Hazel and Astrid stared at the lizardman warrior, bewildered by the warrior’s sudden appearance. Even Hazel’s mother and the players the warriors saved were just as surprised by her dramatic entrance.

  In a brief moment of silence, Hazel decided to appraise the lizard warrior, feeling curious about her class and level.

  [Chegyaeyi, Class: Spear Dancer, Level 24]

  She was two levels above Hazel. And her class seemed a bit unique as well. Hazel didn’t know there was a Spear Dancer class. However, when she thought about it, it would explain how she dispatched those invaders while looking like she was dancing.

  It must be a rather special class that only certain individuals could obtain from how they fought. Like how one of Hazel’s evolved class options was Entropy Mage. She was only given that class because she created the Entropy Element when fighting the Jester Sub-Boss.

  Either way, it was clear to Hazel that this lizard warrior wasn’t someone she could underestimate. As for if she could trust her or not...that remained to be seen.

  The blade dancer noticed the awkward silence as everyone's gaze was directed at her. She rubbed the back of her head nervously, feeling overwhelmed by their piercing stares.

  “A-ah, I apologize for appearing out of nowhere, but after seeing the Orcs and other creatures attacking...I simply took action. I hope I didn’t intrude in your affairs...”

  “N-no, it’s fine,” Hazel assured, waving her hands. “W-we’re just a bit surprised that you suddenly helped them, that’s all. Though, we do appreciate you doing that. If you hadn’t, then the people you saved would’ve likely died.”

  Including Hazel’s mom...and that was the last thing she would let happen. Thankfully, the lizard warrior was there to protect them when she did. And for that, Hazel was grateful for her assistance.

  “My name is Hazel Thatcher,” Hazel introduced herself. “You said your name was Chegy...?”

  “Chegyaeyi. I’m a former tribe member of the Kabtāya tribe.”

  “The Honored Tribe within the Great Forest of Meir?” Astrid suddenly questioned, shock written across her face.

  Hazel turned to Astrid in confusion. “You know them?”

  “Yes,” The dark elf confirmed, keeping her eyes trained on the lizard warrior. “The Kabtāya Tribe is a tribe of Lizardfolk warriors known for their code and honor. They have resided within the Great Forest of Meir for generations. Nearly as long as most of the elven tribes that dwell within it as well.”

  [Hazel Thatcher: Does that mean this person can be trusted?]

  To avoid catching Chegyaeyi’s attention, Hazel resorted to using the Chat Room to further question if this lizardfolk warrior was their ally. Considering that Astrid clearly knew who this Lizardfolk was, she could tell Hazel if this warrior was on their side or not.

  [Astrid Skogr: Compared to other Lizardfolk tribes in the Great Forest of Meir, Members of the Kabtāya tribe are honor-bound and rarely attack unless provoked. They are highly respected by all residents of the Great Forest, because of this. Bottom line, yes, she can be trusted. Though, I am curious about what she meant by her being a former member of the tribe...]

  Hazel marveled at this sudden dump of lore she just stumbled across. From what Astrid explained, these Kabtāya Tribe members are like honorable knights who were signified as the definition of Integrity and virtue. Upon hearing the lore drop of her tribe's history, Chegyaeyi softly laughed.

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  “As expected of a Dark Elf. And a Skogr, no less,”

  Astrid scoffed. “So, you checked my status, huh?”

  Chegyaeyi tilted her head curiously. “Are you saying that you didn’t check mine?”

  “You’re not wrong,” Astrid said with a shrug. “Still, it’s been a while since I’ve encountered a member of the Kabtāya Tribe. My father told me how strong and relentless your tribe is, and I managed to witness that to be true a couple of decades ago during the Extermination of a Shaman Orc terrorizing the forest. I believe he was the Chief of the Kabtāya at the time.”

  “Ah, you must be referring to my grandfather. He told me stories about what happened during that event and how he was saved by a novice Legionnaire of the Greyvolk tribe. Was that you by any chance? He told me before that the dark elf was a Skogr, but he never got their first name.”

  “I believe that was me, yes,” Astrid nodded, mulling over it. “I do remember saving the chief from one of the Orc Shaman’s attacks at the time, though I didn’t expect him to remember me.”

  “My grandfather was deeply grateful to you for saving him. He always told me how he wished to meet you again, but sadly never could get the chance.”

  “That’s indeed regrettable.”

  There were so many bits of their conversation that Hazel couldn’t understand because of the countless other problems plaguing her thoughts at the moment. From what she could deduce, they apparently knew each other, or at least, Astrid knew one of Chegyaeyi’s family members. Was it her grandfather or something? It was difficult for Hazel to keep up with them right now, and she honestly couldn’t bring herself to listen right now since they had bigger issues at hand. It only got worse as they continued to talk despite their current circumstances at the moment, which honestly irked her even more.

  Hazel watched the conversation for a little while before finally losing her patience and inconspicuously nudged Astrid to grab her attention. Her plan worked and the dark elf shifted her gaze onto Hazel, looking a bit confused.

  “I’m sorry to ruin your reminiscence, but we’re currently dealing with an invasion at the moment, so could we focus on that a bit more?”

  Realizing their current predicament, the lizardfolk warrior and dark elf got the hint and shifted their priorities.

  “Yes, I apologize,” Chegyaeyi bowed her head. “I forgot about that.”

  “I did as well. I’m sorry,” Astrid joined.

  Hazel sighed after seeing both players bow their heads to apologize for their actions, but at the moment, they had bigger fish to fry that she didn’t really care about that and simply wanted them to focus on their current issue right now.

  “It’s fine, so let’s just deal with the invaders right now,” Hazel declared. “Mom, do you know where Zoe is so we can regroup with her and come up with a plan to deal with our uninvited guests?”

  “She should be at the village,” Evelyn informed. “That was where she was before these monsters suddenly appeared.”

  The village, huh? While Hazel was interested in checking the village out, she needed to first get her mother to a safe place. However, it seemed Evelyn had different plans.

  “We should head toward the village and help her,” Evelyn stated. “They’re probably dealing with more monsters out there.”

  “That’s a bad idea, mom,” Hazel urged.

  Although her mom was around her level, Hazel couldn’t, in good conscience, put her mother in the middle of a battlefield. Sure, she went through a lot in her respective tutorial dungeon, but that didn’t mean she could willingly bring her to a fight with monsters currently invading the base.

  “I’m not asking, Hazel,” Evelyn declared sternly. “I’m going to help.”

  “But-!”

  “No buts, young lady. I am one of the strongest healers within this base, so I can assist in healing and buffing you and the rest of the players like Zoe.”

  Hazel had no doubts, but she didn’t like the fact that she was bringing her mother out into danger. However, she was also aware that convincing her mom to listen to her wasn’t going to work. No matter what she would say to convince her otherwise, once her mom made up her mind, she would be sticking to her until the very end.

  And as much as it pained her to let this happen, she had no other option but to let her come with. A powerful Healer like her mother would be essential and beneficial for them while they were in combat. She just hated the fact that she had to risk the life of her mom to reap those benefits.

  Struggling to come to terms with her predicament, Hazel let out a heavy sigh while palming her face. “Alright, let’s just get this over with. Chegyaeyi, will you be joining us?”

  The lizardfolk warrior firmly nodded, gripping her spear in response. “I shall aid you as much as I can.”

  Hazel nodded upon hearing her answer before turning to the others. “Alright, let’s get moving and take down these invaders.”

  Everyone else nodded in unison and followed Hazel’s lead as the group of players soon left the Jetport building and made their way over to the village within the airfield.