"Good," Adam said to the girl, a smile playing on his lips. "Let me explain the process. We'll be dividing into different groups. One team will focus on hunting and capturing the beasts they come across instead of killing them."
He swept his gaze across the crowd, making sure everyone was following. "Then we'll have a team responsible for safely bringing the captured beast's back here. The third team will remain at the camp, preparing for and participating in the sacrifices. We'll rotate duties so everyone gets to experience each role."
The crowd started whispering among themselves, discussing the new plans with fervor.
Adam called over Annabelle and his mother to assist in organizing the groups and assigning roles. He trusted their judgment, knowing they would manage the situation efficiently.
With his mother and Annabelle busy coordinating the new arrangements, Adam decided it was time to deal with Gundug.
He made his way to the hobgoblin's quarters, finding him sprawled out, lazily munching on a fruit.
Adam's annoyance flared at the sight of the carefree hobgoblin. He aimed a kick at Gundug's side, catching him off guard.
The hobgoblin sprang up, a scowl on his face, ready to lash out at whoever disturbed his peaceful lounging.
But when he saw Adam, guilt replaced his anger.
Adam crossed his arms and fixed Gundug with a stern gaze.
"Seems like you're having a good time," Adam remarked, his voice thick with sarcasm.
Gundug rubbed the back of his neck, offering a sheepish grin. "Ughh, I’m feeling a bit better."
"While you were sitting here enjoying life, I almost died," Adam said flatly.
"Sorr—" Gundug began to stammer, but Adam cut him off with a shake of his head.
"I’ll deal with you later. Right now, I need you to help capture beasts for the cult. You're the only tier 1 other than me," Adam explained.
"Capture beasts?" Gundug echoed, brows furrowed in confusion. His eyes widened with fear as a realization dawned on him. "Is it-Is it for the hive?"
Adam quickly dismissed his worries. "No, we need it for the sacrificial rituals we are about to do. I’ll be joining you to help at some point, but for now, it’s time for you to help out. They might act weird around you. Just don’t cause trouble."
Gundug gave his chest a confident thump. "You can trust me."
With the hobgoblin trailing behind, Adam headed back to the main camp. His mom and Annabelle had sorted each person into different roles.
Adam had already told Zara his plan, and she gave him some resources to get started on this plan of his.
He was given a cart and a hive unit to pull it and a promise if he needed anything else, then she would do her best to provide it.
Adam felt bad asking, he felt that Zara had provided him too much, and he felt guilty because these were resources the hive might need in their war.
He sent off the first wave of hunter and transport teams, Gundug at the helm. His new plan was in motion.
Adam stood in silence as the last of the hunter and transporter teams left, his gaze lingering on their disappearing backs. Only Annabelle and Stella remained from the familiar faces.
Turning to Stella, who remained unusually quiet, Adam spoke. "I would have thought that you would have gone with them."
"I want to talk to you, Adam," Stella replied, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. Her usually sparkling eyes held a serious, troubled look.
"What's wrong?" Adam asked, mirroring her seriousness.
"Do you hate me?" Stella's voice was soft.
Adam was taken aback. "What made you think that?"
Her eyes, the same shade as her fiery hair, filled with unshed tears. "Then why do you keep abandoning me? Why do you keep leaving me behind?"
Adam opened his mouth to protest, but Stella raised her hand to stop him.
"No. Let me finish, Adam," she said firmly. "You’ve been ignoring me lately. Maybe not intentionally, but you have been nonetheless. What happened to doing everything together?"
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she continued. "I was so excited when I found out about your secret. I thought I could finally understand you and help you. But you... you just pushed me away. I thought it was because I was too weak, so I tried my best to get stronger, to reduce the gap between us."
"And now, I've found out that you had a way to help me all along. And yet, you didn't share it with me.”
Adam was at a loss for words, taken aback by the raw pain in Stella's voice.
“You ask me why I'm still here. I'm here because I want to help you. All I ever wanted was to be there for my best friend, just like he has been for me...And when I found out that you almost died...”
"I... I," he stuttered, before pulling Stella into a comforting hug.
"I wish I could have been there," Stella sobbed into his chest. "I wish I could have been there to help you."
"I'm sorry, Stella," Adam murmured, holding her tighter.
He knew he had been wrong. He had been so focused on protecting Stella that he ended up pushing her away. He had unintentionally taken away her choice and, in the process, hurt her.
He didn't know how he would cope with seeing her hurt, but he had to remember that Stella, too, wanted to fight and protect those she cared about.
Adam held Stella in silence, his mind racing. ‘It’s my fault she is here…It’s my fault that everyone is here. I’ve tried to protect them, but that’s only made them weaker.'
His actions had created an unintentional distance between him and his family. In his heart, he didn't want to involve them in the conflicts he was constantly faced with.
He didn't want them to witness them dying on him.
But the truth was that they were already involved simply by being part of his life.
