Chapter 3: Part 2: Battle for the Butterflies
The pressure that was holding them down suddenly vanished.
Even after the departure of their masters, their revered creators, no one raised their heads. After a while, someone sighed in relief. The tense atmosphere was gone.
The first to get up was Cyril. His white outfit was stained from where his knees would had touched the ground, but he did not mind.
After seeing Cyril rise the others followed suit.
"As expected of our great lords, to think their presence would have such an effect on us Guardians..." someone stated.
"As our masters their might overmatches ours, but I didn't expect them to be this powerful." someone replied.
This the Guardians shared with one another their impressions of the players.
"They really showed their ability as our absolute rulers. The zenith of the beings in Thule. Our kind masters who have remained with us until now." Cyril stated.
His face took on a blissful and ecstatic look.
The other Guardians agreed with his sentiments and his happy tone.
The Guardians, no every entity in Thule wanted nothing more than to aid their masters in any way. The next best thing was to receive their masters trust and to be treated as a useful servant.
"Then, I shall take my leave first. I will accompany the ships patrolling around the island, just in case they encounter any possible threat." Araysh stated, waiting for a response.
Cyril then snapped out of his delusion of helping his masters personally.
"I understand. Then, Araysh, see to it that you notify me immediately if you do encounter sort of problem."
"I understand, Cyril. Then I will not waste too much time here. Forgive my abrupt departure, everyone I bid you all good luck."
After saying his farewells to the other Guardians, he then stepped through a portal to do his work.
" Well then, we should probably proceed with our own tasks. Cyril can you give us the orders? There is much to do later on." stated the red suited Malthus with a grin on his face.
"Indeed. I'll handle the activation of the fog to conceal Thule." he responded.
The other three Guardians nodded.
"Now, firstly—"
___________________________________________________________________________________
Part 2
Two hours have passed since we decided to stay in one of the rooms of Newcastle to check some things out.
Heasia and Menvra were sitting on the couch and eating the meal that was delivered by one of the maids.
It was around an hour ago when Heasia decided to see what would happen if she ordered the npcs to bring food up to our room since she was almost out of snacks.
Mok was on the other side of the room still checking out his weapons.
Morro was currently seated in front of the table with Parisa standing next to him. She and him were using Remote Viewing Mirror to see the area that was surrounding the island. After seeing only the ships the were on patrol, they decided to see farther out.
There was a chance they would find some clues as to where the hell they were.
Finally, an image of what seemed to be an island came into view.
It was roughly a few hundred kilometers north of Thule. It was filled with trees and hills and oddly enough, smoke could be seen from the island.
As Morro and Parisa zoomed in towards island, they saw that the smoke originated from a settlement in the island. It wasn't some ordinary bonfire that they both had thought off when they realized it came from a village of sorts. They felt something was amiss.
"...Is it a festival?" asked Parisa, trying to make sense of the people that were running in and out of their houses at this time of the night.
"No, that's not a festival." responded Morro.
They continued looking at the display, at this time Mok walked over to them having finish his weapon inspection.
"What are you two looking at?" he asked.
"We've found other people in a village in an island north of us." Morro stated.
"Oh for real? Let me see." Mok replied.
He looked at the mirror and what was happening to the village.
Shabby looking men wearing ragged clothing swinging their swords at the defenseless people, dragging some of them towards the beach.
It was much like a massacre.
Some of the villagers ran but were pursued by the men. There were a few ships at the coast which most likely belonged to the men with swords.
Morro looked at the image with disgust and a small hint of anger found its way into his heart but was slightly dispersed by his undead immunity to emotional and mental effects.
Mok and Parisa on the other hand did not bother to hide their anger and disgust at the situation that was being displayed in front of them.
"This is terrible." stated Parisa, talking through her teeth.
"How can people actually do something like this?!" exclaimed Mok.
"Do what?" asked Heasia.
She got up from the couch and was followed by Menvra.
Both of them see the look at the image that was being displayed.
The ragged men assaulting the villagers, the houses burning and men ,women and children being dragged away from the burning settlement.
Heasia's face showed no emotion but her words were enough to show how she felt.
"This is distasteful." she stated, the disgust in her voice quite apparent.
"—Th— that's horrible!" exclaimed Menvra.
The horror of the images she was seeing was too much for her.
Seeing this Heasia, put both her hands on the short girls shoulders as a way to calm her down. She couldn't show it on her face but the anger that she felt in her heart was starting to grow much larger, like a flame wanting to burn away those that would terrify her sweet and innocent friend.
"Chief come on, we need to do something." stated Mok, his determination was quite obvious.
Morro thought of for a few seconds. He weighed the consequences of the actions that they would make if they were to interfere and help. After that he spoke up.
"I don't think it's in our best interest to interfere with these people ourselves."
Those words surprised Mok.
"Chief what are you saying?! There attacking defenseless civilians, we need to help these people." he said trying to convince his leader.
