《Dead or Alive: A Bounty Hunter Tale (LitRPG)》 Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 ¡°Dead or alive, you¡¯re coming with me.¡± The bounty was higher if he was alive, but if he had to take him dead, he would. ¡°Screw you, bounty hunter. I''ve got my men with me. I''ll take my chances. Boys, kill him!¡± Things went downhill from there, with musket fire pounding the line of trees he''d been using for cover. Dropping to the ground, the bounty hunter crawled forward, a musket of his own gripped tightly in his hands. As the firing stopped, he counted down, measuring the time it took to reload. When the firing resumed, he readied himself. When the firing stopped again, he moved to a crouch and looked for the musketeers. There seemed to be three of them, confirming that this was indeed a rogue force of soldiers. If only these men were firing, they must have been low on supplies. Mercenaries or a foreign army would have had more men and supplies. From the clothing they wore, he''d bet they were former Beserian forces. Taking a breath, he steadied his aim and fired. With a gurgle, one of the musketeers fell, a hole in his chest. Yells of concern and anger came from the other ex-soldiers, and a few of those not wielding muskets decided to charge the bounty hunter''s position. Using the musket smoke for cover, the bounty hunter moved away. He placed his musket against a tree and drew his battleaxe. The former soldiers cleared the cloud of smoke, swords raised, and found nothing. Slowly, hesitantly, they searched their surroundings. And as one of them approached the tree the bounty hunter had hidden behind, he made his move. With the sound of a wet log being split, he buried his axe blade into the ex-soldier''s head. With a grunt, he kicked the body free and lunged at the nearest man. With a shoulder charge he knocked the man to the ground, losing his tricorne in the process, and rammed his axe into the man''s chest before turning his attention to the last of the ex-soldiers. Initially surprised by the death of his second companion, the man had begun attacking the bounty hunter and was nearly upon him. With a wrenching yank, the bounty hunter pulls his axe free and manages to knock the sword to the side, which ends up slicing through the arm of his leather armor. The bounty hunter slams the haft of his axe into the ex-soldier''s jaw, knocking him to the ground, and then finishing him off with a quick blow. With the last of the surrounding men dead, the bounty hunter slows for a moment. With a grunt, he bends down, grabs his tricorne, dusts it off, and puts it back on his head before returning to his musket. He reloads the weapon as the smoke finally clears. Leaning out of cover, he can see the remaining musketeers with their weapons in hand, looking at their dead companions, and he can hear the beginning of shouts. He finishes loading his weapon, trying one last time not to waste ammunition. ¡°I¡¯m here for one man. The rest of you are useless to me, give me your leader or die like the rest.¡± ¡°You think my men will turn on me? We have something called integrity, not that a dirty bounty hunter like you would understand. I led these men through the war, and now we will be rewarded. We fought and bled for this country, we deserve to rule what''s left of it.¡± ¡°I don''t care about your integrity, your history, or your desires. I care about my bounty. You two with the muskets have three choices. Walk away, give me your boss, or die. I''ll give you a ten count, then I''ll do the deciding for you.¡± Having said his piece, the bounty hunter hooked his musket into the crook of his arm and fished around in his jacket pocket. The men across from him seemed to be arguing. He pulled out a silver case, pulled out a cigarette, and replaced the case. The loyalty of the ex-soldiers must not be as good as advertised, because one of them was pointing his gun at his bounty. He lit his cigarette and watched, it took maybe three heartbeats before things took a turn. He watched as the leader rammed the butt of his pistol into the threatening musketeer''s skull and then shot him. That seemed to spark something, because the other man dropped his musket and jumped onto the bounty. Shaking his head, the bounty hunter finished his ten count and began to walk over to the men, finishing his smoke. As he closed in, he struck the bounty hunter over the head with his rifle. He stared at the man, moving the remaining musketeer back. ¡°I did what you asked, or at least I tried. Please don''t kill me. I have a bartender to feed and mistresses to protect.¡± ¡°I''m a bounty hunter of my word, go. I''m here for my bounty, not for you.¡± He dismisses the remaining man with a gesture, but keeps an eye on him. The ex-soldier wastes no time in running away, musket in hand, almost tripping over his dead friend. Now alone, the bounty hunter removes his shackles and binds the captive''s hands together before searching his pockets and boots. He finds a boot knife and some money; the bounty hunter keeps the money and tosses the knife. Satisfied, he whistles loudly and plunders the camp''s remains. From beyond the tree line, a horse slowly trots toward him. Muscles flex under her buckskin coat, and her wild black mane flows with a toss of her head. ¡°It¡¯s about time you got here Ventress.¡± He greeted his horse, mounted his bounty, loaded the remaining musket, and climbed into the saddle. Turning around, he rode his horse back to town. Hopefully his bounty would stay under, he hated it when they talked to him. His hopes sadly did not come true. ¡°Let me go. You hear me, you devil. I''m a soldier in the king''s army, damn it, I fought for this country.¡± ¡°Beseria hasn''t been a country for a few years now, about as long as the king has been dead.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter. I fight the good fight. I saw King Beser III himself, I fought at the walls. And when he fell, I continued to fight, killing those who would harm this land.¡± ¡°According to your bounty, you killed almost everyone you came across. Unfortunately for you, one of them survived and could afford my fee. Before I left, they told me what the plan was for you, and I can assure you it''s bad. I''m almost tempted to let you go, but then I remember the price on your head.¡± ¡°I recognize the armor you wear; you swore an oath to the kingdom. You should work with me, well under me more like. I was a general.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I give my allegiance to no one. Now shut up or I¡¯ll shut you up.¡± This earned him a few moments of silence before the captive began to rant again. This time the bounty hunter didn''t argue with him. The rant was unimportant, more about loyalty, honor, freedom, how he was scum, the usual. With a sigh, he tied the reins to his saddle horn and slowly turned to face his prisoner. The man stared back at him, as best the bumpy ride and position would allow. The bounty hunter reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a dirty rag. The captive noticed the stains and quickly shut his mouth. But his constant ranting had annoyed the bounty hunter enough. So he pinched the captive''s nose and waited. Soon the man opened his mouth to breathe and the gag went in. Turning back in his saddle, the bounty hunter took the reins and picked up the pace. It wouldn''t be long before they reached Mohanos. Upon reaching Mohanos, the bounty hunter and his captive were met with a somber but expectant atmosphere. A crowd of villagers came out to meet them near the village square. When Ventress stopped, the bounty hunter rolled his bounty to the ground and jumped after him. Stretching with a groan, he lifted the bounty to his feet, removed his gag, and led him forward. ¡°General Restis, formerly of the Beseria army. Bound and delivered. My fee.¡± ¡°What of his men?¡± ¡°All but one are dead.¡± ¡°You let one go? That¡¯s not what we paid you for.¡± ¡°First, I haven''t been paid yet, so be careful. Second, the bounty was for Restis, dead or alive. There was no mention of his group. They''re only dead because they wouldn''t give me my bounty. Now back to my fee.¡± Pushing Restis behind him, the bounty hunter held out his hand, waiting for his money. The confrontational man leading the group of villagers was becoming increasingly annoying. ¡°I think we''ll only pay you a partial rate now. You let one of his men live, now we''ll need some money for protection.¡± said the man with a sneer. ¡°You will pay me, my full price.¡± ¡°Or what bounty hunter there are more of us than you.¡± ¡°There is no or. You will pay me, whether I have to kill you as an example or not.¡± The cold declaration, along with his hand resting on his pistol, seemed to affect the villagers. Those behind the loudmouth began to back away from him, and as the tension grew, an older woman pushed her way forward. ¡°That''s enough. Bounty Hunter Jaeger has fulfilled his bounty and we will pay him in full. Restis has haunted our territory long enough and now we can put an end to him. Pay the bounty hunter Johnathon.¡± Reluctantly, the loud-mouthed man paid the bounty hunter, Jaeger. Counting the money, Jaeger was satisfied with what he saw and pushed Restis forward. ¡°He''s all yours, pleasure doing business. I will need those restraints back, or you can pay extra to keep them.¡± ¡°We will have them back to you by tonight, will you stay the night?¡± ¡°Yes, I plan to leave late tomorrow morning.¡± Making plans to return his shackles by dinner time, the woman signals two large men to take the general somewhere. Jaeger doubted it would be a comfortable place, which reminded him. His business done, he led Ventress to the inn. ¡°I am in need of a room for the night, a stall for my horse, and the luxury treatment for both of us.¡± ¡°Hoho. Big spender, you the bounty hunter the village hired about them bandits?¡± ¡°I''ve brought in a lot of bandits, but if you mean Restis, then yes.¡± ¡°I don''t know his name, but I know there''s a bounty on his head. I''ll lower the price for you, that man killed my friend Lenny and I''m looking forward to his punishment.¡± With an appreciative nod, the Jaeger pays the man and heads for his room. Unloading his saddlebags and loot, he begins to strip off his armor and outer clothing. When he''s done, he''s down to his pants, cotton undershirt, and boots. A knock on his door lets him know his bath is ready. Time to enjoy the luxuries his job afforded him.
When Jaeger got up the next day, he felt refreshed, clean and warm. A glance next to him revealed the source, the cleaner from last night. After his bath and a few drinks, she''d returned to his room and stayed. If the road hadn''t called him, he would have stayed longer; this wasn''t the worst village, but like so many before it, the people here would only tolerate him for so long. Best to get out while the getting was good. ¡°Darling, last night was wonderful and I''m not kicking you out, but I''m leaving. The room is paid for the rest of the day, so stay as long as you like, but I''ve got to get going.¡± The woman rolled over to look at him, her face gently smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll be sad to see you leave, have no doubt. But I knew what this was before I joined ya last night.¡± Nodding, the bounty hunter dressed and secured his weapons. He retrieved his saddlebag and loot and then left. Trotting out, he found Ventress looking as fresh as he felt and saddled up. He mounted and rode out of the village, tipping the stable boy who had brought her out.
Half a day later, Jaeger found himself cleaning up his small midday camp. He had stopped to water Ventress and eat a meal. The weather around them was beginning to change, winds were blowing and there were signs of rain. Fortunately, Jaeger knew of a small hunting lodge not too far from here where they could stay if this got worse. Mounting his horse, he set off. The closer they got to the cabin, the worse the weather became, and soon the wind was blowing so hard that Jaeger had to hold on to his tricorn to keep it from flying away. Just as he was about to dismount and lead Ventress, there was a crackling sound. Fearing it was lightning, Jaeger ducked low and looked around to see where it struck, only to see something strange. A dark purple oval, cracked and shining like some of the church windows he''d seen, appeared before him. With a sharp yell, he turned Ventress aside and barely kept her from running into it. With only a few feet between them, he did the sensible thing and turned Ventress away, leaving this thing behind. But just like one of the local big cats, turning his back on it caused it to pounce. To an outside observer, the purple oval would have appeared to shoot forward, and as if it were an opening, it simply took Jaeger and Ventress in, leaving nothing behind. Then it quickly shrank before disappearing with the same crackling sound it had appeared with.
Greetings slave, soon your new masters will be greeting you. We hope you...¡­.. Black-listed weaponry detected. Outworlder protocols engaged. Welcome to Ragaea. No system detected. Introducing and activating system. Class experience detected. Awarding experience. Animal companion detected. Establishing bond. Erasing black-listed weaponry. Error detected, class experience tied to weapon use. Secondary action requested. Request confirmed, adjusting weaponry and removing black-listed components. Objective Completed. Abductor portal use detected. Awarding penance experience. Request to move starting location: Illustrious Torture Chamber. Request approved. New starting location: Forests of Klangdor. Boot process complete, awakening sequence activated. Chapter 3 Welcome to Ragaea. Those words floating in front of him were the first thing Jaeger saw when he opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground; he had probably fallen from Ventress, but he didn''t hurt as much as he expected. He was disturbed, though, by those floating words, because they weren''t on anything, they were just floating. Words should be on parchment, wood, metal, anything, not just floating. And as if in response to this thought, the words disappeared. The sigh of relief he held in his chest was snatched away as a parchment unfurled and a series of words forced themselves in front of him. No matter how he turned his head, it remained directly in front of him. Welcome to Ragaea. Modification of system aspect detected, consciousness has been confirmed. You are now a part of the System and your destiny is limitless. You have been awarded the Class: Bounty Hunter You have gained title: Outworlder. You have gained title: Dimensional Abductee. Notice: Titles award certain benefits to check benefits check your status screen. Notice: Outworlder local language(Klangdorian) translator unlocked. Notice: Dimensional Abductee language(all) translator unlocked. As the last sentence appeared, Jaeger shook himself as if he were waking from a trance. He might have been able to explain the words, he''d heard of people with head injuries seeing things, but the scenery around him was beyond his imagination. He was clearly not in Beseria. All around him was a forest filled with trees, grass, and the sounds of animals, but that was where the familiar ended. The trees were huge, bigger than any he''d ever seen, and the colors. The trunks were red and the grass around him was a light blue like the midday sky. But the red of the trees wasn''t a subtle red, no, it was a deep burgundy red. The forest animals he saw were also almost familiar, a rabbit with antlers, a deer with two extra legs. He even caught a glimpse of something large and slow moving out of the corner of his eye, it never came close, staying in the depths of the forest, but its lumbering form echoed as it walked. Which drew his attention to something else, the sounds. Not just birdsong and the rustling of leaves, but new sounds. Creaks that came from the trees like the sighs of tired men. Howls, growls, and shrieks came from all around, but he couldn''t tell if they were predatory or just new. ¡°I need to find a city. This forest is strange; this parchment is strange.¡± He waved to move it, and his hand went through it. ¡°And possibly a hallucination. But a city has to be normal, or at least something I can understand. I just need this thing to go away.¡± With that, the parchment rolled up and disappeared. With a grateful sigh, he finally stood up, grabbed his hat and went to find his horse. Fortunately, she was lying down right behind him, and after a few moments she shook herself awake and stood up. He walked over to her and patted her down, muttering reassurances and checking her over. She was fine, she kept looking around, but this new place probably had a lot of new smells too. After checking her tack, quickly securing his gear, and checking her hooves, Jaeger hopped into the saddle and started to ride. ¡°C¡¯mon girl, hopefully we can find a bit of civilization quickly if we follow this trail.¡± The ride through the forest was eventful, but only because so much was new to them. There was an intoxicating smell of the forest, it was close to the smell of the forests back home, but with a spice to it. The trees were still trees, just different colors. So the beginning of the ride was interesting, but soon the familiar riding zone came where time and scenery just passed by. It wasn''t until a wooden sign appeared in the distance that Jaeger perked up, and as they rode closer to it, he read the sign. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Patterson ahead Jaeger assumed this was a settlement and moved on. His assumption proved correct. Patterson seemed to be a walled city, with stone walls surrounding it and guards outside the gate he rode to. A long line of carts, people and animals waited ahead, but they seemed to disperse as he rode up. He didn''t know why, but he just shrugged and accepted the special treatment. As he approached, the guards looked at him and one slowly approached. ¡°Nice outfit you got there. You from round these parts?¡± The guard held his halberd comfortably in his hands. After having time to think about it, Jaeger had decided to tell the truth, or at least some of it. He would openly admit to being an Outworlder, he wouldn''t be able to hide that fact for long anyway, but he would keep the abductee thing to himself. Whoever had kidnapped him might be powerful and his freedom might not last long if they found him. ¡°No, I''m an Outworlder. I appeared in the forest back there.¡± ¡°All right, well, that''s not uncommon. What is your class and level? Klangdor only has four openly forbidden classes, and if you have them, we''ll have to sort you out and train you. You can tell me or we can use a scanner, but the scanner will be more personal.¡± The guard, seeing his blank expression, explained. ¡°The scanner will show us everything on your status screen.¡± ¡°My class is Bounty Hunter. I have no idea what my level is.¡± ¡°Step aside, and I''ll show you how to access it, and then send that information. Once we''re done, I''ll send you down to the guild for your guide." Waving me to the side, he gave me a quick tutorial on how to use my status screen. "All your personal information is stored in your status sheet. Just think or speak status, its different for everyone but that usually works. I hope for your sake it does, because this is the easiest way to do it. Some poor bastards have to constantly press an invisible button to bring there¡¯s up." Jaeger thought Status, and the parchment unrolled again, but this time it showed an image, him with Ventress behind him. He had his musket in his hand, a pistol at his side and an axe at the other. Dressed in his full armor. Next to the portrait was what appeared to be a description of him and a breakdown of his abilities in numbers. He relays the information to the guard who nods his head.
Name Jaeger ¡®The Hunter¡¯ Darkblade
Class Bounty Hunter
Level 5
Health Points 230
Magic Points 150
Physical 17
Mental 14
Social 13
Luck 15
Reputation Outsider
¡°Physical, Mental, and Social are the standard ones that everyone has. Physical includes everything you have to do physically; fighting, running, lifting, you get the idea. Mental is all your mind; it doesn''t say how smart you are, just how well you can use it. Social determines your first impression, your ability to charm, inspire and motivate, and basically how people treat you. The last two are unique, everyone has at least one unique stat. Luck is a rare one, but it is just that luck. Keep it high and make sure it doesn''t go low.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Reputation though, that''s interesting. Ask the guild when you get there, but if I had to guess, it''s probably a bounty hunter thing. I''d guess it tracks your interactions and maybe changes as you get more known.¡± After that, the guard answered a few questions I had, but it all came down to this. No one controls the system, and stats are increased by hard work, quests, and experience. I tried to get more answers, but the guard just told me to ask the guild and gave me directions. He took me back to the gate, told me to be careful on my horse, and wished me luck. So I rode off to find the Adventurers'' Chapter 4 This city was interesting. Stone buildings next to wooden ones, food carts and stalls littered the areas I rode through. It was alive and that was different. Beseria had been a country in decline, its cities almost deserted and its towns abandoned, but this place, Klangdor, was not, it was full of energetic people. And besides the stalls, Jaeger also met new... people. He hesitated to call them anything else, for while some were simply people like him, others were completely different. From the gate to the guild, he passed many strange people. A man covered in scales was running some kind of noodle stand, a being that looked like a wolf and a man had merged was selling hats. Jaeger had understood that he was somewhere new and different, but now he couldn''t shake the idea that he might be in the land of the gods. This was reinforced by something flying quickly over his head, he couldn''t identify it more clearly than its human shape as it flew past him. He leaned a little closer to Ventress, who was taking all of this better than he was, and hurried her to the Guild. Soon, the Adventurers'' Guild came into view. It stood alone, occupying a small section of the city. As he approached, he dismounted Ventress and tethered her to a nearby area. He fed her a few carrots from his saddlebag and took a deep breath before entering. A body met him as he entered and pushed him back out. ¡°I told you what would happen if you pulled that stunt again, didn''t I? Now leave, you''re banned from the guild. I don''t need scum like you tarnishing our reputation.¡± A fierce voice shouted from inside the building. The person who had been thrown into Jaeger pushed away. A man in finely crafted leather armor emerged, twin scimitars sheathed at his hip. He spat at the building, glared at Jaeger, and then walked away. Watching the man leave, Jaeger noticed something about him; he had large ears that ended in a pointed tip. He shook his head and moved into the building. ¡°I told you, you''re banned! Oh, you''re not Garran. In fact, I don''t recognize you at all.¡± The fierce voice belonged to a four-armed giantess, she wore some kind of full-body robe, and try as he might, he could not remember her features except for the patterns on her arms. She didn''t seem to have anything against Jaeger, but her tone hadn''t gotten any friendlier. He thought it best to clear things up quickly. ¡°I''m new to the city. One of the gatekeepers told me to come here and talk to the guild about a guide.¡± She moved closer and examined him. ¡°Hmm. You an adventurer?¡± ¡°No.¡± She tilted her head, took him in fully, and then seemed to come to a conclusion. She snapped her lowered hand behind her. ¡°Ma''am, we talked about this. You can''t just snap at the attendants, it''s rude and we don''t know what you mean. We''re not telepaths, except for Lucy, and you know she only works nights.¡± ¡°Ah, Lisette, my favorite guild member. If you could escort this man here to one of the introduction rooms, please. He needs an O-class intro.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, by the goddess. I''ve never done this before; this should be fun. Come on, mysterious stranger.¡± Jaeger felt lost, but his gut told him to follow the new woman. As he followed her to this room of introduction, he took a look at the guild. It was filled with a large number of people; some like him, others more fantastic or divine. The only thing they had in common was the feeling they all gave off, a feeling of danger. From the man with the full plate armor and the big sword, to the tiny figure holding a cup with both hands in the corner. Everyone here was dangerous in some way, it reminded Jaeger of the few times he''d encountered other bounty hunters. ¡°Right through here, please. I don''t know if you heard, but my name is Lisette, and I''ll be helping you adjust to this world. An O-class intro is for Outworlders, it''s a mix of a magical presentation and me actually talking.¡± Lisette led him into a room as she began to speak, setting up a device and waving her hand over it. She must have been a goddess, because the device began to glow as if full of lightning. She snapped her fingers and it flashed. Something ran over Jaeger''s whole body, it felt like a firm and soft blanket over his whole body and then it tingled. Then he blacked out. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Hello, mysterious stranger? Hello?¡± He came to groggy, feeling like he''d just finished celebrating a big bounty. But when Jaeger opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar room, and then he remembered. The Guild, Lisette, the glowing device. He jumped to his feet in alarm and immediately fell back into the couch he''d been sitting on. ¡°Calm down there. Oh man, I don''t know if this is normal or not. Okay, calm down. I used this integration machine and it seems to have affected you more than expected.¡± Jaeger blinked a lot, struggling to take in her words as he tried to move his body. He was both numb and sore, and it was hard to move. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°Ah, you are awake. Okay, this magi-tech gives you the details that anyone from this world would naturally understand. Little things and big, we have to use it with Outworlders because we don''t know what you don''t know and let alone with you don''t know you don''t know. This includes common laws, magic, classes, general understanding of the system, and more. If you have been so badly affected, then you are not only an Outworlder, but you were brought here deliberately uninformed and without key body and mind integrations. They''ve now been applied, so if you feel weird that is the reason why.¡± As he sat there listening to her, he could feel his body warming up and slowly responding to him. He could move more and more. When she stopped, Jaeger had finally regained control and he felt different. Like there was more to him than before, it was hard to describe. Jaeger just knew that there was more to who he was now. Then a warmth spread over his arms, quickly turning into a flash of pain. He must have screamed or something, because the next thing he knew, Lisette was running to his side, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. There were tattoos on Jaeger''s arms. They resembled chains, running from his elbow to his wrist, which they seemed to coil around. The pain traced the tattoos and filled them in. Slowly the tattoos went from outlines to fully detailed silver chains. When the last bit was colored the pain disappeared, abruptly no lingering pain, just gone. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Hmm, silver chains across the forearm. Intriguing. Soulbound, perhaps, or magical abilities tied to his class.¡± Lisette muttered to herself, looking at and poking at his tattoos. He moved his arms away from her and asked her again. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Oh, right. Well, stranger, these are magical tattoos. Either from soulbound equipment or a magical ability from your class. Either way, they''re not a common ability, if I had to guess, this is something that was rewarded to you. For what, I don''t know.¡± ¡°Well, we can deal with my new tattoos later. How about you explain why I had to come here in the first place? The guard didn''t say why, he just heard my class and sent me here.¡± ¡°What class?¡± ¡°Bounty Hunter.¡± ¡°That would do it. You''re a combat class. Any guild could have done most of this and even helped you as an Outworlder. But not many are able to offer you the same kind of support that we can for your class. And of those that can, we happen to be the ones with the least restrictions.¡± He almost asked what a combat class was, but as Jaeger thought about it, the information came to his mind. A combat class was just that, a class that focused on combat. Bounty Hunter was one of them. There were combat classes and non-combat classes, you could use both, but combat classes leveled faster in combat and non-combat classes outside of combat. There were more nuances than that, but he knew enough for now. ¡°Alright, so what you can offer me work?¡± ¡°Oh yes, we are an adventurers¡¯ guild. Adventurers are basically mercenaries, but without the politics. If you take your work through the guild it¡¯s going to mostly be monster hunting/extermination, criminal hunting/extermination, and miscellaneous tasks.¡± ¡°Does this place do bounty hunting?¡± "Of course. I must say, this place has never seen a bounty hunter before. Most adventurers don''t want to spend their time hunting bounties, monsters pay more and have less moral implications." Lisette looked at him as she spoke, showing no judgment, just seeming to explain. ¡°Good. That means less competition and less bias. So how do I join?¡± Smiling at him, Lisette pulls out a ream of paper and hands it to him, along with a pen. ¡°Read through this and then sign at the bottom.¡± As Jaeger grabbed the papers a parchment unfurled before him. Contract Hunter - Bounty hunting isn''t just about finding someone and bringing them in. Usually a bounty comes with requirements, and as a Bounty Hunter, you need to know what they are. When you read a binding document, you understand what it means and whether it is beneficial, neutral, or malicious. He knew immediately that this stack of papers was neutral to him. It contained no negative traps or double talk. It was simply an employment contract. Surprised by his sudden understanding Jaeger still took his time to read over it, and it confirmed for himself. Satisfied with both the contract and this new ability he signed the contract. ¡°Jaeger. That''s a nice name. All right, Jaeger, now that you''ve signed up, I''ll take you to our testing facility. If you don''t have any weapons, we can provide them.¡± Lisette looked at him as she spoke and noticed his lack of weapons. ¡°Ah, my gear is with my horse. I¡¯ve got her tied outside, so I¡¯ll need to get them.¡± ¡°A horse too, very interesting. All right, I''ll come with you, then I can lead you straight there.¡± Chapter 5 Ventress was where he''d left her tied up. The only new addition to the area was a man on the ground. He was lying behind Ventress, holding his chest and moaning. Ventress whinnied when she saw Jaeger and shook her head. ¡°Did you kick this guy?¡± She nodded. ¡°Was he trying to steal my bags or you?¡± She nodded. ¡°I thought you were a human Bounty Hunter. How are you speaking with your horse?¡± Lisette asked. ¡°We don''t speak, I do, and she nods her head at my words. As far as I know, she doesn''t understand words outside of a few command words. I''m just used to being alone and I find it helps to talk to her.¡± ¡°So you just assumed that your horse kicked that man because he was trying to steal something and not because I don''t know, your horse was undisciplined or startled?¡± Jaeger glanced at Lisette as he walked over to the downed man. ¡°Ventress is a Beserian warhorse. Now I understand that name doesn''t mean much here, but where I come from that means she''s a rare breed of battle-tested, war-trained, disciplined mount. Beserian war horses were the only thing my country had going for it, and Ventress here is not only a war horse, but a veteran to boot. She does not get spooked, and she is not undisciplined. If she kicked this man, it''s because he deserved it. C¡¯mon, we can just ask him.¡± He nudged the man with his boot to get his attention, and the man seemed to have passed out from the pain. ¡°Help, that crazy horse kicked me. I need a healer.¡± ¡°Sure as sure. Just answer me this, what were you doing with the horse?¡± The man groaned, breathing heavy and wet. ¡°What does that matter? I need a healer!¡± ¡°Well, friend, this is important because my companion here is worried that you might have tried to steal this horse. I tried to tell her that no one would do that in front of the Adventurers'' Guild, but she won''t believe me. So if you tell us what you were doing, we''ll get you a healer from inside.¡± ¡°Of course I didn''t steal the horse. It''s obviously mine, I lent it to a buddy of mine so he could hurry here to deliver a job and he told me to just get it from outside.¡± He eyed me, then coughed before continuing. ¡°She must be a little crazy from the hard run he put her through to get here.¡± Jaeger stood up and turned to Lisette with a raised eyebrow. ¡°See, Lisette, what did I tell you? No one would be foolish enough to steal a horse from the Adventurers'' Guild, because everyone knows the punishment for horse thievery.¡± The man on the ground began to look at him as he moved. Jaeger went to his saddlebags on Ventress and began to pull out his gear. The battleaxe slipped into his hip holster, followed by his pistol into its holster, and finally his rifle from its place next to the saddle. He grabbed his powder horn but couldn''t find any bullets. As he dug for them, he noticed that the horn felt empty. When he popped the top off, it was empty, and not just empty, but cleaned as if it were brand new. The bounty hunter turned back to the thief. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Where¡¯s my powder and my bullets?¡± ¡°What?¡± He moved over to the man and stepped on his leg, putting his weight on it. ¡°Where.is.my.powder.and.where.are.my.bullets?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Normally Ventress can stop someone from robbing me, but I guess in a world of magic anything is possible. So before I start asking in actions and not words, I¡¯m going to give you one last chance to tell me where my stuff is.¡± The man coughed, deeply and panicked. ¡°I didn¡¯t take nothing. That horse kicked me onto my back and I don¡¯t remember nothing please. I didn¡¯t take nothing.¡± ¡°Jaeger, he may be telling the truth. Some Outworlder technology has been known to disappear upon arrival and be replaced by a Ragaea equivalent. If we go back in now, I can help you find out if that''s what happened here.¡± Lisette spoke quietly from where she stood, not to stop him, but to explain the situation. What she said would explain the condition of the powder horn. ¡°So what do we do about this guy? How does this work?¡± ¡°Well, for attempted theft and mount thievery at that, he is looking at hard time or time in one of the penal legions. Drag him inside, we''ll have some of the people inside watch him while we send for a guard. Maybe you''ll get a reward for him.¡± Nodding his head, Jaeger grabbed the leg he''d been standing on and dragged the man inside. He groaned heavily as each step seemed to bump and grind his injuries. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone through a small healing on him.¡± The three of them made their way inside, where things were quickly taken care of. A group of three took the man and watched over him while a fourth placed glowing hands on his chest. As Jaeger was led away, he watched as the man slowly regained some color and stopped coughing; the first real use of magic he''d seen.
Lisette led him outside to a new building. It was a closed, walled open space. Inside were some training dummies, racks of training weapons and an open area, it was a training arena. Lisette walked to a corner and raised her hand, a counter rose from the ground with a snap. ¡°All right, bring your weapons here. I''ll take a look at them, and then you can show me how to use them. Once I''ve tested your martial skills, we''ll go over your magical tattoos and test you for magic.¡± He walked with her, and when they reached the counter, Jaeger laid out his weapons. His battle axe, well-kept but scarred; then came his firearms; his rifle and pistol. But where the axe was recognizable, these had changed. The musket had not changed much, still made of dark wood with a black varnish and dark steel metal. The black wooden finish was covered with a bright blue inscription, the words were ones he recognized, it was the motto of the Beserian bounty hunters: In the Hunt, One Captures or Kills, Never Both. Running along the barrel was a spiral pattern, starting near the musket''s trigger and ending at the musket''s muzzle. The trigger itself was now silver, quite different from before. Turning away from the rifle, he concentrated on his pistol, and unlike the rifle, it was completely different. How he''d handled it before and not noticed the change was beyond him. Apart from its general shape, the flintlock had changed completely. It was darker now, almost a shadow of itself; its metal was a deep black with baroque filigree. The handle was now black obsidian or some dark stone. He held it in a firing position to get a feel for it, and as he did so, the pistol seemed to weigh more in his hand, and when he went to put it down, he could not let it go. ¡°Hmm, soulbound weapons, and of an unusual design. These are clearly weapons, but I cannot begin to guess how they originally worked. Well, even though I still can''t guess what they do, I can say that they definitely require an infusion of mana to work.¡± Lisette had moved around Jaeger as he checked his weapons, talking to herself as she circled. Try as he might, he could neither speak nor let go of the pistol. But as he began to panic, the moment passed and he dropped the gun on the table. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°Hmm? Have you never bound a weapon before?¡± Lisette shook her head as soon as she finished speaking. ¡°Of course not, you had no magic, okay. These two weapons are soulbound to you, which means no one else can use them or keep them, and they are unbreakable. You also don''t seem to have bound them to yourself yet, so that''s what just happened. You and this little weapon are one now, it needed to get a feel for your magic and your soul. This will happen again when you grab the big one, so do it now and let us finally test your abilities. All this talking is getting boring.¡± Chapter 6 The rest of the day went more to plan, Jaeger bonded his rifle and then continued to practice with his weapons. His guns now used magic instead of powder, but they still fired a lead ball. Lisette found this both fascinating and frightening. Lead, as it turned out, was anti-magical in nature, making it a weakness for mages. It was also in such limited quantities that the idea of it being a ranged weapon was unheard of. His guns alone raised his adventurer rank, but his mastery of both his guns and his battleaxe cemented his status. ¡°You certainly have skills, and a good mix of ranged and melee is nice. Now let''s see if you have any ability for magic.¡± Jaeger raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°How are we going to test that? I don¡¯t exactly know any magic.¡± ¡°I think these magic tattoos beg to differ. Nevertheless, I''m going to test you. I have a sensor stone, just touch it and it''ll light up and tell us if you have magic, and if so, whether it''s passive, active, or both.¡± She pulled out a wrapped sphere and unwrapped it directly into his hands. He was surprised by its weight and warmth. It slowly began to glow white before changing to a purple color. It stayed purple and bright until Lisette wrapped it up again. ¡°We already knew you had magic, your weapons and tattoos show it, but now we know how to use it. You are lucky to have both passive and active magic. I don''t know too much about Bounty Hunters, but I think you''re supposed to be mostly passive, so this should be a nice surprise. Now I have one more thing, take it or leave it, it''s an Analyze card.¡± Lisette pulled out a card with a magnifying glass on it. ¡°The guild will compensate me for its use. What it does is it analyzes the information of a thing and then copies it. These are rare items, but I think you should use it. Jaeger, you''ve got mysterious magic tattoos on your arms. It''s okay if you don''t want to tell me what it says, but I would feel like I wasn''t helping you to the fullest extent if I didn''t offer it to you.¡± Lisette held out the card for him to take, and Jaeger looked at it, then at her. He didn''t know much about magic or trusting others, but he knew the danger of unsolved secrets and paranoia. So he took the card. ¡°I¡¯ll use it, but how?¡± Lisette smiled at him. ¡°Just hold it over your arm, over your bare skin, mind you, otherwise it will just analyze your coat. Then focus on the card and channel your magic into it.¡± Nodding, he removed his coat and armor and placed them on the nearby counter before rolling up his sleeves to reveal his tattoos. Looking at them for a moment, he noticed that the chains that ended around his wrists were manacles. He took a moment to fully examine his arms, turning them over. He wanted to see the extent of the tattoos and if anything had changed. The tattoos ran all over his arms, covering him completely like a sleeve. He also noticed that the scars he''d had were still there, but the few that had caused him some lingering pain and discomfort no longer did. These tattoos didn''t just imprint on his arms, they seemed to heal them. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Jaeger looked up at Lisette. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Did you just say ¡®cough, cough¡¯?¡± ¡°When you''re done admiring yourself, I''d appreciate it if you''d hurry up.¡± Lisette replied with a flushed face. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll answer your question if you hurry up and use the card.¡± Jaeger snorted before doing as she had instructed. Placing the card over his tattooed arm, he held it and pressed his magic into it. Pushing was really the only word, it was like using a muscle he never knew he had, but knew intimately. The card glowed slowly before flashing once and changing. Where there had been a magnifying glass, there was now a pair of silver chains crossing in an infinity symbol. The information on the card was beyond anything Jaeger could have imagined.
The Chains that Bind
Chains of an unknown silver metal these are both real and unreal, created by something unknown but given for a purpose. These chains can bind anything from the lowest stone to the highest concept. The only limit is the Will of the chain-bearer. By focusing, the chain-bearer can summon the chains from either one or both arms, and they reattach to the body unless the will to detach is present. When detached, a segment of the chain tattoo disappears from the bearer''s arm(s) and remains summoned until the bearer calls it back, 24 hours without contact from the bearer, or a contested Will check by the bound breaks it. Broken chains reappear as such in the tattoo and require time or magic to repair. These chains are bound to the soul of Jaeger Darkblade. Upgradeable
These chains were something else entirely, Jaeger wasn''t sure how a concept could be bound, but the idea was terrifying. He liked the idea of having unbreakable chains to contain his bounties, but the idea of a test of Will was worrying. Mainly because he didn''t know how that would happen, he wasn''t too sure what Will meant either. He hesitated, but finally decided to trust Lisette. ¡°I need an explanation of this skill, but first what is Will?. Why¡¯s it emphasized like it¡¯s a unique thing?¡± ¡°Without reading the card I assume Will is probably a specialized stat. If it¡¯s not on your stat sheet then it might be a hidden stat, which is more esoteric.¡± He handed the card to Lisette and waited for her to read it. She smiled as he handed it to her, but her expression slowly changed as she read the card. She glanced around for a moment before handing the card back to him. ¡°Don¡¯t show this to anyone, and when we¡¯re done talking, I¡¯ll show you how to erase it, and then you can keep the card. I''ll even show you how to use it.¡± With a faint smile, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Alright so Will is definitely a hidden stat. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you more. Jaeger, these chains of yours are a personalized unique ability. That means no one else can use it or has it. It was made for you and its potential is world changing.¡± ¡°There are gods, demons, and beings of unfathomable power abound in this world, Jaeger. No one but another being of their power can challenge them, not until now. What you have here now is the power to bind gods, demons, heavenly cultivators, and eldritch things. But what it is now is only potential. Potential that any of the beings I mentioned would kill you to make sure never grows.¡± ¡°Then I have to pretend that the chains are something weaker. Right?¡± ¡°Thank the gods that you understand. Yes, use the chains of course, do some bounty hunting or some adventuring with them. Chain people and monsters or whatever, but never reveal how strong they are. Unless your life is in danger, do not use them on anything much stronger than you. I''ll falsify some reports and have it written that the chains are an inherent magical item. Outworlders always come here with something weird, and while you having three things will raise some eyebrows, your class of bounty hunter will explain the chains.¡± Lisette had worked herself into an agitated state. Slowly she relaxed; Jaeger, on the other hand, had taken it for granted. He had something that people more powerful than him would kill to make sure he didn''t; it was no different than when he first got Ventress. He would just have to do what he had done then. Get strong enough so that no one could bother him. Chapter 7 Lisette had Jaeger practice with the chains after a few more moments of discussion. Summoning them was relatively easy, he just had to focus on them like with the analysis card. It felt strange the first time they appeared, rising from his wrist to his elbow. At first, they just appeared, then dropped limply, hanging from his arms. But slowly he figured out how to manipulate them. After a few hours, he had a good understanding of how they worked. The chains had a physical presence once summoned and could be used as a weapon, but they excelled at catching and holding things. When he whipped them at a dummy, they wrapped around it, gaining more length, and soon he had five feet of chain wrapped around the dummy and at least that in chain from his arm to the dummy. Figuring out how to unwrap things was harder but doable; the real problem was in detaching them. He spent most of the training time trying to do that. Finally, in a moment of frustration, Jaeger had the chains around his arms and angrily threw his arms out. The chain flew off and wrapped around poor Lisette. The chain had hit her and completely wrapped her body, tying her in five lines of chain from her chest to her feet. ¡°Jaeger get these off me.¡± He rushed to help, not quite sure how. The chains had no conventional beginning or end, they looked like a single piece of chain. As the two of them tried to figure out how to get it off, a headache began to build in Jaeger''s head. Slowly it grew until he had to take a step back. As he did that seemed to be a breaking point as the chains around Lisette broke and the headache in Jaeger''s head exploded.
¡°Up. Wake up. Oh, please don''t be dead. You have so much potential for this world, don''t die yet, Jaeger. Dammit Lisette, you''ve really messed this up. Maybe people were right, you''re a princess.¡± Barely audible. ¡°Maybe I shouldn''t be training people.¡± Jaeger slowly came to, his head aching terribly. And it was not helped by the constant shaking and loud talking above him. He opened his eyes to find Lisette pacing around him, talking to herself? Turning his head, he confirmed it. Yes, she was talking to herself. He moved to a sitting position, his vision swimming as he moved too quickly. ¡°You¡¯re awake! That¡¯s great, I knew you weren¡¯t dead.¡± Lisette hurried over to him, relief written all over her face. She knelt down beside him and began to examine him, asking if anything was wrong, different, or injured. ¡°Yes, I have a headache and I''m exhausted.¡± She nodded sagely before wiping her hands on her trousers and standing up. ¡°Well, now we know what a contest of Will looks like and the aftermath of your loss. From my side I was pushing against the chains both physically and mentally. One moment I was struggling, the next I was free and you went down.¡± ¡°I didn''t feel any of that, I just got a headache that slowly grew until it exploded. It seemed to get worse when I was distracted trying to help you. As I began to focus on you and not the chains, the headache began to build more and more.¡± ¡°Helping me was a distraction for you, that''s fair. While it''s not too clear what Will is, it''s clear that distractions and loss of focus can cause it to go down. At least in relation to these contests.¡± The headache began to ease as Jaeger pushed himself to his feet. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°When a test of Will is called for, I better not lose focus. This has been a good practice; pain is the best trainer for this kind of thing. Thank you, Lisette.¡± He walked over to the counter where his equipment was stored. He donned his armor and holstered his weapons. With that done, he began to do some small exercises to get used to them again; to adjust to the magical transformation of the firearms. When he was satisfied, Jaeger turned to Lisette. ¡°Well I think I¡¯m all done here right? If so, I¡¯d like to get my badge, certificate or whatever.¡± ¡°Okay, follow me.¡± With a smile on her face, Lisette took Jaeger back to the room they''d started in. She sat him down, then went back to a cabinet. Moments later she returned with a small plaque and a badge. ¡°We have two options for you. You can have a plaque or a badge; they do the same thing, it''s more of a vanity choice. Pick one and we''ll move on.¡± They were both blank, in fact the only difference was in size and shape. The plaque was a rectangle and slightly larger than the vaguely circular badge, but the badge looked like something he could pin to his coat. Jaeger thought about it before he picked it up, he didn''t want to risk losing the plaque in his backpack or pockets. As he picked it up, it changed in his hands. From a blank space it slowly filled with his name, his class, and then a symbol. The symbol was a sword, a spear and an axe crossing each other on a shield. Once it was filled in, his status appeared.
Name Jaeger ¡®The Hunter¡¯ Darkblade
Class Bounty Hunter
Adventurer Rank Novice
Level 7
Health Points 230
Magic Points 180
Physical 23
Mental 18
Social 15
Luck 17
Reputation Adventuring Outworlder
It also had a small portrait of his face on it. He frowned. ¡°I don''t feel comfortable with all of this information just sitting out there in the open.¡± ¡°No one does, but it is important because how else are you going to check your stats? This is one of the advantages of guilds. This little beauty will keep track of your status and rank. Channel magic into it if you wish to hide your stats.¡± Jaeger did just that, and the badge stopped projecting his full status. The base badge showed only his name, class, rank, reputation, and emblem. ¡°Why is my reputation still visible? And what¡¯s this emblem?¡± ¡°A reputation is an indicator of your standing in the world. If you do something heinous or something beyond heroic, it will reflect that. The Adventurers'' Guild keeps track of that, because if your reputation is negative, we offer ways to fix it, unless it''s really bad, in which case we offer a quick exit from the guild. If it''s very positive, that''s good too. Your class also seems to affect or be affected by your reputation, I''m sorry I don''t know enough about Bounty Hunters to say more than that.¡± Lisette motioned with her hand to see his badge, and after a moment of thought, Jaeger handed it to her. She read it before handing it back. ¡°Adventuring Outworlder is a nice neutral reputation, it''s just a clear description of what you are. Do a few more good, bad, or neutral things and it will fill out. The emblem represents the Adventurer''s Guild, now everyone will know you''re a part of us. No questions asked. You''ll have access to most towns and benefits. The last thing you need to do is hold the badge to your heart.¡± She motioned with her hands, bringing them to her chest. Jaeger furrowed his brow, but after a few ''get on with it'' motions from her, he brought the badge to his heart. Where it flowed into his body with a slight tingle. ¡°And that''s how you put your badge away, after you get used to it, you can call it right into your hand and put it away the same way. But this way will always work, no matter what clothes or armor are in the way. I suggest you practice a few times, and when you''re ready, I''ll take you downstairs and we''ll get you started on the bounty hunt.¡± Chapter 8 Back in the guild lobby, Lisette led Jaeger over to the quest board. It was covered with parchments for all sorts of tasks. From gathering plants, to hunting creatures, to laying siege to evil castles. Jaeger read a few of them, but quickly stopped. He had no idea what a goblin was, but the idea of hunting thirty of them seemed like something best left to a class like Goblin Slayer. He realized that he needed to learn more about the dangers of this world before he went out. ¡°Lisette, what is a goblin?¡± ¡°A small green humanoid. They range from tribal pests to greedy merchants and rogues; hell one of them was a local hero a century ago. Why?¡± ¡°I had no idea what one was until you told me.¡± Lisette stopped, causing Jaeger to bump into her. Then she looked back at him, it took him a moment to figure out what her look was; it was sympathy. Turning quickly, she pulled Jaeger back into the same room they''d been in before. He was actually starting to like it; it was growing on him. He took his usual seat and looked at her. ¡°Oh yeah, I might have forgotten one last thing. This is exclusive to certain types of outworlders, as you usually lack or are blocked from common knowledge of Ragaea.¡± Saying that, she placed a thick book on the table. It was covered in symbols that seemed to move as Jaeger looked at them. They quickly settled into words he could read: Outworlders guide to not dying like an idiot from that poisonous plant I told you wasn''t a strawberry. ¡°What¡¯s with the title?¡± ¡°The author was apparently friends with an Outworlder who ate a deadly plant and nearly died. They wrote this book for their friend and most guilds bought a copy. Of course, our copy was updated with more information and enchanted by the great Lizard Wizard himself. Now, instead of spending four days or so reading the whole thing, you just grab the book and absorb the knowledge. It''ll knock you out, but when you wake up, you''ll have the knowledge to avoid dying from something really dangerous, but innocent-looking.¡± Jaeger drew back his hand from the book. ¡°Of course it''s going to knock me out. You know that''s not healthy, right? Being knocked unconscious like that damages people in a more permanent way.¡± ¡°Maybe where you''re from, but here in Ragaea, getting knocked out is a minor problem, unless you get kidnapped at the same time. Ragaea is full of magic, you''re dealing with new rules now, Jaeger.¡± He sighed and realized that he was not going to get out of this. He made himself comfortable before grabbing the book, then it was lights out.
