Chapter 223: Claire and Getting Back

The air was chilling and weighed heavy as the group walked back to ReUnite in the setting sun of the day.

Drake and Sah Ul' had only left a few hours ago, but were already on their way back the same day after Drake had wanted to stay out for nearly a week.

The pressing matter of his family was just within his reach and with people like Adam, vampires and the like, out and about doing anything as they pleased. Along with more being created at who knows what pace, had kicked his concern and trepidation into high gear.

He didn't want to make more excuses but it had probably been another reason he asked Sah Ul' to stay behind with the group as he went off to exterminate what he at the time assumed was Adam.

"This whole thing is a mess and only getting messier…" Drake sighed.

"What mess would that be?" Sah Ul' asked next to him, her face still showing remnants of her argument with him only a few minutes ago.

Drake was about to tell her that it was nothing but stopped himself. He had been keeping things from her, thinking he needed to shelter her from the problems that were arising, but after she explained how she had been feeling he thought better of it.

Looking behind him, seeing that no one from the group that followed them was within reasonable earshot. His Elementals that he had sent out to protect the group in a circle around the area allowing them to comfortably move through the forest on their way back to town.

Putting his hands behind his head, Drake walked with deliberate steps, the snow crunching beneath his wrapped feet.

"I haven't told you this yet Sarah, or anyone really now that I think about it. But in my tutorial there were undead," Drake explained.

"Undead? Is such a thing possible?" she asked incredulously.

"They don't have that in your culture or tutorial?" he asked interested.

"We have tales of ancestors rising from the graves in times of war and great upheaval, but it is the smallest of minorities. My trial had none of these undead you speak of."

Drake hummed, "Is that so… Well, these were a special type of undead called vampires," he continued, his eyes flashing with ferocious anger behind them despite his casual steps forward, "And the people who were in town doing naughty things were the same. Apparently, their plans are to spread their kind in our world. Which makes me wonder if they are here naturally from the fusion of worlds. Or they might be somehow artificially spreading to our world for some reason…"

Sah Ul' followed along by Drake's side listening to him, nodding slightly as he explained, her finger twirling a long braid of her hair that went past her shoulders.

"And this person… This important person in Patriarch's tutorial, did they know of these vampires?" she eventually asked, looking directly into Drake's eyes.

Drake flinched slightly as if the jig was up and it was finally time to explain himself in an interrogation room.

Where's the katsudon… He thought, his shoulders slumping by a fraction as his arms drooped down to his sides.

"Y-yeah," he answered, "That person. They were taken by them, taken from me in the tutorial and… That's one of the reasons I've been so protective I think," Drake continued, his hand turning white in his grip, thinking back on how Claire was taken in front of him by the ghouls and by extension Adam.

"Her name is Claire," he said in a soft tone, looking back at Sah Ul' trying to gauge her reaction.

"A woman?" Sah Ul' asked, prodding for a bit more information.

"Yeah, she was just another person I saved at first…"

Drake went into detail about his tutorial from that point. How he had started out alone, quickly leveling up and finding Natto. From there they began to fight more and more, saving people eventually and killing the King. After which he went on a reprieve of killing insects left and right until he faced off with an evolved Tyrant Ant Prince, nearly killing him.

"The Patriarch went through such things… Even an E-Rank that forced him to such a point?" Sah Ul' asked, not touching on Claire.

"I did. The monster nearly killed me and the other strongest in my tutorial, a man named Bjorn. Put a hole right in my chest," Drake said, pointing to right to his sternum, "Then I got a quest and blacked out. When I woke up I was healed and met someone I wish I could forget… From there I turned into the stunning, handsome, charismatic, funny man you see before you today," he smiled.

Sah Ul' gave him a bombastic side-eye.

"And this woman. She is special to you as a bonded?" she finally asked.

Drake had been dreading this question from her. Trying to concoct a way to explain to her Claire and his relationship.

"Yes. She is very special to me, I love her. And I still do," Drake said looking up to the sky, before looking into Sah Ul's eyes, "But at some point, I think you also went into that category. Maybe not love just yet, but you are very important to me Sah Ul'. Seeing you interact with the villagers and people of your clan, your adamant want to keep them safe. It reminded me of what started me on this journey of strength and desperate chase for power. I don't think I'm wrong in saying you want nothing more than to protect your family. I don't think this arranged marriage made us family right away, but," Drake grinned, "I think we might actually be a surprisingly good match."

Sah Ul's face didn't give any indication of how she felt about what Drake had said, but her lip quivered slightly as her small tusk poked in and out of her parted lips.

Drake had felt like he made a grave mistake by going into so much detail after the next few minutes passed in silence uncomfortably.

"Do humans have… Multiple bonded in t-there culture?" Sah Ul' finally asked, breaking the silence that was only filled by the crunching of footsteps in the snow and the occasional animal sounds.