"Mok, you need to understand what Morro means." Parisa interjected.
"Huh?"
"He's saying it's dangerous for us to engage with these people when we know little of what they're capable of." she finished.
"So what if we don't know what they can do, we can't just stand by and not do anything while they're doing that!" he replied while pointing at the displayed image of the mirror.
"Mok." called out Morro.
He then looked at him straight in the eyes.
"The safety of everyone here in this room is our priority. Nothing more." he explained.
Mok wanted to argue but he just bit his lip. He knew what his friend had just said was correct. They didn't know anything besides that they were now in a different place from the game and that the possibility of them getting harmed was high.
Then Menvra spoke up.
"—W-we need to help them!" she exclaimed.
She was going to say more then the hand on her right shoulder tapped her and she looked at the white haired Heasia.
"Chief's words are correct Menvra. It's simply to dangerous for us to go and put ourselves in between those people." Heasia stated.
Then she pulled her into a hug. She couldn't say anything, she just stayed quite and hugged the taller woman. Sadness and despair were what she felt at that moment then someone spoke up.
"That said I don't think we should stay idle while such circumstances are presented to us." Morro stated.
All eyes were on him now. They were hanging on his every word, waiting on the conclusion of his statement.
"Let's send a few guards and see how they'll fair against these scum." he finished.
"Agreed. Sooner or later we will be forced to see just how we equate to others who inhabit this place that we've been brought to." added Heasia.
"Umu' if they prove too much for the Guards to handle, then we'll pull them back and try to gather more information." Parisa chimed in.
"Alright! Then I'm going too, Menvra can you make a portal to that village?" asked Mok.
"—Y-yes!" she answered then turned to an empty spot in the room and created a portal.
"Idiot! Didn't you hear what Morro just said? It's dangerous for us to go ourselves, that's why we're sending the Guards." Parisa stated.
"You guys said we need to see just how strong these guys are, then I'm going to test my strength against these bastards." Mok replied.
"Can't you hear how idiotic you sound right now? It's too dangerous, we'll use the Guards to see how they fare against them and then we'll move." Parisa stated, the irritation in her voice quite evident.
Morro was thinking of all the things they were saying. It was true that it would be too dangerous for him and his friends to go there but right now their only source of information was the village that was being attacked. Even if they come across the ones attacking he wasn't really to keen on working with people who would attack and kill defenseless people.
There was some sense in what Mok had just spoken. If the Guards were to fall then they needed to know if they could actually fight and protect themselves against the people who inhabit the place that they've been brought to. After contemplating the actions they could take he spoke up.
"Mok and I will go to the village, you three will stay here and prepare to create a portal in case they prove to be too much for us."
"What!" exclaimed Parisa.
"Alright Chief! Now that's what I'm talking about." Mok stated.
"Wait...wait a minute! You said we needed to be careful since we don't know anything. Why the hell are you agreeing with this muscledhead to go that village?" asked Parisa, still confused as to why Morro would risk something like this.
"It's like Mok said, we need to see how we compare to these people. If the both of us can't take them on, then we'll promptly retreat." Morro replied.
"You can't be serious?"
"Parisa, I agree that it's dangerous but just as like we said, we need information and the people of that village are our only source of information at this moment." Heasia interjected.
"But its—" Parisa tried to say something but was cut off.
"Don't worry, Menvra will immediately creat a portal for them to escape through if it turns to dangerous for them to fight." Heasia stated while patting the short girls head.
"Y—yes, I'll make sure to make one if they need it." replied Menvra.
After hearing those words Morro put his hand on Parisa's shoulder then looked her straight in the eyes and spoke.
"Don't worry, I know our limits. We promise we'll immediately withdraw if the worse comes to pass."
Parisa wanted to argue more but she knew it wouldn't stop them. She wanted to do what they wanted too, she wanted to help those people but her friends lives were more important, but hearing the words of assurance from her friend quelled some of the concern she was feeling.
"Fine, if you idiots die then it's your own fault." she stated, still reluctant to see her friends risk their lives.
"Haha...don't worry Parisa, I'll make sure Chief is safe." Mok stated.
Parisa didn't reply but just rolled her eyes at the statement.
"Alright, now that everyones on board Heasia call some of the Guards and tell them to come here. I'll contact Cyril and tell him of what we plan to do and have him send some ships towards the island just in case."
She simply nodded and went to call a few Guards. The rest of the group prepared for what was gonna happen and Morro used Message to talk to the Head Guardian.
"Cyril."
"Ah Lord Morro. I was going to message you and tell you that the fog has been activated and now conceals all of Thule."
"I see. Great work Cyril."
"Thank you my lord."
"That said, I need you to have Araysh send a few ships north towards an island."
"Yes my lord. May I inquire what you have found on that island?"
"We've found a settlement that's currently being attacked by unknown assailants. Mok and I are going with a few Guards to see if we do something."
