"Finally, back!" As the group was moving slower then normal, it took about four days to reach the base. Including resting during the night and many breaks in between of course. It wasn't easy to travel so long since their bodies were all normal human standards.
"Let's quickly get you to the house." As they got to the base, Eli helped the weakened Alem to the house. No matter how skilled he was, his body could not endure for too long.
"It's fine, just take me to the lake first." Alem spoke weakly. His face was pale, and his body was trembling all over. His shoulder, which was just bleeding a few days ago, but dark and even a bit yellowish. It was infected.
"The water is too cold, you'll get worse." Eli said while completely frightened. Nor and the rest were also extremely worried at this point. They never expected to see Alem in this condition.
"Trust me. If I pass out, that would be even worse. I need the coldness to keep me awake." Alem turned his head and looked at Samir. "Go with Kir and bring Brown to me."
"Ok." Samir didn't argue and just looked at Kir.
"Nor do me a favor, on a fir, warm as much water as you can. Make it as hot as you can." He needed to prepare a few things first.
"Don't worry." Nor quickly and started on that.
"Salea, help Nor." The girl nodded her head and followed the tall woman. "Alright, let's go to the lake."
Both of them, with the help of Yellow, made their way to the lake.
Though it wasn't life and death currently, it had a higher chance of getting to that point if the infection spread. They needed to prevent that by cleaning the wound, taking the arrow head off, and trying to disinfect the wound if possible.
"You're going to be alright, right? Nothing will happen right?" Unlike Nor and Salea, Eli was not strong girl. She was mentally weak. She hated blood despite living in a world that was constantly filled with it.
"Shouldn't you be reassuring me instead? Haha." He couldn't help but teas the smaller woman.
"So, you won't?" Her face paled which caused Alem to burst into a weak laughter.
Rubbing her head, he shook his head. "Nothing will happen. Remember when you got hurt, didn't you make it through? This injury isn't even that bad, so I'll be fine as well."
Despite the one injured, Alem continued to reassure until they finally reached the lake.
"Eli, turn around for a second." Smiling at the girl, the latter nodded her head and turned. He walked to the edge of the water and quickly stripped before diving in. The water was clean, so it was easily see through. Using his clothes, he covered certain areas before finally calling out. "Ok, you can come over now."
She turned around and saw Alem leaning against the edge, while inside the water. Walking over, she sat behind him. "Now what?"
"We just need to wait for Brown and Nor." He said with a smile.
"Why are we waiting for them?" She was curious. The hot water she could understand, but why did he need Brown.
"Brown is the only one who could help me make alcohol here." He said.
"Alcohol? We know how to make it as well." Eli explained. "We were taught for medical purposes."
"I know, but do you know where to find the berries for that? Would it be safe? Plus, Brown actually has the berries collected. I just need him to bring it over." Alem did know a bit about making disinfectants. Though it wasn't common knowledge, he read about it once when he was bored. Though it was mostly just skimming. Fortunately, after getting his memory improved, that information was clear to him.
"Alem, but how will we remove the arrow head?" She said while feeling upset.
"You're going to dig it out." Looking up at her face, he smiled.
"Dig it out?! Are you insane?!" She looked down in shock, not believing his words.
"What else do we do? Literally, we have to remove it and we can't just pull it out. So, you're going to dig it out." Though it was risky to dig it out, it was better then just pulling. Alem also knew the pain would amplify by digging it out. Whether he could bear the pain or not did not matter at that point. With no proper tools, experiences doctors, he had to work with what he had. If someone else was the one injured, he could perform the procedure, like he did with Eli's injuries. However, the one hurt was him.
"We can't do that." She said while cupping his face. "It'll hurt a lot, plus what if I damage your shoulder even further?"
"Relax, it will be fine." Winking at her, he closed his eyes and relaxed in the cold water. It felt nice especially since the desert was so hot.
Eli just sat behind him, waiting for the others to bring the items.
"Hey, Brown is here." After about five minutes, Brown showed up with Kir and Samir. The latter kept a distance. After all, he had never seen such a large bear. Especially one so different from images he had seen online.
Alem smiled at the large bear. "Brown, do you still have the berries that cause intoxication?"
