Gael travelled with Phillip's group for the past three days and today is the day they part ways because Gael and Fortis are now in front of the unnamed village attacked by the Mad Hammer Bandits.
" thank you again for your help and for letting us travel with your caravan " Gael bowed and thanked the old merchant.
" you don't have to thank this old man, plus we are friends, you can ask for my help anytime and I will ask from you when I need to " Phillip said with a smile.
' he's a Merchant through and through ' Gael thought to himself when he heard Phillip's words, he smiled towards the old merchant and watched him and his caravan leave.
" sigh " Gael heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Phillip leave, the three-day travel with Phillip felt like an eternity for Gael, the old merchant won't stop asking him about his experiences as a Tamer, how to become a Tamer, how does it Feel to be a Tamer, etc. the old merchant is obsessed with tamers.
" let's go " Gael lead the way as they walk towards the entrance of the small unnamed village, he felt weird walking around the village because the streets were empty, most shops are closed, the surroundings were dirty some of the houses and shops are ruined and the atmosphere around the village is gloomy, it is the opposite of what Gael saw when he went in this village on his way towards his home village, that time this village is bustling, shops are filled with customers and the streets are filled with people since this village is connected to paths towards different routes that is why a lot of travellers went past this village, that is why seeing its current state soured Gael's mood.
" kiiiik? " seeing the expression on Gael's face, Fortis asked him if he was okay.
" huh? Yeah, I am fine, don't worry " Gael looked down and patted Fortis' head.
They then continued on their way, their first destination is the small restaurant where Gael ate before. To check up on the mother and daughter he met. After a few minutes he arrived at the restaurant and he smiled when he saw that it is open and it seems like a lot of people are inside as well, but his smile faded when he saw the scene inside.
Inside the restaurant are injured people, there are also the elderly and some children, but they are not here to eat they are seeking shelter here, when Gael entered the restaurant everyone stared at him in fear, given what they are wearing, normal people who were just attacked by bandits will be scared as well.
Gael looked around and saw the state the villagers are in, he then removed his hood revealing his face but Fortis didn't, Gael's orders, the villagers might get scared and panic when they saw a monster with him, and it might cause chaos inside, that is why he ordered Fortis not to remove his hood. He does not care if Fortis is a monster or not but these people are not familiar with the existence of Tamers and they might get scared of Fortis.
" Big Brother? " a small cute voice reverberated inside the restaurant then a small head popped out from the door towards the kitchen, it was Mary, the daughter of the restaurant owner.
" oh? Hey there little girl " at first Gael was surprised that the little girl remembered him since they just met briefly and did not have a lot of interaction, the girl does not even know Gael's name, maybe that is why he called Gael 'big brother' and Gael does not mind at all, since it has been a long time when someone called him Big brother.
The cute little girl Mary ran towards him and then hugged his leg.
" Big Brother help my mom, please? " Mary cried as he hugged Gael's leg, her voice is a little muffled because her face was buried in Gael's leg.
Seeing the little girl cry Gael panicked a little before he starts to caress the little girl's head to calm her down.
" shush shush stop crying I will help your mom, you don't have to worry " Gael reassured the little girl, she looked up, her eyes are red because of crying, and her cheeks and nose are red as well.
" Really? " the little girl asked making sure.
" Really, " Gael said then smiled at the little girl.
Then an old man approached Gael, he is an old man walking with a stick while his other hand is on his back.
" Are you really here to help us young man? " the old man asked.
" Yes, I was sent here by someone to help this village," Gael said, although his identity has to be kept secret he said that he was sent by someone to gain the trust of the villagers, but he didn't say who, he will let the villagers wonder who, what's important is to solve this village's crisis.
" now can you tell me what happened? " Gael asked the old man.
The old man inspected Gael and Fortis who are still wearing his hood and after a few seconds, the old man spoke.
" Please follow me " the old man gestured for Gael and Fortis to follow him, they entered the kitchen where Mary and the old man came from.
Mary followed behind them when Gael and Fortis entered they saw that the kitchen was turned into a meeting room several old people and some muscular men are seated at a round table, it seems like Gael and Fortis arrived while they are having a meeting.