"I see. May I request to accompany you my Lord, just to ensure yours and lord Mok safety."
"No need Cyril. If it proves too much for us then we'll retreat via portal and leave a few npcs to shadow them and acquire information."
"I understand. Then I will contact Araysh and send him to your destination."
"Umu' I'll leave it to you."
After that the Message cutoff and he turned to see Heasia return now accompanied with four of the Newcastle Guards.Their faces were covered by their silver helmets but he could feel the determination and drive serve them.
"Well let's go then." he stated.
"Right! Let's show these bastards the power of Dalinda." Mok replied.
Morro just nodded and walked through the portal followed by Mok and four guards.
The scene before them changed in an instant. After they stepped out the portal immediately closed. The people were either to busy running and killing to notice the newly arrived individuals.
The scene before their eyes was the same of what they had seen being displayed earlier.
Seeing it on a screen was one thing, but seeing it in person was something else. This cruel and inhumane acts pushed both players nerves to the limit. Morro's anger was once again halved but still lingered but Mok's was not quashed.
Seeing the actions of these scum were too much for him to bare. He inhaled deeply and yelled out.
"HHHOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYY!"
The loud shout was throughout the village and a bit farther out. Everyone looked at the source of the loud noice and saw six figures.
Four of them looked the same, wearing the same blue clothes and silver helmets. One was wearing a black coat and pants with half of his face a bare skull and one was wearing green clothes that showed of his body.
The man wearing green looked very angry then once more yelled.
"ALL OF YOU DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW!"
Unsure who were the newly arrived figures, one man charged at the screaming green clothed man with his sword in an attempt to strike him down.
He swung his sword at the man who only ducked and swiftly delivered a punch straight at his face.
The punch sent the corsair flying and crash into a burning house potentially ending his life. The other corsairs could not believe what they had just seen. They readied themselves to attack the newcomers and to overwhelm them with their superior numbers.
Then the man in green suddenly took out an axe out of thin air. Its handle was one hundred and thirty centimeters long, the blade was curved upward with a hook at the pommel. It was called Nordic Battle-axe.
The other five figures only stood by, not doing anything.
Hmm...I guess their strength is comparable to that of a regular human. Mok would probably kill all of them since they didn't put their weapons down.
Morro thought to himself then ordered the four others behind him.
"Guards."
"Yes." The guards answered at the same time.
"Dispose of the ones attacking this village. Me and Mok will handle the ones here, you four handle the ones on the outskirts and protect the villagers."
"Yes, my lord." they replied then took off and a few screams could be heard, ones that didn't belong to the villagers being attacked.
Mok was eager to put the scum down but Morro waved his hand to stop him from attacking. He cleared his throat then began speaking.
"It would be in your best interest to lay down your arms and surrender without resistance."he stated while looking around the village.
Some of the houses were still burning and the people who were attacking now all focused on them.
Before anyone could speak, the corsairs heard screams. The voices were much like their other companions, screaming in pain.
Upon hearing this the corsairs immediately charged at the two individuals. They planned to overwhelm them with their numbers, after all it was thirty against two. The other four newcomers had left before the one in black began to speak.
When they were close enough, six people swung their swords at the green clothed man who only blocked it with his axe. After that, he pushed them back and with one swing cleaved all six of them in half.
He then charged at another group and stuck the blade of the axe through one of them then pulled it out — letting the body drop to the ground — to block another attack from behind.
He swung the battle axe again, beheading four people at once then cleaving through ten others.
Five people decided to go around the axe wielding man to attack the one wearing the black coat. They saw how powerful the man in green was and decided that it would be much easier to go after the other one.
After they got close, one man swung his sword from behind the man in black who only side stepped to avoid the blade.
Morro then took out his rapier — the grip and the pommel were both gold and shined brightly in the moonlight.
He swung his sword and cut off both hands of the man who swung at him, the man screamed in agony then was silenced when the rapier stabbed the side of his head. He then turned to block two swords aimed at his side and pushed them back. In short quick thrusts, he stabbed both men in the chest and their bodies dropped. The two remaining men just swung wildly in a desperate attempt to get the skilled swordsman. Instead of striking the man, he only dogded to the side and they ultimately suffered the same fate as the others and we're stabbed with the rapier.
The remaining five corsairs saw the hopelessness of the battle and immediately ran towards the beach where they had anchored their ships. As they ran they were met with one of the four people that ran off before the fight began. The man's gold rapier was out and in the next few moments the corsairs were no more.
Mok took out his axe from the chest of the last of the scum that were trying to kill them.
"Alright, I think that's the last of them." he stated.
"Umu' well leave the ship to Araysh. Let's clean up here." Morro replied.
Then he received a Message from the Guards and instinctively put his hand to the side of his head.
"Yes?"
"Lord Morro, we found a few villagers that ran from the assailants out here in the forests. What shall we do with them?"
"Bring them back here and make sure they are safe."
