HencSmol

I'm going to try and write longer chapters, at least to hopefully qualify for a "short chapter" which is... apparently 2000-5000 words? I'll try to go somewhere in the middle like... 3500 words. It's a decent goal and if I find it hard to do, I can just shorten it! For now though, I'll save that for Ch. 9. A bit long for 20+ days without a chapter, and people could probably look forward to future ones once I release this.

Writing little by little is somehow... not as prevalent? It's a bit hard to get the ideas going when I go as little as I do I guess. I'll do my best in updating my chapters though!

The person who guided me to her and an elf's house was a Kirin named Celcy. The elf Fellin seems to have a good relationship with her though, so I guess if you were to take something out of this... It's that Kirin and Elves have some type of friendly relationship. I was served some tea, which smelled quite good. I took a sip out of it, but I couldn't really identify it... Mainly because I don't drink many teas.

"I suppose now is an opportune time to give my details for a trial I expect you to complete."

What I didn't expect was being given another quest... Well, maybe I expected it a little bit because with a completely new race that isn't really known yet. You can't really predict what's going to happen. Or at least I can't because I don't proactively search for information when it's unneeded... Neither can I gather any information without expecting this event to happen. Regardless, a basic summary of it is-

Well... That. There's apparently enough that it fits any type of person, but mainly... I have "Helping hand" as the main trial... there are a few conditions I'm not sure of though. Considering the title this was given though... I'm probably going to be helping people... the question is... what type of people... and with what though? I think it's safe to say intuition is going to be assessed with this trial if I haven't been given a direct objective...

"With that said... Outworlder. May I ask where you obtained that blade of yours?"

"Huh? Oh, I bought it from a shopkeeper, apparently its waning so it was much cheaper than the usual wares he sold."

"Understood... Well, after you're finished resting going out the front door will automatically transfer your body to the trial... Best of luck..."

After Celcy said that, she got up and went upstairs, leaving me alone with a cup of half-finished tea... I don't have any reason to continue resting so I drank the remaining liquid and set it down on the tray, which seems like what they wanted me to do since I heard footsteps from upstairs when I exited to the trial. Could also just be common courtesy though. I prepared to cover my eyes to not be blinded... but I guess I didn't need to since once my whole body went through the door. I felt some kind of film phase through and then I'm just suddenly here... in a foggy... forest. I guess this is how it starts...

I look around a few times to make sure I'm not missing anything at the start point, there isn't necessarily a time limit so I won't be rushed like last time. Although I don't think I had to do much with that first quest that the time mattered.

I walk through the forest looking around to catch any details, I heard the odd rustling, which I'm pretty sure is an entity, since I don't feel any wind passing through when I hear it. So it's either an animal or something is possibly spying on me. Hopefully it's the former and not the latter... although it depends on the person who's spying on me. Eventually I spot some type of town in the distance, and I stop hearing the rustling. Which likely means that the thing I was hearing is an inhabitant, or it's convenient timing... No, it's definitely an inhabitant of that town-like silhouette.

I continue to walk down the narrow path, occasionally checking my surroundings to make sure there isn't anything I miss during my walk to the town. At some point I see shadows moving from within the forest, whether they're friendly or not is something I can't really point out, they're all going towards the town though... I'm not very far from it now, so I should be able to figure something out in the few minutes it will take me to get near the gates. When I got there, I felt stares from the trees beside me... 'Strange' I look around at the bushes, pausing a few seconds before to next, and somehow it got them off me. I wouldn't know why, but it is what it is... Keeping that in mind, I walk through the gates and closed it. There isn't a reason for it to be open, and if it helps at all... it can probably stall outside attacks at best.

When I turn back around, I notice an entire group of people armed and cautious. Although they haven't utilized them in a threatening point of view, or at least I wouldn't consider it threatening, which hopefully means it's just an extra measure to keep themselves safe, which is fine. I read enough strategist novels to figure out it can be used as a scare as well. After a few more moments, a... surprisingly short person comes out from the crowd, they look like a child... but judging from the crowd's expressions, I doubt it. It's also a giveaway when a person who can be considered a parent isn't dragging them back but walking beside them with a weapon prepared and cautious...