¡°I''m really tired of everything knocking me out. I don''t care if it''s good or bad for me, I''m really tired of it.¡± Lisette fought back a chuckle at his expression. Fortunately, Jaeger was too distracted by the quest board to notice her expression. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Well, if you hold on to that feeling, maybe you''ll get a skill for it.¡± Lisette said after regaining her composure. She moved around Jaeger and searched with him. She quickly collected some parchments. ¡°Wait, what do you mean I could get a skill for it?¡± ¡°At certain intervals after leveling up, you''ll get a skill. You may also start with a few from your class and race. Humans usually don''t get any, but being an Outworlder, who knows. I also advise you not to explain to anyone what skills you have, at least not anyone you don''t trust implicitly.¡± Jaeger nodded, knowing that he had at least two skills, Contract Hunter and The Chains that Bind. He wasn''t sure if the translator he had counted. He wondered for a moment how to check his skills and the answer came to him. Status, he thought. The book contained the knowledge that his personal Status was something only Outworlders had access to. The guilds in Rangaea had a similar system. His badge was now best used to track his adventuring rank and as an entry pass. As he thought this, his parchment unfolded, with some concentration he wanted it to show his skills instead of his information.
Skill List
Contract Hunter The Chains that Bind
Bloodhound ???
Bloodhound ¨C A Bounty Hunter''s most important skill, aside from the ability to get paid. This skill sets you apart from guards, soldiers, and other enforcers. You will always get your bounty. They can run, but they only get caught tired. When you have enough information on a target, you can track them down. There is no time limit or distance, as long as you have enough information on the target, you can find them. The more information you have, the better you can track them. The way this manifests varies from Bounty Hunter to Bounty Hunter. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°Yeah, those jobs are pretty interesting. But without a dedicated Bounty Hunter, the only bounty jobs we get are the weird ones. The rest just end up not getting posted here, a few other guilds have picked up the jobs.¡± Jaeger focused on Lisette and the papers she¡¯d been showing him. He hadn¡¯t been talking about them, but they were interesting. They were all wanted posters, but each one was for a named monster. ¡°Lisette, I have no experience hunting monsters. I''m more of a human hunter. How would I even bring them back?¡± Wordlessly, she pushed one of the papers into his hands. As he took it, more information appeared in front of him.
Wanted: Crusher the Orc Raider Intermediate ranked
Wanted dead or alive. Crimes: Tax evasion, vilification of tax collectors & consumption of tax collectors. Miscellaneous: The payout for this is greater if Crusher is brought in alive. If dead, his head is required for completion.
¡°Even in a world full of magic and monsters, there are still taxes?¡± ¡°Yes, don''t worry, the guild will take care of your taxes for you. We have a team of devils dedicated to handling our taxes.¡± Jaeger nodded, if he had to choose something to handle his taxes, a devil was probably the best choice. ¡°Where can I learn more about Crusher? Because I''m taking the job.¡± Chapter 9 Lisette took him to one of the empty counters. She took the parchment and asked for his ID. She stamped his badge on the parchment, then handed the badge back to him. ¡°Your badge will now have Crusher''s information on it. If you want to study more, we have a library upstairs.¡± She pointed to the stairs. Jaeger took his badge and studied the new information. It contained his location, and the size of his tribe. ¡°It says he is an intermediate rank, is it just because of his clan or is there something else?¡± ¡°It''s mostly him. He is an intermediary because the job comes directly from the Crown. He killed and ate some tax collectors, they are royal employees, so we had to raise the rank. All the bounties I picked were ones I thought would be good starter quests for you, having seen you practice. Unless you''d like to take one of the easier ones. I think we have an old man whose children want to bring him back.¡± Lisette raised her eyebrows and smiled sardonically. Jaeger returned the smile and a shake of his head; she was beginning to grow on him. ¡°No. I''ll stick with the orc; old people are always hiding something. You don''t reach old age by luck.¡± With that, he turned and left the guild hall. Someone informed him that his horse had been taken to the stables. He made his way there and found Ventress groomed and happy. ¡°How are you, Ventress? We have work to do, so I hope all this luxury hasn''t made you lazy.¡± Normally, Jaeger would have waited to leave, but between his various bouts of unconsciousness, he''d been out for about a day, and he felt strangely good. He thought it best to leave now. ¡°That''s a fine steed you have, my son. She''s got a feisty attitude about her. Welcome to my stables I¡¯m Stablemaster Bastion.¡± Turning, the Hunter found himself facing someone new, a Beastkin. ¡°Yes, she is. I doubt you''ll find another like her in all of Ragaea. She''s a Beserian warhorse, and even among them, Ventress was special.¡± Bastion nodded at that and crossed his arms. ¡°She is certainly unique. I have an eye for these things, and I''m telling you, she''s a little more than a horse now. It''s rare, but sometimes you Outworlders bring animal companions, and those beasts always end up more than they started out.¡± ¡°What do you mean? What she''s going to level up or something?¡± ¡°No, she''s probably going to evolve into something else. Still a horse, I guess, but she''ll be more than just a horse.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll deal with that when it comes up, I appreciate the heads up Bastion.¡± Jaeger knew he couldn¡¯t change anything so he¡¯d deal with it when it happened. ¡°I need her kit and tack back, along with my bags. I¡¯ve got a bounty that needs hunting.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The Stablemaster whistled for two stableboys and sent them to ready up Ventress. ¡°Lisette rang down to set you up with some rations so you are set there. The guild sets you up with basic rations when you take a job from the board, if you want better you gotta pay for them. Luck on your hunt, may your aim be true and your prey worthy...¡± The beastkin paused and held out his hand. Jaeger grabbed it. ¡°Jaeger.¡± With that, the boys led Ventress out and, after mounting, Jaeger trotted out of the stables. The orc Crusher had taken up position on the plains and Jaeger had a ride ahead of him.
As he left the city gate, he passed numerous merchants waiting to enter the city. From glowing fruit to floating crates escaping from a large cage, the items were eye-catching. The merchants themselves were also fantastic, such as the woman wrangling the crates. She was a giant, easily 17 feet tall, with blue skin and a pristine suit of furs and buttons that looked more like tusks. After tossing the last of the runaway crates, she turned and caught Jaeger''s eye. She gave him a broad smile and a wink before she went back to pulling her wagon with one hand. After that, Jaeger began to keep his eyes to himself. The ride from Patterson was uneventful, but that didn''t mean it was boring. The surroundings were both mundane and fantastic to Jaeger. From then on, the trip began to move quickly, and slowly the day gave way to night. Riding along, Jaeger was deciding where to set up camp when he saw a sign with an arrow pointing to an inn. Jaeger decided to spend the night there. The inn was a freestanding building with an attached stable. He tied Ventress outside and opened the doors. A warm breeze, delicious smells of food, and a bawdy song greeted him as he entered the inn. ¡°Hello there stranger. Is it just ya¡¯self or are ya partied up?¡± ¡°Just me and my horse. I''m just passing through on guild business.¡± The person who called out was a lanky man with a shock of red hair sticking out of his head. He nodded his head before tapping a sign hanging from the bar. It simply read, "Tag check required for guild members.¡± ¡°I take it you mean my guild badge?¡± ¡°Badge, plaque, pocket watch or whatever you have. New policy.¡± Jaeger nodded, they probably charged more or less to certain guilds. He pulled out his badge and held it out, the man could check it well enough without taking it. Leaning forward, the lanky man looked at it before digging under his counter. He quickly pulled out a thick onyx tablet and held it in front of Jaeger''s badge. The side facing the man flashed white once. ¡°Adventurers'' Guild, eh? And a bounty hunter at that. Rarely do I see one of you doing real work. Since you''re an adventurer, your room is prepaid. Meals aren''t included, though, so if you want them, it''ll cost you five coppers.¡± Jaeger pulled out five coppers, part of his reward for the horse thief. ¡°I''m staying the night, and I need my horse stabled too.¡± ¡°Well enough, you''ll be in room five. Kirk! Get your scrawny self out here, stable the horse out front!¡± Following his bellowing a small boy ran out of the building. The innkeeper pointed to a table. ¡°I''ll get you a bowl of stew and some bread. The meal comes with a drink. We have dark and light beer.¡± ¡°Dark.¡± Sitting at the table, I propped up my rifle and looked around. The music I had heard came from a small group of musicians. I could tell by their clothing that they were a group of traveling minstrels. The rest of the inn was filled with travelers. A few people in matching armor, a farmer and his son, and a hooded figure. A wave of nostalgia hit Jaeger, this reminded him of some of the inns he''d stayed in back in Beseria. The only difference was that no one looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Here ya are. Fresh stew, bread, and a dark beer.¡± With that, the innkeeper dropped off a bowl with a piece of nice hot bread, a mug of frothy dark beer, and a key. Jaeger had never been a superstitious man, but after being brought into a magical world, he began to be. Which made him think that if he was off to such a good start with this bounty, he believed it was a sign of good things to come. Chapter 10 Days later, after traversing the same forest three times, Jaeger felt less optimistic. ¡°What the hell is going on? We''ve passed this tree eight times, I can see my damn marks on it.¡± Stopping Ventress, he hopped down and walked over to the tree. It did indeed have a series of notches on it, taking out his axe he made another identical notch. It hadn''t taken him long to figure out that he was trapped by magic, he just hadn''t known what to do. Jaeger thought that if he kept going he might be able to burn out the magic or maybe just break free. Now he wasn''t so sure. What he was sure of was that he was trapped. Trying to find solutions, Jaeger decided to go through his skills. Chains that Bind and Contract Hunter were useless here, but maybe Bloodhound could work. It wouldn''t free him, but it was a tracking spell. If Crusher was not trapped here somehow, this spell could hopefully lead him to the orc and to freedom. He wiped his pants clean, holstered his axe, and mounted Ventress, activating the skill. A faint golden trail appeared before his eyes, floating across the ground in front of him and leading off into the distance. With a grin on his face, the hunter set Ventress in motion, careful to guide her along the trail. Jaeger had no way of keeping track of time in this magical trap, but he was certain that at least a day of time had passed. His belief in the skill to free him was slowly fading. It was a tracking skill, after all, how was it supposed to... crack. ¡°What do you mean the spells breaking?¡± ¡°I mean, this thing is coming down, I don''t know how or why, but it''s happening. Be prepared.¡± ¡°This guy wasn¡¯t supposed to have any real magic. Just some magic chains.¡± Jaeger began to hear voices, faint and distant at first, but quickly, as if shot from a cannon, they came close to him. And then the world changed. From high in the midday sky to low on the horizon, the sun had moved half a day. This change wasn''t the only one, now a group of people were standing on the formerly empty stretch of road. They were a mixture of humans and beastkin, wearing an assortment of armor. Unlike the adventurers Jaeger had seen wearing a similarly haphazard array, these peoples were clearly rusted and worn. That, along with a certain way they carried themselves, told Jaeger all he needed to know about them. They were bandits, bandits with magic, but bandits nonetheless. He smiled, it looked like he was going to make a little extra money today. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I guess even in a world of magic there¡¯s bandits. So what do you fools want?¡± ¡°Your gold, your horse, and your gear.¡± ¡°Yeah and we¡¯ll take yer life too if¡¯n you don¡¯t listen.¡± Jaeger laughed, it had been years since bandits had tried to rob him. It was refreshing, but he didn''t take the situation lightly; they had used magic, after all. They might be competent. ¡°That''s not going to happen. I have a bounty to collect and I need everything I''ve got. I''m feeling generous, so I''m only gonna say this once. Leave, and I won''t come looking for you until your face is on a bounty poster.¡± The group of men looked at each other. There were eight of them, each one armed, and yet Jaeger called them out without fear. He could tell that these bandits were used to dealing with novice adventurers and peasants, people who usually didn''t know how to deal with bandits. Jaeger knew what he was dealing with though: petty men who valued their little power. ¡°Tough talk for some novice adventurer. The arrogance of you, we''ve killed more than our fair share of you, and it looks like I''ll be adding your tag to my collection.¡± A Beastkin, best described as a calico cat, was the one who spoke. He had a scar over one eye and a notch over his opposite ear. He also had a chain of plaques and badges that he threw to the ground. After this display, he grinned cruelly and drew his two swords. ¡°Get him lads, lets add another pass to our Killers Chain.¡± With a roar, the bandits charged Jaeger, but unfortunately for them, he was prepared. With a flick of his reins, Ventress jumped directly to the side and began to move as Jaeger drew his rifle. Taking a deep breath, he turned in his saddle and sighted an axe wielding bandit. The runes on the rifle began to glow, then with a roar and a puff of smoke the bandit fell, his face a broken, bleeding crater. Sending more mana into the rifle, and after testing it, Jaeger knew he had ten shots before he was spent. The men chasing him had dropped and ran for cover at the sound of the hunter''s rifle. The bandit leader growled. ¡°We know he doesn''t have any real magic, that thing has to be a magical item. He can''t use it repeatedly.¡± Just as he finished speaking, Jaeger shot another bandit, this one holding a rusty spear, his chest ripped open with giblets. This seemed to hurt the bandits'' morale, as they began to run back to their leader. He only got angrier as they began to group together. ¡°What the hell are you doing? He¡¯s gonna get away.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t dying for some bloody gear. He¡¯s obviously got some kinda magic, that innkeeper lied to us. He ain¡¯t some old farmer turned adventurer.¡± The bandit leader did not like to hear this, for in one swift move he plunged both of his swords through the belly of the complainer. He lifted the man up and yelled. ¡°The innkeeper is reliable, unlike you. He does what I tell him and gets paid. You don''t, and so get dead.¡± Dropping the body and as he looked around him a faint red aura seemed to manifest around him. ¡°What about the rest of you, will you get paid or get dead?¡± Chapter 11 This move by the bandit leader caused an almost unnatural energy to flow through the bandits, who turned and charged Jaeger with barbaric screams. As they ran, weapons held high, a red mist surrounded each of them. The hunter, unsure of what he was seeing, sighted another bandit and shot him. This time his shot was slightly off, misjudging the bandits'' increased speed, and it blew the bearkin''s leg off. The hunter had seen many people take wounds like that, and inevitably those people spent the rest of the fight screaming and dying. Not so here, this bearskin rolled onto his chest and began to crawl towards him. Surprised by the sight, the hunter was distracted enough for another of the bandits, this one wielding a sword, to reach him. Ventress, however, was not, and being a warhorse, she knew how to react. With a loud whinny, she reared up and kicked the swordsman in the head and shoulder. With the sound of a melon cracking, the man fell and never moved. The fallen man''s veins were popping out and his eyes were bloodshot, Jaeger had heard of men who looked like this. Back in Beseria, there were rumors of marauders from the far north who were superhumanly strong and immune to pain. Northman berserkers, it seems that something like that existed here. As if that thought was all he needed, the answer came, a berserker spell. The tomcat beastkin had some kind of berserk spell or ability, and he cast it on the bandits. ¡°So they''re not invincible, they''re just able to ignore a lot of damage.¡± Jaeger muttered to himself as Ventress trampled her prey and then moved on. Jaeger took another shot, aiming for another bandit, a spearman who was closest. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself before firing, catching the man in the center of the chest. The man fell backwards with a gush of blood and a choked gurgle. The hunter''s breathing became a little heavier as he''d pushed more mana into his rifle, and with a decision, he holstered the rifle and drew his battleaxe. Their numbers had dwindled to five bandits, one of whom was crawling. With a lunge, his horse charged forward, racing toward the bandits. As they approached, he swung his axe down, splitting the head of one bandit and smashing into the chest of another. A lucky blow from one bandit, however, knocked the hunter off balance, and as he fell, he pushed away from Ventress and rolled to his feet. He dropped his axe and ran for it as a bandit lunged at him with a spear. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. He threw himself to the side, dodging the stab, and spun to face the spearman. The bandit let out another berserker scream and lunged at him. Each thrust of the spear sent Jaeger dodging sideways, the man may have gained immunity to pain, but he had lost some coordination. The bandit slashed down, and Jaeger lunged in, catching the spear shaft on his armored forearms. Even though he was prepared for it, the blow nearly brought Jaeger to his knees. He barely managed to hold on, but with a growl he threw the blow aside. In one smooth motion, as the spear flew past him, Jaeger drew his pistol and kicked the spearman in the knee. As the bandit fell to his knee, unbalanced by the kick, the hunter shot him. He saw the back of the man''s head explode outward. Holstering his pistol, Jaeger rushed to his axe once more, glad as always to have his pistol preloaded. Grabbing his axe, Jaeger scanned the area. The last two bandits were not close, the crawling one was finally starting to die from the loss of his leg and the other was chasing Ventress who was leading him on a merry chase. With a grunt, the hunter found the bandit chief and attacked him. The tomcat had been waiting for this moment, his swords ready. He parried the hunter¡¯s first blow, drove the axe past him, and stabbed. Letting go of the axe with one hand, Jaeger summoned a chain and wrapped it around his hand before striking the blade. With a loud clash of metal on metal, the sword was knocked away and the beastkin hopped backwards with a hiss. ¡°Hmm. A magic chain, a specialized wand and a staff. Looks like that dead fool was right, you''re no novice.¡± ¡°I never said I was.¡± With that, Jaeger attacked again, this time leading with his chain. He let it uncoil from his hand and whipped it out, trying to entangle the bandit. The cat used both swords to keep it away. Pulling the chains back, the hunter shot forward, slashing sideways with his axe. Again the tomcat jumped back before lunging forward and slashing an X across Jaeger¡¯s chest. This caused him to fall back with a grunt of pain. Having drawn the first blood, the cat went for more, trying to decapitate him. But Jaeger drew back his chains and dropped low, thrusting a chain-wrapped fist into the attack, knocking the blades off course and over his head. As they passed overhead, Jaeger drove his axe down, severing the tomcat''s left foot. With a howling shriek, the cat tried to move but fell over. The hunter leapt at the beastkin and went for the kill. With a thud, his axe blade was embedded in the ground, slowly surrounded by a pool of blood. With a wrench, Jaeger pulled his axe from the ground and picked up the tomcat''s head. Another loud thud came from nearby, and as he turned he saw it was the last standing bandit. Ventress had managed to buck and kick him in the chest hard enough to knock him down. Quickly, the hunter reached his horse and rummaged through his saddlebags. He pulled out an empty bag and placed the head inside, tying it to the saddle. He then moved over to the bandit Ventress had kicked and saw that he was dying. The hunter moved past him to where the chain of plaques and badges had been thrown. Chapter 12 The collection of plaques and badges was pierced by a blood-stained chain. Each one showed the person to whom it belonged. As he picked up the chain, a parchment unfolded before him.
Killers Chain
This item is owned by members of the exclusive Forced Redistribution Club (member: Calico Pete). This is a way to show off your power and speed in acquiring loot. Read this carefully, because I swear, if any other illiterate person bothers me with this, I''ll add your flayed skin to my robe. Take the sharp end of the chain and pierce a corner of a plaque or tag, then join the chain tips together. If you''ve done it right, the plaque or badge will display your victim''s information. The more passes you get, the higher your standing in our club. [As for the pocket watches and other weirder status items, just put them in your pocket and bring them to one of the gentlemen''s clubs and we''ll take care of it. Do me proud, boys and girls, show them we don''t need a real guild.]
Current Ranking: Highway Bandit
The parchment itself had what appeared to be blood and tears around the edges. Everything else the hunter had seen was clean and factual. He had the feeling he was reading the words of some arrogant and powerful bandit lord. He''d have to ask Lisette about that when he saw her. For now, Jaeger went back to the cat and tore off part of his shirt, wrapping the chain around it and putting it away. Jaeger did a quick search of the battlefield and made an interesting discovery. While he knew that his rifle still fired physical bullets, he discovered that they weren''t real. Examining one of the bandits he had shot, he found a lead bullet, but it disappeared as he looked at it. Not sure what to make of it, he moved on to check for anything worth taking. A quick search revealed that all the weapons, except for the swords of the bandit chief, were rusted or pitted. The blades of the tomcat, however, were well made, so he took the scabbards from the beastkin''s body and placed the swords on his saddle. Mounting Ventress, he looked around for something all bandits had, a hiding place, and spotted a likely spot. Riding his horse to the spot, he circled behind a rocky outcropping and spotted a wagon piled high with loot. Most of the pile seemed to be barrels of food, so while he gathered enough food to last a few weeks, he also set aside some of the other material goods he found. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. In the small pile, he found a small bag made of some exquisite material with a handful of rings and bracelets inside. He also found a pair of gloves, a bag of jewels, and a horse halter. Jaeger simply scooped it all up and placed it in one of his saddlebags. During their sparring session, Lisette had drilled into his head that he should never wear random equipment without having someone identify it. She made sure to emphasize that even with his Analyze card, he should get someone more qualified to check it before he put it on; otherwise, he ran the risk of cursed magical items. He didn''t think the bandits would have managed to get anything magical, but better safe than sorry. He pulled the wagon to the side of the road and left it there. Taking all the valuables he wanted and more than enough food, Jaeger decided that anyone who wanted the rest could take it; he certainly had no use for it. ¡°All right, Ventress, now that we''ve warmed up a bit, let''s go get that bounty.¡± With that he gave her a kick and off they went.
After the encounter with the bandits, the ride through the forest was short and uneventful. The forest turned out to be only a week''s journey, and even with the magic trap, Jaeger made good time. Soon, the trees became fewer and the grass grew taller. As if to welcome him to a new area, the tree line abruptly stopped and he came out on top of a hill with a breathtaking view of a wide open grassland stretching out before him. ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything like this back home.¡± For as far as Jaeger could see, the land was rolling waves of tall blue grass with only a single, but large, cleared path through it. He also noticed a few breaks in the sea of grass, signs of creatures moving within. He didn''t know how safe the path would be, but he definitely wouldn''t go into the tall grass without a good reason. With a flick of the reins, he sent his horse forward and pulled out his rifle. The grass was taller than he expected, almost reaching his shoulders while he was mounted. Another surprise were the stone markers, they were on both sides of the road and appeared from time to time. They were clearly set in a pattern, and when Jaeger got close to one, it seemed to almost vibrate with power. He wondered what those markings were for, and once again his mind provided the answer; they were protectors of the pathway. A monster ward that kept the pathway free and safe from most monsters. They were a fairly common formation, most towns had a larger and more powerful version. Some city, government, or just a powerful individual had set them up to protect the pathway. It made sense, this was an important connecting road between regions. Satisfied with that answer and his safety, he relaxed for the journey; but he didn''t put away his rifle. The lull of nothing but tall grass and markers put Jaeger in a kind of half-asleep state where time and distance passed quickly. Before long the path led into an open area, the grass had been cut and the markers pushed back, leaving a wide open space. It was a rest area of sorts, with a few fire pits, a well, and a few exits leading to other parts of the grasslands. He noticed a caravan of tents set up and a few lone travelers like himself. This would be a good area for Jaeger to rest before he began his hunt in earnest. According to the information on Crusher''s location, he was a day''s journey away. His raider group had cleared a spot in the grass and set up a base. Jaeger had ridden almost a day to get here, which made this area a perfect place to use Bloodhound. With all these exits, one had to lead close to the orc. Chapter 13 After finishing his meal, Jaeger stood up with a stretch and took a few more bites of his ghost apple; he''d never had one before, but the taste was starting to grow on him. The fruit looked like every apple he''d ever eaten, except it was pure white. A tingle of information came to him; these things were supposedly an export from faraway Banora. He was halfway to hand the rest to Ventress when he pulled it back, causing her to stomp in annoyance. His unasked question brought another flash of information; these were safe to eat for most creatures, including horses. ¡°Sorry girl had to be sure.¡± He then fed the rest to Ventress before turning away and preparing himself to use Bloodhound. By activating the skill, a golden trail appeared in front of him, leading out of the easternmost exit before continuing down that path. ¡°Time to saddle up and get moving.¡± Tightening the saddle on his horse, he mounted and headed down the eastern exit. It was the same tall grass with no real change; at least at first. Slowly the grass grew heavier and became something else. The grass grew taller and denser, almost like trees. Jaeger felt less like he was on a grassy plain and more like he was entering a strange kind of forest. This intensified as the new grass began to grow to towering heights. Then the gaps between them became large enough for him not only to see, but to move through. He was no longer riding along a cleared path in a grassland, he was now very clearly in the middle of some kind of forest, a forest of tall, dense, springy grass like trees. ¡°This way? That way? Does it matter? Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows! Step deeper into the forest and you might find your cleared garden. You might find the shadow in the tent room!¡± A cultured voice whispered in Jaeger''s ear. He immediately pulled back on Ventress, whipping around in his saddle to find the owner of that voice. There was nothing there, but when he turned back, there was a silver cat sitting on Ventress'' mane. He aimed his rifle at it. ¡°My guess is that you are the one who did this nonsense riddle.¡± The cat just grinned and showed sharp fangs. ¡°Either talk sense, get off my horse, or I''ll kill you.¡± The cat¡¯s grin simply grew wider, and wider, and wider still. Soon enough its head was more grinning sharp teeth then fur and Jaeger was deeply disturbed. So he fired, blowing a hole right through the cat. When the hole burst, the cat seemed to turn into smoke that was drawn through its wound and it disappeared. ¡°Damn magical madness. What kind of world have I landed in. Sometimes I feel like I''m going crazy.¡± ¡°Why in darnation have I been brought to this rootin tootin magical malarkey? Why I swear that cat there was just about the most beautiful magical creature I''ve ever seen, and I just wish I hadn''t shot it in a fit of terrible fear.¡± Jaeger''s eyes widened, for even though that sounded exactly like him, he had never said ''rootin tootin'''' in his life, and what was more, the voice came from behind him. Twitching, he looked behind him and saw the same cat. This time it was floating in the air, its face set in a now smaller but still too wide grin. Jaeger almost shot it again, but he''d already seen the uselessness of that. Instead, he did the next best thing and decided to walk away. Pushing Ventress forward, he wanted to get out of this forest as soon as possible. The Bloodhound trail had not disappeared, so there was at least something to be thankful for. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Haste makes waste, so I rarely hurry. But if I had such a fine steed, I''d be in a hurry, too.¡± Gritting his teeth but saying nothing, he tried to ignore the cat. It was difficult, considering it had appeared and simply reappeared on Ventress'' mane. The only reason he didn''t try to shoot it again was because Ventress seemed to have no interest in it. No fear or concern about it, and considering it was on her vulnerable neck, he took that to mean it wasn''t a threat. ¡°If you keep wading along this golden stream, you will end up in the middle of your target''s camp.¡± Jaeger''s furrowed brow deepened, he was under the impression that no one else could see his skill. ¡°How can you see this? It¡¯s only supposed to be visible to me? Also I know where it will take me, I¡¯m after the person at the other end. I want to find his camp.¡± ¡°You may have noticed that I''m not all there myself. I''m here and there, seeing what I want and ignoring what I want, and I can see that if you follow your golden thread, the only thing you''ll find at the end is your death.¡± The cat''s body disappeared, leaving its head floating in front of him. Jaeger felt even more confused by this cat, it spat out riddles and nonsense. More than that, he couldn''t identify it, his backlog of stored information had no idea what it could be. ¡°Fine, if my skill leads me to my death, then correct my path, O mighty cat, and tell me how I can survive.¡± Sarcasm dripping from his voice. ¡°Make a deal with me. I''m mrrw.¡± A cigar appeared out of nowhere, and the cat began to smoke it; all while it was still just a head. ¡°I''m so bored, I''ve been sleeping in this forest for so long, and my favorite bamboo scratching posts are boring now. So make a deal with me and I''ll help you.¡± Jaeger remembered Lisette mentioning that the Guild had devils on staff, and that made him wary of making deals with creatures he couldn''t identify. He''d done some questionable things, but selling souls had never been one of them. ¡°I¡¯m not offering souls mine or otherwise.¡± ¡°Why would I want your soul, it''s all human and limited. No, the devils and gods can play with you. I want you to sign a binding pet contract.¡± ¡°Sorry, I don''t want a pet.¡± ¡°You would be my pet.¡± said the cat, dropping the cigar from his mouth and disappearing. ¡°Piss off cat, I¡¯ll take my chances with the raiders.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. I don''t know what I''d do with a manling pet anyway. Agree to sign a Patron Contract. I''ll be your patron and you my witless warlock. I''ll offer you help in using your skills and other things. In return, you offer me entertainment and other things I want.¡± ¡°I need more specifics on what you can offer and what you want. Either I need more requirements for ¡®entertainment¡¯ or I can refuse things you want with no repercussions.¡± ¡°Hrrrmw. Fine, I can teach you how to improve your skills and give you access to some of my magic. In return, you must take me with you to entertain me, just do your job, fight people, save people, rob people, I don''t care. I just want to see what you do.¡± The cat''s body reappeared and rubbed its paws before smiling so broadly that it covered its eyes. ¡°I will also offer you special tasks that I want done. If you do them, I''ll reward you with something you need or want.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t do your special assignments.¡± ¡°You get nothing.¡± ¡°Fine, but I want this contract in writing.¡± The cat slowly flipped all the way around before rubbing its paws on its belly. ¡°With what manling. I have no thumbs and no paper.¡± ¡°I don''t think that''s going to be a problem for you.¡± With another grin, the cat had a quill in its mouth and used it to write on a parchment that Jaeger could swear wasn''t there. Quick as lighting a fire, the cat was done and flicked the parchment in Jaeger''s direction, where it unfolded.
Patron Contract
The Cat has offered a warlock contract to Bounty Hunter Jaeger Darkblade. By agreeing to this contract The Cat will become a patron of the Bounty Hunter, teaching him how to use his skills, how to cast its magics and being able to view his life for entertainment purposes, along with offering jobs to the manling. By agreeing to this contract Jaeger Darkblade will become the warlock/jester of The Cat, providing him with entertainment as desired and in return will be taught on the best use of his skills and how to use The Cat¡¯s magics. Now hurry up and sign this, I¡¯m bored of all this bamboo and not killing.
Chapter 14 Jaeger''s Contract Hunter let him know that this contract was straightforward and not a trick. There also seemed to be a slight glitch, as the name of the creature in front of him changed a few times. It seemed to say Chesire, Maurice, Cat S¨¬th, before settling on simply The Cat. The Cat looked at him, his smile enigmatic and wide. Jaeger rolled his eyes and signed. The parchment snapped shut as he finished the last letter of his last name. It appeared in the cat''s paws before it consumed the parchment, shoved into its mouth in one fluid motion. ¡°Excellent. Now let us be away from this forest. I shall show you how to use your skill better.¡± With that, the cat leapt onto Ventress and sat on her neck. Something had caught Jaeger''s eye, though; as the creature jumped, a small shackle appeared on its hind leg and seemed to break at the top of the jump. It might be best to hurry along, something had clearly shackled the cat and he did not want to meet them. He urged his horse on, and they sped through the forest. As they walked, the cat explained how to use his Bloodhound skill better. As it was, he''d used it as a direct tracker, it would lead him from wherever he was to whatever he was tracking. The cat praised him for not forcing it, for following paths and not letting him crash through the wilderness. The cat had made him practice, the key seemed to be to visualize what he wanted. At the beginning of a hunt, when the target might be far away, it was best to follow a straight path, but as he got closer, it might be better to let the ability take a more roundabout way. The idea sparked something inside him and a parchment unfolded. Skill upgraded. Skill Bloodhound has reached a higher understanding. Bluthund ¨C The evolved form of the Bounty Hunter''s most important skill, Bloodhound, second only to the ability to get paid. This skill sets a Bounty Hunter Captain apart from Veteran Mercenaries, Marshals, and other evolved Enforcers. They always catch their bounty. They can run. But they only get caught tired. When you have enough information about a target, you can track it. There is no time limit or distance, as long as you have enough information about the target, you can find them. The more information you have, the better you can track them. This effect manifests differently depending on the Bounty Hunter. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As a Bounty Hunter Captain, you understand that a bloodhound needs a handler. The Bounty Hunter Captain has gained the ability to understand how far their bounty is and adjust how they pursue a bounty. From following them directly to the location, to setting up an ambush ahead of time. The Bounty Hunter Captain knows that tracking is more than just following and finding someone sometimes it¡¯s getting to the targets destination first. The use of this skill is now limited by what the Bounty Hunter Captain can imagine. ¡°Ah yes. That''s good to see, I always say imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality. With my help, you''ve become stronger.¡± The Cat whispered from over Jaeger¡¯s shoulder. He spun around, as the cat floated back. ¡°You can see this parchment?¡± "Oh yes, you Outworlders are not so special. You''re just more interesting than the average citizen of this planet." Licking his paw, he floated past Jaeger back to his perch on Ventress and settled down. "Well, I''ve held up my end of the bargain, so hold up yours. Bring me entertainment, I want to be entertained, Bounty Hunter. Catch your bounty and make it exciting." ¡°Before that what is this about being a Captain?¡± ¡°Hrrrm.¡± ¡°Answer me The Cat.¡± ¡°Hrrrm. I want a new name.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Not The Cat, I would prefer a new name. Something that embodies what I am.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, tell me what it means about me being a Captain?¡± ¡°No, I desire a name and you will give me one.¡± ¡°What? No, I won''t name you. You had like five names on the contract, just use one of them.¡± ¡°No, I want a new name and you will give it to me.¡± To demonstrate his seriousness, he jumped from Ventress to Jaeger''s head and plopped down on his hat. No amount of shaking would move him. ¡°Think of a suitable name or this will get worse.¡± ¡°Stubborn. Jerk. Annoying. Mischievous. Angry. Mock. Smoke. Stop me if any of these do it.¡± ¡°Hrrm. Mischievous.¡± With a jolt Jaeger felt the weight on his head disappear. ¡°I like that, I think I¡¯ll go by Mischief now.¡± ¡°Yay. Now that you¡¯re satisfied will you finally tell me what that description meant when it said Bounty Hunter Captain?¡± Mischief just ignored him, a purring sound like a million tiny horses stampeding out of it. Ventress tossed her head a few times, the vibrations irritating her. The cat wasn''t moved in the slightest, and noticing this, his horse settled down, whinnying in annoyance. Grinding his teeth in irritation, Jaeger decided to get answers from Lisette when he returned. Jaeger experimented with his enhanced skill, and though there were no visible changes, he knew the trail had changed; an intrinsic feeling. For now, he simply followed the path through the bamboo forest, if he understood what Mischief had called it, his bounty wasn''t too far away. Chapter 15 Jaeger brought Ventress to a halt. He''d covered quite a bit of ground since his deal with Mischief, and he had a nagging feeling that he was in a good position to change his approach. Casting Bluthund, Jaeger saw the golden trail move a few paces in front of him and then stop. It seemed to waver between following the path and veering off it. He focused the ability and it went off the path with him close behind it. He had decided that instead of following the path straight ahead, he would try to approach the camp from a different direction. ¡°Mrrrw.¡± Stretching Mischief stood up, then hovered. ¡°I''m leaving, remember to be entertaining, or I''ll have to find ways to make you.¡± With that, the cat dissipated like gun smoke. ¡°Nothing has made me feel more like I''m going crazy than this cat, and it hasn''t even been a full day yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, crazy is quite close and the ride will be good for you.¡± Jaeger held back a retort, he knew the cat would be gone. After spending the long ride through the forest with it, he''d come to understand it better. It was best understood as a cryptic, amoral, trickster. Beseria had stories of Fae and trickster spirits, this cat was far worse than any of them. The only thing it hadn''t shown itself to be was cruel. He was willing to beat that more for lack of opportunity than anything else. He clears his mind as he makes out a clearing in the distance. Slowing Ventress, he dismounts, grabs his rifle, and moves forward on foot. Being stealthy wasn''t always about not being seen, in environments like this it was also about not drawing attention to yourself. He had learned through experience that the best way to do this was to move slowly, either low to the ground or, if possible, high in the trees. The nature of these bamboo trees meant that he would take a slow, crouched approach. It wasn''t long before he spotted the first sentry, a lanky, red-skinned man. He had a surprisingly disciplined stance for a raider, keeping his head on a swivel. He paused, if this man was an average of these raiders, then he had more to worry about. Then the man did something unexpected, he called out into the forest. ¡°I know you are their bounty hunter. Come to my position, I have an offer for you. I give you my oath under the blade of the Bloody Handed One''s axe that I wish to bargain.¡± Jaeger was ready for a fight, not this one. He was even less prepared for the parchment message he received. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. An oath has been sworn under the Bloody Handed One''s gaze. The oath taker has offered his soul for punishment if he breaks the oath. Be aware that the eyes of the Bloody Handed One are now upon you. It was a disturbing message, for it ended not with the word eyes, but with the appearance of disturbing pools of molten bronze. They seemed to be watching him. They could only be the eyes of this Bloody Handed One and they seemed to be watching him. He hadn¡¯t had much interaction with the gods in this world but he trusted something like this oath to be bidding so he made his way over to the man. He stood slowly, his rifle at the ready as he spoke to the man. ¡°Here I am, what is your offer?¡± ¡°What else, my life. I told Crusher that eating those taxmen would be the group''s undoing, but all I got for my words was a quick beating and sentry duty for life.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve yet to hear anything about a bargain.¡± ¡°I can tell you exactly where Crusher is and where the men are if you let me go. If you pay me, I am willing to poison the camp.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The raiders in this camp are not my friends. They despise me because I am a hobgoblin, and the moment Crusher threw me out of his confidence, things got worse. These orcs are planning my death; I can feel it.¡± ¡°Then run.¡± ¡°No!¡± He hissed. ¡°I will have my vengeance; The Bloody Handed One requires it.¡± ¡°Then why wait for a bounty hunter to arrive?¡± ¡°I was waiting for the right moment, I had to plan my escape. You are simply the catalyst for my escape. Do we have a deal?¡± Jaeger nodded. Hatred was a wonderful thing in his line of work. A man, or a hobgoblin, with enough hate would willingly do half his work for him. He''d agree, because knowing Crusher''s exact location was easily worth this hobgoblin''s life. In fact, he pulled out a few gold pieces, Jaeger''s finances had improved since the bandits, and gave them to the hobgoblin. ¡°Poison the camp, let me know when it''s done, and we''re good.¡± With a bloodthirsty grin, the hobgoblin took the gold and hoisted a brutal-looking cleaver onto his shoulder. ¡°Give me a few hours. I must poison the night''s food and drink. The orcs will be unconscious or dead soon enough.¡± Pausing, the hobgoblin ran a nail along his cleaver in thought. ¡°Crusher doesn''t eat with the others, he has them bring him his meal, all special for him. So I won''t be able to get to him. Before I leave, I''ll mark his yurt, yeah? I¡¯ll throw some herbs into the main fire, when you see it flare green you will know to strike. Good luck, bounty hunter.¡± For the next few hours, Jaeger hunkered down and kept watch over the camp. True to his word, the hobgoblin prepared dinner and rolled out a fat barrel of something. The camp slowly descended into chaos as the raiders drank and ate. The hobgoblin moved around the camp, stopping near the largest yurt in the camp before moving on, leaving a black X behind. Jaeger settled into the tree line to wait for the chaos to die down. The hobgoblin said no one would be coming over here, apparently the other guards were much lazier than he was, returning to camp every night for dinner. Hopefully the poison would take care of them, if not, Jaeger would have to cross that bridge when he came to it. Chapter 16 A flash of green flame jolted him from his watch. The last movements of the camp finally ceased and silence descended. Raiders of all kinds lay around the camp, having fallen or slumped over in death or unconsciousness. Crouching, Jaeger slowly made his way down to the camp, working the feeling back into his limbs. Rifle at the ready, he watched for any movement. He had seen the hobgoblin leave the camp some time ago, so he wasn''t worried. As he approached the camp, he wrinkled his nose at the smell. He''d gotten used to the smells of bandit camps, unwashed bodies, rotting food, garbage and decay. This was something stronger and more disgusting, it was almost pure sickness; that''s when he came across the first corpse. The orc he came across was easily seven feet tall and half as wide in life, but in death he seemed smaller. Jaeger knew the orc was dead from the blood mixed with vomit on the body; he didn''t think even anything could lose that much blood and survive. ¡°That hobgoblin really hated all of you.¡± He whispered to himself. Past the body, the hunter moved deeper into the camp, noticing that not everyone was dead. Sure, many were, but some seemed unconscious or completely out of it from the poison. He passed one man who was fully fetal and completely unconscious, begging for it all to end. Jaeger almost felt sorry for the man, but when you choose this life, you get what you choose. He quickly reached a large yurt and looked for the black x on it. Finding it, he began to circle the large yurt. People always guarded the front of their yurts, used to more solid buildings with solid walls. Moving to the back, he pulled out his axe and cut a small slit in the fabric. He peered through and saw the largest Orc yet, sitting on a throne of a chair. He was covered in metal armor that was a mix of metals and styles, but somehow fused into one piece, and the spikes on it were absurd; as if that weren''t enough, it was thick as a wall. A vicious-looking blade the size of a Jaeger''s chest rested in the orc''s hand. It was clear how and why Crusher was the leader of these raiders. Carefully, Jaeger widened the slit and stepped through. Looking at the orc, Jaeger reconsidered his plan to take the creature alive, he hadn''t expected the orc to be so big. Even if he''d had a bounty wagon, this orc was probably too much for him. With a shrug, he decided it would be best to just take the orc''s head. Sneaking closer, he readied his axe. ¡°Mrrw.¡± Damn, thought Jaeger. He turned in the direction of the noise and saw Mischief floating nearby. Seeing Jaeger looking at him, the cat smiled his impossible smile and spoke. ¡°Hrrm. No, this won''t do. The poisoning was entertaining in its display of cunning, but this won''t do. I want more from you; I''ve seen your cunning, now show me your strength. Try not to die, I''ve grown quite fond of your horse.¡± He backed away from Crusher when Mischief stopped talking, for the cat had flown right up to the orc. Then, with a casual movement, it extended its claws and slashed across the orc''s face before disappearing. Crusher awoke with a roar of rage. ¡°Oi! Whos come n scratched me face? I¡¯ll split ya on the edge of me choppa!¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. With a great thud, he leapt from his throne and swept the room in anger. When his eyes landed on Jaeger, they narrowed in confusion. ¡°A humie? I ain¡¯t got no humie¡¯s in me raiders. Wot are yous doing in me yurt humie? Are ya da one what scratched me face? I¡¯ll kill ya!¡± The big orc roared once more and charged at Jaeger. Surprisingly fast in his metal armor, his wild charge reached Jaeger quickly and turned into a swing of his blade. Ducking under the blade, Jaeger slashed at the orc with his axe and felt it clang against his metal armor. With a wild kick, Crusher threw Jaeger out of his yurt and into the camp outside. Rolling uncontrollably, Jaeger passed the bodies of the raiders and slowly came to a stop. Dizzy and winded, he rose to his feet as he felt a grinding sensation and stifled a gasp of pain and stopped moving. Breathing heavily, he got to his knees and felt carefully along his chest, twitching in pain as he felt his ribs. He''d been doing this long enough to recognize broken ribs, at least two. He reached to his side, then stopped when a voice cried out. ¡°Boys I¡¯m disappointed in yous all. We¡¯ve got a intruda ¡®ere, rip ¡®em apart and make me proud.¡± Crusher called from his yurt. Jaeger looked around and noticed the lack of living ''boys''. If the big orc didn''t know that his raiders were dead, he might still have time; with this thought he reached for his powder horn. He grabbed it, popped the top on it, and with a slight hesitation tossed it back, swallowing some of its powdery contents. Like everything that had to do with his weapons, this too had been changed. Where the weapons had simply become magical versions of themselves, his powder horn had grown into something new. Powder Horn, A unique Outworlder item. Its original contents were deemed too dangerous, and its removal rendered its purpose useless. Therefore, its contents have been changed and its purpose upgraded. Where it once contained [REDATCED], it now contains a powder of similar granularity, with a similar purpose. When consumed, the powder burns internally, restoring body and mana. This powder horn is proof that destruction and restoration are two sides of the same coin. Soulbond: Jaeger Darkblade He''d had it checked along with his weapons at the guild, but while his weapons were easy to check, this was not. The idea of swallowing anything that came out of a powder horn was anathema to Jaeger. He''d been half convinced it wouldn''t work, but this swallow opened his mind. Sparks of pain shot through his chest, draining his strength as he sagged on his knees. But as the pain subsided, his breathing became easier, and aside from a tenderness, he felt better than ever. ¡°I¡¯se don¡¯ be ¡®earing no slaughterin¡¯! I swear to da gods if you boys are drunk agin, I¡¯m gonna ¡®ave to use my choppa on some of yous. Now respond ya lazy gobs!