

"We thought of that, but the wolves would likely fall. The travel itself is difficult for them. When Eli traveled the distance, the wolves actually suffered from dehydration and starvation much more quickly than other mounts. Plus, if they attacked in such weakened conditions, death is extremely likely." Nor interjected with a rejection.

"That's because you didn't take Yellow." Although Nor was the leader and brains, it was true that they each specialized in different fields. Kir was the one who focused on animal related topics. He learned everything he could, so he understood behaviours, health, anatomy, and so much more of hundreds of species. "The reason these wolves are called Soar Wolves is because all of their physical abilities actually soar when they are around the alpha. It isn't the normal soar like regular wolves, rather their physical anatomy goes through changes based on the command of the alpha." Alem was even more intrigued as he listened. He had only killed animals; never did he learn about them. "Essentially, if the alpha commands them to bear with little water and food, their physical bodies will changed from the inside to adapt to the desert environment. Its also because of this that Soar Wolves are so sought after in our world. They have extremely high adaptability."

"So why were they finding it hard to survive in the forest?" Alem asked curiously. Based on his conversation with Yellow, survival wasn't easy for the wolves.

"The environment wasn't the issue. It was the Lacky Bears and other wolf pacts." Kir explained. "They were likely being hunted by larger pacts or running into territories of the bears. Although the pacts are strong, a single Lacky Bear can take out an alpha or two regular wolves on its own."

This explanation made sense. Plus, even if the wolves could change their internal anatomy, that didn't mean they could live forever or survive without any food. It just allowed them to conserve energy and have higher survivability rates. They did not become immortal.

"Alright, using the wolves, we can launch an attack from here, here, and right over here." Nor nodded her head and trusted Kir. "Kir, you will lead two wolves from here. Eli, you will stay with me, and we will have three wolves." Luckily, over the many months, they were able to increase the number of wolves in Yellow's pact. They had atleast a three times the amount from before.

"I will not attack. Yellow will also not attack." Suddenly, as they were all devising a plan, Alem spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Nor looked up curiously. Unlike before, her respect for Alem was a lot higher. She knew that even without them he could survive easily and was a quick learner. He was just lazy and bored.

"Yellow and I will just stand by. Unless all of you are in serious danger, I won't step in. You guys need training. Plus, our goal is exploration really, not attacking." He knew they really wanted pellets which was why he didn't say much. But their goal for going out was exploration, not battle.

"Yes yes, we will travel, don't worry." Eli giggled from the side, rolling her eyes. Unlike Nor and Kir, she spent time with Alem outside of their training. She understood his simple personality much better than the rest. He just wanted to laze around and see cool sights. Battle was boring to him. Working was boring. Death was boring. Even pain was a bore. All of this was surprising seeing how he fought so well and even established such a good place before they arrived. "But Alem, what if these camps have weapons you might want? Or other cool tools which could make traveling so much easier?"

"True, but I still will not get too involved. It's better if all of you. Especially you Kir." He turned his head and smiled at the latter. Although Nor and Eli were fast learners, he felt that Kir was more suited to the sword. Plus, the kid was actually a calm fighter. He wasn't a fiery as he had showed previously.

"Got it." Kir nodded his head.

"Well, we should be able to handle it. Unless they're from a clan or sect as big as the Nillian clan, we can handle it." Alem learned a bit about the cultivation world from the three, especially Eli. Though, he couldn't completely understand the scale of how strong the Nillian clan was, he had a rough understanding. They were below Shameless.

"You guys prepare then. I'll go and eat something." Getting up, Alem walked out of the renovated cabin. Eli followed him from behind with a skip.

"Wait." She called out while laughing.

"What's up?" He smiled at her. She grabbed his arm and latched onto it while they walked. "Shouldn't you prepare as well?"

"Nor can handle all of that. I'm hungry as well." She said with a giggle. They quickly arrived at a smaller hut and walked in. They stored most of their food inside. Alem sat on a chair and Eli quickly grabbed a few fruits, then began to cook up the dried meat on a small fire. "Are you finally excited to travel?"

"Well of course." Alem bit on the fruits while looking out of a hole in the walls. "Staying in one place for so long is eating me alive. I want to see what else is there. Honestly, I don't even want to attack anyone, I-"

"You want to talk and hang out with more people, right?" Eli pressed on the meat with a carved spoon.

Alem laughed. "You know me well."

