83 Clash (2/2)

“He’s a mage now?”

“I thought he was some warrior.”

“What’s that thing with him?”

“It’s level 1100. The Harbinger’s over level 1300. Damn man.”

“What the fuck.”

I zoned them out before walking up to Briggs. Briggs gave me a salute before I gestured with a hand as I said, “At ease.”

He lowered his hands, speaking in a gruff voice, “Sorry for the soldier pointing his rifle at you sir.”

I waved his concern away, “It’ll be good when he’s mowing down zombies. Anyways, you guys ready for a bunch of this guy-” I pointed at Hod, “To be walking into camp?”

Briggs shuffled through his thick, gray overcoat before fishing out an obelisk. He pointed it at Hod before opening his status. He typed out on the interface as he spoke,

“I’m sending a picture to the rest of the legion. It’s a guild wide transmission for our current Earth forces. I’m attaching a message letting them know these creatures aren’t hostile, and that they are the coming reinforcements.”

I blinked with a bit of surprise, ”Wow, Briggs...Good Job.”

He gave me a curt nod, ”That's what I'm here for.”

I turned, walking back towards the sewer, “Good. I’ll give the Eltari a rundown on what’s going on. We’ll be coming up in about fifteen minutes.”

I reached down the tunnel before giving the Eltari a rundown on what was happening next. They’d walk into the camp, be siphoned off into random houses nearby, then they’d be allowed to settle in. By tomorrow, they should be given some schedules or training along with some rudimentary education. That should ease the transition some.

After finishing my little rundown, we walked the Eltari out of the sewer. As they passed the houses, roads, and shops nearby, the city blew their minds. Their shacks didn’t have shit on your more advanced, rock shacks for instance. After getting tired of all the ooh’s and ah’s, I got them moving. The group of soldiers acted as guards during the different turns the Eltari needed to take for getting into camp.

The process went smoothly until we actually reached the camp. Once inside, it was the steel legion’s turn to ooh and ah. The average Eltari was around level 80-90, a far cry from the 200-250 range that most members of the legion sat at. Even then, they started out with a tremendous potential when compared with humanity.

What confused me was the different starting levels. After doing some research while we walked, it had to do with the ambient mana they breathed in. The toxic air made them stronger and more like an eldritch. This sacrificed their sanity over time for that advantage. Building on top of that base of eldritch was more difficult that building on a blank slate, according to Schema’s resource index at least.

That meant adjusting their starting levels to reflect that difficulty. Besides for that, the Eltari were looked at as unknowns instead of normal people. I guessed it was probably due to their origins. These various oddities made them bizarre, and the steel legion were fascinated at their differences.

Some people feared them though, and I couldn’t blame them. Their empty eyes and large talons made for a fierce appearance after all. That fear manifested itself as a tension floating over the camp. It wasn’t until a few of the legion’s soldiers heard Hod speaking that the tension leveled off then dissipated. Hod had a way of disarming people, and it worked wonders in this situation.

With the legion set to ease, the Eltari packed in like sardines. Once at the center of the encampment, the Eltari stood in massive crowd, a group of several thousand. Their village’s size was far larger than I imagined it would be. The ambient mana they breathed in must have reduced their need for food or something like that.

At the far end of the group, several desks were lined up for processing the new occupants. They allotted identification numbers, names, and obelisks to each of the Eltari. They described how to use the maps in the obelisks too, making sure they each understood where to go. Once ready, the family, pair, or loner Eltari would be carted off by a single legion member.

Surprised at the speed of their progress, I walked up behind the rows of desks. With efficient and purposeful movements, they sped through the process. It was a satisfying sight. Behind them, Torix and Kessiah were standing, overseeing the entire event. After breathing out a sigh, Hod and I walked up. Torix grinned at me,

“Good to see you, disciple. This is the ambassador for the Eltari then?”

Hod opened his hands, “Hod speaker for village. Hod hope Hod not disappoint Dry Man.”

Torix’s grin died right then and there. Confusion covered his face as his eyes and nose scrunched up. Hod continued, “Hod rude. Hod not introduce self. Hod is Hod. Hod glad to meet Dry Man. Hod also glad to meet Lady Friend number two.”

Kessiah frowned, “I’m lady friend number two now?”

Hod put his hands on his hips, “Hod proud of naming abilities. Hod name second Lady Friend he meets Lady Friend number two.” Hod tapped his temple, “Hod know what friends thinking. Friends surprised with Hod’s smartness. Hod not blame you.”

Torix’s jaw fell as he stared in utter disbelief. Kessiah glanced in different directions, blinking her eyes. It was like she was making sure this was all real. Torix murmured,

“I...This…It’s impossible. He can’t be serious.”

I leaned over, a look serious as death on my face, “Oh trust me, he is.”