ã€ŠCinqsomm: Trial of Truth and Powerã€‹


 A Crow, a Door and a Sword

    A lone crow flying to the top of a floating bookshelf, the light emitted from the crystals attached to the walls of this library shine on the black feather-like material of the creature, showing a scattering pattern of light not unlike that of glass. The vast library which is only accessible through a special key and lock combination is said to hold the knowledge of the world, as well as information about the Great War that once happened, centuries ago, but is now forgotten by everyone.

    Well, not everyone.

    The crow seems to notice a presence, sensing it is its master, it approaches.

    "Do you know the reason why this world was created, Wizard?" Says the crow in a feminine voice to its master.

    A man clad in a pure white robe lined by red and gold stripes along the inner seams looks away from a book that he was silently reading, searches for the source of the query and then, raises an eyebrow.

    "Are you talking to me?" asks the man, known to be a Wizard of sorts.

    The crow, in an impatient tone, says "Of course Nevermore is talking to you, who else would be here?"

    "Hmm, that is true. Sorry, but could you repeat the question?"

    "Nevermore asked if you know the reason why this world was created"

    "Was it not to please the Gods?" answers the man, returning to look at the heavy book in his hands.

    "That is correct, however, that is not the only reason. Nevermore has a hypothesis about it, though"

    As the giant floating bookshelves begin to shift of position, the library starts to become brighter, signaling that nighttime has arrived, and the faux-skylight on the roof imitates the aspect of a starry sky.

    "Then, in your eternal wisdom, tell me the other reason" says the Wizard in a sarcastic tone without lifting his sight.

    "Nevermore is ashamed of having such a fool for a master" the crow answers, preparing for flight yet again.

    "Fine, I''m sorry. Tell me your hypothesis, please"

    Stopping briefly the preparations for flight, the crow answers "To prepare for Change, and to be ready for the End"

    The crow then takes off in a graceful manner, leaving the man behind with more questions than answers. The flapping of wings producing a sound like the chime of multiple glass bells.

    Mumbling to itself, the crow finally says "A bearer of a Red String of Fate has arrived again to challenge this hypothesis, Wizard"

    <hr>

    "YES! A new edition of Rance''s Bestiary has finally been published. I was lucky getting the last copy available, who would''ve known that the introduction ofa section on Dragon Biology in the Bestiary would be so popular. I even saw it being promoted on Twitter. Oh, oops..."

    It was a little awkward talking to myself on the street, but people are too busy with their own lives to worry about me and my new book anyways. Still, I''ll try to keep my excitement to myself until I get to a caf¨¦ to relax while reading my book and enjoy a nice cup of whatever I''m feeling like ordering today. I don''t have that much money right now but today is a special occasion, isn''t it?

    I wonder if my parents are taking care of Naru... I know that cat is a handful but I still love him, it was a real shame the schools'' dorms don''t allow pets, if I could I would''ve brought him with me. I''ll send them a message when I can.

    After walking for some more time, I arrived at the caf¨¦. A big and circular sign of a green and white siren was at the front of the store, and the smell of overly-sweet coffee was filling my nose. Talking about smell, I recently read in an article that the sense of smell depends on tiny physical particles in the air, that made me think not so pleasant thoughts about being in the bathroom... Anyways.

    As I was waiting in line, dark clouds appeared out of nowhere in the sky, and rain started pouring rather heavily.

    Huh, it was just sunny and clear, and it started raining... and I brought no umbrella. I should''ve checked the weather forecast.

    Distracted by the rain, I didn''t notice it was already my turn.

    "Uhh, I would like a Mocha, please" I said to the barista taking orders - who I must say was rather attractive- after quickly looking through the options I had and choosing the first one I saw.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Did I really just get flustered because of the barista taking my order? I pondered while heavily reflecting about me needing to interact with more people and not only my friends.

    I searched for a free table, near the window preferably since I wanted to enjoy the rain while reading my Bestiary.

    After finding one, I got up at the call of my order and went to get it. A hot beverage and heavy rain is a great combination after all.

    I arrived at my seat, put down my coffee on the table and proceeded to open up the hard-cover book titled in golden letters "Rance''s Bestiary".

    ???