"How would I not? It's been a while now." Leaving the meat on the fire, she walked over to Alem. "If you don't want to kill them, we can avoid it. You just have to put in the effort and stop being so lazy." She gently bumped his head. "Nor and Kir just want to collect the pellets so they can relax and not be worried. I do as well."

"I can understand that, but we have so much time. Why the rush?" Alem shook his head. "Plus, there are other ways to get pellets, we know that."

"Would you go kill a Beast King for us then?" Eli asked smilingly. "No, right?" Eli shook her head while smirking. "Alem, you're a weird, you know that?"

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Well, during training you're so strict and scary. You turn so serious and cold. During meetings, you become lazy and easily bored. Around Yellow and Brown, you become gentle and calm. Around Nor, your easily irritable, while Kir brings about a smile to your face." Touching her chin, Eli began to explain patently.

"Oh? How am I around you?" He asked with a small smile.

"You're all of it. You become more open." She said with a bit of cockiness. "Maybe you like me."

"I won't deny that." Alem shrugged his shoulders. "As for Kir, although it's weird, but he really reminds me of one of my cousins. So, I like talking to him or being around him." He watched Eli flip the meat and come right back to the table. "As for you?" Watched her lean against the table, Alem got up and looked into her eyes. "I don't know, you're cute."

"That I am." She wasn't flustered under his gaze. She knew him for a while at this point and that was his way of flirting. He did mean some of the things he said, but not all of it. Which was fine for Eli. "You know, if I was some other girl, I would have fallen for you by now. Your flirting is so direct yet pleasing."

"What can I say? It's what I do. Haha." Alem smirked before sitting back down. Truly, he did like Eli a lot. She gave him a feeling of relief and home since she was super open with him. Maybe it was because he had seen her at a weak point.

"It's what you do?" Eli walked back to the meat and pressed onto it while speaking. "Why not flirt with Nor?"

"Her? I'd likely be castrated." Alem laughed while biting into a pear. "She doesn't really enjoy my presence."

"Yeah. How can you blame her when you made such a bad first impression? Plus, during training you're rough. Although your looks are great, how many men has she not seen which are good looking?" Not caring for Alem's feelings, she just kept speaking.

"Ouch." He laughed weakly. "Whatever though, I'm not too interested in her either. I like you." He winked at Eli as she finally brought the meat over. Both of them shared it, at times Eli shoving it in his mouth. "You know, people would really think we're a thing if we went back to my home."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" She asked while taking a bite of her own food. "It's not like we don't work."

"It won't be a bad thing, but my family is a strong believer in marriage." He said while smiling. "As am I."

"That's good too. Our clan believes in marriage as well. I myself am actually at a good age for it." With the amount of time, they spent together, both were able to openly flirt and speak their minds. It was fresh for Alem. "But let's get out of this place before even thinking about things like that. It's not like you will be short of girls in the future. I myself have many suitors, haha."

"Lucky you." Alem shoved the last bite into Eli's mouth before getting up. "Now then, let's see if they got a plan together. I'd like to leave now since it's still early."

"Sure." Both then walked out and found Nor and Kir dragging around a few bags. "Nor are we ready?"

"Basically. Kir packed a bunch of food and water for us. Though we can scavenge some as well." She walked over with a smile. "Alem, since you won't join the fight, atleast carry this." She then threw him a big bag.

"This is?" He asked curiously.

"Just some basic supplies for the travel. A bit of food, water, and climbing supplies." Nor carried a sweet smile on her face while speaking.

Shrugging his shoulders, he whistled for Yellow. "Let's go Yellow. Bring all of the adults. Brown, take care of this place, alright?" It was their main place to stay, so they wouldn't be abandoning it. "Since you guys are ready, let's head out." He pulled the bag around his shoulder and rubbed Eli's head. "Ready?"

"Of course." She smiled and then walked towards Nor. "Let's go." Nor nodded and followed behind Yellow.

"Everyone, get ready." A large man spoke with a frown. "It's the group from the main universe." Picking up a sword no smaller then Kir's, the man walked towards a large fire. The sky was dark and gloomy, yet the flames excited the surroundings, igniting eight eyes.

"I'm ready. Our barricades and traps should hold up well." A female spoke, carrying a spear on her back.

"Good. Don't let them catch you off guard. Strike quickly and be ferocious." The man harrumphed before leading the group towards the large entrance. "You two, follow me. As for you, strike from above." The camp was well built. Other then sharp walls in the surroundings, there was even a small tower which could be used for long range attacks. A few huts surrounded the permitter, with one in the center. There was one main entrance, with three smaller ones in each corner.

