"Why didn't you use mana?" After their argument calmed down, Lumien asked again.
"Didn't you stop me?" Daney replied, huffing again.
"But you could've avoided injury at least—"
"Master. I. want. to. be. a. WARRIOR." interrupted Daney.
Lumien shook his head and heaved a sigh as if expecting all of this before speaking,
"You know kid, although it annoys me, I also somewhat respect your pride and conviction but in this world, you need to be making compromises to have any chance of moving forward...
I won't be here for long, you will be leaving this little puddle soon, you're destined for bigger and brighter places. I won't stop you from doing anything anymore but be sure to give it your all when your life is threatened...
Otherwise, it's all in vain, your pride, your convictions, your morals, your passions - you need to be alive to keep them."
Daney didn't interrupt the old man this time, keeping his head down in silence. Lumien didn't mind this as he stood up and started walking back to the tribe as he heard a mumble, like the buzzing of a bee.
"..thankyou.."
...
"WHAT!?"
Golver's shout rang out in the massive canvas that served as the village center.
Only 3 figures could be seen inside the simplistic yet grand tent.
"You see Golver, THIS, this is the reason we don't involve you when making decisions the involve the future of the tribe."
Danulo commented spitefully while sitting in his usual spot.
Hans, sitting near him, tightened his grip on the armrest and waved his hand to diffuse the dangerous vibes palpating from the people near him.
"We don't need to cover it up with grand values like saving our tribe and growing our tribe Danulo. We are not the messiahs, nor was our ancestor but let me ask you this Golver, as long as we manage to cultivate a divine technique, do you think the measly animals roaming around would be enough to force us to keep moving all the time?"
Golver wanted to interrupt Hans at first but quietened down when faced with the aura unconsciously reflecting off Hans.
"It's very odd of you, to be as honest. How much more are you hiding?"
"Have I ever decided for my own sake as the Tribal Chief?" Hans questioned back.
Before Danulo could begin lashing again, he continued,
"I don't need an answer from you now, I don't even need your goddamn help. Just do your best to save your fellow tribesmen on the off chance any danger arises."
Danulo listened to Hans speaking with abundant emotions after a long time, building his resolve.
Golver gritted his teeth hard,
"I wish you luck." Saying this, he left the tent feeling a refreshing breeze hitting his face.
'The day has come sooner than I expected, the winds of change are going to rise. Soon there will be a storm, I wonder how many will get to see a brand new reality and how many will be left behind." Golver thought with a bitter smile, not as headstrong as he pretended to be when he was inside.
...
Inside the tent, Hans revealed a pensive expression as he turned towards Danulo,
"Do you have that feeling as well? Like we're building a castle of sand, and it's all slipping away, by forces beyond our control...
I feel like a puppet in the hands of fate, tossed around.."
Danulo silently listened to the chief's monologue, after which he revealed a grin,
"Isn't it what we're struggling towards? Grasping the control of our fate, our martial paths have all stagnated, although it's not the absolute limit, there hasn't been much progress."
Danulo's eyes seemed to shine bright as he continued,
"Strength, we need more strength, to escape that feeling chief. To grasp our own fate, to wrestle against the fate designed by heaven we need 'Divine' strength. Moreover, with Senior Emertius with us, there's not much that can go wrong."
Hans exhaled a heavy breath and clenched his fists before nodding lightly,
"Don't underestimate the other two tribes, however... thanks, Danulo."
...
Lumien walked into the tent soon after Golver left as the enraged shouts of the pudgy mage rang within the tent.
Meanwhile, near the main entrance of the tribe, a strange scene was taking place.
"I. Want. Compensation." Raphael asked Rohilo who just came back after fooling around with his mistress.
"And compensation for what exactly?" Rohilo replied with an even darker expression.
"Your disciple injured my disciple, don't feign ignorance." Raphael snorted.
"Did you take some mind-altering pills boy? I don't have a disciple." Rohilo snorted back.
"YOU..."
"Don't you dare point your finger at me."
"I won't let you go like this, I'll have my compensation. Elder Lumien can testify for me."
"What are you on about?" Rohilo was gobsmacked.
"What's going on? Why are you both shouting here?"
Both Rohilo and Raphael jerked up when they saw Golver floating 1 foot off the ground behind their back.
Both of them gave a bow as Raphael started expressing his grievances,
"Elder Golver, I can't guard the entrance with this fellow. First, he leaves his post to fool around, then he orders his disciple to injure my disciple and now he isn't even providing any compensation."
Towards the end of his speech, a single crocodile tear shimmered down his eye.
"It's an utter lie, Elder Golver. This thug just wants to cheat me of my money by spouting nonsense."
'Ugh, first the emergency talisman, then the Chief's madness, and now these two idiots are creating a scene when the guests will be coming soon.'
Golver felt a headache slowly forming. He decided to take his disciple and hide within his tent so that he could enjoy the little amount of peace he was left with.
"Since Ryne was here, you can just ask him to help you two make a decision. Where did you take him though, Rohilo?"
Since it took a lot more time than he expected during the meeting, Golver thought Rohilo took Ryne somewhere else to rest.
Rohilo, on the other hand, felt a chill run down his spine. 'Shit... yes, where IS this ghoul's disciple.'
He glanced around but saw no one nearby though he noticed that Raphael had sweat forming on his forehead as if he just realized something.
'Wait..it couldn't be.. this bastard, did he do something to–'
"What are you looking here and there for? Bring my disciple here, I don't have all day." Golver commanded with a frown.
Instead of a reply, he saw Raphael kneeling on the ground as his body shivered,
"Senior, it is a huge misunderstanding. I beg for your forgiveness." This time, tears really came out of his eyes, as he thought about the temper of this old man that earned him the nickname of 'Old ghoul' around the younger generation of the tribe.
Rohilo also fell to his knees and started crying,
"I-I couldn't fulfill my duties senior, I deserve to be punished."
"What happened?" Golver asked in a seemingly calm voice but it made the two bodies kneeling shiver even more fiercely.
Finally, Raphael stood up as he started narrating everything in a shivering voice.
Although he left the part about choking Ryne up with an intent to kill, he still felt the ghoul's eyes burn with seething rage.
"Good good good, what good warriors our tribe has managed to nourish after all these years. One 'elite' warrior escapes his duties the first chance he gets and another finds creative ways to bully the younger generation. Good good."
Rohilo and Raphael both found their bodies levitating against their will and mana constricting even their slightest movements.
...
While the two elite warriors were experiencing the lowest point of their lives, not far away, Ryne experienced the most pleasant surprise of the day.
He stretched his wrists in wonder, 'It's more stretchable, a little bit of environmental mana is moving alongside my flesh, reinforcing my movements and increasing my power, no wonder warriors live as long as mages.'
"Ouch" Ryne let out a small cry after punching the ground in joy, "Finally, I'm a Grade-1 warrior."