"I thought tera were the only creatures left from the past?" Sven questioned.
"No, there are still many creatures from the past. Centaurs, giants, satyr, arachne, minotaurs, and all the other creatures still exist within this world. They tend to hide across the corners of the earth. Avoiding contact with humans in order to survive. Omega will treat them the same as us its why they stayed in the shadows. Us tera are only the species who evolved to be able to take human form after the Great War for Olympus. Since then there have even been some Arachne attempting to reach our level. I've heard rumors of one growing in power becoming close, but I'm not sure how accurate this is. I didn't know the sanctuary had more then tera in it though. The lamia I met wasn't very forthcoming with information." Astrid quickly replied.
Sven has had a strong feeling of being watched since they entered the forest. No matter how much he searched his surrounding the only thing around them was a hawk in the air. Thinking maybe the runes on the trees were capable of spying on them. After about a half-hour walk they finally came across a massive settlement. It was something none of them had ever witnessed before. There were houses everywhere. Some were simple tipis, but others were homes made of the earth probably created from magic. There was a lake on the edge of town, next to it was a massive training colosseum, and near it was two log cabins. There was another still in the early stages of construction. At the center of it all was a giant tree. It seemed to be a blend of several cultures.
The variety of plant life and plants growing was causing Astrid to be lost in thought. So many of these plants shouldn't grow here or be in this part of the world. Everyone here seemed so happy, and carefree. To shock the group, even more, not all the people here were natives. There was even a group of Danes working in some of the fields.
It didnt take long for their presence to be known. A group of warriors came up, it was mainly consisting of natives, but among their ranks were a few centaurs clad in leather armor. Every single one of them had runes in their weapons. A large tan man, with long black hair, and brown eyes approached them. He had on hide pants and a breastplate made from bone.
"My name is Akando welcome to the sanctuary. I'm one of our hunters, and its also my duty to protect this land. They let you get this far so you must have cause to be here. Speak quickly, and no sudden movements." Akando demanded while they carefully watched over Sven's group.
At that moment the hawk that was trailing them dove downwards, and before landing shifted into a beautiful woman. She was at their flank making sure they couldn't retreat. She had long brown hair, tan skin, and blue eyes. She wore a short hide skirt and a white cloth wrap tightly around her chest. She had a bow made of adamantine, when she drew her bow an arrow made of lightning was formed rapidly ready to be released. If something happened she deemed a threat she would not hesitate to kill.
A descendant of Artemis. Astrid thought to herself as she looked over the woman. Feeling an immense strength in her. She also isn't one of the small-minded gods. That arrow was made of pure lunar energy and formed so quickly without chanting. Making her a level five magic-user. Astrid decided it wasn't wise to provoke this woman.
Sven reaches for his bag, and slowly pulls out the gold plate Lilith gave him. Handing it to Akando. He held it examined the symbol and raised his hand. Everyone lowered their weapons.
"These are guests of Lilith, Queen of the Underworld. Everyone be sure to take note of this and treat them accordingly. You may now all return to your post" Akando ordered as everyone besides the woman behind them left back to their duties.
"You two know Lilith? How have you never mentioned this before." Astrid asked in awe. She had long heard stories about Lilith and always wanted to meet her.
"She found me shortly after my awakening. Lead me to Helga, and that's where this all started. She is a friend of ours." Sven replied
"I had no idea she was the ruler of the underworld. I knew she had important roles there, but she never mentioned it before. " Helga added. Wondering why she would it keep from them.
While they were speaking the woman behind them walked around to Akando, and began talking with him momentarily. Then after a few brief moments of talking, he left in a hurry. She turned towards Sven walking right up to him.
"My name is Mika, and I apologize for the hostile welcome. It's been a long time since Lilith visited here, and we had no idea she was sending someone. We take matters of security very seriously here because the majority of the residents are not fighters. There are many in the world who when they awaken as a tera wish to live a peaceful life. Not all gods wish to use their divine gifts and instead choose to live here among humans. Only a handful of the tera here are fighters, and they try to teach the ones who choose to not fight control. This way they can't hurt anyone in an accident. Everyone here is equal, and no species is to be treated differently. This is the way we choose to live. We ask that you respect this while here. Now, what is your purpose here?" Mika asked.
"Lilith told me a seer could help me here. That it was a close friend of hers." Sven replied while he was looking around at his surroundings.
"The person you're referring to could only be our chief Mikom. He's a very busy man and has been spending most of his time training new shamans to send out among the tribes. It may be hard to arrange a meeting today. You will have to wait till morning." Mika said before walking over to Kai, and Kaya.
"Why are you two here? You should be at home. Could you not wait for me to come to visit?" Mika asked while hugging the children. They immediately began crying.
"What's wrong?" Mika questioned deeply concerned. The two were unable to say what happened because of the tears.
"There mother was killed during a raid on their village," Sven said while kneeling down to help calm the two.
"She tried to protect the village while everyone was gone. " Kai said before wiping the tears from his face. He wanted to continue crying, but he wanted to try, and be strong for his younger sister.
"Who did this?" Mika demanded to know.
"He killed the man and rescued all of us," Kaya said while pointing at Sven.
"Thank you, I didnt catch your name. If you ever need a favor you need only ask. Their mother was a close friend of mine. We grew up in the same village together." Mika said as they both stood up. She gave Sven a hug to thank him for saving the children.
"I only did what was right, and my name is Sven. This is Helga and Astrid. " Sven says while pointing out his companions.
Helga waved hello with a smile on her face, but Astrid didnt seem to react well. What they didn't know is Astrid once held a deep grudge on a god long ago. Ever since she has always been reluctant to trust them. She would be nice so long as Sven wanted her to.