"Yes, my lord." and the message cutoff.
Then he walked towards Mok and told him about the people the Guards had found. As he was talking, he received another Message and answered it.
"Yes?"
"Morro, are guys alright?"
"Yes Parisa, we've disposed of the ones that were attacking the village."
"Yes we know, we saw all of it on the Mirror of Remote Viewing."
"Ah yes, I forgot about that."
"What now?"
"Well, now we should ask for some information regarding the place that we've found ourselves in."
"All right, were coming to you guys now."
"Use the portal outside of the view of the people here. It's best we don't let them know of all the abilities we possess, there's a chance that magic and other stuff that we have don't exist here based on that fight."
"Yeah I get it. I'll tell Heasia and Menvra, you and Mok be careful."
"Roger that~." he said playfully before the message cutoff.
He then turned to look at he people that they had just helped. They were all just staring at Mok who was still carrying his large battle axe.
He then reached into his coat then activated his inventory — this way it will look like he just grabbed something from his person instead of magic — and took out an item that resembled an Opera Mask then used it to cover the left side of his face. He added a little bit of hair of the left top side of his head to cover his bare skull.
"Scaring these people were probably not the best idea. They might not cooperate if they think of us as such a threat, although they might be thankful since we did save them from those attackers. Well talking to a person with half a skull for a face would definitely put me on edge." Morro thought to himself.
Then Mok walked up to him.
"So Chief, what now?"
"Parisa and the others are coming here to help us out, let's just make sure everythings fine before they get here." he explained.
Mok just nodded then turned to the villagers who were staring at them.
"Now then, who's in charge here?"
An old looking man stood up and walked towards him. Their was bits of white on his hair that showed his aging self. It was clear to Mok and Morro that the man was still unsure of them.
"You have been saved. Be at ease." Morro stated as a way to help ease the tension.
"You, you are..." The man trailed off, as a way to ask the ones that had saved them from the slavers.
"We saw someone attacking this village, so we came here to help."
"Ohh..."
As the noises spilled out, looks of relief dawned on the faces of the villagers. Even so they could not be completely at ease.
"A few of our companions have come across some people that ran from this village, they'll be bringing them back shortly so let's just keep calm."
• • • • •
Zharra was beyond scared.
Never had she felt so frightened in her entire life.
She was on the ground, her mother hugging her putting herself in between her the one chasing them.
Her body was shaking in fear, tears nearly dripping down to her cheeks only to be stopped when she fearfully closed her eyes when the pursuer raised his sword to strike them.
She waited for the sword to swing down, both her eyes still tightly shut. The she heard a loud thud' in front of them, her mother was still embracing her tightly so she knew she was still alive. She gingerly opened her eyes to look at their pursuer, what she saw was a different person.
The figure wore a blue foreign outfit, a silver helmet that resembled a snarling beast. His sword in his right hand shone in the moonlight, his left hand on the side of his head. The figure just looked at them, not saying a word.
Then his left hand went down and walked towards them, stopping at arm's length away from them. Her mothers embrace became tighter as the figure extended his left hand towards them. She looked at his helm, the light from where his eyes should have been disappeared then—.
"Please calm down, I mean you no harm." the figure spoke.
Her mother turned her head to look at the figure, the distrust and fight on her face was quite obvious.
"My companions have secured the village, you and your daughter are now safe." he continued not waiting for a response.
"Please allow me to accompany you on your return, others who have fled from your village are being escorted back by my companions." he finished.
Her mother was hesitant but grabbed the extended handed and both of them were pulled back to their feet.
They walked with the mysterious figure back to their village. Zharra clung to her mother as hard as she could, she was afraid that the person in front of them would suddenly turn to attack them when they weren't expecting.
When they reached the edge of the village, she was curious as to what had happened when they had left.
The fires that were burning the houses were all put out. The only light source was the few remaining torch stands and the moon.
She saw other the other villagers were in the middle of the village, some of them talking with their friends and family that they were reunited with. She then saw the village elder talking to a mysterious figure— wearing a black coat.
Next to them were a few people that were dressed like the one that had brought them back to the village.
She looked at the other new people, one was a woman with white hair wearing a red dress of sorts talking with a man with similar white hair and white skin, wearing all white clothes.
Then she looked at the other side of the village, she saw a girl not much taller than her with brown hair wearing a blue cloak over her white dress. She was speaking with a few injured villagers accompanied by a few people wearing an all white cloak that covered their entire bodies and hid their faces, only showing their eyes that were similar to that of a blind person's.
Then she heard a loud voice and turned to look for it. What she saw was a large man wearing green clothes talking with the black clad man, large man's face was intimidating look at as it was to hear his voice.
Then a woman with blonde hair, a dress colored different on each side walked up to them, accompanied by one of the people that wore the same outfit that the one who brought them back to the village wore.
Once they got close enough, the man that accompanied them suddenly bowed towards the woman then he spoke.