"Judging from this... first impression, are you possibly the leader of this town?"

"Well... I wouldn't consider us a town, just a humble village on the wayside... however. We are more than prepared to deal with you should we have to..."

"Ahaha... it is quite... surprising to turn back to an armed group after all, but I believe the group would rather not deal with me. At least not from how much they're shaking..." And I mean shaking... they're literally, physically shaking... or would it be more accurate to consider them terrified but clumsy? They're tumbling over each other despite not even moving... and I don't even know how that's possible. I could've sworn I was looking at an exaggerated drama film... but worse. If that's even something that can be visualized. Well, this is my visualization if it comes to it now.

"Oh...? and how confident are you that we aren't perhaps tricking you to a false sense of security?"

"I'm not... confident, but I have enough foresight to think about what to do in the case I do get attacked."

"Hm..." The short person turns around and calmly addresses the still tumbling group "Relax! This person is not a threat to the village. The real threat has yet to come." They... or rather he, except it looks like I was looking at a separate person before, maybe some kind of magic? Anyway, he turns back to me while speaking and narrows his eyes, which I feel something around me... I don't know what it is, but... it doesn't seem dangerous, after that feeling is gone, he speaks "And I would gratefully appreciate it if you were to help us keep this village standing... Not that you'll be safe if it falls."

"I... I guess?" After I say that, he turns around while gesturing me to follow him and only now do I notice that the crowd before is gone and the village looks a bit more normal than it was before. The atmosphere also seems... less heavy somehow? I follow the short person to a cabin in which I get a similar welcoming to the house, with the serving of tea before the supposed chief reveals his name

"I am called Yaru... I am as you have guessed, the leader or chief of this village, and well... luckily enough you aren't a bad person. I'm really the only one in the village trained enough to deal with the enemy we have. Everyone else... they can gather information, but they're useless if not used to scare away individuals before the chaos happens. Still need to improve their acting though... I could also just train them... but personally training each and everyone is less value and more time being open to attacks. The only reason we're still here is because I've kept up the barrier around the village to stop any outsiders from finding us, although I doubt that's going to last any longer with you suddenly disappearing from those spies at the front of our village. Who knows, maybe we'll be lucky and they'll think the several people there were all hallucinating about you... wouldn't that be nice, huh?"

"I... I suppose?" He spoke so much and revealed things before I needed to figure anything out. I'm not sure if that's normal, I hope it is, because it sure wasn't normal outside of shows where people revealed all their cards to people for no reason. Then again... I'm not sure if helping this chief is the correct choice, yet. Although I don't think I'd interact with those figures from earlier. I mean, it's suspicious enough that they stopped in front of the village instead of going inside. If that doesn't raise your suspicions... you're either a simpleton or ridiculously sheltered to not understand that it isn't normal behavior.

"Either way, worrying about that now is unneeded, the best we can do is prepare ourselves... with that in mind, Outworlder, do you mind helping the village out? We need some supplies, and more importantly a form of fortification after the walls. It will help us fend off any attackers."

I simply nod and started to look only to realize I still need specific materials from Yaru speaking again.

"We're specifically looking for wood, so as long as you're careful to avoid those shadows, we'll have the maximum amount of time to prepare once they realize it isn't a hallucination."

"Understood..."
I give a nod as well and walk around the village for a little while. Just to figure out the general area so I can navigate in a more time-based situation, and most importantly, find the most vulnerable spots so I can fortify them the most. Or at least give directions for them... Obviously the gates, and somewhere between the middle and the gates for each wall... which would be... around 12 barrier-like structures? It's going to be weak at the exact middle of the walls, but that's assuming they try and break it open... I've seen their general profiles, they're more the agile type over strength. They wouldn't be sneaking as well as they did otherwise... Not that it sounded professional. Maybe my Demi-human ears are giving me better hearing? Most likely... After I finished figuring out a general layout for the fortifications, I walk to one of the gates nearest to me and prepare myself to be as cautious as possible. It's better safe than sorry after all...