Chapter 8: Things Have Changed

Millen woke up after an hour of recuperating, only to find the dragon staring at him.

"It seems that your body can now take on this plain form, but I guess it is better than being just a suit of armour all the time. The crest on your forehead is quite stylish if I say so myself." Velmorta commented.

"I guess all of that time did not go to waste. I finally feel like I have a normal body, but I still lack basic features. That is fine though, I can live without them." Millen responded.

"Velmorta, it is time I go now. I will make sure to visit, but I think I must leave before my mind finally breaks."

"Fair enough, not even I can stay in this cave for a Millenia straight. Goodbye Little Millen, I hope all goes well with your new body! And make sure to bring your sword with you!"

Millen waved his friend goodbye, taking his Millenia old sword and finally left the cave. Upon leaving the cave, he found that the forest had not changed too much without him, it was still as green as it was a thousand years ago. The sense of magicules in the air felt much more faint than it was in the cave, feeling like only a small fraction of what he was used to.

"First thing to do: start a business/organisation."

Millen proceeded to travel to the area that the goblin village used to be, making his way there within the hour, slowly sneaking his way through the trees. As he arrived at the site, he only found nothing but bones and wolves on the premises. It seemed like the goblin presence in this clearing was long extinguished, leaving room for others to take over. However, the bones did not look old, even from that distance Millen could feel that the feeling of death was fresh.

"!!!"

The wolves turned their attention to the protagonist, immediately approaching the protagonist cautiously.

"Great one, what business do you have here?" A strong looking wolf asked.

"First of all, who are you?" Millen asked.

"I do not have a name, I am simply the pack leader of the 'Claw Wolves'." The wolf spoke.

"Great one, I ask again, why are you in such a remote place?" The leader asked.

"I am here to research my surroundings, may I ask where do those bones come from?"

"We hunted a group of fang boars, successfully scoring a prize." The leader boasted.

Millen inspected the claw marks on the bones, finding each mark to be quite deep, cutting a few centimetres into the bones.

"You seem to be great hunters, would you please duel me?" Millen requested.

"Great one, have we done something to offend you?" The leader asked as he started to sweat.

"If I subdue you, all of you shall become my subordinates." Millen announced.

"WE SURRENDER!!!! ONLY A FOOL WOULD FIGHT YOU, O GREAT ONE!" The pack shouted in unison.

"Very good."

Millen started to understand a bit about the power balance of the forest from his new subordinates, learning that the group was only a small pack that had been struggling because of the disappearance of the guardian deity. Because of this, other wolf packs have invaded the area, depriving them of their bigger prey. They also informed him of the current main powers being the orcs, Lizardmen, and ogres.

"Thank you for the information. It seems I cannot just call of you 'you', so I will hand out names his instant!" Millen announced.

"ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS, GREAT ONE!!??!"

"Yes, now line up."

The first one was the leader. Millen already knew that this ritual would boost his subordinates' powers by miles, considering it a great long-term investment. The protagonist had plans already, and these wolves were now a central piece for his plans. They would be the first of many to become part of his ideal organisation.

"You will be named 'Bastion'."

"Thank you great one, I will serve you even if it means death!"

With the gift of a name, the ties of the wolves to their new master became stronger than that of family. This was the birth of the 'Tempered Wolves'.