¡± Jaeger rose to his full height, picked up his hat and drew his pistol. He''d lost his rifle during his wild roll. Pistol in hand, he waited for Crusher to come out. While he waited, he looked around for his rifle; it had fallen near the entrance to the yurt. Quickly he made his way to it, hoping to get it before Crusher realized his boys were dead. Which, judging by the screams now coming from the yurt, would soon be the case. ¡°Dammit, ain¡¯t no one out dere lissenin¡¯ to me! I¡¯m da biggest, I''se got da loot, I''se got da big choppa, an I''se got dis ''ere metal armour! Dat''s why wot I sez goes aroun'' ''ere, ya gobs! Now lets see who tinks dey big enuff to try and ¡®ave a go at me eh?¡± Striding out of his yurt, choppa in hand, Crusher looked upon a scene of death. All around him, his boys had fallen, sick and dead, not a single one from a weapon, all from poison. No one was moving except one, the soft humie he¡¯d booted was moving all funny trying to reach a weird staff on the ground. ¡°Of course,¡± the orc thought aloud, ¡°humie magic poisoned me boys an now he¡¯s tryna do it ta me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯ tink so humie!¡± With a vindictive expression Crusher kicked the rifle into the far edge of the camp. ¡°No more magic or poison from yous, I¡¯se gonna show ya how we handle tings da orc way.¡± With a loud and deep war cry, he raised his great choppa and charged Jaeger once more. Chapter 17 His pistol roared as Jaeger fired, hitting the orc in the throat. Crusher did not slow his charge, and as he got closer, Jaeger realized why. The orc''s throat and jaw were covered in a hard metal guard, giving the impression of a larger metal jaw replacing Crusher''s own. Jaeger recharged his pistol and fired again. This time he aimed for the orc''s leg. Even with his body covered in armor, if Crusher fell, it would give him the opening he needed to strike. The pistol ball hit Crusher''s leg and he stumbled. Jaeger shot forward, his axe gripped tightly, slashing at the supporting leg. But Crusher blocked his blow with his metal-covered hand, using the motion to fling him away. Wincing as his tender ribs were jarred, Jaeger reacted quickly, calling for The Chains That Bind. Holding one end in place, he wrapped the other around the orc''s head. With a jerk, he pulled himself toward Crusher, axe ready. ¡°First ya got a wand an now ya¡¯ve got magic chains? You humies just don¡¯ know when ta quit. I¡¯m gonna kill ya an rip the chains from ya body!¡± Crusher grabbed the chains around his head and pulled on them as well, bringing Jaeger to him much faster than before. All according to plan, he thought. Moving his body, he hit Crusher feet first, bending his knees to keep a tight purchase. For a moment, he stood horizontally on Crusher''s chest; stunned, the orc just stared for a second. Then Jaeger slashed down on Crusher''s right arm. With a rending blow, Jaeger brought the axe right through the upper arm. Releasing the chains, Jaeger pushed off the orc and rolled to his feet, putting some distance between himself and his one-armed opponent. Crusher''s arm was firmly wedged between the two of them. As the orc looked at the space where his arm had been and where it now lay, he roared again. ¡°I won¡¯t forgive ya humie, that was me second favorite arm.¡± Crusher attacked Jaeger again, even as blood gushed from his wound. Jaeger watched, studying his moves. He used the chains to swing at Crusher''s legs in an attempt to knock him down. Unfortunately, the reckless charging orc simply crashed through them. But as he trampled the chains down, the bounty hunter was pulled forward, off balance. The big orc seized the opportunity and slashed down with his choppa. Jaeger didn''t have the balance to dodge, so he tried to block the weapon with his axe. There was a resounding crack as the weapons collided. Crusher drew back his choppa and prepared for a second swing as Jaeger kicked his feet under him and ran under the orc''s missing arm. As he ran, he looked down at his axe and saw a crack running down the middle of it. He hoped the axe would last a little longer, he couldn''t imagine fighting the orc without it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Jaeger was beginning to worry, for when he took a moment to look, he noticed that not only was Crusher bleeding less, but he seemed to be less and less bothered by the wound. It seemed that the orc had some kind of healing or regeneration, either way he had to finish this quickly. As he considered his options, an idea came to him, it had a lot of moving parts, but it might work. Rushing past the orc, Jaeger slashed at his knee as he passed, drawing a snarl of pain from Crusher and barely dodging a blow in retaliation. When the orc turned to face him, he turned quickly and whipped his chain, his axe tied to one end. His idea was to whip his axe around the orc''s body, he''d worked with a bounty hunter who''d done something similar. Well, they''d used a grappling hook to loop around a tree, but the idea was similar, plus Jaeger''s chain was magical. As he let go of the chain in an overhand throw, the axe whistled out. As it flew over the orc''s shoulder, he laughed at the bounty hunter. ¡°Ha, ya must be goin¡¯ crazy n ya missed. Ha!¡± The laughter was cut short as his chain whipped the axe down and around the orc''s chest. It whipped around the orc before slamming headfirst into the metal throat guard. Crusher had stopped laughing, but started again when the axe failed to penetrate. ¡°Nice try, but I¡¯se gonna kill ya now.¡± As Crusher slowly approached, certain of victory, Jaeger drew his pistol. He pumped more and more mana into it. His runes burned with the overcharge, and when he felt it was enough, he aimed it at Crusher, who began to move faster, raising his choppa over his head. Focusing his sight, Jaeger pulled the trigger and a beam of light shot out of the barrel. The beam hit the knee he''d hacked earlier, but unlike the hack, this shot shattered the knee and the orc began to fall. Dropping his pistol, the bounty hunter grabbed the chain with both hands and yanked down. With all his strength and the chain''s magical command, he pulled the orc down even faster, and like a falling tree, Crusher crashed to the ground. Exhausted by his low mana, Jaeger felt the chains dissipate and waited for the orc to move. As seconds turned to minutes, he smiled and walked toward the orc. As he approached, he held his pistol loosely and carefully rolled the orc over. It was hard work, the orc in his armor weighed more than a tree. With a good amount of cursing, he turned Crusher over and exposed the front of the orc. When he''d fallen, the flat of his choppa had been between him and the ground, so his face was battered, but that was the least of his damage. The flat of the choppa had also pushed Jaeger''s axe deeper and past the metal protector of the orc''s armor. Crusher''s head was half decapitated, hanging on mostly because the back of his armor hadn''t broken. ¡°Mrrw. A masterful and above all entertaining move, my dear contractor. I knew I had made the right choice in you.¡± Chapter 18 Whirling around, Jaeger drew his pistol and fired in a heartbeat, firing at where the voice had come from. All that was left was a floating cheshire grin and a bullet hole in the yurt behind it. ¡°Mrrw, mrrw, mrrw. That''s no way to treat your patron. I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done, a most satisfying hunt.¡± The floating grin said. ¡°You risked my life, and made my hunt more difficult than necessary.¡± ¡°No, I made it more interesting and entertaining. That was our deal, you provide the entertainment and I provide the knowledge. I gave you my knowledge, and here you were trying to deny me my entertainment.¡± ¡°I had a plan¡­¡± ¡°Yes, and I let it play out. I let you use your little cat''s paw of a hobgoblin to poison all those raiders because deception is entertaining. I did not let you slay the orc while he slept because that is boring.¡± ¡°Entertainment is secondary to collecting the bounty, I don''t fight unnecessary battles. I''m not a knight or a duelist, I''m a bounty hunter.¡± ¡°Then you better learn new things, we made a deal. You entertain me and I teach you.¡± ¡°I can''t just learn new things; it took me years to get where I am. My style is all about finishing a fight as quickly as possible, not making a show of it.¡± Mischief''s mouth moved and slowly the rest of the cat appeared, filling out its shape in a most disturbing way before settling on the ground. ¡°Boring. I know you are an Outworlder, even without seeing your status I recognize the smell. You have much to learn about your new existence, skills can be learned here in a matter of days. So before you complain any more, check your status. I offer this knowledge because I know your reaction will be entertaining enough.¡± Jaeger''s eyes narrowed, but he checked his status anyway. Congratulations on leveling up
LEVEL UP
Name Jaeger ''The Hunter'' Darkblade
Class Bounty Hunter, Warlock
Adventurers Rank Novice
Level 7 = 12
Health Points 230 = 440 The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Magic Points 180 = 370
Physical 23 = 52
Mental 18 = 40
Social 15 = 25
Luck 17 = 50
Reputation Adventuring Outworlder
As if opening his status was the sign, he felt changes rushing through his body. Unlike the powder, this was a pure euphoric feeling, a rush of pure energy and power. His status had closed during the moments of this process and as he came back to himself he stretched his body. A new found strength ran through him. He hopped a few times, did a few squats and threw a few punches. Everything was better than before. ¡°Ah, I remember my first level up.¡± ¡°Level up?¡± ¡°Yes, your body has absorbed enough battle energy to level up.¡± ¡°Battle energy?¡± ¡°Mrrw. I''ll keep this short, battle energy is simply the energy generated in battle. Fighting the orc generated energy, and being the only survivor at the end, you got all of it. You also gained some energy by deciding to poison those raiders, but since you didn''t conceive the plan or carry it out, you gained a smaller amount. Two more questions and I''m done.¡± ¡°Do I only level up from battle?¡± ¡°No. Classes earn levels by doing their jobs, a Knight needs a lord, a quest, or an oath, a Baker needs to bake, and a Drug Dealer needs to sell drugs. You earn money by hunting for bounties, fighting, and negotiating contracts. One left.¡± ¡°Someone told me that Ventress can evolve, what is that and will that happen to me?¡± ¡°A compound question, finding loopholes in my words, I knew I chose the right one with you.¡± The cat jumped off the ground and sat on its belly at Jaeger''s eye level. ¡°Your horse, like all monsters, will evolve after either gaining enough energy or having a lucky encounter; like a horse god blessing her, finding a qilin bloodline, eating enough sentient creatures, maybe you sin enough and she becomes a bicorn. Honestly, horses have a surprising amount of lucky encounters they can have.¡± Running a paw through his fur, the cat turned upside down and looked Jaeger over from top to bottom. ¡°You, on the other hand, seem completely vanilla human. Plain cream. Boring. Unless something interesting happens to you, you''ll live and die as a human. Your class will evolve, though; I''ll tell you that for free. Level up enough and it''ll happen. Now that''s all my questions, plus one extra, I''m going to retire to our horse. Hurry up with your head taking and plundering, I''d like to leave this area.¡± ¡°Wait, what about these stats? Physical, mental, social, how do they factor into anything?¡± ¡°Well, that''s the better question, but you''ve used up all my answers for now. So here''s a riddle instead: Topped with fire, powered by magic, this person has your answers as they have most knowledge, gleaming intelligence easily led astray by new discoveries, simply make yours the most interesting and then noblesse oblige.¡± With that, Mischief disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Jaeger alone in the camp. Angrily muttering to himself, he took a moment to absorb the information he''d received. It was a lot to take in, battle energy, evolutions. In Beseria, he''d been skilled and strong, but that had taken years of training and fighting. Here, after just one battle, a deadly one to be fair, he''d felt his strength change by almost half. That, more than anything else, finally cemented the fact that he was in a new world. Taking cats, giant green men clad in seamless all-metal and all the other weirdness was just exotic; he''d heard tales of lands far south of Beseria with talking birds and he''d seen knights in full plate, so nothing he''d seen was too much. But this, and he flexed his hand, this was proof that he was somewhere else. ¡°No time for introspection. I''d better take care of my loot and bounty before that damn cat does something to make me more entertaining.¡± With that, the hunter turned back to Crusher''s body and pulled his axe free. He grabbed the handle and struggled to pull it free, planting one foot on the orc''s chest as he tried again. With a crack he fell backwards, the shaft of his axe in his hands, the head broken. He shook his head sadly, the axe had been with him throughout his time in the army and had saved his life many times; hopefully he could salvage this part at least. He tied the axe handle to his waist and walked over to the choppa. Chapter 19 He struggled with the shape of the huge weapon, but with his newfound strength, he quickly gained control of it and stood with it raised. With a cry of exertion, he brought the blade down, severing a head from its body. He tossed the choppa aside as he approached the head, picked it up, and placed it in a bag he had. He took a deep breath and whistled low, a whinnying answering him from much closer than he expected. Trotting from the edge of the camp came Ventress, Mischief at her neck. Grinning, Jaeger reached his horse and tied his bounty. Looking over Crusher, Jaeger could see no pockets or areas to hold things on the orc. His armor was somehow all one piece, it hardly made sense. He''d thought he''d missed the seams or straps in the heat of battle, but no, this armor was somehow one piece. The style of the legs was very different from the torso and the arms. It made no sense to keep his sanity, he just chalked it up to magic. Apart from the armor, all Crusher had with him was the choppa, and Jaeger wasn''t interested in lugging it back to Patterson to try and sell it. Looting the rest of the bandits was a relatively quick affair, most of them had almost no coin, one had a decent replacement axe, so it wasn''t a total loss. It was in Crusher''s yurt that he struck gold. He hadn''t gotten a good look at it the first time, but without the deadly orc inside, he had a moment to check it out. Besides the throne, there was a large pile of furs on a wooden pallet and a chest in the corner. It was a surprisingly empty room for a raider chief. Passing the throne, Jaeger went up to the chest, it had no lock, just a latch holding it closed. Having dealt with bandits before, he decided to check it for any traps. He was by no means an expert, but experience had taught him that it never hurt to check. Finding it clean, he pulled it open. Inside was a leather satchel, a handful of loose gems, and a large leather vest. Jaeger pocketed the gems and slung the bag over his shoulder. He stood ready to leave, but hesitated over the vest. Crusher was a raider chief, dangerous and famous enough to get a bounty, there''s no way he would have just thrown a scrap leather vest into his treasure chest. He grabbed the vest and turned it over, trying to figure it out. On the back was a stylized orc skull, the buttons seemed to be made of some fangs, but otherwise it was just a vest. He shook his head at the vest and kept it, at least he might be able to sell it as a curiosity. Leaving the tent, he loads all his gear into his saddlebags and mounts Ventress. Then they gallop out of the camp, heading back to Patterson, bounty in hand. The ride back through the bamboo forest was uneventful, and when they reached the tall grass, it stayed that way. A few times the grass shook and shifted, but each time Mischief chuffed and the movement stopped. They stopped back in the way area to relax and rest for the night before re-entering the forests around Patterson. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Mrrw. More forests, at least these trees look good for scratching and the creatures smell fun. I will go have a look around and will meet you in your city.¡± The cat leapt through the air and disappeared into the surrounding trees. Ventress did not slow down in the least; this was not the first time the cat had decided to jump, and by now it was commonplace. Jaeger knew he would just show up later as if he had never left. As they rode down the path, a familiar building appeared in the distance, an inn. He debated in his mind, but quickly came to a decision. Bounty hunting in Beseria was as much about your reputation as it was about your skills. If people heard you were a soft touch, they were more likely to come quietly, and if they heard you were a head taker, they always fought. These kinds of reputations could be won and lost, sometimes a change in your personal life made you change and so did your reputation. But there was a reputation that never left you, the reputation of being a pushover. When people heard that they could get one over on you, or get away with cheating you, well, that reputation haunted a person''s career until they retired. Jaeger had always gone out of his way in Beseria to develop a reputation for acting strictly according to the Bounty Hunter''s Creed. This meant that he was feared, but everyone knew what to expect. One aspect of the Creed required that all favors, debts, and enmities be repaid. And so it was that Jaeger found himself in an inn, with his pistol pointed at the temple of a lanky innkeeper. ¡°Please no.¡± ¡°Those are poor last words. You should have thought more before you sold me out to those bandits.¡± The innkeeper, his throat dry with fear, licked his lips as he replied. ¡°I... I don''t know what you''re talking about, I didn''t sell nobody to nobody and I don''t deal with bandits.¡± Jaeger reached into his jacket pocket with his free hand and tossed the Killer Chain onto the bar counter. The inn patrons gathered around gasped in shock. The innkeeper groaned before plastering an innocent smile on his sweating face. ¡°Oh, those bandits. They threatened me, I didn''t have a choice.¡± ¡°I don''t care.¡± He turned to the small group of people around him. ¡°Does this man have a family or an heir?¡± ¡°Why you gonna kill his whole family?¡± ¡°No. When I kill this man I¡¯d like this inn to keep running and if his family wants revenge I want to know who I¡¯m dealing with.¡± ¡°He ain¡¯t got no family. An¡¯ you can¡¯t just kill him, that ain¡¯t no justice. He deserves a trial, he does.¡± A trial, Jaeger thought for a moment. This wasn''t the anarchy of Beseria, this country had a functioning court system. Making a decision, he pistol whips the innkeeper into unconsciousness. Kneeling next to the man, he binds his hands and lifts him over his shoulder. ¡°Fine, I''ll take him to Patterson.¡± ¡°Then who¡¯s gonna run the inn?¡± Jaeger turned back to the small gathering. ¡°Someone smart, I hope, because if I find out that the next innkeeper is colluding with bandits or sending adventurers to their deaths, I will be back.¡± He shifts the body on his shoulder and glances at random people in the crowd. ¡°Then there will be no trial and no inn to run.¡± With that, Jaeger leaves the inn, tossing his latest burden onto Ventress. He began to worry that the weight of it all might be too much for her, but she showed no signs of strain. Patting her, he hopped into the saddle and finished his trek to Patterson. Chapter 20 It took a few more days before he reached the gates of Patterson; during his first night''s rest, he''d ended up stripping the innkeeper down to his small clothes and gagging him. His return felt quicker than his departure, but he chalked that up to the idea of a warm meal and a soft bed. As he slowed to enter, a pair of guards approached him cautiously. ¡°What¡¯s your business in Patterson?¡± ¡°I''m returning with a bounty and a criminal for the courts. I have papers on the bounty and I was the target of the criminal.¡± ¡°First show us your pass.¡± With a gesture, Jaeger pulled out his adventurer''s badge and displayed his information. The guards looked at it and confirmed its authenticity. ¡°Everything seems to be in order, Bounty Hunter Darkblade. You can either take your two charges to the Adventurers'' Guild or deliver them to the courthouse. Be aware that if the criminal is not reported alive within three hours, you will be hauled in for questioning. Please proceed.¡± The guards stepped aside and motioned for him to pass. Jaeger, who had no idea where the courthouse was, decided to just go to the Adventurer''s Guild. He got a few curious looks as he rode through the streets, but nothing more, even Jaeger admitted that he wasn''t the most interesting thing to see in the city. When he reached the guild, he tied Ventress outside and dragged the innkeeper inside, the man was beginning to groggily come to, and remembering Lisette''s words about head injuries, Jaeger simply beat him back to sleep. Inside the guild, things were slower than the first time he''d come through. There were only two people behind the counter and maybe ten adventurers standing around. He looked around before he heard someone call his name. ¡°Jaeger! Over here!¡± Lisette called to him, her red hair bouncing wildly as she put too much energy into waving. She wasn''t working at one of the counters, but was propped up behind a large desk. Jaeger walked over to her, nodding to a few adventurers he passed. ¡°Lisette, it''s good to see you.¡± ¡°And you, now correct me if I''m wrong, but your bounty was on an orc, a large one if I remember correctly, and that appears to be a skinny redheaded human. So what happened?¡± She pushed her glasses up her nose as she sat up straight with a raised eyebrow and a smile on her lips. Jaeger half-smirked before recounting his adventure, and when he reached the subject of the bandits, he dug through the bag over his shoulder and pulled out the Killers Chain, placing it on the desk next to one of the two bloody sacks at his side. Lisette gasped as she touched the numerous tags on it, to stunned to even care about the head. Undeterred, he continued to speak, skipping his contract with the cat. Eventually he told her about his time in the raider camp, pulling out the burlap sack and placing it, and its gruesome contents, on the desk. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I just came back from there, honestly the return trip was surprisingly fast and uneventful; except for one short stop. I went back to the inn I came from and picked up this man, a few patrons convinced me he deserved a trial.¡± Lisette stood up and walked around the counter to the redhead. He was beginning to stir again, Jaeger''s story had taken a long time to tell, and a crowd was gathering. Lisette waited for the redhead to come to before she drew a wand from her belt, whispered an incantation, and spoke to him. ¡°My adventurer here has stated that you conspired with bandits to betray members of various guilds, including ours. How do you plead?¡± ¡°I...I...I did it. Guildies, you all think you''re so strong and better than me. Well, Calico Pete showed them.¡± ¡°Disgusting. Why did you do this? Did the bandits have any influence over you?¡± ¡°I did it because you all deserve it. You Guildies think you''re special and above the rest of us.¡± ¡°Did a guild or guild members do something to you personally? Do you have a reason to hate the guilds?¡± ¡°Some adventurers shut down my business and arrested my partners. Now I''m stuck working in an inn, so of course I have a reason for it.¡± ¡°Tell me about this business?¡± ¡°No. I¡­I¡­I¡­ won¡¯t.¡± ¡°A strong will in this matter, I can fix that.¡± Lisette had become more and more emotionless as she went through this back and forth. This was reinforced when she stomped on the man''s knee and shattered it. ¡°Now tell me about this shop that the Adventurers'' Guild closed.¡± For a moment, all that could be heard was the man''s screams of pain, then slowly, like an empty keg, he slowed, then stopped, and looked at Lisette. With a monotone voice he spoke. ¡°Down near the coast, I was running a very successful slave trading ring. We moved flesh from here to the Ebony Towers and beyond. Sand barons, oil raiders, mind tinkerers, and even Ygsolutz bought through my group. We were richer than kings, then you all came. Adventurers came through and killed everyone. I barely escaped with a few coins. I went from king to pauper, barely able to afford the shitty inn I ran.¡± ¡°A remnant of the Profane Peddlers. How did you escape?¡± ¡°I was away on personal business, luckily I''d snuck out to take care of some business.¡± Lisette nodded at that and then she turned to one of the nearby adventurers. ¡°Fetch Marshall Moric, tell him we¡¯ve got a Profane Peddler for him.¡± Turning to two others, she motioned to the red head. ¡°He doesn¡¯t leave, we only got him because Jaeger was after some revenge and I won¡¯t lose him now.¡± They nodded at her, nodded at Jaeger, and grabbed the man, dragging him out of the room. Jaeger had absolutely no idea what had just happened. He''d been under the impression that he''d caught an innkeeper with bandit ties. It turned out that he''d caught a former high-ranking slave trader. It also seemed that Lisette had a truth spell and a ruthless streak. He watched her as she returned to her desk. ¡°You''ve been a member for almost a month, and you haven''t even officially completed a single quest. Yet you''ve somehow captured a highly sought-after member of a major slave ring. You are impressive, I guess it¡¯s true what they say about Outworlders.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been bounty hunting for a while, but this is also a first for me. What do they say about Outworlders?¡± ¡°It is said that Outworlders bring new ideas and solve lingering problems. Outworlders used to be heroes, world savers, and occasional problem solvers. But with so many of you coming through now, you are just really efficient problem solvers and occasional demon lord slayers.¡± ¡°If the bounty was high enough, I would hunt a demon lord.¡± He said with a moment of thought. ¡°Do you want to tell me about what just happened?¡± ¡°Not yet. Before we get sidetracked with unrelated guild stuff, let''s finish you up first.¡± Jaeger just nodded, feeling that the guild business might be a distraction. Besides, he had a few questions about his own situation. Chapter 21 ¡°First, the bandits you killed and this Killer''s Chain. Good job killing the bandits, and judging by the adventurer tags on it, you can expect a formal thank you from the guild. The guild will go over the specific tags later, but this explains a lot of the novice deaths we have had in the area. There are also some tags from other guilds, and that means you''ll end up getting the attention of the most powerful and influential members of the guilds in Patterson.¡± Lisette opened a draw and came out with a stack of papers, they seemed to be bounties. ¡°I will also look up the bounty on this Calico Pete and get you the money. Regardless, even if there were no guild tags on this Killers Chain, there is a standing bounty on any that are brought in. It''s paid into by all guilds, so again, expect more money.¡± She pulled out another sheet and signed it before handing it to Jaeger. It was a simple letter of completion, authorizing him to receive payment for the collection of a Killers Chain. At the bottom it said that the payment was to be picked up at the Bankers Guild headquarters. ¡°Take this to the Bankers'' Guild and they will distribute the payment. As for the Adventurers'' Guild business, do you have the bounty papers, or should I look for them?¡± She gestured to her pile. Jaeger reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. With a flick of his wrist he unrolled it and showed her the bounty paper for the Crusher. Lisette took it and nodded. ¡°Great. So, Crusher, dead or alive, considering the bloody sack you left on my previously clean desk, I''m going to assume you chose the second option.¡± ¡°To be fair, the orc was a lot bigger than I''d imagined and covered in some sort of metal armor. I''ve seen my share of knights and paladins, but this was something else.¡± Lisette shrugged. ¡°I keep forgetting that as an Outworlder, even with the knowledge spell you got, there are still things you don''t know. Orcs come in a variety of flavors, some are just like different colored, more muscular and tusked humans. Others are ape-like monsters with a distinct accent and a few quirks. Sounds like Crusher was the latter, I''ll have to make a note of that; bounty payouts vary depending on the type of orc. One second.¡± Lisette took a breath and opened the bag, took a quick look, and closed it again before breathing freely again. ¡°His features match the ones on the paper, other than his armor, was there anything unique about him or his weapons? I''ll need some identifying details for the client.¡± ¡°He had a big blade, I think he called it his choppa. He had a very distinctive way of speaking. Also, shouldn''t the client have known what kind of orc he was, considering he ate some of those taxmen?¡± ¡°That is the problem, he ate all the tax collectors who met him. So all they had was a general description of his race and appearance. I''ll take down the details you gave me and take his head. If he was a different kind of orc the Sahilmat will be able to tell." She cleared her throat and her tone changed to a monotone voice. "If for some reason it is discovered that you lied about the completion of this bounty, you will be declared excommunicated from the guild.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lisette gave a sardonic smile. ¡°Here is your pay, and I hope you enjoyed my speech. Guild policy changed a year ago, and now I have to say this last thing when people finish jobs, sorry. Now the last piece of business is this slaver.¡± He could practically feel the praise in her voice. ¡°The story of how you caught him will embarrass some older guild members, both here and in other guilds, but the fact is that you, a veritable rookie, caught him. There is an outstanding bounty on the head of any slaver operating in the land. However, this man wasn''t just a slave trader, he was an escaped executive of one of the largest and most dangerous organizations around, so I''m going to push for a larger payout. This may take some time, a week to a month depending on how slow things are.¡± ¡°I''d like to point out that I''m no rookie, I''ve been bounty hunting for easily a decade.¡± ¡°Yes, but that was in your old world. Most guild elders would see that as a child bragging about killing a roach to a monster hunter.¡± Jaeger scowled, he''d earned his reputation, but he''d earned it in a place where levels and magic didn''t exist. If his fight with Crusher was any indication, he might be something like a child bragging to an adult. He''d just have to rebuild his reputation here and show them who he was. With a hungry grin, he slipped the bounty money into his pocket. His need to build his reputation was one of the reasons why he didn''t mind waiting for the innkeeper to pay him. In the first place, he hadn''t expected any pay, but more importantly, if he started taking in too much money, he might start to get a reputation as a silk shirt; better to wait. The fact that the man turned out to be a slave trader was entertaining, and Jaeger wondered for a moment if Mischief had planned this before dismissing the possibility. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m going to take a day or two to rest before I look at any other jobs anyway. Lisette, do you have some time to speak privately with me?¡± Lisette sat up straight and motioned for him to continue. ¡°I had some loot I''d like to have analyzed, originally including the Killers Chain, but you''ve already done that. I also had some questions about pacts and magical creatures.¡± ¡°Oh that is not a problem. We have some item identifiers on staff, they work on commission. But you''ve done a lot for the guild, so I''ll take care of your items. Follow me, I''ll take you to a private room.¡± Getting up Lisette placed the Killers Chain on top of the stack of bounty papers before pulling out a wand. ¡°Now what''s this about pacts and magical creatures? Interested in becoming a warlock?¡± She tapped the sack with Crusher''s head in it and it glowed a faint blue. Satisfied, she took the stack of papers and the Killer Chain before walking away. She grabbed a guild attendant and whispered something to them before pointing at the sack and sending them on their way. Jaeger moved with her, keeping pace as he thought of what to say. ¡°Are warlocks viewed negatively here?¡± ¡°Individually, no; as a group, yes. Warlocks make deals with entities that they may or may not understand in order to gain power. Sometimes the entity wants a monthly feast or to hunt evil cults, other times the entity wants an evil cult or just random violence. So warlocks are a mixed bag, I will say that if a warlock has a guild tag they tend to have it easier. All guilds screen our members and we wouldn''t accept a warlock who was following evil or negative entities.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. When they reached the stairs, the pair headed up, passing a few adventurers along the way. They quickly climbed two floors and disembarked on a familiar floor. ¡°You said entities? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°In this context, entities are beings with enough power to create a warlock contract. Gods, devils, demons, Fae folk, lichs, dragons, eldritch abominations, and beings from other planes are the usual suspects.¡± Lisette led him away and into a familiar room. It was the same room Jaeger had spent his time in when he''d first registered. He sat down on the sofa and looked at Lisette. She sat across from him, crossed her legs, fidgeted with her wands, and looked at him worriedly. ¡°Why are you so interested in warlocks and their patrons?¡± Jaeger debated what to say. She had made being a warlock not seem so horrible, and her talk about entities made her sound like someone who was well-versed in the subject. Maybe she''d have some answers on how to deal with his pact. Nodding, he was about to speak when someone else beat him to it. ¡°Because my dear, he is one.¡± From a swirling portal of red and blue came a marble white leg, followed by a cloak that seemed to be a piece of the night sky. When the figure wearing it stepped all the way through, Jaeger didn''t know what he saw. She, the figure was unmistakably female, appeared to be a white marble statue of a human, but so much more. She had larger incisors than a human with a mane of rippling purple-black hair. A pair of enchanting slit yellow eyes held his, and it took too long for him to notice the real difference between them. She had four arms, each one a chiseled muscular perfection that ended in sharp claws. Three of them were open, while the last held a long marble rod topped by a swirling black orb. Not since the purple portal had dropped him here had Jaeger been more certain that this was a land of gods and goddesses. ¡°Ah, yes, I forget that my presence can have this effect on people.¡± A deep but cheerful melodic voice sang, followed by a snort. ¡°No, you didn''t, you just like to see everyone''s faces when you do it. Now release Jaeger and let him explain how he''s a warlock, because when he left not so long ago he was a bounty hunter.¡± Lisette scolded the marbled goddess, who responded with a laugh and then something. Jaeger couldn''t describe it, but it was as if the existence in front of him no longer meant as much. As if there were less of them, which confused him to no end. ¡°Give him a few moments, he¡¯s now coming to terms with reality again.¡± ¡°I swear to the goddess, Hecate you do this every time we get a new member. You know people can''t handle your unleashed presence, let alone a new Outworlder. In most guilds, people don''t see their guild master more than once a year.¡± ¡°Yes, Lisette, but you must also remember that these other guilds are boring, and I abhor boredom.¡± A sigh followed, and unbidden words flowed from Jaeger. ¡°You sound just like Mischief.¡± ¡°Oh. Who or what is this Mischief?¡± Jaeger leaned back and closed his eyes. He''d been willing to talk when it was just Lisette. But now it was Hecate, his supposed guild master. But Jaeger was someone who went through with his decisions, so he spoke. ¡°Mischief is the creature I made a deal with. Specifically, it''s a magical cat I found in the bamboo forest on my way to confront Crusher.¡± Lisette and Hecate were silent. ¡°Describe this cat and how you found it.¡± Hecate commented. ¡°It''s like I said, I was on my way to Crusher, I''d just passed through the tall grass area and was riding my horse through the bamboo forest when he found me. One moment I''m riding, the next he''s speaking some damn riddle in my ear. Then the cat¡¯s right in front of me, and after a few more riddles and cryptic answers, I try to kill him. My shot goes right through him, and then he reappears. Over and over I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn''t go away. Next thing I know, he¡¯s demanding that I contract with him, because he¡¯s bored. Mischief said he''d teach me how to use my skills and magic, as long as I entertain him. Seeing that he wouldn''t go away, I signed the contract, then he broke free of some shackles he had on and traveled with me.¡± Jaeger hadn''t realized how much Mischief had annoyed and bothered him, but as he spat out the information, it came to him. He''d been bothered by his encounter with Mischief and the way he''d acted. ¡°So to sum things up, you signed a contract with a talking magical cat that seems to be able to teleport, fly, and summon items. In exchange for entertaining him, which so far seems to be violently, you will be taught how to use your magic and abilities? One point I''d like to ask is for you to summon the contract and show me the terms.¡± Hecate had not yet moved, simply standing with her arms crossed. Jaeger wasn''t sure how to summon the contract, but he figured it was like summoning any other piece of magical information and focused. With an audible pop, a scroll unfolded in front of him, revealing the contract he had with Mischief.
Patron Contract
The Cat has offered a warlock contract to Bounty Hunter Jaeger Darkblade. By agreeing to this contract The Cat will become a patron of the Bounty Hunter, teaching him how to use his skills, how to cast its magics and being able to view his life for entertainment purposes, along with offering jobs to the manling. By agreeing to this contract Jaeger Darkblade will become the warlock/jester of The Cat, providing him with entertainment as desired and in return will be taught on the best use of his skills and how to use The Cat¡¯s magics. Now hurry up and sign this, I¡¯m bored of all this bamboo and not killing.
Hecate looked at it, read it through, and then spoke to him. ¡°I have a question for you, why does this say The Cat? You call him Mischief.¡± Jaeger looked at it, and the name did what it had done last time, scrolling through name after name, never settling on one. This time, however, he saw the name Mischief appear. ¡°What does that mean? It''s still doing that weird thing where it goes through names. I called him Mischief because he demanded that I give him a name and he seemed to like it.¡± Hecate held up a hand to stop him. ¡°What do you mean, it cycles through names? Can you actually read them?¡± ¡°I mean, it changes the names on the scroll, and yes, I can read them. I can''t read them all, but I can see the names Chesire, Neko, Maurice, Grimalkin, Cat S¨¬th, Mischief, and Wampus. A few new ones, but yes, I can read them.¡± Hecate drew back as he spoke, a hand going to her chin in thought. She began to chuckle before breaking into a full blown laugh. Lisette looked at her in confusion. It took a few minutes for her to stop. ¡°Ah, that''s pretty funny. He''s all right, Lisette, I know the creature he''s contracted with. Mischief is a very fitting name for this cat. I was wondering where he went, he''s been missing for centuries. You say he was bound?¡± ¡°When we finished our contract, I saw a shackle on his foot. When we finished, he jumped and it broke. Then he rushed me out of the forest.¡± ¡°Hmm, I wonder who managed to chain him up. Well, Mr. Darkblade, if your patron decides to make himself known again, tell him to find me. I have much to discuss with him. Also, as a gift for this news, I''ll let you in on something. The contract is quite literal, and Mischief has been out of the contract-writing business for too long. The terms he wrote are that he will teach you how to use "his skills, how to cast his magic. Mischief is bound by the terms of the contract to teach you his magic. Oh he will absolutely hate doing that.¡± Hecate laughed again before summoning another portal with a clap of her staff. ¡°I must go now, this has been a very enjoyable meeting. Mr. Darkblade, it''s a pleasure to have you in the guild and I look forward to hearing more about your exploits. Lisette, I''ll leave the guild in your hands again.¡± With that, the statuesque woman stepped through the portal and disappeared. Chapter 22 Lisette stared at the spot where her Guild Master''s portal had been, and sighed. A deep, desperate, and painful sigh. Jaeger could almost feel the anger, stress, and madness in her sigh. Then, as if to close the door on those emotions, Lisette turned and gave him a smile. ¡°Now that this has happened, you are officially a member of the guild. Before, you were just an adventurer working for the guild, but now that you''ve met and been approved by the guild master, you''re an Adventurer of the guild.¡± Lisette seemed to emphasize the title adventurer, but Jaeger couldn''t tell the difference. Then again, after meeting Hecate, he understood that sometimes there was more to things than what he understood. Jaeger decided to gloss over the issue and ask a burning question he now had. ¡°Lisette, why didn''t you mention that you were so important to the guild?¡± ¡°It didn''t matter. A high-ranking member of the guild is required to vet Outworlder applicants.¡± ¡°Why help me now? Nothing is free.¡± ¡°Since I''ve helped you before, I''ve decided to do it again because I think you have potential. You got the job done quickly, bringing in a Killers Chain and a slaver that escaped a guild wipe. You seem to handle things in a straightforward manner, so I''m going to be straightforward here. I want to help you now, build trust, and when you''re strong, I can call on you for help when I need it.¡± Jaeger let down a mental wall he had begun to build. He hadn''t been sure what her deal was, but now he knew and respected her. She helped him because she saw his abilities and his value. He also appreciated the blunt honesty she had told him. No flowery words about friendship or hope. No, this was a simple build you up to help me later scenario, most of his lasting relationships had been built that way. ¡°I can accept that. You play fair with me and I''ll play fair with you. Is there anything else you need from me for the jobs, or are we good to go over my loot?¡± ¡°We''re good to go over your loot, the room is secure from everyone but Hecate. So just dump your stuff on the table and I''ll get to work identifying it.¡± Jaeger opened the saddlebags he''d brought with him and began piling up the loot. He started with Calico Pete''s swords, unrolling them from the blanket he''d hidden them in, then dropped the gloves and the large leather piece. Finally came the bag of jewels and another bag of rings and bracelets. He only had hopes for the first items, but he didn''t know much about magic. Next, he unloaded the equipment he''d received from the raiders, the leather satchel, the gems and the strange orc vest. He knew that the satchel had to be something special, otherwise it wouldn''t have been empty, and as for the gems and the vest, he thought it would be better to check them out than not. Finally, he unrolled a blanket to show the items he''d taken from the innkeeper. First was a bone dagger, it seemed to be made of a large tooth perhaps, but it was worked to have a series of serrated hooks along its spine and its hilt looked like a shark, but with tentacles, very strange. Keeping with the theme, he also had a belt buckle with a shark octopus on it, and a single arm bracer made of leather with teeth running along it. If he had to guess, the leather was probably shark as well. ¡°This first pile is from the bandits, they had a small cart full of loot. I took my share and left the rest. The second pile I took from Crusher, and the last items are from the slave trader. I thought he was just a sea-obsessed innkeeper, but now I think he''s something more sinister.¡± Lisette moved a little as she looked at the items. She reached into a small pocket on her dress and pulled out a case. Opening it, she took out a pair of glasses and put them on with a whispered word. She quickly went through the piles, pushing some to one side and others to the other. Once she had three piles, she took off the glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. ¡°Phew. I''ve got these in three piles, this first pile is mundane,¡± she pointed to a pile of mostly rings, bracelets and jewelry. ¡°This second pile is slightly magical, utilitarian stuff, useful but unlikely to attract much attention.¡± There were only eight items in this pile, the gloves, the vest, the belt buckle, and five rings. ¡°Finally, we come to this pile, it''s the highly magical and/or cursed." This had the swords, the large leather piece, the satchel, the bone dagger, the bracer, and a few bracelets.¡± Jaeger collected the mundane items and put them away. Then he looked at the other piles. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Tell me about the slightly magic items.¡± ¡°The rings all improve one of your stat groups. The vest can take the form of any garment, as long as it is outerwear. It seems to mend and clean itself; I''d have to do an individual test to measure the strength, but it may be indestructible. The belt buckle has three different effects, but only one works at a time. It can give you shark-like skin, shark-like teeth, or the ability to secrete poison. I put it under mildly magical because there are stronger magical belts. The gloves are interesting, though, as they give you almost perfect control over your hands. It doesn''t sound like much, but for wizards and alchemists it might be better than a divine staff.¡± ¡°Why is perfect hand control good for wizards?¡± ¡°To cast a spell, a wizard needs three things: a verbal phrase, a focus to cast through, and a physical movement. The more complex the spell, the more complex the verbal and physical movements need to be. This is further complicated by the need to have a focus, so you''re stuck trying to sign and hold something. That''s why there''s no fixed focus for wizards, I use a wand,¡± Here she tapped her bandolier of wands. ¡°But I''ve met wizards with staves, swords, bracelets, and rings. A smart wizard could make these their focus and take their magic game to a whole new level.¡± If his guns still had powder and shot, these gloves would have been perfect for reloading and his marksmanship. As it was, however, they might be useful, but not necessary for him, at least not for him to wear. ¡°Then take it to Lisette.¡± He tossed the gloves into her lap, and she seemed startled. ¡°Don''t look so shocked. You just gave reasons why they''re perfect for a wizard. I don''t think it was your plan to convince me to give them to you, but you are a wizard, so they are perfect for you. Take them as a gift from me to you.¡± She hesitantly reached for the gloves before taking them. With a determined nod, she looked at him. ¡°Thank you, I wasn''t trying to convince you to give it to me, but I''ll take it. Like I said, it will greatly improve my magic and bring me one step closer to my goal.¡± Clearing her throat, she put the gloves away and looked back at the pile of loot. ¡°What about the rest?¡± ¡°I''ll take the vest and the rings. It''ll be nice to have a jacket I don''t have to worry about, and the boosts to my abilities seem like they''ll be useful. I''m not sold on the belt yet. The idea of having shark skin sounds nice, though, so I think I''ll stick with it for now. Now let''s get to the good stuff, these items were powerful enough to warrant the use of analysis cards. As a side note the guild does keep records of the analysis cards, it helps us tie down sets and keep track of cursed items. Speaking of.¡± ¡°The high magic items, the cursed ones first. I don''t recommend keeping or using any of them, but you have a bone dagger and a bracelet. Here''s the card for the dagger. I don''t think you can or should sell the bone dagger, it might be best to give it to the guild to study and destroy.¡±
Sacrificial Dagger of Greeth [cursed]
A dagger given to worshippers of the mighty primordial lusca, Greeth. It offers a taste of the mighty lusca''s power. When drawn, the wielder must resist a bloodthirsty curse. Failure to do so, or the voluntary infliction of the curse, will plunge the wielder into a blood frenzy, unable to distinguish friend from foe. Everything is meat. Damage dealt is increased and some is returned to the wielder as healing. The curse is broken when the dagger is removed from the wielder or after a certain amount of time has passed. Time is determined by level of failure or level of devotion to Greeth. Witness and accept this taste of my mighty thirst, and bring me more sacrifices that I may quench my thirst.
Lisette looked at him as he read over the card, trying to gauge his reaction to the information. He simply nodded. ¡°I don''t want anything that will affect my self-control. Will the guild confiscate it or will I be compensated? Also what¡¯s a lusca?¡± The tension left her shoulders at his answer, she''d been ready for him to claim the dagger for himself. ¡°A Lusca is a shark octopus monster, they are evil predators, rulers of the ocean. Most people only see the young ones, but there are older ones and even a primordial one as you can see. It''s an evil entity, bad news all around.¡± " The guild has a standard price we pay for cursed items; it''s not great, but it''s decent. If the curse is broken and the weapon becomes usable, the guild will also offer the finder first rights or a portion of the purchase price if the weapon is sold." She takes a deep, possibly relieved breath and continues after his decision. ¡°Now we come to the bracelet, its curse is more inconvenient than deadly. Read for yourself.¡±
Armory of the Armiger [cursed]
A bracelet that once belonged to a royal family. The royal family died defending their lands from apocalyptic destruction, but this bracelet survived. Having developed a low consciousness, it curses anyone who wears it to never wield a weapon it has not consumed, believing that only it can protect its wearer. Cursebound, once on, it won''t come off until the wearer dies. The Armory can hold a number of weapons equal to the number of beads on it. Once placed inside, the weapons become unbreakable and linked to the bracelet, and has a resummon ability. Weapons not placed inside the bracelet cannot be wielded. Requirement for placement: Bearer must be fatally wounded by the weapon.
Chapter 23 Yi Guo thing; I wonder how that got here? It''s not uncommon to see their products in Klangdor, but I would have heard of something like this.¡±
Requires blood bond.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
None
Ride into the Sunset. Ride into the Sunset ¨C Allows a mount to enter the Sunset Plane at will and remain safely there. The Sunset Plane allows a mount to travel long distances in a short amount of time. Cannot bring another creature into the Sunset Plane. ¡®If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.¡¯ Can be magically bonded. Part of a set, additional abilities locked until reunited.
Overlords of the Sea) All luscas are neutral to you. Sharks, octopuses, krakens, and undersea sentients hate you. The wearer''s aura contains hints of a lusca and is more intimidating to creatures. When you side with the luscas you are FEAR. Denizens of the Deep) All luscas revile you. Sharks, octopuses, krakens, and undersea sentients revere you. The wearer''s aura is the color of rebellion against monstrous tyrants and is more persuasive to oppressed figures and more intimidating to less powerful tyrants than a Lusca. You have stood against the luscas, FEAR is no longer a concern. Part of pair, additional abilities locked until reunited.
