Reincarnate as Prince: Change Magical World with Industry

76 Journey Home

The journey home took longer than usual, but it was all worth it.

The wagons simply couldn't accommodate their new additions on top of their supplies. The women and children of the Plague Rats were prioritized to ride on the wagons, while the men walked on foot. Their pace was considerably slower, and that was not counting the stopgaps that they had on the way.

They were met with a few challenges. The large troll that presumably attacked the Gaddi emissary was spotted along the way. The soldiers tried to engage it but Cornelia stepped in weaving a large fireball that she flung with her staff. It made quick work of the troll, burning it to a crisp, but she also burned a swathe of the forest surrounding it.

Haruna, Lysie, and Aiden had to rush in to create barriers and use water spells to douse the flame. While Cornelia sat there laughing at her prize.

"I got him! I got the bastard! Hahahah!" her voice echoed across the forest.

Janus caught sight of her spell, using the Arcane vision that he was told to constantly use whenever any one of them performed magic. He saw how she weaved sparks that crossed together to form a concentration of hell, and how she flung the force of destruction with deadly aim.

He learned two things that night. That he should practice with his spells more -- drilling into his sketches and line work for more precise weaving as well as take his archery practice seriously. If he indeed had a Wellspring much larger than hers, then he could be capable of making something more.

His second lesson was to not mess with Cornelia. The guards and members of the Plague Rats were understandably wary of being around her after that incident, but she grew in popularity amongst the stronger warriors as well.

Halfway to the village, they had to make additional stops. Cornelia and Aiden in particular were finding larger and larger spots with Aether energies surrounding them. Whenever they found these they would set up camp and take a few soldiers with them to investigate the area.

They charted these locations on their maps, as well as created signs on the roads for future reference.

They were right to bring in reinforcements. These so-called hot spots had their own surprises in store.

In one particular spot, there was a large congregation of widgets. Haruna and her friends all agreed that this challenge would be a good test for Janus' abilities. So they let him take care of it, opting to stay back and supervise.

With a squad of soldiers and his teachers watching him. Janus tried not to disappoint.

His first fireball swooped into the air and fell to the ground. The grass burned, and a large bang could be heard on surrounding acres.

The windgeist scattered and attacked him, half of them knocked him down on his feet, the other half surrounded him in a coordinated attack.

Without thinking, Janus erected a large barrier around him. His sketching drills came to him in a split second, and before the geists could ever reach him he had stopped the elementals on their tracks.

Several small fireballs hit them and they dissipated into the air.

Haruna and the others came running to check on him. Cornelia followed in a leisurely stroll.

"I'm alright. My butt is gonna be sore for a few days at least, but I'm alright." Janus said.

"My my, I must say Janus. While your offense is still pitiful, your barrier work is getting better. Good job, but you better let us take care of the other arcane spots. Sir Arthan over there is about to get a heart attack." Haruna said.

Janus looked at the Knight, his expression could have curdled cheese.

The mages took care of the other spots that they found. In the first, there was a lurking monitor lizard at the bottom of a den. It ran away as soon as they let lose a few spells. The scouts marked the beast as a bounty for the Monster Hunters. While they placed a flag in one of the trees. A mark for future visits.

In the other spots, they found a giant bear and a walking tree. The latter of which only Cornelia and Haruna were able to spot. Both creatures moved away as soon as they sensed their presence.

Aiden surmised that if they can study all of these arcane anomalies like the one in Lakeside, they can harness its power to train more mages. He also had a few possible applications in mind.

Once they were able to expand the village more as the population grew, these areas would be prioritized and annexed for research.

As soon as they were satisfied with their expeditions. They made their way back to the village, with new members to bolster their population.

The council of Elders was wary about the addition of orcs at first, especially the Dwarfs who suffered a history of slavery under their hands. But their prejudices were softened when they met Clanchief Gragosh and his men.

There wasn't a lot of hate to be had for one who looked so malnourished and miserable. Although the Clanchief was in good spirits after their liberation from Gaddi, he still looked worse than any other village Elder when they arrived here.

His mechanical arm was barely working. His face was gaunt and had scars all over his body. Elder Frugarth had asked him if he was one of those orcs who are called Smalltusks - the term they used for those who were meant to be subjugated as servants for Warlords.

Janus assumed that the lack of tusk from the Clanchief was a result of their harsh situation, but looking at the rest of the men it was clear that none of them were built as warriors. They were unlike the usual orc grunts who towered over regular men, with the largest of them reaching up to seven feet tall.

It turns out that orcs in this world had a hierarchy system that could be gleaned from the size of their tusks. From a young age, orcs would be trained and tested in battle. Through the years, those who spilled more blood would naturally grow larger tusks - signifying their place in society as warriors. Those who grew the longest tusks would naturally be surrounded by warriors and would grow to become Warlords themselves.

Those who lost suffered the opposite effect. Smalltusks would be relegated as more of a class for servitude. Supporting the needs of their troops in times of war. And go to war they did, for the life of an orc is a constant journey to prove themselves the strongest or get killed.

It's still a mystery as to how the tusks size works, as it isn't influenced by any internal forces or stimuli. Even Warlords who would get their tusks chipped off or damaged during battle would grow it anew in a matter of weeks. Orcs like Clanchief Gargosh and his men would presumably never grow their tusks no matter how they tried. They were practically branded for life, and would be the ones most likely to be thrown as slaves or refugees if their Warlord perished in battle, which is why they've were stuck in Gaddi in the first place.

This piqued Janus' interest so much that he resolved to look for anything in his Golden Library that could explain the phenomena.

By the end of the meeting, the Elders all agreed to provide workers for the reclamation of land that would be the Plague Rats' home. Some dwarfs and goblins were also free to join in with Kazzuk or Frugarth's tribe, but they elected to stay with Gragosh instead.

The Clanchief spoke with Janus privately once the meeting was over.

"Prince Janus, again I cannot thank you enough for what you've done to us. Your village is true as marvelous as what the rumors in Gaddi might suggest, and not quite as horrible as they say it is."

"I am happy to oblige Clanchief, and I do hope we can provide you a better life in the village. We help each other here and hopefully make each other better. I will need to find a seat for you at the Elders and we'll write up maps for you tomorrow. I'm thinking we'll have your people expand further south. You'll be right at the borders of Lakeside and nearest to the roads leading to Ramstead."

"Any place would be better than the sewers Prince Janus." The orc bowed. "We have lived in that place for far too long, but it isn't all that bad. In fact, during that time operating the Black markets and underground tunnels, we have amassed a certain type of skill. Skills that we may not be able to use now that we have our freedom. I have something in mind for some of my men, if you would hear me out."

Janus smiled. "I know what you're saying Clanchief Gragosh. I would not like for your men to continue with their practices within the village, but outside is another matter. I am happy to say that we share the same thoughts on the matter..."