"Gilrin, what's the seize of the group?" The spear woman asked with sharp eyes. "We only have four in our camp; can we fight them off?"

"I'm not sure. I'm sure they're from the main universe though. The girl who I saw was from one of the portraits the clan elder showed us. If I'm not wrong, they should be from one of the major clans." Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on the sword. "The Nillian clan."

"Nillian clan?" Unlike Gilrin, the rest in the group were from various universes, not belonging to the same clan or sect. They were rogue that just joined his camp. "Are they strong?"

"Well, there should be only three from the Nillian clan, but they're considered major powerhouses. The Nillian clan has blood relations to the Gilly Queen, who stands at the peak." The man spoke with trembles in his throat. Though he was from a smaller world, his clan was considered old. It had information and connections, which also allowed him to participate in the survival test.

"Gilly Queen?" The two standing behind Gilrin felt a chill crawl down their spine. Even if their knowledge was lacking, who didn't know the Gilly Queen?

Nodding his head, he narrowed his eyes while coldly looking outside the camp, feeling sweat build in his palms. "Just be careful. Who knows if they have a larger group."

Knock Knock

"Who is it?!" Gilrin's head jerked to the left. His gaze landed on a tall beauty with long brown hair.

"Hello." Nor smiled as a large wolf suddenly appeared from behind her. "Attack."

With a single word, two wolves rushed in from behind Nor and two more leaped into the camp from a different entrance.

"Fuck! Soar Wolves! Run!" Gilrin didn't even think about fighting, he knew they wouldn't win. Chucking his weapon towards the nearest wolf, he turned and began to sprint towards one of the huts.

"Gilrin!" The spear woman was shocked as she saw the scene. Still, her reaction was too slow, and she suddenly saw a wolf leap towards her. "Ah!" With a shriek, she lifted her spear and jabbed towards it.

AOOO

Feeling the blade pierce, it's flesh, the wolf howled loudly.

AOOOO

The rest of the wolves looked at the spear holding woman and leapt towards her.

"take aim! Shoot! Hurry!" She screamed towards the thin man on the tower. "Hurry up you idiot!"

Slightly flustered, the man pulled back on the bow and shot with his eyes closed.

AOOO

One of the wolves felt the arrow pierce it's leg, bring it down to the ground.

"Finish it!" She screamed to a different man behind her.

Spinning his sword, the man rushed to the wolf and chopped down.

CLING

"I don't think so." The blade only cut a few hairs before being caught by a larger sword.

"Hmph." The man snorted before leaping backwards. Still, he didn't forget to throw a few pebbles towards the new incomer.

"Sneaky." Kir ducked as the pebbles came. "Luckily we were trained well." While on the ground, using his legs, he pushed forwards, sprinting to the back peddling man.

"Bastard!" With a thin silver moving upwards, sparks flew in the gloomy sky as the man parried Kir's blade. "Shoot this guy here too."

Kir glanced upwards and scoffed. "Eli, take him out!" He couldn't get distracted in his fight, so the man on the pillar needed to be shot.

"I got it." Eli appeared from behind Nor and got on the ground, trying to stabilize her shot. It was dark, so the difficulty was increased by a lot. "C'mon." Breathing in carefully, she took aim.

Phheeeewww

Breaking the air, the arrow flew towards the top.

"Fuck!" The man on top screeched as the bow in his hand fell towards the ground.

"Nice shot." Nor smiled. "I'll go after the big guy, keep an eye on the man up there."

"Got it." Eli smiled in bliss as her shot landed well.

"Good one Eli." Alem suddenly appeared from behind, petting Yellow with a smile. Seeing the injured wolves didn't cause him to a bat an eye. It was normal, it was life. Death was inevitable.

"Thanks. Had a good teacher." She giggled. "Do you think Kir will win?" Though Kir did improve, she was still concerned.

"Based on the current flow, he'll need your help." Alem sighed and shook his head. "Though Kir is better then before, the man in front of him is better with the sword. If not for the wolves which are keeping him on his toes, Kir would likely be dead by now."

"Is he that good?" Eli asked with raised eyebrows.

"Watch carefully. Kir is swinging with his whole body, yet he's slow. The man is using one arm to swing with eh sword, while throwing dirt, pebbles, or anything he can get his hands on. Not only that, but half of his attention is also on the wolves near him. He isn't even giving Kir his absolute attention."

"Wow." She covered her mouth.

