Chapter 47: Bonding Experience

"This is the map of NorthClaw as well as its immediate surroundings such as Piertend Lake and Gwekna Coloseum."

The parchment rustled considerably as the Fennelis from before, the one Mako had seen arguing with Ontoki, spread out a sizeable scroll of yellowed paper-like material. Scrawled over its surface was a carefully detailed layout of the surrounding area, an area that now seemed to be completely encompassed in a sea of green. Whatever magic had been cast upon it, it seemed to show the status of NorthClaw in real time, even to the point of showing the time of day, temperature, and other such factors. Even that of unknown magic or curses were no different.

As per Jaks request, this map had been fetched almost immediately, allowing the young redhead to continue towards his own goal. A goal yet unknown to the rest of the group.

"You guys have a Coloseum?" Mako placed his index finger gently over the top left of the scroll, where the structure in question sat untouched by the greenery.

"Its not something we ourselves wished for." The Fennelis wiped some dust off the maps corners. "Rather it was built by Kenma Iroas around a century prior."

"Hadoks father and Makos grandfather." Jak frowned slightly.

"I’m sorry. Who are you, if you dont mind my asking?" Mako turned his attention to the Desert Fox Beastman, removing his hand from the scrolls surface. "I don’t think we’ve been acquainted yet."

"This is my son, Kruger." Ontoki was the one to answer. For some odd reason though, he sounded completely emotionless when he said it. "He is a scholar in training, working under our lead researchers. He’s been helping the investigation into this....issue since near the beginning."

"Right." Kruger didn’t even give his father a single glance.

There was so much bitterness packed into that single word, that Jak could almost taste it in the very air. The previously gentle atmosphere turned a tad sour and more than a bit awkward, the vicinity falling into a lengthy silence. Jak wasn’t entirely uncomfortable with the newly developed situation, but he also wasn’t about to go anywhere near said topic, even with a ten foot pole.

"Why did Kenma leave you guys a whole coloseum?" Mako dragged the conversation away from the delicate landmine and back onto the prior point of interest. "Was this around the same time that he saved you all from the Adventurers?"

"Quite." Hunopil took the chance to step in, having remained quiet since his last outburst. "Adventurer brat. You asked before what Kenma did to succeed in our survival. We neglected to answer that due to the many tangents we delved into."

"Kenma Iroas persuaded....no. I suppose forced would be the correct term. Kenma Iroas forced the World Guild Center to reject us from the Council Of World’s." Ontoki closed his eyes, as if remembering the events from so long ago. "It seems counter intuitive, but it aided us much more than you might think. By doing that one action, we became what you Adventurers call a Forsaken World, a dangerous world not backed by the WGC. In the process of this, the Adventurers died down as the decades passed and the Guild Wars flicker on and off. Furthermore, it seems that even proper information about us was summarily erased, no doubt with the involvement of the man you call The Golem God."

"Before he left, Kenma built the coloseum as a parting gift." Kruger traced a finger over the picture of said monument. "Nowadays, it’s used for Bredaliks and Yeistenìo’s. (*Festivals and Birthdays. It’s not actually a bonafide Birthday but it’s the closest example in their culture to humans.)

"I’m gonna pretend I know what those are," Mako replied.

"You said Kenma is your grandfather, correct Adventurer Child?" Ontoki gave a small nod towards the blue haired Rookie. "How goes the Mage these days? Is he still as mighty as he once was? Back in the day, I would say his strength was equal to that of our Chief, if not more so. Truly, he was vastly superior to anyone I’ve met, before or after."

"I couldn’t tell you." Mako shrugged slightly. "I’ve only seen him a handful of times as of recently. Most of those times, he wouldn’t even stay more than five minutes."

"He probably hasn’t changed much from when you saw him." Jak glanced up from the map for a second. "Hadok told me his father hasn’t changed for an entire century. Other than an staggering increase to his own innate power and apparent love for talking, he’s the same person."

"So, since it was built by Kenma, is that why the magic hasn’t spread towards it?" Mako gestured to the map.

"It’s a possibility," Ontoki replied.

Kruger glanced towards the redhead, of whom was carefully surveying the scroll from top to bottom. "Why did you want to see this map in the first place? Do you have a plan?"

"Nope." - Jak

"Maybe a theory on where to start?" - Kruger

"Not a clue." - Jak

"Any information to provide whatsoever?" - Kruger

"None." - Jak

"So then what’s the point of asking for it?" Kruger seemed be genuinely miffed at the redheads unbothered attitude, even to the point of retracting the map in question. "How is merely glancing over it meant to help our crisis?"

"So. Are me and my compatriots supposed to wander through like Clacknors with their heads cut off?" Jak glanced up slightly, crimson hues meeting the the Fennelis’ golden ones. "How are we supposed to be on the same page if we don’t know the landscape? I need you to use your head-"

"What my friend here is saying," Mako continued, placing a hand on Jaks fiery hair, shoving his head into the table with a loud clunk. "Is that we’ll work on your problem but we’ll need to get a good look at what we’re working with. By doing this, we can narrow down our search for the source as quickly as possible. That’s what you meant, right bonehead?"

Jak tilted his head to the side, a frustrated look on his visage as he struggled to lift his head off the wooden desk.

"Master...Kunzite. Remember his head injury?" Meru gave a gentle reminder, voice barely above whisper. From the moment they had entered, she hadn’t said a single word, doing her best to stay out of the spotlight and not draw any attention to herself. "Please don’t roughhouse with him yet."