Chapter 24 ¡°All right, that was all the loot you offered. It will take a few days to set up an auction for the items you didn''t want. You should stay in Patterson for a few days, just in case the customers or other guildmasters want to see you. Do you have any plans?¡± ¡°After work, I like to enjoy a nice meal and whatever relaxation I can afford; usually that''s a bath and some company.¡± ¡°Oh, we certainly have that here. The guild itself has a decent bar and restaurant downstairs. It''s attached to the main building, but there''s no door into the guild hall; drunk adventurers and job picking don''t mix, not after Rusty took the job for the rust jelly.¡± ¡°A rust jelly?¡± ¡°Yes, and it does exactly what you think it does to metal. The fool came back in a pair of pants three times too small, and his pristine plate armor was rusted to pieces. The guild had to compensate a family, and he got a new nickname.¡± Jaeger chuckled at that. ¡°I''ll probably be eating there a lot since I plan on making this place my home bureau. So tell me about some places in town? Also what about rooms, I haven''t really spent a night in the city yet.¡± ¡°Bureau? No, never mind. The guild has rooms for rent, and as you advance in rank you get access to better ones, so the novice rooms are pretty bare. The upside is that the novice rooms are basically free. Patterson is full of restaurants and bars, some of which cater to certain guilds and some of which cater more to certain types of people. Hell, I know for a fact that the Thieves'' Guild even runs a bar; it''s great for gathering information or meeting shady contacts.¡± She got a focused look on her face as she paused. ¡°If you don''t want to stay at the guild, I would recommend Bear''s Bar, a full service restaurant and inn. The food isn''t fancy, but it''s good and affordable. The owner is also located near a bathhouse and the red light district.¡± Jaeger nodded and stood up. ¡°I guess that¡¯s where I¡¯m headed. Can I leave Ventress here?¡± ¡°Yes, we''ll stable your horse for you. The rates for guild members aren''t too bad, but as an Outworlder, your horse will be stabled for free. This was mainly put in place because some of you show up with exotic, killer steeds and the guild figured it would be cheaper to stable them here than risk city stables.¡± ¡°Good, she deserves a break as well. I''ll stop by tomorrow around noon to check in, maybe check on some jobs. I appreciate the help, Lisette.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Like I said, Jaeger, it''s no problem. Now let me collect these items and I''ll see you out.¡± Lisette took out three pouches and placed the items from each pile into their respective pouches. She took extra care with the cursed items and even cast a spell on the pouch. She went to the back of the room, pulled out another wand, and tapped it, summoning a safe. Apart from its sudden existence, it was an ordinary safe, at least at first. When she opened it, Jaeger caught a glimpse of a deep, glowing space filled with items. Lisette put the pouches away and made the safe disappear before turning back to him. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°This was one of the safes leading into the guild vault. It contains all of the guild''s funds, auction items, cursed items, and more. Before you get too excited, the vault is the most secure thing in the guild. The safe was just a shadow that I could put things in, but not take things out. The real safe is with Guild Mistress Hecate, and while the thought of her having it makes me uneasy, she has yet to blow all of our funds.¡± Lisette had started to speak with confidence, but when she got to the subject of Hecate, a slight waver entered her voice, Jaeger noticed. He almost asked, but a prickle on his neck told him it was better not to know. ¡°Fair enough. Guild Mistress Hecate seems terrifying enough to prevent theft.¡± ¡°Yes, no one has ever stolen from her. And survived.¡± They made some more small talk as they walked down to the guild entrance. Lisette wasn''t half as naive as Jaeger had first thought, she was a competent and learned mage who was obsessed with magic. When they parted at the entrance, Jaeger got a very familiar feeling from her, one he hadn''t felt since the fall of Beser. He was damn sure that Lisette was a princess, and not an eighth in line, technically a princess. No, she carried herself and spoke with a tone he''d only heard from King Beser, it was commanding and firm with a touch of kindness. It made him remember a comment from their training session, it had been fuzzy when he woke up but he was sure she''d called herself a princess. Jaeger had ignored it at first, not caring, but now that he''d decided to work closely with her, he had to care. If she was a princess, why did she work in a guild and not advertise her status openly? He had a few guesses, but none of them made him happy. This is going to get complicated, I just know it. Sigh. At least she''s not a damsel in distress. Walking away from the building, he made himself stop thinking about what a princess was doing in hiding. He simply didn''t have enough information about local politics to form an opinion. Instead, he concentrated on getting to Bear''s Bar; Lisette had given him detailed directions and told him it wasn''t too far. He stopped as an idea struck him, Bluthund said he could find a target, it never said the target had to be a person. All he had to do was know his target, and Lisette had described the place pretty well, even giving him instructions on how to get there. Focusing his mind, he activated the ability and opened his eyes. For a moment nothing happened, then, more slowly than before, a golden trail appeared. It was fainter than usual, but it hovered in front of him, pointing the way to his destination. ¡°I need to talk to someone about this.¡± He walked along the path, following its turns. ¡°Where is that damn cat when I want him?¡± ¡°Where indeed?¡± Chapter 25 ¡°Where indeed?¡± A voice whispered in Jaeger''s ear as a weight settled on his shoulders. Mischief lay over his shoulders like a living scarf. While Jager could feel the cat''s weight, warmth, and fur, he didn''t feel the additional weight as he walked. Thinking too much about it gave him a throbbing headache, so he decided to accept it as magic and move on. ¡°Speak of a devil and it appears.¡± ¡°Your devils wish they were half as cunning as I am. I heard you were going to a restaurant, hurry along I have a hunger.¡± Jaeger frowned at that. ¡°How did you hear that?¡± ¡°Mrrw. I thought you were beginning to understand things, but it seems you are not. I heard because I was there, of course. When I finished exploring the city, I went looking for you and found you talking to a most fascinating woman. She has such a strong and familiar scent; I must find out what it is or who.¡± Mischief kneaded the shoulder of his coat and Jaeger felt it rip a little, he picked up the pace. ¡°When I found you I sat down to wait, I must say you had some very interesting items and you were good to get rid of that cursed fish item, I wouldn''t have kept anything to do with the lusca though.¡± ¡°Why not? I mean, Lisette said they were evil and I don''t want to worship them, which is why I got rid of the cursed item, but the other items aren''t really tied to them.¡± ¡°One is made of them, the other makes you work for them or against them. Lusca, my dear, are not overlords or evil monsters of the deep; they are food.¡± Mischief''s voice took on a deeper, more alien tone as he spoke of the lusca. The way he described it was like a chef talking about the finest ingredients. ¡°They are the perfect mix of seafood, with the tender, juicy meat of a shark and the chewy appendages of an octopus. I miss the taste.¡± A rumbling ran over Jaeger''s shoulders as the cat went on about the deliciousness of lusca. Jaeger wasn''t quite sure if the rumbling was Mischief''s hunger or his own shudder. For Lisette had spoken of the lusca with a very real fear, and yet the cat spoke of it as Jaeger would of a nice steak dinner. How powerful was Mischief? ¡°And this is my favorite Lusca dish, if you can get this oily sauce from Yi Guo, the dish is perfect.¡± ¡°So if lusca is like a meal to you, wouldn''t you approve of me wearing their gear? I mean I like a good steak and seeing someone wearing leather doesn''t bother me.¡± ¡°Mmmmmrrrrwwwww.¡± Jaeger was beginning to lose feeling in his shoulders from all the deep purring, but he was also beginning to feel the knots in his shoulders loosen. ¡°When beings use items from creatures, a myth is built and filled in about what that creature is. Lusca are big ocean predators, but with every person who worships or hates them, they grow stronger from the ideas.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°So what if I wear the armor, do I start making it stronger or something?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, is there any way to prevent this, other than getting rid of this gear?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really something that happens quickly, so no.¡± ¡°Wait how long does it take for this mythos thing to build?¡± ¡°Thousands of years.¡± ¡°Then why are you bothering me? I won''t keep this equipment for a thousand years, I won''t even live that long!¡± ¡°Because I was bored.¡± Like a drop of poison in a mug of ale that statement flowed through him. ¡°These games you play when bored need addressing.¡± ¡°Unlikely, they have no fixed destination and I''m unlikely to send them anywhere but to you. Now hurry, you¡¯ve stopped for so long everyone else has left.¡± Jaeger had come to a stop in the street, he had been so busy talking to Mischief that he hadn''t noticed that the streets were empty. He looked around, he was on a street surrounded by storefronts and yet there was not a soul in sight. He adjusted his pack, loosened his axe and drew his pistol. ¡°If it makes you feel any better I didn¡¯t plan this.¡± Mischief purred out. ¡°Come out, as far as ambushes go this isn¡¯t very subtle.¡± Mischief purred happily and jumped off Jaeger''s shoulder, landing on a nearby rooftop. As he did so, a group of men emerged from the shadows of an alleyway directly in front of Jaeger. The group was obscured by a layer of shadows that revealed nothing more than their silhouettes. ¡°Hmph, I told ya he weren¡¯t no novice adventurer. He killed Calico Pete and grabbed up that old inn keep. Plus you know we wouldn¡¯t get hired to deal with some jumped up farmer.¡± Said one of the men as he left the unnatural cover, revealing himself. This man was dressed in tight black leather with a knife-bracer running across his chest and a pair of nasty short blades on his hips. He was followed by his opposite. Where the first man had been slight and dressed like a back alley hitter this man was large and dressed like a butcher. He wore a sleeveless top that showed off his granite skin and slabs of muscle. His pants were so bloodstained that it was impossible to tell what color they were. This man was not as tall as Crusher, but he looked like he was well on his way. To add to the image of overwhelming power, he carried a large hammer that was as tall as Jaeger and probably weighed more than him. ¡°Right, well I didn¡¯t really think he was a novice. I was just saying that¡¯s what the contract said.¡± ¡°Shut up, both of you. I¡¯m for wenching after this and I want to be done.¡± He held a long sword in his hand and wore an outfit more suited to a duelist. It was black leather, but with a half-cape and chainmail peeking out. A fourth member was there as well, but they had remained silent and hidden the whole time. They just watched and made no move to join the others. The swordsman looked back, he didn''t reprimand them or say anything to them. Each man before him was of a different build, style, and possibly even race. Aside from wearing black, the only thing they had in common was a black thief''s mask with a red smile on it. The swordsman''s condemnation seemed to put the other two in order, and they charged Jaeger, the man with the hammer in front, the swordsman behind him, the knife-fighter seeming to fade back into the shadows, and the cloaked man not making a move. ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°Blood and coin!¡± ¡°Loot and mayhem!¡± Chapter 26 He had recently faced a large charging enemy, so with snake-like reflexes he drew and fired a shot at the hammer-wielder''s knee. The shot landed, causing the man to fall on his face, and his momentum carried him a few more steps. The swordsman behind him did not spare a glance as he passed, closing in on Jaeger. As he turned, reloading his pistol and shifting his aim, a knife sunk into his hand, knocking the pistol free. As it spun across the floor, Jaeger whipped his axe free and turned in the direction of the knife throw. He saw nothing, but heard a laugh. ¡°Ha, they always fall for that. Xorro I got the magic wand, I think once I kill him me and you are going to talk about how our shares will be changing.¡± The knife-fighting rogue had appeared in front of his pistol and picked it up. He waved it at the swordsman, Xorro, and then pointed it at Jaeger. With a malicious grin, he held it awkwardly, but put his finger on the trigger and pulled it. The pistol lit up as if it were firing, and then a wave of purple magic shot from the handle of the pistol down his arm and across his body. The process was neither fast nor slow, but it was deadly and painful, or so Jaeger guessed from the howls of pain the man made. The sprinting swordsman had stopped in anger when the rogue had made his demands, but now he froze in horror as the man was consumed by magic. When the process was complete, all that remained was a pile of charred ashes and the Hunter''s pistol, which had lost its glow. ¡°Fuck me.¡± Said Xorro. A loud groan followed as the hammer-wielder slowly got to his feet. His shot knee caused him no problems. ¡°What was that boss?¡± ¡°Nothing, Loid is dead and Cloak isn''t acting. Get up here and distract this bastard. His wand is gone and we''re too close for him to use his staff.¡± ¡°On it boss.¡± With that, the man grabbed his hammer and charged Jaeger again, and Xorro had been right. The swordsman had moved too close for Jaeger to easily use his rifle, and his pistol was out of reach. So when the hammer-wielder came at him with a sideways blow, Jaeger knew he was in for a tough fight. Leaping back, he dodged the first blow, but then the man continued. Using the momentum to whip the hammer around his head, he brought it back for another swipe, the hunter using his axe to push it past, but then he caught the hammerman''s chest kick. As he began to slide backwards, he saw the swordsman lunge at him from behind and slash diagonally at him. The hunter barely managed to get his axe out of the way, but even as he did, he felt a massive paw grab his collar and throw him. He rolled down the street, opening several small cuts across his body and knocking the knife out of his hand. When he came to a stop, he stumbled to his feet, relatively unharmed except for his now bleeding hand and blurry vision. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Ya idiot, what do I always tell you about throwing people?¡± ¡°Aim at a wall or over an edge, not down a empty road.¡± Xorro punched the hammer man in his arm. ¡°Then why the hell did you throw him down the road? We are surrounded by buildings.¡± ¡°He almost had ya boss, I thought it was better to get him gone.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t almost have anything; I was setting him up. It¡¯s reasons like this that I¡¯m the boss and you, Slowfist, are just my underling. Now come on let¡¯s finish him. It might help if SOMEONE WERE TO GET OFF THEIR ASS AND HELP US!¡± This was probably directed at the cloaked man, or so Jaeger hoped, if this group had more people he didn''t have much confidence in fighting them. Jaeger shook his head as he stumbled a step to clear his vision. Which was good timing, as the swordsman was almost on top of him, clearly outpacing the aptly named Slowfist. Still holding his axe, Jaeger lunged at the swordsman, catching him off guard with a vicious underhand cut. Xorro caught him with a downward thrust and locked Jaeger in a contest of strength. Slowfist was closing in, and this knowledge spurred Jaeger into action, as he launched a side kick. This caught Xorro in the ribs and the contest broke up as the swordsman stumbled back. A loud series of lumbering steps and a bellowing sound announced Slowfist''s move, and it was an explosive leap. He brought his hammer down as he landed with a thud. Seeing the move coming, Jaeger was able to jump backwards to avoid it, but as the hammer hit the ground, it caused an explosion of shrapnel to fly outward. This wave caught Jaeger off guard, giving him little time to shield his eyes from damage, but leaving the rest of him open. The shrapnel shredded his coat, but stopped short of his armor, knocking Jaeger back. He had little time to recover as Slowfist came at him with a roar and a flurry of blows. Using both hands, he swung the hammer horizontally, catching Jaeger in the arm before using the rebound to swing it all the way around to his other arm. Jaeger, who had felt the bone crack, wasn''t about to let that happen again, so he leaped into the big man''s chest and thrust at his right arm with the axe. His axe was no longer the almost supernaturally sharp blade he''d brought into this world, but a spiked Orc axe. Where once the blade would have sliced cleanly through with its sharpened point, it now stabbed a series of dirty spikes into the man''s arm, ripping through the flesh with a brutal downward thrust. With a scream and a spray of blood, Slowfist fell back from Jaeger, who, now covered in blood, looked around for Xorro. A burning sensation on his back let him know where the man was. The pain of the sword slicing across him wasn''t the worst he''d felt, so he worked through it and swung a full 180, his axe held at waist level. Again Xorro caught it, this time with a half-sword block, but this time he was the one who kicked. Jaeger leaned back with the kick and managed to keep the damage low, but it caused him to fall. He quickly turned this into a long roll back to his feet, and not a moment too soon. For the swordsman had run after him, thrusting out to impale him. Jaeger grabbed his axe with both hands and swung it upward, knocking the thrust off course and bringing it down on Xorro''s leading arm. The axe sank deep, and with a savage twist, Jaeger tore it free and went for a killing blow. Then he felt a force like a cannonball hit his arm, pinning it to his side, and he blacked out. Chapter 27 Jaeger came to as he crunched into the side of a stone building, blood flooding his mouth. As he struggled to understand, he felt himself slide down the wall. He landed in something that made him sneeze and sent a searing pain radiating from his side. As he tried to steady himself, his right arm simply would not respond and his left landed on something familiar. He looked down and a plan came to him, not a good one, but good plans were for better situations. ¡°Alright that time he almost had me. Good job Slowfist, now let¡¯s make sure he¡¯s dead, get paid, and see a fucking healer.¡± ¡°I got it boss, I¡¯ll go and put me hammer through him. He¡¯ll be done like dinna.¡± Slow, plodding steps and a grinding sound were all the warning Jaeger had. Pushing himself to focus, he felt a draining sensation run through him, down his arm and into a vessel. He slowly opened his eyes, and as his blurred vision came into focus, he saw the tall man in front of him. He''d raised his hammer high and started to bring it down with a roar. With the razor-sharp focus of a life-or-death moment, Jaeger''s working arm shot up, revealing the bright light of his overcharged pistol. With a quick squeeze of the trigger, a blast of energy shot something as thick as a wooden cask through Slowfist. The blast was here and gone in a flash, but as the light faded, everything above the man''s midsection was gone, including parts of the building behind him, leaving nothing but black edges on his body. The body swayed once, a leg lifted as if to regain its balance, and then it fell; the fall seemed to trigger something, as a rush of blood and guts erupted. His arm fell, his breathing heavy and fast as he sat against the wall. He was tired, the feeling was similar to the one he''d gotten after chasing a former army messenger on foot, but besides the physical exhaustion, there was a mental one as well. He struggled to think for a moment, and it almost cost him everything. ¡°Just die already!¡± A voice shouted before a sword came at his heart. With his dwindling strength, he managed to roll and the sword pierced his shoulder instead. The pain helped sharpen and focus him long enough to search for Xorro, the likely culprit. The man was staggering, having managed to withdraw his sword, on his feet and bleeding profusely. For a moment, it was tense but even, both badly wounded and exhausted. ¡°The pay wasn''t enough to cover this, but I feel like you made it personal, so I don''t mind.¡± With that, Xorro planted his sword in the ground, reached into a pocket and pulled out a wax-sealed pill bottle. Using his teeth, he tore off the seal and dumped a thick pill into his hand. Now, Jaeger had seen a few pills in his time, most of them were ugly and smelled too much like poultices, but he''d never seen a pill like this. It was a pulsating thing of black, red, and yellow. It looked less like a pill and more like a poisoned organ, which made Xorro''s next move strange. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. He had been prepared for Xorro to try to force it down his throat or throw it at him or do something to him. He was not prepared for the man to throw it back and swallow it dry. For a moment there was silence, but then Xorro began to wriggle and convulse. His body somehow remained on its feet, but wracked with spasms, involuntary movements, painful contortions, all while his eyes rolled madly; then he began to swell. His muscles grew, but unlike the dead Slowfist, these muscles were grotesque and misshapen. An audible popping sound could be heard as his bones lengthened and shifted, the man growing at least half again, but his spine also curved into a slight hunch. His skin tore in places, revealing glistening raw muscles oozing yellow blood. Finally, he stopped twitching and his eyes settled before focusing on Jaeger, a guttural voice rumbling out. ¡°These pills are painful and temporary, I¡¯d never use one normally but with this I¡¯m going to be able to enjoy the pain and suffering I bring you. I¡¯m going to dig through you, ripping and tearing my way to your sweet meats.¡± The monstrous Xorro stretched and bent before moving toward him. When he reached Jaeger, he was about to reach down when someone else spoke. ¡°I¡¯d never have taken this job if I knew you had those pills. You disgust me and I won¡¯t tolerate working with trash.¡± Jaeger couldn''t see much behind Xorro, but he saw a cloak flutter to the ground. Then a pair of thick blades erupted from the man-monster''s chest, then separated with a ripping sound, one ripping up as the other tore down. With a spray of yellowish blood, the mangled body of Xorro fell, almost in three pieces, revealing his savior. A woman, slender and tall, with long limbs and pale skin; hair dark as a midnight gathering. She wore a dark crimson outfit, all swirls and sinister patterns made of some kind of scale; her head was uncovered. Her face was set in a scowl, and her large oval eyes, copper pools, held nothing but contempt as she stared at the fallen Xorro. She stepped over his body, kicking it deliberately as she moved toward Jaeger. Even in those few steps, he could tell she was a skilled killer. ¡°Now, what to do with you?¡± She held one of her wicked-looking blades to her chin, twirling the other effortlessly. ¡°I have saved your life, as an unintended side effect, to be sure, but I have saved you nonetheless. However, you have revealed the treachery of this fool, so I''m at a loss and indecisive. Normally I''d kill you and be done with it, but a debt has been incurred, what to do.¡± She moved, her pace feline. She paused once, bent down and nudged him, causing him to stifle a grunt of pain, a look quickly flickering across her face. She stood up again and stopped pacing, her face changing to a sneer. ¡°I have decided to kill you, debt is only a matter between equals, and you are not my equal. The payoff will be good, even if it means having to deal with this fool''s employers.¡± She spun her blades before gripping them tight. ¡°Rest assured bounty hunter, your death will fund a noble hunt.¡± She faded for a second and then flickered toward him, blades poised to take his life. With nothing left in him, Jaeger barely managed a sneer of his own as he looked into the copper eyes of his death. Chapter 28 ¡°That¡¯s enough of that. This one still has his uses.¡± A furry body stepped between the blades and his chest. Mischief had appeared and easily interrupted the attack. ¡°Hmm and what are you now to stop my blades so easily?¡± ¡°I am what I am, and I am Mischief.¡± The name reverberated like a cacophony of scratching behind his ears, threatening to suffocate him with its presence. Then Mischief was on his shoulder and his discomfort faded. While Jaeger had suffered another, albeit temporary, wound, the woman had a look of shock and terror on her face. She stepped back, cautious but ready as her hands went to the blades now at her side. Jaeger began to move slowly, trying not to draw attention as he maneuvered his powder horn. ¡°This adventurer what is he to you?¡± ¡°My contractor.¡± ¡°My people say you are nothing now, a chained pet of Those Who Wait.¡± Mischief disappeared from Jaeger¡¯s shoulder and appeared a hand''s breadth from the woman''s face, startling her. With a sharp-toothed smile, he licked a paw and looked disdainfully at the woman. ¡°Your people are proud, arrogant fools, lost in their pursuits, forgetting all the favors and debts they owe. You do not chain a pet, you chain what you fear, and I am their fear.¡± A harsh laugh ripped from the woman. ¡°You''re not wrong about my people. Why this human, surely one like you can do better?¡± Jaeger had managed to slide into position by now, and in one smooth motion he opened the powder horn and swallowed its contents. Fire and pain coursed through his body, followed by popping sounds. Then, with a roar, Jaeger rolled to his feet, raised his axe, and aimed his pistol; fully charged. ¡°Because this human is resourceful and above all entertaining.¡± The woman raised an eyebrow at Jaeger and nodded. ¡°He is, but that doesn¡¯t change things. I have a need for his blood price and he owes me for saving his life I wanted to take his life to balance the scales, but I see now that things have changed and he would not be taken so willingly or easily.¡± ¡°No I won¡¯t and I don¡¯t owe you a damn thing.¡± Jaeger said. ¡°I killed Xorro, and I didn''t attack when the rest of my party did; that means I saved you twice. You solved one of them by being the catalyst that revealed Xorro''s treachery. But you still owe me, and I will collect what is owed to me.¡± The woman had resumed her fighting stance and held her blades at the ready. Jaeger''s pistol had not wavered an inch, ready to fire the moment either Mischief moved out of the way or she moved into it. Mischief turned from the woman to Jaeger. ¡°My dear contractor, she is a Chaos Elf; her kind must maintain a sense of order or they will lose themselves. Her culture considers saving a life a debt; if the positions were reversed, she''d be indebted to you. If you don''t help her, she will hunt you until she kills you, even if it is to her detriment.¡± Jaeger stared at the woman, meeting her eyes for the first time, and what he saw sucked him in. Her eyes weren''t just red, they were every shade of red Jaeger had ever seen. Blood, sunsets, apples, fire, leaves, berries, and everything else he''d either barely seen or never glimpsed; that was what her eyes were made of. A whirlpool of chaos that tried to draw him in, and it took a supreme willpower to pull his eyes away. Now he had to rethink his plan. He''d been ready to fight her when he thought he could kill her or, more likely, send her running. But if Mischief was right, she might hunt him forever until one of them was dead. He felt a twinge in his back as he remembered something he''d been told and ignored: Never hunt zealots, lunatics or fanatics, it never ends well. He''d ignored that once and ended up with the scars of a thrown bear trap. He slowly lowered his pistol to no longer face the woman. ¡°Fine, let''s say I do owe you. I¡¯m not dying, and I sure as hell ain''t letting you turn me in to whoever hired you. So talk, what can I do for you to make this even?¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Tension slowly left her as the Chaos Elf lowered her blades. ¡°I want a payment equal to or greater than what you are worth.¡± The figure she gave was more than Jaeger had expected, but not beyond his soon-to-be wealth. The only thing keeping him from paying was professional insult, it bothered him to pay a killer who came for him. He thought about it and remembered something she''d said. ¡°You said my death would pay for a ''noble hunt''. What if instead of paying you, I helped you hunt. To track down whoever or whatever it is you are looking for?¡± ¡°Your tracking skills are unknown to me.¡± ¡°Yeah, and aside from your blade skills and being a back alley hitter, you''re a complete stranger to me. I have no idea who you are, why you''re here to kill me, or who your friends are.¡± She nodded. ¡°Hmm. My hiring alias is Kaeleth. I will hold on to why, or more importantly, who hired us to kill you. My friends, as you call them, were a group of three cutthroats I was forced to join. The job called for a group of four, and I''m told I can be difficult to work with, so I found an established trio.¡± ¡°Tell me who hired you, Kaeleth.¡± ¡°No, I don''t think I will. Prove your abilities to me and I will reconsider.¡± ¡°And how do I do that?¡± ¡°I will come with you on your next bounty. I will accompany you and judge your tracking skills for myself. If I find them adequate, I will accept your offer of work. If it is not adequate, we will reconsider my original offer.¡± She looked up with her head cocked to the side and then smiled a vicious, cruel smile. ¡°I will leave you for now. Do not try to delay accepting a new bounty, patience is not one of my people''s virtues.¡± With that, she leaned back and then her form seemed to vibrate before vanishing. ¡°Wait.¡± She was already gone, so he decided to yell in case she could hear him. ¡°Damn woman, I have things keeping me in town, I won''t be leaving for at least a week.¡± ¡°Tick, tock goes the time clock.¡± A velvety voice whispered in his ear before a razor-sharp blade was drawn across the back of his neck in a gentle, delicate arc. Slapping his hand against his neck, he didn''t bother turning around to look for her. He had dealt with Mischief enough to know that was what she wanted and that she was gone. He pulled his hand free and saw that it was bloodless. ¡°Ah, Chaos Elves. I have missed them. You, my dear contractor, will have an exciting future.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Jaeger asked as he walked over to the bodies of the hired killers. He wanted to loot their bodies and take something identifiable; maybe one of their masks. Killers like this had to have a bounty and hopefully Lisette could tell him more about them. ¡°Chaos Elves are obsessive. She''ll stalk you until she gets what she wants, and even then I bet she''ll keep coming back. You''ve got that aura of order, nicely outlined by my chaos, I might add, and she''ll be drawn to you. That''s probably why she didn''t attack in the first place.¡± ¡°Aura of order?¡± Mischief played with the empty pill bottle Xorro had dropped, hitting it back and forth in boredom. ¡°I can''t say too much, even I am bound by some rules. I can say that it came about because you seem to follow a set of rules or laws closely, and it is maintained by that as well. Neither good nor bad, it is just part of who you are.¡± Jaeger thought of the Bounty Hunter''s Creed, the one he had followed for decades, even as other laws fell by the wayside. ¡°Is it something I need to worry about?¡± ¡°Not unless you plan to immediately stop following your law and betray the spirit of it. As I said, it is simply part of who you are, it is not good or bad.¡± Hunter'' finished collecting the loot, thinking about it. If he couldn''t do anything about it, he could ignore it. So far, the worst thing that had happened was that a woman had saved his life and was going stalk him on a job. ¡°There''s not much loot between these guys, but I took what I could. The guard''s not here and I''m not going to wait around much longer, so let''s go.¡± He pocketed the last mask and grabbed the man¡¯s knife belt. Jaeger stood up, dusted off his knees and made sure he had everything he needed. He''d secured all his loot except the hammer, which he had to carry. Satisfied, he made his way back in the direction of the bar; fortunately, the way the fight had gone, he could use the location of the first corpse to get his bearings. He made his way steadily through the streets, and as he left the area behind, people began to reappear. Storefronts were open and food carts were doing brisk business. ¡°Stop at that food cart.¡± ¡°No. No matter how much you ask, I''m not getting any food here. I''m going to the inn and we can eat there.¡± Mischief had resumed his place on Jaeger''s shoulders, telling him to stop at every food stall they came across. Jaeger, however, was wary of stopping out in the open; one ambush a night was enough for him. ¡°I will stop asking soon. All this fighting has made me hungry.¡± Jaeger got angry at that. ¡°You didn''t do any of the fighting, that was all me.¡± ¡°No it was mostly those hired killers and Kaeleth. You mostly got beaten around.¡± ¡°What was that you useless¡­¡± Mischief interrupted him with an excited cry. ¡°Oh look where we are. No time for your anger my dear steed we have arrived at the bar.¡± Eyes twitching, he looked up and saw that they had indeed arrived at a building. It was a stone thing, vaguely shaped like a hill, with an entrance that he could only describe as cave-like, closed by two swinging doors. Outside was a sign depicting a bear with two hands holding a mug. Chapter 29 Jaeger walked through the swinging doors into a warmly lit room. The room resembled a large carved cave, with all the strange things he''d seen so far, this place was strangely comforting. ¡°Welcome to Bear¡¯s Bar. What can I do fer ya?¡± A rumbling voice called out. Turning to look, Jaeger saw a bear behind a long extended stalagmite designed to look like a bar. Not a bear beastkin, or a bear like man, no, this was a large gray furred bear. Jaeger had seen a few Beser Cave bears, they were large and potentially ferocious omnivores. This one dwarfed them and stood on its hind legs. In fact, as he familiarized himself with the creature, he noticed other oddities about it. Not only did it stand on two legs, but it also had an apron over its chest and was somehow cleaning a cup. Every time Jaeger thought he''d come to terms with the magic of this new world, something more interesting would come along. ¡°¡¯Ello. Y¡¯all there?¡± ¡°Yes, sorry about that. I¡¯m just coming to terms with the world.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that then?¡± ¡°Not important right now. My cat and I need a meal and a room, if you''ve got them.¡± The bear moved down the bar, effortlessly setting out drinks as he went, pulling drinks out of seemingly nowhere as he moved. Jaeger stepped forward to meet him at one end. ¡°Yeah I can do that. First though I¡¯m gonna need a name and if ya¡¯ve got one a tag put it here.¡± With that, the bear pulled a cloth from his apron and wiped down the counter, cleaning off a pitch-black slab. It was covered in tiny runes that Jaeger could barely make out. Not trusting the bear, but trusting Lisette, who trusted the bear, he summoned his adventurer''s badge and placed it over the slab. The runes glowed a soft blue before holding and then disappearing. ¡°Right then tag confirmed, welcome to me bar. Ya can just call me Bar.¡± Jaeger blinked once. ¡°Did you say Bar?¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯m Bar.¡± ¡°And you run a bar?¡± ¡°I own, and run, the entire business but yes.¡± ¡°Is your bar called Bear¡¯s Bar or Bar¡¯s bar?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Bar¡¯s bar, ya said it weird the first time.¡± ¡°I said bear weird?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve never heard it pronounced that way before.¡± Jaeger wasn''t sure if he was going crazy or if Bar was trying to tease him. He just couldn''t read the bear''s facial expressions well enough to know. ¡°I¡­okay. So about the meals and room?¡± Bar responded with a low chuffing at this that slowly grew into a loud brassy laugh. ¡°Ah, now that¡¯s a good reaction ta my bit. I appreciate ya humoring an auld bear like me. Take a seat and I¡¯ll have someone run out meals for ya both. I¡¯ll get a nice roast for ya and a plate of fresh fish for your cat. Ya got a drink ya like?¡± ¡°A dark lager for me.¡± ¡°A bowl of water for me, I don¡¯t want to dilute the taste of the fish.¡± Bar shook his head as he smiled and moved down the bar toward the kitchen. Jaeger still wasn''t sure if he was in on the joke, but decided it didn''t matter too much as he looked for an empty table. ¡°That bar has a scrumptious sense of humor.¡± Jaeger ignored Mischief, finally beginning to understand why no one seemed to find it strange that the cat could talk. He began to wonder if talking cats were a common phenomenon. ¡°Here¡¯s your food sirs, one auric roast with a side of tatos and a serving of fresh large finned bass served slashed style.¡± A badger beastkin came to the table with two large platters, she set down a portion of what appeared to be roasted beef, but enlarged to portions Jaeger had never seen before, and next to it was a pile of potatoes. In front of Mischief was a plate of beautifully arranged, sliced portions of raw fish, resting on a fin large enough to cover the plate, with a fish head resting on the side. Before she left, she set down a pint of dark, thick lager for him and a bowl of water for Mischief. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. After she left, the man and the cat fell into a silence broken only by the noise of the people around them and the sounds of their own eating. Jaeger had been sure he would not be able to finish the large roast, but he soon found himself halfway through and still hungry. He emptied his mug twice before finishing the roast and was on his third when he finally sat back and looked at his plate, empty of everything but grease. On the other side of the table, Mischief was not much better off. It was clear that the cat had eaten absolutely everything on the fish, including its fin. As Jaeger finished, he saw that Mischief was slowly working on the head of the fish. The cat seemed to nibble at it before he got bored, opened his mouth, and shoved the whole head in. Jaeger was no longer stunned by the things he had seen the cat do, but that didn''t mean he wasn''t impressed by his actions. ¡°I see that ya both be enjoyin¡¯ mah food then. I reckon that just from watchin the cat swallow the fish head. You mentioned needing a room to aye?¡± At some point, Bar had left his bar and made his way to the table. He was somehow taller than when he had left his bar, and while Jaeger had gotten used to it, it was still unnerving to have a large bear looming over him after a meal. ¡°Yes, I need a room for probably two nights, maybe more depending. Lisette recommended that I come to you.¡± ¡°Ah, the young lady. Well then with that kinda reference I can¡¯t help but give ya a good welcome. Come along, then I¡¯ll give ya yer key and show ya were yer bunked.¡± The bear motioned over his shoulder and turned, striding over to a hallway that led off the main room. Jaeger stood and followed, feeling a sudden weight on his shoulders. ¡°Hurry along, don¡¯t let the bear leave us behind.¡± Holding back his words, Jaeger moved to keep up with Bar. The hallway, which looked more like a large cave, that he led them down had doors on each side and a set of stone stairs at the back leading up. While the stairs continued up at least one more flight, Bar got out on the second floor and led them to the end of the hall before stopping in front of a stone door. ¡°This here¡¯s yer room. I serve three hots a day, one in the morning, one around noon, and the last at supper. Yer meals are included, speaking of which ya owe me ten silver for tonight and another five every day ya plan to stay. If yer an extended stay rates go down.¡± Jaeger reached into his jacket and produced fifteen silver. ¡°If I plan to stay longer, I can just pay more in advance, right?¡± Bar takes the offered silver, placing it in his giant paw. ¡°Aye. This ain¡¯t a fancy hotel or boarding house. If¡¯n ya need to stay longer on a short notice just let me or one of the servers know and then pay up. We also store yer belongings for ya if¡¯n ya leave them behind, I promise the safety of any gear left in our care. Me and the Thieves Guild have an agreement.¡± ¡°Sounds good, now if you''ll excuse me, I''ve been riding rough and sleeping hard for more time than I care to admit and could use a good lie down in a soft bed.¡± Bar let out a quick laugh and patted Jaeger on the shoulder, causing the man to step back. ¡°I understand; I wasn¡¯t always a bar running a bar. I tell ya what I don¡¯t miss those days. Enjoy yer rest, and since it''s yer first night I¡¯ll set aside a bit of brekky in case yer late.¡± With that, Bar leaves Jaeger and Mischief alone, having dropped a key into the man''s hand. Using the key, Jaeger opens his room and surveys it. The room was a comfortable size, reminding him of an old bear cave he''d stayed in once, but with more furniture. Jaeger couldn''t think of a better way to describe its size. Inside was a bed, on which Mischief immediately appeared, a table with a chair facing it, a dresser and another door. When he opened it, he found that it led to a small closet with a mirror, a sink and a toilet. His mind might have known exactly what he was looking at, but he was still coming to terms with it. He stared at the closet in amazement before turning a facet and watching water flow from it into the basin. Running water in a room and simply washing with it was an amazing luxury; not to mention the wonders of magical plumbing. ¡°Oh, I forgot, you come from a backwater world. No magic, no indoor plumbing. Those religious zealots at the Black Lagoon Company may have done you a favor by bringing you here. That''s not to say that you would have enjoyed your time spent in their Illustrious Torture Chamber, it''s certainly not a welcoming place. But rejoice you aren¡¯t there and you now know about magical plumbing, wonders never cease.¡± Mischief now hung over Jaeger''s head, looking down upon him. ¡°How do you know who brought me here?¡± ¡°I know what I know, what I know is knowingly within my knowledge and that means I know it.¡± Jaeger felt a now familiar twitch in his eye as he realized what the cat was doing. He only got into meaningless riddles when he was being annoying. He''d done it on the ride to Patterson when he''d been driving slowly, and he''d done it on the walk to Bear''s Bar. Reacting would only give the cat exactly what it wanted, it didn''t matter anyway, he had more information to work with now. The Black Lagoon Company and the fact that they were religious, now all he needed was to find a place where he could look up information. If only he knew someone, say a mage, with a borderline obsessive need know things. For the first time since his arrival in this new world, he felt motivated. He''d been increasingly worried that in this new world he would have to let go of things from his old one, things like the Bounty Hunter''s Creed. He''d almost broken the most important rule, Capture or Kill, never both, with the innkeeper turned slave trader. He''d been moments away from taking the man''s head after he''d brought it to the guild. But he''d stayed true, and now he had another chance to stay true. He''d find this Black Lagoon Company and repay the debt he owed them. With thoughts of answers and revenge swirling through his mind, he enjoyed a shower and fell asleep. Chapter 30 A sudden and sharp pain to the face awoke Jaeger from his sleep so quickly that he jumped out of bed. This caused the perpetrator to fly across the room before hitting the wall and staying there. ¡°Mrrw. Well, that''s not very nice, here I was waking you up so you wouldn''t miss your breakfast, and this is how you pay me back.¡± When he put a hand to his face, he saw it come away bloody. ¡°You scratched me?¡± ¡°Just deep enough to bleed and wake you up.¡± Mischief lifted his paw and began to lick it clean of the sparse red splatter. ¡°Why!¡± ¡°Because breakfast is coming up and you were going to make us miss it.¡± Deeming himself clean enough, the cat finally walked down the wall to the floor and then over to the door. ¡°Then go get the food yourself and don¡¯t bother me!¡± ¡°No, your human hands are required.¡± Ignoring the cat, Jaeger walked to the bathroom. He used the sink to wash his face and studied his reflection; something he hadn''t done since he was brought to this new world. He turned his head from side to side, looking at the rough beard he''d grown, the pale hints of old scars that reminded him of his past, and then he noticed his eyes. He hadn''t had much reason to look at his own eyes before, but more than one lady had remarked that they were the color of a thunderstorm. He''d seen his share of thunderstorms, and never had one been as dark or as glowing purple as his eyes. ¡°What the hell happened to my eyes?¡± He muttered. As he considered this he waited for one of the magic memories to supply answer but none came. ¡°Manling hurry up I wish to leave.¡± ¡°Hold your damn horses or leave. I know you can just magic your way through the door, I got more concerns than your damn hunger.¡± Mischief let out an annoyed huff before vowing to do something vindictive to the inattentive human and moved to the bathroom door. He found the man staring deep into his own eyes. While Mischief had found the man''s eyes interesting, he didn''t think they were worth such a deep look; they didn''t even change color or shape. He walked over to the manling and was about to pounce on him when he heard him muttering. ¡°This is your real concern? Nothing has happened to them. Your eyes simply mirror your soul now. After all they are the windows to it.¡± He passed here, contemplatively. ¡°Well, not windows. A window is simply another entrance and easily broken into, the eyes are more like a long-distance view of your soul.¡± Jaeger turned to the cat in bewilderment. ¡°But they didn''t always look like this. Are you saying that I didn''t have a soul or that my soul has changed?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Neither.¡± Seeing the fun vein begin to throb, the cat decided to explain a bit more. ¡°Its magic, you didn''t have it, now you do. Like a world without fish, you may have known about the scaly things that live in the water, but now that you are in a world with fish, they look different and more edible.¡± Jaeger blinked a few times at that. ¡°So what does that mean?¡± ¡°It means I¡¯m hungry for fish.¡± ¡°No, about my eyes. What does it mean for me that they are this color?¡± ¡°Nothing. It''s just what your eyes look like; most humans don''t even change. Unless you become more interesting, then maybe the color will mean something. For now, though, they are only slightly more interesting than a normal human''s. Now no more questions, I''m hungry and this time I''m going to do some damage if we don''t leave.¡± Jaeger was tempted to call the cat''s bluff, but he saw the claws on its paws lengthening and decided to put his growing worries to the back of his mind. He simply added them to his list of questions for Lisette. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll get dressed and we¡¯ll have breakfast. I¡¯m headed to the guild after that though. I don¡¯t rightly care what you do.¡± He moved to the dresser where he''d put his clothes last night as he spoke. Reaching in, he pulled out clothes that looked freshly laundered; more magic, he guessed with a shrug. He put away his old jacket and belt in favor of the new ones he''d gotten, slipping on the belt and opting for the sharkskin ability for now. As he decided to do so, he felt a layer of goosebumps run over his entire skin, one of the most uncomfortable sensations he''d ever had, but it ended quickly. Once done, his skin looked and felt the same, but when he pinched it, he felt it had toughened. He pulled out his boot knife and ran the blade over his forearm, feeling the same sensation as if he were running it over leather, while his arm felt only the slightest discomfort. Satisfied with the test, he put the knife away and moved on to the last piece of new equipment he''d put on here; the large orc vest. Even as he held it, the vest changed shape. From a large vest with an Orc skull on the back to a great coat unlike anything he''d ever seen before. The coat was easily the most impressive he''d ever seen, rivaling those worn by the old commanders he knew. It was a dark purple, almost black, with fringes of brilliant silver. The cuffs on each sleeve seemed to have a ring of metal or something similar. Its buttons were designed to look like generic skulls, except for two, one of which was shockingly similar to the skull of the orc Crusher, while the other was a graceful mix of human and feline. When he put the coat on, it was different from the frock coat he''d been wearing, it was heavier, and for a moment it was much too warm. As he thought, it changed, losing some of its weight and warmth until it reached a familiar comfort. ¡°I love this coat.¡± ¡°Hrrm. That is indeed an entertaining coat, it also seems to be hiding what it truly is.¡± ¡°I''m not going to ask what you mean, because as long as this coat isn''t trying to kill me or cripple me, I don''t care. Now come on.¡± With that, Jaeger gathered the rest of his equipment into his pouch, which he had bound last night but hadn''t had time to go through. For now, he simply loaded it and put it on, the coat seeming to almost absorb the bag and the satchel attached to it as one of its deep side pockets. A now familiar parchment unfurled in front of him. Item synchronization detected. Bag of Holding has attached to ### Coat. Bag of Holding functions remain unchanged with the exception of its opening location. Opening is now located through pockets of ### Coat. If these changes are found to be undesirable by the user, then the user will be able to change them back to individual settings. Changes are not permanent, and desired removal of add-ons is possible. With that, the parchment rolled up again and disappeared. Jaeger was satisfied with the fusion, as he had always found a pouch to be awkward to navigate in combat. This coat was definitely more than he''d expected. ¡°Hurry up! You said we were leaving and now you are blocking the door to read your updates.¡± Chapter 31 Breakfast had been nice, even with Mischief chattering on. Thanking Bar, he made his way back to the Adventurers'' Guild. It was early in the morning, so there was little traffic on the streets as merchants moved their goods and set up their storefronts for the day. He made a few notes on the locations of shops that had items he might need, but didn''t linger too long. He also noticed a shadows following him. They were clearly professionals, but his own senses, and Mischief''s vocal complaints about them, alerted him to their existence. He couldn''t get a good look at them, but he noticed that they wore black robes and that there were at least three of them. He couldn''t be sure of more, as black robes were not uncommon in the city. Not knowing who they worked for and whether or not they were law enforcers limited Jaeger''s options. His best bet, and the one he chose, was to stay close to random civilians and hurry to the Guild; a clause in the contract he''d signed said they''d protect him from unsavory groups. ¡°So where do you plan to shine your light on these dreadful shadows?¡± ¡°I don''t. I plan to go to the guild and avoid a confrontation with them.¡± ¡°Hrrm. Explain.¡± ¡°I can tell you''re going to cause a confrontation if I don''t, so okay. I don''t know who this group is working for. They could be from the Guild to protect me, they could be a group from whoever runs this country to check on their newest outworlder, or they could be from the Black Lagoon Company. I''m not sure, but if they''re from the Guild or the government, I can''t just attack them; that''s how you get locked into a slave contract and forced to do the bidding of whoever you pissed off until they feel you''ve paid them off.¡± ¡°Acceptable, though I find this stalemate boring. But I have learned enough about you to know that if they are a threat, you will deal with them violently.¡± After that, the two fell silent as they made their way through the crowd to the guild. The shadows that had been following them only disappeared when they came within spear-throwing range of the guild. A tension in his shoulders went with them, it had taken a lot of willpower not to turn around and confront them; he convinced himself it was at least good training for his Will. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back.¡± Lisette called to him from the desk she''d taken over. There was a mountain of paperwork on it. ¡°Yes, I have a few questions. I''d also like to see if I can get the healer, I''m going to use the Armory.¡± ¡°Well, let us deal with your questions first. None of our healers are logged in yet. We could wake one up, but unless it is an emergency, they will charge you more.¡± Jaeger nodded, content to wait, his questions would take some time to be answered anyway. ¡°So, questions?¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m just trying to organize them so they come out right.¡± He sat down across from her. ¡°Have you heard of the Black Lagoon Company and, if so, what do you know about it?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°The BLC, how¡¯d you hear about them?¡± ¡°I was at Bar''s bar last night, you could have warned me he was a bear by the way, and a few soon-to-bes were talking.¡± ¡°Soon-to-bes?¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s what I call people who are likely to be on bounty posters. I used to play a guessing game with another bounty hunter, I had a decent eye for them.¡± ¡°You should definitely write down those old world bounty hunter things you did, some of them sound useful; not this one, but maybe others.¡± Lisette looked around her desk but could not find what she was looking for. Giving up, she turned back to him. ¡°The BLC is a religious organization, they are also a black listed organization. Their members are hunted when discovered and they are reviled by everyone, even some criminal organizations are against them. No one is sure what they want and the things they do don''t seem to have an end goal. Though it is interesting that you brought it up.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Because they have a vested interest in interacting with Outworlders. Most of the information we have about the organization comes from Outworlders.¡± ¡°How do you know if someone is a member?¡± ¡°They have a black rune mark on them, it''s a Lagu rune in a circle. It''s very distinctive, unfortunately nothing else identifies them. You could try asking what god they worship, if they tell you and can prove it, you can be sure they''re not from the Company.¡± Jaeger nodded and decided to be wary of most people. He''d gotten some information about the Black Lagoon Company, but if anything, he was even more confused. Why had they brought him here and why did they want to take him to a place that sounded very torturous? He only had more questions, but maybe Lisette could answer at least one of them. ¡°Lisette I got one last question about them. Do they have an area of operation? Somewhere they¡¯re more active?¡± ¡°Tough question, Jaeger. They don''t operate in a way that can be identified. They are more of a shadow group and they mostly use catspaws. If you want to know more, I can look it up, but I''d like to know why.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Then I don''t need to know more, if or when I do, I''ll tell you why.¡± Lisette stared at him for a few moments, her face stern and focused. She wasn''t the first to stare at him, and the lack of bloodlust made it very unintimidating. Finally, she stopped with a huff of annoyance as the guild doors opened and a new group of people entered. ¡°Well, you''re too new to be a Company-man and the guild mistress has cleared you. I don''t like not knowing, but I won''t push it for now.¡± A man in a powder blue robe walked up and began to speak. ¡°Hey Manager Lisette, nice to see you. I heard you needed a healer to help you out?¡± He had a soft and pleasant face. With eyes that were a glowing azure, not just the pupils like Jaeger''s, but the entire eyeball. He had an easy smile and ghostly pale hair. His voice, even at full volume, had sounded like an insistent whisper. For now, he stared at Lisette as he spoke, but as soon as he finished, he turned his gaze to Jaeger. Being under the strange and intense gaze made Jaeger feel like he was being examined and measured. He felt like he was being tested, he didn''t much like it. ¡°Look elsewhere before I make you.¡± A surprised look crossed the blue-eyed man''s face as Jaeger replied, but then a warm smile blossomed. ¡°A hunter? How interesting, my apologies let me ease up on you.¡± The glow of his eyes cooled, becoming more like a wisp in the night than a fire, and his eyelids dropped to a half-closed position, giving him a sleepy look. The feeling of being exposed left Jaeger and he felt his body relax. Lisette had quietly watched the interaction between them and when it was over, she smiled faintly. ¡°My eyes, when fully open, reflect what you are and also allow me to see more of you. This can be very helpful for healing, but it can also be disturbing for people like you. Let me introduce myself, my name is Jin, and as you''ve heard, I''m a healer, probably the best in the guild.¡± Jin held his hand out towards Jaeger. Chapter 32 Jaeger gauged the man before him before taking his hand. ¡°The name¡¯s Jaeger and I am the best Bounty Hunter in the guild.¡± Jin laughed at that and pumped Jaeger''s hand. ¡°You are also the only Bounty Hunter in the guild. Now that I''ve met our newest guild member, let''s get down to business.¡± Letting go of his hand, Jin turned back to Lisette. ¡°You needed a healer, and here I am. How can I help you?¡± ¡°This actually has to do with our newest guild member.¡± Lisette gestured lazily at the bounty hunter. ¡°He''s got a new magic item, but its requirements are violent and almost lethal.¡± ¡°Interesting. As you know, this isn''t the first time I''ve been asked to help with magical items, so before I agree, let''s talk about my fee.¡± ¡°If it''s your normal fee, don''t worry, Jaeger will be able to cover it.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I''ll just charge guild member rates, and since it''s not an emergency, it''ll be a tad more expensive. The last thing I need is a description of what the item does and what kind of damage it does. I ask for the description because I refuse to work with nefarious items, you can get one of the other healers in that case.¡± ¡°And the damage type?¡± ¡°If I know what kind of damage you''re going to take, I can prepare better. For some types, a matter of seconds can make the difference between being healed and fully healed.¡± Jaeger looked at Lisette with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I can''t make this decision for you, or at least not for the description. It''s a personal decision, but I will say that it''s not too much to ask. The guild also guarantees safety in exchanges between members.¡± Jin held a hand to his heart, his expression one of intense pain and hurt. ¡°Manager Lisette, you wound me. What have I done to make you feel that you need to make such assurances to our newest member?¡± Lisette rolled her eyes as the blue-eyed man burst out laughing. ¡°Don''t worry Jaeger, I know Jin, if you tell him about your item, he''ll keep it a secret. He''s only talked about items that are disasters waiting to happen.¡± ¡°Well, Jin, if Lisette says you can be trusted, I''m willing to give you a chance. The item is called the Armory of the Armiger. I''ve still got the analysis card, so you can read about it here.¡± He handed the card to Jin and waited for the man to read it.
