“You live here,” Jerik said, his voice blunt. It wasn’t a question. “With monsters.”

“Of course,” Max said. He crossed back over to where Jerik was sitting and held out his hand in a silent offer of help. After a moment of suspicious hesitation, Jerik accepted it, and the strong young man pulled him to his feet. “What, you thought that we had to kill every monster in sight?”

“I mean, that is kind of the point of us being summoned,” Jerik shot back. He stared around at the trees around them. How many people lived in Haven? Would they decide to execute him for attacking some of their people? He thought of the minotaur he’d seen. Without a weapon and the ability to fly away, that monster would destroy him with ease. Almost as an afterthought, his hand brushed against the cold metal of Paragon’s barrel. Max noticed the gesture and tensed, perhaps thinking that he was going to have to restrain Jerik again.

“Relax,” he said quickly, lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Just making sure it’s still there.”

Max nodded his understanding but kept his sharp eyes fixed on Jerik as he moved to talk to the mage that had first shot Jerik down. They conversed so quietly that he couldn’t hear anything. Knowing that he had no chance of beating them all, and fairly certain that they wouldn’t let him leave just yet, he stayed put, staring directly back at Max in a challenging manner. Max was clearly asking something of his comrade, who shrugged uncertainly.

“Alright,” The man said after a few more seconds of conversation had passed. “We’ll take you into the village, and you can talk to our Elder.”

“Do I have a choice in the matter?”

“You will,” Max said, turning to lead the way. “After the Elder has had a chance to talk to you. If he says you’re okay to leave, you can go.”

Jerik paused, having only taken one step to follow. “That doesn’t sound like you’re giving me a choice. If you’re going to make me your captive, you might as well kill me.”

“I already told you-”

“You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” Jerik interrupted. “I know. But those are just words. If I try to flee right now, what will you do?”

“Tackle you,” Max replied, his face serious. “But outside of that, you won’t be harmed. As long as you play nice. Just come with me. The Elder has never imprisoned someone else before.”

Jerik still didn’t move, so he added, with a laugh, “You can just choose to respawn elsewhere, can’t you? Lose your points and keep your gear, but you’ll escape either way.”

That was perfectly true, Jerik thought. But Max had no idea just how bad that situation would be for him. For the average adventure, stuck behind the two hundred and fifty thousand point maximum, that loss was fairly easy to recover. But respawning also broke any legendary gems you had on you. The last thing Jerik wanted was to have to find those gems again. He had enough to max out completely, and couldn’t afford such a monumental setback. But he also couldn’t afford to get into a fight here, with his armor damaged.

“Alright,” he finally said, taking a step forward. “Let’s get this over with then.”

Max nodded and turned away again. The others fell in step beside Jerik. They seemed friendly enough, but it was obvious that they were there to prevent him from dashing to either side for escape. As for moving backward, Jerik soon became aware of other people around them, both between and actually in the trees. It occurred to him how many of them must have been right beneath him as he attempted to fly past. Why hadn’t they tried to shoot him down?

“How many people live in the village?” He asked now, returning his attention to the tall warrior leading the way. Max’s stride was even, and he moved with undeniable grace. It spoke to an experience in using his body that belied his apparent young age.

“Around five hundred,” Max said, his voice casual. When Jerik snorted in disbelief, he half-turned and showed his teeth in a grin. “Don’t sound so surprised. Much of our village is under the ground. It offers us shelter from the Monster Winds.”

“The Monster Winds don’t cause damage or any negative effects,” Jerik said. “Why would you need shelter from them?”

“The shelter is not for us,” Max explained. “When it touches the monsters, they become feral and lose themselves. That is why they are peaceful here. They live free from the influence of that nasty spell.”

Jerik came to a halt again, this time out of surprise. “Wait.”

Max went a few more steps before stopping and turning back. “Yes?”

“You’re telling me that the Monster Winds is magik? It’s being cast by someone?”

“Not just someone. The first Green Menoran. The first to turn against his people and dominate the minds of monster races to fight against Jel-Menora.”

There was a long, heavy silence after this proclamation. The two people flanking Jerik shared a slightly nervous glance, then turned to Max. It was obvious that they weren’t comfortable with the knowledge being shared with an outsider. But if Max was aware of their reticence, he showed no sign of it. In fact, he didn’t even seem to be finished with his explanation. He reached into the white robes he was wearing and withdrew a small syringe filled with some bright blue liquid.

“Do you recognize this?”

Jerik nodded. It was a well-known Tek compound. “That’s Monster’s Bane. It paralyzes them, allowing us to capture them. The research crews invented it to study rare monsters.”

“That’s what it’s used for,” Max agreed. “But its original purpose is as an antidote.”

Jerik could see the connection immediately. The use for Monster’s Bane he knew was to stun or paralyze a monster. It left them stupified, almost dazed, at which point they could be easily restrained.