    An hour or two had passed and it was still raining, I even got the impression that it had gotten stronger. I had finished my coffee some time ago and had halfway to go to finish reading the Bestiary, the part that I was missing was the new Dragon Biology section which I preferred reading in the comfort of my room.

    Waiting for the rain to pass, I used this time to message my parents about Naru. A minute later my mom answered that they were taking care of him but had gotten a little sick after eating who knows what and vomited all over the carpet, my dad apparently got mad but still took Naru to the vet. He is now fine and sitting down in the couch with dad.

    I smiled a little after imagining the scene of my dad down on the floor cleaning the mess Naru had made.

    Thunder suddenly striked, and the rain seemed to only get stronger and stronger, with no sign of calming down.

    I better take a cab or something.

    Not having any other option, I waited for a taxi to arrive to where I was. However, after an abnormal amount of time waiting, no taxi came.

    I guess I really wasted all my luck of today getting this book, didn''t I?

    Thinking this to myself and considering the optimal way of walking beneath different roofs to get the least amount of water on my clothes, I settled for getting wet today.

    ???

    "Shit... Well, at least I found a shiny coin on the ground on my way here" I said, while standing dripping wet at the entrance of my room.

    Since I prioritized the dryness of my book and not the dryness of my clothes, my bones where chilly and my body heat was being stolen by the now soaked jacket, jeans and shirt I had worn today. Still, it was impressive how the book was not wet at all, even though it was being kept safe only in a paper bag.

    Time for a hot bath, a meal and the Dragon Biology chapter.

    Having made up my mind, I took my clothes off carefully as to not hurl water droplets everywhere and dumped it in the dryer, then I got into the bath and opened up the parallel knobs that indicate cold and hot water. I used my phone to play some calm music while showering to forget my bad luck of today.

    Sometime later, I got out of the shower, put my most comfortable pants, a long sleeve shirt and prepared the most expensive instant noodles I had -which were not really that expensive-. Then, I laid on my bed and got to reading the remaining chapter of the Bestiary.

    After finishing one of the greatest pieces of cryptozoology in existence and my dinner, I got a little sleepy, so I decided to sleep. The end of a totally normal yet fun day had arrived.

    Knock, Knock, Knock

    "Wha-... What time is it?" I got woken up by someone knocking on my door.

    Grabbing my charging phone from my bedside and getting blinded by a digital flashbang, I noticed it was 3 in the morning. A truly peculiar time for door-knocking I''m sure, so I decided to ignore it.

    Knock, Knock, Knock

    A second time the knocker was knocking.

    Thinking that it must be important I got up, slipped on some sneakers, took a light coat and since I didn''t want to turn on all the lights, I turned on the torch on my phone.

    Arriving at my door askingWho is it? I got no answer. How strange, why would you knock if you won''t answer I thought. And, while taking a big yawn, I opened the door.

    What laid beyond me was not the familiar white hall of my dorms nor the night sky, rather it was a clear grass plain. The fresh wind was blowing, and the sun had struck my retinas, making me squint mid yawn.

    "What the-...?" were the first words I said to the green and blue of this new world.

 Chapter 1: Never trust the calmness of the North Wind

    Again, as usual, the lone crow takes flight in the vastness of the library. However, today the crow decides to fly beyond the bookshelves and into a new room, one adjacent to the section about creatures and monsters from the Xendan Sand Dunes Region , a place far Southeast of the country the library was in.

    The crow manages to disrupt the field of Force that was created to protect the room from even Calamity-Style Dragon attacks, an action that even the Champions from this world could not even start to attempt.

    With a deep breath, the crow announces its arrival.

    "Nevermore is here, Wizard" and after saying this, it perched itself on an expensive looking arcane implement known only as Nine Lives Stealer.

    A white and gold robed man looks to be startled by the crow''s presence, as if it was the first time hearing its voice.

    "Will I really never get a safe place that not even you can trespass?" answers the Wizard to the brazen creature.

    "You should know the limitations of your powers when dealing with Nevermore, Wizard. It was yourself who gave me the ability to dispel the meager effects of your magic, after all"

    "Well, I can''t really say I don''t know what you are capable of" says the man, now taking a glass flask full of a bright red liquid from a nearby shelf.

    "Still, it''s a shame I don''t have the power to control you anymore"

    Indignant, the crow flaps its wings at the words of its master, filling the room with the sound of crystal bells.

