The next morning, Blake went one more round with the girls before saying his goodbyes to them. They were reluctant to let him leave, but he had to find the nine tailed fox spirit animal. As he exited the base, Rob and his daughters were waiting for him. “So you are off?”

“Yeah. If I am lucky, I will be back in a few months to a year. It will be a long trip.” While the location would only be a few days to get to, he only knew the general location of where the fox would appear. He did not know when the fox would appear or the exact location, so he might have to wait a while before finding it.

Sam and Erica both ran up to Blake and kissed his cheek. “Please come back safe.”

“Mmm… Sam and I talked, and we will learn much from Sister Lillia and Sister Tina. So when you come back, we can….” The girls both blushed. Blake did not know what to say. He peaked at Rob, who shrugged and looked the other way.

Seeing this, Blake could only sigh. He pulled both girls into a hug and said: “When I return, if you still both like me, I will talk to Lillia and Tina.” He then looked up at Rob and asked: “Is that fine?”

“Knowing they can be with you sets my heart at ease as this world is no longer safe. By the time you return, if it really will take almost a year, they will be of age. And you have my consent. Hell, you had my consent a while ago. Haha!” Rob chuckled as he walked over and patted Blake on the shoulder. “Just don’t treat them badly.”

“You have my word,” Blake said as he gently parted himself from the two girls. “When I get back, we will talk more about this, okay?”

When the two girls nodded, he smiled and said goodbye before walking towards the gate to see Mike standing there with Bret. “How was it?”

“Some turned while some made it through. About thirty deaths were due to pain. Surprisingly all kids under thirteen made it through. However, some mothers had to be killed before they harmed their children. There were forty who turned into monsters.” Mike reported.

Blake frowned: “Only about half made it…. Alright, you guys worked hard. While I am gone, fortify the base and follow Tina and Lillia’s instructions. Lillia will be holding classes explaining the different races. Don’t miss them if you can.”

“Got it. I do not want to be left not knowing.” Mike replied. He then said goodbye before going back to his duties.

“Blake, man, when I first met you, I thought you were crazy, but now I am glad I followed you. But do you think I can get one of those elf girls?” Bret asked with a big cheeky smile.

“Hahaha!” Blake let out a laugh. He nodded his head and said: “I am sure one will fall for your charms.”

“I knew it! Take care out there. We will hold the fort down no matter what it takes.” Bret said seriously before patting Blake on the shoulder and running off.

Blake jumped up onto the wall and then jumped off it. He turned and looked at the wall that stood tall and waved his hand, creating a barrier around the whole place. “This should provide slightly better protection for the time being.”

Blake turned and began walking through the now forest covered landscape. It brought back memories of the times he was stuck struggling to survive in his past life. But this time, he had the power and knowledge to survive properly.

Meanwhile….

“Hahaha! Those damn bastards will never catch me!” A young elf woman yelled out as she ran through the trees with a human girl on her back.

“Princess, are you sure this is a good idea? If we get caught, we will be in big trouble.” The human girl asked. She was Nellie, Princess Noa Elclive’s human servant.

“Nellie, you really worry too much. I already pissed off the dragonic girl, who will probably complain about me when she gets a chance, so there are no worries about anything else at this time. We should worry about finding a new way of life.” Princess Noa replied.

“But…. If the orcs catch us….” Nellie’s face paled. She did not wish to end up in the hands of the orcs!

“Fuck the orcs! They can all die for all I care. Plus, only their people at the top can do anything to me, so we just need to be careful not to run into any of them.” Princess Noa also had a lingering fear of running into the other races, but she had to escape now while she could. She hated being stuck being forced to be under the rule of the dragonic. If the elders had their way, they would have already married her off to one of the dragonic princes to make firmer connections. But her father refused because he hated them as well! But she could not risk it. She had to be free. Free to choose who she wished to spend her life with. Nellie, who was on Princess Noa’s back, went silent. She could only hope things would work out okay.

Blake continued for three days until he reached a certain spot within a large forest that had grown over the broken buildings of the city. This was a city far north of his base and was the place he had heard the nine tailed fox was found. “Let’s hope I can find what I am looking for…. But the thing I hate about cities is the damn monsters.”

Blake looked at the scaled humanoid figures walking around, almost like zombies, as they searched for food and frowned. This was going to be a real challenge. He was starting to think that the one who found the nine tailed fox before was a damn liar! “What the hell did he use to even make it into the city? Or did he sacrifice a bunch of people!?”

Blake closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Alright, we need to just take things slow.”