"What about Nor?" She asked. In one corner, Nor had already begun her battle with Gilrin. The latter was moving slow and carefully since he had lost his weapons. He was depending on a stick and his bear hands.

"Nor shouldn't have a problem. This guy's hand to hand isn't too great. If Nor is smart, she would slash mercilessly, and disable his arms quickly." Alem then glanced towards the spear holding woman. "The problem is actually this girl."

"Why?" The woman was battling a wolf on her own, though she seemed to be losing energy.

"She is similar to the guy Kir is facing, probably more difficult." Squatting on the ground, Alem played around with a few dry leaves. "She is facing a single adult wolf and is actually holding the advantage. None of you can do that. Even if Kir and Nor work together, they would be worse then this girl."

"She did strike one of the wolves down right in the beginning." Eli nodded her head.

"That wasn't because of spear skills, rather her reflexes. Despite being panicked, she accurately strikes the belly of the wolf, which would normally not be possible." Alem's purple eyes moved about the battlefield, watching everything like a tiger.

"What do you plan to do about her?" If the wolves couldn't beat her, then none of them could. Plus, spears always carried an advantage because of their range. "Will you join the battle?"

"I won't join the battle." Alem didn't want to fight, nor did he feel like he needed to. "But I will take care of this girl for you guys, alright?"

"How?" Her eyes watched Alem walk towards the girl with his hands casually behind his head. Seeing this, she couldn't help but smile. "What a weirdo."

Alem approached the speared woman lazily. "Hey boy, move aside." He whistled a little, forcing the wolf to come to a stop. "Hurry, go and help Kir."

The wolf carefully walked backwards before nodding its head and rushing away.

"Your pet couldn't handle me, so you've come yourself?" The woman spoke with a snort. Though her face was dirt filled, and her body covered in sweat, she was calm. In the middle of battle, her anxiety and panic reduced to nothing.

"Haha, that was very cliched." Alem rubbed his head before sitting on the ground slowly. "What, are you some sort of protagonist? Or are you the fiery chick who can actually battle, yet is pitiful?" Being a writer himself, he had written scenes similar to the one in front of him, many times.

"Are you mocking me?" She kept a straight face, yet her hands held the spear more tightly. "Sitting down in the middle of a battle field? The confidence is reeking off of you."

"Reeking? That's kind of rude, don't you think?" Lifting his arms, Alem began to smell himself. "It's a scent, nothing bad." He spoke with a forced straight face.

His humor seemed to be ineffective as the woman only frowned further.

"Alright. Let me cut to the chase." Picking up a small stick, he tossed it towards her. "Your strong, and this is just a life and death game. Why don't you tag along with us?" Tossing another stick at her, Alem continued to speak. "The men fighting my friends will not survive, so it will be only you and that person up there. You will likely die and so will he, so why not just come with me?"

"Why me?" She asked.

"What a typical question, but now I see why everyone asks it." Rubbing his chin he nodded his head, coming to an understanding. "Basically, you're better then everyone in my group except me and Yellow when it comes to fights. Not just good, but you're extremely skilled. I feel that if you join us, I won't have to work as hard." In the end, he just wanted less work for himself. Plus, more the merrier.

"What about pellets. How do I know you won't just kill me? And who says you're stronger than me? Have you even fought me?" She couldn't just agree out of nowhere.

"Trust me, if I wanted you guy's dead, I wouldn't need an army. An army would be needed to stop me." Alem said with a smile.

"Stop being so cocky Alem." Eli yelled from afar.

"Hey, shut up!" Laughing weakly, he slowly got up from the ground, patting the dust from his buttocks. "Anyways, I'm not really into fighting, still if I can prove that I'm better then you, will you just join us?"

She nodded her head carefully. If he could beat her, then why not join? He could kill her now or later, so it would better later.

"Fine." Walking forward, Alem slowly neared the woman who pointed the spear at him. "C'mon, strike."

She didn't answer and just focused on him.

"Hey, wait a second." Alem suddenly stopped and looked at Eli in shock. "Why am I always fighting girls? First it was you, then Nor, and now this chick?"

"A gentleman you are. Rather then caring for girls, you beat them up." Eli shook her head. "Disgusting."

"That's a little mean." Grabbing his hair in frustration, he sighed. "Alright, I'll just do this quickly." His gaze suddenly hardened, as he walked towards a fallen sword on the ground. It was Gilrin's. "Nice sword."

