Chapter 70: Journey beyond the tribe

Elder Hal made his way around the village to inform the other Elders and the Chief about the plan to bring over the other Typhon Tribesmen. Kanan was planning on doing it, but Elder Hal told him that he already had a lot on his plate, so there was no need to have it overflow.

You could see the weight on Kanan’s shoulders lift after he heard those words. Every day he was thankful to have amazing elders like Hal, Nala, Lars, and Trena.

It was unfortunate that Elder Warren wasn’t here to see how great the village had become in just a few months.

Normalcy had returned to the village, though people were still on edge about adopting the Typhon Tribe. It was only thanks to Nemean’s words that no one was openly vocal about it. Well, loud.

Thanks to said normalcy, routines had returned to normal: farmers farming, hunters hunting, guards guarding, and so on.

"Kanan? What brings you here today? Hmm? Don’t tell me you want to patrol the outskirts with me today while playing with my butt again, huh?" Selin teased while poking his cheek.

"Ahem, n-no. Although that sounds nice, that’s not why I’m here. I’ll be escorting some of the Typhon Tribesmen back to their village before bringing them to our own. Lord Nemean’s orders. I was looking for someone to come along with me, someone I can trust to have my back."

Selin’s eyes lit up, then darkened. She was grateful that Kanan trusted her that much. It was an honor to be in the good graces of the Village Shaman, though it might have been this way since she’d known him since childhood.

But hearing that he was going to the Typhon Tribe’s village personally put a bad taste in her mouth.

"I don’t like this. You’re too important to go personally."

Kanan understood how she felt, and truthfully, he agreed. He didn’t feel as if he were higher in status than anyone in the village, but there were times when he would cry in his head and beg for his status to save him from harsh trials.

Alas, this time, no amount of crying would save him.

"That’s why I’m having you accompany me. I trust that you’ll have my back. Besides, the Typhon Tribesmen already know that if they do anything to me, then their whole tribe will be exterminated."

"Oh? Wouldn’t that be going against Lord Nemean’s wishes?"

That was true. Nemean didn’t give Kanan any conditions for taking in the Nemean tribe if something happened to him.

"Meh, it’s whatever. I’m sure he’ll understand." At least he hoped

’I hope I’m not struck down by lightning while minding my business one day. Lord Nemean, I mean no disrespect, please don’t smite me!’

"Don’t worry, Kanan. I’ll make sure to protect you so you won’t have to go against our Lord’s words."

"Thanks. I knew I could rely on you."

"That’s right. But before we go, let’s get one more person to protect you, okay?"

---

The outside of the village wasn’t a sight Kanan was used to seeing. For his whole life, he had been under the protection of the village gate, the previous one that was nothing more than a small fence, and the natural boundary that was the forest, river, and mountains.

"We moved over the mountain to avoid being spotted by your lookouts. But since we don’t need to do that anymore, we’ll take the short way back to the village." Telah explained as they trekked through dense trees.

Selin looked around. "You live over the mountain, right? I heard from Kanan that your previous village has been destroyed and you had to relocate."

"That is correct. The Verminus Plant destroyed our old village, so we had to move beyond the safety of the mountain."

"Hmph, you all should have just died out there," Jol growled

’And so it begins.’ Kanan sighed. The beef their tribes had wouldn’t go away overnight; he knew this, but he had hoped to at least have a conflict-free journey to the Typhon Tribe’s village.

"Nemean bastard!"

"Helgan!" Telah hissed

"No! He’s the one who insulted us first! At least their Shaman showed us proper respect. Don’t think that our loss means that we will tolerate your disrespect! We’re still warriors!"

"Warriors who lost badly against us. Tell me, who’s taking you in again?"

"Heh, I saw your battle with Tagah and how he nearly killed you two. You should be thanking your Chief for saving your pathetic lives."

Kanan was not on the Typhon Tribe’s side at all, but even he felt that low blow.

’Come on, Jol, don’t tell me you’re gonna take that?’

"Oh? Me? At least I was fighting against a great warrior. What about you? You were beaten by one of our greenhorns who’s only been a warrior for three months! Not even their formal training is complete."

’Ohohoho! That’s what I’m talking about, Jol! Beat his ass!’

"For your information, I’m only 17 winters old, so I’m not a seasoned warrior like you, Nemean bastard."

’Fuck! Jol, he got you on that one.’

"Whatever. At least I would have died with honor by a true warrior." Jol growled

"More like a pitiful man in a healing hut."

"Oh, that does it!"

Jol summoned ice while Helgen channeled the spirit of fire. The spirit energy coming from both individuals was intense, but it was clear that Jol was the stronger opponent, as the spirit of fire was already fading from the cool air.

Conflicts like these were going to be the new normal for the foreseeable future, but Kanan had no interest in letting a full-on fight break out.

"Hey, that’s enough." He said in a serious tone, the pure spirit energy of Kanan’s blessing overwhelming Jol’s own.

Telah had also stepped in to stop Helgan. She knew that he would be fighting a losing battle and had no interest in seeing another one of her people die.

Jol couldn’t believe Kanan. He was one of them, yet he was standing up for the people who killed their own. "You’re taking their side?"

"Jol, I respect you as a warrior and as someone I look up to, but if you do not get yourself together, I’ll ensure that you suffer consequences for your actions. We are on a mission given to us by our God. Do not forget that."

Jol clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He had no choice but to obey his Shaman, and obey he did.

"I understand."

As they continued on their journey, Telah mouthed her thanks to Kanan, only receiving a nod as a response.