" Now let me introduce myself and the others, I am the chief of this village and these old people sitting here are the village elders that manage the village alongside me and these men right here are the strongest in our village " The old man pointed at the people sitting beside him.
The old man was the village chief, the old woman and two old men are the village elders, and the three muscular men wearing leather and a couple of steel armor adorned with some animal fur are the strongest men in their village.
' if the bandits attacked the village to recruit people, why are these guys here? ' Gael thought to himself as he stare at the group of muscular men.
" I am Gael, I am here to aid this village under someone's orders " Gael introduced himself emotionlessly and then he sat down on one of the empty seats.
" How can we be sure that you are not an enemy? " one of the three strongest men in this village asked, he has long hair and sharp facial features.
" if I am the enemy, I will not waste my time talking with you guys, I will just bring some bandits with me and burn this place down " Gael answered which stunned the long-haired man.
" How are you going to help us, exactly? " the female elder asked.
" Just tell me the information I will ask you and leave the rest to me, the next morning those bandits will be long gone " Gael confidently said.
One of the muscular men scoffed at Gael, he was sitting with his arms crossed on his chest, he has brown hair and a long beard, his face shows that he is a man with a lot of fighting experience, Gael estimated his strength quite highly and put him in the same level as the vice leaders of the Mad Hammer Bandits.
" with you alone? There are more than fifty bandits and their strength and skills are above normal as well, now tell me how are you going to deal with them? "
Gael's eyes turned towards the bearded muscular man.
He then turned towards Fortis then nodded, Fortis then slowly removed his hood.
*Gasp
The village chief, the elders, and the group of this village's strongest men all gasped in shock, the elders stood up and took a few steps back while the three strong men pulled out their weapons ready to attack. And not far away from them is Mary who retreated towards the corner when she saw Fortis.
" get back! " the bearded muscular man said to the elders and Mary.
" just as I thought you really are an enemy, you even brought a monster to deal with us, " the other muscular men said.
" you think this is enough? We have killed Goblins before " the long-haired muscular men said confidently.
What's happening inside the kitchen is unknown to the people outside, Gael looked around and told Fortis to come closer to him, and he pats Fortis' head. When they saw Gael pat the Goblin's head their expression turned into shock.
" no need to worry he is my companion, he will be helping me deal with the Bandits, " Gael said looking at the three muscular men and then the village elders.
" Come here, Mary, your name is Mary, right? Gael asked the little girl in the corner of the kitchen.
Mary nodded with a terrified face she does not want to get closer.
" No Mary, don't go near that monster, " one of the village elders said.
"It's fine, trust me, " Gael said as he smiled at Mary, Mary then steeled her expression then slowly walked closer to Gael.
" That's right, don't be scared he won't hurt you, " Gael said reassuring the little girl.
Mary is now hiding behind Gael's leg.
" touch his head, " Gael said.
The little girl looked at Gael hesitantly, Gael smiled at her, and then she slowly stretched out her hand with her eyes closed. The elders and the group of muscular men watched them silently.
Mary's hand got closer and closer to Fortis' head, and then her hand touched Fortis' smooth head.
" huh!? " Mary opened her eyes when she felt her hand toughed the Goblin's head and to her surprise, the Goblin was smiling at her with its sharp and pointy teeth.
" hihihihihi " Mary giggled when she saw the Goblin smiling. She then started to slowly pet Fortis, Fortis just smiled and made small happy sounds.
When the elders and the others saw what was happening they were stunned.
' is this real? '
' am I dreaming? '
' The Goblin is playing with Mary?'
Various thoughts raced through their heads as Gael wait for them to calm down, after a few seconds they all took their seat and then turned to Gael.
" Okay, let us say that the Goblin will fight with us, it is still not enough, " the bearded men said.
" Who said I will fight with you guys, it will just be me and Fortis, " Gael said.
" huh? Am I hearing things right, just you and that Goblin? " the bearded man asked as if he is hearing something ridiculous.
" yes just me and the Goblin, all you have to do is provide me with the information I will need and wait for the good news, " Gael said as his gaze landed on everyone sitting in front of the round table.
" Now tell everything that happened, " Gael said.