Godfather's System

028. Crucible - 5

So, what's next," I asked even as I glanced at the camp of the Reds. The first thing I noticed was several carts and wagons, several people loading boxes, while others were gathering some large, pavilion-like tents.

"It seems that we have our next job, scouting the path and creating an advance line," he said. "We don't want any monster to directly attack the camp."

"Naturally," I answered. I didn't ask any questions while I tried to avoid the huge crowd, I had already seen the other caravans using a similar strategy while moving. Probably to make sure there were no ambushing beasts on the way especially with my own experience with the huge ambushing monster which came from the deep.

Instead of asking questions that would keep my newest ally distracted from his job and, on the off chance, trigger his suspicion I stayed at the edge of the camp while he walked inside. I used the opportunity to examine the camp more in detail.

The state of the tents and carts was certainly better than the smaller ones I had seen, with many of them being pulled by beasts of burden rather than by people.

Another change was the attitude. Despite the great challenge they were facing, the people were less tense. Occasionally I'd hear laughter drifting over while people gathered around several large fires, radiating the smell of wood smoke and fresh bread.

Luxury compared to whatever off-cut beasts that I had paid to consume according to the pleasant expression they had suggested. I didn't walk forward, not yet. I didn't want to mingle without Jertann distracting others with his attention-grabbing presence.

I continued looking around, taking other details. Even with the semblance of organization, there were no uniforms or other equipment that would give a sense of gathering except the red band everyone except me was wearing. That made me draw a few curious looks, but it seemed that people were not curious enough to badger me about it.

It didn't take long for Jertann to arrive, and when he did, he was accompanied by three other people. A young man who was almost as tall as him though lacking in muscle size, carrying a bow and a spear; a young boy who barely cleared five feet and too young to have facial hair carrying a sword; and a young woman with a large braid coming down her shoulder, who was shorter but no less muscular than Jertann, armed with an axe.

A motley crew.

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"So, he's the newest recruit," the young woman spoke first, her tone abrasive. The moment Jertann nodded, she took a step forward. "What do you want, old man," she growled. "You might have tricked this idiot but " she growled angrily before Jertann stepped in.

"Sorry about that, Euon. Silas has a habit of worrying too much," he said hurriedly, defending me exaggeratedly, which earned a thoughtful glance from his tall friend, who was clearly more observant than the others.

"Someone had to worry for you, or you'll end up duped again," Silas said with a growl when she looked at me. "I know you're under pressure to put a better team to keep us safe, but an old man would just be trouble. Look at him, he doesn't even have a proper weapon."

That statement was enough to confirm that she was lacking in observation, as while my dagger was not pristine, even after the grueling day it had gone through, it was a better weapon than the metal slab that she called an axe.

Perception was useful.

"Don't worry Jertann, she's right about questioning me," I said. "I'm actually not from this forsaken corner of the world, but I was one of the guards for a merchant caravan," I said.

"And, why are you here and not with the merchants," she said.

"Because those idiots decided to think that looting the empty settlements until their carts hardly move was a smart thing to do, so I resigned " I said, only to be interrupted by a sudden attack from behind.

It was the youngest of the group, swinging his sword wildly even as he rushed forward from the side, fast enough for me to believe he had the speed. It was clearly a test swing, one wouldn't have been treating even without the healing capabilities I had. An examination that I didn't appreciate, and if the attacker wasn't fourteen years old, I might have reacted more violently.

Instead, I just pulled my dagger and responded with a similar swing, making sure I completed the swing to copy their skill-driven attacks. Parrying had been almost trivial, as while the boy had the speed, he didn't have the strength to follow up once I deflected his blow, and followed with a kick to the stomach.

The other three, including Jertann, pulled their weapons, ready to defend the little kid, but I sheathed my dagger, looking as non-threatening as possible as I looked at the young boy. "So, do I pass your test, young man?" I asked with an amenable tone.

"Barely," he growled. "I wasn't prepared," he grumbled as he stood up, and seeing there was no permanent damage, others relaxed.

"Brother," Jertann growled in anger. "What did I tell you about impulsiveness?"

Silas smirked as she looked at Jertann after his words. "Really, you're saying that," she chuckled, but Jertann ignored her very pointedly.