Adam knew he still had time to fix his mistakes. If his family wanted to support him, he would let them.
He couldn’t keep making decisions for them; they had their own paths, and they also had the immortal trait. They would come back the same as him. He couldn’t keep holding them back.
This talk with Stella had been a wake up call for him. He thought back to his actions.
Not telling them about the sacrificial ritual had been part of his attempt to shield them from the darker aspects of his life.
Adam knew he wasn’t normal, that his ability to empathize was more limited than most. But that didn’t mean he had to shoulder everything alone. His family deserved to know the truth, the real him.
Stella’s sobbing finally ceased. She pulled away slightly, wiping her eyes. Trying to lighten the mood, she asked, “Do I still get to be vice-leader?”
Adam chuckled. “You already have it.”
“You bet I do. You already promised!” Stella replied, her usual spark returning.
Despite the difficult conversation they had just shared, Adam felt a wave of relief wash over him. At least he was taking the first step toward a better path.
Annabelle watched the exchange between her daughter and Adam with a fond smile. "Stella, we're still here," she gently reminded her, drawing attention to the bemused crowd around them.
Stella, realizing the attention they'd attracted, flushed a brilliant red and hid behind Adam, causing him to smile.
Teasingly, Annabelle suggested to Adam, "It seems like Stella isn't quite ready to be vice-leader if she can't handle a bit of embarrassment. Perhaps I might be a better choice."
Stella peeked out from behind Adam to shake her fist at her mother, who laughed in response.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," she conceded, still chuckling.
Turning serious, Annabelle addressed Adam. "I'm glad Stella talked to you about this. She's been very moody lately. Your parents and I have also discussed this. We share Stella's sentiments, Adam. We're here for you. Please stop pushing us away."
Adam nodded, acknowledging the gravity of the conversation. "I promise I won't anymore. My brush with death has made me reevaluate a lot of things. I'm here to correct them."
Annabelle's face softened at his words.
She ruffled his hair affectionately and drew him into a hug, whispering in his ear, "Too many eyes and ears here. We'll talk on Earth."
Adam understood her concern and who she didn't want to have their conversation in front of.
His division in his cult was becoming increasingly visible - yet another issue he needed to address.
He hugged her back and tapped her arm twice.
“Thank you, Aunt Annabelle”
He was determined to fix the mistakes he's made and ensure that his cult and his family were united in their goals and support for one another.
He was determined to fix the mistakes he's made. The cult's primary objective is here to serve him and his loved ones. He needed to make changes to the cult so these objectives are met.
Adam had come to a tough conclusion: for the growth and unity of the cult, he was prepared to make any necessary decision - even if it meant possibly having to remove his own grandmother from the cult.
This was far from a choice he wanted to make, but he was ready if the situation called for it.
His day proceeded as he spent time sharing stories and experiences with Stella and Annabelle.
Their laughter filled the air and Stella's cheerful demeanor had bounced back, bringing a sense of lightness to their conversation.
Annabelle's smile mirrored her daughter's mood, making the atmosphere even more pleasant.
As they were engrossed in their talk, the transport team returned.
Other beasts, tranquilized and docile, were loaded on a cart that the hive beast was pulling.
Adam had delegated the task of making the tranquilizers to the hive, choosing to focus his attention elsewhere, despite having the capability of making them himself.
He looked forward to the day when he'd have his own crafters in the cult, capable of creating whatever he wanted.
As he thought about the crafters, his mind wandered to the plethora of recipes available in the cult shop. There were so many opportunities awaiting them.
He was still stuck with common tier-1 equipment, which protected him slightly, but not much else. He couldn’t wait for the opportunity to equip himself and his members with higher rarity items.
His train of thought was interrupted by Marcus.
"Boss. We've brought back the beasts you wanted," Marcus reported.
"Good. How many did you manage to get?" Adam asked, curious about the haul.
"We've brought back 14 beasts, boss," Marcus said.
"And their levels?" Adam inquired, knowing that the strength of the beasts would determine the benefit they would receive.
"The highest level we managed to get is level 8. There are three of those. The rest are at various levels, with the lowest one being at level 4," Marcus reported.
“Originally, the hunter team left us with 10, but it seems that all these beasts attracted some predators, which we added to our haul.”
Adam nodded his appreciation. "Thank you, Marcus. We'll handle things from here."
"Sure, boss. Catch you later," Marcus said, leaving Adam with the subdued beasts.
Marcus’s words made Adam think about something he hadn’t considered.
‘If the captured beasts were attracting predators, why can I leave traps in the forest? Maybe something for the future.’
Adam now focused on the beasts in front of him. He had a plan to involve every member of the cult in the sacrificial rituals.
He hoped this would help his cult members overcome any inhibitions or doubts, especially once they saw the rewards in terms of growth and experience.
He looked at Stella and offered, "Stella, would you like to be the first one to perform the sacrifice?"
Thanks Author!