Chapter 474 - Everything comes with a price

"I'm not a slave!" Eric shouted, wanting to blow this man's face off but mostly wanting to harm the lady who harmed Ada.

Using logic dating on what the rest of Ignis offers, the captive uttered. "You are travelling with an ill.u.s.tratio, and this large man."

"And a Demon too." Rash pointed out from the background as he walked in the scene, asking. "How does that make us evil?"

"You are a Demon!" The captive shouted, his hand sized beard shaking with his holler.

Pointing out what's hypocritical, Sekun raised the man further up to look him in the eyes and slowly spoke. "Right now you are sounding like an ill.u.s.tratio, Ironic."

Still standing hesitant about killing his own kind, Eric demanded. "Just drop him, they got what they deserved."

"Get this beast off me!" The Ignite lady shouted, who has been enslaved by Ada's many many punches. 

Walking towards her slowly, so the enemy on the ground takes in a few more punches, Rash the 4 foot tall Goblin Demon grabbed Ada behind the collar and lifted her from the lady who is a few punches away from being victimized.

"That's enough for today." Rash teased both of them, moving Ada away and walking towards the group.

Gazing at the man of which Sekun held up earlier, dragging away the m.o.a.ning Ignite that got struck by Rash's axe, Eric warned. "If you ambush us again, I won't bother to let my friends fight."

...

With about 10 minutes passing, the gang became all packed and ready to get out of this place and hope to not deal with anymore surprisingly hostile Ignites.

A unique figure approached their little camp site, walking with 2 long but slender sticks and wearing a short trimmed white beard alongside with a bald head and Ignite by skin.

The wrinkles on his forehead and his curved spine gave everyone a hunch of his age, and proved that the chances of him being hostile are dim like light in a cave.

As the gang gave the man a dead stare, expecting an explanation of his presence, the old man did not fail to disappoint. "I am the elder, welcome Electus."

Sensing the hypocrisy, Eric battered with his words. "I don't think we are welcome here old man and how do you know that I'm the Electus?"

Direct with what happened, the Elder butchered. "My Villagers reported an Ignite in need of aid, I came here to take a look and saw your black veins."

Trying his best not to cuss out an elderly man, knowing Woldemir wouldn't be proud if he saw such behaviour, Eric cited with his last nerve. "I'm not their slave, if you know that I'm the Electus then you can understand why no one can enslave me."

"We had doubts about everything, that's why we didn't kill your... allies from the looks of it." Yes well that's cleared out of, trying to show hospitality now the Elder turned around and encouraged. "Join me, maybe you are hungry?"

...

Reaching the village, one thing became transparent. This place is small, mostly locked away from society. 

These people are over 300 Kilometers away from the main river, using creeks in this area to quench thirst.

Chances are the ill.u.s.tratian Alliance doesn't know that this place exists, or maybe they didn't bother to acknowledge their existence.

This Village just holds 10 houses built out of wooden foundations and put together with planks, it ain't that big and fancy so no Alliance would benefit from here.

This place holds 50 people maybe, even looking at a bundle Eric couldn't spot too many people as they penetrated the village to see what's there to offer.

Synced with a meal now, fresh looking Boar meat that can tame hunger although the Gang hasn't suffered through their travels food-wise, with a Fire Blaster taking down prey.

The Elder explained bit by bit what Origin this town has and why the men and women ambushed the gang.

Toying around with a bit of meat through what teeth he has left, the Elder cited. "Long before I was born, ill.u.s.tratios struck this village and arrested 40 of our men."

Spotting how the group is standing in silence, waiting for him to speak, the Elder continued. "Rumours went about them raping the women here too, but we haven't seen an ill.u.s.tratian skinned spawn here so I can't say much."

Spreading the good news at last, he recited. "But we haven't been bothered ever since that day, there isn't anything more to take."

Respecting the hospitality but at the same time keeping a paranoid eye out and around, Eric cut it short. "I'm sorry for your losses, but we need to be going now."

Spitting out a small roundish bone, the Elder queried. "Why the rush? What does the Electus have to accomplish?"

Understanding that it would be a bad idea to share exact information with these still potential enemies, Eric lied. "We are looking for this small stone structure with a tall tower, expected to have spiritual properties."

Jerking his eyebrow up, trying not to prove difficult with what the group aims for, the elder expressed. "I never heard that it's a holy place but I'm guessing you believe in the Source of Fire, an Electus practicing religion is honorable to see."

Continuing with his little lies in order to squeeze out information, Eric added. "The Source will bless us, Victory shall be ours."

"Yes, by Source's will." The elder complimented, slapping his left knee a couple of times and then his belly once too.

This little tradition is used to express individual blessing towards a goal set by the name of the Source.

Shifting the topic towards benefit, Eric firmly asked. "Looks like you know where it is, can you spare us the trouble by pointing where it is?"

Directly to the point, the elder explained. "Of course, but for such information we demand services. You injured a few of our own and such act demands good deeds if you wish to clear your name and attain our aid."

"Should have known." Eric mumbled to himself, not surprised how the same people who attacked, demand such acts.

Asking after to get it over with, "What do you need?"

Trying to excuse why he is doing this, the elder listed the first demand. "See this Winter has taken a lot of our wood, we need more for the next one but all of our saws are broken."

This looks like an easy task but explains why these people were using wooden clubs earlier as well so Eric cut it short once more. "Okay I can do that, how much wood do you need?"

"About 50 trees should do it, pick the bigger ones. That amount should kick start our stock." With yet another act that can excuse these sudden demands, the elder stated. "My villagers will drag the wood here, you just cut them down with your Source blessed power."

...

"Does this one look good?" Eric asked, slapping the trunk of an oak tree that's a couple of feet wide.

A villager stood by Eric along with 20 others waiting behind him and weighed in facts. "It doesn't look tall enough, but it has a lot of long branches so I think the elder will approve."

While a lady villager from behind, possibly in her thirties, encouraged. "It's good, cut it down."

With the first step of the deal ready to put into motion, Eric warned. "Alright stand back, this tree can squash half of you."

Taking a few steps back himself for the sake of further safety, Eric started off his work by connecting his palms horizontally [evenly] and lifting them above his left shoulder.

Rushing his hands through the air after, reaching his right hip, a thin line of Fire broke out mid swing and made its way against the thick oak tree.

A second didn't even pass for the Fire to break through the tree's bark, with an efficient and slick slice it enslaved everything in between, what the bark protected.

And broke through the other side of the tree with ease, still denying to stop it's rain of Fire as it made for a couple other trees that didn't yet have no future where they would be cut.

Taking a few seconds, the trunk of the tree squeaked an ear piercing sound before the narrow cut forced it to land it's point on the right side and fall to the left.

Seeing it as a bad idea to tamper with a kid who can do to any of them what he did to the tree, one of the villagers excused the extra cuts. "I guess we can use the other trees too."

Liking how these previous attackers are being tad more submissive towards who they could be dealing with, Eric walked away from the tree he just cut to find another and pointed. "Should I cut that Birch tree?"