AN: Hey all, I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years. I took some time during my vacation to scope out the rest of this story and set some markers for myself to follow. Based on this, I believe I will be wrapping up this fic sometime in mid-spring to early summer. Once I wrap this up, there will be a large gap before the next fic comes out. I have not kept up on all the source materials so I will have to reread everything to refresh my memory on a lot of things.
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—A Few Weeks Later—
Hanging around West Port for the next few weeks, waiting on a response from his former comrades, Paul finally received confirmation from everyone that they were willing to help him. Informing them that we would wait for them in Zanto Port, as it was close to the Beast Territory, they agreed to meet us there as soon as possible. Taking the Greyrats straight to the Beast Territory after that, we began our search for a suitable spot to set down the mansion.
“There is nothing but monsters and bandits to the west of here.”, Serafall said, using magic to erase some blood from her safari outfit, “For a human without magic or sword skills, it is a death sentence.”
“Agreed, it is not suitable for someone looking to retire and enjoy his hobbies.”, Lilith agreed, having already been told what Sauros would be doing regularly.
“South of here is wetlands so it is hot, humid, and full of blood-sucking insects.”, Paul remarked, wiping the sweat from his brow, “Ghislaine, you know this area better than any of us. Is north or east of here better for Sauros and my family?”
“Tribes on the northern edge of the Beast Territory have a rocky relationship with humans. The humans in Zanto Port are the only ones permitted to visit them. Anyone else will be met with violence without any hesitation. They are frequently attacked by black market slavers looking for strong, free labor so they have a strong distaste for strangers.”, Ghislaine informed us, “We could go east, but…it will put us closer to my former village. I would rather not have any interactions with them, if possible.”
“Did you get exiled for something?”, Leviathan inquired.
“No, I just left home on rather bad terms with my family. I was young, dumb, and thought I knew everything I needed to know back then.”, Ghislaine admitted, looking away from us in shame.
Sending out a Radar Pulse to see if we had any other options, I confirmed that east was our best option unless Sauros wanted to live in Zanto Port. Already figuring he would say no, out of concern for the family’s well-being, I still decided to ask just to be safe.
“How do you feel about moving into Zanto Port?”, I asked, offering up the option.
“If the Greyrat family name were not in the gutter, I would have readily agreed to live there. Unfortunately, all of us would always be looking over our shoulders for people wanting revenge for a crime we did not commit.”, Sauros said, looking at Ghislaine apologetically, “I am sorry for asking this of you Ghislaine, but is there any way you can mend your relationship with them? If you need financial support or something else, please do not hesitate to ask for it.”
Looking toward the direction of her village, I could see the mixture of emotions swirling through her mind. While she did want to see her family again, she recalled everything she had done to her brother and father before running away. She had run off after a fight with her family and had said things that she now regretted more than anything. Knowing that we were asking a lot of her, I placed my hand on her shoulder and offered to come with her to see her family.
“If they are anything like the many Beastmen I have met before, they will forgive you if you are open and honest with them.”, I told her, “I am more than willing to come and speak to your changed personality.”
“Cole is right, you are not the same person who left her home all those years ago. The years you have spent on the open road have shaped you into a far better person who regrets what they back then.”, Hilda reminded her, “All of us are here to support you, you are not alone.”
Giving us a grateful smile, Ghislaine let out a sigh and agreed to see what she could do. Telling us to follow her, she said she would lead us there as we were only a few miles away.
—Doldia Village—
Scrambling to their homes as they sensed our approach, Ghislaine was uncertain if the response was because of her or because of the number of people in our group. Warning us to stay on guard, as some of the Doldia Warriors attacked first and asked questions later, Hilda immediately moved closer as the humans in the group closed ranks.
“Mmm, something smells heavenly.”, Yasaka commented, smelling lunches being prepared in the village.
“Yes, it does, nya!! It reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking, nya!!”, Purlin agreed, as her stomach grumbled loudly, “We should stop and eat after this, nya!!”
“That works for me.”, I promised, feeling my stomach start to growl as well.
“That steakhouse in Toyko, right?”, Leona purred, playfully punching me in the back with a toothy grin, “You owe us for skipping out on family meals frequently as of late. This is a perfect way to repay our hard labor that you have been ignoring.”
“Now hold on a minute, all of your hard labor? Neither of you knew how to cook before I met you. All you could do was burn the food to briquettes, then somehow manage to scarf them down with a mug of ale.”, I teased them, having sampled their cooking when they were trying to attract my interest back then.
“Well excuse us for not eating that leafy shit everyone else manages to stomach. That is our food’s food, not ours!”, Leona complained, having been forced to try other types of food before, “As we have already determined, meat is king!”
“Meat! Meat! Meat!”, Purlin seconded, “Fuck those disgusting vegetables, nya!!”