Grrr Rorrr
"Good, bring them here for me. The ones that have been fermented atleast. Actually, bring the raw berries too." The bear nodded it's head before rushing off alone. Samir dodged to the side in a panic since Brown was heading in his direction.
"The hell! That bear is crazy!" Samir exclaimed, breathing heavily. "How are you holding up?" he walked over and inspected Alem. He couldn't help but glance at Eli who kept her legs on each side of his shoulders, dipping her feet into the water. 'Weird, they act so close, yet they say they aren't? Aunty would freak out if she saw this though, haha.'
"It's hurting a bit more, especially since my mind is clearer." Shaking his head heavily, Alem tapped the arrow lodged into his shoulder and spoke bitterly. "Next time, I'll have to take out the archers right away. Injuries right now are the worst things to happen."
"Atleast we got lots of new weapons and even lots of pellets." Kir said from the back.
"Can you show a bit of concern, idiot?" Eli hissed at the young man, her eyes narrowing into slits.
Taking a few steps back, he waved his hands in front of him, feeling extremely awkward. "I'm just saying."
"Well don't."
"Calm down Eli." Watching her get so angry, Alem couldn't help but feel his head hurt. "We're guys, this stuff isn't even that big of a deal for us. Look at Samir, he isn't a part of our world, yet even he's gotten a bullet from in his shoulder before. Hey, show her the scar."
"I don't care about that," She spoke in annoyance. "Plus, what does being a man have to do with this? You guys can feel pain and get injured too, so don't act all high and mighty."
"Wait, our world?" Kir caught the words Alem said and couldn't help but question him while staring at Eli. "I've been curious about this since the beginning. Because of Eli I never divulged into this, but where are you from?"
"We're from Earth, I told you that already." Samir said with annoyance. "Why would I lie about that."
"Not what I mean. What is Earth?" Kir asked again.
"Who cares. Why are you being nosy about it?" Eli frowned. She was curious too, but why ask when Alem never brought it up himself. He only ever gave bits of pieces of info, so he was bound to spill it.
"Well, don't you find it weird?" Kir looked at Alem in confusion. "Our clan is from the main world, yet we have information on most, if not all of the geniuses in the multitude of universes. We've seen the faces of the biggest competitors, and even though I can't remember all of them, one I see one, a bit of familiarity will appear."
"And you don't recognize me nor Samir, right?" Alem smiled and asked from the after, his eyes closed.
"Yup." Kir was straightforward, which Alem didn't mind.
"Since you're curious, I can answer." Alem continued to keep his eyes closed. "I'm from Earth which used to have cultivation, but not anymore. We just ran out of essence and basically lost all history in relation to essence. Well, not all of it."
"A non-cultivating world?" Eli was a little shocked.
"In the past we had lots of cultivators, but now we have none, except me and one other person. This person was able to escape our planet and founded a fetal planet and started cultivating there. That's where I come from. I trained there and he's my master. I'm not from the main universe, I'm from an extremely small one. Of course, no one has heard of me before." The story, though a lie, wasn't all lies. Earth did have cultivators in the past, albeit very little. The essence didn't run out, it was just cut off, as was the whole planet from the cultivation world. He just couldn't speak the whole truth since Shameless would restrict it.
"So, are you… him?" Kir suddenly asked with a bit of hesitation. "I've been noticing your skill and always assumed that the George guy would be him, but is it you?"
"Him?" Alem asked but he then smirked. "Oh, you mean the one in the arena?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Alem didn't want to disclose that information. Not because there was a restriction, rather he just didn't want to. Why expose such a fun secret? People feared the arena guy, so no one knowing it was him, made things fun."
Samir looked at the three and scratched his head. "Who's the arena guy?" He wasn't there during the arena spectacle; he only started a few weeks after.
"Weren't you there?" Kir and Eli asked in shock. "You should have seen him. His face and body were blurry, we couldn't get any information except that he was a male."
"Was it a video, a recording? How was he blurry?" Samir was confused.
Both shook their heads, before Eli spoke up instead. "The people who control this world blurred his figure so no one could get precise details about him." Her face became slightly excited when she discussed the arena guy. "His battle lasted weeks inside the arena. He fought everything and anything. All with his bear hands, sometimes grabbing a weapon. He faced groups without getting hurt, animals without an issue; truly a frightening individual." Her gaze then focused on Alem, her mouth pouting. "I always assumed that it was you since I've never seen someone as strong as you. Plus, it would have been cool if it was you."