"Come." She spoke with a slight craze filling her eyes. He kept stalling, causing her to feel a stress that wanted to devour her. Something about Alem caused goosebumps to swallow her body.

"I am, I am." Walking over step by step, Alem began to spin the sword, forcing her to be a little distracted. "Don't look away form my eyes." He spoke gloomily. "I didn't want to fight at all. I hate it, yet here I am." He truly wanted to avoid it, but the girl would come in handy. Plus, if bored, he could let her teach the rest.

"Go Alem go, go Alem go!" Eli cheered from the side in slight excitement. Other then training, she had never really seen Alem fight. They could never force him to show some skills.

As Alem finally got into the spear range, he suddenly made a hard step forward.

"Ah!" She yelled while stabbing forward.

"Haha." Alem laughed as he turned his head to the left, threw his sword on the ground and grabbed the handle of the spear. Yanking it, the girl flew towards him. "You lose." As she fumbled in his direction, Alem grabbed her neck, and pushed her towards the ground. "Now then, you will follow me now, right?" He smiled from above as he let her go. Tossing her spear to the ground, he walked back towards Eli. "Make some room for her as well."

"Alem, what was that? You didn't even do anything." Eli frowned before walking towards the girl. "What's your name?"

The girl glared at Eli before getting up and chasing behind Alem. She completely ignored the former.

"Listen." She called out while jogging.

"Oh?" Staring at her, Alem smiled. "What is it?"

"Teach me how to fight." She said with clenched fists.

"A protagonist?" He silently thought. Looking at Eli, Nor, and Kir, the girl in front of him gave off the main character vibes a lot more. 'Interesting.' This was of course funny to him. How many times would he run into someone like her? "What's your name?"

"Salea." She said with a serious face. "Unlike you people from the Nillian clan, I'm a no one. Even Gilrin is from a big clan in a different universe."

'Truly, a main character.' At one point, Alem thought he might be the main character. After all, he was the chosen one. The one tasked to fight the great Celius to save the world, but was that truly the case? "Salea, cool name. Well, I'm not a part of their clan either. I'm from a small place as well. So, we can be good friends, what do you think?"

Despite two bloody battles occurring behind Salea, Alem smiled brightly, ignoring it all. He had seen worse, so it didn't affect his mood. The same went for Salea. "I'd rather be a student then friend."

"Student you say?" He thought about it carefully. It was boring teaching the rest, with the exception of Kir. Maybe Salea, who was a main character, could be fun to teach. Atleast for a bit. "Sure. You can be my very first student, what do you say?"

"Thank you!" She spoke in excitement, and was about to bow, before Alem stopped her.

"In my world, we don't really have all of that formalities, not a big thing for us. Just call me Mister Alem, or something and that should do it." Other then a few places, Earth was very casual about mentorship. No rituals were needed. Just word of mouth really.

"Got it… boss?" She felt using mister would be awkward.

"Boss is fine." Alem didn't mind it, it was actually kind of nostalgic. "Now then, you come with me and let's watch this battle unfold—"

"Wait for me!" Suddenly, a voice came from below the tower. "Don't kill me, I didn't even want to participate in this game of death!"

"Idiot, don't come here. You're already done for." Salea growled. "Boss, let me handle this one."

"Salea, you're quite already going to kill a friend?" Alem frowned a little.

"Boss, we are not friends. This group was formed just for a need to survive. It was a give and take. Nothing more." She spoke carefully.

"That's cold." Alem said with a weak smile. "Whatever, whether you're the protagonist or the antagonist, doesn't matter." Why would it matter to him? People had their own choices. He chose to protect Eli and rest, but strike Gilrin and his group. He was no saint or devil; it was just a about choices in the end.

"Salea, wait." The man trembled, but because of the night, his features were hard to differentiate. "You can't kill me. We've been working together for over a year now."

"And I protected you for that long as well. We're even." Salea snorted.

"Oh c'mon. Don't be like that." He spoke with a shaky voice.

"Shut up." Salea stepped forward and was about to strike with her spear.

"Wait." Suddenly, Alem grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "His voice. I recognize it from somewhere. But where?" Walking forward with a frown, Alem neared the man who was about the same height as him. Though, a bit skinnier. "Eli, toss me a bit of water." His face was covered in dirt, plus the darkness made it hard to see.

"Here." Pulling a wooden cube out, she threw it to Alem.

"Look up." The man did as he was told. Alem opened the lid and splashed his face and began to rub the dirt off. "S-Simar?!"