"Lady Parisa, I've brought back the ones that were chased by assailants just as Lord Morro instructed."
The woman looked at the man then nodded her head before speaking.
"Umu' Good work, bring them to the other villagers and take them to Menvra and the healers to see if they're wounded."
"Yes, my lady." the man responded then told her and her mother to follow him to the white cloaked people and the brown haired girl.
An few hours have passed since they returned to the village.
When they were done with the "check up" that the ones in white cloaks performed, a few villagers accompanied by the ones in silver helmets that were referred to as Guards by the brown haired girl, returned with a few more people one of which was her father.
Both she and her mother ran to him and thanked the Lord of Harmony for sending these mysterious and foreign people to protect them.
Zharra was currently sitting on a bench in the the village square that was brought by the mysterious people. Her father was apparently wounded but was saved by the Guards and was now inside a pitched tent that was set up to accommodate those that were injured. She and her mother went to check their house but found that it had been burned and so they lost most of their belongings.
The village elder was with the man wearing the black cloak, I hadn't gotten a good look at him when I first saw him but I now I can see half of his face was covered by a white mask.
More foreign people came from the direction of the coast carrying multiple crates.
The elder spoke and said that their saviors brought food and water for us to eat while they were securing the island, making sure that the slavers were all taken care off.
The sun was on the horizon, almost everyone in the village was accounted for. The ones that were mortally wounded were all healed inside the tents by the white cloaked individuals, no one was allowed to go inside to see them and only opened the flaps of the tent to let out the ones they had healed and to let in new people that needed healing.
Multiple times I tried to peek in when they opened the tent but the Guards always would immediately block my view.
Then the elder called everyone into the middle of the village, apparently our saviors wanted to say something to all of us.
My mother called me to her side and we went together, my father was still in the tent, it seemed that they had to do a "surgery" on him. I was afraid that I would lose him, but my mother assured me that he'll be fine and that almost everyone that went in the tent came out well and all healed up so I didn't say anymore.
• • • • •
Man, this is exhausting.
The one who thought this was Morro.
He was talking with the apparent village elder.
The man was very grateful to them. All the while saying something about some lord of harmony sending people to help them.
He responded to the claims by saying that they were only travellers who saw the village being attacked and decided to help. This only led to the man being even more grateful to them.
Then Parisa walked up to the duo.
"Excuse me, I need to talk to him about something." she stated.
"Of course. Please excuse me." the elder replied, heading to the other villagers.
"So, how's everything?" asked Morro.
"Mok checked to see if we got all the villagers, all of them are accounted for. They're either in the tent or in the middle of the village eating the provisions that we brought for them." stated Parisa.
"Alright then, I guess let's proceed with the next step. I'll tell the village elder to gather everyone so we can make our announcement." he replied.
She simply nodded and spoke.
"Umu' Heasia and Cyril had the entirety of the island sweeped to see if any of the people that attacked are here and found no one except a few more villages north of our position."
"Anything else worthwhile?"
"They found an old ruined castle in the northern part of the island. The scouts we sent said that the walls and the stones that made the structure were all obsidian." she answered.
"Obsidian? That's a bit weird, I don't recall such materials to be that strong enough to be used as a base for building anything." stated Morro.
"They said it was all melted down to create the shape of the structure. Something hot enough to actually melt obsidian and used to build something like a castle. It seems the people here have more than they let on." she responded.
"Then I guess we should ask them. The sooner we find out the quicker we may be able to know where we are and how we got here."
Parisa didn't respond only nodded her head then walked with Morro towards the middle of the village.
There, all the villagers except the ones in the tent that were being healed by the npcs were all gathered. In front of the house of the village elder were four people. Heasia and Cyril were talking to each other and Mok was talking with Menvra telling her how great it was of an idea for her to bring her Household Healers — NPCs created by Menvra herself to act as a support group for the Guards of Newcastle and Thule — to help heal the ones that were wounded making the girl blush.
Once they were in earshot they called out to them.
"Yo, you guys doing ok?" asked Morro.
"Hey Chief, we were just waiting for you two." Mok responded.
"—W-were fine thank you." Menvra responded.
"All the villagers have been gathered, we should start before they get bored and leave." said Parisa jokingly.
"Agreed. Chief you'll be in charge of speeches." stated Heasia.
"Well I guess I should do my duties as the leader." Morro responded while scratching the side of his face.
After finishing their little catch up, they all went to the front, making sure everyone would see them.
Once there, the village elder told everyone to quite down and listen attentively.
All five of them stood one feet apart from each other, Cyril was on the left side of the group and a feet back. Guards were on either side of them, making sure no one tries to do anything to harm their lords.
Looking around Morro could see the faces of everyone that lives in the village, all of them staring at them with curious looks on their faces.
He was undoubtedly nervous but his nervousness was immediately halved by the same thing that would always calm him down.