Chuckling at her chant, I had to concede that they were both right to an extent. While I did enjoy sweets and baked goods, nothing beat a good cut of meat cooked to perfection. Pushing those thoughts to the side as the village came into view, I told everyone to stay focused in case we were ambushed.
As we stepped into the village, an eerie silence greeted us as the wind blew through the trees. Knowing that they were watching our movements closely, I motioned for Ghislaine to continue moving forward. As requested, she led us straight toward her childhood home to introduce us to her family.
Peering out of windows, as they did not have any sense of danger, the children stared at us with interest. Waving at them with a smile, they attempted to mimic us but were quickly snatched away by their parents who promptly slammed the window shutters closed on us. Chuckling at how quickly the kids were snatched up, it was clear how much the families here cared about their young ones.
“So other than believing you knew better than everyone as a child, what was your childhood like?”, Yasaka asked her.
“Back then, I was quite a violent person. I wanted to be the strongest warrior in our tribe in the beginning, but after a while, my goal changed to being the strongest in the Great Forest. When I told my parents about that…they told me I was wasting my time and that I should focus on homemaking.”, Ghislaine stated, in a bitter tone, “They told me that I would only be a burden to our warriors because I could not compete with them. Not only that, the warriors would put their own lives on the line to protect me because I was a woman. Listening to my parents trample my dreams, I took my anger out on my brother, the only one who believed I could become a strong warrior.”
“Is that why you did not want to come back?”, Hilda asked, realizing what they were asking her to do now.
“...yes…”, Ghislaine admitted, “I beat him within an inch of his life so many times…I do not blame him if he banished me when he took over as Village Chief.”
Understanding the gravity of the situation now, Sauros looked upset that he had strong-armed her into this. Patting him on the shoulder, Paul gave him a reassuring nod as he knew Ghislaine would have said no if she was not ready to resolve this matter. Having traveled with her for a few years, he probably knew all about this but had kept quiet out of respect for her privacy.
Drawing closer to her childhood home, Ghislaine motioned for us to stop when we were only a few yards from the residence.
“I will go in and announce our arrival.”, Ghislaine told us, “If my father or anyone else attacks, please do not kill them. Things around here may have changed since I was a child.”
“We will try.”, Leviathan snickered, with a playful smile.
Accepting her answer, Ghislaine began walking up the steps but stopped as a loud noise came from within the home. Hearing two men shouting at someone not to do something foolish, suddenly a younger Ghislaine came barreling out the front door with a dagger in her hand. Instead of reaching for her blade, Ghislaine stood there in shock as she watched the girl come right for her.
AN: Hey all, I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years. I took some time during my vacation to scope out the rest of this story and set some markers for myself to follow. Based on this, I believe I will be wrapping up this fic sometime in mid-spring to early summer. Once I wrap this up, there will be a large gap before the next fic comes out. I have not kept up on all the source materials so I will have to reread everything to refresh my memory on a lot of things.
=====================================================
—A Few Weeks Later—
Hanging around West Port for the next few weeks, waiting on a response from his former comrades, Paul finally received confirmation from everyone that they were willing to help him. Informing them that we would wait for them in Zanto Port, as it was close to the Beast Territory, they agreed to meet us there as soon as possible. Taking the Greyrats straight to the Beast Territory after that, we began our search for a suitable spot to set down the mansion.
“There is nothing but monsters and bandits to the west of here.”, Serafall said, using magic to erase some blood from her safari outfit, “For a human without magic or sword skills, it is a death sentence.”
“Agreed, it is not suitable for someone looking to retire and enjoy his hobbies.”, Lilith agreed, having already been told what Sauros would be doing regularly.
“South of here is wetlands so it is hot, humid, and full of blood-sucking insects.”, Paul remarked, wiping the sweat from his brow, “Ghislaine, you know this area better than any of us. Is north or east of here better for Sauros and my family?”
“Tribes on the northern edge of the Beast Territory have a rocky relationship with humans. The humans in Zanto Port are the only ones permitted to visit them. Anyone else will be met with violence without any hesitation. They are frequently attacked by black market slavers looking for strong, free labor so they have a strong distaste for strangers.”, Ghislaine informed us, “We could go east, but…it will put us closer to my former village. I would rather not have any interactions with them, if possible.”
“Did you get exiled for something?”, Leviathan inquired.
“No, I just left home on rather bad terms with my family. I was young, dumb, and thought I knew everything I needed to know back then.”, Ghislaine admitted, looking away from us in shame.
Sending out a Radar Pulse to see if we had any other options, I confirmed that east was our best option unless Sauros wanted to live in Zanto Port. Already figuring he would say no, out of concern for the family’s well-being, I still decided to ask just to be safe.
“How do you feel about moving into Zanto Port?”, I asked, offering up the option.
“If the Greyrat family name were not in the gutter, I would have readily agreed to live there. Unfortunately, all of us would always be looking over our shoulders for people wanting revenge for a crime we did not commit.”, Sauros said, looking at Ghislaine apologetically, “I am sorry for asking this of you Ghislaine, but is there any way you can mend your relationship with them? If you need financial support or something else, please do not hesitate to ask for it.”