    "Nevermore was never controlled by anyone, Wizard" says the crow while gripping its talons tightly to the arcane implement, enough to scratch the hard surface.

    "Hey, my words are no reason to harm such an invaluable weapon!"

    "Hmph, you worry for nothing, Wizard. Nevermore can make another one for you"

    The crow then, from thin air, makes an unharmed copy of the weapon.

    And, with a defeated look on his face, the man says "So ''invaluable'' means nothing with you nearby, huh..." as he takes both the scratched and pristine looking swords on both his hands.

    "All that aside, why did you come here? Another question you have an answer for already but still want to ask anyway?" asks the Wizard.

    With a long pause, the crow seems to think carefully, only for then to say "What was the reason for you to create the Magisterium?"

    "Heh, finally recognizing my great deeds, are you?" proudly states the man.

    "Not at all, Nevermore is just interested in the reason as to why an institution is needed to learn such a trivial subject like magic"

    "Really, so openly insulting all the Wizards in the world even though one created you..."

    Standing up now to face the crow and with a serious face, a short answer comes from the Wizard''s lips.

    "To protect everyone from a Disaster"

    Curtly, the crow answers in a similar short manner "Well, it was ultimately futile, Wizard"

    <hr>

    The wind was blowing and the sun was bright on the cloudless sky.

    For whatever reason, I went from opening the door to my room to being standing below a now lone doorframe, still holding the handle with my hand.

    So another dream of mine, huh?

    This occurrence was not an uncommon one: having a dream where I get transported to another world only for me to fight some monsters from the books I read. What was weird was that I was still holding my phone in my other hand, and had the clothes I was previously wearing.

    Maybe this is a dream within a dream, because I recall getting up to answer the door.

    Yeah, that had to be it, if not there would''ve been an answer to my questioning the late night door knocker. The unconscious mind was a truly unpredictable place, after all.

    Stretching myself I checked my phone. They say if a dream is too realistic, like the one I was in right now, looking at a clock might prove that it is indeed a dream since each time you look at a clock it should tell a different time.

    03:05

    It was the time I got up, if I recall correctly.

    I decided to wait and check the time again.

    03:06

    Hmm, weird... I thought. So the time-checking method has failed, then. No worries though, it might just be that this dream is particularly immersive.

    I closed the door, leaving it in the middle of the field like a piece of expressionist sculpture.

    Huuu, haaa...

    Taking a deep breath and looking around where I was, I could only see green, green and more green grass as well as some trees and mountains to my back.

    Oh, is that...?

    As I was forcing my sight, I could barely make out the outline of what appeared to be some buildings, maybe houses or a farm. I decided to go there, preparing myself for a long walk.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    I still didn''t know what time period this dream world was in, however most of my dreams I was battling monsters in the typical fantasy medieval setting, so I wouldn''t be surprised if it was the case. Maybe I''ll even get to fight a dragon that was attacking a castle or something.

    Wait a minute.

    While walking to the buildings I saw, I got an idea. Can I use magic in this dream?

    It wasn''t uncommon for me to be able to cast grand spells out of my hands, though sometimes it wasn''t the case and I got to fight with just a sword.

    And, still lingering on that idea, I tried to cast a spell. Extending my hands in front of me and targeting a small boulder in the distance, I shouted.

    "Fireball!"

    Nothing happened.

    These things sometimes happen, I thought to myself. I tried again, but this time thinking harder about the spell I wanted to cast.

    "FIREBALL!"

    I shouted, and again nothing happened.

    "Well, I guess swords and bows it is..."

    Feeling dejected, I continued on walking.

    ???

    Who would''ve thought that walking through miles and miles of grass would be such a therapeutic experience.

    However, even for a lucid dream like this, it was too realistic. I got tired after some time, stopped to take a short rest and continue on walking. Normally, I could time skip or move suddenly faster but here I couldn''t. Maybe my body was so tired my brain decided it wanted to save power and omitted these features.

    It really seemed infinite, this expanse of grass.

    Still, I carried on with the task. Walking, resting, continuing on walking.

    Before long, I was now close to the the buildings I had seen before, and could clearly see it was a town of sorts. However, I got too tired of walking and being beneath a scorching sun, so the only thing I felt like doing was look for a shade to rest beneath and arrive to the town later since it was still some time before it got dark.

