Drugos was right; it did not take long at all to show Austin how to hide his Essence. All it really took was a little bit of focus, and Austin could manipulate his Essence to stay inside his body. Drugos told Austin that Essence will always leak out a little bit without concentration, but with practice, a person can bring that Essence inward and hide their power. It just took a proper understanding of Essence manipulation and emotional control. Heightened emotions can cause Essence to leak out in greater amounts. That’s why when Austin got angry in the past, it took on a visible form.

  As Drugos finished instructing Austin, the boys grew tired. Both Elliot and Astenk struggled to keep their eyes open as they tried to continue running. Austin chuckled and picked Elliot off the ground.

  “Someone is tired,” Austin said.

  “More…play…” Elliot said as he tried to keep his eyes open.

  “It’s not often that Astenk gets worn out,” Drugos chuckled as he held Astenk. The boy had already fallen limp in Drugos’s arm. “Even the other boys in the tribe don’t wear him out.”

  “I could say the same about Elliot,” Austin said. “I’m kind of shocked. He usually fights sleep with all his strength.”

  “Hopefully they can play together in the future,” Drugos said. “But we’ll have to see what your people say about it.”

  “Do you want to come with me to the town?” Austin asked. “You might be able to make a case for your tribe.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think any of your people are used to seeing orcs,” Drugos said. “It might be best to wait so we don’t alarm anybody.”

  “If you feel that way, that’s fine, but I am the leader of the town. If you come with me, that could ease their minds,” Austin started to sound more insistent.

  “That’s certainly an interesting coincidence!” Drugos chuckled. “Who would think that the two leaders of their respective people would be walking with their boys at the same time?”

  “That is unexpected,” Austin nodded. “More reason for you to come with me. You can introduce yourself as the leader of your tribe.”

  “Fine, fine, you can stop twisting my arm. I’ll go with you,” Drugos relented.

  Austin was relieved that Drugos finally gave in. He felt like people would be more willing to ally with the orcs if they saw how they were. There were stories of orcs on Earth, and most people probably had a bad idea of them. It was better for Drugos to give his own impression.

  The pair walked through the forest and back to town. Austin decided that he would take Drugos to his house and then gather the rest of the leadership to talk about the alliance. As they walked through the town, the pair got some strange looks, but no one said anything. Austin waved towards the various people that they passed. He hoped that if he put on a friendly front, it would ease the people of the town.

  Once they arrived at the house, Austin let Drugos in and told him to get comfortable. As Austin set Elliot in his bed, Drugos lay Astenk on the couch and took a seat by him. Austin poured glasses of water for the two before he sat down.

  “I’m going to gather some people, and then we can talk,” Austin said as he handed a glass to Drugos. The glass looked tiny as Drugos’s fingers wrapped around it.

  Austin pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and sent a text message to the leaders of the town. He still was not completely sure how phones still worked, but it was convenient. The only thing different from before the change to Earth was that it could only message someone who was nearby. That and not a single map feature worked anymore. It was strange how the change decided things worked. They could watch television on apps, but they could not communicate with people outside a certain radius. All electricity seemed to work, but cars stopped functioning. Whatever force was in charge had a weird way of deciding on what conveniences it allowed humanity to keep.

  As the pair waited for everyone to arrive, they talked about various things. Austin taught Drugos about some of the things in his house. Drugos told Austin about his life before Earth’s change. Apparently, Earth was now a culmination of multiple planets. Earth did not just change, but instead was combined with other lower-level planets. Drugos explained that they had Essence before the planet fusion, but very few people awakened to it, and it was even rarer to make it past Copper.

  As a knock on the door came, Austin stood up and let people in. Everyone had arrived at once. It made Austin wonder if they had discussed his message before they arrived. Everyone started to crowd into Austin’s living room. It was not often that he had everyone over at once, and it definitely made the living room feel cramped.

  Everyone had sort of fallen into their own style since returning to Earth. Grayson wore his dirty jeans and tank top. Ava and Beth wore dresses. Mike wore a comfortable T-shirt and jeans. Natasha wore ripped jeans and a leather jacket with various patches. Austin always wondered if she grew hot in it, but she wore it anyway. Jess and Gavin wore tank tops and cargo pants. Brian wore a blue button-down shirt and slacks. His clothes were the basis for the uniform of the protection force.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “Thank you for gathering here on short notice,” Austin said to the group. He still felt awkward taking the leadership role in meetings. “This is Drugos and his son, Astenk. Today I met them while I was going on a walk in the nearby forest. He told me that his people would like to make an alliance with our people. I wanted to discuss it with you all before I made a decision.”

  “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Drugos said with a smile as he stood up from the couch. “My tribe has been trying to find a place to live. We found this area and thought it would be a good place for us, but we also don’t want to cause any trouble with you all.”