Armory of the Armiger Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.[cursed]
A bracelet that once belonged to a royal family. The royal family died defending their lands from apocalyptic destruction, but this bracelet survived. Having developed a low consciousness, it curses anyone who wears it to never wield a weapon it has not consumed, believing that only it can protect its wearer. Cursebound, once on, it won''t come off until the wearer dies. The Armory can hold a number of weapons equal to the number of beads on it. Once placed inside, the weapons become unbreakable and linked to the bracelet, and has a resummon ability. Weapons not placed inside the bracelet cannot be wielded. Requirement for placement: Bearer must be fatally wounded by the weapon.
Jin quickly read the card before handing it back to Jaeger. ¡°That''s a lot of trust you''ve shown me. Most people just read the background and curse relevant details to me; rarely do I get the full article. After reading it, I''m happy to help you, I''ve seen a few curses like this, so as a thank you for your trust, I''ll give you some insight. These curses usually resolve themselves and become beneficial after a certain amount of use. I would guess that this one is related to the number of pearls, or perhaps the quality of the weapons used.¡± ¡°I appreciate the information, Jin. Since you''re willing to help, I''d like to get this done soon. Although, now that I think about it, I''ll have to replace my axe.¡± Lisette points to the spare axe he took from the raider on his belt. ¡°You have a unique piece, even if it doesn''t look like the one you came in with.¡± ¡°It''s not. My original axe started to break during the fight with Crusher and was completely broken when he fell. All I have is the handle.¡± He pulled it out and showed them. ¡°I was thinking of finding a blacksmith to reuse it, maybe just get a new axe head.¡± Lisette nodded, scribbled quickly on some papers and stood up. ¡°The Blacksmith Guild lends us a single Grand Master, a number of Masters, and their apprentices and journeymen. In return, we take orders from them at a discount; for the use of their smiths I¡¯ve always thought we came out ahead. Come on, I''ll introduce you to them and we''ll see what they can do. Jin, are you coming or do you have something else to do?¡± ¡°I don''t have any jobs scheduled, and since I wasn''t sure what you needed, I had planned for this to take up most of my day. Since it sounds like this new weapon will be added to your armory, I''m willing to come along. I needed to talk to Master Juanna about my own equipment anyway.¡± With that, the trio left the guild and headed outside. Behind the guild, in the opposite direction of the training area, was an open building from which came the sounds of clanging metal and loud shouts. Inside were numerous forges, anvils, tools, and blacksmithing equipment that Jaeger barely recognized. Next to them were clearly magical tools and materials, such as green glowing pillars and what could only be a dragon skull. Humans, dwarves, and some harder-to-identify creatures were at work, the sounds of clanging and banging filling the air. From where the trio stood, however, the sounds were muffled. When they reached a black line drawn in the ground, the group stopped and waited. Jaeger wasn''t sure why, but soon a dwarf in an armored apron approached them. ¡°Whadda¡¯ya want?¡± ¡°Charming. I need to speak with one of your masters about work.¡± Lisette replied. ¡°Tis on you if¡¯n you¡¯re messing around, but I¡¯ll grab one for ya.¡± ¡°Also is Master Juanna around?¡± Jin asked, stopping the dwarf. ¡°Aye, she¡¯s out by forge seven.¡± ¡°I have business with her I will see myself over. Good luck to you both.¡± With that, Jin walked away, heading to the left. The dwarf watched him for a moment before shrugging and walking away himself, deeper into the building where Jaeger lost sight of him. Chapter 33 Jaeger and Lisette didn''t have to wait long before a gigantic gray-skinned man wearing a blacksmith''s apron walked toward them. It wasn''t until he got closer that Jaeger realized the man was probably more giant than human, he was taller than even the tallest man he''d seen; tall and muscular, similar to the giant merchantress he''d seen not so long ago. His size also only emphasized the uniqueness of his skin, it was metallic and caught the sun as he walked over to them. When he came to a stop in front of them, Jaeger had to tilt his head to meet his gaze and was stunned by his eyes, they were made of solid onyx. ¡°So it¡¯s you who has asked for a master?¡± His voice was deep and powerful, like a hammer striking an anvil. ¡°I asked for one, but he is the one who requires your service.¡± Lisette waved her hand. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I need a new axe, and I wanted to find out if it was possible to reuse part of my old one. Lisette recommended I speak with a master.¡± The man grunted before holding out a hand. Jaeger pulled out his axe handle and placed it in the man''s hand. Once he had it, he brought it up to his face and examined it. Seconds passed in silence as the towering man looked at the handle, before he handed it back to Jaeger and crossed his arms. ¡°You are an Outworlder and that item is too. You were smart to bring it here, it would have been better to bring the axe before breaking it but that is not important. You now have two options. I can work with that handle, affix a new head and have it for you, good as new. Or I can work with it and make it the weapon it has always wanted to be. Each option will take me most of a day, the type of metal or inscriptions you want added will not change that by much.¡± Jaeger looked at Lisette, who shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Why would I not pick the second option? It is clearly the better of the two.¡± ¡°Price and desire. It will cost more and while the weapon will be an axe it may not be one you desire.¡± ¡°I can handle money, but answer me this. Will the axe come out the same general size?¡± ¡°The size of the weapon will not change. It will simply become what it wanted to be.¡± ¡°Explain that. What do you mean by ¡®what it wanted to be¡¯?¡± ¡°I am a fathach mhiotail, a metal goliath. I am also a master blacksmith. Through my blood, metal speaks to me. In its worked and raw forms, it tells me what it wants to become. By my class, items speak to me, telling me how best to create, modify, or finish them. In the case of broken or in-progress pieces, they tell me what they want to be. I can ignore it, and if I do, the weapon comes out fine, a perfectly usable weapon; that would be your first option. On the other hand, if I listen to the item and help it become what it wants to be, there is always more. It comes out better and just more; your second option.¡± Jaeger didn''t say anything, he just took the information and thought about it. He would clearly choose the second option, if this master blacksmith said it was better, the hunter was willing to believe him. As a master of his craft, the hunter recognized a master of theirs. All that remained was to find out about the cost and the time. ¡°Repairing your axe would cost 75 gold, with a 25 gold discount because you provide the handle. For the second option, I will charge you 200 gold. This is a unique service that no one else can provide, but I do not get the opportunity to do it often.¡± This caught Jaeger''s attention. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Like you, I am an Outworlder, my class is not one that other blacksmiths can gain; it is a result of my origins. The leaders of my guild do not want me to use my skills for anything other than the projects they assign me.¡± The Goliath''s face took on a new expression, one of quiet anger. ¡°But I will not allow anyone to control what I do. So I took their mastery test, a test they only allowed me to take because I had no master of my own. They assumed I would fail, and they were wrong. Now that I am a Master, they cannot restrict me according to their own bylaws, so they did the next best thing. They required me to do my mandatory service to the guild and put me here. Most adventurers cannot afford the services of a master, and the few who can have a master assigned to them by the Grand Master. Whether the Grand Master wants to or the Guild orders it, he makes sure to pass me up every time. The only reason I am here now is because the dwarf you were talking to is a friend of mine and came to me. But your friend here has an assigned master and I imagine he will be along shortly.¡± The goliath''s tone and emotions had not changed as he spoke, but Jaeger had experience in judging and studying people. The anger, disappointment, and boredom that had been forced upon the blacksmith were clear in his minute expressions and told Jaeger all he needed to know. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°In fact, that should be Master Erryon coming. He will try to assign you to himself; the blame is not his, it is simply the way of things. However, I will ask you to choose me instead. I will not make any grand promises, but will state two facts. If you choose me, your weapon will be better than before, and I can do the same for any weapons you or your party might want. Second, unlike the other masters, I have a lot of free time.¡± With that, the goliath stepped back. Not a moment too soon, for hastening over was a human man, with a glorious mustache and arms that told of years of forging. ¡°Ah, my apologies, Lisette. I was in the middle of a task that I literally could not step away from, as the results could have been explosive, but I rushed over as soon as it was done.¡± The man turned to the goliath and waved him off. ¡°Sorry lad, this is my adventurer and I will be taking care of her friend as well.¡± The goliath just nodded at the two adventurers and stepped back just out of earshot, waiting. ¡°So, Lisette, what brings you here? Need a new wand or work done on your armor? And who''s the new blood I''ve never seen before, he''s got a look I''d remember.¡± Lisette had been silent, probably going over the information that the goliath had dumped on them. Jaeger nudged her when she didn''t answer. ¡°Oh yes, this is Jaeger Darkblade. He''s a recent arrival and the newest member of the Adventurers'' Guild. He''s an Outworlder and a Bounty Hunter as well. Jaeger, this is the blacksmith I work with, his name is Erryon Brightforge.¡± ¡°It is always exciting to meet a new Outworlder, so many new things come with each of you who arrive. I hope your arrival in our realm wasn''t a bad one, is that why you came here? I cannot promise that I will be able to replace any of your world''s unique items that you may have lost when you were brought here, some items are simply not allowed in our realm, but I can try. Now, what do you need? A shackle and chain? Perhaps a bounty cart?¡± When he had bombarded Jaeger with words, he had also offered his hand. Jaeger shook it, feeling the strength behind it. It spoke of the years, perhaps decades, spent in a forge. ¡°My arrival in this realm could have been much worse, but no, my arrival did not cost me anything I had with me. I managed to keep most of the tools of my trade, and while I may need a cart later, for now I''ll start small.¡± Pulling his hand free, Jaeger reached to his side and tapped the orc axe. ¡°I''m actually looking for a new axe. My old one broke in battle and I had to replace it with what was on hand, but I''d like a new one. I kept the handle and was interested in having it incorporated into the new one.¡± Jaeger pulled out the handle and held it out to the man. The man just looked at it, gave it a quick once-over before handing it back. ¡°The handle is still in fine shape; seems the break was solely in the head. That is a sign of good craftsmanship. I could have a new axe head sized and fitted in a few days. The time would depend on the metal and any inscriptions you might want.¡± He paused for a moment and seemed to think. ¡°Repairs start at 100 gold, that would be me using roaming steel, a good metal for someone who travels as much as you do, and I''ll take off 25 gold because you have a usable handle. If you don''t mind using that orcish axe, it''s an ugly but sturdy weapon, a little longer and I might be able to find other alternatives. There are stronger metals and more intricate types of inscriptions, but they cost more and take longer.¡± As it was brought up, the knowledge of roaming steel filled his mind. It was a metal so called for two reasons. First, while it could be mined in abundance, its veins of ore never stayed in one place for long and would simply wander away, replenishing themselves. The second reason was that roaming steel had a natural armor-piercing effect; any weapon made with it could pierce most non-magical armor without much effort. The effect was called unhindered blows. ¡°You''ve offered a fair price and a good time; even potential enhancements. Would this be a one-time deal or would you be available if I needed services on a regular basis?¡± ¡°I could become the master blacksmith you work with exclusively, but I have other adventurers to work with and unfortunately other duties. As a master, my skills are in high demand and my time is hardly my own, which is partly why I was late in greeting you both. Between duties to two different guilds, personal projects, and private business, I am unable to work with each of my adventurers on a regular basis. However, I have dedicated apprentices, journeymen and adepts who will. Lisette can attest to their abilities, and that''s not to say I won''t help; I just can''t be available on a regular basis.¡± Still lost in thought, Lisette made a few offhand comments. ¡°Master Erryon''s people are quite good, they did the work on my rapier and wands. This is also the deal with every,¡± her eyes cut over to the goliath master smith, where he stood. ¡°Almost every other blacksmith. Their time is simply too valuable to be tied down. The Adventurer''s Guild simply ensures that we have access to them, not constant access.¡± Jaeger considered this for barely a second before making a decision; an easy one, in his opinion. ¡°This is unfortunate. As a bounty hunter, I might need access to a blacksmith at any time, certain bounties require special tools that I might need made. So I will not be using your services.¡± Tipping his hat to the blacksmith, he walked past him to the goliath. ¡°Would you be available for blacksmithing on a regular basis? Or is your time hardly your own?¡± ¡°I can be as available as I want, and unlike the good Master Erryon, I do not have to deal with guild politics. I have no desire to become the next leader. If you need a blacksmith for regular services, I can be that.¡± Here he paused, a slight frown on his harsh face. ¡°Within reason, if you come to me at half past dawn looking for extensive work I may be cross. I¡¯ll still do the work but charges will apply.¡± Jaeger cracked a smile at that. ¡°Bounty hunting is a job with odd hours, but I''ll try. I''ll take the second option for my axe, and if it turns out half as good as you claim, I''d like you to be my smith.¡± Jaeger offered his hand to the goliath smith, who looked down at him. The large man¡¯s lips turned upward for a moment before he took Jaeger''s hand in his. Then he shook it firmly. ¡°My name is Lorcan ¨® hIsinemhiotail and I will be your blacksmith, Jaeger Darkblade.¡± Chapter 34 Lorcan and Jaeger had just sealed their deal when Lisette and Master Erryon walked over. ¡°Is this the one you chose? I can''t fault you, but others might.¡± Master Erryon said as he walked over. ¡°Are you questioning his abilities?¡± Jaeger asked, turning to the man. ¡°Ha. No, no, by the world-forge itself, no. This big fellow is the best you''ll find; I''d give him a good chance of taking out a lot of the gray beards above us. That''s the problem, but you''re an adventurer, a little trouble shouldn''t bother you.¡± ¡°Why would that be a problem?¡± Before Erryon could answer, Lorcan interjected. ¡°I am disliked by the leaders of the blacksmith guild. They resent my class, my perceived age, and my lack of respect for them.¡± Master Erryon laughed as he said this. ¡°Lack of respect? As I recall, you called each of them out and then picked apart their most precious work. Then you said that you refused to be ordered around by people who were stagnant and had forgotten what the forge and the anvil were for. It was by far the funniest thing I''ve seen in my time in the blacksmithing guild, which may be why I was sent here.¡± Lorcan looked at his fellow master with a confused expression on his face. ¡°Were you not sent here to watch over me?¡± ¡°No, like you, I refuse to listen to the Greybeards. The difference is that I''m friends with one of them, so they can''t do much against me. I was sent here as punishment for laughing at what you did. I probably shouldn''t say more in front of outsiders.¡± He said, motioning to Jaeger and Lisette. Lisette had a confused look on her face. Jaeger, on the other hand, had lit a cigarette and was barely listening. He''d had to deal with political conflicts within the guild in Beseria. ¡°What does that mean? Is this a guild secret?¡± Lisette asked. Master Erryon looked at Lorcan and then shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Eh, kind of. It''s more like one of those things you just don''t talk about openly, especially with non-guild members.¡± He took a deep, contemplative breath. ¡°The Blacksmith Guild trades with many guilds. Most are fair trade, and some are not. Our deal with your guild is the latter. The Adventurers'' Guild is where the troublemakers and eye sores are sent. It''s a punishment post. Having to serve a bunch of adventurers for almost no profit and with little chance of meeting nobles or big companies is punishment. Don''t get me wrong, the guild sends qualified masters, but not always the cream of the crop; myself and Lorcan are exceptions.¡± ¡°Why are we a punishment post? I understand it¡¯s constant work, but that also means constant levels.¡± ¡°Again, the base pay is not good, and the constant levels are good, but most master blacksmiths outside of here make one to five master pieces in the course of a year. Here? I''ve made maybe five since I''ve been here. Most adventurers just can''t afford masterpieces, and those who can go straight to the guild and have a famous master make them.¡± Lisette seemed at a loss for words, so Jaeger filled in. ¡°Their work goes unrecognized because, in the eyes of the adventurers, they produce fewer high-quality goods and more low-quality goods. I bet by the time most of the troublemakers have done their time here, they probably do everything they can to never come back. Maybe some kind of non-disclosure thing or a magic oath. They did something similar to soldiers back home, bad ones get sent to bad weather areas with worse pay. Some enjoyed the distance from command, others did everything they could to leave.¡± Jaeger shrugged at that and finished up his cigarette. ¡°Yeah, that''s about of the situation here. The loss of contacts also hurts, most of the people sent here don''t realize the importance of adventurers for parts. At least not until they''re gone.¡± Master Erryon said.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Lorcan looked lost in thought. ¡°So I was sent here in a bid to break my rebellious spirit?¡± ¡°Yes, and if you don''t toe the line of the guild, and more importantly, the guild leaders, they will probably find an excuse to keep you here.¡± ¡°Is that the reason why you and the other blacksmiths have been preventing me from taking on adventurers?¡± ¡°Me? I only came because Lisette was here, I wanted to take Jaeger because he was a friend of hers. Master Flindon told us to keep you broke and desperate. I never cared enough to do anything but the others, though, yes. They would definitely keep you from finding adventurers and clients.¡± Lorcan''s fists clenched in anger. ¡°I will crush his bones to dust and bring ruin upon the others.¡± He started to walk away, but Jaeger stepped in front of him, a hand raised. ¡°You''ll work on my ax first. We made a deal, and I don''t tolerate deal-breakers.¡± Lorcan looked down at the man before him. A tricorn hat sat tightly on his head, a large greatcoat hung over him like armor, and his hand rested on the knob of something at his hip. ¡°Honor demands that I take my revenge on Flindon.¡± ¡°Then take it by doing my work. I''m offering you a paying job, and you''re about to walk away from it. What does your honor say about breaking a deal?¡± Lorcan¡¯s wrathful stance loosened and he relaxed. ¡°The deal is the deal. You are a hard man, Mr. Darkblade. Fine, I will take my revenge in a less violent way, for now.¡± Jaeger let his hands fall free and stepped back. ¡°That¡¯s all I ask. Now my ax?¡± ¡°Magnificent. Such fun displays of aggression and even a tasty little secret. Oh, my dear bounty hunter, you are always so much fun.¡± Mischief lay on a corner of the forge building. He had followed Jaeger into the building and then walked around. He''d missed the beginning of this encounter, but he''d managed to hear the juicy parts. A smithing Outworlder with anger issues and guild politics. It wasn''t nearly as much fun or as devastating as the Gods'' games, but it was better than being stuck in that forest. ¡°I thought I sensed you here. What is a sneaky cat like you doing in my guild?¡± In a puff, Mischief tried to disappear, but a statuesque hand reached into the smoke and pulled him back. He began to scratch and bite, but nothing worked. Soon he was held in the embrace of a familiar four-armed being; Hecate, mistress of the Adventurers'' Guild. She held Mischief in two of her four arms and used the other two to caress and tease him. He growled in displeasure, but couldn''t escape, so he adopted a tactic unique to his presumed species; he went limp. Hanging in her arms, he just let what happened happen. ¡°Mrrw. Let me go, Hecate, I was just napping up here.¡± A strong hand rubbed his head, drawing a purr from him. ¡°Now we both know that''s not true. You were up here watching over your contractor. Or should I say your warlock?¡± He squirmed in her grip but did not speak. She moved him until she had him in front of her face. When he made eye contact with her, he tried something he hadn''t done since he''d taken the title of Chat Bott¨¦, he scrunched his face, widened his eyes and meowed his most kitten-like sound. It was a skill he''d developed and one that had always worked, but he rarely used it because nothing hurt his pride more than what usually came next. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not gonna work on me.¡± This was not the usual result. His face changed and now showed clear annoyance. ¡°Why not? It always works, what''s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Me? Nothing. Unfortunately for you, this technique has become relatively common place. My number two,¡± She used her lower left arm to point at Lisette down below them. ¡°used this technique a lot when we first met. I''m immune to it now, as are most people in the world are to some degree.¡± Mischief¡¯s eyes twitched. I knew I shouldn''t have taught those ''dear little cats''. They were just so eager, murderous, and scheming that I couldn''t resist. ¡°Now about this warlock of yours. Why did you choose him, and is what he said about you being bound true?¡± ¡°I chose him because he has a class that is useful to me. His penchant for violence and his morally gray outlook were just a nice bonus.¡± This time, when he purred, it was from his amusement at everything Jaeger had done. ¡°Not to mention his magic, watching what he does with it almost makes being tied up in that boring forest worthwhile.¡± ¡°His magic is fascinating, Outworlders always come here with something new. But his magic is different and facisnating.¡± She stopped talking, wanting to focus. ¡°Will your jailers know you are free?¡± ¡°No, I had time to plan this jailbreak. Originally, the plan was to tie the notification and tag to whoever I contracted with and then make them pay the price. But my contractor''s unique variant class and skills made a better solution available. I sent him the notification and tag, and he was designated as the bounty hunter for my bounty. But because he is my contractor, he cannot harm me, so the notification and tag are disabled for him. As long as neither of us breaks the contract, this will work, and it gives me time to figure out a permanent solution.¡± Hecate rubbed her chin, holding Mischief and tapping her staff on the roof. This went on for a few minutes; downstairs, Jaeger and the others had begun to move toward the forges. ¡°All right. I''m satisfied with what you''ve told me. The boy is now a member of my guild, so know that I will protect him as much as I can in this matter.¡± She crouched down and let Mischief go, and before she got up again, she patted him on the head. ¡°It is good to see you, my friend. Try not to get caught again.¡± Mischief rolled his eyes and was about to reply when the statuesque four-armed woman disappeared. In her place was a puff of red and blue smoke. ¡°Hrrm. So that¡¯s what that feels like.¡± Chapter 35 Jaeger left Lorcan''s personal forge with a sense of satisfaction at what his future axe would become. The smith had spent an hour going over the details and options involved in recreating his axe. Lorcan said the recreation phase would take a few hours, but he told Jaeger to come back the next day because he would have to gather the materials first and that might take longer. He spared no expense and ended up spending most of his current wealth. Since he had his new Armory item, he wanted his axe to be as good as possible. Spending so much money on a single weapon was something he''d never done before, but unlike in Beseria, he didn''t have to worry about fighting others for bounties; here there were more than enough. With that, Jaeger headed for the guild''s main building in search of Lisette. She''d parted ways with him and told him to meet her near her desk when he was done. ¡°Up here Jaeger.¡± Lisette was leaning over the railing on the second floor, waving to him. Jaeger made his way to her, stalking up the stairs. When he met her, she was sitting at a table with Jin, enjoying something from a steaming teapot, an mug left for him. ¡°How¡¯d everything go with your smith?¡± Lisette said over the rim of her cup. ¡°Is he not partaking of Master Erryon¡¯s services?¡± Jin asked. ¡°No, there is an Outworlder blacksmith he has chosen. The man is a true giant with skin the color of dark steel. Master Erryon told me that if he weren''t an Outworlder, he would have been promoted higher than Master. Apparently, the Blacksmith Guild has a different attitude than we do when it comes to their Outworlders.¡± Jaeger poured himself a cup, and took a sip; it was a spicy blend of something hot, he liked it. ¡°Why does his being an Outworlder matter?¡± Jaeger asked. ¡°Some guilds are reluctant to cede power to Outworlders. They still see you as negative influences at worst and people with undeserved abilities at best, given to you by chance. That''s an outdated view. The Adventurers'' Guild does not subscribe to that view, and as long as you can pass the enrollment process, we don''t care where you come from or who you were.¡± ¡°Will I have to deal with this problem in other places?¡± ¡°No. Oddly enough, this is a guild-only issue. The nobles and the government could care less if you are an Outworlder. In fact, people won''t be able to tell your one unless you volunteer.¡± Jin had been content to sit and sip from his cup as they talked, but when he saw that the conversation was getting far off topic, he chimed in. ¡°So you have your blacksmith set up, and I can only imagine that he''s decided to make your axe. So do we bind your magic item or not? I don''t want to rush you, but if we''re not going to do it today, I''d like to know.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll still bind it today.¡± ¡°All right, what are you going to do with your secondary axe?¡± ¡°I''ll keep it for now, but I won''t bind it.¡± ¡°I hope not, it''s a serviceable weapon, but I think your new one will be better. What will you be binding?¡± ¡°I have two ranged weapons I¡¯ll be binding.¡± ¡°Oh, a bow or crossbow? Or is it something unique to your world?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve a pistol and a rifle.¡± Jin sat back disappointed. ¡°Why do you want to bind them? Don''t misunderstand, do what you want, I won''t object. But those weapons will not remain useful against higher level enemies, you might be wasting two points.¡± Lisette laughed lightly at this before setting down her teacup. ¡°Don''t play with the healer Jaeger, let''s go down to the training arena and you can show him what your weapons can do.¡± Jaeger finished his cup and stood. ¡°I wasn¡¯t playing with him Lisette.¡± ¡°No, you were deliberately vague, it seems a certain cat is rubbing off on you.¡± Lisette left, leaving Jaeger and Jin behind. Jaeger had a brooding look on his face as he considered what she had said, which was only broken when Jin stood up with a groan. ¡°Well, let''s not keep her waiting, I''m very interested to see what your weapons can do. I hope I won''t be disappointed.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. With that, the pair caught up with Lisette and quickly made their way to the training arena. Once inside, Lisette set up the privacy zone and grabbed a seat. ¡°You''re all good at showing off your weapons. I''m just here to enjoy the show.¡± She had just leaned back and called out lazily. ¡°Oh, and when you set up the targets, make sure to keep a damage report, that''s what Jin will need.¡± With that, Jaeger went over to the magic range and set it up. He set targets at various distances and adjusted the target''s defenses to unarmored human. He made a note to come back to this area later; from his brief look, the settings contained options for most known races and monsters; it would be useful to know how his equipment worked against other enemies. With the setup done he waited for the targets to position themselves and then spoke. ¡°The closest three dummies will be damaged by my pistol ranging from the weakest shot to the strongest and then the furthest three will be my rifle at the same damage range.¡± He took a deep breath and then, in a single motion, quickly drew his pistol and fired at the first target. He felt a familiar recoil, saw a flash followed by a puff of smoke, and heard the target fall. The smoke dissipated quickly, proving to be only a momentary distraction. When he saw it, the target had a circular hole in it. He prepared again, but this time he took aim before firing. As he did so, a bright arc of light shot out of his pistol, with no recoil for a few to many seconds. But as soon as the recoil hit, a veritable cloud of smoke surrounded him. He took a few deep breaths into the cloud, feeling as if he''d just run a fast sprint; there was a hint of black powder in the air that he felt linger in his mouth before dissipating. As he waited for the cloud to dissipate, he moved around it, finding his vision unobstructed, looking for its edge and timing it''s stay. With his loping gait, he was able to take four steps in each direction without leaving the smoke, and it lasted long enough for him to go each way; that would be good for short distance relocation, he thought. Finally, as the smoke cleared, he caught a glimpse of the target - this time, a chunk of the top was missing. It looked like something had carved a smooth section out of it. For the last target, Jaeger prepared himself and actively tried to overcharge his pistol. The bronze filigree running across it began to glow and rearrange itself into runes he could almost understand, the meaning on the tip of his tongue but unutterable. The weight of the pistol seemed to increase as he charged it. He felt it when the charge was full, and he stopped channeling his mana. Instead, he aimed down and fired at his target. A blinding beam of light shot out of his pistol, and once again, for too long, he felt no recoil. Until he did. When it hit, he had to strain his arm not to lose the pistol, and a haze of smoke enveloped the area around him. It was darker than before and he knew it would be bigger, but exploring it would come later. For now, it took everything he had to keep his knees from buckling and his breath from coming in like the bellows of a forge. For a moment, a headache and ringing in his ears began, both of which slowly faded, gone as quickly as they had come. As the ringing faded he heard voices speaking. "Lisette, you could have warned me. I was expecting a crossbow or maybe some fireballs. Not this.¡± An exasperated Jin said, before yelling with an exhausted voice. ¡°Stop laughing and do something about this smoke already.¡± A high-pitched laugh rang out in response. ¡°By the Goddess. You should have seen your face, priceless.¡± More laughter, that quickly turned to wheezing. ¡°Ah. Haha. Oh, Goddess, my stomach. Ha. Heh. Okay, okay, I''m fine. Phew, all right. I can''t... I can''t do anything about the smoke. It''s... it''s an effect and it''s pretty resilient. I could actually counter it, but it would require too much investment for a benign effect.¡± ¡°But what about Jaeger? He''s in there, and judging by the strength of that magic, he might be suffering from mana exhaustion.¡± Jaeger''s breathing had finally come down from bellowing to just barely audible, so he called out. ¡°I''m fine. Just a little winded. To answer your next question, I can''t do anything about the smoke either. It''ll go when it goes.¡± ¡°My next question was whether your rifle is similar in damage type to your pistol.¡± Taking off his tricorne, Jaeger wiped his forehead, the shot taking more out of him than he expected. The last time he had been in such a bad situation, he hadn''t realized how strong the aftereffects were. Wiping it away, he replaced his hat and spoke. ¡°The rifle is stronger on average and with more distance, but yes, the type of damage is the same.¡± A whispered conversation took place outside the haze of smoke before Jin called back. ¡°Then there is no need for you to demonstrate it. I can check the records from the targets and get ready myself. As soon as the smoke clears, we can start preparing.¡± A few minutes had passed while all this was happening, and in an instant the smoke was gone. Dissipated completely, leaving nothing but a faint trace of black powder in the air; which quickly dissipated. ¡°Oh. That was interesting and the smell was unusual.¡± Jin said as he and Lisette walked over to Jaeger. He made a quick check of the bounty hunter before going to the targeting device and going through its records. Meanwhile, Lisette did a more thorough examination of Jaeger. She asked him how he felt, if anything ached or hurt, and checked his hands for burns or damage. Apart from a lingering ache as if he''d pulled a muscle hard, he felt fine. ¡°Good, because I don''t know how much you saw, but that last move was impressive. It looked like something that would have a strong backlash.¡± ¡°I felt real drained after using it.¡± He stopped and considered her before he continued, his voice lowered. ¡°Between you and me, I couldn''t do more than stand after using it. It drained me almost completely, left me breathing hard and sweating.¡± She nodded. ¡°Do you have a headache or ache in your hands?¡± ¡°No. I had the start of a headache though.¡± ¡°That move must have pushed you to your limit. Headaches, at least after heavy magic use, are a sign of mana exhaustion. It happens when you use all your mana and then draw more. You must have hit your limit or close to it and then recovered enough to get out of it.¡± Jaeger had no answer to that, he just added it to the list of things to watch out for. He had overcharged his gun some time ago and didn''t feel like this, he wondered why, but then answered his own unspoken question. He had been extremely injured then, maybe he had felt mana exhaustion. What''s a headache compared to broken bones and he had drunk from his horn soon after. He decided to mention this to Lisette. ¡°Well, then your horn is really valuable. Basic healing won''t work on mana depletion, so helping with that makes your horn a unique item. Don''t give it away though, even if it''s tied to you, an Archmagus might decide that if he can''t have it, no one can.¡± Chapter 36 ¡°Good news I¡¯ve gone over the records and I can match the damage done. Bad news, it won''t be easy. I''ll have to use something strong and that means this won''t be cheap.¡± With an apologetic shrug he went on. ¡°Guild rules, if I use my abilities over a certain strength I have got to charge more.¡± Jin walks back to Lisette and Jaeger as he speaks. ¡°How much are we talking about?¡± ¡°4000 gold.¡± Jaeger looks to Lisette, who was supposed to be helping him get healed. She meets his eyes and gives a small frown. ¡°That is about the going rate for a resurrection. Like a divine resurrection amount of money.¡± ¡°Yes, which is essentially what he needs. Not just because this item curse requires him to be mortally wounded, but because of the kind of damage his weapons do. What I am about to say is not meant to brag or boast, but as a simple fact. I am your best, if not only, chance to survive being fatally wounded by your weapons.¡± This catches Jaeger''s attention. ¡°Oh. Why is that?¡± ¡°Because of the nature of the damage. Your guns seem to release a ball of pure lead, the beam also seemed to carry some of its properties.¡± ¡°That makes sense, that''s what they did in my world. They shot specialized lead balls, but they changed them when they got here. All my lead shot was removed, among other things.¡± Jin raised an eyebrow at that, before laughing. ¡°Ah, my friend, I have no doubt. I''ve heard that the system occasionally changes things for Outworlders, usually to your advantage, but it also removes things it deems forbidden. In this case, it was your lead. This is because lead is essentially anti-magic.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad. Kinda evens the battlefield, if you ask me.¡± ¡°You''re not wrong, but you also have to consider that magic runs through the whole world, so too much lead can damage the world. That''s why naturally occurring lead deposits are so small, barely big enough to make a dagger. Not that anyone would waste it that way. Your old gun was essentially shooting world-killing gold, but rarer and more expensive.¡± It sounded like Jaeger''s old lead shot was somehow more dangerous here. It also sounded like his new gun was doing some kind of irreparable damage, which was good to know, but brought to mind a terrifying thought. ¡°So my guns deal damage that magic can¡¯t heal? Do I need to worry about accidentally killing the world?¡± ¡°A glancing wound can be healed, but fatal wounds, unlikely. Unless you¡¯re me. As for damaging the world, do not fret the system modified your weapon so it won¡¯t hurt the world.¡± Jaeger was relieved, but frustrated that Jin was dragging out the conversation. ¡°Get to the point.¡± Jin smiled again before raising his hands as a blue aura ran over them. ¡°I do not use magic. I come from a specialized order and have been trained to use a rare form of energy called chakra to heal. My healing is unaffected by anti-magic properties such as those exhibited by lead.¡± Lisette nodded. ¡°He''s a former student of the Order of Medical Ninja. They''re a neutral organization of healers, some of the best in the world. For an expelled student, Jin is pretty good.¡± Jin¡¯s smile turned sour. ¡°Just pretty good? You will surely kill me with a thousand cuts today, Lisette.¡± Lisette rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course, you''re only pretty good, you were expelled.¡± Jin sighed and lost his smile. ¡°Yes, yes, I was.¡± He claps his hands, which have lost their blue glow. ¡°But that was over a matter of attitude, not over my ability to heal. I was considered a prodigy when it came to healing.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°He¡¯s also quite humble.¡± Jaeger watched their banter, picking up subtle hints of something. Jin hadn''t seemed so sad when reminded of his expulsion, Jaeger could have sworn he seemed relieved. Noticing that reaction, he said. ¡°I see why you''re my only hope. Not that you had to sell yourself, Lisette trusts you and right now I''m looking for trustworthiness. So when can we do this? Do you have any idea how long this will take?¡± ¡°We can do it now if you''d like. I''ve maintained my chakra levels so I''m ready. Time wise, if you tell me how you plan to injure yourself, I can shorten my reaction time and from there it is about your body''s affinity to receive healing.¡± Jin closed his eyes in thought for a few seconds, before speaking. ¡°Based on past experience, I imagine it will take an hour, if your body has what I call an average affinity for healing; the better it is, the faster.¡± Jaeger takes a deep breath. ¡°Then let¡¯s do it.¡±
Weaponry added to Armory of the Armiger
¡°¡­ger! ¡­eger! Jaeger!¡± ¡°Lisette you don¡¯t ¡­ to yell ¡­ him. I told you he¡¯s simply ¡­eping off the damag¡­ healing. My medical ninjutsu doesn¡¯t normally drain the body but he was fatally injured.¡± Jin said before a barely audible murmur passed his lips. ¡°Twice in a row, though, I thought he''d take it one at a time. He''s incredibly lucky that I was quick to react.¡± Jaeger lay on the ground, his head on something soft and his body aching. He felt like he''d run a full marathon, in plate armor, with a hangover. ¡°Water.¡± As the words left his mouth, a gasp was heard and Jin rushed over, a flask of water in his hands. Jaeger took it from him and drank it in a few gulps, yet an almost unquenchable thirst ran through him. ¡°Need more.¡± Jin''s eyes flashed blue for a moment, as did his hands. After a second of watching Jaeger, he muttered something low in an indecipherable language and moved away, presumably to get more water. As Jin walked away, something was placed in his mouth. The bounty hunter eagerly sucked down the contents, expecting water, but was surprised to taste black powder, and then a rush pulsed through his body. He rose with a roar, shooting to his feet like an explosion. Tingling, burning and energy raced through his body. ¡°What was that Lisette?¡± Jin practically screamed as he sprinted back and the exhausted body of Jaeger shot to his feet. Jaeger turned, his body still twitching with barely suppressed energy, and looked at her. She rose from the floor, her feet under her knees. Had she been cradling my head? Jaeger thought. Lisette rose to her feet, dusting off her legs as she did so. ¡°That was just some of Jaeger''s emergency rejuvenation concoction.¡± ¡°Why did you give it to him? His body can''t take any more healing, it''s exhausted. Any more healing and his body will consume itself, damn it, you know the dangers of over-healing Lisette.¡± Jin had now moved to stand in front of Lisette and seemed quite angry about her actions. ¡°Calm down Jin, I know what I''m doing. Jaeger here has used this thing before and it doesn''t work the same as healing. It is a recovery boost, it boosts his energy and energy recovery.¡± Jaeger felt it was time to interrupt, Lisette had done a good job of explaining what his powder horn did without saying too much. He decided to introduce some new information to better hide what it did. ¡°Jin, I''m fine. Lisette is right, my horn has a potion from my old world. The system said that because my body is different from the human body in this world, the potion would strengthen my body. It doesn¡¯t exactly heal me, it just boosts my body, I can¡¯t explain it well.¡± He decided to lie. He got the idea after learning that there were a variety of different races, all called orcs. If an orc could be the same but completely different, why not humans? ¡°Hmm. I have heard of some Outworlders who were different kinds of races than we already know.¡± He said before muttering to himself. ¡°Like the snow elves. Is this why I¡¯m here?¡± ¡°So were good then?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh yeah. If you don''t mind, I''d like to check you over just to be sure. But if that potion wasn¡¯t a healing potion, you¡¯d be showing signs of healing strain by now if it were, you should be fine.¡± Jaeger saw no reason not to, so he waved Jin over and let the man run his tests. He looked up at the sky as Jin ran glowing hands over his body. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°Not sure, but it is almost dinner time so almost half the day. Why?¡± Jin replied distractedly as he scanned Jaeger¡¯s body for damage. ¡°No reason, I just wanted to get an idea of how long this process might take.¡± ¡°This time took so long because you decided to take two fatal wounds at once.¡± Jaeger shrugged at that. Jin stood back. ¡°You¡¯re in fine shape. Not to brag but I do quite a good job.¡± Lisette clapped slowly, earning a glare from the man. ¡°Well, now that that''s done, let''s get something to eat. I''m starving.¡± Lisette said and motioned the others to the door. Jaeger was hungry, but he also had messages from the Armory to check. His stomach rumbled loudly. Jin laughed and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Come, we¡¯ll eat and you can tell us about your notifications. It¡¯ll go better over a meal.¡± Jaeger thought for a moment before answering. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± As the trio approach the exit and unlock it, they are almost knocked over as it bursts open. Entering is Lorcan, holding a wrapped object in his hands. ¡°Jaeger, one of the guild receptionists told me you were here. I finished your axe; I know you were in a hurry to get it, so I came to deliver it in person.¡± He looked at the group: Jaeger and Jin looked exhausted and Lisette groaned into her hands. ¡°Is this a bad time?¡± Jaeger laughed. ¡°No, you''re just in time. Come in and close the door.¡± Jaeger turned and removed his jacket and top layer of clothing, revealing his scarred torso. ¡°Once we¡¯ve finished here you should join us for dinner.¡± Lorcan pauses for a moment, then slowly shrugs and closes the door behind him. {End of Book 1 ¨C Welcome to a New World.} Chapter 37 Once again, the door to the training ground opened, but instead of a giant entering, a line of people exited. Jaeger in the lead, dried blood under his chin and peeking out from under his shirt as he pulled on his jacket. Then came Lisette, looking nauseous, as if she''d just seen something grisly and unnerving. Jin followed her, a glowing hand rubbing her back, soothing, and a pensive look on his face. Finally, Lorcan walked in the back, he seemed unperturbed, if anything he seemed eager to talk. ¡°That was a fascinating ritual, thank you for honoring me by allowing me to observe it. We have something similar on my world.¡± Jaeger waved his arm at the blacksmith. ¡°That wasn''t nothing. As my blacksmith, you should know what happens to the weapons you deliver to me.¡± Though he said it easily and without any real thought, Jaeger meant it; as if it were as true as there was a sun in the sky. Lorcan moved forward, catching up to Jaeger. ¡°Still to see a man bind his weapon. It is a sacred thing where I come from, the ritual may be different, but the sentiment remains true. Usually only shown to the most trusted, for if others found out, they could exploit any perceived weakness in the weapon.¡± Jaeger turned to the taciturn giant with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Are you implying the ax you made has a weakness?¡± Lorcan made eye contact with Jaeger, the goliath¡¯s eyes gaze was strong and firm like a godly anvil. ¡°I do not make perfect weapons, but I do make them without faults or weaknesses. Did you not inspect it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was planning to go over the changes while I ate, that''s why I invited you. I¡¯m also feeling a tugging in my guts that¡¯s telling me if I don¡¯t eat soon I¡¯m liable to do something dangerous.¡± His stomach rumbled violently; he hadn''t asked Jin, but the way he described the healing, it seemed like his body was supplying a lot of the energy. If so, it certainly explained his ravenous hunger; he had been healed of three fatal wounds in one day. ¡°Understandable, I am hungry too. It was difficult to bring out the potential and desires of your axe. I was unaware of the history between you and it.¡± Jaeger was about to ask about that when a sudden shout interrupted him. ¡°How can you two even consider eating? We just watched Jaeger decapitate himself less than two hours ago!¡± Lisette practically screamed. Jin hurried to catch up, she''d rushed forward to confront the two men. ¡°Lisette, I didn''t decapitate myself, I hit my spine and stopped. A near-death experience is just another day on the job for me. I can''t tell you how many times I''ve almost been killed. At least here there are people like Jin, people who know what they''re doing. Back in Beseria, I''d have to go to a charm-chirurgeon and hope they weren''t planning on experimenting on me or trying out some newfangled technique.¡± He spat to the side, before muttering. ¡°Goddamn monsters.¡± Thinking about those ''men of healing'', Jaeger wondered if he should let Jin inspect his insides. He''d been experimented on by them and he knew that some organs had moved, he''d felt the shift when it happened. He was pretty sure that something extra had been added after he had been burned by cannon fire at the Battle of Ostragar. He hadn''t suffered from any sickness, disease, or poison since. In the end, he decided to wait until he knew the man better, or until something went wrong with him. ¡°To blood bond a weapon is to accept a certain amount of risk. I have seen men disembowel themselves to achieve what Jaeger has.¡± Lorcan added solemnly before making a quick hand gesture. ¡°This was a fairly clean and quick affair, not to mention he had the services of a skilled healer. A luxury in situations like this.¡± Lisette fell silent. Jin put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a light squeeze. ¡°I understand where you are coming from, Jaeger''s ease in performing the task was eye-opening, but he has lived a different life than you.¡± Jin spoke softly to her, before looking up at Jaeger. ¡°That being said. Jaeger, if the task had been to fatally burn yourself or immerse yourself in fire, would you have done it so easily?¡± Jaeger scoffed. ¡°Course not. Burns are one of the worst things, I''ve seen too many people die a slow death from them.¡± Jin smiled while Lisette looked up at Jaeger, a flicker of emotion crossing her face. ¡°How would you react to someone who could burn themselves as easily as you just wounded yourself?¡± ¡°Were they dealing with a situation like mine? And did they have access to similar healing?¡± ¡°The situation required them to fully immerse themselves in a fire and survive. They had a healer with them, but part of their situation required them to have prolonged pain. The situation left them with minimal scars, but all the pain.¡± ¡°Then I''d say they were a damn sight braver than me. Fire is one of the few things I''m not so cavalier about.¡± ¡°Lisette did just that in order to master something of hers. I won''t tell you what it was, but she had to go through a ritual where she was immersed in a roaring fire. And while she was being healed, the pain was made to remain.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Jaeger looked at the woman in question. ¡°Impressive. I won''t say I underestimated you, you''re too knowledgeable for that, but I believed you to be more of a scholar than a fighter, this certainly changes you in my eyes.¡± Indeed, to Jaeger, it offered insight into her pain tolerance and tenacity. Good qualities for a fighter. Lisette stood up straighter and rushed forward with a renewed sense of confidence, passing a smiling Jin. ¡°And you know what I did after that? I ate the roy¡­ I mean my father¡¯s kitchen clean. It was a day to remember. Come on, the guild''s not my father''s kitchen, but it''s quite good.¡± Lisette stumbled a bit over her words, but Jaeger decided not to voice his growing suspicions. Instead, he just nodded and went with the princess into hiding.