    Who gets physically tired in their dreams, anyways?

    Looking around, I quickly found a small tree that had a nice and leafy top, and made my way to it.

    "Haaaaaaaaaaah..."

    I tumbled myself beneath the shade and laid my head on the trunk of the tree.

    A nice and cool breeze was blowing from the position of the sun in the middle of the sky. With this, I started to doze off and within minutes, I fell asleep.

    ???

    Rustle, rustle

    Having heard a strange sound coming from behind me, I opened up my eyes. The sky had sprung clouds and the day had turned darker.

    Rustle, rustle

    I heard it again, it was as if something was rummaging around the tall grass that was behind me. And then...

    Whoosh

    The sound of something coming from the grass and rapidly approaching me, only missing my head for about 10 centimeters. I followed with my eyes the trajectory in which the object should''ve fallen to.

    An arrow

    As I saw the arrow firmly buried in the ground, multiple more sounds started coming from behind me.

    I quickly got up as my sense of danger was urgently telling me "RUN!".

    What emerged from the tall grass were 6 small humanoid figures, 3 or 3 and a half feet tall, all of them dressed in leather clothes that had a soiled look to them. They had pale yellow skin with small brown spots as well as amber colored eyes. Two of them wielded a small bow and carried a quiver with arrows on their backs, the other four gripped tightly on short swords, maces and clubs. And all of them had a horrible grin on their face.

    I ran. I ran as fast as my legs would allow me.

    "HYAHAHAHYA!" shouted the small creatures while pursuing me with surprising ferocity.

    The little shits are fast for having such short legs.

    These had to be a gang of goblins. A popular monster in fantasy RPGs and fantasy literature. The lowest of low when it came to strength and are constantly portrayed as weak and cowardly. They date back to the fourteenth century in various cultures'' mythos.

    Why am I sweating so much, why am I so scared, why am I not fighting them?!

    About now was the time where, in my dream, I would have summoned a strange power or a magical weapon or ability to defend myself, but now it was not happening and the dream had suddenly turned into a nightmare.

    Woosh, woosh

    More arrows barely missing my back, my calves, my feet. They seemed to want to disable me and stop me from running. Who knows what they will do to me if they catch me.

    Huff, huff panting from running with all my might to the entrance of the nearby town, I was starting to feel the hotness of my legs, the fire burning in my chest from my labored breathing and the pain swelling in my head.

    I don''t want to die were the words that constantly repeated themselves in my mind every time an arrow missed me or a goblin laughed. It was like a way my mind had to convince the machinery of my now overworked muscles to continue on working despite the cries of the strands that comprise them, only for me to arrive at the entrance of the town.

    "Fuck!"

    I tripped. A small unseen rock had made an appearance. A small misfortune that threatened to end with my life.

    Wait, at what point had I forgotten this was a dream? I thought, trying to make sense of the situation as the goblins were getting closer, laughing manically at their new meal.

    As much as I wanted this to be a bad dream, as much as I wanted to be pierced by a blade only to wake up in my bed, as much as I wanted this to end... My brain was telling me the reality of the situation:

    I am living this, right here, right now. And I am going to die.

    The evil shine of multiple sets of eyes now at an arms reach was all that I could see. Smiles that had the shade of bloodlust surrounded me and, as a blade was risen to strike my heart...

    Thump, thump

    Two of the goblins had fallen down, pierced by an arrow surrounded by a green light that quickly dissipated as the goblin stopped moving.

    Thump, thump thump

    Then, three more goblins but this time by three rays of fire that burned off the spot of flesh they made contact with, leaving a nasty burn mark that showed the chest bones of the three, now dead goblins.

    Finally, as the last goblin was backing off to get away looking scared at the corpses of its friends, a glint of silver crossed the goblin''s thick neck, and what I could see next was a man clad in shining full plate armor holding a long sword, as well as the spray of blood from where the goblin''s head had previously been.

    A dark purple puddle was now forming beneath my feet, staining the tip of my shoe.

    "Are you okay?" said the Knight in shining armor as I slipped into unconsciousness.

 Interlude: The Company of the Wolf

    "Are you sure we can go to the city with only us three?"

    "What, are you scared?"

