Chief of the Tribe

The forest is engulfed in the darkness of night except for a certain spot. The five of them walk toward that spot and the silence of the night gradually disappears. From afar, the camp is simply a collection of tents made from leaves and twigs.

'I really became small.' Adrian thought. He has arrived at the camp. As their feet step into the area, all the activities cease. Hundreds of pairs of eyes are directed at them.

No, they are looking at Adrian. An extra Dunirr who they don't know of. They are wary, scared and quite hostile toward him.

Adrian decided to ease the situation by smiling and waving his hand at them. However, it proves to be a stupid move. Some start to grab the weapon near them.

'Don't tell me they're actually practising cannibalism.' Adrian wants to smash his head on the rock. How can he forget that possibility.

"Calm down everyone." Haja opened his mouth. "He is with me so put down your weapon. I can bet my life that he won't do you any harm."

The situation eases a bit but it doesn't mean they let their guard down.

"Follow me, Adrian. Let's meet the chief," said Haja.

Both of them walk to the centre of the camp. There is a bigger tent there. It signifies its owner status which rests above the other. Adrian starts to get nervous. Haja didn't tell him anything about the chief along their way back to the camp. He lacks knowledge about their culture. What if he does something out of line? What if he acts disrespectfully without realising it? And what if...

"Relax, the chief is a kind person." Haja tries to reassure him.

"If you say so." Adrian took a deep breath. Trying to relax despite his heartbeat beating loudly.

Haja opened his mouth, "Chief, I have returned."

"Come in, Haja."

Both Haja and Adrian enter the tent which surprises the chief. His eyes stay on Adrian.

The chief has white hair, a moustache and a beard. He looks like a wise sage who knows every knowledge in the world. Adrian guesses that he might be in his fifties. He is wearing animal skin that is sophisticated. Despite wearing clothes made of the same animal skin, the chief's clothes don't look simple at all. Totally different from the people he met outside.

The chief didn't say anything about him. Instead, he speaks to Haja, "Did you find any threats in the area around our camp?"

Haja shook his head, "Fortunately, we haven't found any possible threats." He pointed at Adrian, "However, we found this Dunirr."

"Who is this Dunirr, Haja?"

Adrian stays silent. He let Haja answer the question for him, "His name is Adrian Brine. We found him unconscious beside a strange monolith."

"Monolith?" Chief's eyes widened. He asked Haja again, "Can you tell me in detail?"

Haja nods. He starts to recall everything from his departure until his return to the camp. The chief keenly listens to Haja's story. He doesn't want to miss even a single word.

After finishing his narrative, the chief nods. He gives a short response, "I see."

He looks at Adrian and reaches out his hand. Adrian quickly grabs and shakes his hand. He doesn't want to be labelled as rude since he might need to spend the rest of his life living with them.

The chief then introduces himself. "Nice to meet you, Adrian. My name is Tombas. I have been chief of this tribe for more than seventy years."

"Nice to meet- ", Adrian's mind went blank for a moment. "Wait! What? Seventy years? How old are you?"

"I am 110 years old."

"How is that even possible?" Adrian asked. That exceeds the average human lifespan.

Haja looks at him confusedly "What's so weird about it? Normal Dunirr can leave up to 300 years old." Haja begins to ask, "Where have you lived all this time, Adrian?"

Facing Haja's question, Adrian doesn't know how to reply. His lack of common sense can't be hidden. This world is just too different.

"Hahaha," the chief laughed. "There is no need to interrogate him, Haja. He is not from this place."

"What do you mean by that?" Tombas's words make Adrian curious.

"The monolith where you pass out was called Khizo Monolith. Until now, nobody can decipher the words engraved on it. But we do however know what it does."

"What is it?"

"Transporting people from another world."

"Wha-" Tombas make a hand gesture to stop Adrian from asking. "I know what you wanna ask so let me explain. According to our tribe's record, there are several occasions where the living being was transported here. Human, elf, dragonkin, orc and arachnid. Each one of them brings a change to their counterpart races here."

"I see. But I'm just a normal human in my previous world. I don't think I have what it takes to change anything. Furthermore, why do I transmigrate here as Dunirr?" Adrian asks.

Tombas shrugged, "I don't know. I thought you were a Dunirr."

"No, I'm not."

"If that is the case, it can only be one possible answer. There are no species as or resemble Dunirr that exist in another world." Tombas tell his hypothesis.

Adrian involuntarily raised his hand, "I have another question. If this monolith can transfer people from another world, why there are no races claiming it? I mean, they might get somebody exceptional to help them rise above others."

"It's not like they didn't want to but they can't locate the monolith. Whenever someone got transported here, their first move is to get out of this dense forest. Won't you do the same?"

"Yeah..." Adrian slowly replies. The reason he is still in the forest is that he is unconscious during his arrival here. If the opposite happens, he is most likely to find a way out from this Amazon-like forest and seek a settlement.

Tombas continue, "Moreover, if you come here as a human, Haja will not show himself and hide from you to conceal their existence. Only Dunirr is living in this forest, scattering in various locations that we ourselves don't even know where."

"Why is that?"

"Because we run away from other species, especially humans. Human believes that Dunirr is the key to increasing their lifespan or immortality. They often hunt us down to do some crazy experiment with our blood. Apparently, some of them outright consume us as food." Tombas laughs, "Hahaha, we are the high-grade and rare ingredient material used in cooking. Royalty and nobles alike all desire us. Don't you feel proud, Haja?"

Haja just gives the chief a polite smile. Even Adrian could sense the sadness in that laugh. His curiosity hasn't satiated yet, so he continues asking, "What about other species?"

"Elf doesn't care much about lifespan but they do find us as a cute little doll for their children. Orcs hunt us because they believe consuming us can increase their fertility and pregnancy rate. As for Drakonic, we rarely heard about them hunting us down."

Adrian took a deep breath, "Damn, so Dunirr has been hunted down from every direction?"

"Yes. Now, do you understand our situation? That's why deep here. In the forest, we only need to be wary of animals. They don't have greed or intelligence."