The guild''s dining hall proved to be more than fine; to Jaeger, it was on par with the few holiday celebrations he''d attended. Having finished his meal, Jaeger sat back and was about to light a cigarette when he noticed the eager, stern, and annoyed looks of the three people he was sharing a table with. ¡°Jaeger if you don¡¯t get on with your notifications Jin might need to heal you up again.¡± Lisette said, holding her fork threateningly. With a soothing gesture, Jaeger focused on the notifications he had ignored.
Weaponry added to Armory of the Armiger: Necessity (pistol) The Huntsman (rifle) The Bounty Hunter¡¯s Companion (axe)
Armory of the Armiger [cursed]
A bracelet that once belonged to a royal family. The royal family died defending their lands from apocalyptic destruction, but this bracelet survived. Having developed a low consciousness, it curses anyone who wears it to never wield a weapon it has not consumed, believing that only it can protect its wearer. Cursebound, once on, it won''t come off until the wearer dies. The Armory can hold a number of weapons equal to the number of beads on it. Once placed inside, the weapons become unbreakable and linked to the bracelet, and has a resummon ability. Weapons not placed inside the bracelet cannot be wielded. Requirement for placement: Bearer must be fatally wounded by the weapon. Weaponry: 3/???
Jaeger shared the information with the others, including the names of his weapons. ¡°Huh. I didn''t take you for a guy who names his weapons. I guess I learn something new every day.¡± ¡°Well, you didn''t learn anything new today. I don''t name my weapons. I have no idea where the names come from.¡± As she thought, Lisette tapped her fork on her plate. ¡°Well that¡¯s interesting, let¡¯s consider then.¡± She put down the fork and held up three fingers, putting one down as she spoke. ¡°The axe is easy. Lorcan remade it, and the system will name weapons if they are of high enough quality. Was it Lorcan?¡± The blacksmith was still eating, hurrying to swallow his last bite, he took a sip from his tankard and replied. ¡°Yes.¡± Lisette looked at him, waiting to hear more, but the blacksmith, having answered the question, went back to eating. Sighing, she shook her head and wiggled her two remaining fingers. ¡°But now we come to your guns. You claim not to have named them, and while I believe you, this raises two questions. Who named them? Or when did the system name them? Were they named when you got here?¡± Jaeger thought back to that fateful day. It had been a busy time, full of magic notes and flashing lights. He remembered a partial message from his would-be captors, he remembered being named, classified, and dropped off, he even remembered when the system decided to change his weapons and powder horn. But try as he might, he didn''t remember them getting named. ¡°The system didn¡¯t name them, or at least I don¡¯t recall. But I¡¯ve used them since, so wouldn¡¯t I have seen the name of them?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± She loses herself in thought again, but slaps her forehead, a look of embarrassment on her face. ¡°Of course they weren''t named. I''m an idiot. Jaeger, when you first joined the guild, do you remember when I gave you your introduction? We tested your weapons, magic, and skills? If any of your equipment had been named, it would have registered.¡± What she said made sense, because that was when he learned not only that he had magic but what his was called. ¡°Sure as sure.¡± ¡°The only other explanation I can think of is that your item, the Armory, caused your weapons to be recognized and named.¡± She started toying with her fork, trying to piece something together in her mind. ¡°But I wonder about the origin of the names. Names always mean something when they come from the system. So why is your pistol called Necessity? I understand the axe and the rifle, they''re based on you or what you do. But the pistol? What about what you do is Necessity?¡± With all the talk about his axe and rifle names being about him. Jaeger had an idea where his pistol got its name, something that was important to who he was. A line from the Bounty Hunter''s Creed immediately came to mind. ¡°Capture by design, kill by necessity.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It''s part of the Bounty Hunter''s Creed, or Beseria''s Bounty Hunter''s Creed, it''s one of the things I live my life by. If I am pursuing a bounty and the goal is capture or kill, I only kill when I have to. And usually the weapon that ended those bounties was my pistol.¡± The table fell silent. Lisette''s expression grew more solemn, Jin became thoughtful, and Lorcan seemed appreciative. ¡°If the rest of your code is like that, I think I will enjoy working with you.¡± Lisette took a sip of water before whistling softly. ¡°As far as I know, the bounty hunters of Ragaea, or at least here on Klangdor, do not have any sort of code or creed. I would be interested to hear the rest of your creed sometime. Learning more about Outworlders is always useful, but this creed of yours could set a precedent for all other Bounty Hunters.¡± Jin didn''t speak, he just sat there, seemingly lost in thought. Jaeger shrugged his shoulders at Lisette. ¡°I have no problem with that. I will say that the Creed is not easy. It was created in a time of lawlessness to curb the tendencies of dangerous men and women.¡± The meal continued, and things lightened up as the group moved on to other topics. Lisette told a story about a new adventurer who lost his metal armor to a rust slime. Lorcan talked about how he had expanded his dwelling to include a bathtub he could fit in, and the problems it caused his neighbors whose rooms he had broken into. Jaeger told a story about a bounty he had caught coming out of an outhouse and how the man had fled from him, pants around his ankles, through a busy main street. Even Jin came out of his thoughts and told a story, telling of the numerous times he''d been asked to heal ¡®burns¡¯ or ¡®rashes¡¯ and the excuses people gave him for how they got him. One of his favorites was when a man told him that he had taken a bolt of fire to his groin, causing the burns, only for Jin to point out that the man was of the jinn; and thus immune to fire. The group had a good laugh. Soon things began to calm down, and Jaeger finally asked Lisette something he''d been thinking about for a few days. ¡°Lisette. I''m ready for my next bounty, who needs hunting?¡± Chapter 38 Dinner was over soon after Jaeger spoke and everyone went their separate ways. Lisette told him she needed two days to get everything organized, and he didn''t like that, but he could afford two days. In fact, he spent those days in training, with his Armory partially filled, he needed to understand how to use it. He didn''t spend all his time training, he gathered supplies and visited Ventress, but he wasn''t meant to lounge around, so he spent most of it that way. It also served to keep him out of public view, as he felt eyes upon him as he moved about. He was used to others looking at him, bounty hunters were tolerated but usually not welcome in Beserian settlements, but this time the gaze felt different. It was hard to say how, but he just knew it was different, it had a more intense feel to it, but lacked any kind of focused malicious intent. He had a good idea of who was watching him, having caught glimpses of black hair and blood-red leather slipping out of sight several times. He knew that going on a hunt would put an end to those watching eyes, one way or another. That was why he was sitting in front of Lisette at the earliest possible moment. ¡°Thanks for waiting, I can tell you are very keen to get to work. I had the bounties ready to go, I grabbed them all when you first left. The reason I needed those two days was to check with the guilds around Patterson to make sure that none of the guild leaders would come asking for you.¡± Lisette sat in her usual chair while Jaeger sat across from her. The usual hubbub and noise of the guild was quiet because of the time. ¡°A few guilds were interested in acquiring your services, but none of them were demanding or immediate. I''ll look into them while you''re out hunting, speaking of.¡± She flipped open a thick book on her desk, revealing it was a folder stuffed with bounty posters. ¡°We have a large variety here, even though we haven''t had Bounty Hunters; other adventurers used to take bounties when monster hunting was slow. Which was good, but most adventurers make just as much money hunting monsters as humans without some of the moral implications, so with the recent monster wave they stopped taking them and the posters started piling up. If you don''t want to go through each one, I''ll ask a few questions and we can narrow it down. First, do you want groups or individuals?¡± Jaeger understood that bounty hunting wasn''t for everyone. Jobs had to be taken carefully, and without something like the Bounty Hunter''s Creed, it was easy to let morality get in the way. Then again with an organization like the Adventurer¡¯s Guild you probably didn¡¯t need to worry about any morally dubious bounties. Jaeger made a mental note to inquire about the money that monster hunting brought in. ¡°Are the individuals running with groups like my last one or are they alone?¡± ¡°That last one was special, but in general it''s a mix. I will say that each of them where they run with a group has bonuses offered for each member of the group brought in. With the exception that proof of the bounty is required, some people have tried to fool the system but it never works.¡± Jaeger fell silent and thought about it. He''d been lucky with his first bounty, not every group would have a disgruntled member willing to turn on the others for coin. There was also the problem of logistics, how was he going to bring in a group? ¡°If I choose a group, how do I deliver it? Do I bring them back; will someone meet me there, or is the answer just some version of ¡®magic¡¯?¡± Lisette smiled. ¡°It depends on the bounty. Some will require you to bring it in, some will have an observer present to verify it. Other times you might be asked to bring proof of death; a group might have a Killers Chain or a uniform, in which case you would bring that in. Don¡¯t worry every group bounty has a clear ¡®proof of bounty¡¯ requirement and if it is the bodies we require that transport or magical verification is covered by the contractor not the hunter.¡±Stolen story; please report. She shuffled through some of the bounties before pulling one out and handing it to Jaeger. Skimming it, he saw that it was for a rogue clan of night goblins. Lisette drew his attention to the bottom, where the proof of the bounty was. It asked for the ears of the night goblins, the rogue clan had a tattoo on them that signified their rogue status. Lisette took the poster back and continued speaking. ¡°Some are like that. The ears thing is not that uncommon, there are some who ask for index fingers, horns, claws, even hearts; some ask for specific heads, like what you did with Crusher. As far as I can tell, these are either the most identifiable parts of the bounty in question, or done as some sort of cultural reprisal.¡± Jaeger nodded. Some of them were more exotic than he was used to, he''d certainly never taken someone''s heart, but he understood retaliation. He''d been asked to bring in badges from corrupt sheriffs, signet rings from cruel nobles, and even a man''s right foot; he''d never quite understood that last one, but at least the foot had been fake. He also understood the need to take certain things to save space. He''d only taken Crusher''s head because the big orc''s body was too big to carry. ¡°Fine, but what if the group bounty requires them to be alive?¡± ¡°That''s easy, none of them do. We stopped doing live quests for groups. Some adventurers simply didn¡¯t read far enough to see they were wanted alive, while others teams got too creative on bringing them back, after the Genki Telekinetic Manapult we had to stop it. If the bounty is for a group, it is a kill quest.¡± She said with a shrug. ¡°That''s not to say you can''t be asked to take more than one bounty alive in some contracts, but those usually go to the Mercenary Guild or one of the temples. The Adventurers'' Guild got a reputation for being too bloody, so we stopped getting bounties for live groups.¡± Jaeger didn''t have any easy group pacifying abilities anyway, and he would have to spend some time learning the poisons and herbs of this world before he could make anything. He also didn''t want to have to buy a wagon, Ventress hated pulling them and she got jealous when he had another horse pull them. Best to stick to capturing individuals or pairs, at least for now. Now he just had to decide what he wanted to do. Did he want to take an individual or a group? He thought about it and weighed his options. Having just set up the Armory, he needed to test it in combat, but was group combat better or single? A group was best, he decided. He''d already faced a single strong orc and a group of bandits, now it was time to find a middle ground. ¡°Give me a group, see if you have any that aren''t too big but nothing to easy.¡± Lisette''s smile changed from friendly to a little bloodthirsty. ¡°As it turns out, I know just the group for you. There were a few in both the individual and group bounties that I had specifically picked out. Wait a second.¡± She quickly counted fifty posters, picked them up and moved them aside. Halfway through the pile, she went through the previous pile and found what she was looking for. ¡°Here we go. A splinter group of the Clivetown Militia, well, their ex-militia now. They call themselves the Swords of Greenwood. Wanted for treason, rebellion, banditry, theft and murder. The pay is good, because their former militia, traitors always pay better.¡± She said this with a mean smile. ¡°The mayor of Clivetown, a city to the east of us, offered the bounty. These men tried to stage a rebellion in Clivetown, but didn''t realize that the local Assassins Guild had a mark on their leader. The Assassin waited for their leader to give the order for the rebellion and killed him. This threw the rebels into disarray, and they suffered casualties as they fled the city. Enough managed to escape and have been staging small attacks against anyone going to or from Clivetown ever since.¡± She slammed her fist down on the table and gritted her teeth before speaking again. ¡°One of these attacks was on a team of adventurers from this branch. Emilia, Troy, Verd, Sivly, and Brad are their names. We''re not sure what happened, all we know is that they were ambushed and Verd barely made it back here alive. His injuries were so bad that he wouldn''t have made it if he weren''t a three-striped tigerkin. So the guild is offering a bonus for bringing them back alive, or if they are dead, for bringing the heads of their killers.¡± This caught Jaeger''s attention. Why did he get this and not someone else? ¡°Why didn''t another team go after them? Clearly, this guild has some heavy hitters.¡± Lisette sighed, the anger leaking from her. ¡°It''s only been a few weeks and all the high levels are about that far from town. Honestly, if you hadn''t come back so soon, I would have sent a message to one of them. But if you take the job, I won''t have to.¡± She gave him a pleading look. Even if that didn''t work on him, he wasn''t heartless. Saving or avenging these hometown adventurers would be a good thing to do, and it would help his reputation in the guild. ¡°All right, Lisette, I''ll take it. What''s their last known location and what''s the weather like?¡± Chapter 39 The last known location turned out to be a series of abandoned watermills in a wooded area called Greenwood. The region around Clivetown was strange and magical, with numerous rivers and waterways running through it, feeding into small stable portals that connected to other portals in the area. According to the information, all these portals connected to each other and created a loop, only no one could figure out why the water levels never went down; every now and then someone would try, but mostly they would get lost or give up. Thanks to the seemingly infinite amount of water, larger towns and cities grew up along the waterways; everything in the area is centered around the waterways and the very fertile farmland around them. It also meant that these Swords of Greenwood were more river pirates than bandits. The trip to Greenwood was quick but lonely; the roads were well maintained and heavily traveled; the area near Patterson was also heavily patrolled. The closer Jaeger got to Clivetown, the more heavily armed the groups became. Greenwood was relatively close to Patterson, which was why the adventurers were sent there in the first place. Clivetown had its own guild of adventurers, but some jobs would be farmed out to Patterson if the distance was close enough, which the one they''d been on had been. Since the ride to Greenwood was so peaceful, Jaeger took the opportunity to go over the bounty poster and the posters of the captured adventurers Lisette had given him.
Wanted: Swords of Greenwood Expert ranked
Wanted: Dead or Alive. Crimes: Treason, rebellion, zealotry, banditry, heresy, thievery, and murder. Miscellaneous: The Patterson Adventurers¡¯ Guild has offered a bonus payout for if adventurers: Emilia, Troy, Sivly, and Brad are brought back alive. If they are dead, the head of their murderer(s) or the murderer(s) themselves will suffice. The payout is less if the adventurers are dead.
Missing: Emilia, Troy, Sivly, and Brad Group descriptions.
Emilia: Patchwork (human) ¨C Female, above average height, slender build, numerous suture scars all over her body. Heterochromatic eyes - left: electric blue normal humanoid pupil, right: yellow with snake pupil. Black hair with white streaks along the sides. Unique detail: She has hidden strength and is very emotionless. Troy: Star Elf ¨C Male, average height, average build, pale blue, almost translucent skin. Eyes - Black iris/pupils with five white stars above each eye. [This was last count, may have more, check with other/available party members to make sure you have the correct elf]. Unique detail: Like all star elves, he has a compulsive need to be in direct starlight and easily fades into the background.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Sivly: Otterkin ¨C Female, below average height, medium build, deep brown with silver-gray flecked fur. Eyes - small, round, black eyes. Unique detail: She''s an Otterkin mage. Depending on where they''re grabbed, she''s either in her aquatic harness or her mage robes. Brad: Human (Republic) ¨C Male, above average build, combat scars all over his body, including along his chin, dark skin. Eyes - dark brown, almost black. Unique detail: I''ve never seen him without a smile on his face, he''s very big, all muscles, and if he''s alive, will be the first one you''ll hear.
One elf, two humans, and two beastmen made up this party of adventurers. The one who returned, Verd, was a male tigerkin, and Verd had been the group''s melee fighter, a kind of berserker. Sivly was an otter and a dual water/earth mage. Troy was a star elf and the team''s rogue. The human Brad was a knight errant, or something like that. The woman Emilia was something called a patchwork, with human noted second. As his thoughts wondered what patchworks were, his mind suddenly filled with the information. They were the result of necromancy and alchemy. Using parts of dead bodies and a mixture of alchemical solutions, a being was created. Most of them resulted in empty vessels that followed commands, but occasionally an amalgam soul was created. A new life and soul born from the fragmented nature of their creation. When they first appeared, they were thought to be some kind of undead, devil, demon, daemon, or new evil, and they were hunted. However, it quickly became apparent that they weren''t inherently evil or undead, just different. They also chose whether or not to take on the racial aspect of their body parts. If they did, it was added at the end like Emilia''s, if they didn''t, that part was just left blank. Emilia was one such amalgam, created by a mad scientist who dropped her off at the nearest guild center as soon as she showed signs of sentience. Apparently that was 300 years ago, and since then she has become one of the guild''s best mentors and some kind of an alchemical fighter. Jaeger''s mind filled more and more with information about the patchworks struggle for recognition, and vaguely about what Klangdor''s alchemy looked like, but he didn''t care about any of it. A person''s background didn''t matter to him, only their actions. If the woman was accepted by the guild, that was good enough for him. ¡°A rescue mission? Hmmm, I wonder what to make of that. Are you filled with big dreams of being a hero? Is this where I learn that underneath your hard exterior is a warm and soft center?¡± At some point while he was going over the papers, Mischief had appeared. His weight settled only when Jaeger acknowledged his presence. ¡°I am no hero, cat. I accepted this bounty and rescue mission for two reasons. One, the Chaos Elf wants to see me fight. But I''m a bounty hunter, if my target surrenders and the bounty calls for them dead or alive, I have to consider taking them alive. ¡®Capture by design, kill by necessity¡¯, but with these Swords of Greenwood, I don''t have to worry about that.¡± Jaeger held up their bounty poster, showing the Wanted: Dead or Alive. ¡°They are wanted dead, so I don''t have to worry about surrendering. I can kill them and not worry about breaking my code.¡± Mischief wiped his paw as he replied. ¡°And the rescue mission? That is very heroic.¡± ¡°Back in Beseria, no one, and I mean no one, messed with bounty hunters. The invading armies, the mercenary forces, the ex-Beserian military, no one messed with us without a good reason. We weren''t well liked, but as long as we didn''t break any major laws, we were left alone. That''s because everyone knew that if you attacked a bounty hunter, you opened yourself up to retaliation from all of us. We took care of our own because no one else would.¡± Jaeger put the bandit poster away and looked over the missing adventurers'' descriptions again. ¡°This isn''t Beseria, but these are my guild mates, and I take care of my own.¡± Mischief had turned to look at him as he spoke. ¡°Mrrw. Fascinating. I will be watching your progress.¡± With that, Mischief floated off Jaeger''s shoulder and disappeared like smoke. Jaeger just shook his head and concentrated on his ride, he still had a few hours before he would reach the small town Lisette had suggested as a resting place. Unbeknownst to Jaeger, as he voiced his reasons for accepting and focusing on the bonus rescue mission, his eyes had lit up a brilliant silver that radiated order and a call to hunt. His magic was beginning to find its place in Klangdor. Chapter 40 ¡°I wish Lisette had told me this was a resource town.¡± Jaeger muttered to himself, adjusting his tricorn. He''d seen a lot of resource towns like this. Places that existed for the sole purpose of extracting resources. Mining towns, lumber camps, large hunting lodges and port cities were the most dominant places in Beseria in the end. These places all had certain things in common, regardless of the resource or whether it was completely run by a single group. The first was that there was always a local tavern and a traveler''s tavern. Second, criminals and independent mercenaries flocked to these places, thanks to the loose laws and no-questions-asked attitude. If his targets weren''t fools, they''d have scouts or contacts in town, on the lookout for anyone new coming through. If they were fools, they''d be in town, probably in one of the warehouses. But he couldn''t count on them being fools. ¡°Oi! We¡¯re talking to ya horseman. Best ya answer now.¡± He hadn''t even noticed that the men in front of him had advanced. Pushing up his tricorn, he turned to look at them and saw that they were town guards, or perhaps company guards, judging by their uniforms and insignia. ¡°I''ve been on the road for a while, so my mind wanders. What was your question?¡± Sighing loudly, one of them stepped forward, his spear held loosely in one hand, while another held some sort of medallion; Jaeger didn''t really recognize it. ¡°What¡¯s yer purpose for coming to Chippy?¡± ¡°I''m hunting in the area and a colleague told me to come here.¡± The guards'' posture changed, each one becoming more alert. The speaker cleared his throat and spoke clearly, his accent disappearing as he seemed to read from a script. ¡°All bounties, warrants, crimes and wanted statuses from outside Chippy are not valid in Chippy without the written approval of the Board of Fochabers & Magpie. Thus the hunting of any citizens, traders, guards, or people of Chippy is illegal and may be met with the full force of the guard.¡± The speaker had gripped his spear tightly, the medallion tucked away as he prepared for battle. Jaeger could tell that all of these men had heard this speech many times before, each expecting a certain outcome. ¡°I don¡¯t care; I don''t hunt people. I''m after more profitable game. I''ve heard of large groups along the shore and in the woods nearby.¡± This took them by surprise. They were probably used to someone from one of the law enforcement guilds coming through. The lead guard fumbled for his medallion as he spoke. ¡°Wait, yer not here for anyone in town?¡± ¡°Not particularly, if someone comes at me that might change things, but I don''t care much about the crimes people commit. I''m only interested in my hunt.¡± ¡°Oh well, stay out of the marked fishing and official hunting areas, and yer welcome to stay in Chippy; ye see the signs before you get too close. If ya want to hunt, best ya head down to the Visitor''s Tavern; if there''s a beastie in the area, Melinda can tell ya where to find it.¡± The guard''s tone had changed quickly when I didn''t react as they expected. The lead one pointed me to a tavern and they just let me pass. That felt sloppy, there was no way that other adventurers or detectives hadn''t just lied to get in. Jaeger thought as he nudged Ventress toward the tavern. As he moved away from the guards, a familiar weight settled on his shoulders and the smell of fish and blood wafted into his nose. ¡°Mrrw. You did well not to get caught by those guards. I must be rubbing off on you, because you are becoming a skilled liar.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Then an incredibly soft furry body rubbed against the side of his head. Blinking his eyes at the sudden fur and wrinkling his nose at the smell that hit him, Jaeger tried to figure out what Mischief meant. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°These guards had a Truth Medallion, the user can force someone to speak only the truth. Only people of the right class can ignore it completely, but those classes are pure chaos anyway. Even the most skilled liars have trouble with Truth Medallions, so congratulations again on being a top-tier liar.¡± Jaeger thought that something that forced people to speak only the truth seemed dangerous. On the other hand, while he had spoken more than he would have liked, he hadn''t lied. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°Yes, you did. You are clearly here to hunt criminals, you have a literal bounty sheet in your coat, and you told them you don''t hunt people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I am and I don¡¯t. I''m not here for criminals, because I don''t care about people''s crimes, but I have the bounty papers. Also, I don''t hunt people, I hunt bounties. The moment I take a bounty, they stop being a person and become just another bounty to me.¡± Mischief fell silent and soon disappeared from Jaeger''s shoulder. As he rode through the city, he noticed a few things that stood out. The insignia on the guards'' chests was also on every single shop he could see, sometimes it was subtle, sometimes it was the only thing on a sign. The other thing was the lack of guards, but the heavy presence of armed thugs sitting out and about. These men were clearly not guards, as they were closer to the bandits Jaeger had fought. As he approached the tavern, he decided to talk to Lisette about her inaccurate knowledge of this town when he got back to Patterson, but for now he''d do what was important and concentrate on his hunt. The building looked like every other dockside grogshop Jaeger had seen. Brown wood with open spaces instead of windows and a pair of hanging doors. The only difference he could see was that there was no stable. Instead, the front of the tavern had posts for tying up horses, so he rode up to one and tied Ventress loosely to it. ¡°I don''t know how long we''ll be here, girl, but don''t get too comfortable.¡± He said sternly, loosening his saddle and feeding Ventress by hand. She shook her mane and stomped her hooves in response, nickering at him as he walked away. Rolling his eyes, he pushed open the tavern doors and entered. While the outside was like any other grog shop, the inside was unique. Ghostly fish swam all around him, while the walls were covered in glowing water plants and rocks. The tables and chairs seemed to be made of coral, while the wall was a blue-green color, reminiscent of the last time Jaeger had seen the sea. The feeling of being under the sea was new to him, but he couldn''t afford to look like a lost yokel, so he pushed his amazement aside and moved to the top of the bar; a solidified bar of sand that had risen to just below his chest height. As he approached the bartender at work, she moved to meet him where he stood in front of the bar. The woman had a dusting of scales all over her body, giving her an almost metallic sheen that was a blue-purple that matched some of the rivers he''d passed. This brought out her dark, purple-black eyes even more. Jaeger didn''t want to know much more, so he didn''t think too much about her race; a workaround he had found to avoid magical info dumps. Then he heard her voice. When she spoke, her voice was hypnotic, and he had to fight to keep control of himself. ¡°Ah, a new guest welcome. I apologize for the effect of my voice, if you give it a moment it should pass. I find myself unable to stop the process while above water, but one does what one must.¡± She stopped speaking, seeming to wait for him to come to his senses. He''d recovered while she was talking, but he thought it best to let her think he needed longer. Finally he spoke, hesitantly, before regaining his strength. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Oh good, you''re back, that was relatively quick. Not the fastest mind, but not slow either. That effect was my voice, as I said, it is an uncontrollable aspect of my people; the Muri-Gena.¡± Jaeger felt the flow of knowledge and just let it flow through him, gaining a minimum of understanding, he didn''t have time to get bogged down with an information dump. ¡°Will this happen again?¡± ¡°No, it only happens the first time you hear me. Unless you want it to happen again?¡± She smiled invitingly. ¡°No. I¡¯d like a meal, a drink, and some information.¡± She sighed dramatically. ¡°So boring. Fine, I''ll get you some fish stew and a mug of the local liquor. As for information, well, that depends on what you want to know.¡± She waved her hand and Jaeger watched as some of the randomly swimming fish organized themselves and swam into an opening behind the bar. ¡°I''m looking for information about hunting grounds in the area. One of the guards said that Melinda would know where to look.¡± ¡°Ah, well, you''re in luck. I happen to be Melinda, and I happen to have some information.¡± Her eyes flashed blue for a moment as she stared at him, then her smile turned predatory. ¡°Oh yes, I definitely have information that someone like you would find useful; Bounty Hunter.¡± Chapter 41 As Melinda let that last word hang between them, the fish returned. They somehow carried out a large bowl and a mug. They swam down and through the sandbar, setting down the bowl and mug as they went. ¡°So are you going to threaten, blackmail, or gloat over this information?¡± Jaeger took the spoon that was in the bowl and started eating the stew. It was fishy, spicy, and full of crunchy vegetables; it was one of the best stews he''d ever had. Melinda¡¯s smile turned to a sneer. ¡°I''ll do what I want with it. You think you''re the first lawman to get past those stupid guards. Of course not, that''s why I''m here.¡± She waved her hand, and Jaeger heard the sound of chairs sliding back. ¡°Why don''t you tell me why you''re really here, and then I can decide whether to have you beaten or killed.¡± Jaeger put down his spoon and took a sip from the mug in front of him. The liquor inside was smooth and almost tasteless, except for the freezing cold ice. He''d certainly never had grog like this before. ¡°Ain''t no law man, I''m just a bounty hunter, and I¡¯m after the Swords of Greenwood. I have bounties on them and they took some people they shouldn''t have.¡± Melinda shook her head in mock sorrow. ¡°Those boys are true patriots and are doing good work.¡± ¡°I imagine they''ve also paid whatever protection fee this town requires.¡± ¡°A protection fee? How diabolical and criminal of you. The Swords of Greenwood simply paid their dues to the club.¡± Jaeger raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°I reckon I know what club you''re talking about, but why don''t you enlighten me anyway.¡± ¡°The Forced Redistribution Club, of course.¡± She smiled, her teeth serrated and sharp. ¡°The FRC welcomes all who wish to make money and gain power outside of the established guild tyranny.¡± He took another sip from the mug. ¡°Money and power, huh? What will it cost me?¡± She tapped the bar with her now clawed fingers. ¡°No threats, no condemnation, no declaration of the defeat of evil? How about something about the corruption of greed and power? Or how power for power''s sake is useless?¡± ¡°Good, evil, greed, or how others gain power are not things I care about. I care about bounties and upholding my creed.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Yes, I can see my first assumption was mistaken.¡± She waved her hand, and the people behind him sat back down, the tension easing. ¡°Though your soul is clear, untouched by doubt, I can see that it''s not aligned with good or evil. One such as you is rarely seen.¡± ¡°Are we doing business or not?¡± She huffed and threw her arms up dramatically. ¡°They are just not fun. Fine, fine. Yes, I know where the Swords of Greenwood are, but I was not lying when I said that they had paid. For me to give you that information would be treason of the highest order. I could be censored by our club president.¡± Jaeger went back to eating his stew, ignoring her overly dramatic acting. She had no problem carrying on without him. ¡°Why, for me to even consider something like that, I''d have to be guaranteed something worth more than what they''re paying us. And of course it would have to be enough to make me happy.¡± Jaeger finished his stew and sipped his drink. He didn''t feel like playing whatever game she was about to start. He really didn''t care what she or the FRC were doing here. Unless there was a bounty on their heads or they got in his way, they weren''t his problem. Maybe if he was a lawman or a paladin he would care, but he wasn''t. He was a bounty hunter, and he didn''t hunt for free. ¡°I will accept bounties from your organization, the first five at a discounted rate.¡± ¡°Oh, my very own hunter. Why the things I could have you hunt down for me. Tell me bounty hunter are you good at taking down your targets?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°The best you¡¯ll find.¡± She licked her lips lasciviously before pouting. ¡°But I can''t just take your word for it, no matter how much I want to believe you.¡± She tapped a clawed finger to her lips in thought before snapping it. ¡°Ah, how about you prove you''re a good hunter by catching the Swords. That will prove your skill. Of course, I will need proof of both your ability and your willingness to get your hands dirty, so bring me their heads. Oh, and any valuable booty they may have. I hear they captured a simply scrumptious group of adventurers.¡± Jaeger set down the mug he''d been sipping from. ¡°No. I won''t deliver any adventurers. I''ll bring you their heads and any loot they have, but not the adventurers.¡± She frowned, an expression of utter disappointment, but her eyes were ice-cold and calculating. ¡°It''s just not going to work. I didn''t know you were so squeamish, I''m not sure this relationship is going to work out.¡± ¡°No hunter shall refuse aid to another hunter. These adventurers are with me, and that is the end of it. I''ll kill everyone in this town before I ignore the oath.¡± Her expression flashed to one of shock before returning to a frown and more slowly changing to something more neutral. A pensive look came and went before her eyes flashed again. ¡°Interesting. You mean that in a much deeper way than I could have ever imagined, and you believe it completely. Very interesting. Fine, keep your adventurers. In fact, keep all the prisoners they have, I''ve always found slave trading to be blas¨¦ anyway. But in exchange, you will take our first job for next to nothing, no questions asked.¡± ¡°One job, lowest pay, no questions asked. Every other job I can pick or choose, and I expect good pay.¡± ¡°Hmm. Fine, but you can''t ignore too many jobs, say three in a row, without a clear explanation of why. And they better not be moral hangups.¡± ¡°As long as I''m not sent after literal children or escaped slaves, you have very little to worry about.¡± He offered his hand. ¡°Noted.¡± She shook his hand and a flash appeared in his vision. As soon as he let go of her hand, a scroll unfolded before his eyes. Skill Contract Hunter has evolved to Contract Huntsman Contract Huntsman - Bounty hunting isn''t just about finding someone and bringing them in. Bounties come with requirements, and as a Bounty Hunter Captain, you need to know what they are. Not every contract is a bounty, some simply create the opportunity to earn bounties, and these informal contracts can be made verbally. You can read or write a binding document and fully understand what it means and whether it is beneficial, neutral, or malicious. You also know how to amend a contract for beneficial, neutral, or malicious purposes. This skill also applies to oral contracts. Your class Bounty Hunter has leveled up. Keeping his expression neutral, Jaeger willed the scroll away. ¡°Here''s how it''s going to work. I''ll give you the information, you''ll deal with the Swords, and you''ll come back to me before you go back to whatever home guild you work from.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°The Swords of Greenwood are located along one of the hearts of Greenwood. I''ve got some directions here I can give you, the idiots wanted me to deliver to them, who do they think I am, their grocer? They tried to go deeper, but were turned away, because of course they were. They are about twenty now, having lost a few members to that group of adventurers, but they did manage to corrupt a treant, which should be fun for you. Well, that''s all I know, now when do you leave?¡± Jaeger sat back and finished his drink. ¡°Best to leave now, no telling if they heard I was in town or not.¡± ¡°Oh, they have, but for now all they know is that a mysterious stranger rode in asking for good places to hunt beasts.¡± She smiled at his expression and held up her hands. ¡°It wasn''t me, the guards here are more corrupt than the Bankers'' Guild. They would have sent word the moment you rode by.¡± Shaking his head, Jaeger gathered the instructions she had and left to ready Ventress. When he stepped outside, he found her surrounded by three bodies, obviously dead. Each lay near her hindquarters and, coincidentally, his saddlebags. He stepped over the bodies as he tightened the saddle and checked her feet. ¡°Well, looks like one of us couldn''t talk their way out of a fight. We got our instructions, girl, let me roll these bodies and we''ll hit the road.¡± Ventress whined at him. It didn''t take long to get through the men, they had ten silver between them, when he was done he just rolled the bodies towards the tavern. Melinda, or whatever her real name was, could handle that. With that done, he climbed into the saddle and rode out of town, following the directions he had. He was just out of sight of the town when Mischief appeared, this time on Ventress. ¡°Dear Contractor, I have a question, if I may.¡± Jaeger narrowed his eyes, unused to Mischief doing anything politely. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°From what I understand, you stopped here to get directions and information about the Swords of Greenwood, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I understand information, knowing they now have a corrupted treant is useful, but why did you ask for directions?¡± Mischief had asked the question in a disgustingly sweet tone. ¡°Because all I know is that they were somewhere in the Greenwood. How else would I have¡­¡± He trailed off, realizing his mistake as he spoke. ¡°Ah, I see my dear Dum Dum understands. How could he indeed?¡± Then, with a cackling laugh, the cat turned into smoke that blew into his face. He began to cough as he waved the smoke away. Jaeger was embarrassed by his lapse, he was so used to doing footwork. A decade of searching for information, talking to shady people and dealing with criminal contacts that he forgot the difference between this world and his old one: magic. Here, he had a skill that would have helped him track down the bandit group: Bluthund. He activated the skill and watched as a thick golden trail appeared before him, leading him along the directions he had. He told himself that at least he knew about the treant the bandits had, so he hadn''t completely wasted his time. Chapter 42 For Jaeger, this was the first time he had a chance to really test the evolved form of his abilities. On his way to the Swords'' camp, he learned that Bluthund really had no limits. When he''d read the skill''s description, it said that the only limit was what he could imagine, but until he''d experienced it, he''d been concerned that it would become useless; which made him remember a conversation he''d had recently. During dinner with Lisette, Jin, and Lorcan, we had discussed skills, their uses, and the possibility of useless skills; there were none, just inadequate skill holders. Lisette and Jin had told almost unbelievable tales of people walking among clouds, shattering mountains with a single blow, and raising the dead, while Lorcan told stories from his homeland of stone manipulation and working with personifications of the elements themselves. These stories had Jaeger worried that his skills weren''t up to par; what good is tracking if your target can just step into the clouds? But with this evolution of his abilities, he saw the potential; with enough information, it didn''t matter if they could walk through the clouds, he would find them. So when the skill produced incredible results, he just smiled. Using the skill and a map Lisette had provided, Jaeger had been able to locate the Swords'' hideout; the skill had created a miniature golden trail on the map. It had also shown an indicator of the enemy''s strength, which, combined with Melinda''s knowledge, had allowed him to make a rough estimate of their numbers. His final test of his power came with a little push, focusing on the idea of his bounties not escaping or calling for reinforcements, a section of the map was circled, giving him the impression of an emergency escape route. Since the circle was on the river, he assumed it was a river portal. He also noticed that when he used the skill on the map, his own personal trail changed. It took him away from the beaten path he''d been riding and into the deeper woods. He idly wondered if he could find a detailed map of the world, and decided to inquire when he returned to Patterson. The ride through the forest was slower than on the trail, but the foliage and being off the beaten path gave him a sense of stealth. The swords were mostly watching the paths and trails, not the dense forest. He felt a familiar presence appear beside him, and when it spoke, he answered without even looking at it. ¡°I hope you''re not trying to hide from your responsibilities. I need to see your tracking skills, not your survival skills.¡± ¡°I¡¯m simply following my golden path.¡± ¡°Your golden path, mmmh, what a strange tracker you are. As long as it leads you to your prey, these Swords, I do not mind.¡± The blade left my skin and I thought she was gone before I heard her voice and her blade whispering from the other side of me. ¡°And you were right, I do want to see you fight; your ability to track is just a nice bonus excuse. Do not disappoint me.¡± He felt the faint trace of a sharp blade brush across his face before it vanished, leaving behind a soft breeze that carried the faint scent of leather and floral spice. ¡°Mrrw. I told you, obsessive.¡± ¡°And incredibly stealthy. Where were you?¡± ¡°I knew she wouldn¡¯t interact with you until she was sure I wasn¡¯t around. She¡¯s drawn to your unique aura, while mine is most likely stifling for her.¡± Jaeger was about to respond when he felt something change in his skill, and he was certain that he had crossed a boundary. He was now within range of the hideout. He lowered his voice and clicked his tongue to warn Ventress. Her comfortable trot slowed to a quieter walk, and Mischief, sensing the mood, hopped off and disappeared into the undergrowth. He rode low on Ventress as she stepped silently through the forest. Her footsteps muffled in the lush, damp undergrowth. The area had grown quiet until a loud crack rang out, reminding Jaeger of the final cut of a lumberjack felling a tree. His eyes widened and he leapt from Ventress, whistling. Her ears pricked up at his jump, and with his whistle, she turned and trotted away. Landing in a crouch, the hunter looked around, the sound so close to the Sword''s camp could only be an treant awakening, unless one of the bandit¡¯s was chopping wood. The later was unlikely considering the distance to their camp but both were cause for alarm. He summoned his axe, testing it in his grip as he turned on himself, searching everywhere for the tree creature. He didn''t see anything, he wondered if maybe one of the bandits had chopped down a tree and the sound had just echoed. He began to relax as he had this thought, unintentionally presenting an opening that the treant took with malicious glee. From what he thought was a normal, albeit scarred tree, a fist slammed into his side, sending him into a nearby tree. Hitting it with a crack, he fell to the muddy undergrowth and struggled to his feet. His vision was blurred for a second as he tried to collect himself, but with frightening speed the treant had uprooted itself and reached him. He hit the ground in a tight sideways roll, hopped to his feet on the opposite side of the tree being, and chopped into it with his axe; going in deeper than he expected.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. His blow bit deep, much deeper than he expected, sending a spray of bark and sap flying. A howl like a tree falling resounded as he wrenched his axe free. The treant drew it¡¯s arm back and wildly slapped around it, trying to hit him. He hopped backwards, avoiding a blow before darting in and chopping into the arm. Again the axe went deeper than he expected, fully severing the limb, sending him staggering forward with the expected lack of resistance. Again that howl sounded and again the treant struck wildly, but with only one arm it wasn¡¯t as efficient. Unfortunately for Jaeger it was lucky. It clipped him as he got his balance back, the blow thumping his chest hard and sending him staggering away to catch his breath. As he staggered backwards he looked up and saw the treant looming above him, it¡¯s arm raised back to bash him. He couldn¡¯t see a clean way out, it had gotten to close and every move he could imagine left him taking the blow. So he resolved to take it in the least damaging way he could, which meant running in close and rolling sideways. It would still catch him but at a worse angle. His mind raced through all that in less than a second and then he acted. Rushing forward as the single heavy arm came down, and as he went to roll he felt a pressure descend. A moment later, he noticed something unusual as well. The forest had become quiet and still, no animals scurrying through the undergrowth, no birds singing overhead. Where moments before there had been a frenzy of noise and life around him, caused by his fight with the treant, there was now only silence. He stood and looked at the treant, which had stopped moving under the pressure. It stood in place, arm partially lowered in mid-attack, and Jaeger slowly moved behind it, grabbing his axe to finish it off. When he reached its back half, he realized he needn''t have worried, something had already finished it. The back was a hollowed out space, chunks of wood gouged out by what appeared to be a powerful claw; a shiver ran down Jaeger''s spine. He felt something, a presence. He''d felt something similar years ago when he''d faced a Jakaden hunting Pora, one of the largest predators in his old world. It was the gaze of something large, old, and wise, and he had an inkling of what it might be, so he did what he had done then: negotiate calmly. With the Pora, he had needed all the meat he had and a fresh kill, but here he hoped something else would suffice. Slowly, ever so slowly, he reached into his jacket with two fingers and came out with two pieces of paper. Then slowly and measured tone, he spoke. ¡°My name is Jaeger Darkblade, and I am a bounty hunter. I''m here for the Swords of Greenwood, dead. And a team of adventurers they are holding captive, alive.¡± A wind, just a little too strong and a little too focused, blew the papers from his hand and sent them out of sight into the forest. He stood still and waited. He hoped that this presence was Greenwood, the spirit of the forest. Melinda had hinted that the Swords of Greenwood had been rejected when they''d tried to reach deep into a heart of the forest. He also remembered Lorcan''s talk about elements having personifications, and he thought of all the magical things he''d seen in this world. To Jaeger, the heart sounded like a real heart, and anything with a heart would want to protect it. So he stood there, betting that the thing staring at him was an ancient forest spirit and not one of the treants the Swords had. He had a confirmation of sorts when his papers flew back on a breeze that seemed to exist only for him. Grabbing the papers, he checked them and found nothing changed or different on the adventurers'' rescue sheet. The Swords of Greenwood, however, had changed.
Wanted: Swords of Greenwood Expert ranked Craven
Wanted: Dead or Alive. MUST KILL Crimes: Treason, rebellion, zealotry, banditry, heresy, thievery, and murder. Desecration of the Forest of Greenwood and corruption within. Miscellaneous: The Patterson Adventurers¡¯ Guild has offered a bonus payout for if adventurers: Emilia, Troy, Sivly, and Brad are brought back alive. If they are dead, the head of their murderer(s) or the murderer(s) themselves will suffice. The payout is less if the adventurers are dead. Present their hearts or heads after their deaths and rewards you shall have.