    "No no, it''s just... you know two of the goblin tribes have been having skirmishes in that area. I''m just saying it''s a better idea to try and hire another group of adventurers in the guild to accompany us"

    "You really think there are adventurers capable enough in this small town? Besides, we would have to pay them, and money is something we don''t have. That''s why we are going to that dungeon in the first place!"

    In a small and mildew smelling tavern, a group of three people appear to be discussing about the planning of an incursion.

    Two of the people in the group are, rather loudly, planning their outing while the third one is only staring at them. One of them is a young woman wearing a crimson colored robe and a worn out looking leather breastplate beneath it, on her head is a small gray wimple that covers her short auburn hair. The one telling her about their lack of funds is a man donning a full plate iron armor, he has long black hair and a horizontal scar running through the width of his neck.

    As for the third member of the group, she is just watching silently with an inexpressive face. Her blonde hair is braided to the sides, covering her pointy edged ears. She seems to be the oldest one in the group, as well as the one with the commanding position given her demeanor.

    "That is enough, you two" said the woman, and immediately the man and the robed woman stopped shouting at each other.

    "Neill, Irina, I know I was the one who suggested that we go to the Giant Mines since there is said to be treasure, but if we as a group cannot get to an agreement, I will postpone it until after winter."

    As she called the man, named Neill, and the young woman, named Irina, both of them looked away from the judging eyes of the one scolding them.

    "But you know how it is, Valna" started saying Irina in a pleading manner "the Goblers and the Boneclaw tribes are preparing for war and right in the middle of the road to Hipotens is where they fight. We alone as copper adventurers will not survive in case we get caught by a warband of them, especially if it is the Goblers with their Ogres."

    "Wizards like you are always like this, overthinking everything. We have Valna who is the same authority as me, what have you to worry about?"

    As the conversation started to get heated again, Valna stood up and declared "All right, while I do agree with Neill that we are probably enough to fight off an Ogre, we are not prepared to fight a warband of them, so I think we better check whether there are groups of adventurers available for work, if there are not, we shall go ourselves. Do you both agree to this?"

    Enthusiastically, Neill agreed with a loud "Yes!". However, Irina still had the shadow of doubt on her face when she said a quiet sign of agreement that could be easily confused with a sign of defeat.

    After this, the three of them paid their two silver pieces per each of the meals they ordered and decided to go to the small guild post in the town.

    As the double doors of the tavern opened wide at the departure of the group, Valna approached Irina while on track to search for adventurers for hire and put a hand to her shoulder, startling her.

    "You really have nothing to worry about, Irina. I have enough experience as a Ranger to maintain us on a track where no Goblin or Ogre will see us. Besides, my half elven blood makes me extremely perceptive to danger, you know?" said Valna in a calming tone and gave Irina a quick smile.

    "Yes, I know how strong you and Neill are, but I still cannot shake the feeling that it is dangerous"

    "Of course it''s dangerous, kid" said Valna "I know you just started your last steps towards graduation, but you have to know that the work of an adventurer is dangerous, although it can pay quite well"

    "Anyways, why didn''t you just choose investigative works like the rest of the students?" Valna continued saying.

    "There just isn''t that many things to investigate in this town other than Slimes and boring alchemy" said Irinia while giving herself a deprecating smile.

    Before long, they arrived at the guild post. It was a small building made out of wood that had a sign to the side saying "Adventurer''s Guild" with a symbol of a shield and two swords beneath it.

    As they entered, the sight of a reception desk became visible, as well as the mostly empty job board beside it.

    "Welcome" said the woman behind the desk "please have a look at the jobs available"

    Having done so, the group stood before the job board.

    "Extermination quest: kill a black bear that is hunting my sheep. 3 gold pieces. Investigation quest: find the source of the strange blood stains in the forest up north. 7 gold pieces. Fetch quest: find me a Kraulis root for an elixir. 8 gold pieces." started reading Neill, each time with a more displeased face.

    "These are all shit! Who is even going to accept these?" he finally said.

    "You still haven''t checked the other section" called out Irina.

    "Right. Accepting escorting jobs from here to Gispen. Looking for a party to the Golden Chambers dungeon, minimum authority: 3..."

    Neill continued on reading the scarce job posts, and after reading them all, he turned to look at Irina.

