Ch 44 : Reunited with Old Tim

In the devastated goblin encampment, Auron focused on recovering his celestial aura. He could move now, but he needed to replenish it in case something else happened. An hour later, feeling refreshed, he gathered with his friends. The rescued victims had stabilized and could move, though weakly. Thyra and Walter had picked some fruits to help nourish them.

"Have you found any carriages?" Auron asked.

"Yeah, a few near the encampment. But we don't have any coachmen to control the horses," Eliot replied. They had already found the horses within the camp, evidently meant for the goblins' meals.

One of the rescued victims approached. "Sirs, I can drive the carriage. A few of us were coachmen before... all this," the man offered.

Auron smiled, grateful for the assistance. "Thank you for the help, but please just call us by our names. We're just students—I'm Auron, and these are Walter, Thyra, Alice, and Eliot."

With the coachman issue settled, they packed the supplies and readied the carriages to move toward the nearby town. Auron and his friends decided to escort the survivors, intending to hand them over to local officials who could reunite them with their families.

There were six carriages, each carrying five victims. Auron and his friends split the task, each guarding one carriage, with Auron watching over the last two, as his mana detection range was the largest.

As they set off, Auron struck up a conversation with the coachman of the last carriage, a man named Steve.

"So, Steve, how long have you been working as a coachman?" Auron asked, keeping his tone light.

"Ten years now," Steve replied. "I've got a wife and daughter waiting for me at home. I thought I'd never see them again, but thanks to you all, I have a chance." His voice wavered with emotion.

Auron shook his head modestly. "It was just luck. We took this mission, not knowing there'd be hostages. The report never mentioned anything like that."

As the sun began to set, they pulled the carriages to a halt and set up camp. Walter and Eliot, experienced from their weekly missions, quickly set up tents. Alice and Walter ventured into the woods to gather firewood, while Auron disappeared briefly to clear the area of any threats, returning with three large boars for dinner.

Alice and Thyra quickly prepared the meat, while Walter and Eliot took charge of roasting it. The savory aroma of roasting boar filled the air, making everyone's mouths water. Auron and his friends served the victims first, and only after ensuring everyone had eaten did they sit down for their own meal.

As they ate, Auron addressed his friends. "You guys should rest. This was your first intense fight outside the academy. I'll take the patrol tonight."

"But you're the one who's exhausted the most," Eliot protested.

"I recovered earlier this afternoon. Don't worry, I'll wake you if anything happens," Auron reassured them.

His friends reluctantly agreed and soon drifted into sleep. Auron perched on a tree branch, giving himself a better vantage point for his mana detection. He reflected on the day's battle, evaluating his performance.

"I did well today. And my friends—they faced their fears and fought through it," Auron thought, feeling proud. "Now, I need to consider my next move. Should I cultivate a dark element heavenly rune for stealth, or focus on the 'Order' fire rune for my future breakthrough?"

His mind wandered to the strange murky aura he had sensed earlier. "What was that? It felt wrong, like the world itself rejected it. Could it be... Abyssal energy?" His thoughts recalled Seraphael's teachings. "She mentioned an infernal aura linked to the Abyss. That must be it—that's why the world loathes it so much."

As the revelation dawned on him, Auron's thoughts turned to the Gloom Wood Forest. "Something's happening there. Even Old Tim mentioned it before rushing off. It must be connected."

But he quickly dismissed his worries. "No point dwelling on it. As long as I get stronger, none of it will matter."

He resumed his cultivation, voraciously absorbing ambient mana, inching closer to breaking through to the Foundation Nurturing stage. A few hours passed, and Auron's senses picked up movement at the edge of his detection range. Without hesitation, he vanished from the branch.

Near the camp, two beast riders were silently approaching, drawn by the campfire. Before they could get any closer, a voice spoke from behind them.

"Don't move," Auron said, his tone cold. "I've already locked onto your hearts. One wrong move, and I'll crush them. Try me if you don't believe it."

Hearing the child-like voice, the two intruders sneered and lunged at Auron. Anticipating their reaction, Auron used Shadow Step and swiftly shattered their legs. They fell, writhing in agony, their wolves whimpering and cowering as if sensing a powerful predator.

"I'll ask again," Auron said, his voice steely. "Who are you?"

"Just kill us, kid," one of the intruders spat, laughing through the pain. "Our chief will avenge us."

Unperturbed, Auron struck with Ripple Palm, reducing the man's leg to a soup of broken muscle and bone. The man screamed, tears streaming from his eyes. His partner fared no better, choking under Auron's grip.

Suddenly, Auron felt a dangerous presence behind him. He released the intruders just in time to dodge an incoming arrow.

"Who's there?" Auron demanded, readying himself for another fight.

From the shadows, a familiar figure emerged—Old Tim.

"Old Tim, is that you?" Auron asked, his guard lowering.

"Who are you, brat? Why'd you injure these men?" Old Tim demanded, his voice gruff.

"It's me, Auron! My father is Alex. You took me to the Swamp Enclave Academy four months ago."

Old Tim peered at him. "Auron? Well, I'll be damned! You've shot up like a weed. What happened to the small kid I dropped off?"

Auron deflected the question. "That doesn't matter now. These two attacked me first. I had no choice."

Old Tim frowned, inspecting the injuries. "Vicious wounds for a child, I'll say that. You're growing dangerous, brat."

"They're lucky I only crippled them," Auron said with a grin.

Shaking his head, Old Tim produced a vial of healing elixir. "You're lucky I have this. These two are going to have a hard time explaining themselves to Chief Moonclaw."

He forced the elixir down the intruders' throats, the healing process beginning immediately.

He brought Old Tim and the two beast rider to the camp.