This creature, if not Greenwood, was at least a protector of Greenwood, and it was pissed. Looking at the bounty sheet, he saw the new handwriting, which resembled nothing so much as an animal scrawl, and considered the being''s request. He was already going to kill the Swords, there was no question about it, they had stopped being human the moment he''d accepted the contract and had died soon after he''d read that death was the only option. No, he was thinking about the head or heart aspect. If the adventurers he was here for were dead, he would need the heads of their killers as proof, which meant he couldn''t satisfy the Presence. On the other hand, if they were alive, he could. He wasn''t one to put much stock in things like faith or hope, trusting only what he could see or do, but he hoped the adventurers were still alive. So he accepted the revised bounty. ¡°I¡¯ll do this for you. You¡¯ve my word as a Bounty Hunter.¡± He still couldn''t place where the gaze was coming from, so he just said it out loud. The gaze around him intensified for a second, scrutinizing him, before fading away completely, leaving only a word, as if whispered into the wind. ¡°Go.¡± Chapter 43 Taking that as his cue, Jaeger began to stalk through the forest. He moved at a fast and practiced pace, this might not be Beseria, but he knew how to traverse a forest. He kept a steady stride, checking the ground as he ran, stepping around rocks, pushing off exposed roots, and hopping over the pits and dips he saw. It was only when he noticed a lack of reaction around him that he began to speed up. Normally, he wouldn''t run so fast in a forest he didn''t know, unsure of how the animals in it would react, but this area was different. He could feel something around him, helping him pass, leaving almost no trace as he did so, but a faint presence. It was as if the being that he''d dealt with was around him, but somehow less. Whatever this feeling was, he noticed the results, none of the animals around him reacted to his passing. When he started to move, he thought his encounter with the treant had scared everything away, but then he ran within a few feet of a deer. Grazing in the undergrowth, it didn''t even notice him as he passed. That such a shy creature would simply ignore him told Jaeger that he was under some sort of magical influence. Seeing the edge of the forest, he slowly came to a stop. Crouching down, he walked up to and behind a tree. Looking out, he saw a cleared section of forest surrounded by an old house and a watermill. Surrounding the buildings was a military camp on the move; heavy tents, portable furnaces, open forges, and wagons everywhere. He even spotted a corral full of pack animals. The most unusual feature, however, were the trees; there were four of them around the camp. Ugly, dark, and scarred, these trees were surrounded by stumps and wildly out of place; at least these treants were easy to see. Scattered throughout the camp were men and women in various states of dress. Some wore dark leather armor, others wore doublets and gambesons, and he spotted a few who even wore scale mail. But they all had one thing in common, a green sword somewhere on the chest of their armor. These were clearly the Swords of Greenwood. From the unorganized movements, Jaeger guessed that they hadn''t heard his confrontation with the treant; the Greenwood being must have suppressed the sound of its howl. He circled the camp, trying to find the adventurers. It took him a long time to cross the outskirts of the camp, easily half the day; he didn''t want to move too fast in case they had some unseen sentries watching. It wasn''t until late in the day that he found a pattern to their movements. As he had been watching the camp, he had noticed that Swords would occasionally enter and leave the house. At first, he thought they might be holding the adventurers there, but as he watched, he noticed that there was no set pattern to their coming and going, so he assumed the house was a treasure room or command center; which left the watermill. With the watermill by the river, Jaeger had to get to the edge of the forest before he could get a good look. By the time he got close, it was well after dinner, so he reached into his coat pocket, which was his bag of holding, and pulled out a hot sandwich and water; with his storage space, he would never survive on jerky and trail rations outside of the direst of circumstances. With a good meal in hand, he found a spot and scanned the watermill. It was in pretty decent shape for an abandoned property, though it had clear signs of patchwork repairs. As he looked at it, he found a burning lamp near a window. He scanned the structure looking for a door and found it; guarded by two of the Swords. The two guards were slumped against the building, talking to each other and generally not doing a good job. At first, he was confused as to how ex-guards could be so bad at their job of guarding a door, but depending on how the adventurers were locked up, laziness could be excused. His thoughts were interrupted when the guards straightened as a figure approached. It was a better armored sword, carrying a plate of food. After a short pause, the Sword was escorted inside by one of the door guards and emerged a few minutes later with an empty platter. As soon as the Sword was gone, the two guards went back to their work. Now was as good a time as any, he decided, and pulled out a bracer. It was the Bracer of Lusca, he had decided against wearing it in the city in case it would attract the attention of some monstrous tyrants, but out here he didn''t care. Of all the loot he''d gotten, it and the bracelets were the only things he hadn''t put to use. He put it on his left arm and felt a sensation run through him. Jaeger wasn''t sure what an aura of rebellion would do for now, but he thought the intimidation factor would make dealing with these Swords of Greenwood easier, and the persuasion should help convince the adventurers to listen to him. With his latest equipment in place, he settled down to wait. As soon as it was late enough, he''d sneak in and get started.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°More fish? If you get any fishier, I''ll try to eat you.¡± Jaeger awoke from his fugue stake out as a purring voice slipped into his ears. ¡°Unless you plan to provide me with equipment, I''ll have to make do with what I get. I''ve only got the two Lusca items, the belt and the bracer.¡± ¡°That is two too many, but I guess you can be forgiven for now. So what is the plan, my dear warlock? Do we wait to murder them all in their sleep? Or will you declare yourself at dawn and duel with their leader?¡± Jaeger snorted at that. ¡°For now, I''ll wait for the two guards at the watermill to fall asleep, and then I''ll free the adventurers.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°Probably the first plan. I''m not a knight here to duel for honor. I''m a bounty hunter here for my guild and my pay.¡± A weight settled on his shoulder and rumbled contentedly. ¡°Excellent. In that case, let me speed this up then.¡± Jumping off his shoulder, Mischief landed in the open and pranced right up to the guards. The two guards had begun to nod off, slowly approaching a full sleep, but the sudden movement of a cat seemed to shake them awake. Blinking in alarm that faded into confusion, the two moved closer to Mischief. Until he disappeared in a puff of smoke that went up each of their noses. For a second, Jaeger winced, expecting cries of alarm, only to see the two stagger and fall. He waited, looking around for any sign of alarm, and when he saw none, he slipped out of cover. Moving across an open field was almost impossible to do stealthily, so Jaeger didn''t really try, he just sprinted. His only hint of stealth was his low stance, almost hugging the ground as he ran. Jaeger sprinted across the field and reached the watermill in no time. As he reached the fallen guards and grabbed their collars, he wondered why he wasn''t out of breath. He''d been smoking for years and accepted that it made running harder, but now he was fine? He shook his head and chalked it up to magic, as he did everything he didn''t understand. He grabbed both guards by their collars and moved to the door. He leaned one against the building and tried the doorknob, discovering it was locked, he looked over the guards and found a key. Unlocking the door, he swung it open and dragged the two downed guards inside. Throwing them out of the way, he quickly closed and locked the door and looked around the room. It was clear that the interior had seen the most repair work. The gear connected to the watermill had been restored, along with many wooden parts and constructs Jaeger didn''t recognize. None of that mattered half as much to him as the figures chained to the central gear; the adventurers he was looking for. Patchwork Emilia and Big Man Brad were most notable for the glow emanating from their chains, they only had three more chains and cuffs, but they glowed with magic; one around their necks and two more on their hands. Sivly the Otterkin and Troy the Star Elf had only two chains themselves, around their necks and one leg each. When Jaeger entered, they turned to look at him. Exhaustion was obvious on Sivly and Troy, while Brad began to smile, and Emilia. Well, from his perspective she had no expression, she seemed neither happy nor sad to see him, he might as well have been the door itself for all the emotion she showed. ¡°Ah, my friend, come free us.¡± Brad said, pulling on his arm chains. ¡°Brad, wait a minute, we don''t even know if he''s here to free us or if he''s here for us in a bad way. I mean, do you recognize him?¡± Sivly said in a melodious tone. ¡°Hmmm. She makes a good point. My friend, who are you?¡± Jaeger checked the two downed guards before answering, they were indeed dead; whatever that smoke Mischief produced, it could kill, he''d keep that in mind. That done, he stood and moved closer, pulling out his adventurer''s badge and showing it to them. ¡°I''m Jaeger, a bounty hunter with the Adventurers'' Guild. I''m here for the Swords of Greenwood bounty and on a rescue mission from the guild, given to me by Lisette.¡± As he spoke, he felt something shift in the air around him. Then Sivly and Troy almost collapsed with relief, while Brad''s smile seemed to grow even wider. ¡°I knew they were going to send someone; I just knew it.¡± Troy said. Walking up to the chains, Jaeger examined them closely. Finding a key hole, he tried a key he''d found on the guards, when it didn''t work he tossed it on the ground and went back to the guards'' bodies. ¡°The guards don''t have the key for our restraints, only the leader does.¡± Emilia spoke for the first time, her voice smoky and unhurried. Jaeger stood from where he''d been searching the guards, he didn''t want to risk going after the leader while the adventurers were still imprisoned. Summoning his axe, he moved over to where their chains connected. Bracing himself he swung down, the axe went through the mundane chain like a soft cheese. Quickly he cut through the chains holding Sivly and Troy, being more careful with the ones around their necks and leg. Once free, they rubbed their sore spots. As he moved on to Brad and Emilia, Sivly and Troy grabbed the key he¡¯d dropped and went to a chest off in the corner. ¡°That is a fine blade, my friend, but I do not think it will have an easy time with our chains. They are magical.¡± Jaeger took the axe in both hands and swung it down on the part of Brad¡¯s chain that was embedded in the wall. There was a moment''s resistance from the chain, but in the end his axe prevailed and continued into the wall. As the severed links of the chain fell, the entire chain lost its glow and he turned to look at Brad who had a look of shock on his face. ¡°So is my axe.¡± Chapter 44 Severing the other two chains that were attached to Brad, I left him to work himself free of the mundane remnants and moved to Emilia. She stood and stretched, extending and straining her chains to give me easier access. I nodded in appreciation and went to work. Three chops later and she was as free as the others. I stepped back from the adventurers to give them room and made a quick tour of their makeshift prison. The cabin was quite big, not huge, but for a frontier house it wasn''t small either. Not surprisingly, almost everything in here was made of wood, with the millstone being one of the few exceptions. The floor seemed to be laid out with the millstone as the centerpiece of the room, part of it even seemed to have been incorporated as a central pillar of the building; the most likely reason the place had lasted so long. Jaeger spotted a set of stairs leading to the second floor, but it was mostly blocked by some crates and broken furniture. The building was well-maintained, but if he had to guess, the second floor had suffered instead of the first. He broke from these thoughts as the adventurers moved toward him, Emilia in the lead. When he''d freed them, they''d all been wearing what passed for underclothes, but now they were armored and armed. Sivly was wearing an open midnight blue robe with a series of straps and buckles underneath that covered her chest, thighs, and arms. The robe and straps were etched with small watery blue runes. She grinned fiercely as she met his eyes, holding a staff topped with a trident-shaped piece of coral. Troy wore a set of smoky gray armor that seemed to move even when he stood still, a small hooded cloak completing the piece; it lit up the small stars in his eyes. He was adjusting a dagger and a sawtoothed short sword as he walked up; Jaeger caught sight of a small crossbow hanging from his back. Brad was wearing metal armor, the likes of which Jaeger had never seen before. It was arranged horizontally across his chest, overlapping downward and surrounding his torso in two halves. He also had three sculpted metal discs on his breastplate, depicting a lion, a crossbow, and a hammer. His arms and legs were covered in ornate metal armor, it was incredibly detailed, but without context, all Jaeger could identify was a central lion figure; it was the main piece on his shoulder pauldron and kneecaps. Brad completed the look with a helmet shaped like a lion''s head and a long cape. As for weapons, he only seemed to be carrying a large rectangular, semi-cylindrical shield. Emilia had simply thrown on a large cloak and a bandolier. Her coat was an armored patchwork monstrosity; it was covered in scars and burn marks; fire and acid. The patches were made of completely different materials; the base was some sort of scale, while the replacements were leathery, furry, and some were even metallic. That wasn''t the only oddity; she was covered in pockets and had gloves attached to her wrists; they were armored and clearly weaponized. To complete the ensemble, she had an empty bandolier running under her jacket across her chest. On her head was a broad-brimmed hat with armor running along the top; a pair of almost dainty round glasses accompanied it. She held a single dagger, but quickly tucked it into her boot and simply flexed her gloved hands. Bound and chained they had looked like civilians, now they looked like adventurers. Seeing them all armored, he greeted them. ¡°I see you found your gear.¡± ¡°Yes. The bandits did not take them far, and in fact made a point of teasing us with our equipment in a chest so close. A mistake they will soon regret.¡± He nodded as he looked the group over. ¡°I would like to thank you for the rescue Bounty Hunter Jaeger. What do you plan to do now?¡± ¡°No need, no hunter shall refuse aid to another hunter. As guild mates, it is my duty to help if I can. Besides, as I told you, I''m also here for the Swords of Greenwood bounties, with you free I plan to collect my bounties.¡± She nodded before motioning to herself and her group. ¡°We want to help.¡± ¡°Yes, my friend, you have done us a service, so let us do you one in return.¡± Brad said as he stepped forward. ¡°This is not a capture bounty. This is an extermination, every single one of them has to die, man, woman, or whatever. Can you do that?¡± Sivly looked at her group, who nodded in return, and spoke up.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yes. They kidnapped us and were very open about what was going to happen to us. We have no problem killing them all. We all agreed that if any of us got out, we''d make sure these bandits paid the price.¡± The others all nod in agreement. ¡°Fair enough. Before I agree, though, I need to address something. My bounty was originally to simply kill them all, but adjustments have been made. A being of Greenwood asked for their heads or their hearts. It''s my contract, so the adjustments were something I agreed to, and I have no qualms about it, but if you join me in killing the bandits, you''ll be part of this contract as well.¡± ¡°Was this creature a demon, a devil, or an outsider?¡± Emilia asked immediately, her hands balled into fists. ¡°I don''t think so. I haven''t met any of those things knowingly, but I believe that if something like that tried to do business with me, it would be stopped.¡± Jaeger didn''t think Mischief was the sharing type. I am not. ¡°Hmm.¡± Emilia reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out a small vial. ¡°Drink this. If you''re free of demonic, devil, or outsider essence, you''ll be fine. If you have that essence, it will purify you painfully.¡± Jaeger took the vial and considered his decision. A part of him didn''t trust that this woman wouldn''t try to kill him, but another part told him to trust his guildmates. Guild bonds were important, and if he wanted to build them like he had in Beseria, he''d have to offer some trust. He considered the two opinions and chose the latter; if Emilia tried to poison him, he''d use his powder horn and then kill her. He popped the cork and threw back the white liquid, tasting sunshine and lavender as it went down his throat. He waited, it seemed they all did, and nothing happened; although his eyes did feel slightly dry. He turned to Emilia and held out the vial, she cocked her head, studying him intensely before taking it. ¡°Interesting. We will follow your contract¡¯s stipulations. Since you show no signs of corruption, the being you met is most likely a Guardian of Greenwood.¡± ¡°And what is a guardian?¡± ¡°A beast that has attained enlightenment in a place filled with magic. It has chosen to bond with the Greenwood itself for power and immortality, in exchange for guarding the land. For whatever reason, it has chosen to work through you to exact a price from the bandits. Most likely because of the corrupted treants.¡± Emilia explained to Jaeger, and the adventurers with her seemed to be excited by the information as well. For example, when Sivly spoke. ¡°Why doesn''t it deal with them?¡± Emilia turned to the otterkin. ¡°The wards around the camp are blocking it.¡± ¡°You saw wards?¡± ¡°No, but I can feel them, like pins and needles on my skin. However, it is unlikely to affect any of you, so do not worry.¡± Jaeger regretted letting his curiosity get the better of him as he felt the situation slipping out of his control. ¡°That''s enough. If you want to know more, you can all talk later, but if you''re going to help me, we need to act soon.¡± That got everyone''s attention and they turned to look at him. Brad asked what they were all clearly thinking. ¡°What is the plan?¡± ¡°How stealthy are you all?¡± As Troy stepped forward, the group looked to him. ¡°Not very, aside from myself and Emilia.¡± He nodded at Brad and Sivly. ¡°Brad''s armor is loud and eye-catching, while Sivly must speak her spells aloud, and like Brad, they are loud and eye-catching.¡± Brad nodded along with the assessment of his stealth, while Sivly simply shrugged. ¡°If you want quiet magic, find a night sorcerer or a shadowcaster. I wield the power of the ocean, and it is not silent.¡± ¡°Which brings me to my next point. What is everyone''s skill set?¡± Jaeger asked. ¡°I am an Imperial Warrior, my armor is strong, and my hammer is equally so. Once I am close, my friend, the battle is over.¡± Brad said. Troy tapped his sword and dagger. ¡°I''m a Starlight Wanderer. I''m agile, stealthy, and can infuse my attacks with the power of the stars. Though I can hold my own in battle, I prefer to come and go.¡± ¡°Wave Skimmer, I can control water and ice. I''m also a skilled swimmer and know how to use my trident.¡± ¡°I am a Combat Alchemist. Owing to my nature I am a skilled hand to hand fighter.¡± Jaeger waited for more from Emilia, and when none came, he pushed. ¡°And the alchemist part?¡± ¡°Useless for any of you, the only alchemical tonics I have on me are designed for myself.¡± He figured that was the best he was going to get out of her. ¡°I''m a Bounty Hunter. I''ve got my axe, my pistol, my rifle, and a little bit of extra magic. Nothing fancy, just some containment spells.¡± If he wanted to use his chain magic, it would be best to play it down now. ¡°What is a pistol and rifle?¡± Sivly asked. ¡°Ranged weapons. Projectile-based with a trailing beam and anti-magic properties.¡± The others immediately began to question him. How could a magic attack be anti-magic? Was it soul magic? Could they use it? How exhausting was it to use? He waved his hand before he spoke. ¡°We have no time for this. Those dead guards will be seen, or rather not seen, soon enough.¡± That ended the questions and brought a tension back into the room, for a moment he thought the adventurers had forgotten the situation they were in. He looked at each of them, having decided on a simple plan. ¡°Troy, Emilia, you two go out first and sneak into the camp. There may be sentries, so be careful, go to the far end of the camp and start quietly killing any sleeping bandits you find. Me, Brad and Sivly will go out the front door and sneak in as close as we can before making a frontal assault. I''ll give you two a head start, but I don''t think we should wait too long.¡± Troy and Emilia said goodbye to Brad and Sivly before the two slipped out. Jaeger knew that the moment his group walked out the door they risked getting caught and starting a riot, so he wanted to give the other two as much time as possible. Chapter 45 Ten minutes, that''s how long he ended up waiting. The time seemed to drag on at first, Sivly and Brad itching to storm out, but after a few minutes he told them the wait would be at least ten minutes and they finally relaxed. Brad had plopped down on the chest that held their gear, while Sivly held a small ball of water and manipulated its shape. Around the nine-minute mark, the two stopped relaxing and moved back up to join him by the door. ¡°The plan is still to run out and start killing, right?¡± Brad asked. ¡°The plan is to sneak into the camp area and then start killing. I want us to try to stay as stealthy as possible, so try to kill quietly or quickly. There are still a few Treants out there and I''d rather thin out as many humans as possible before we have to deal with them.¡± ¡°I am not exactly stealthy, my friend.¡± ¡°Doesn''t matter. If we time this right, we won''t have to be so stealthy. Once we reach their camp, we should be good to go. They expect those two guards and your chains to be enough to hold you back, and they are looking out, not in, for enemy forces. With the element of surprise, we should be able to do some damage before anyone notices.¡± Sivly cocked her head. ¡°My magic is not stealthy.¡± ¡°That''s why I''m going to ask you not to use magic at first. While we can, use your trident staff; once we''re loud, feel free to go full tidal wave for all I care.¡± She nodded, spinning her trident staff and miming a few quick blows. ¡°Brad, you mentioned something about a hammer. Do you need one or is this a magic situation?¡± He chuckled and tapped the hammer disk on his chest. It disappeared, and in his hands he held a sturdy, dark silver two-handed war hammer. Its head was broad and flat, with a spike on top and a pick on the back. It was clearly a well-maintained weapon of war. ¡°It is a magic situation. Like my shield, my hammer can be summoned and is unbreakable.¡± ¡°Good to know, I''m in a similar situation.¡± He summoned his axe, having put it away prior to the long wait. ¡°I must say, my friend, this is a glorious weapon. I was so caught up in just being free that I didn''t pay much attention to it, but now I can see that was a mistake.¡± Jaeger agreed with the man. His axe had been a scarred battle-axe, its steel darkened by years of use. Now, though it was a thing of beauty, the scars on its handle had been transformed into runes and filigree. It had a single-bladed head made of a metal he could barely describe; it seemed to reflect light by day and absorb it by night. Holding it felt more natural than not, and though Lorcan had completely redesigned it, the axe had somehow retained the grip and grooves he had worn into it over the years. ¡°Let''s move.¡± Jaeger pushed the door open a crack and peered out. He didn''t see anyone, nor did he hear any alarms or calls. He hadn''t been in the adventurer''s prison for more than twenty-five minutes, so there was a good chance that the guards hadn''t been noticed as missing yet. Waving over his shoulder, he slipped out the door and headed toward the camp. Sivly and Brad were on his heels as he reached the edge of the camp, just out of direct firelight. The fire pits here had dimmed considerably and it seemed that most of the Swords were in their tents. Looking around, he saw a few moving about, either on patrol or off duty. He knew they would have to go first. He watched as two of them moved away from the tents and toward the fire closest to his position. For a moment, he was sure they would continue on and come towards him, but they didn''t. Instead, they plopped down near the fire and shared a bottle. He motioned for Sivly to take the right and for him to take the left. In sync, the two crept forward, crouching with weapons at the ready. When they were within a few feet of the targets, he held up three fingers to Sivly, lowering one until he reached one, and then he struck. Raising his axe, he brought it down in a diagonal slash through his target''s spine. He met little resistance as the axe head sliced through his neck, spine, and torso. He yanked the axe free and pulled the body back toward him. He turned to Sivly and saw her trident pierce her target''s neck, and with a wrench she pulled it, and his head, free from the body. With that, he motioned to leave the bodies and waved Brad forward; the nearest person was at a distant fire, maybe eight tents down. When Brad reached them, he motioned for them to move to the nearest tent; each one seemed to hold anywhere from three to five people. The trio moved as a unit to the tent, Jaeger lifted the flap and they slipped inside. There were six bunks laid out, but only two were occupied. With both people in deep sleep, Jaeger motioned for Sivly to watch the front. He and Brad moved to the bunks.Stolen novel; please report. Again his axe rose and fell with deadly results, leaving a decapitated body in the bunk. He heard a sound he recognized, a cross between a juicy melon splattering and a pot breaking, and turned to see Brad moving away from his crushed target. Then they slipped out of the tent and moved on to the next. This routine went smoothly for another three tents, taking out seven more bandits. It wasn''t until they reached the fifth tent, the fourth being empty, that things got out of hand; bad luck, really. Brad opened the tent flap, and whether it was the sound of the flap opening, an errant breeze, or just light sleep, one of the Swords inside woke up. The man awoke quickly, as if he knew that intruders were responsible for his interrupted slumber. He shot out of bed, wide-eyed and completely naked. ¡°Intruders! Intruders in the ca-urggh!¡± As fast as Jaeger was able to cut him down, he still managed to scream an alarm. The other four people in the tent woke up dazed and confused, and we managed to kill them before they could do anything. Rushing to the back of the tent, Jaeger used his axe to make an exit. ¡°Out the back. We¡¯ll ambush them.¡± Brad smiled but didn¡¯t move. ¡°Go, take Sivly. I will meet them here and take the fun outside.¡± Jaeger nodded and hurried Sivly through the opening. Once outside, they moved to the side and watched as eight people arrived, two wearing heavy cloaks with bows on their shoulders, two more in ornate metal armor, probably returning from a patrol, while the other four were in their varying states of undress and looked like they had just woken up. ¡°Tis this one. I recognized James¡¯ voice,¡± said one of the barely dressed bandits, pointing his spear at the tent where Brad was. One of the elaborately dressed swordsmen pushed him back and stepped forward. ¡°All right, anyone alive in there has exactly ten seconds to get out before I set the tent on fire.¡± As he spoke, he uncorked a flask and motioned for one of the barely clothed men to grab a torch. It seemed that Brad''s plan wasn''t going to work too well, he must have had the same thought because he came charging out. ¡°Fortify my fury!¡± With a raging battle cry and a blur of movement, he collided with the ornate speaker, slamming shield first into the man. The ornate armor crumpled under Brad''s force, and the man went flying, crashing through one of the tents. Jaeger patted Sivly''s arm as the enemy turned on Brad. Getting the message, she winked and moved to get a better look before casting. ¡°Wraith of the waves.¡± With a sweep of her trident, waves were summoned from the ground, rushing through and extinguishing the nearest fire before running across the closet to the two bandits. The two didn''t stand a chance and were immediately caught by the wave and swept away. Sivly wasn''t done yet, though, and when she saw the others scattering, she swung her trident staff into a figure eight before slamming it down. In turn, the magical wave rose, getting thinner as it got higher, and then collapsed in on itself, crushing the two bandits inside. Jaeger was about to make his own move when the two cloaked bandits dropped their cloaks and bows to reveal themselves as Troy and Emilia. Troy drew his sword with a flourish that left a trail of stars in its wake. These seemed to draw the attention of the four barely clad bandits, who stopped in their tracks, dazzled by his move. Not wasting a second, Troy lunged forward, cutting down two of them in a flurry of slices. As he moved to the third, they began to shake awake, swords in hand. They met his slash with a parry and pressed their advantage, Jaeger watching as the last of the blinded bandits regained their senses and advanced on Troy as well. Just as Jaeger stepped forward when Troy acted. He quickly grabbed a dagger and threw it at the farthest bandit. ¡°Night¡¯s Sky!¡± With the call, the dagger was joined by dozens of star-bright daggers that shot toward the bandit. The bandit had only seconds to act, but he was too slow and the daggers pierced him. As he fell, all but the original dagger disappeared, causing the wounds they left to bleed profusely. In the seconds that had passed, Troy had met the other bandit again, sword to sword. Jaeger expected to see more star magic, but instead Troy took a hand off his sword, losing ground in the standoff, and reached into his pocket. It came out and threw something in the bandit''s face. ¡°Pocket sand!¡± Cursing, the bandit stepped back, swinging wildly with one hand as the other tried to clear his eyes. Troy ducked and weaved around the flailing, stabbing the bandit again and again, bleeding his opponent. After a while, the bandit slid to his knees and Troy ripped out his throat. ¡°Do not worry your boss will be joining you in Hell soon enough.¡± The phrase was followed by the crack of metal, a painful squeal, and a fleshy ripping sound. Jaeger turned his focus to the sound and saw Emilia with her hand deep in the cracked breastplate of the ornate guard. The man struggled weakly for her arm as she dispassionately pulled out his heart. She looked at it and carefully placed it on the ground beside her before pulling her arms back. She slammed her hands into the man''s head, crushing it beyond recognition. She ripped a chain from his neck and stepped back. Jaeger moved forward, Brad, Sivly, and Troy joining him as they stood a few paces from Emilia. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He was a traitor to the guild and had something that did not belong to him.¡± She revealed a necklace with four adventurer''s insignia. He recognized it. ¡°He had a Killers Chain.¡± She nodded. ¡°Yes, one of the badges is his. The others belong to solo adventurers who have gone missing. Their whereabouts are part of the reason we were out here.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Jaeger turned so he could see Troy as well. ¡°How did you two get along?¡± ¡°Well enough. We split up and took opposite sides of the camp. I got five.¡± Troy said. ¡°I counted seven on my end.¡± Emilia turned to us. ¡°As soon as we heard the scream, I decided to disguise ourselves as patrollers; the tent I was in provided the cloaks and bows.¡± ¡°Smart thinking. I''m guessing from what you told this guy,¡± Jaeger motioned at the heartless man. ¡°You didn¡¯t meet the leader?¡± Emilia shook her head. ¡°I saw a tent that was better decorated, but we didn''t get close enough before the screaming started.¡± An earthshaking rumble rolled across the camp, followed by an unnatural howl; a hollow, echoing sound. This was followed by heavy trampling towards the camp. Brad laughed and rolled his shoulders. ¡°My friends, I have been looking forward to this. I imagine the leader has called for reinforcements from the only beings he has left.¡± ¡°Treants.¡± Chapter 46 ¡°Treants.¡± Jaeger said the word with finality in his voice. He''d only fought one, but that had been more than enough to show him the strength of the tree people. As if summoned by his voice, a treetop crested the hill, swaying slowly as it grew taller. With each passing moment, more of the creature was revealed, and the first of the Swords treant¡¯s made itself known. A dark, sickly green tree with withered leaves and twisted, gnarled limbs. The treant had a face-like feature near the center of its trunk, a thing of rage that showed nothing but blind hatred for the world. A split in its trunk formed legs, each ending in twisted, spiky roots, and long, splintered branches served as arms. Jaeger could imagine that it had once been a strong old tree, but now it seemed like a dead thing. ¡°That is a corrupted treant. I cannot fathom how the Swords have managed this.¡± Emilia said. They watched the lumbering steps of the corrupted treant, slowly moving toward the group. Its unseeing eyes were fixed on the group, its plodding pace seemingly inevitable and unstoppable. They had time to prepare for what was to come, and Jaeger hoped that with more people, this fight wouldn''t be like his last one. That¡¯s when two more had appeared treants appeared behind it. ¡°Does it matter that they are corrupt?¡± Jaeger asked. ¡°Yes, they are now creatures of death and their magic will reflect that. Be careful not to get hit, if an attack breaks your skin, it could be fatal.¡± Troy said. ¡°An old forest elf mentor told me about corrupted treants, called them an affront to nature. He said that they are stronger in death. But they are no longer fully sentient, now guided by dark impulses and instincts. Corruption drains them of their vitality, so they''re also dried up, he said fire would cleanse them.¡± Emilia nodded in agreement. ¡°He is correct; I would add that the leader of the Swords most likely has some method of controlling them. That would explain most of what happened here.¡± Jaeger turned to her with a questioning look. ¡°I have had time to think about our first encounter with these bandits, combining it with the information you provided about your interaction with the Guardian. I believe that the corruption of the Treants is either the reason the Swords were denied further access to Greenwood, or it was done in retaliation.¡± She looked around before grabbing a torch from a pile near the fire. ¡°But it does not matter. What matters is to clean up these treants and kill the bandit leader. Grab a torch and follow me.¡± Torch in hand, she moves toward the approaching treants. The adventurers each grab a torch, Brad grabbing two and passing one to Jaeger, then follow her. Jaeger puts the torch in his storage bag and hurries to catch up to Emilia. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Simple, we will burn and turn. Sivly and Troy will be the main torchbearers, as Sivly''s magic is ineffective against the treants and Troy''s tricks are the same. While they burn the treants, Brad and I will keep them safe, diverting the enemy''s focus away from them and attacking any wounded treants.¡± ¡°And me?¡± ¡°Your part is simple, kill the bandit leader. If he falls first, the treants will lose all cohesion and be much easier to defeat. I would do this myself, but this is your contract, so I wanted to give you the first shot.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Emilia showed the first bit of emotion since he''d met her, and it was anger. She was angry that she wouldn''t be the one to take a shot at the leader, but professional enough to give up the chance. Jaeger found himself respecting the stoic woman. Any questions Jaeger had would have to wait, because as they''d moved forward, so had the Treants, and now the great, corrupted arboreal assault force stood a good charge away from them. As Brad moved forward beside Emilia, Jaeger dropped back to a better position, keeping an eye out for the Swords leader. The treants stood across from them, motionless as a ghostly grove, until an unseen sign came and they howled. It was an eerie sound, the dry crackling of wet wood that seemed to become the death howl of something primal and foresty; it paralyzed bounty hunter to hear it. That must have been their plan, for as they howled, the treants charged. Where their earlier walk had been plodding and steady, their charge was swift and tumultuous, like a landslide. It was met by something equally swift, but many times steadier. ¡°Lion¡¯s Pride!¡± A jovial and fierce shout rang out, accompanied by an almost physical sensation. Something ran through Jaeger, shaking him from his paralysis and filling him with a sense of power and courage. He clenched his axe and searched for the source of this power. Brad stood in front of the group, his torch blazing with a golden flame and his shield firmly in place. Somehow he''d gotten ahead of the others and used a skill to strengthen them, standing before them as a bulwark against their enemies. Whether inspired by the man''s skill or simply his size, Jaeger moves to stand at Brad''s side. Once there, he pulls out his torch and uses his magic to ignite it. Jaeger''s flame is a brilliant mix of purple and silver, each color vying for supremacy. He is soon joined by Emilia, Troy, and Sivly, each holding a torch that burns a different color. Emilia''s burned a bright green that seemed calm, but jagged edges popped out every now and then. Troy''s burned white, like a star fallen from the sky, and Sivly''s was a frozen flame, pale blue with an icy white core. ¡°I am glad you have all recovered, now we fight!¡± Brad shouted before he rushed out to meet up with the nearest Treant. The treant, seeing his charge, turned to meet him, never slowing its landslide run. Its body was clearly not made for such a move, but even as it weebled and wobbled, it did not fall down. As they came within range, the treant lowered its hands, forming a wooden, jagged ram, in response Brad positioned his shield to meet it, and with a ground-shaking crack, they struck. The force behind their encounter was so great that both Brad and the treant were thrown back. As he flew back, Brad slammed the edge of his shield down to slow himself. When he regained his footing, he turned back to the treant, which had taken the worst of their exchange, toppling over thanks to its unbalanced weight. He struck the flame of his torch against his shield twice before charging the fallen treant. His speed wasn''t half as fast this time, but there was a momentum building as each step brought him closer and closer. ¡°Imperial Advance!¡± As he moved, he seemed to become not one, but ten, then twenty, then thirty, soon he seemed to move not as a man, but as an army. When he reached the tree, he struck it. His golden torch slammed down, smashing the trunk, and his face filled with hatred, the golden flame strike mirrored by the army around him. As he struck the treant, so did the army, and the effect was instantaneous; flames ran across the treant''s bark, coating its entire body. It howled, this time without the foul magic that gave it power, and flailed wildly. Its blows fell impotently against Brad''s shield. Each blow was met and countered by the Imperial Warrior. He was single-handedly dealing with one of the treants, and as Jaeger watched, he felt the earlier inspiration flow through him. He was not normally a man given to battlefield heroics, but something in him was. He was not the only one. Emilia had a look of determination on her face. She took a deep breath, pulled out a metal flask from deep inside her coat, popped the lid and swallowed the contents. She shook her whole body a few times, bounced twice, and then spoke. ¡°The plan has changed, we will split up and handle one treant each. Brad will handle this one, Troy with me, Sivly with Jaeger.¡± Emilia charged the left-most treant, Troy hot on her heels. Jaeger locked eyes with Sivly, exchanged a nod, and they ran for the rightmost treant. Unable to match Brad''s display of power, their methods of attack were quite different. Chapter 47 Emilia and Troy had devised a plan as they ran, and now, as they neared the Treant, they put it into action. Troy fell back and dissolved into the shadows. Meanwhile, Emilia flexed her free hand as she came within a spear''s length of the treant. ¡°Fist of the Created!¡± A deep green glow flashed from beneath her gloves, revealing a patchwork of sutures and surgical scars. Then she leapt and unleashed her might on the treant. Her fist plunged deep into the treant''s trunk, reaching inside. She opened her hand and gripped tightly, locking herself in place. All according to plan, Emilia thought as she heard the treant''s cry of pain and anguish, and as she heard the monstrous creature scream, she allowed herself a rare grin; before she struck. She raised her torch and smashed the burning head against the dry wood around her. Each time she struck, a different part of the trunk caught fire, each spot burning like a beacon. Unfortunately for her, this treant was not disoriented like Brad, and it found the source of its pain and fire. It brought both of its arms down on its trunk, aiming for Emilia. Its lichwood arms struck three times, the first two blows hitting with lethal force. The last blow was delivered with a sweeping motion, the treant intent on removing the harmful debris on top of it, namely Emilia. She took the first two blows to the shoulder, managing to withstand the damage and maintain her grip. The third blow, with its sweeping motion, knocked her loose and she found herself in a sliding fall. Quickly, she dug her feet in, caught them on the forehead of the blind but glaring face, and kicked herself away. Twisting in the air, she landed facing the treant. Fist and torch at the ready, she braced herself for more retaliation. Instead, she watched as the tree person''s legs went up in flames. Radiant and shining like a star. The flames licked up the tree person''s legs, slowly consuming them even as the creature tried to extinguish them. When the star flame reached her green flame, they merged and burned faster than before; the treant simply could not contend with them. ¡°Thanks for agreeing to distract it, I wouldn''t have survived those blows.¡± While Emilia and Troy dealt with their Treant, Jaeger and Sivly moved on theirs. Without a bruiser to knock it back or a tank to meet it blow for blow, they had to use a different tactic. Jaeger was up front, pelting it with blows from his axe and torch. The treant, perhaps smarter than the others or simply lucky, managed to avoid or smother the spots where his torch struck, extinguishing the flames before they could take hold. It could not do the same for his axe blows, which landed and left deep gashes in its wooden body. Death by a thousand cuts would work, but it would take too long; that was where Sivly came in. While Jaeger distracted and provoked it, she had stayed out of its sight and tried to use her magic. She was restricted in that she could not rely on her most used spells because they would unleash a torrent of water. This would be a debilitating problem for a lesser mage, but as an accomplished Wave Skimmer, she knew that waves could be more than just water. Now all she had to do was put her new ideas into practice. ¡°How''s it going back there?¡± An impatient voice called out, interrupting her process. ¡°I don''t want to do this much longer, my blows ain¡¯t doing much to it.¡± She rolled her eyes, everyone thought magic was easy and quick. Chant a few words, wave your hands, and boom. Sure, if you got your power from a higher or lower being like a warlock or cleric, it was. But for real mages like herself, it was all about understanding. Right now she was trying to change her own understanding of how a spell worked and what it did. This was usually a task of days or weeks, done in safety and comfort, not on a muddy field in the middle of battle. She was only trying this now because she was using a simple spell, one of her most used, and she wasn''t trying to change it fundamentally; she was adjusting the element, she needed the water to be frozen. ¡°Damnation, how long is she gonna take?¡± Muttering to himself, he glanced back at the mage, which was a bad idea while dodging. Jaeger stumbled over an exposed root, landing on his chest, and scrambled to get out from under a descending blow. Thud. Instead of landing in the middle of his back, it landed on his shoulder, shattering it with a sickening crack and causing him to drop his torch.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As it rolled across the ground, its flame went out, leaving him one arm down and without fire. Rising to his feet, he tucked his immobile arm into his cloak, where an inside pocket had been made simply to hold his arm in place. He tightened his grip on his axe, trying to focus and ignore his pain, and turned to face the treant. Jaeger had hoped to keep his pistol a secret in case the Swords leader was watching, but he may not have a choice. He slams his axe into the ground and reaches for his storage pocket as the treant begins to lumber toward him. Chirp! Just as he feels the smooth, hard obsidian of the pistol grip, a sharp chirp cuts through the air and a blur of frozen mass flies past him. Drawing his pistol, he recovers and watches as a wedge of something strikes the treant. The wedge was the size of a donkey and hit the treant like one, causing it to stumble backwards as its trunk cracked and splintered. ¡°Call me Nurrna, for like the North Sea, I bring ice sledges!¡± Arriving at his side, having slid over to him, was Sivly. He replaced his pistol and drew his powder horn instead. ¡°You do that?¡± ¡°By sea and sky I did indeed. This is a modified version of Tidal Wave, it''s lost a bit of size, but now it''s made of ice; well, it''s mostly mud, but that''s because of the area. Good job holding back the treant, by the way, what''s up with your arm?¡± ¡°I took a blow from the treant, stalling for you. It popped free, but I¡¯m about to solve that.¡± ¡°As an apology for the wait, let me heal it. Be ready though, this is going to feel weird.¡± With that, she placed her hands on his damaged arm and he felt a rush of warm water flow over it, followed by a squirming sensation in the flesh of his shoulder. It was an excruciating sensation as he felt his body move. He could feel the meat and muscle of his body realigning itself until, with a crack, his shoulder was fixed. Then the sensation disappeared. He freed his arm from its improvised sling and rolled his shoulder hesitantly, expecting pain or strain and instead felt nothing but smooth motion. ¡°That is much better, thank you.¡± Jaeger put away his powder horn and looked for his torch. Sivly held it up and pressed it into his hand. ¡°You saved my life and the lives of my friends, this is the least I can do. Now take up your torch, bounty hunter, I''ve got a nice follow-up for this treant that I could use your help with.¡± She smiled at him and thrust her trident forward. A layer of mud appeared, and with a running start she hopped onto it, sliding quickly toward the treant. Jaeger ran after her, dodging her mud trail as he did so. As they approached, Sivly chirped again, but this time it was longer and louder. At the end of the noise, she slammed the butt of her trident down and the frozen tidal wave exploded forward. Shards of icy mud pierced the treant all over. It had managed to push the sledge backwards, only to be hit by this. It could do nothing but cover its twisted face as the frozen bombardment continued. ¡°I''m going to melt the mud and raise a ramp. Use it to hit it from above.¡± Jaeger reached Sivly''s side and grunted in acknowledgement. She made a series of gestures with her free hand, waving her trident and then slamming the butt into the ground; things happened in quick succession. The treant, which had been struggling to move thanks to the frozen shrapnel inside it, was momentarily freed as the mud liquefied and slid down it. It tried to move again, but now found itself hampered in a different way, the mud coating its limbs and impeding its movements. Finally, a lumpy ramp of thick mud rose from the wet ground, and the hunter could hear the slurping of its ascent. ¡°Really?¡± Jaeger asked as he sparked his magic to light the torch. ¡°It''s the best I can do. Hurry, I''ll rip the water out of it to dry it, but as soon as I do it will start to crumble.¡± He shook his head and began to run. Just as he reached the edge of the ramp, it changed right in front of his feet. It went from wet mud to dry riverbed in a matter of seconds, and as he took his first step he could tell he wouldn''t last long. Disregarding caution, he shot up the ramp, each step a deep push forward, almost hopping with each step. When he reached the top of this wagon-sized ramp, he jumped. After jumping, Jaeger looked ahead and saw that he was heading straight for the gnarled top of the tree. He raised his arms and braced himself as he crashed through the dry and sharp leafless branches. As soon as he hit the solid top, he brought his axe down, chopping through the limbs until he reached the trunk. When the tree moaned, he redoubled his efforts and chopped twice more, leaving a gaping wound. When he had it wide enough, he pulled his axe back and plunged the torch deep into it. For a moment nothing happened. Then, like a struck match, the treant went up, the bounty hunter was struck by a blast of heat and was sent flying. ¡°Jaeger!¡± Sivly saw the bounty hunter fly from the treant, which was now erupting in fire and howling. As she watched the man fly high into the sky, she knew he wouldn''t survive the fall if she didn''t do something. So she chanted, waved her trident, and summoned her trusty Tidal Wave. It rose high, caught his falling body, and broke his fall. He was still falling, but now she could manipulate it and slow it down. Quickly, she made the wave grow smaller as it moved toward her, slowly receding from the height of a tower to no larger than a wagon. As Jaeger broke free, he gasped for air and collapsed to the ground. Sivly moves to check him, but is waved off. He slowly gets to his feet and picks up his hat, which has somehow survived not only his flight, but also his swim. ¡°This is the second time you''ve saved me. I owe you.¡± Jaeger said, meeting her eyes. ¡°You have destroyed my camp, routed my men, destroyed my treant minions, and you won''t have the grace to just die. Why do I have to do everything myself?¡± A dark green sword slammed into Sivly, sending her hurtling into Jaeger. Chapter 48 ¡°SIVLY!¡± Emilia, Brad, and Troy let out a unified scream, too far away to hear anything said, they can only watch as a green sword pierces their friend from behind. Troy and Emilia run over to the sprawled forms of Sivly and Jaeger. Brad, still fighting with his treant, roars out, devastating the timber terror. ¡°IMPERIAL MIGHT!¡± His body glows a brilliant gold, a ghostly echo from a multitude of voices accompanies his words as he grips his hammer two handed. With a mighty swing, he strikes the treant dead center, shattering its trunk. Without a second look, Brad turns and runs toward his companions, his body a shining beacon. ¡°The rest of the rats¡¯ scurry onto the scene.¡± Three more green swords cut through the air, whistling towards another target. Having seen what happened to Sivly, the others are not caught unawares. Troy meets his as a vanishing shadow, and the blade whooshes through him before dissipating and he reappears unharmed. Emilia spins into a crushing right hook that slams into the blade, and for a moment the magical sword meets her gloved fist and a stalemate ensues. One that won''t last, though, as Emilia''s strength wins out over the magic and the sword visibly cracks before shattering into shards of light. Brad does nothing more than lower his glowing shoulder and let the blade shatter on his golden mug as he moves to his fallen companion. ¡°Ah, you''re not just adventurers, well, at least I can see how my loyal swords and treants have been defeated.