"N-no, well, yes they used to… But not anymore. Polygamy isn't really a thing anymore, at least not officially… Dating culture is kinda-" Drake began explaining rapidly then stopped himself, holding up a hand and taking a breath, "No, it isn't a thing," then he put his hand to his chin thoughtfully, "Not so sure about Asuran culture though… Why? Is it acceptable in Orc Culture? I probably should have asked Natto that…" he mumbled to himself.

Sah Ul' turned her head, her cheeks reddening slightly and her hand went back to twirling her braid.

"It is acceptable in larger tribes. The tribe wishes to raise strong warriors, so the strongest warriors and Chief will sire many children. Giving birth to a strong boy is the greatest honor for an Orc Woman," she said almost longingly, her other hand going to her exposed abs.

Drake's eyes followed her hand, his body tensing as he gave an audible gulp.

"I-is that right…? B-but how do you feel about it?" he asked, bringing the conversation back to reality from his wild fantasy that was raging on in his anime harem-addled mind.

"I…" Sah Ul' started, "I do not wish to share the man I am bonded with, but I understand it is best for the tribe to have many strong descendants of the Patriarch," she explained, more to herself than to Drake before he looked up as well, her hand gripping the air, "I will have to see the woman the Patriarch has accepted. To test her strength of body and character."

Drake suddenly got a foreboding feeling from Sah Ul's explanation, making a mental note that he would have to be there when the meeting inevitably happened. Stepping in if it was necessary. Claire was a support class after all and Sah Ul' was, well, what was her class?

"By the way, what is your class Sarah?"

Sah Ul' looked back at him tilting her head slightly.

"I am an Orc Ax Master, it is a Rare Class. Would Patriarch like to see?" she offered.

"Maybe later," he said, thinking it seemed appropriate that she had an above-average class considering she had stood against him, albeit briefly.

Thinking back to the task at hand Drake addressed her again, "Looks like we won't make it back before nightfall at this rate. I think we will have to set up camp for now," he said, looking back over his shoulder at the group of people beginning to slow, "Could you check on my Elementals and clear any monsters that need to be dealt with?"

Sah Ul' frowned slightly, "Are you sending me away again?" she said, her voice slightly growling.

"No, no," Drake said waving his hands, "The exact opposite. I want to trust you more to handle yourself. If you want I could tag along," he smirked, "If you want a babysitter that is."

Sah Ul' scoffed, "I will be just fine! A warrior of my caliber needs no protection," she said proudly, folding her arms in front of her.

"Good," Drake chuckled lightly, "Then I'll handle the people here. We'll talk more ok? There's still a lot I want to know about you Sarah," he added, giving a genuine smile.

"Y-yes. I would like that Patriarch," she answered before she turned quickly and ran off.

"Oh, is she not just an earnest airhead but a drop of tsundere…?" Drake laughed wryly.

—-------------

The area Drake cleared for the group of snow and dried was packed tight by the adventurers and civilians. He was quickly running out of tents he had gathered during the tutorial now that the town was expanding so quickly and only had a few left to hand out.

Most of the tents and sleeping equipment he had was given to the civilians or the below-level 10 people and their children who had little to no resistance against the cold.

He dried and made as many fires as he could for the rest of people, but thankfully some of the adventurers had tents and sleeping equipment for themselves making it easier on Drake's stores.

After finishing the preparations he went to looking at his status, noting that nothing had changed stat or title-wise. Then he finally opened up the Nobility ladder that he had been procrastinating on for so long.

Nobility Board

#1 Drake Wallen: 1,497 Pts. Rank Baron - ReUnite

#2 Atticus Wallen: 853 Pts. Rank Lord - Purity

#3 Brett Nieudacznik: 773 Pts. Rank Lord - Uruk

#4 Shigure Kenzo: 589 Pts. Rank Knight - Shinchoku

#5 Ferdinand Smith: 255 Pts. Rank Knight - New Allied Colonies

#6 Valor Alvea: 250 Pts. Rank Knight - Avalon

#7 Pablo Cortez: 247 Pts. Rank Knight - The Wandering Isle

#8 Mirthal Farsatra: 244 Pts. Rank Knight - Naerora

#9 Suisei Yuki: 99 Pts. Rank Knight - Yuki no Kuni

#10 Grokkurim Bonegrip: 81 Pts. Rank Lord - Stone Ridge

…

..

.

Drake stared at the board for a few minutes, trying to process exactly how it worked and what was indicated outside of the obvious.

He had noticed quite a few names he recognized. Especially the ghost that was apparently his brother, which disturbed him beyond just a passing thought. If what the Doctor, Bridgette had said was even partially correct, he would not only be a large problem in the future. But also need to answer for the massive amount of people he had killed in the name of some radical cleansing that was akin to WW2 atrocities.

The thought shot a chilling bolt of lightning down his back as his hands gripped on themselves unconsciously.

Besides his brother, he had seen Shigure somewhat high on the ladder at the fourth spot respectively. And the name Brett Nieudacznik scratched at the back of Drake's head like he had heard it somewhere before but couldn't place it.