Alem didn't say anything and just shrugged. Seeing this, Eli couldn't help but pout more, while Kir sighed.
"If it was you, then we could totally do anything in this world. However, George likely is the arena guy, look at his score."
{Time Till End: 998 years, 4 months, 17 days!
Leaderboard: [First Place – George f (98 Points)]
[Second Place – Tirax f (73 Points)
[Third Place – Linsal f (72 Points)
…
[Seventy Third Place – Alem f (26 Points)
[Eightieth Place – Tom f (0 Points)}
"Factions?" Everyone couldn't help but notice this.
"So, our group is considered my faction?" Alem spoke while smirking. It was funny since Nor acted like the boss, yet the faction was put under his name.
"That's not the important matter." Eli gently slapped Alem's head. "Look, factions are forming, meaning the strong are coming together. Plus, George has a huge lead. Look at his points!" Her mouth couldn't help becoming slightly dry. "How many did he kill? And how many beast kings were slain by hands to get so many points?"
Alem laughed at her reaction. "Who cares? Even if George is the arena guy, I can still kill him. The arena guy was nothing crazy." He continued to act like he wasn't the one, yet didn't state it out right, just implying it.
"We should care. Look, there are only eighty factions. Meaning, some groups might consist of dozens of members." A sigh escaped her mouth. Alem got hurt after fighting a large group himself, what would they do if they were surrounded again? Alem couldn't handle it himself.
"To be honest, I'm still not worried." He laughed while pointing at his shoulder. "I got injured since I was careless, but if I was surrounded again, things would turn out different." He only believed in himself since he knew his combat level. H was the arena guy everyone feared after all. 'This George guy, is he one of the criminals from Earth?' Shameless did mention criminals from his world, but he forgot about that point.
"Whatever." Rolling her eyes, Eli ignored Alem's boasting. "George is a mystery for us, but most some of the factions are actually of other clans and sects. Second and Third place are people who aren't even human."
"Oh? Finally, the non humans?" Alem had been looking forward to meeting the non human geniuses. He fought people who weren't human during his training, but now he could potentially make friends. Or atleast chat.
"Basically." Eli felt her spine suddenly tremble. "Tirax is honestly the scariest of the bunch. If not for George, Tirax would be leading without a problem."
"Whose Tirax?" Simar asked with his eyes brightening. The more he understood the new world, the scarier it became, yet it also brought about a hidden curiosity.
"He's from the remnants of the Hell Clan. One of the three Original clans." Kir said with a shaky voice.
"Original clan?" Even Alem was new to this information.
"Well, we don't know the details." Kir shook his head. "Supposedly, thousands of years ago, a major war took place. Many died. Clans were decimated, sects were obliterated. Universes exploded into nothingness, and light was gone from the world."
Eli butted in and continued the explanation, her expression heavy. "From what our elders told us, in the beginning there were three Original clans. The Human clan, Hell clan, and Heaven clan." Alem listened carefully, his eyes brightening since the information seemed mind boggling to him.
"The Humans were known for their potential and great numbers, and lead the multitude of universes. The Heaven clan were known for their essence control and gift in creation. They created the universes, the elements, and the essence, thus they were favored by it all." Eli spoke with dull eyes. "Yet, they disappeared and are not seen. No one knows where they are if they aren't already destroyed."
"And the Hell clan?" Samir asked.
"They were the most secretive, yet powerful clan." When she said this, Alem and Samir couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"If they were the strongest, how could the Human clan lead?"
"The Human clan's overall strength was weaker, but a few individuals existed that were so powerful, that all bowed before them." Eli said with a bit of sorrow. "Sadly, they are now gone as well."
"Who were they though?" Alem pushed for an answer.
"Well, that is requires a history lesson." Eli then looked at Kir, who nodded his head.
Sitting down and leaning against a tree, he looked at Samir and gestured him to sit as well."
"Let me now tell you the story of how people came to be." He spoke in a majestic tone, yet it seemed irritating to the rest.
