Chapter 72: Welcome to our Village

Monsters were abominations, creatures that didn’t obey the laws of nature. They had no spirit energy, barely felt pain, and had extremely grotesque bodies. Most importantly, they operated on pure instinct.

So the thought of them being scared had never crossed any of their minds. Wild animals and Beasts were at least intelligent. They knew what danger was, could retreat or attack when threatened, and could be accepting of people if helped.

But monsters would attack their own by mistake and not stop until either party is killed.

"Are you sure? I mean, these are monsters we’re talking about. They don’t really get scared. They scare us!" Viren couldn’t imagine what would scare monsters. Whatever it was, it had to be capable of instilling pure fear into the creatures.

"Look where we’re at. This area is home to many beasts, yet I don’t see or sense a single one here. In fact, I didn’t even see a single beast in the forest." Kanan remembered

Telah looked around, noticing the same thing. "Shit, he’s right. The monsters must have made this place their new home. This does look like a nest."

"If monsters made this place their home, then the food chain would shift greatly. Beasts may be powerful, but monsters are on a different level." Selin’s face had a bit of fear on it. But her warrior side managed to mostly hide that expression.

Kanan raised his hand to stop everyone from speaking about the potential dangers. "Let’s not worry about this right now. We should make haste to the Typhon Tribe’s Village. If there truly is a dangerous creature out there, we should get their people to safety first."

"Really, Kanan? You were the one who brought it up." Selin started to poke his cheek again.

"H-Hey, I was just... fine, fine, my bad. Can we carry on now?"

---

Traveling over the mountain didn’t take much time, thanks to everyone being on the lower side of it. Telah, Helgen, and Viren commanded the spirit of earth, allowing for easier travel as well, so the mountain trek was a breeze.

Kanan made a mental note to take someone who could manipulate earth with him next time. Viola would be his first pick, but she was too busy being pregnant with his child.

Though the mountain trek was a breeze, everything else that came after was not. They were on the dangerous side of the mountain, so monsters were roaming everywhere.

The sight was both breathtaking and gut-wrenching. There were many, way too many monsters lurking beyond the mountain.

There were so many of them that they had to step over each other just to walk in a straight line, as their numbers reached the digits Kanan didn’t know how to count to. It was as if they had stepped into a hornet’s nest.

"What a horrendous sight," Selin muttered. "And we have to go through this?"

"No, this is just one of the few places where monster nests have uncontrolled population growth. Look, they’re eating each other just to survive. You’re lucky the hole in the mountain doesn’t exist on this side."

Kanan didn’t know why there was a hole in the first place, besides what Nala had told him, but he was grateful that it was there instead of here.

"Come, follow me and follow closely. Walk where I walk, move where I move, and don’t make any sudden noises unless you wish to be the next meal those monsters eat."

Telah led the way, carefully planning her next step while ensuring that no monsters were in their vicinity.

It had been a while since Kanan used stealth tactics, something he used when hunting. Oh, how he missed those days.

’Everything was so simple back then.’ And that was only a little over three months ago.

Because they traveled so carefully, it took them more than three days to reach the clearing, where they could finally continue their journey without the threat of being hunted down by one of those grotesque monsters.

Another day passed before they finally arrived at the village, or at least what could generously be called one.

There was no fence, no gate, or any sort of boundary to protect the people from outside threats. A mud wall was present, but that was nothing against Beasts, especially monsters.

Seeing this sight, Jol couldn’t help but feel superior. After all, their village had a massive wall around it. "Lo and Behold, the great village of the mighty Typhon Tribe."

"You!" It was Telah who was angered this time, eager to put Jol in his place, especially after saving him.

Kanan stepped forward to save Jol from the beating he was about to get. "Hey, stop it. Jol, stop acting like a child. It’s embarrassing."

"S-Sorry."

"I don’t want you to be sorry; I want you to be better."

That hit deep, deeper than any insult.

"Telah, you three head to the village and inform them of everything. We’ll wait here for the response. Don’t wanna cause any trouble, especially when your people are most likely wondering what’s taking so long."

"I understand. Let’s go."

As Telah, Helgen, and Viren left, Jol made a wall of ice around him, Selin, and Kanan, while Selin made a fire for their temporary camp.

"Do you think they’ll comply?" She asked

"No, but they won’t have a choice."

Jol scoffed. "I understand that it was Lord Nemean’s will, but come on, taking them in? Kanan, surely you can talk some sense into them."

Whether today happened to have bad weather or not, the sound of thunder rumbled with the sudden flash of lightning, making Kanan and Selin turn to Jol with angered expressions.

"The gods can hear us, Jol!" Selin scowled. "Think before you speak next time."

"Jol, you aren’t the only one who lost someone due to the Typhon Tribe. My whole blood family was killed by both of their attacks prior to this one. Don’t think that I don’t hold resentment just because I’m being respectful."

"I-I know. And I’m sorry. It’s just that...I can’t forgive them for what they did to my sister!"

"No one is asking you to forgive or forget. Just don’t let your emotions get in the way of what our Gods wish for us to do."

"I will try my best."