He looked to his left and saw Heasia and Menvra looking straight ahead at the crowd, then he looked to his right and saw Parisa and Mok doing the same thing. Then Parisa turned her head to the left and their eyes met, she gave him a soft smile then nodded her head which made him gave a nod back and looked back in front of him.
Taking a deep breath before starting mad clearing his mind.
"Firstly, I'd like to thank all of you for coming here to listen to what we have to say. We know that what happened to all of you was terrible, and that you all would probably need time to cope so I'll try to make this short." he stopped for a second then continued.
"To start I am Morro, leader of Dalinda. Me and my companions saw the attack that was being carried out here in this village so we decided to help." he stated, eliciting a few words of disbelief and gratitude from the crowd.
"We've come from lands far away, because of this we have little knowledge regarding this lands and those that are surrounding it. If possible we would like to take up residence in this island till we get our bearings together."
"Of course Master Morro, our people would gladly welcome all of you with open arms." responded the village elder.
"And for that we thank all of you. Rest assured, for as long as we are here we will not let anyone harm you or any other inhabitants of these island." he finished. The determination in his voice reaching the hearts of those who heard it.
His words brought a smile to the faces of the crowd. Their saviors were not only kind enough to protect them from the slavers but they also helped those that were injured and gave them food to help them get back on their feet.
"Oh thank you kind Masters, we are eternally grateful for your help." said the village elder.
"With that, I'd like to ask a question." Morro stated.
"Of course Master Morro."
"What of that structure on the northern part of the island. Is that the place of the one who rules this island? If so, could you perhaps let us speak to this person so that we may properly establish ourselves in these lands." he stated.
" Oh, that one does not belong to anyone Master Morro, it's an old fort from centuries past built by the valyrian dragonlords when they tried to maintain their presence here in Naath." the elder replied.
Dragonlords? Do they mean large sentient dragons like the ones in YYGDRASIL? Probably not, its too little to house an actual dragon if compared to the ones back in the game. Morro thought to himself.
Valyria? Naath? Those don't sound like the places in YYGDRASIL inspired by Norse mythology.
"Naath? Is that the name of this island or is it the name of a nation that holds this island as a part of it's territory?" Morro asked.
" It is the name of the island Master Morro, it is also known as the isle of butterflies. We who live here are called Naathi." the elder answered.
"I see, well then if possible we would like to ask if you could help us speak with the other villages on the island. It would be a problem if they saw us as a threat and attacked us." he stated.
"Uh... Master Morro, you don't need to worry about such actions being committed on you and your companions from anyone native on the island."
"Why would that be?"
"umm...We Naathi believe in the Lord of Harmony. He who created everything and who uses the butterflies of the island as his messengers and protectors." the elder stated earning a few nods of approval from his fellow Naathi.
"Foreigners and invaders alike usually fall ill to the butterfly fever, because of this we can embrace total peace without the need of violence." he finished.
Total peace huh...doesnt always work out I guess. Morro thought while remembering those people who attacked the village.
"Well then, Ill only ask for your assistance regarding the talks with the other Naathi since we don't wanna scare them off." he stated.
"Yes of course, with that out of the way may I ask where do you and your companions plan to stay for now? We might be able to make some huts of a few houses if we all helped to build." the elder suggested.
Morro held up his hand then spoke.
"That won't be necessary, since the fort on the northern part of the island is abandoned we will be using it as a base of sorts for now. Well be able to make do with what we got and rebuild it for proper use."
His statement brought a few murmurs in the crowds, apparently no one has ever decided to make use of the obsidian fused fort.
"I see, then Master Morro I pray for your safety and to your companions as well." the elder stated.
"Thank you. Well depart in a few minutes, we'll leave a few Guards in the village just to ensure your safety. We'll send a few messengers that would be the ones to make contact with the other villages. Since you people don't eat meat, we'll send the fruits and vegetables available to you for consumption."
"Thank you very much Master Morro. We will promise to provide you with other necessities that you may require."
"Please think nothing of it. Also there is no need to call me or my companions Masters. We are not fit for such titles, nor do we want to sound like those slavers." Morro stated.
Cyril flinched at the statement.
Morro didn't really see themselves as those guys, he just didn't like to hear people call them with such titles since it made them feel weird.
I don't think I'll ever get used to this kind of treatment. He thought.
"I see, then how should we address you and your companions if you don't mind us asking?" asked the elder.
Before Morro could respond, he was cut off by a certain white haired Guardian.
"Great Lord. That's the title lord Morro and the the Great Lords of Dalinda possess." stated Cyril.
He then turned his head to his lords then bowed his head before speaking once more.
"Please forgive me for speaking out of turn Lord Morro."
Morro waved him off to show he didn't mind.
"Don't worry Cyril, I don't mind." he responded.
"Now then, I guess we better leave you all to your own businesses since there seems to be much to do." he stated while looking around the village and a few still broken houses.
