As they weren’t following a trail, there was no reason to pull off or move anywhere, except next to a stand of trees to block the wind and give them somewhere to hang hammocks.
The weather was warm here in the afternoon, but it was getting cold quickly in the evening, and Karl realized that perhaps just setting up in the trees might not be the most comfortable option.
He had [Flaming Body] to keep himself warm, but it was still better to create a tent and have a proper sleep.
There was one in all the supplies that the Elves had gathered for him, and Karl considered taking it out, but Rae was already on her way to the trees to make them something.
She wasn’t going all out today so that they could easily pack it up in the morning and not leave one of her glorious constructs for strangers she didn’t even like. So, what she came up with was a ring of silk wall around a group of trees and a hanging sheet over the top, with fresh hammocks hung inside around a fire pit.
That would be more than enough, and they could have roast meat in the morning.
Cara was right, it really was the best way to have it, and it wouldn’t take long. The wagon was left beside the clearing, and Thor returned to his space to nap in his pond and recharge for the high chance he would get to meet new people tomorrow. That left the others to gather firewood, while Rae set up a perch in the trees to observe anything that might attempt to approach them.
She could still see that there were groups headed towards the dungeon, even now that the sun was down, and it was almost fully dark. There weren’t any more leaving the city as far as she could see, and the ones that were moving were already set on their path, so she had high hopes for a quiet night.
There were a number of small creatures that she wasn’t familiar with, so she had also set up weak webs through the stand of trees to catch some for examination. Just a little something to help her pass the time as she waited for the sun to come back up and the clerics to make breakfast.
However, impatience won out in the end, and when Karl woke up in the morning, there was a freshly stoked fire going, with skewers full of meat arranged around it, and an excited Cara running between them to rotate the sticks, so none of the sides got overcooked.
Lotus smiled at the scene. “I guess that’s our cue to make the breakfast side dishes. Thank you, Cara, and whoever else helped with breakfast.”
[There are more trolls coming our way. I think that they see the wagon.] Rae informed Karl as he stood to stretch his muscles.
[How long do we have?] [Ten minutes or so. The meat should be ready before then.] Rae replied with an overtone of pleasure that nobody would be trying to steal her hard work.
“We’ve got incoming in ten minutes. It shouldn’t be any trouble, but be prepared.” Karl warned the others.
[Thor, you might as well make your way out of the trees to your wagon. We will hook you up later.]
The Cerro had already eaten, but he grabbed the pile of magically created feed that Tessa had set aside for him and tossed it into the pile in his space as he went to wait by his wagon.
He would have plenty of time to dump it on the ground and snack while he waited, and if he were right, it would help build the image of them being a normal merchant group, who actually had to set camp, carry feed for their Cerro, and worry about night attacks.
Karl had just finished his oatmeal and roasted tree lizard, courtesy of Rae, when Thor gave him the two-minute warning, to make his way out to meet their guests.
Most creatures would be able to see the incoming monsters now, so Karl didn’t have to worry about giving away his abilities when he walked out to greet them.
He noticed that the Trolls carried their weapons openly, perhaps because they didn’t have any sort of access to the system to let the weapons bond. But like the others, the leader of the group drew his weapon even as he waved an otherwise friendly hello.
It seemed that was some sort of tradition among the locals, so Karl took out his maul and slung it over his shoulder as he moved twenty metres toward them and waited.
That was far enough that they wouldn’t easily be able to reach the others, who were still finishing their morning meal.
“Greetings merchant. Do you know the way to the Dungeon? It should be in this direction.” The leader of the group asked.
“Go straight north, following the trails. There were dozens of groups last night headed that way. When we went by, there was a huge fight at the three standing stones on a hill. That should be where the dungeon is.
We kept moving, but when you get close, it should be impossible to miss that many people.
Nobody has come back at all, so it has to still be active. If it wasn’t, they would have given up by now.”
The troll’s face twisted into a grim smile. “Or them they all dead.”
Karl chuckled. “At least one fast runner should have come by last night if that was the case. One sneaky sort always gets away.”
The troll shook his head. “Not like that. It could be that everyone goes in, and nobody comes out.”
Karl nodded in understanding. “That could be. But some groups had champions stronger than I am. If it’s that dangerous, then isn’t it a really good thing?”
The troll made a genuine laugh, as did his teammates. “Good things only count if you live long enough to enjoy them. If whatever is in the dungeon is strong enough to kill a Monarch Rank Champion, the big bosses will tear everything apart fighting over it.
All them Overlords fighting over a dungeon? We won’t have a city left. It’s too close to the fight.”
It was nearly forty kilometres away, but the troll had a point. If it was an Overlord rank Dungeon, every nation on the continent would be here tearing the country apart to claim it for themselves.
The opportunity to have even a few trips through and load up on Overlord Rank equipment was far too valuable.
Even being low Commander Rank, like the one in the Golden Dragon Nation, they would be going insane soon trying to get Commander Rank items and awaken system users.
“You’re still going to go, even knowing that everyone will be fighting over it?” Karl asked.
The group leader nodded and smiled. “Trolls work together. If there are more trolls, we will join them.”
“Oh, I should have thought of that. There was a large group of Granite Trolls, maybe? Rock Trolls of some sort, anyhow. They passed us near dark last night. They should be there now, assuming nothing happened to them.”
The Troll gave Karl a sloppy salute and then motioned for his team to get moving again.
Tessa waited for them to leave, then came out of the camp. “You know, I expected monsters to be more… I don’t know. Monstrous, maybe?”
Karl nodded. “I know what you mean. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been meeting Orcs and Trolls? The Ogres and Giants that we have such an issue with at home could just be that much more violent. Or perhaps there is something different here in their own territory?”