Chapter 164: The Camp

Alongside a group of about a dozen guards, mayor Uriel brought them to a farm plot on the west of Erantell, near the Evergreen Forest. 

They had covered quite a bit of distance during their journey, about a two hour long ride on horseback. The plot was probably located at one of the further ends of Erantell territory, Tristan thought as they rushed through the countryside. 

Afternoon was beginning to fall and the party seemed to be closing in on their destination as a few torchlights could be seen in the distance. Drawing nearer, the view Tristan was met with was utterly different from what he had imagined. 

From afar, the only things he could see were a handful of poorly made huts and simple palisades, hastily put together with sticks, straw, and mud, as well as a cluster of orcs surrounding the area. He grimaced, thoroughly unimpressed by the conditions of the place. 

"Uriel, is this really the best you can do for them...?"

"Sir Tristan, it has only been a month, everything is still under development… Just give it some time."

This bit of land and all the resources reaped from it was the supposed reward promised by Uriel and support by the King as a token of gratitude for their help in stopping the barbarians. But from the looks of it, not much was actually given. 

The Arcadian authorities had promised a prosperous farmland with vast resources, and instead what they received was a wide expanse of nothing. 

The group made quite the commotion when they arrived, especially with a white tiger traveling together with them.

When they climbed down from their horses and walked towards the gate, a guard captain approached with open arms to welcome them. Upon seeing the man, the expression on Tristan's face soured. They had just arrived, and already he was annoyed.

"You're here, Barry?" Uriel said. 

The guard captain bowed slightly and gave his warmest, most courteous greetings.

"Welcome Sir Tristan, welcome mayor." 

Watching Barry address Tristan before the mayor somehow amused Serene. 

"Barry, Sir Tristan here would like to look around the place."

"Of course, sir, of course. Come in!"

"I will deal with you later," Tristan passively muttered under his breath as he brushed past Barry to inspect the area. The words made Barry's insides freeze, a cold sweat running down his back. 

As he examined the plot of land more intently, Tristan could clearly see that the place was not fully guarded; there were, at most, only ten Erantell guards surrounding the premises filled with more than a hundred orcs. On his part, this was a positive thing, as it appeared that the Erantells were giving much freedom to the orcs do as they pleased. 

At this moment, the orcs finally acknowledged his presence and started to crowd around them, grunting excitedly. Unfortunately, though, he didn't see Karra around, and these orcs did not really speak his language.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a man exiting out of one of the huts, slouching forward. When their eyes met, a pang of recognition struck Tristan's body. He knew exactly who the man was, and his brow twitched with anger. The man began to panic as a murderous glint descended on him from Tristan's eyes.

"Seth!!! So, you are here!!"

It was the silver adventurer who had claimed the gold reward from his quest. Seth attempted to scurry away like a timid fieldmouse, and Tristan quickly chased after him through the grounds. Quite easily, he grabbed him by the scruff of his collar in one swift motion. It was as though he was picking up a helpless kitten. Just like a debt collector, he raised his arm high, ready to punch. 

"Give me my money back, Seth!"

Under the shadow of Tristan's fist, the silver-ranked lancer started to shake with terror. He was trembling so hard, it was difficult for him to even form coherent sentences. It took him all his willpower to squeak out, 

"I... I didn't... Take it… Sir… Really… I don't dare..." 

Off to the side, a woman's voice unexpectedly intervened. 

"It was me, Sir Elf, I was the one who took it."

Turning towards the direction of the voice, Tristan was met with a beautiful, short haired woman standing with a hand deftly placed on her hip. She looked at him, gaze unflinching, with no fear at all; instead, she was smiling gleefully as she began to run towards him. 

Stopping right beside him, she grabbed his arm in a gesture of consolation. The touch caught him off guard and he loosened his grip on Seth's shirt. 

She began to apologize, voice lilting slightly. 

"I am really sorry Sir Tristan, but I took the reward to help these orcs. They really needed it… We used it to buy farm tools and other stuff."

As she spoke, she reached towards his hand and held it tightly, letting it touch her soft chest.

Tristan was suddenly speechless. This woman was the crazy fire magician, Hererra; he could hardly believe that she was actually still here, even after an entire month.

She leaned her head gently against his chest, causing him to jump slightly. "I am really sorry I didn't tell you first... Please don't be angry. I feel really bad... I owe you… Trust me, I will pay you back." 

She then looked him straight in the eye, her voice dropping to a low whisper. She smiled slyly. 

"I'll pay you with anything you want… anything"

It was at this time that Tristan could feel an intense aura emanating from behind him. He could even feel it without the need of Katra… It was coming from Serene, and the force was strong. 

Tristan instantly squirmed out of the crazy woman's grasp, sweating profusely. 

"It's okay, that's your coin too, actually, and you did it for the orcs... It's fine, you can forget about it!"

"No, no... I owe you Sir Tristan, I will follow you until I can pay it back!" Herrera insisted. 

"..."

Tristan looked over his shoulder to see his wife glowering down at the two of them. Her exact emotions were unreadable, but she was clearly displeased. Fortunately, he was saved by a sudden disruption coming from the gate. 

Karra the female high orc had finally arrived. Alongside her trailed a group of orcs, and among them were the orc younglings, the rugrats.

She walked over to him and placed her arm across her chest as a sign of respect.

"Chief, welcome back."

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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,