"Of course Great Lord Morro. We'll prepare a few people to accompany the messengers you'll send later. Once again, thank you very much." the elder stated.
"Please think nothing of it. We'll be off then, don't worry if anything happens the Guards will notify us immediately." stated Morro.
With that they turned towards the northern part of the island and left the village, only leaving about a dozen Guards and a few crates of food.
• • • • •
Zharra was overjoyed.
Their saviors, now known as the Great Lords of Dalinda had not only healed her fathers wounds but have opted to help them with rebuilding their village.
Looking around I saw a few of the Guards lifting large logs and putting them aside for our use. The white cloaked individuals that were referred to as 'Healers' were doing their 'check up' on the other children of the village.
I was currently in front of my burned house, eating some fruit that came from the crates that the Great Lords left before going to the abandoned fort in the northern part of the island.
Truly, it is quite interesting to see other people not from the village or the island interact with us peacefully.
My very first encounter with outsiders was last night. Not only had they attacked and burned our village, they would have likely made slaves of us just as mother and father told me. I couldn't begin imagine my life if that had indeed happened, where in the vast world would I be in if we had not been saved.
The strength of the Great Lords are surely unmatched. From what my friends and neighbors told me, only two of them fought against the dozens of slavers and managed to beat all of them without a single casualty.
Now that they've taken up residence in the island, they also claimed that the whole of Naath and it's people are now under their protection.
The elders often told stories about how many great empires and nations have tried to control the island, and how they always would fail thanks to the protection of the Lord of Harmony and his messengers.
I've never truly believed in the Lord of Harmony. I was told he was responsible for all of creation and that we Naathi are protected and safe here in Naath were the butterflies could provide us with protection and safe guard us from those who want to harm us.
I wanted to scream at those people, "where was the Lord of Harmony when we were attacked?" but I know they'll just say that he sent the great lords to provide the protection that the butterflies couldn't.
Maybe I'm just overthinking everything. Great Lord Morro said that they came from far away lands and that they have no knowledge of the lands here. The elder sent some of the people who have family in the other villages to accompany the messengers that the Great Lords would send.
As much as I would have wanted to volunteer, I wasn't really qualified to the task.
Perhaps they may need people that can help them in other ways. I'm not really physically strong and I'm too short to provide them with such labor. Maybe I can be of assistance in ways of the mind. Surely I might be able to help with work that only required ones thought and not body.
Perhaps my life won't be as same and repetitive as it used to be.
Those thoughts inhabited Zharra's mind almost every day since.
• • • • •
A week had passed since the players decided to finally make an appearance in the island of Naath.
They had decided to make the fort of the old Valyrian freehold in the north of the island as a forward base, also as a way to teleport freely from Thule and into the island in a way that conceals their abilities to teleport and use other forms of magic.
During the check ups done by the Household Healers, they were able to confirm that the Naathi had no existing or latent abilities in magic.
Furthermore they found out that they could not actually put a level on the natives even with appraisal magic, they were more akin to level and job proficiencies instead of actual levels like the game.
It took five days for the entirety of the island to be able to come together and accept the Great Lords of Dalinda as the official protectors of Naath and another two days to fully celebrate their new found peace thanks to the mysterious and powerful people.
During one of the talks that the leaders and representative of different villages, they raised the question of how would they actually live on the island seeing as no actual foreigners were able to live on the island for more than a year.
The infamous Butterfly Fever, the same thing that has protected the people of the island from being fully conquered were becoming a hindrance for the people that offered to help and protect them.
When the inhabitants of the island asked the question to the Lords they simply said that one of their own, the Great Lady Menvra was able to study the butterflies of the island and was able to create a cure for the disease. The Great Lords showed them a vial, it glass was clearer than Myrish glass and the content inside was as red as blood.
This was unprecedented, since the first of the Naathi lived on the island the fever would take and slowly kill those that fell to it. Now these people just created a cure and one that upon consumption helped alleviate other forms of sickness and helped heal faster other forms of injuries.
Unbeknownst to the Naathi that the medicine that was given to them was a simple Lesser Potion of Healing that could easily be acquired in the supply boxes and using the ones that the guild had stocked in the inventory during their time playing the game.
They had chosen to utilize the lesser form of the potion upon seeing that the normal potion of healing would actually show the inhabitants the true nature of the concoction to be actual magic instead of real medicine created by a knowledgeable person.
The people of the island were then subject to a few reforms that were implemented the day after the whole population of the island subjected it's self to the protection of the players. New roads were now being built, along with new hospitals and other necessary facilities with the help of the natives and a few npcs.
The players had to pick certain NPCs that resembled ordinary humans as to not alarm the people too much. They also picked a few elves and other Humanoid NPCs so as to help lessen the actual shock and help ease the integration of other Heteromorphic and Demihuman creatures.
The fort was turned to a newly established castle now called Butterfly Castle was beautifully renovated and now resembled a magnificent castle from the medieval age.
