All the bald man had said was, “I’ll be back the day before the King’s selection. Be as powerful as me by then.” Then he vanished into the distance after hugging his daughter, leaving the two to fend for themselves.

“Vaeri, any idea what we should do here?”

“I assume we should just…fight beats and Voidborne? That’s the only way to increase our power greatly in the time we have.”

The young man and woman walked towards a larger wooden building. The people here were technically not a part of the Bastion, so did not go to see the King.

“Ruith, be careful here. The Western Wilderness is second in danger only to the North, and these people will have the power necessary to live in a place like this.”

The boy nodded. Vaeri was the more powerful of the two of them, but would certainly be weaker than many of those who lived in this village. 

The door was closed, but unlocked. Vaeri put her ear to the door, hearing many low voices. Then she pushed it open, and the two stood at the doorway for a moment.

The space inside was relatively large, with many tables and chairs. The smell of cooking meat wafted around. Surprisingly, only a few people glanced up at them with curious looks, before returning to whatever they had been doing.

All the men and women inside were dirty and the smell was quite unpleasant. All of them were extremely muscular, not a single person seemed weak. Weapons such as swords, spears, and bows leaned against the tables. 

Vaeri faced Ruith and whispered.

“They all have at least a gray core. A few have white cores.”

The boy’s eyes widened for a moment. There were about twenty people here, all possessing at least the power of a Sanctum Knight.

Vaeri tapped his arm, signaling for him to follow her. They passed around the tables, careful not to disturb any of these warriors. They reached a counter, which had the kitchen behind it. Several women could be seen in the back, cooking.

Eventually a middle aged woman came up to the other side of the counter.

“Oh, you two are from the Bastion, aren’t you? What do you need?”

“You don’t seem too surprised at us being from the city, why is that?” Vaeri questioned.

“We get plenty of youngsters like yourselves here. Think that they will become strong. Most of them end up dead in the first week we have them hunting…” The woman shook her head solemnly.

‘Hm, it seems like Teran didn’t just place us in a random village.” Ruith thought.

“Are you two here for the same reason?”

Ruith and Vaeri nodded.

“Well alright, just know surviving here is not easy. I’ll get the Chief for you.”

The older woman disappeared into the back for a few minutes, and emerged with a man in tow. The man was slightly taller than Ruith, and looked to be in his late twenties. He had tangled brown hair and a scruffy beard. His arms were considerably less muscular than the others here.

‘Probably a mage.’

“This is Matthias. He’ll get you all sorted out.” The woman disappeared into the back after that.

“Hello, you two. Welcome to my little village, though you probably should’ve stayed at home.” Matthias shook both of their hands, and beckoned for them to follow him up a flight of stairs. 

They entered a small office, and the man set out a few chairs. 

“Sit. We have some things to discuss.”

They sat, and the man began to speak.

“First of all, tell me news from the Bastion.”

Vaeri did the talking, explaining the King’s speech. Matthias listened closely, his expression somehow becoming more grim than it had been.

“Alright. Let me cut to what you’re here for. What most do is they go downstairs and find a hunting group to join. Be warned though, those people simply see you as meat shields, distractions, and free labor out in the forest. You’ll have to ‘prove your worth’ in a way if you want them to give a shit about your lives.” 

Ruith was beginning to feel like he was way out of his league. After all, his core was still black. But there was no way to turn back now. 

“That’s all I have for you two, go down and find a group.” Matthias shooed them away with a wave of his hand, and they went back downstairs.

Everyone was still eating or chatting with each other, and the two scanned the room, looking for a group that caught their eye.

Eventually one did, Ruith and Vaeri making their way over.