  “I’m for it,” Brian said abruptly.

  “That was an awfully fast decision,” Jess said with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

  “My master is an orc. As far as I can tell, they are pretty good allies to have,” Brian answered.

  “Well, I’m not entirely convinced we should ally with strangers,” Jess said as she folded her arms.

  “Not shocked you would think that way. I’m still not entirely sure you trust any of us,” Gavin said. “I’m actually for it. I have had my scouts watch the area carefully since they moved in. I don’t think they mean any of us harm.”

  “I’m mostly concerned as to what this alliance can provide us,” Natasha said. “What do you bring to the table? It’s a risk for us to ally with someone we just met. So, the benefit should balance it.”

  “Of course, it just makes sense to expect a benefit from our partnership,” Drugos nodded. “We are very skilled at hunting and fighting. I am also an Iron, and we have plenty of Coppers. We could help provide security to your town.”

  “That could be helpful,” Jess admitted with a sigh. “Many of us are still learning to hunt. If we had experts, then our hunts could go smoother.”

  “I’m for it too,” Natasha agreed. “Those are areas that many of us are still learning. It could be really helpful to have people who are used to it.”

  “What about you two, Mike and Beth?” Austin asked. “You lead our external and internal affairs. I think your decision holds a lot of weight.”

  “If he was trying to trick us, I think he would have,” Mike shrugged. “He seems like a good guy. I’m okay with it.”

  “I agree. I think they are just people trying to find their way like us,” Beth nodded.

  “Wait! I didn’t get to answer,” Grayson spoke up.

  “Do you have any feelings on the matter, then?” Austin asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Not really, I just wanted to be involved. I’m okay with it. Maybe some of them can help with the farming,” Grayson said with a half-smile.

  “Well, looks like we made a decision,” Austin smiled as he clapped his hands together. Then he extended a hand forward to Drugos. “We would be glad to make an alliance.”

  “Thank you,” Drugos wrapped his hand around Austin’s for a handshake. His large hand completely covered Austin’s. “I’m glad that we can work together.”

  “Me too,” Austin nodded. “This will be good for both of us.”

  Drugos released Austin’s hand and picked up Astenk. Drugos held his son against his shoulder. “I will go tell my tribe the news. I will see you all soon.”

  “I’ll escort you,” Brian said. “Mostly so no one is alarmed by your appearance.”

  “I understand completely,” Drugos chuckled. “I know I probably look strange to a lot of people here.”

  Brian led Drugos out the door, and most of the group followed. They seemed ready to get back to their work. Austin completely understood and let them go. Only Natasha remained in the room after the people left.

  “Are you sure about this?” Natasha asked. “You know if he is an Iron, then he will be a competitor to you.”

  “If we let the towers stop us from allying, then I would kick you and Brian out of the town,” Austin shrugged. “I don’t really see a point in making that part of our consideration. Our end goal is to provide safety to the people here.”

  “That’s a good point,” Natasha nodded. “I’ll just have to accept that we have one more competitor.”

  “Since you mentioned it, does that mean you are close to Iron?” Austin asked.

  “Yes, I’ll probably ascend in the next few days. I think Brian is close also,” Natasha said.

  “That’s good to hear. Hopefully, it goes better than mine,” Austin laughed as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

  “Well, I just recently became able to. So, it shouldn’t have the same backlash. Not all of us feel the need to delay things that long,” Natasha rolled her eyes.

  “I know, I know. It was stupid of me. I already got reprimanded by my master,” Austin said.

  “As you should have been. It’s crazy to think that you are the leader. I don’t mind it, but I would think you would have a little more sense.”

  “I felt like the town needed me at the time. There was a lot to do to establish ourselves back on Earth.”

  “And that’s why you are the leader,” Natasha chuckled. “You always put the people before yourself, even if it does not always make sense.”

  “You make it sound like you wouldn’t do the same,” Austin said with a raised eyebrow.

  “I wouldn’t. I’m way more selfish than you are,” Natasha admitted. “That’s why I was fine with you being the leader. You will always make the decision that’s best for everyone.”

  “You certainly have a lot of faith in me,” Austin said. “But that’s not completely true.”

  “What makes you say that?” Natasha asked.

  “If I had to choose between everyone here and my family, I would choose them. That has not changed and will never change. It just so happens that looking out for everyone is in their best interest.”

  “Then the rest of us will have to make sure to keep it that way,” Natasha said. “I don’t think anyone is ready for how dangerous you can be if they are hurt.”

  “Exactly,” Austin said coldly. “Which is another reason why I don’t mind allying with Drugos’s tribe. If he tries anything, then my promise to you will be the same promise to them. I will destroy them all.”