¡± ¡°Reveal yourself! Starlight Reversal!¡± Troy shouts as he gestures with his hand. From the palm of his hand come what appear to be small spheres, dark as night. As they leave his palm, they fly into the air, rising higher and higher. As they do, they begin to glow, slowly brightening from candles to a false daylight. They reveal the battlefield around them and the voice in the darkness. Just out of range, the speaker is revealed. He is an older man wearing a mixture of wizard robes and knightly armor. He is an intimidating figure, made even more so by the weapons he carries. A gnarled, red-veined wooden staff in his left hand and a jagged and harrowing sword in his other. When these weapons catch the light, they transform the figure from philosopher-knight to magical blackguard in the blink of an eye. ¡°And here I thought otterkin was your mage. This will teach me to make assumptions, won''t it? No matter, you will fall just as she did.¡± The man said, a sneer audible in his voice. Taking the bait, Troy lunged at the culprit behind not only the bandits or his kidnapping, but also the potential death of his friend. Neither anger nor grief could cloud his skill, and instead of a clear frontal attack, he flashed around. He moved forward a few steps at a time before darting to the side, each move followed by a flash of starlight. When he was within dagger range, he disappeared, only to reappear behind the man, aiming for his throat. As his daggers reached out, they were met with a brutal counter and he was thrown aside. ¡°I was hoping to get more than just the single rat, but one is better than none, I suppose.¡± After tossing Troy aside, the leader moved for the first time, blurring to Troy''s side and thrusting his blade forward. ¡°Be proud to die on the blade of Kadrin, leader and wielder of the Swords of Greenwood.¡± His thrust pierced Troy''s chest and, anticipating the resistance and the sensation of flesh and bone separating, Kadrin stepped forward when he felt nothing. He stumbled forward, right through the fading image of Troy. By the time Troy got to the leader, Jeager, Emilia and Brad had finished checking and settling Sivly; they trusted Troy to buy them time. Her wound was fatal and none of them were healers, so the best they could do was bandage the worst of it. Emilia had not lied when she said she had no potions or elixirs that anyone else could use, and she deeply regretted it. Brad also had no potions or healing experience and could only watch over his teammate and friend. This left Jaeger with a choice to make. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. His powder horn might be able to heal the otterkin. But there were risks. He had no idea what it would do to Sivly. He had never used it on anyone before. For him, it was a burning sensation that coursed through his entire body before he recovered. For anyone else, it might burn them alive or blow them away; it was, after all, magically transformed black powder. On the other hand, she was almost guaranteed to die without it. He would have asked Sivly, but she wasn''t conscious at the moment, so he took it to her friends. ¡°Look, we ain¡¯t got long, so I¡¯ll be straight. I¡¯ve got an item that might heal Sivly.¡± Emilia and Brad turned to him. ¡°What do you mean might?¡± Emilia asked. ¡°I have an item that heals me, but it''s unique and I''m not sure what it will do for another person.¡± ¡°Unique? Is it designed just for you? Like Emilia¡¯s elixirs?¡± Brad questioned. ¡°It wasn''t designed for me, but it was made for me.¡± Emilia raised her hand and cut Brad off. ¡°Is this an item you brought over with from your world?¡± Jaeger''s brow raised in surprise at the question. ¡°How you¡¯d know I was an Outworlder?¡± Brad snorted and Emilia tapped her chest. ¡°Our party is made up of Outworlders, like recognizes like.¡± ¡°In that case, yes, my item is from my old world. It wasn''t a healing item, but it became one when I came here.¡± ¡°Interesting, care to share the details?¡± Emilia asked. Jaeger mentally recalled the information on his Powder Horn as he considered her question. Powder Horn, A unique Outworlder item. Its original contents were deemed too dangerous, and its removal rendered its purpose useless. Therefore, its contents have been changed and its purpose upgraded. Where it once contained [REDATCED], it now contains a powder of similar granularity, with a similar purpose. When consumed, the powder burns internally, restoring body and mana. This powder horn is proof that destruction and restoration are two sides of the same coin. Soulbond: Jaeger Darkblade He was about to, but remembered Lisette''s warning about others wanting it for themselves. ¡°I can''t. Someone warned me not to spread his details.¡± ¡°Interesting. At least answer me this, does it mention anything about healing you specifically or being tied to you in any context?¡± ¡°It¡¯s soulbound to me, other than that, no.¡± Emilia opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. ¡°Then use it on me.¡± Sivly coughed out. Her voice was faint, barely audible. Emilia and Brad crouch by her questioning her condition. Given a moment Jaeger spares a glance at the battle, just in time to see Troy take a spear through the chest and disappear. He stopped moving and watched, hoping the star elf had planned this. ¡°Solar Flare!¡± A flash blinded Jaeger, and as he blinked the spots from his eyes, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Reacting instinctively, he threw back an elbow, spinning around to grapple with his attacker. ¡°It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me.¡± Someone said in a frenzied whisper. His forearm on the person''s throat, his vision slowly came back and he saw that it was Troy. He looked a little paler than usual and was breathing deeply. Jaeger released him and looked around. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± ¡°He''ll be blind for a moment and I''m running low on mana, that attack almost got me.¡± Troy rubs his chest, his hand coming away bloody. ¡°I came to see what the problem was.¡± Jaeger nodded to Sivly, and Troy joined him as they moved toward the otterkin. Emilia intercepted them. ¡°Sivly wants to risk your item. I do not wish to risk my companions, but she will die, either from her wounds or from the enemy.¡± Brad huffed out his agreement from beside Sivly. ¡°I would kill to have a medicus, but I am no longer of the Legions and must make do. If you have used this item and trust it to work, then I place the same trust in you, my friend.¡± Jaeger nodded and knelt beside Sivly, gently taking her head and tilting it. He pulled out his powder horn, popped the cork, and offered it to Sivly. ¡°It''s a powder, but you have to consume it.¡± He tilted the horn and saw the moment the powder entered her mouth, so he tried to offer words of encouragement. ¡°It''ll go down easy. It''s magic.¡± Having never offered this to anyone before, Jaeger tried to time how long he usually drank from the horn and stopped when she reached that point. Pulling the horn away, he put it away, laid Sivly''s head down and waited. Moments after he laid her down, she shivered, her fingers twisting and flexing, her teeth clenched. A look of agony crossed her face and Jaeger feared he''d killed her. Just as he became concerned, she stopped shaking, her eyes flew open and she sat up. ¡°It was the most uncomfortable feeling I have ever had, but I have also never felt better in my life.¡± She stood and grabbed her trident staff. Jaeger stood and picked up his axe to join her; when she was up, his horn worked. Emilia, Brad, and Troy took a second longer to move, stunned by her miraculous recovery. ¡°Are you really better, Sivly?¡± ¡°Yes, better than ever. I''m ready to wipe out everything in my path.¡± A green sword flies toward her, but this time she''s not caught off guard and deflects it with her trident staff before retaliating with a spell of her own. ¡°Stingray Strike!¡± She moved to hurl her trident, but instead of letting go, a watery replica shot out and flew to where the sword had come from. Kadrin, leader of the Swords of Greenwood, met the blow with a casual stroke of his sword. ¡°A rat that bites back? How quaint.¡± Chapter 49 Pushing forward, Kadrin leapt toward his prey, the rats had become something worth killing, his staff raised high and glowing green. As he advanced, he swung it, unleashing a fan of ethereal daggers at the group. Thuds and cracks rang out as the large, lion-armored man met them with his shield planted firmly and securely. ¡°Impressive, but a stationary defense won''t protect your companions from me.¡± The fool blocked them as if they were simple projectiles. His daggers were simply a delivery method, depositing the tainted sap and locking down the largest of his prey. With his primary locked down, Kadrin decided to move on to easier prey. Now all he had to do was keep an eye out for the patchwork woman and that damned Star Elf. The smaller human and the otterkin were nothing. Yes, the otter-kin had magic, but her skills were clearly paltry and nothing compared to his. The human was clearly some kind of support, a healer of some kind, it seemed. ¡°No further.¡± A stalwart, smoky voice intoned as a fist slammed into his vision. Abruptly throwing his head back, Kadrin feels the material of the patchwork woman''s gloves caress his chin as her fist passes. He ripostes and then unleashes a double thrust with his sword. He''d met fighters like the patchwork before, the best thing to do was to match her strike for strike and overwhelm her. So he did. Every time she struck, he countered with his blade or staff. A jab was met with the deflecting crack of his staff, a searing blow to his head with a deadly slash to her neck. He trapped her in a stalemate where each of her killing blows was met by one of his. If she were fighting someone else, it would be a sacrificial move, trading his death for hers. Instead, for Kadrin, it was simply trading her certain death for a slightly debilitating condition for him, and his rot and decay would see him through. Unfortunately, she proved to be a capable fighter, standing fist to sword with him. He was a Blademaster and here was a no-name adventurer to match him, the shame of it burned him. He decided to end this. He dodged a flurry of blows from the patchwork woman, her fists cracking the air as they missed. He flicked his staff through a small circular pattern and then plunged it into her stomach, unleashing his spell and sending her flying. ¡°Good riddance, I''ll deal with you in a moment.¡± As he spoke, his sword arm swung back, clashing loudly as metal crashed against metal. He turned just in time to see the star elf fade back into the shadows. ¡°Rogue, the cheapest and least honorable of the classes.¡± Kadrin muttered. Like a shadow, a dagger slashed at him, only to be met by his blade. A kick was turned by his staff, and more slashes were met with both. This went on and on, for thirty exchanges or more. The rogue would reveal some part of himself from the dark shadows to strike, only to be met with a counterattack. Kadrin quickly grew bored; it had seemed challenging at first, but after a few blows it became apparent that the star elf was no Shadow Master or Blade in the Dark, but simply an untitled. With a sigh of annoyance, Kadrin tapped his staff twice on the ground and waited for the star elf. In a moment, the man reappeared, screaming as two rotting roots covered his body and began to crush him. He watched for a moment, making sure the rogue wouldn''t be able to get away easily. He sighed and stepped aside, dodging a surprise blow from a trident staff. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He spun and slashed, aiming to cripple the otterkin for daring to come into melee as a mage, only to be deflected by an axe head. It caught his sword and did not break. To match the magical power of his blade meant that the axe was equally powerful; intriguing. ¡°How did someone like you get a weapon like that?¡± He mussed aloud. The human support stood before him, his axe tightly grasped. First a mage, now a healer, Kadrin decided to show those unfit for close combat what a master could do. So he released some of his aura, expecting it to dominate the man. As he did so, the air changed, taking on the scent of rotting wintergreens and a decaying spring. The otter-kin stumbled back, the star elf, somehow freed from her roots, was dropped from the shadows, and the great shieldman stopped his efforts to free himself as he struggled to breathe; all these were expected results, what was not was the healer. As the weakest of these adventurers, he should have been unconscious or dead, depending on how weak he was. Instead, he was fine, Kadrin could detect no change in his bearing. For all his aura had done to the man, Kadrin felt he might as well have dumped a corpse in a swamp; the man was completely unaffected. ¡°You''re no simple healer, are you?¡± Kadrin asked, where before he''d just watched the man, now he was concentrating on him. ¡°Who and what are you?¡± ¡°Jaeger, bounty hunter.¡± said the man before lowering his axe and charging. Jaeger watched as the Swords leader mowed through the adventurers. He paralyzed Brad with a wave of daggers, sent Emilia flying with a spell, and matched Troy blow for blow. This Kadrin was a seasoned swordsman and a skilled mage. Jaeger knew he had to enter the fray before things got worse. The choice was taken away from him when Sivly moved out of the man''s line of sight and attempted a sneak attack. Jaeger could already see that the man knew it was coming, so he had little time. He threw himself forward, racing to Sivly as she struck. Her trident was knocked aside as he arrived, and he barely blocked the sword blow. ¡°How did someone like you get a weapon like that?¡± said the dead-eyed bandit leader, drawing back his sword. The sword slash was much stronger than he''d expected, and even though he caught it this time, he felt his bones creak and his skin crack from the strain. He needed a plan. From everything he''d seen so far, he knew that Kadrin was the superior fighter; his movements alone held an edge that spoke of competence and confidence. This was why he''d quit being a soldier, you never knew who was a secret Blademaster and who was just a peasant conscript. As if to emphasize this point, an oppressive aura began to emanate from the Blademaster. With it came a sensation, deep, savage winters and abundant, excessive springs. Except they were wrong, the cold and desolation of a deep winter was accompanied by rot; the feeling of wood unfit to provide fire, infested with death instead. Spring''s rebirth and harvest were overshadowed by decay; still births and harvests filled with sickly sweet poison. Jaeger was overwhelmed by these sensations, they were smells, tastes, feelings and more. He stood frozen, watching those around him falter. Sivly fell back and went to her knees, Troy reappeared only to vomit bile and fade out, while Brad seemed to struggle to simply breathe. Jaeger watched them react, feeling himself grow weaker with each moment. Until something within him awoke, a rustle and rattling deep within him as chains shot forth. They wrapped around the invading aura, taking it and binding it tightly within the man before sinking back into him. He felt a relief as a weight was lifted from him, but where the almost physical sensation of weight was removed, a new weight replaced it. The cold, intense stare of death as Kadrin eyed down at him. ¡°You¡¯re not as simple as you seem? Who and what are you?¡± Jaeger prepared himself as he replied. ¡°Jaeger, bounty hunter.¡± Then he charged. Chapter 50 Storming forward Jaeger brought his axe down in a ferocious flurry of blows. At first Kadrin caught them on his sword and staff, blocking each as they came; an arrogant look on his face. That quick turned as each blow seemed to gain strength, soon he found himself being pushed back. The bounty hunter¡¯s strength and skill was unexpected, but good. He liked it when his opponents were strong. It made beating them all the more satisfying. Jaeger fought much like the gun¡¯s he favored, an explosive, deadly but short bout. The longer it went the more he slowed down and that was when Kadrin counter attacked. The axe blow was just a breath slower than the last but for an expert like Kadrin that was all the opening he needed. Smashing it aside with his staff he managed to slash out with his sword, forcing Jaeger backwards; breaking his momentum. ¡°Good, now show me more.¡± Planting his staff in the ground, Kadrin took a two handed grip on his sword and shot forward. With a mighty strike he brought it down, wondering how the bounty hunter would react. Jaeger dodged to the side and struck out. Only to have his blow thrust aside and riposted with a cut towards his neck. Leaning back, he turned it into a fall and rolled back, coming to his feet easily, but wary. He saw the smile on the swordsman¡¯s face and knew the man was enjoying this. Kadrin was impressed so far, the bounty hunter had survived so far, but he wondered how long he could last. The man did not seem to be breathing to heavily, nor was he coated in sweat; the man would be a worthy kill. Kadrin would enjoy watching the bounty hunter¡¯s death, hopefully the Lord of Decay would too. Jaeger came at Kadrin, unleashing a hail of blows. Slowly he started to build up a momentum again, only for it to be ended when the swordsman met and held his next strike. Kadrin began to push forward, putting more and more of his strength behind his blade. Beneath his jacket, the bounty hunter''s muscles bulged in his arms and shoulders. Sweat started to bead down his face as veins on his neck stood out from strain. The swordsman seemed as immobile as one of his now dead treants, the gradual pressure of his sword told Jaeger he wasn¡¯t. The swordsman¡¯s face was a mask, seemingly frozen in an image of disappointment. Slowly Jaeger managed to lock in and keep the blade from moving, it took most of his strength and wouldn¡¯t last long. Kadrin had a similar thought. The whites of his eyes changed, they changed, as though being polluted they slowly turned an unnatural green. As his eyes changed so did the stalemate, the swordsman started to gain an edge. His sword pushed harder and harder, driving Jaeger to his knee. Gritting his teeth and struggling, Jaeger pushed with his all. Trying to right himself but it wasn''t enough. "Nothing but a momentary distraction? How boring." His voice devoid of emotion and almost sickly the swordsman spoke. Then he pushed to finish it, the gradual change now becoming immediate. Something in Jaeger rattled and from the depths of him a familiar but changed aura emerged. Once a part of the swordsman it had changed, now instead of pressuring Jaeger it leant him strength. Slowly he was able to push back, slowly righting himself, before rising from his knee and eventually reaching a standing position. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Silver eyes?" The swordsman said in a hushed voice. Jaeger took that moment of distraction and shoved. Pushing the swordsman away from himself. The bounty hunter''s axe flashed forward. The blow was a blur, nearly too fast for the eye to follow, he did not know how the swordsman got his sword in the way but he did. The sword slipped around the axe like a snake before twisting it away and striking forward. Jaeger jerked his head to the side, turning a decapitation into a grazing strike; the deadly blow cutting but not deeply. The bounty hunter matched the swordsman¡¯s blow with one of his own. The axe flashed towards him with the irresistible force of a thunderbolt. Again the swordsman was ready but this time he met the blow head-on. Companion steel clashed with decayed metal. Red sparks flew as they met. Once more they parted before flying back at each other and trading blows again. They exchanged a flurry of blows, each pass increasing in speed. Soon they were moving so fast that Jaeger was acting on something beyond instinct. He wasn''t sure how he survived the encounter but he did, reeling back with a deep slash down his chest. Opposite him Kadrin bore a deep rent across his thigh, but somehow appeared less damaged then the bounty hunter. The swordsman ran a finger through his blood and licked it before laughing and preparing to spring forward. From nowhere a fist slammed into Kadrin''s chest, intercepting him. As it hit the rest of Emilia appeared, hair and clothes rumpled but expression serene. The punch was meet with a deep and unsettling cracking noise that came from Kadrin''s chest. The man coughed a cup''s worth of blood as he staggered backwards. Emilia sprang forward throwing out a pair of quick jabs, keeping her momentum going. The landed firmly, but less devastatingly then her first. She sprang forward a leaping punch crashing towards the stunned swordsman. Kadrin sensing the danger, or simply recovering from his stunned state, retaliated with a whip like blow that met Emilia and threw her aim off. She fell to the side, rolling uncontrollably. As she struggled to her knees, Jaeger moved in. His axe flashed through a savage arc and almost connected but his wounds slowed him and Kadrin had just enough time to counter it. Striking out the swordsman hit the axe and redirected it past him. There followed another flurry of blows that, once again each strike grew in speed but with both combatants wounded they didn''t reach the same speeds as before. The contest this time did not end with both reeling back instead, each one lost their weapon. Jaeger''s axe was slapped from his hands and Kadrin sword was struck free. Each one staggered back, but one was more experienced than the other and recovered first. Kadrin slipped forward and let loose a flurry of blows into Jaeger''s chest, bringing the man to his knees. The swordsman grinned, bloody teeth and savage joy, as he grasped Jaeger''s neck in his hands. Slowly lifting the man until he could look him in the eyes. "I have not been tested like this in decades, not since I left the Black Lagoon Company. It is almost a shame to end it like this." He began to squeeze, glee rushing across his face as Jaeger struggled to breath. "But then I see this and I know killing you is worth it. Your death''s head shall be imprinted in my mind." Jaeger¡¯s vision was slowly eroding, growing smaller and smaller. He knew he had only seconds before he was done for, he needed a game changer. Holding his hand down he summoned his pistol and started charging it. He worried that its sudden appearance would draw Kadrin¡¯s attention but the man was too busy watching his face to notice anything else. So he was unprepared for the star elf back stab. From behind him Troy appeared, looking shaken but determined, and up thrust his tightly held dagger into Kadrin¡¯s back. With a pained howl Kadrin threw Jaeger away from himself and spun to confront his new assailant. ¡°YOU!¡± ¡°Me.¡± Kadrin pounced, his sword flying towards Troy only to be met with a stalwart shield. ¡°And me.¡± Brad stepped forth, a pallid tone to his skin that did nothing to diminish the determination on his face. Chapter 51 For a moment everything was still, his vision all but gone, Jaeger could only catch the faintest hints of what was happening. Taking deep, painful breaths, he could feel his life slowly returning to him. For now, all he could do was breathe, choking down each breath, watching and waiting for his senses to return. Steel flashed against steel, and the sound of battle came to him as if from a great distance. He watched as two blurs coalesced into Troy and Brad, striding through the air, swooping low to the ground to meet the blur of the mad swordsman, Kadrin, who flew to meet them. The collision was blinding, but he forced himself to watch as Brad took blow after blow on his now scarred great shield, and Troy harassed the swordsman with only his dagger. It was only as he watched them fly, a powerful display of magic he couldn''t comprehend, that Jaeger realized he had not only fallen to the ground, but onto his side. He took a deep, steadying breath and slowly pulled himself to a sitting upright position; only as he moved did he register the familiar grip of his pistol in his hand. He attempted to stand, but broke into a coughing fit that sent him sliding back down, and to remedy that he summoned his powder horn and took a drink. Watching the men across from him, Jaeger drew his powder horn and took a sip. As he did so, Brad pushed forward and crashed through an overhand from Kadrin, knocking the man''s sword aside and leaving him open. Taking advantage of the opening, Troy lunged forward and plunged his dagger deep into the man''s stomach. Kadrin howled in pain and landed a kick to Troy''s chin, knocking the star elf into the air and away. He then lunged forward to finish him off, only to be met by the immovable object that was Brad. Once again, the big man blocked his opponent, much to the latter''s growing annoyance, which he expressed with more and more attacks, each one drawing a grimace from Brad. Jaeger, having sipped from his horn, waited for the overflow and rush of powder he was accustomed to. Instead, he swallowed a mouthful at best. And instead of the liquid fire and lightning he was used to, he experienced a lesser healing burn that ran down his throat and extremities, just enough to pull him back from the worst of his injuries, but not enough to fully heal himself. Attributing this to his recent sharing with Sivly, he accepted that this would be all he''d get for now. Coughing, he spat a glob of dried blood into the mud around him and summoned his axe. Pocketing the powder horn, he pushed himself to his feet with his axe and watched the battle, looking for his opening. ¡°You are but a distraction. Persistent mosquitoes unaware of your impotence.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re just a bandit lord pretending at greatness.¡± Troy replied as he came up behind Brad to strike at Kadrin. The swordsman met him with a sneer as he returned the blow, cutting deep into Troy''s sword arm. ¡°I am a Swordlord, Master of the Greenswords, and disciple of the Taphonomorphs. I stood against the Flayed at the Onyx Gates and watched the King of Stolen Flesh fall.¡± ¡°Meaningless achievements for one who has turned against his people. What you were is no more, now you are just a bandit lord.¡± Brad replied as he shielded Troy. In response, Kadrin simply lunged; his sword like a snake as it seemed to twist, curve, and come to life. His blade slipped over Brad''s shield, snapped out like a striking cobra, and caught him across the neck, sending the big man staggering back, a hand at his throat. Even mortally wounded, the man protected Troy, holding up his great shield even as his life slipped through his fingers. Jaeger knew he had to act or risk the others falling. He raised his pistol and aimed it at the gloating Kadrin. ¡°As I said, persistent mosquitoes that buzz the face of greatness. Know that while I will not sully my hands ushering you into the transition between life and death, I shall nonetheless enjoy watching you bleed¡­¡± A lance of pure magic pierced his chest, reducing his words to a mouthful of blood. Jaeger hadn''t been able to fully charge his pistol, having lost his first partial charge when he fell. But he''d had enough to penetrate and leave something behind. For a moment, all was still, the bandit Swordlord frozen in a rictus of surprise and fear, his would-be victims wearing expressions of surprise and gleeful malice. Then a hellish scream rang out, thawing the world. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Moving and clawing desperately at his chest, Kadrin screamed. The howling was his, a constant and harrowing companion to the bandit leader''s panicked movements. He spun around as he tore at his chest to face Jaeger; Brad and Troy forgotten, pushed aside by the overwhelming pain. ¡°WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHY DOES IT BURN?¡± The hunter made no reply. Instead, he lowered his pistol and drew his axe. Watching the man across from him, Jaeger simply smirked and attacked. Even nigh on overwhelmed by pain, Kadrin was no amateur or fresh-blooded warrior, he was experienced and reacted accordingly. Dropping his sword, he raised his hand and summoned his staff, catching it and casting. An unfortunate move on his part. As he tried to cast, he doubled over in pain. ¡°LEAD? YOU USED THE RAREST OF METALS ON ME? AS A RANGED STRIKE?¡± Raging with pain, the magical swordsman pushed through and cast again. This time he didn''t collapse from the pain and managed to finish his spell. Of the thirty strides he needed to take to reach Kadrin, Jaeger had made fifteen before the spell was cast; close enough to see the blood oozing from the man''s chest. Then his view was blocked by a rapidly rising forest. Jumping aside, Jaeger narrowly avoided running face first into a rotting tree. All around him, the terrain had changed to a decaying forest. At least the man was consistent. Having dealt with the treants, and not knowing what other foliage-based magic might be afoot, he moved cautiously forward, in the direction of where Kadrin was. He began to question his sense of direction, the smells and sights of the forest disorienting him, then Kadrin scream chanted. ¡°I WILL NOT BE UNDONE BY THIS! BY THE TRINITY OF ROT, DECAY AND ENTROPY, I DO BESEECH THEE!¡± To Jaeger, the voice seemed farther away than it had been just moments before. He almost started to just sprint towards it, but remembered something; a vital resource he promised himself he''d start using more. His magic. Using Bluthund, a familiar golden trail appeared, but instead of leading him forward, it veered sharply to the right, away from his planned course. Glad he''d used it, Jaeger set off, trusting his skill to lead him to Kadrin. He heard another screaming chant, one that carried an almost physical weight; it pushed his cautious pace aside and made him run. ¡°I CALL UPON THEE BY THE ROT OF THE BRANCH! PRUNE FROM ME THE WEAKNESS OF LIFE AND GIVE ME THE DECAYING POWER OF THE TAPHONOMORPH!¡± The hunter moved through the forest, sprinting past trees and over roots to reach a clearing where his bounty stood. Much as Jaeger remembered him the man was still clawing at his chest, even as he howled profane words to the world. Kadrin went from frantically clawing at his chest to freezing. He became like a portrait taken out of time, his entire body and involuntary movements frozen. Then, breaking the moment, his free hand slowly rose up and away from his body. Once at its maximum distance, it straightened and became rigid until it resembled a claw. As swiftly as one of his sword strokes, Kadrin plunged his hand deep into his own chest. In the silence of his action, the only sound was the disturbing gurgling, sucking, and cracking of his movement through the bones, meat, and blood of his chest. His hand did not stay still, but seemed to move and search inside the man. Then it came out holding a reddish-green fleshy lump that had some limp hanging parts; tendrils or something like that. It also had a coin-sized hole burned into it, from which black and silver veins spilled out. The chanting continued, but Jaeger did not see the man''s mouth move. ¡°THIS HEART AND LIFE I SHED, SACRIFICED BY A MAN SOON TO BE DEAD, OFFERED TO THE SPAWN OF ROT AND DECAY, TAKE ME INTO THY EMBRACE THIS LIFE I RENAY!¡± Sprinting forward again, his axe drew back. As he approached Kadrin, he swung, twisting his body for more momentum, and was stopped. It was more jarring than if he''d hit a wall, he hadn''t gotten stuck or hit something strong. No, Kadrin had simply caught his axe blade in his hand. Or maybe whatever foul being he''d called, Jaeger saw the gaping hole in his chest, saw the empty, bloodied hand and was met with eyes of sickening, almost bubbling green; he had two thoughts. This might no longer be Kadrin, and his bounty might no longer be valid. Then it spoke. ¡°WE HAVE HEARD YOU, SUPPLICANT. THE HEART OF A FALLEN HERO AND THE POTENTIAL TO EXPAND INTO GREENWOOD IS WORTH A MEASURE OF INVESTMENT.¡± The voice that spoke was unlike Kadrin''s, or any voice the hunter had ever heard. It was a whisper and a cry. It was the knowledge that death is not always swift and decay is not always slow. It was the voice of those he knew who had succumbed to blood rot. It was as sweet as sugar and as revolting as a moldy carcass. ¡°YOU ARE KINE NO MORE, BUT NOT YET KINDRED. INSTEAD, YOU RISE AS AN EMISSARY. SPREAD ROT, UNLEASH DECAY, CONQUER THE HEART OF GREENWOOD, AND ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE MADE KINDRED.¡± Whatever was controlling Kadrin snapped its head sharply and stared at Jaeger as if seeing him for the first time. ¡°ONE MARKED BY THE BLACK LAGOON COMPANY? CURIOUS. EMISSARY, YOU SHALL TAKE THIS ONE AS WELL. INFUSE IT WITH OUR GIFT AND LEARN FROM ITS DECOMPOSITION.¡± Then it whipped the arm holding Jaeger¡¯s axe and threw him away, sending him crashing into a sturdy and spongy tree. ¡°I do as my elders command.¡± Kadrin spoke, his voice now cold and wet. ¡°I had hoped to avoid doing this until I had the heart, to come before them as a supplicant of worth. Instead you have made me made me lesser.¡± Jaeger pushed off the tree he¡¯d hit and stood, watching Kadrin. The man''s eyes were no longer bubbling, but they were clearly a sickly green, and where there had once been a hole, there was now a scab over his chest. The man himself stood and waved his sword and staff as if trying to understand something. ¡°My humanity is gone, and in its place is something greater. With this strength I will not be just a Swordlord but The Sword King. First things first.¡± He looked at Jaeger for the first time, since the ritual. ¡°The Elders have requested your interrogation, and though it is my duty, I want you to know that it is also personal. It is through you that I will be redeemed in their eyes.¡± Then he headed for Jaeger, a run that quickly became a full tilt sprint. Pushing off the tree, Jaeger lifted his axe, barely blocking the upswing coming toward him, rising with the force behind the blow. Chapter 52 As the blow lifted him, the bounty hunter summoned his chains and shot them down, snapping them to the ground. His forced ascent was slowed to a halt, causing the transformed Kadrin to growl in frustration. ¡°You''re just full of tricks, aren''t you? Unfortunately, that won''t save you.¡± As his sword arm strained to maintain pressure, Kadrin''s staff arm waved as a cruel smile crept across his face. ¡°Burning Thorn.¡± An ugly, hazy thorn protruded from the tip of his staff, transforming it into a spear. He brought it forward with a sudden thrust, only to have it miss its mark. Instead of plunging deep into the annoying man''s stomach, it tore through his side. A gruesome wound that took a hand''s worth of flesh with it. The grinning Kadrin took a perverse pleasure as the hunter clenched his teeth and tried to hold back the pain. Using the pain and surprise, Jaeger kicked again. This time it struck the elbow of Kadrin''s sword, breaking his balance. As his arm collapsed inward, the bounty hunter forced his axe down and hauled with his chains. A furious slash, aimed directly at his target''s neck, only to receive a staff strike to his damaged side. The pain of the blow caused his own to go astray, and instead of taking the man''s head, the blade lodged in the bandit''s arm. Releasing his chains, the hunter jumped backward after his successful strike, avoiding a nasty riposte. As if on cue, a battle cry sounded behind him, and arrows of ice and water appeared all around Kadrin, surrounding the man in an inescapable dome. ¡°Now! Hundred Strikes, Icy Hell!¡± In a flash, the arrows shoot inward toward Kadrin. From outside, Jaeger watched as one arrow flew in, only to be replaced by another in a matter of seconds. Arrow after arrow was shot forward, and more were manifested, only to be shot forward and the cycle repeated. On and on it went, at first what Jaeger thought was the sound of arrows piercing flesh became instead the sound of metal clashing against ice, and he knew that whatever this spell was, it wouldn''t be enough. ¡°Your spells are meaningless and your resistance is futile.¡± Kadrin¡¯s voice called out. Sivly arrived next to Jaeger, leaning heavily on her trident staff, and began to examine his wounds. ¡°He''s right, my spell won''t do much more than trap him, buy time, and even that won''t last much longer. Fortunately, that''s all it needs to do, she should act soon. Now let me have a look at this.¡± She runs her hand over the wound, a shiver running down Jaeger''s exposed skin. Murmuring to herself, she waved her hand again, this time cold water pressing against his skin. ¡°This is really bad, it''s not just burned, it''s infected. Right now I can''t do much more than numb it and leave a patch that will try to draw out the toxins. We need you back in the fight too much to put you down for more.¡± She reached into one of her leather pouches and handed him a small, squishy berry. ¡°Eat this, it''s a medical jelly and will numb the pain. I have to get back, Brad and Troy need me, but as soon as Emilia acts, find an opening and finish this.¡± She waits for him to eat it, smiling as he experiences the sweet and cool taste, before patting him on the shoulder and running back into cover. Not a moment too soon. ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Kadrin roared as the ice and water needles surrounding him shattered and melted into nothing. He reappeared, a few new cuts and a look of fury on his face, but otherwise unharmed, and stalked toward Jaeger. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I don''t know or care what the point of that was, but since you didn''t run it, it clearly failed.¡± Jaeger lifted his axe and moved forward, finding it easier now that he couldn''t feel all the pain and aches. Kadrin grinned and lunged forward. As their blades were about to meet, a new fighter arrived. She slammed into Kadrin''s side, knocking the man''s sword free and knocking him down. Emilia mounted the man and rained blows upon him. Blow after blow, each one echoing with a crack or a thud. The bounty hunter watched, unsure if this was the time to act or not, as the woman struck with blows that could topple trees and destroy boulders. Each blow came faster and faster before everything became a blur of fists. Kadrin somehow managed to shield his face from the worst of it. Then she stopped, rolled off him and snatched something out of the air. ¡°How?¡± Kadrin coughed. Emilia held the man''s sword, which had come flying at her back; Kadrin had obviously summoned it. She didn''t waste her breath on him, but took the sword, planted the point in the ground, and dropped quickly. Still holding the hilt, she struck at the blade, stressing its flexibility, breaking it in a motion that unleashed a howl of souls being released. As the blade shattered, a malaise rose from its shards and swept over Emilia. ¡°Fool, do you think you can just smash a relic sword of the decaying ones and suffer no consequences?¡± Rising unsteadily to his feet, face smashed and bleeding Kadrin spoke. ¡°While it is a shame to lose the captured souls, knowing what you have now is a fine consolation. Rotting Fever, a final gift from my elders to all who would try to destroy us.¡± Emilia slowly got to her feet, shivers running through her, but she rolled her shoulders, slapped her arms and focused on Kadrin again. She shook slightly before her legs tensed and she shot at the man. When she reached him, she fired a jab, only to have it deflected. A cross followed, only to be pushed over the man''s head; her opponent using his staff to great advantage. She tried more punches, but each came slower and was more easily blocked or deflected than the last. Trying something new, she fired a kick aimed at his knee and was met by his own foot instead. He stopped her movement, overpowered her kick, knocked her off balance, and then blasted her away. Sliding back, she recovered and ran back, only to be met by spikes rising in front of her. She spun around them, picking up small scratches and wounds in the process. When she finally cleared them, she zeroed in on her target and struck, a powerful uppercut that rocked him. The man''s body seemed to explode, but instead of the expected shower of blood and guts, there was a cloud of spores and shattered wood. She spun around, looking for Kadrin, only to be hit in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped and involuntarily took a deep breath, inhaling the spores. Racking coughs and full-body shakes followed. ¡°At last. I must say, you are a most hardy specimen. Most people don''t survive a direct injection of Rotting Fever, and this is the first time I''ve had to use a spore body. It is almost sad to know that you will die, you would have made a lovely sister. Oh well.¡± Kadrin appeared, a look of mock sorrow on his face, a shimmer revealing his presence. He watched as Emilia struggled to breathe, coughing and shaking. Emilia struggled, her hands shaking, to free a vial. Kadrin moved toward her, his staff raised. ¡°You didn''t really think I would allow you to heal, did you? After what you did to me?¡± The entire fight had lasted seconds, Jaeger trying to keep up, but every opening he saw was quickly taken by Emilia, and he found himself constantly waiting for his moment to act. Until now. He knew an opening when he saw one and pounced. Leaping forward, he slashed at the man''s back, aiming to end this. Only to be met with a staff and a sickening sound as Kadrin''s head slowly turned toward him, sans body. ¡°I told you before, the same trick won''t work on me twice.¡± Instead of throwing Jaeger free, however, vines rose from his staff and wrapped around the axe. Jaeger tried to pull it free, but let go when he realized it was useless. Stepping back, he tried to summon it into his hand, but found the ability blocked. Kadrin watched as blood, or something close to it but thicker, ran freely from his face. Before he planted his staff and walked forward, his body cracking as he went through a grotesque change. He grew in size as his body seemed to expand, his torso and legs stretching out awkwardly, leaving him a gangly, gaunt specter. His arms grew even longer, but unlike the rest of him, they also bloated. Veins and lumpy masses manifested throughout his arms. His fingers popped out and grew extra bones, lengthening as they grew claws. His arms were lumpy, ugly, muscular trunks with fingers that ended in jagged, glistening claws. ¡°No more tricks, no more companions. Only men.¡± Chapter 53 The hunter knew a lost cause when he heard one. Kadrin had managed to defeat Jaeger when he had all his gear and was ready; now the man was more than half a monster, spewing claws larger than most daggers. He had also managed to decimate the others even when wounded; now the man stalked forward, claws out, ready to disembowel him. Jaeger had only one option left, the chains. He had hoped to use them only as a support, to hide their greater potential, but that was before the situation got so bad. Now he didn''t care, secrets didn''t matter if he died here and now. He thought about what his chains could do, to reassure himself that they would work as he needed them to.
The Chains that Bind
Chains of an unknown silver metal these are both real and unreal, created by something unknown but given for a purpose. These chains can bind anything from the lowest stone to the highest concept. The only limit is the Will of the chain-bearer. By focusing, the chain-bearer can summon the chains from either one or both arms, and they reattach to the body unless the will to detach is present. When detached, a segment of the chain tattoo disappears from the bearer''s arm(s) and remains summoned until the bearer calls it back, 24 hours without contact from the bearer, or a contested Will check by the bound breaks it. Broken chains reappear as such in the tattoo and require time or magic to repair. These chains are bonded to the soul of Jaeger Darkblade. Upgradeable
He summoned his chains, but instead of letting them flow freely, he made them appear wrapped around his hands and arms. Not only would this give him the best defense against those claws, but the less Kadrin knew about the actual power of the chains, the better. ¡°I said no more tricks, but what else can I expect from someone like you?¡± Kadrin spoke, uncaring of his hypocritical nature. ¡°I will be the bigger person and allow you to do this; not that they will help.¡± He swung his arms and watched them move before nodding and walking towards Jaeger. Due to his oversized arms and slender body, his gait was hunched, cumbersome, and more apelike. Jaeger ran forward, doubt and fear had no place in his mind, everything came down to this. Soon the two men clashed, claw meeting chain. The bones in Jaeger''s arms creaked under the strain, but he held on. Loosening his chains, the bounty hunter''s arms slipped forward and struck Kadrin in the jaw. The cracking blow stunned the human monster, who blinked rapidly. Taking advantage, Jaeger tightened the chains again and struck twice more, hitting the man where his heart used to be, the scabbed and ugly wound bright against an otherwise pale body. The scarred flesh a target of opportunity, Jaeger figured it must be a weak spot. A howl of pain and the slash he ducked under confirmed his thought. Not letting up, he ducked and dodged two more strokes and closed in again. He struck the area again, trying to rip and tear away the scabbed skin. He succeeded, but at the cost of taking a blow to his other hand, breaking it. In exchange for a broken arm, he managed to get a grip on the scabbed wound and rip it free, revealing a lump of wrinkled flesh underneath a gush of thick, cold, sticky ichor. It had to be Kadrin''s heart, or whatever hellish thing he had now. He loosened the chain from his broken arm, leaving only enough to hold it steady, and lashed out with the rest. Kadrin, while not ready, was not blind, and managed to block the lashing chain by holding one of his hands protectively over his vulnerable area. The thick flesh, muscle and bone of the limb managed to block the blow entirely. So the bounty hunter changed targets. He whipped the chain forward and down, hammering the metal into the creature''s hand. Once, twice, three times, he whipped it back and forth, dodging blows and aiming only at his opponent''s hand. Metal was stronger than flesh, Jaeger knew this above all else. A cascade of silver struck Kadrin. Each blow seemed to take something from him, he couldn''t figure out what, but he knew that something was leaving him; some unexplainable piece of his strength. He tried to retaliate, to strike at his opponent, but with a hand covering his heart, he was limited. All he knew was that if something didn''t change, he would fall here, a situation he found untenable but undeniable. He just couldn''t find a way out, cursing the foul patchwork woman for destroying his sword. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The hunter hopped back and then forward, building momentum for a heavy swing of his chain that arrived in an eye-blurring arc. It slammed into the monster''s chest, only to be blocked again by the human monster''s hand. Jaeger felt he was at a stalemate and knew that time was only working against him as the effects of the numbing jelly began to wear off and he felt exhaustion creeping up on him. He had to change his strategy. Then inspiration struck. He whipped the chain toward the monster''s chest, smirking as the monster''s free hand went to intercept it, and then he released the second chain. This one he lashed at Kadrin¡¯s face. As it struck, he roared and twisted his head away, and acting quickly, Jaeger struck again. This time he turned and wrapped the chain around the man''s ankle like a snake wrapping around its prey; then he lifted. Kadrin stumbled and fell, sprawling. The bounty hunter rushed to his fallen opponent and reached his head. Acting quickly, he wrapped a length of chain around the man''s throat. Kadrin''s eyes shot open and he pushed to his feet, forced into a crouch as the chain tightened around his throat, preventing him from fully rising; lest he choke himself unconscious. Unable to stop him, Jaeger could only hold on, barely managing to maintain his grip. He pulled back, tightening the metal links, forcing them to bite into the fetid flesh. Kadrin struggled around, desperate for salvation, and caught a glimpse of hope. With the bounty hunter on his back he stumbled forward, his arms outstretched for salvation. Kadrin choked out almost unintelligible words as he lifted something, whatever it was blocked from Jaeger''s view by the emissary''s bulk. Jaeger cursed as he saw something sharp thrust at him. He began working the chain back and forth like a saw in a frenzy. Kadrin began to thrust quickly behind him, a frantic motion. Once, twice, even three times, Jaeger managed to dodge the blows, but each dodge caused the chain to loosen, and when he tried to tighten it back up, he couldn''t get out of the way. Finally, a thrust caught him proper, piercing through his coat and under armor before skittering along a rib. The blow caused him to relax his grip enough that Kadrin could lurch forward, pulling Jaeger off balance. Stumbling, he was unprepared for another thrust, which managed to pierce his broken arm, loosening the chains around it. With even more slack, Kadrin managed to get a hand under the chain and began to pull it off. The sudden slack caused Jaeger to slide down the emissary''s back, and he had to fight to hold on to the ever-loosening chain. Kadrin continued to struggle forward, each lurching, jerking step designed to throw his opponent off balance. Without seeing, he stomped forward, unaware of his mistake. The bounty hunter struggled, pulling back against the inevitable forward momentum until his foot struck a hard object. Glancing down, he found his axe on the ground, dropped by Kadrin as he freed his staff. Jaeger smiled, a dark and bloody promise of vicious victory. He had fought without his full kit, using unfamiliar weaponry, now though he had everything he needed. Taking a deep breath, Jaeger''s next steps were light leaps forward, giving Kadrin enough slake to hang himself; an opportunity the emissary did not miss. As soon as he noticed the slake, the sword-lord turned decaying monstrosity stood up straight and tall. Had the bounty hunter seen the look of relief and joy on the bandit''s face, he would have laughed. ¡°Fall!¡± With two fierce stomps of his feet and digging deep into his last reserves of strength, Jaeger double-fisted the chains and pulled them down and back. Caught off guard, Kadrin falls again, this time onto his back. The wind and a fair amount of ichor-like blood knocked him unconscious. ¡°Looks like second times the charm.¡± Jaeger muttered. Pulling his good hand back, he unfastens a length of chain to grab the axe before swinging it at Kadrin''s prone form. With a mighty roar, Jaeger brings the chain down and smashes the axe into the man-monster''s chest, splitting the withered and scarred heart within. ¡°AAAHHHH!!!¡± A scream of unearthly agony came from Kadrin. His monstrous arms tried to grab the axe, but it was too deep. Struggling, the fallen man could do nothing as his unnatural half-life slowly came to an end. Not one to wait, the bounty hunter strode up to the screaming man, stopping just short of his head. ¡°Come to gloat, just know my¡­¡± Jaeger stomped down once. ¡°You foul.¡± He stomped again and felt something begin to give. ¡°Have you no honor!?!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t eat honor.¡± The bounty hunter knew that honor had no place in a line of work like his. Jaeger planned to stomp and stomp on Kadrin''s head until it was nothing more than an unrecognizable lump. He would have preferred to decapitate his enemy, but he didn''t want to risk removing his axe from the man-monster''s chest, lest the damage begin to heal. He considered using his pistol, but the supreme exhaustion that ran through his body told him that drawing any more mana or magic would kill him. So he continued his grim and vicious work. It didn''t take long for the man to draw his last breath and expire; more like wheeze and gurgle, Jaeger thought. He gave the body one last kick and then collapsed to the ground. His chest rose and fell like bellows as exhaustion set in. So tired that even the sound of approaching figures couldn''t rouse him to more than a half-hearted sitting position. ¡°The hero rises!¡± ¡°An absolutely vicious ending, he deserved nothing less than that.¡± ¡°I am glad the abomination is dead. Give me a moment and I will retrieve your axe and his heart. You have not left enough of his head to bother with.¡± ¡°Oh boy, you don''t look too good. Now that the battle is over, let me take a look at you all. Jaeger first, blood should not be stained with this color.¡± The freed and alive adventurers gathered around. Troy and Brad, bruised, battered, bleeding, and limping, but ecstatic, collapsed beside Jaeger as they congratulated him. Emilia nodded at him as she limped over to the body and began her messy task. Sivly hurried over and began treating the various wounds and injuries sustained during the battle. Jaeger hadn''t experienced this level of camaraderie in years, working alone for so long. As he sat there, letting the Otterkin mage look over his wounds, he decided that working with others once in a while wasn''t so bad.