Chapter 366

While Cain is chatting with the magical device in the Ancient Ruins, back in his own time a premonition passes through the Bear Kin of the central continent. 

“Prepare for a journey. The tribe’s Elder Shamans have experienced a shared vision. The Creators want us to send the finest of Ursas to join with their chosen Champions on this continent. The vision said we would recognize them by balancing light and dark.” The chief of the Ursa Tribe informed his gathered clan members. 

“Do set know what they need? Or should we send a bit of everything?” One of the elders asks. 

“We should send our finest. The Ursa Tribe are the finest Druids in the land, so we will send druids and trust that the other tribes also heed the call.” The Shaman, a powerful man in the prime of his life, declares. 

All through the mountains and the Serrah Woods, similar scenes play out as each tribe of Bear Kin prepares to send a pair of their tribe’s most capable to look for the chosen ones of the Creators. 

In Port Nefheim, two visitors arrive the following day, declaring that the Creators have sent them to help. Neffie is utterly confused, so she refers the issue to her father, Cixelcid, who recalls the Ancients being called Creators, and decides that Cain must have sent them from wherever he is right now.

“Welcome. Will you be visiting as friends, or would you like to join the Guild?” Cid asks, unsure what Cain intended. 

“We will join you. I am Po, and this is En.” The large black and white-furred bear smiles, mostly hiding his teeth. 

The one called En is a midnight black-furred female with golden fur on her face. Though she is much smaller than her companion, she is still 2.7 meters tall and very muscular. 

“When the Shamans had the vision, they recognized the sign to mean the tabards and cloaks your guards have recently started wearing. We will be at your side until the Creators call us away.” She announces, her voice surprisingly rough like she doesn’t speak much or has damaged her throat. 

Neffie makes a mental note, bring her to Cain’s doctor and have her throat checked if she wants. 

“What are your classes or specialties?” Cid asks, preparing to welcome them to the Guild. 

“My class is Monster Hunter. It’s pretty self-explanatory.” En gives a coarse chuckle.

“My class is Remembrancer; I specialize in realistic paintings and architecture, with bonuses for work that shows a historical story.” Po shrugs. 

“Don’t look down on your class. This world is desperately short on historical documents and art. We could use your skills to make a true history as we learn it.” Cid assures the big bear, who gives him a happy pat on the head. 

Back in Long Fang Valley, Cyrene was busily ‘educating’ the Gnome Brazz, who turned out to be a hardened street kid who ran away from home to survive. Not at all sweet and innocent as hoped; instead, she was a natural-born zealot. 

She absorbed everything that was told by the Lamia as if it was gospel though, lacking any of the inherent doubt that she should have learned in her difficult life. She was also used to Lamia’s random visions, so when Cyrene had another, she simply stopped and waited for Cyrene to tell he what she had seen. 

“Master Cain is sending us Bear Kin to help spread the truth and uplift the people. We need to make sure we are ready to welcome our new friends.” The Lamia declares, and her Gnomish shadow finishes the sword technique set she was in the middle of and follows her to find the others. 

They doubt her vision at first, but when the Bear Kin start showing up in pairs announcing that the Creators sent a vision asking them to come to join and assist the Guild in their works to help the people, it is hard to argue against Cyrene’s insistence. 

The large number of powerfully built new arrivals, all over level 200, made the locals nervous the first day, but their polite and helpful nature endeared them to everyone they met. 

It changes the Guild’s deployment plan though; with so many eager new high-level recruits, it makes more sense to send larger five-person groups that can do missions and dungeons while traveling together and station lone members at locations where people might come to them for help on short notice, and where that help won’t require much violent intervention. 

It is hard to say if Earl RhickJaymz is the most startled the first time a group of bears and dwarves shows up with Trollish mining puppets to start clearing the dungeon outside Assah or if that honor belongs to the Mining Guild members who are outclassed and overpowered by these uninformed visitors in every measurable way. 

Either way, between them and the group that went to mine one of the new dungeons the Guild found in the desert, the material collection system is so effective that a gravel pit only for precious ores needs to be built outside the Manor.

Cain, for his part, had no idea of the changes that his attempt to send a message has caused and is happily exploring the architecture of the Ancient Ruins. 

Everywhere he goes, all trace of the Ancients is gone, only the size of the furniture giving a hint add to the nature of the ones who built this place. 

Next up is a particularly elaborate Manor that Cain hopes was a leader’s official home. It might have something left. Looking from the outside, it seems this one did, at least for a while. Numerous pillars and one decorative wall have been crushed to powder, destroying whatever history was left there. 

Combing through the rubble for hints, Cain finds a small pin. A bent cufflink with the Demon Kingdom royal crest on it. To his acute senses, the pin smells like both Ancients and Demons, but the Ancients have been gone far too long for that. It must have been a Progenitor and a reasonably recent visit at that. 

The humans said the Progenitor King collected Ancient relics, but to Cain, it looks like he has been destroying them, unless this particular mural offended him. 

Inside the house, all personal effects are gone as expected, but Cain notices a table that shouldn’t be a table. The city control panel has been moved from its place in city hall, which he had already searched, and turned into a coffee table. 

In this Era, only an Ancient city would have one, so this hiding spot would have been very effective at preventing anyone from recognizing it. 

[Activate City Interface] Cain orders and the magical runes appear in the air above the stone.

[Welcome, Ancient. Appoint a new Mayor to continue?]