But with Anara's suggestion, he had no choice but to consult Aegis of the Arctic Deity and see what would happen next.
"No, I haven't yet spoken with him. I wanted to see if there was a way that I could find a solution instead of going to him every time we encountered a problem. However, it seems that I have no choice but to speak with him about it if I want a solution to this problem," Orion responded, shaking his head in resignation.
"Alright, the quicker you speak to him, the more chances we have to solve this issue before it becomes worse than it already is," Anara responded, nodding in agreement.
She understood Orion's reluctance to disturb a god for every problem they encountered. However, this time, it was necessary. They had no choice but to meet him.
Orion nodded. "Does anyone have any other ideas?" he asked, his eyes scanning the contemplating expressions of the women.
After a while, the women all shook their heads defeatedly.
"Sorry, we can't think of anything right now," Celeste responded, her voice laced with frustration as she shook her head and slumped her shoulders in defeat.
Orion shook his head, a warm smile playing on his lips. "Don't worry, I wasn't expecting an immediate response from all of you. Take your time to digest the information and share your thoughts later," he reassured them.
They all nodded in understanding, silently agreeing they needed more time to process everything they had just heard.
….….
Leftward Stronghold Main Headquarters
After addressing urgent matters, the Village Chief finally arrived at the Leftward Stronghold Main Headquarters. This title distinguished it from the other Stronghold branches within Orion's Cities, such as the Rightward Stronghold Main Headquarters.
Shapeshifting from his giant Green Horned Eagle form to human, the Village Chief landed beside Leftward Stronghold Leader Zogar and Rightward Stronghold Leader Seth.
"Welcome, Chief," greeted Stronghold Leader Seth with respect.
Stronghold Leader Zogar greeted, also respectfully welcoming the Village Chief's arrival.
The Village Chief acknowledged their respect with a nod, leading the way as he said, "Let's proceed," with Stronghold Leader Zogar and Seth trailing close behind.
They traversed through the bustling streets lined with various huts belonging to the warriors, encountering some of the warriors in the Stronghold who respectfully offered their greetings as they passed.
Finally, they reached their destination, a cell where the attackers captured by Stronghold Leader Zogar earlier were detained, also serving as a punishment site for misbehaving warriors within the Stronghold.
Two warriors stood guard outside the building, immediately acknowledging the presence of the Village Chief and the two Stronghold Leaders with respectful salutes.
One of the guards swiftly opened the door for them to enter before closing it behind them.
Surprisingly, upon entering the building, they were met with a lone staircase leading downwards into what seemed like an underground chamber.
Without hesitation, the Village Chief and the others descended the stairs, reaching a vast underground hall in under ten minutes.
The hall was lined with numerous deep pits, each sealed with iron bar cages scattered across the ground. Most of the cells were empty, except for one that held the two attackers, surrounded by a group of twenty-three-star warriors standing guard to prevent potential escape attempts.
After witnessing Stronghold Leader Zogar's battle, they knew the attackers had enough strength to defeat a three-star warrior in single combat. However, facing off against twenty-
three-star warriors, all in their warrior Vylkr mode, presented a significantly greater challenge, especially considering the potential danger posed by their unique gifts.
Nonetheless, if the attackers somehow overcame these odds and defeated them, it would only delay their escape, giving either of the Stronghold Leaders ample time to arrive and recapture them.
With this in mind, they weren't so much hoping to imprison the attackers as they were expecting them to break out of their cells.
"You're finally here," a voice immediately echoed from within the cage as they stopped before it.
Seig narrowed his eyes and glanced upwards at the iron bar cages. Immediately, his gaze fell upon two additional unfamiliar figures standing behind the unknown man who had been captured. "It seems you brought company as well," he stated, his eyes locked on the two figures.
Although he couldn't discern their current levels of strength or sense their energies, the mere presence of these newcomers gave him a sense of foreboding similar to that of the man who had captured him.
Seig immediately surmised that they might be as powerful as himself.
Evande, who had been lounging comfortably on the ground, suddenly sat upright and directed her attention to the steel bar cage above.
"Yes, this is the Village Chief, and this is Stronghold Leader Seth," Stronghold Leader Zogar said, introducing the Village Chief and his son, Stronghold Leader Seth.
"Though you can probably guess why we are here, to be direct, you are going to tell us who you are, where you come from, how you are related to the Four-eared elves, and why you launched an attack on our city," Stronghold Leader Zogar added, his gaze icy as it fixed on the two attackers within the cell.
However, rather than complying, Seig snorted in response. "And what if we decide to remain silent? There is nothing you can do about that, right?" he asked, wearing a wide smile.
Stronghold Leader Zogar frowned at Seig's words. While they had a few individuals with varying gifts capable of reading minds, using such a gift against warriors or individuals as strong as the two attackers had a lower probability of success due to their powerful and battle-hardened minds, which would be tough for anyone to penetrate.
Nonetheless, there was still one individual, a warrior, who also possessed such a gift. However, Stronghold Leader Zogar couldn't decide if such an option was wise. After all, there was no guarantee that their attackers didn't possess some unknown means to counter such an attempt, especially since they already had a way to harness the Vylkr energy and attain a state similar to the Vylkr warrior mode simply by utilizing the Devourer's bracelet.
As Stronghold Leader Zogar's expression shifted while he deeply contemplated the matter, the Village Chief's voice suddenly resounded, "You are right," he nodded.
