Lief returned to Stone Village's gate, holding bloodied objects in one hand and a brutalized carcass on his shoulder. The dimness of the forest at night obscured his figure and upper body.
The guard was scared out of his mind. The immortal was menacingly walking toward him, darkness overtaking his form. Its pale white skin was tainted with splatters of blood. Is that a human's or animals? The guard whimpered.
"Wel-c-c-come back, Immortal," The young man barely got out a stutter. Beads of sweat formed on his thin frame. He feared to utter any more, terrified that he might anger the immortal and get killed.
Lief sighed at the guard's reaction, looking down at his bloody torso and arms. I really need to clean this up. The ruined antlers in his hand didn't help his image either.
Not responding to the guard, who was actually older then him, Lief confidently strode into Stone Village, toward Yi Ze. The chief himself was signing documents on a lacquered table near the creek. Several women attended to him.
"Welcome back, Senior Mo." Yi Ze turned and stood up to look up at Lief, his warm smile crinkling his eyes. "I see you've completed your hunt." He stared at the carcass. "Though the condition leaves something to be desired." After all, the corpse looked absolutely brutalized, with massive cuts all over the intact body and everything above the neck gone.
Yi Ze pointed to a large building next to Yi Wang's smithy. Tall wood walls framed a flattened roof, which was covered with straw. "The trade caravan leaves in two days, so you may continue hunting in that time. That's the storage room."
Lief walked into the sparsely lit building, which had only a few candles relative to its size. He placed the antlers into a shelf where several of the appendages were mounted. He then proceeded to attempt to find a place to put the dripping mess on his shoulder.
A young girl rushed toward him, sensing his distress. "I'll take this, Immortal!" She took the deer's dead body from Lief. Her eagerness to help overshadowed the disgust she had at the carcass. What a kind girl. Lief remarked.
Over the next few days, Lief would hunt down and kill over a dozen deer, plunging his grisly spear and claws into their hides. Eventually, the villagers would prepare to journey to Tiger Fortress.
"This is yours, Immortal." A grizzled, middle aged man handed Lief a tunic and pants to wear, before bowing with respect. He wasn't old, yet looked quite frail, at least compared to Elder Li.
The clothing was of earthy colors and simple design. Though it was noticeable that contrary to the average linen of the villagers, it was a muddy green instead of dirt brown. This was reminiscent of the clothing worn by Yi Ze and Yi Wang. Perhaps a sign of status? Lief pondered before simply deciding that he had special treatment.
Lief huddled into the caravan, his taller form dwarfing the malnourished height of the villagers who came with him. Once in, he looked around at his company. The old man from earlier, a middle aged guy with quite a full beard and a large build, as well as a younger man wearing a straw hat.
The brown mortal horses began to pull the carriage forward, to Tiger Fortress. One by one, they introduced themselves. The old man spoke nervously. "I'm Wang Wei," he stammered quickly.
The middle aged male also introduced himself. "I'm his son." He pointed to Wang Wei with his thumb, sneering. "Name's Hao." He grunted.
Lastly, the young man reached out his hand for Lief. "And I'm Yi Long!" he declared with a massive grin on his face. Yi Long's eyes gleamed with anticipation for the journey. Reminds me of Yi Wang. Indeed, his cheerful manner was reminiscent of the smith. In addition, he wore the dark green robes of other high ranking villagers.
Lief shook his hand roughly. Wang Hao raised his eyebrows, surprised at the gesture. Wang Wei continued whimpering in the corner.
The group traveled for almost a week, trudging through harsh terrain and pleasant scenery. They stopped at a several smaller villages for supplies and shelter every day or so. Yi Long seemed to know all the Chiefs, and he was the one who negotiated food and other necessities in exchange for some of their goods., which were mainly fish and wheat. "I'm training to be the next Chief when grandfather dies!" he had said.
Eventually, the group closed in onto the site of Tiger Fortress. Lief was curious about it. I wonder how big it'll be? Probably not bigger than the Imperial Shelters. He thought back to his time on Earth. Until the age of eight, his family had stayed in one of the great Imperial Shelters, after which they were ejected out. He had needed to learn the ways of survival in the brutal conditions of Earth. Luckily, his father always seemed to be able to find food and water for the family.
"Ready up, we're almost there." Wang Hao grunted. He squinted out of the caravan into the horizon.
"Where?" Lief was confused. He could see rows of trees and various small creeks, but no stone building that was even similar to a "fortress". The air was still, no bustling humans rushing in and out of the area. Yet, the trail they traveled on grew more distinct as they approached.
Yi Long smirked at the immortal. This was a rare moment. "You're gonna love this." As the carriage drew closer, a large depression could be spotted in the ground. It was massive, exceeding the size of the entirety of Stone Village, which was already huge compared to most villages.
"The hell," Lief murmured in amazement. A colossal structure could be seen deep within the pit, which occupied almost the whole of it. Natural stalagmites were melded with man made stone and iron to create the walls of the fortress. A domed roof covered the building. Just how much does that take to sustain?
"Welcome to Tiger Fortress, the largest trading hub in the Bai Dynasty," Yi Long introduced the establishment to Lief.