Setting foot in to what the two merchant leaders of their own caravans had called a village was less impressive than what Gil had expected at all. In all honesty, he would call this barely a camping place. There was little to no building and nothing revolving around actual protection.
"You have to be kidding me. This is what you both called a village with a market alley for you both to take over? This is mud and mess everywhere." He even looked at the carriages, some had broken wheels left to just sit since the merchants who owned them expected to be able to stay here and make a living forever.
If this was to continue it would become a slum of fighting and regrettable actions with people unable to leave from here to get through the wilderness. Without anyone to properly govern it, there would just be anarchy and crime. Gil wanted to use a fire elemental arrow and burn away this place but he stopped himself.
He saw a smaller group of adventurers in roughed up leather armor approaching them. While Gil wasn't worried that they would pose any threat to him, he mentally reminded himself that Walker already knew of this place and would be here any moment.
"These merchants brought a guard. Good, tell them how to work here and what they are allowed to do." One of them ordered another to start explaining everything. That made a clear shiver go through the merchant's spines.
Not because they were afraid of the weaker adventurers, but because Gil heard it clearly and these adventurers had no idea who he was at all.
"You know, I have been working on this arrow, it makes the ground dry out and sandy soil to rear up trapping the target. It sometimes traps several targets because I need to speak to a rune carver. I wanted it to be more specific in what it captures so that it is easier to get hostages or protect, or even arrest one person rather than all." Gil sighed and faster than any of the adventurers could react pulled out an arrow and fired it.
The crown arrow pulsed with earth mana and a little of what could be seen to be fire mana before it hit the ground and dissolved in to dust itself. That was also an issue that Gil disliked, the mana inside was too much for the materials and the mana burned the arrow leaving it useless.
When the adventurers realized that sand had reared up and trapped them, they could only cry out in shock. "You have violated many rules and even some laws. You are here trying to run this area by your own rules and take everything as your own. You put many lives at risk and everything here is equally responsible if the peace between the elemental planes and the world was damaged."
This weight being pressed on them as Gil's voice boomed out made it clear that no one could love or escape. A few people did try running when they noticed Gil was there but his speedy arrows were already let loose to trap them. Some used unique magic made by Alma that caused seeds to sprout in to vines and wrap them up quickly. Others were sand while a few were ice.
"I see you all do not grasp what Gil is saying. He is stating that you have violated the law of the entire Genesis alliance, rules of your guilds, and risked the safety of both the world balance and elemental planes balances. As such you are under arrest and will be processed and punished according to your crimes."
There was even more pressure as Walker arrived above it all. He didn't smile or show any pride in how Gil had easily handled this group of over seventy people. He knew and trusted Gil but seeing the immense strength and speed of his archery was still astounding.
Right now though, he had to back Gil up and assert his strength to ensure that everyone here was held accountable. After just a few minutes, people began lining up the same ways that Gil had the first two merchant groups. Those he had trapped were freed and brought in line.
The adventurers were made to hand over weapons and Gil began interrogating them. So far it appeared no one had entered the bridge and there was not a major issue to handle. However, that did not make things any better than they were. This could happen at other undiscovered bridges to the elemental planes.
If more people wanted to try and get their quick claim to fame and riches, then there could be a repeat of this. With dungeons, it would be its own issue. People would need to know the rules and most likely would end up risking it all for what was within. But that would not cause imbalances in the elemental planes or cause friction with those ruling them.
The adventurers Walker found himself looking at were younger. They also appeared to be barely following any rules as many were not in a party and they didn't have any quests attached to them when Walker and Gil contacted Clara about this.
It went further to prove that no matter the era, there would always be people who tried to cheat their way to quick fortune. It was the way of things, there could never be a perfect utopia of all kind hearted individuals working for the betterment of the whole. Everyone was uniquely individual, but that's what spurred advancement and new discoveries.
"I found where the bridge is too, it's in a small cave a little ways north. They don't have anyone guarding it and there is evidence that a few empty camps of adventurers have gone inside." This entirely halted what Walker had to say.
He was going to lecture and explain the violations more clearly. Instead Gil would need to wait here for the other forces to arrive and take the criminals back.
In just a few moments Walker was inside the cave and fully sensing the water mana moving from the bridge. He found one unconscious younger adventurer whose armor has a sheen of frost over it. He wasn't dead or anywhere near it but he clearly had run from something.
Using some earth mana to make shackles, Walker left him there while moving quickly through the bridge. The colder feeling meant that the water mana where he was going was purer and denser. In easier terms, he knew he was going to a place closer to the center of the water elemental plane. A more dangerous place.
These pure water elemental beasts are monsters that reign supreme in the edges of the central water elemental planes. Once there was an attempt to educate them but it failed due to their brutal nature. Only a few of the high yetis known to have proper intelligence remain because of their isolated living styles.
The monsters will chase and fight whatever they can whether for food or for territorial reasons. Often they will even take trophies back to the icy caverns they create to live in. Their bones, meat, and fur have purer water mana and are extremely valuable inside and outside the water elemental planes.
While they are considered a monster to avoid, some races hunt them as a rite of passage for their true warriors…'
The booming roar that Walker found was proof that those who had foolishly entered here were not dead yet. He'd come at the right time to find seven more young adventurers bruised and bloodied while trying to face this tall muscled monster.
The white fur released bone chilling water mana while the larger arms slammed in to the ground causing ice to form and shatter. The massive teeth also glinted with frost, potentially meaning it could bite and freeze its opponent as well.
"You all should understand the extreme errors you have made." Walker used water mana to freeze and block the next attack of the frost fur yeti. It easily shattered the wall to ice but found that Walker was standing with a shield in his hand blocking the follow through of its attack. It didn't even push Walker back and even felt the water mana it used channeled out of its body and in to the shield form of the eternal codex.
"You should all understand that you will be severely punished for even keeping this bridge a secret. You will be expelled from your guilds and made to work to pay off the crimes you've done by risking the balance of the elemental planes and the safety of the world. Does that suit you true water sage?"
A hand of water and slush reached out of the ground and pulled the frost fur yeti backwards holding it. "No harm came, your judgement can be kept." The hand remained but Walker felt he was not welcome right now. The true water sage may have let his ruling remain but he was not at all happy for what had occurred.
"Then I will take the prisoners with me. I will expand this bridge to the world afterwards. I will also write a formal apology from everyone involved." He made his move without another word. Speaking more would be an insult.
Please say no to piracy! Don't take part in crime! Don't patronize thieves!
Repent now and go here, http://wbnv.in/a/ccfhAus
Drop those golden tickets!