"You will give the history lesson? When did you become so smart?" Suddenly, Nor and Salea appeared, pulling a large tub that shook with water, on a small cart. . "Alem, here is the hot water. This is all we could bring though."
"That should be enough." He waved for them to bring it over. "All the girls, turn around for a second. Eli, get back for a second." With his words, everyone obliged. After making sure everyone was looking away, he got out of the water and quickly entered the tub. "I'm good now. Wait until Brown comes with the berries. Once the alcohol is made, we will begin."
"No problem." Eli nodded her head and then looked at Nor. "You know more about the history; can you recite it?"
"Why not me?" Kir complained.
"Because you're not as knowledge as Nor. She knows it better and probably knows details we don't." Nor was an important person in the clan. Although Kir was a bigger genius in cultivation, Nor was more favored since she was overall better.
"Hmph." He snorted, but didn't say anything more.
"What exactly do you want to know?" Nor asked.
"Everything. Start from before the three Original clans." Eli quickly neared Alem and neared the tub, leaning against it. Her chin laid on her arms which sat on the edge of the tub. Alem ignored her and focused on Nor.
"Fine." Clearing her through, Nor began. "Outside and between the multitude of universes exists the void. However, at one point, it was only the void. Nothing else existed, until the birth of the first universe. A bubble. We call this universe the main universe, or the Original universe. When this universe appeared, hundreds of beings were also born. We call these the Original Originals. They were born powerful, the greatest beings and first of all species. The Gilly Queen, Hell leader, Human leader, Heaven leader, and so many more. Each were different. They had unique powers, unique everything. However, of the many beings, the Hell, Human, and Heaven leaders saw the birth of more of their kind. Each were born different. These were the first-generation leaders of the clans."
"Wouldn't the leaders be first generation?" Alem asked.
"By definition, yes. But, because the creation of the leaders was different from each generation, we don't consider the leaders a part of any generation." Eli answered.
"Exactly." Nor said in confirmation. "However, the Human, Hell, and Heaven, birthed the first generation different from how currently they would be born." The took a stick and then began to make circles on the ground. "Do you know the characteristics of each clan?" Alem and Samir thought and nodded weakly. "Well, the Heaven clan were the creators. That was their uniqueness. Every universe ever born was actually because of the birth of a Heaven clan first-generation. They weren't Original Originals, rather they were connected to the Heaven lord."
"Even I didn't know that." Eli said with a mystified expression. "That is so crazy, right?" She looked at the rest in excitement.
"It is. What about the Human clan and Hell clan?" Kir asked.
"Well, the order of birth was, Heaven, Hell, then Human." Nor said. "After Heaven created the universe, Hell came and caused destruction."
"What does that mean?" Samir asked, though his interest seemed to be wavering. It was so out there, that he couldn't get that into it. Unlike the rest. Still, he was slightly curious.
"Well, if the Heaven clan created the universe, there had to be a way for the universes to connect to each other and even the void. That was what the Hell clan did." She then began to make smaller holes in the large circles. "Unlike the Heaven clan which created, the Hell clan first-generation were birthed within intense explosions that connected the universes. The strongest of the first-generation were birthed within the explosions that connected to the void."
"Does that mean the Heaven clan was the smallest of the three?" Alem asked.
"Of course. For every Heaven clan first generation, there was about three Hell clan first generation." Nor felt like a teacher. It was enjoyable, since normally Alem was the teacher.
"Well, if heaven created, and Hell destroyed, what did the Human do?" Alem questioned.
"The Human clan were actually the most forced." Nor said bitterly.
"Forced?" This word made no sense to Alem and Samir.
"Something I learned from my dad was only the Heaven and Hell clan were supposed to be called the Original clans. Human was not supposed to be a part of this." When she said this, everyone suddenly frowned in contemplation. "Supposedly, other beings were not supposed to exist, except the Hell and Heaven clan members, until the Human leader took action."
Just as she was about to continue, Brown appeared with a bucket.
"Brown." Alem turned his head and smiled at the rest. "Let's continue this story later. For now, Eli help me get this thing out now." The atmosphere turned silent. Just as the history was reaching a deeper side, it was suddenly stopped.
"Let's begin then." Eli took a deep breath.