"Of course. Sorry about that Meru." Mako shot the girl a smile and removed his hand from his friends head.

Jak was immediately at the blue haired Rookies throat, grabbing him by the front of his clothing. "You looking to die?"

Mako raised his hands in surrender, not looking his friend in the eye. "My sincerest apologies. I sometimes forget how frail you are."

"Can you two brats take this seriously?" Hunopil trekked up to them, attempting to pull the two of them apart.

"Butt out or get cut." Jak shot a glare as the Equenik grabbed the back of the youths bigger shirt.

As the scuffling ensued, the three of them managed to somehow bump into the table, causing the map positioned on it to topple over, hitting the floor. Without missing a beat, Kruger picked it up and placed it back onto the table after ensuring that it hadn’t sustained any sort of damage.

"You idiots!! Do you not realize how much this is worth??!!"

However, his complaints fell on deaf ears as the three individuals continued their skirmish. More than a bit peeved at the lack of concern for a valuable artifact, Kruger made his way over and joined the ongoing wrestling match. Over on the sidelines, Meru and Knox merely watched, making no move to join in.

Ontoki let out a small sigh. After about a minute had passed, he calmly walked over to the squabbling entities.

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

Without speaking a single word to those involved, the Oxuon Chief brought the situation under control in less time than requesting it. Each perpetrator was lined up on their knees, their heads sporting fresh lumps from the blow that was delivered from Ontoki’s massive fist. The only one who didn’t have a lump was Jak, of whom was hunched over from a strike to the stomach.

"We are in a crisis. Let’s act professionally." Ontoki crossed his arms over his chest. "Am I clear?"

There was a small chorus of agreements and a small grunt from the redhead as he struggled to breath.

(("This is gonna be a long week.")) The Oxuon looked from person to person, golden orbs taking everyone in. (("Still. These Adventurers may not be as bad as we initially thought. It’s been a while since Hunopil allowed himself to get involved in such childish antics.They certainly have a....charm about them."))

"Now then. Here’s how we’re gonna handle things." Ontoki was now all business, voice carrying the authority befitting his position as Chief of NorthClaw. "We’ll spend the next week looking for the source of this outbreak. If we can’t find it by then, we’ll be forced to take more drastic measures. In the worst case scenario, we’ll have no choice but to relocate in an attempt to find a new oasis that can sustain our people. As much as it pains me to say, I’ll be relying on the lot of you to ensure we don’t come to this scenario. It’s all hands forward."

"Are you.....okay?" Meru knelt down, looking at the back of Jaks head from a good meter away. "You were hit pretty hard."

"He’s fine." Hunopil rubbed the back of his noggin. "He’s the only one who wasn’t hit on the head. With that strange body of his, he probably wasn’t even hurt that much."

"Why was I even hit?" Mako stretched his neck as he rose up from the floor. "I was the victim in all of that."

"Didn’t you instigate the whole thing?" Kruger inquired as he also pried himself off the ground.

"Details details."

Jak let out a small groan of frustration, shaking the pain off as he wiggled his way into a sitting position, falling onto his ass. Despite having made his way to the Parthenon with Mako and the others, he still hadn’t fully recovered from Ontoki’s club strike. Getting hit again wasn’t nearly as bad as the first one but it still did little to actually help heal the wound to his skull. At the very least though, the Oxuon had had the forethought to avoid going for the youths damaged cranium. Any more blows and he was likely to die from the pain alone.

"Do you need some help up, bonehead?" Mako held out his hand.

Jak let out a huff. After a few moments, he reached up and clasped his friends hand, allowing himself to be pulled up and onto his feet.

"I’m still gonna cut you later." - Jak

"Yeah yeah. Let’s get something to eat first." - Mako

"You guys are hungry? I know a place." - Kruger

"Are you referring to the Supper Hall? I suppose I shall accompany you." - Hunopil

"Awww. You do care." - Mako

"Shut it brat!! Im just assuring you dont cause trouble" - Hunopil

"You sure you just aren’t hungry?" - Jak

"Can....I come with you all?" - Meru

"Grrrrrr" - Knox

As the group went back and forth with each other, Ontoki merely watched, taking the time to clean up the desk the map had been resting upon. Reorganizing all the books scattered about, rolling up the map back into its scroll, tidying up any remaining imperfections. After it was all said and done, the Oxuon began thinking about the next task to be done, work being the only thing on his mind.

"Hey. Hook Chief."

Ontoki looked up from what he was doing, just in time to see the redhead walk up to the desk, the Vox Lion walking close by his side as a sort of living crutch.

"Yes, Adventurer Child?"

"You coming to eat?"

The Oxuon waved a hand, dismissing the idea. "Afraid not. There’s tasks that I must attend to while I’m awake. Leaving the Parthenon isn’t something possible. Besides, Im not even hung-"

Before the Chief could finish his sentence, a loud sound seemed to fill the room, almost drowning out everything else. It was enough to even make the serious looking Kruger crack a smile and for even Hunopil to stifle a small laugh. The sound came from Ontoki’s stomach, as if to refute the words he was saying.

"Kinda sounds like you’re hungry." - Mako

"Definitely hungry." - Jak

"I’d say starving more like." - Kruger

"Famished." - Mako

"You should really eat something Chief." - Hunopil

"Okay. Okay. I’ll come with you. Just give me a few minutes to get everything in order." Ontoki let out a small breath before cracking a rare smile. "You brats certainly are quite a handful."