The fleet of Dalinda now patrol the island constantly and occasionally run into would be slavers and corsairs who would then be swiftly dealt with. Those who end up being captured are sent to Thule for interrogation under Malthus, the Guardian of the Northwestern Fort.
Now in one of the rooms of the newly rebuilt Butterfly Castle, were five figures.
Each of them taking a seat in the circular wooden table with a newly made map of the island and the surrounding region.
They were now discussing the future course of their actions and just exactly how they would proceed in finding a possible explanation to their weird predicament.
"Our current position is now at the island of Naath. After much questioning and persuasion, we were able to acquire solid information on the topography of the area." Morro stated before stopping a few moments to look at his friends before continuing.
"As stated before, the island is located in the Summer Sea. West of Naath are the basilisk isles, a collection of islands inhabited by pirates, slavers, muderers, basically the scum of the world use it as a gathering spot." he stated which garnered some scowling from those in attendance.
"South of the Basilisk isles is the massive continent of Sothoryos, it's covered in jungles, plagues, hostile natives and wild and dangerous animals. West of Naath are the Summer Isles, a collection of islands numbering more than fifty with a culture that revolves around lovemaking and fighting among other things." this information garnered a look of curiosity and a slight jovial reaction from the player named Mok.
"North of these places are the continents of Essos and Westeros. Essos is far larger and more culturally divided, with the practice of slavery in most parts of it still being in place." this statement caused disgust to be visible on the faces of everyone except the inexpressive Automaton Heasia.
"Westeros on the other hand is akin to a feudal society ruled by a king who sits on something called the iron throne. At the moment, there seems to be some sort of war of succession taking place which currently engulfs the whole continent except for the southern part of it. Slavery itself is outlawed but of course some of the dogma of a medieval society is contained within it." he concluded.
The four other people that listened were now digesting the information that was given to them.
"What should we do now? Are we gonna expand or just stay here in Naath?" asked Mok.
"At this moment in time we've found no clue on this island as to how and why we've been brought here from YYGDRASIL." answered Parisa.
"Exactly, that's why I propose for us to expand our umbrella of protection to a few more places so as to maximize the chances of us finding something." stated Morro.
"W-where exactly do we go?" asked Menvra.
"The Basilisk Isles. Compared to the other locations, this the only one so divided and so little it actually offers little to none opposition to our forces." answered Morro.
"Agreed. Essos is to large and has too many powerful and massive states that would hinder our progress if we were to try to take a foothold ourselves. The Summer Isles are to many and to diverse for us to conquer quickly, our ultimate goal is to gain territory as fast as possible. Westeros, as Chief stated is currently embroiled in civil war so our chances of gaining lands from them are a bit low. At best we can send a few spies to these places so as to keep tabs on the happenings of each region." explained Heasia.
"Alright then. Send me over Chief, I'll make sure to beat them as quick as possible!" exclaimed Mok.
"Now that we've confirmed that the people of this world have little ability to actually use magic and don't possess any dangerous items like legendary and divine class items, we can now move without fear." stated Morro.
"But we must always proceed with caution." interjected Parisa, glaring at Morro.
"Yes, yes of course. We mus not forget this isn't a game anymore so the possibility for us to die is indeed quite high. While I could say that ressurection could be plausible it's still untested, and I have no plans of testing it out on any of us anytime soon." he responded.
"S-so what now, d-do we all go now?" asked Menvra.
"Not quite." Morro responded.
"Mok will be in charge of taking care of the Basilisk Isles and making sure to get rid of those lowlifes." he said.
"Yosh'! Leave it to me guys!" he stated cheerfully.
" Heasia, Menvra, you too will be in charge of managing Naath and Thule. Though you can pretty much leave it to Cyril, it's best we keep track of the progress of the island ourselves."
"Got it."
"Y-yes, leave it to us."
"Parisa, you'll be the middle man, or to be precise you'll be the reserve and help out and assist on the front that would need it most."
Parisa just nodded then spoke.
"And what about you Morro?"
"I'll manage the spies that well send throughout the different regions. We'll send some shadow demons that will snoop around and gain information as well as some dopple gangers to help try to gain some sort of foothold in those lands. Furthermore I'll be joining you Parisa as a reserve in case someone actually manages to attack us." he answered.
"Also I plan to send Adira to Sothoryos to explore it and give a detailed map of the region. Is this okay with you Menvra?"
"O-of course! I'm sure she'll like it." she answered.
"No one is to move without proper protection. As such well assign the Guardians and some of the Guards to everyone, if it ever occurs that you attacked and pushed back don't hesitate to use them as shields. Malthus and Cyril have conducted experiments to test if they could be revived and they found out that it was possible." he added.
Everyone just looked on with curiosity as to how they tested it.
"Now then are there any other questions?" asked Morro.
Everyone was silent, some just shook their heads.
"Very well, let us begin."
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