There was also a name he had not remembered hearing in the announcements of the first 100 towns established, Ferdinand Smith. And it was apparent by his town name that he may be the person whom some of the adventurers kept mentioning in passing as the new President of the scattered states.

While looking at the board he noticed the points moving upwards and downward in real time. They didn't move in large quantities, at least not his own. But his brother's was moving up at a remarkable pace, that began to worry him.

He tried to glean some more information using his inspection to look at all the parts of the board hoping something would pop up.

Nobility Points

Points are given and taken away based on Quests completed by affiliated parties or individuals to a town.

Points are gained through completed quests by affiliated parties, specified Nobility Quests, or the Nobility in charge of the respective town increases in Vessel Rank.

Points are lost if a quest is not completed by the designated time or if the accepting party has been killed.

Drake bit down on the side of his cheek as he read the description of the points, cursing in his mind.

"Just another way the system is trying to make us at odds…" he swore.

"What is, Patriarch?" Sah Ul asked, placing her huge black axe to the side, leaning on a nearby tree for a moment.

She had just returned and overheard him talking to himself. She looked at him curiously as she removed another fur shawl from her shoulders as she had gotten blood on it like the others.

Drake inspected her for a moment.

[Sah Ul' Rahk Level 23]

"You leveled up?" Drake asked, surprised.

Sah Ul' gave a toothy tusk accompanied grin, "I did. I have felt that I was on the brink of moving forward and the gods have blessed me with strength once more."

Drake gave a smile back, unable to help himself at her elation of leveling up before he turned back to the Nobility Board slightly frowning.

"This nobility thing the system gave us is… Concerning to put it mildly," Drake sighed, "It encourages nobility to grow their forces, leading to more people finishing quests and increasing their own power and nobility rank," he explained.

Sah Ul' nodded. It was painfully obvious that would be something you should do as a leader, it almost went without saying.

Drake held up a finger, "But the system also rewards you for killing other town's forces," he explained, flipping the explanation screen and pointing to the third line, "See the loss terms?"

Sah Ul' bent down slightly, her cleavage hanging seductively in front of Drake's face as she looked at the screen, scowling.

Drake looked for a moment before he ripped his eyes away reluctantly, finding interest in a rock on the ground.

"This is certainly a problem," she agreed, "Our warriors will be in danger from both monsters and invaders… How are we going to protect them from scheming tribes?" she asked.

Drake scratched his cheek, "Honestly, I don't know right now. I think the best thing to do at the moment is just to advise all affiliated adventurers to not make their affiliation known without reason. I'm sure quite a few of the other towns are hunting people just for that very reason if the tutorials are anything to go by," he said solemnly.

What I'm more worried about is specific quests to do just that. The rate at which Atticus is gaining points doesn't seem normal. If every point is a quest completed it would mean he is completing quests every few hours and even with thousands of people that doesn't seem right… Drake pondered.

Sah Ul' had righted herself, stowing her coat and ax before she sat down next to Drake, closing her eyes as she folded her arms.

He looked at her surprised. She had suddenly become very comfortable with him after their fight. And he was sure she didn't need to sleep, being a warrior with most likely formidable Stamina.

But he kept to himself, fiddling around with his screens and inventory as he let the sound of her even cadenced breaths, crackling of campfires, and the occasional rustle of tent flaps fill his ears while the night droned on.

—--------

The next morning, Drake roused everyone quickly. They had used another day due to the mass of people, but he didn't want to waste any more time.

He hurried the group, helping where he could as he refreshed his Elementals from the previous day. Drake could keep them out for extended periods of time, but if they fought regularly the mana he infused into them would be drained eventually breaking the spell.

"How close are we to this town?" someone finally asked on their march back.

Drake turned to look over his shoulder, the person flinching slightly at his gaze.

It was a small boy in a winter coat no older than 14.

"Pretty close. Where are your parents?" Drake asked.

"Don't have em," the kid replied.

"Name?"

"Daniel…" the boy said, shuffling under his coat slightly.

"Well Daniel, when we get there we have schools or at least I hope we do. So I hope you enjoy having homework again," Drake teased.

The boy groaned, kicking a bit of snow.

"All this magic stuff and you go and bring back homework? Those people are right, you are crazy…"

Drake chuckled a bit, hearing Sah Ul' give a small giggle.

"That's true, but," Drake said, holding up a finger a small thunderous snapping to life as he summoned a spark at its tip, "I think crazy in this world is probably good for most things."

The boy's eyes sparkled at the magic.

Drake squelched the magic in his grip, pointing forward, the black walls he had erected coming into view.

"Ah see? Here we are."

Before Drake could turn to address the group, the sound of someone falling from the sky ripped through the air behind him. A second later he was flattened face-first into the ground.

"Dddddrrrrrraaaaaakkkkeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the colorful girl shouted as she nuzzled into his neck from on top of him.

Drake struggled to lift his head, snow sticking to it as he spit out a clump of dirt, grass, and snow.

"H-hi Quetz… I'm back," he chuckled wryly.