    "Looks like your little party up plan isn''t going to work, Wizzy" he said with a smirk.

    "You don''t have to act like that to her, Neill. You''ll give a bad reputation to swordsmen if you continue on spreading the rumor that they bully Spellcasters"

    Then, while looking at Irina "Sorry Irina, it will be just us on this adventure"

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ???

    It was a sunny day, the weather was cold, common for the northern part of the country, leaves were changing color and painting the multiple forests a yellow and orange tincture, it was a a signal that the Fall season was starting.

    "Okay group, we should review the plan that Irina and I made while you Neill were getting drunk in the local tavern".

    Valna started explaining the plan while standing outside of the makeshift walls of the small town of Goldilan, northwest of the city of Hipotens at three days of travel between one another if traversed by the main road.

    This plan, called "The Company of the Wolf", consisted in traversing far from the main road as to minimize contact with bandits, monsters and warbands of any of the two Goblin clans. The victims of these threats were normally passenger caravans, messengers and merchants, especially so merchants bearing a crest of one of the various noble families of the country.

    Having spent last night studying the geography of the area, Irina and Valna finally considered that their best bet of a safe and uneventful trip to the city of Hipotens was to deviate a little bit to the south, near the Dirreon Plateau, that way the only possible threat would be Dire Wolves and wandering Worgs, which were large dogs tamed by Goblins.

    They would arrive in four to five days, according to the Ranger Valna, if they kept a good pace with their horses.

    "So, the name of the plan... why is it that?" asked Neill once Valna had finished explaining while showing him a map of the area.

    "Don''t you get it? It''s because the most common threat in the Plateau are wolf like creatures, and we are a company of adventurers" she said with a mildly annoyed tone in her voice.

    "Huh, okay then. You really take on your elf blood to give a name to everything" he said with a smirk.

    The small voice of the wizard rose between the thorns of the conversation "I... I think it''s a good name".

    "Of course you do" said the man sarcastically "You''re only saying that because you love everything elf-related"

    "Okay, okay you two. We need to start moving if we want to take advantage of the morning light, so stop fighting" and after a quick checking of the contents on the horse''s hind, Valna mounted on it.

    Neill and Irina followed suit, each on their own horses.

    "And remember, a horse isn''t cheap so don''t let it be killed. It will be sixty gold pieces to get another one!" said the confident Ranger, advancing into the morning sun.

    ???

    A bored looking man is sitting in front of a burning fire, a set of plate iron armor placed beside his feet is reflecting the flames while the face of the man, obscured by the night sky, is given a grisly contour by the shadows caused by the fire.

    "Well, four practically uneventful days thanks to the expert" he said while taking a stick set up by the fire with a piece of meat at the end and giving it a bite "we only had to fight three groups of Dire Wolves and six dammed Worgs, those pieces of shit better be worth something"

    The half elf of the group finished casting a spell around the perimeter of the squalid camp and said "Well, the pelts from the Wolves and Worgs can be turned into leather armors, we could sell them to a leatherworker in the city. Hey, maybe we could even give a studded leather armor to Irina, since hers is already worn out"

    "Oh, no don''t worry about me, I don''t really have a need for more armor, it would only get in the way of casting my spells. Besides, I don''t go into combat very often" said the female Wizard.

    "Yeah, we could see that. Can you do something other than shoot frost rays out of that staff? Something more useful maybe?"

    "Well Neill, I can also make illusions and stuff like that"

    "Apparently the word ''useful'' isn''t in your dictionary" said Neill "Isn''t magic supposed to be the pinnacle of versatility?"

    Irina stood up, gripping her staff "It is! I''m just not good enough... yet!"

    "Heh, whatever, nothing beats good old metal in a fight to the death anyways" he said while lifting his shining longsword and pointing its tip to Irina.

    "Stop scaring her, Neill" started saying Valna "You know you can only dream with being able to do what Irina does"

    "What? That''s not true!"

    Valna smiled "Are you sure? You could sell your body to a dragon if you want to be able to use magic"

    "Really?" Neill said while lifting slightly from his seat, then quickly sitting back down again "I mean, why would I do that?"

    "You see Irina? He''s all bark and no bite, you don''t have to feel bad because he is jealous"

    "Thank you, Valna" muttered Irina while a slight blush filled her porcelain cheeks.

