The Lord’s Raids

"Hey Rakahn... are we almost there? I feel drained of mana here!" Cliff complained as he walked behind his companion, groaning the whole way, protesting against the fatigue that clung to him like an unwelcome companion.

By absorbing the bear's essence, Cliff had gained a new skill: "Body Strengthening." His strength had increased drastically, allowing him to carry the massive creature's remains.

But...

The wound on his chest still itched, and his mana manipulation was weak. He couldn't control the large amount of energy surging through him, and his mana was quickly consumed by keeping the skill active.

"We're almost there," Rakahn replied. They were carrying their catch on a long, sturdy wooden rod, wide enough to support the enormous weight of the bear.

They had removed the inedible organs to lighten the load, but the old bear still weighed heavily, even for a human and a half-ogre.

Rakahn suddenly stopped, and Cliff, sensing something off, halted too. Cliff concentrated, feeling something strange about the surrounding mana—it was disturbed, as if being pushed back. His senses blurred, and he felt lost for a moment. He noticed a particular area where the disturbance was stronger and saw Rakahn heading there.

Confused, Cliff watched as Rakahn approached a tree marked with several symbols forming a circle. Moments later, the circle lit up with a white light, and a dimensional tear no more than two meters high appeared, revealing the entrance to a small village with wooden houses built on platforms.

Two men, dressed in leather armor, approached them. Each had a black onyx horn on their forehead—one with brown skin, the other with pale skin. They knelt before Rakahn.

"Welcome back, Lord Rakahn!" they barked in unison.

"Help us carry this," Rakahn said, pointing to the remains of the bear.

Cliff dropped the corpse, causing the ground beneath him to shake. He nonchalantly massaged his shoulders, oblivious to the stunned soldiers who came forward and bowed to him.

"O guest of our Lord, we will carry it inside to the seat of our clan," they said.

Cliff nodded and approached Rakahn, patting him on the shoulder.

"Um... Lord Cliff, your injury!" Rakahn exclaimed in concern.

Cliff leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"Ah, I understand. I'll gather the villagers first," Rakahn responded.

With a smug look, Cliff followed Rakahn through the entrance to the village.

"This guy..." Cliff muttered to himself. "He told me he was a leader. I thought he was just some weakling, but I was completely wrong."

"Well, I'll ask him to teach me how to use my mana later. I deserve a good rest."

With the insane amount of mana concentrated under his sternum, Cliff hadn't experienced fatigue in days, and even sleep was impossible. But now that much of it had been consumed while using his skills, he finally felt drained. He wanted to seize the opportunity to rest.

Together, they passed through the village entrance.

A few minutes later, Cliff stood in front of a gathered crowd, accompanied by Rakahn. The crowd had come to be introduced to him. Cliff was dressed in a long blue tunic with short sleeves and strange patterns, given to him by Rakahn since his old clothes were torn and dirty.

He had treated his wounds with the water found in the cave. Rakahn explained that the water was saturated with mana, granting it some healing properties, but it only worked on monsters. Cliff had briefly wondered about that.

"Just monsters, huh?"

"As you all can see," Rakahn began, "today we have a great guest, and he is also our savior. From now on, he will live among us. Show him respect, for we demi-humans are warriors who obey the strongest, and Lord Cliff Brown is the strongest among us. He killed one of the forest's great monsters and has generously offered us its meat to satisfy our hunger."

Rakahn paused, turning to face Cliff, his amethyst eyes reflecting the last rays of the setting sun.

"We of the Orleth clan admire his bravery and charity!" Rakahn shouted, kneeling on the ground.

The crowd followed suit, leaving Cliff embarrassed by their excessive reverence.

Cliff intended to stay in the village temporarily while he gathered enough information to plan his next steps. Now, he found himself in a delicate situation.

"Okay, this could be useful. Making allies could be beneficial," Cliff thought.

Clearing his throat, Cliff addressed the crowd. "Warriors of the Orleth clan, I am truly grateful for your warm welcome. Eat your fill; it is a gift I offer you willingly."

The crowd remained silent until Rakahn stood up and dismissed them. They left, leaving Cliff and Rakahn alone.

"Um... maybe my speech wasn't that good?" Cliff asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"No, that's not it. We demi-humans respect and obey the strongest. Since you proved your strength by killing the bear, which is a variant among its kind, they probably figured it was best not to offend you," Rakahn explained, trying to reassure him.

"Poor guys must have been terrified," Cliff thought.

A few hours later, while everyone gathered around a fire in the middle of the village, Cliff sat on a woolen bed. A young woman approached, serving him his share of the banquet.

"Are you sure you don't want to join the banquet, my lord? It was prepared in your honor," the young woman asked, her voice soft and graceful. She wore light leather armor that covered only specific parts of her body, leaving some skin exposed.

"Thank you, that's kind of you, but I'll pass this time. I'm really tired today. Maybe another time?" Cliff replied, turning his head, unsure of where to look.

"Um... by the way, what's your name?" Cliff asked, taking a bite of the meat.

"Delicious, they made it spicy!"

"I was given the name Dahlia Orleth, my lord," the young woman replied.

"Ah, that's a pretty name. Nice to meet you, Dahlia," Cliff said, trying to make eye contact with her, though she shyly stared at the ground.

"Thank you, my lord," she replied, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing.

Cliff just nodded, wearing a smug smile.

"You can go now. I think I'll sleep soon... Ah, tell Rakahn to gather everyone for a meeting when I wake up tomorrow."

"Yes, my lord."

Cliff lay down on the bed. His eyelids were heavy, and he no longer fought the fatigue. It was time to savor the feeling of sleeping in a real bed.

A week—an entire week—had felt like an eternity.