Looking toward the direction of her village, I could see the mixture of emotions swirling through her mind. While she did want to see her family again, she recalled everything she had done to her brother and father before running away. She had run off after a fight with her family and had said things that she now regretted more than anything. Knowing that we were asking a lot of her, I placed my hand on her shoulder and offered to come with her to see her family.
“If they are anything like the many Beastmen I have met before, they will forgive you if you are open and honest with them.”, I told her, “I am more than willing to come and speak to your changed personality.”
“Cole is right, you are not the same person who left her home all those years ago. The years you have spent on the open road have shaped you into a far better person who regrets what they back then.”, Hilda reminded her, “All of us are here to support you, you are not alone.”
Giving us a grateful smile, Ghislaine let out a sigh and agreed to see what she could do. Telling us to follow her, she said she would lead us there as we were only a few miles away.
—Doldia Village—
Scrambling to their homes as they sensed our approach, Ghislaine was uncertain if the response was because of her or because of the number of people in our group. Warning us to stay on guard, as some of the Doldia Warriors attacked first and asked questions later, Hilda immediately moved closer as the humans in the group closed ranks.
“Mmm, something smells heavenly.”, Yasaka commented, smelling lunches being prepared in the village.
“Yes, it does, nya!! It reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking, nya!!”, Purlin agreed, as her stomach grumbled loudly, “We should stop and eat after this, nya!!”
“That works for me.”, I promised, feeling my stomach start to growl as well.
“That steakhouse in Toyko, right?”, Leona purred, playfully punching me in the back with a toothy grin, “You owe us for skipping out on family meals frequently as of late. This is a perfect way to repay our hard labor that you have been ignoring.”
“Now hold on a minute, all of your hard labor? Neither of you knew how to cook before I met you. All you could do was burn the food to briquettes, then somehow manage to scarf them down with a mug of ale.”, I teased them, having sampled their cooking when they were trying to attract my interest back then.
“Well excuse us for not eating that leafy shit everyone else manages to stomach. That is our food’s food, not ours!”, Leona complained, having been forced to try other types of food before, “As we have already determined, meat is king!”
“Meat! Meat! Meat!”, Purlin seconded, “Fuck those disgusting vegetables, nya!!”
Chuckling at her chant, I had to concede that they were both right to an extent. While I did enjoy sweets and baked goods, nothing beat a good cut of meat cooked to perfection. Pushing those thoughts to the side as the village came into view, I told everyone to stay focused in case we were ambushed.
As we stepped into the village, an eerie silence greeted us as the wind blew through the trees. Knowing that they were watching our movements closely, I motioned for Ghislaine to continue moving forward. As requested, she led us straight toward her childhood home to introduce us to her family.
Peering out of windows, as they did not have any sense of danger, the children stared at us with interest. Waving at them with a smile, they attempted to mimic us but were quickly snatched away by their parents who promptly slammed the window shutters closed on us. Chuckling at how quickly the kids were snatched up, it was clear how much the families here cared about their young ones.
“So other than believing you knew better than everyone as a child, what was your childhood like?”, Yasaka asked her.
“Back then, I was quite a violent person. I wanted to be the strongest warrior in our tribe in the beginning, but after a while, my goal changed to being the strongest in the Great Forest. When I told my parents about that…they told me I was wasting my time and that I should focus on homemaking.”, Ghislaine stated, in a bitter tone, “They told me that I would only be a burden to our warriors because I could not compete with them. Not only that, the warriors would put their own lives on the line to protect me because I was a woman. Listening to my parents trample my dreams, I took my anger out on my brother, the only one who believed I could become a strong warrior.”
“Is that why you did not want to come back?”, Hilda asked, realizing what they were asking her to do now.
“...yes…”, Ghislaine admitted, “I beat him within an inch of his life so many times…I do not blame him if he banished me when he took over as Village Chief.”
Understanding the gravity of the situation now, Sauros looked upset that he had strong-armed her into this. Patting him on the shoulder, Paul gave him a reassuring nod as he knew Ghislaine would have said no if she was not ready to resolve this matter. Having traveled with her for a few years, he probably knew all about this but had kept quiet out of respect for her privacy.
Drawing closer to her childhood home, Ghislaine motioned for us to stop when we were only a few yards from the residence.
“I will go in and announce our arrival.”, Ghislaine told us, “If my father or anyone else attacks, please do not kill them. Things around here may have changed since I was a child.”
“We will try.”, Leviathan snickered, with a playful smile.
Accepting her answer, Ghislaine began walking up the steps but stopped as a loud noise came from within the home. Hearing two men shouting at someone not to do something foolish, suddenly a younger Ghislaine came barreling out the front door with a dagger in her hand. Instead of reaching for her blade, Ghislaine stood there in shock as she watched the girl come right for her.
