System's POV
chapter-91

After being put to his place, Villager A, also known as Colbert, no longer dared to talk arrogantly to Thirteen.

The only thing he could do was glare in the younger boy's direction as they prepared to leave the cave.

The seven-year-old told Harry that he could keep half of the food and water in his cart.

He also gave them three short swords, and three daggers that they could use to arm themselves, and hopefully survive the Houdini Desert.

With their numbers, Thirteen believed that they would be able to survive the Houdini Desert if they worked together.

He even gave them one of the Condor's claws and a flint as a freebie, so that they could make fires.

After that, he bid Harry goodbye and left the cave.

However, to his surprise, someone else decided to join them.

It was none other than Rianna, who was mounted on her Black Morgan.

Just like most girls her age, she hadn't fully matured yet.

But with her pretty face, Thirteen was certain that Rianna would be a looker after a few more years.

Her long brown hair nestled gently behind her back, and her hazel eyes, scanned the surroundings for possible threats, making Thirteen have a better impression of her.

"Why are you following us?" Thirteen asked.

He could tell from a glance that Rianna had received some proper training.

Unlike a day ago, where she was acting timid, she was now showing a competent and confident side of her that made Thirteen realize that she was just hiding her true character from others.

As to why she was showing this side of her, the younger boy could only make a guess and that was she was trying to show him that she would be a good addition to his team, and would not drag them down.

"Being with you will give me a higher chance of surviving this place," Rianna replied. "Also, I don't want to remain indebted to others. I will make sure to repay you before I finish my first quest here in Solterra."

"Confident are we?" Thirteen commented.

"I'm not that confident," Rianna stated. "But, with you, I think I have a higher chance of returning to Pangea. I think you are the most confident seven-year-old I've seen in my life.

"Most of the children I see from the Influential Families are just spoiled and arrogant pricks, who think that everyone who doesn't have a good background are just to be used as tools or stepping stones to help them attain a higher position in their family."

Thirteen didn't say anything and observed their surroundings.

They weren't far from the Orc Stronghold so the chances of them meeting a Hunting Party was high.

Because of this, he kept his eyes and ears open for anything that might threaten their lives.

Since they only had a few hours before sunset, they traveled as much as they could, while looking for a place to rest for the night.

Building a fire was not a good idea because they would get spotted by the Orcs, so their only option was to find a cave, or a place where they could properly take a rest.

Fortunately, the area had a lot of caves, so they chose one that wasn't inhabited by a Monster, or had traces of being used by the Orcs.

The teenage girl was more competent than Thirteen expected, which was a good thing in his book.

Cristopher had two Brute Monsters that gave them the necessary manpower to fend off most threats in the Houdini Desert.

Rianna told him that she was only average in ranged combat because she specialized in using swords.

Because of this, Thirteen had given her one of his short bows, and a quiver to act as support during battles.

He had also given her one of the short swords in his possession, which boosted her effectiveness in battle.

Since she was riding on the Black Morgan, which she named Lancelot, she was capable of mounted combat, allowing them to use strategies that weren't available to them before.

As the three of them settled in for the night, Brutus and Bruno took turns in doing the nightwatch.

Both Brute Monsters had Night Vision, and Brutus also had a very strong sense of smell.

With these qualities, they were the perfect lookouts while the three teenagers rested.

When morning came, they had breakfast and prepared to continue their journey.

Currently, they were taking the Northeastern route.

Thirteen had talked with Cristopher in private to tell him the plan he had in mind.

Now that they had Rianna with them, he believed that they had a higher chance of getting an Orc Avatar for the chubby boy, which would be a good addition to the number of servants under his command.

However, Thirteen wasn't just aiming for an ordinary Orc.

No. This time, he was aiming for a High Orc.

The Hunting Parties that left the Orc Stronghold usually numbered around four to twelve individuals.

Bigger hunting parties usually targeted Monster Herds, similar to the Hunting Party that Thirteen and Cristopher first encountered when they arrived in the Orc Territory.

He didn't plan on targeting those big hunting groups.

His aim was to look for a party with a High-Orc, which was a Rank 3 Monster.

Although it was a Rank 3 Monster, in terms of strength and raw power, they were weaker than Rank 2 Ogres and Trolls.

However, having a Rank 3 High Orc was important if they wanted to enter the Barbarian Kingdom.

High Orcs were smarter, and more adaptable to the situation than the regular Orcs.

If they were going to infiltrate the Barbarians's Domain, he would need a pawn that would ensure that they wouldn't become slaves the moment they entered the Barbarian's domain.

Since Avatars were said to retain their memories before they died, having a High Orc would allow Thirteen to ask questions that Brutus and Bruno couldn't answer.

The group of five saw several Hunting Parties after several hours of traveling. However, they didn't make any move because either they didn't have a High Orc among their Ranks, or they were simply too many to take on.

Finally, just before noon, they came across a Hunting Party that consisted of Six Orcs, with one of them being a High-Orc.

To their surprise, these Orcs were currently fighting against a Spiny Bronze Anteater. The Monster from whom Brutus got his Spiked Mace after they had successfully killed it.

It was a Rank 2 Monster, so it wasn't an easy opponent for the Orcs.

However, after seeing the Hunting Party encircle it, Thirteen could tell that this wasn't their first time hunting this Monster.

"What should we do?" Rianna asked Thirteen. "Should we let them fight the Monster and wait for it to finish, or we attack them while they are fighting the Monster?"

"Of course we attack them while they are facing off against the Monster," Thirteen replied. "Just remember this Rianna. You can kill any of them, with the exception of the High Orc. Cristopher and I will deal with it."

"Understood," Rianna nodded. "Now, tell me the strategy we are going to use in this fight."

Rianna didn't mind letting Thirteen take the lead because she had recognized his ability.

Truth be told, when the seven-year-old told them that he would do his best to rescue them from the Barbarians, she just thought that he was just bluffing.

Not only was he younger than them, he was also alone.

She didn't believe for a second that the boy would actually do as he promised.

But, she was wrong.

Just like the other teenagers that were imprisoned at that time, they didn't think that Zion would carry through with his promise.

However, when the boy managed to kill the three Barbarians and set them free, she decided that there was more to him than met the eye.

Because of this, she decided to stay with him, so that she would better understand if what Thirteen did was just a fluke, or if he was really someone who would be able to defy all odds, and allow her to complete her mission, which was something that she intended to finish no matter what.

Similar to the other teenagers, her family was waiting for her back home.

Also, her father was someone she didn't want to disappoint no matter what. One of her goals was to become a Soldier for the Central Government, so she didn't mind following orders.

But, if she was going to follow someone, she wanted to follow the orders of a competent person, who wouldn't use her as a disposable tool, to accomplish the goal that they wished to achieve.