After helping his young brother to stand up, Jertann looked at the rest of the group. "As you can see, Euon can hold himself in a fight, and we don't have the luxury of being too picky in the first place." As he said that, he threw an apologetic gaze at me, one that was noticed by both Silas and the tall man.

Only years of experience held me back from shaking my head in amusement. Luckily, I hadn't told him anything that I was afraid of being revealed. There were even benefits of others recognizing the discrepancies in his actions. That way, they would grill him about my true identity which was important to avoid awed questions about warrior class. It wasn't the only way, certainly. Just the easiest one.

The first rule about lying, the less one talked, the easier it was to maintain the subterfuge.

Especially on a topic that I knew very little about.

I watched Jertann admonish his little brother for a while before the tall man interrupted. "It's all well and good, but maybe we should start moving," he delivered in a deadpan, unamused tone, though I could still see the amusement dancing in his gaze.

Interesting man.

"Terma, go and pick us some bread, and we can leave," Jertann ordered.

"Why should I?" the kid answered.

"Take it as your punishment," Jertann answered, and under his glare, the kid nodded, though my Perception was enough to catch his mumbling, including a couple of rather interesting curses. Jertann, unaware of that, turned toward me once more. "That was Terma, my little brother, and this is Silas, my lovely neighbor, and my childhood friend" he explained.

"Charmed," I said even as I looked at her, and she avoided my genial gaze.

"And, last but not least, my greatest enemy, Karak," he said as he pointed at the tall man, who nodded with a soft smile, giving me the impression that it was more of a fun childhood rivalry.

I nodded back. Before we could even finish our discussion, Terma had returned with a small bag, radiating a nice smell. Nothing complicated, just some bread and cheese, but after the horrible, disgusting stews I had to eat, they smelled heavenly.

When Terma passed one, I took a bite, enjoying the taste. It was even better than an ordinary sandwich back in my world, and it was leagues better than the stew I had paid a lot to enjoy. Mostly because I didn't feel any of that destructive energy radiating off the food.

Unfortunately, while it was much more delicious, it wasn't as strong in terms of the energy it contained. The magical warmth was significantly lower. I couldn't measure it exactly, but I did not doubt that, once I finished it, I would barely gain a few points.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked as I accompanied them toward the edge of the camp, the exact opposite of the direction I had arrived at the camp, to the direction of the future movement.

"Nothing complicated," Jertann answered. "Our task is to stay at least an elatriss away from the camp, make sure we deal with as many monsters as we could manage, and identify, and report if there's any monster with charm."

I had no idea what an elatriss was, but the context implied that it was a measurement of distance. And, considering the distance between the groups that were operating around the other caravans, it should be something they use for great distances, probably somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand yards.

"You mean, alert the others by dying to a charm monster," Silas interrupted, rather unhappy about the situation.

"We don't have any other option. Either that, or they attack the caravan. And can you imagine the disaster it would trigger if they got in the camp?"

"We have an alternative. Why doesn't one of those fat village lords come along to help us? What use are their abilities if they are not willing to use them right now," she answered. "But no," they want to just laze around in there while we die for their protection," she added, pointing at one of the larger caravans in the middle of the larger formation, several miles away from us. "We just have a snot-nosed brat too lazy to leave his tent."

As she growled, Jertann looked around hesitantly, trying to see if there was anyone around who might hear her. "Come on Silas, don't be like that. One day, your loose tongue will get you in trouble. We're not in the village anymore."

"Yes, city nobles are a different breed," Karak contributed, his tone was calm, but he was clearly a man of few words, which made it impactful.

"I don't care," Silas muttered, but after that last rebellion, she stayed silent. We continued to walk, and as we reached the edge of the camp, the attraction of the huge bonfire started to lessen.

"Make sure to finish your food," Jertann said to his brother even as he passed the last sandwich to me. "It's going to be a long day, and you'll need the energy. And we don't want monsters focusing on us."

"Yes, brother."

I followed the suggestion as well. It was hardly a chore, especially since it seemed that Vitality or maybe one of my other stats helped me to digest the food much quicker, preventing the feeling of being bloated.

Not exactly enough to compensate for living in a world filled with monsters, but when life dealt you a bad hand, every little bit counted