    After more time talking and preparing supplies for the final day of trip, the group decided to go to sleep and wait for morning.

    ???

    The group of three adventurers were now in the final stretch to the city of Hipotens. As they went over one of the various hills of the area with their horses, they could see it: a low rock wall surrounding a small city some miles ahead. It had only one entrance and multiple farming spots of land that dotted the city outskirts.

    "Finally, we are here, it took us a little bit longer but at least we didn''t have to risk our lives too much" said Valna.

    "A little fun couldn''t have hurt, right?" said Neill.

    "You call risking your life fun?" Irina asked with concern.

    With not much delay, the small group hurried the pace of the horses while going up and down the hills of the terrain.

    "No monsters should be here since there are not a lot of thick trees and civilization is pretty close by" Valna commented.

    "Aren''t goblins and kobolds known to be near cities and towns though?" asked Neill.

    "Well, no monsters should be here except maybe for goblins. Besides, kobolds are a plague these days so yeah maybe some other kobold. But nothing we can''t fight"

    "That doesn''t give me much confidence, Valna" said Irina.

    "Come on, everything will be fine, there''s nothing to worry about"

    As Valna reassured the girl, a gentle breeze suddenly blew from the north and, while continuing on riding to Hipotens , already near the city, the group heard a sound.

    "Did you all hear that?" Neill said.

    "Yeah, it came from there" said Irina while pointing at a small thicket of trees a little ways away.

    Then, suddenly, screams and laughter.

    As the group quickly followed the sound, they could see a band of six goblins with pale yellow white skin with small brown spots. They seemed to be chasing something, or someone.

    "It could be a person in danger, should we help?" asked Irina.

    "Goblins laughing that loud can only mean one thing: they found someone to torture. We should help" said Valna.

    What they saw at the site of commotion was a young man dressed in strange clothes being chased by these goblins and only by the blessings of Darumah dodging the arrows being shot by them. But then, the young man tripped, and was being rapidly surrounded by the creatures.

    "Let''s go!" said Neill as he prepared his long sword and the light of the sun shined off of his armor.

 Chapter 2: An allegory of change

    As the clouds move through the floating island that houses the library and the sun begins to set giving the sky an orange and purple hue, a big white wing cuts through the air at amazing speeds. What onlookers from the ground could see was a large creature flying near the capital of the country.

    However, this creature was no ordinary monster or animal, for it was a White Dragon. The most ferocious and animalistic of the chromatic dragons.

    For people from this country, seeing a dragon was a common sight, still it did not diminish the fear that the toothy grin and icy vapor emanating from the mouth of the dragon caused in the hearts of those that looked at him.

    As the dragon approached the city and prepared its frost breath to attack the specialized forces known as Dragonriders, which had a reputation among all the other dragons felled by their lances, he smiled to himself, with the foolish draconic confidence common to his species.

    Most probably, the White Dragon was thinking of causing chaos and killing civilians, stealing some shiny treasure from the multiple magical implements stores that were commonplace in this country, and then killing some more before retiring to his cave somewhere near the snowy hill tops.

    Shortening the distance between the capital''s tall fortified walls and himself, he was now fully visible to everyone; the Dragonriders, the adventurers that lived there and the commoners.

    He was, however, visible to the wizard that lived in the library as well.

    Had the dragon forgotten about the reputation of the wizard? Had he forgotten about the multiple heads, wings and tails a single man had bisected? Had he forgotten that the gods do not forgive?

    This was not the case, he did remember it all.

    The reason for his foolishness was in his blood, his parent''s blood, and the blood of all of his people.

    All the chromatic dragons that sought to destroy the mighty capital met the same fate, and still more and more tried to be the one that gets to stand atop the body of that wizard.

    Dragons were just that greedy, confident and foolish, even if it costed them their life.

    The white spot in the sky deep dived, closing its wings to gain greater speed, and when it was just some hundred meters above the Magic Implements district of the city, it extended its wings, projecting an equally beautiful and terrifying shadow over the people beneath.

    A feral and almost animalistic laugh echoed through the dusk of the sky as shards of ice covered the commissures of its mouth.

    And then, the sound of a blade.

    "The wizard had appeared behind the dragon, used a 10th level spell to cut off his head in a single hand motion, and as the blood from the neck fell, a portal opened up beneath it and swallowed the body whole..."

