Way of the Knights

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"…so what you're saying is, we are really the only remaining human beings in this world?" Arthur asked. 

"Damn, he explained many things just now and that's what you came up with? Really?" Rosa rolled her eyes finding this unbelievable.

"Well, I mean…there's that too but like…really? There are no other humans out there? Are we really the only ones left?" Arthur asked Vendrick again. 

"You see, I've never been to other continents yet to confirm that. I haven't even seen the entirety of the Southern Continent to start with so I can't say for sure. But if there were other humans out there, I don't think they'll last under the siege of those so called Deity Demonic Beasts." Vendrick stated. 

He just finished informing them about the existence of the Four Dieties and a God of this world. He omitted some information like the Conqueror, the Imperial Fairy, etc. They didn't need to know that...for now.

"That's right. Its not like we're underestimating them since we survived this long maybe out of sheer luck. You have to know that we have Berserkers, corrupted some of them maybe, their strength is the real deal. But even with that, we're struggling to multiply since our previous living conditions were too rough, and those beasts were to blame for that." Rosa logically reasoned out. 

"Aww…" Arthur felt a bit down. 

"Why are you so disappointed about not meeting other humans anyway? Shouldn't you be more worried about those Deities and that one 'supposedly' God?" Rosa placed her hands on her hips and asked Arthur. 

"It's a damn shame you know!?" Arthur looked indignant. "I would love to see how other humans will build their own civilizations. I would like to discover their history, their ways of life, rules and regulations…you know, all that stuff. If anything, I'd love us to merge with them and form one huge tribe! Maybe go on a journey to new lands, find a more suitable location to move…etc."

"So, in the end all you wanted to do was to compare and, if possible, conquer them? Is that right?" Rosa crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at the questionable conclusion she realized after hearing Arthur talk. 

"Hey! It's not like that! Friendly, Diplomatic Relationship, that's what I want…"

"Sure…except, knowing how dangerous it is outside and how much skill and risks were needed just to survive, do you honestly think that they will welcome you with open arms? Hell, I'd be surprised if they kept neutral towards you, cause if the sides were switched, I'd sure as hell imprison you and squeeze as much information out of you as I possibly could." Rosa snorted. 

"Why do you have such a stubborn and callous view towards life?" Arthur felt defeated. 

"Well, considering out past, why should I? Considering how out very own people cheated us and deprived us from getting a slightly better life in exchange for a minor inconvenience to their side, why would I?" 

"…" Arthur was speechless. 

"Alright you two. That's enough. We got side-tracked." Vendrick shook his head, he then said: "Well, there's no use to us thinking about this since nothing is for certain currently." 

"The more important thing about this is the matter of those Demonic Beasts. Expansions, migration, conquering, all sorts of that stuff comes second. What I'm trying to say here by telling you this is that, unless I end the tyranny of the Forest Witch and her Hag Daughters, you guys including all these people here, shouldn't to too far out of the tribe. In fact, I would like to forbid any of you from coming out. Do you think it would be possible?" Vendrick asked. 

"Well, if you say so then there shouldn't be a problem. But how long is it going to take though? We aren't self sufficient enough just yet. And if we can't go out, we'll go through our supplies rather quickly." Rosa replied after a quick assessment. 

"It shouldn't be too long. The maximum is two years." Vendrick stated with a determined look. 

"...that's a bit long. We're going to be stretched too thin." She replied, "But if we can secure some supplies and preserve it, maybe it's possible." 

Vendrick went silent for a bit. He was thinking of many things at once and thankfully, no one disturbed him. 

"Let's do it this way..." Vendrick said after a moment of thinking. "I create a charm that will erase your presence. That way you two can move around without alerting the presence of the other Hags. The next nearest base is far from here but still, just in case."

"Hunt as many as you can. Be careful and don't overdo it. Pay attention to your safety and more importantly, try to not stay at one place for too long. Do you understand?" 

Arthur and Rosa nodded. 

"We can build several huts here in the hideout to serve as storage for the preserved food and supplies so it would be secured. With the potency of energy here, it should slow down their deterioration. Hell, we can fill this place to brim if we wanted to really." Arthur looked around and stated his ideas. 

"Look at you..." Rosa whispered, "Being all smart and stuff, that's new." 

"Hey! I heard that!" Arthur sharply turned his head and glared at her. 

"Oops. Hehe." Rosa coquettishly winked at him and began working towards Arthur's idea. 

Arthur on the other hand pursed his lips and whispered: "Hmph! Let's see if you dare too tease me again after I'm done with you this night." 

Vendrick heard him and simply shook his head while smiling wryly. He's gotten used to the antics of these two so this no longer bothered him. Additionally, he didn't need to say anything much since they already decided that Arthur's idea was good so there's no use on wasting anymore time. 

While the two built the new storage huts for the supplies they will gather probably tomorrow and onwards, Vendrick went to his hut and began making those charms. 

It isn't a genuine 'charm' so to speak. It's merely an array disc that would be created with sole purpose of erasing this presence. It won't amplify their strength or anything since there's no need for that and he doesn't have to materials to add modifications on them in first place anyways. Just the stealth property alone is enough. 

Arthur and Rosa hadn't slacked off of their training. They're stronger compared before, they could even take down a Tier 5 Demonic Beast on their own. Both of them are the strongest in the tribe, after Vendrick of course. But since they have to seal the tribe off, their growth would mostly likely stagnate. 

See, Berserkers needs a lot of nutrition to help them grow stronger. The most abundant resource available to them is the meat from Demonic Beast meat. The stronger a Berserker is, the greater their needs. This shouldn't be a problem if they have a steady supply and the Demonic Beasts were to just lay down and let them slaughter them to their hearts content but it doesn't work that way. 

Right now, Arthur and Rosa need to eat the meat of Tier 4 Demonic Beast at the least to keep growing stronger, if they were to eat anything lesser than that quality, then they need to eat twice the amount to get them satiated. Note: Satiated. Meat of Demonic Beast of Tier 3 Demonic Beast would have little to no effect on them anymore. 

That's not all. If they were to eat regular food, they need to eat ten times their natural appetite for the hunger to go away. Considering that they have to eat at least three times a day, the amount of their consumption is just mind boggling. 

This is why they need to prioritize their food first before the tribe's. They will gather enough food to last for the both of them first and then start hunt the portion for the tribe. There are a few Berserkers around and more to come. Additionally, the tribe will be sealed for at least two years so they need to anticipate the new people who will join their ranks. 

This is why they have to stagnate their own growth during this time. They can't make a breakthrough even if they could since they will end up emptying the supplies for the tribe. 

To gather enough food is one thing, gathering supplies is another. Stagnating their growth is acceptable but stagnating the development of the tribe isn't. Two years...that's a long time for many changes to occur. They need to plan things out carefully and if possible, include expanding the tribe's territory for bit too. 

They are within Vendrick's protection anyway. The formation can extend just fine to accommodate the changes so there's no excuse for them to just laze off during the two years that they won't be allowed to step out of the tribe. 

There's a plethora of things to be done so they have to get going. Thankfully, they are skilled enough to work fast and efficient. All of it is thanks to Vendrick giving them firm foundation for their skills to foster. If it weren't for him, they'd be nowhere really...

Now, all that's left is to finish up with the preparations and do the entire thing.