“It counters the Monster Wind.”

“Correct.”

Max gave the syringe a little toss so that the sunlight streaming through the trees caused the liquid to sparkle, then caught it, and returned it to his robes. “If one of the villagers is unlucky enough to be caught by the Monster Wind, we use this to sedate them and return them to themselves.”

“The dragon,” Jerik mumbled. Max tilted his head, and he explained further. “On our way here we encountered a dragon. It was a Magik variant, and it fled. First time I’ve seen a Raid-Class monster do that.”

For a brief second, Max’s eyes hardened. It was an unnerving look, and Jerik instinctively took a step back, almost expecting an attack. But the look was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and his face returned to its casual expression. “Ah. So you’re the ones that Vernex fought.”

“It has a name?”

“She has a name,” Max answered, laying extra stress on the first word. “She is one of our village’s Guardians.”

“Oh,” Jerik said quietly. It was the only reply he could think of. Though it made sense. A sentient monster with its sense of reason intact would retreat if it was badly injured. And it would go to the place it called home. “It nearly killed us.”

“Yes,” Max said lightly. “She told us as much. She regrets that, even if you did nearly kill her in return.”

Jerik swallowed nervously, then followed as Max began leading them along once again. He was still trying to wrap his head around the knowledge that the Monster Winds weren’t a natural force in Menora. Was it really created by Kan-Menora? He had to be a ridiculously powerful Magik user if he could affect an entire continent with his power. Did that mean that all monsters could be turned tame, as long as they killed the one creating the Winds?

“Here we are,” Max said several minutes later, shaking Jerik from his thoughts. “I’ve said it before, but welcome to Haven.”

This close to the village, and stuck to the ground as he was, the number of monsters in sight was even more obvious than before. They outnumbered the humans by nearly ten to one, but they looked almost cheerful, in so far that a monster’s expression could be read. Every kind of monster he’d seen, from goblins to orcs, was moving about the village with such a casual air that they obviously saw it as their home.

“The Elder.”

Jerik snapped back to Max, just in time to see the young man sinking to one knee in a bow of reverence. Glancing over him, he saw what had to be the oldest Menoran ever. She was tall and powerfully built as all Menorans were, but there was a definite greyish tinge to her blue skin. Her hair was a stark white and was held back from her forehead in an elegant series of braids and twists. Numerous beads were woven into her hair, each a different color, so that it looked like a rainbow was falling to her shoulders.

She was wearing an elaborate set of forest-green robes that flowed gently in the breeze. On her wrists, neck, and fingers were many pieces of glittering jewelry, each bearing a unique arcane symbol. The staff in her left hand, a stout rod of white wood, topped with a jade-green crystal, also vibrated with powerful magik. She looked serene enough, but her very aura was oppressive. Jerik once again felt the urge to turn and flee. It felt dangerous to be in the presence of so much powerful pressure. He was convinced she could kill him faster than he could speak a single word.

He dropped to a knee as well, bowing his head and looking at the ground. Somehow, the pressure seemed to lessen as he did so. He chanced another look up at her and was startled to see that she’d swooped past right Max to stand before him. She towered over him as she stared, judging him with her eyes. Then, without warning, a warm smile spread across her face. Her eyes crinkled with obvious pleasure, as if seeing him was the highlight of her weak. The pressure of her aura vanished immediately.

“Welcome to my home, Jerik Barr,” she said. Like all Menorans, her voice carried a barely noticeable hint of melody and peace with it. She looked like a kind-hearted grandma who was going to offer him cookies, a stark contrast to the intimidating figure she’d cut mere seconds before. “I have heard good things of your character before. I am pleased to see that they were not baseless.”

“You’ve heard of me?” He blurted out, taken aback. “From who?”

“From none other than my granddaughter,” the Elder said. “Sel-Kenna. I am Jel-Kenna.”

The use of the honorific Jel didn’t escape Jerik. It was the same as the god who had summoned all ten thousand humans to the world. Clearly, it wasn’t a unique title. He wondered what the full spectrum of ranking was, but decided now was not the best time to ask. He bowed his head again, trying to think of something to say.

“Please, rise,” Jel-Kenna said, making a graceful beckoning gesture with her hand. “You are welcome in our village, as are your compatriots who are coming through the pass.”

Max, grinning from ear to ear, patted him solidly on the shoulder. “See? I told you that you weren’t going to be harmed. You have nothing to fear here.”

Jerik let out a long, slow sigh. Jel-Kenna’s austere aura of power had made it clear that she owned the area. And if she wasn’t going to hurt him, then he truly believed that he was safe here. That was one concern solved, he thought. The rest could be figured out when the rest of the platoon made their way over. He gave a single nod to indicate his acceptance of his words, and, as the crowd of spectators who had gathered to watch moved away, he followed Max and the Elder to the large stone building he’d seen.