    "Wow, what a great story, Wizard. You really seem to be a great inspiration for poets and Bards that happen to see your feats of power"

    The crow, now holding a thick book titled Krulik''s Crux with two magical hands, is perched at the top of a small bookshelf talking down to the man standing on the floor.

    "You little... it''s embarrassing having it read out loud" said the man in his typical white and gold robe.

    "Then why do you keep it, Wizard? Should you not just dispose of it?"

    "Because I keep everything here, that''s the point of this library"

    The man gave a long sigh and then pinched the space between his eyes with his fingers.

    "So, I suppose you have something to ask me yet again, don''t you?"

    The crow, now having closed the book and put it back to where it belongs, prepares his inquiry.

    "How does it feel being the smartest person in history? Well, the second smartest after Nevermore"

    "What do you mean? I don''t consider myself to be the smartest. Besides, I created you so that must mean something"

    "Answer the question, Wizard" said the crow curtly.

    "Hum, well I still think, after all these years, that my master was the smartest person in history, he thought me magic and got me to where I stand, besides he helped create the bases of levelled magic as we know them"

    "Are you talking about Hosh Huxley, Wizard?"

    "Master Hosh Huxley for you" said the man, indignantly "Why do you ask, though? It is a strange question, even coming from you"

    "Well, Nevermore just wanted to determine the state of your knowledge, Wizard. It seems it is deficient in more than a handful of topics"

    After saying this, the crow prepares for flight.

    "Huh? What do you mean with that?" asked the man.

    The crow, ignoring him, takes flight with the sound of crystal bells ringing as it flap its wings and the man yielding his doubts to the apathy of his creation behind it.

    <hr>

    I am now standing in a completely black place, there are no light sources that can be seen but it''s not like the place is pitch black, it is more like being in space without the Sun in sight.

    I look around me and there appears to be nothing besides myself and a red strand of yarn neatly tied to the little finger on my right hand that extends far into the darkness where it disappears.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    As there is nothing else to do in this place I decide to follow the red string.

    Is this heaven? I thought it would be more light-themed than this. Unless this isn''t heaven... If that''s the case, where is this place?

    I tried recalling what I had seen before finding myself here.

    Well, what I remember was being chased by various Goblins, or what I know as Goblins at least. They were attacking me and then a group of people came and killed them, then I fell unconscious.

    I wanted to think I was still alive and this was just an interim, since I haven''t had been hurt by their arrows or swords.

    Maybe the ones that saved me weren''t really my heroes but thieves that were searching for my money and have already killed me and taken my stuff.

    That sounded like a reasonable explanation as to why I was in this limbo looking like place, all things considered. However, my theory crumbled the moment I remembered that I had no money with me, nor valuables.

    I gave up with racking my brain looking for reasons as to my current situation and continued on walking to the "end" of the red string, if there even was an end to it.

    After some time that felt equally long and short in this strange place, I arrived at the end of the string. It had been tied to the handle of a fancy looking door.

    Upon closer inspection, the handle looked like it was made up of a straight cut transparent rock that reminded me of diamond. The frame of the door had golden rivets and the wood had beautiful streaks of silver that could be barely seen with the ominous light of this place.

    As if being given an order, I felt the urge to open the door.

    Reaching my hand to the beautiful handle I opened it but, before I could see what was on the other side, a flash of light filled the place and blinded me.

    ???

    Opening my eyes, I notice an old looking dark wooden roof above my head with pieces of straw peeking through the cracks in the boards. A soft feeling coming from my back seems familiar, though what I am comparing it to seems leagues softer. Looking around I notice that the room I was in was fairly small. It had a window located at my back and barely any decorations whatsoever. The other furniture I could see from my bed were a small table with a vase on it, the vase had fresh purple flowers that emanated a sweet aroma. There was also a painting hanging from the wall near the only door in the room, though I couldn''t see what the painting depicted.

    The last piece of furniture was a chair made out of wood, like everything in the room, although this one had something peculiar on it. There was a man with long black hair and a horizontal scar on his neck sleeping on the chair. He was wearing a white long sleeved shirt and some gray pants that were rolled up to his knees, showing his muscular and scarred legs.

    Not only did he look like someone strong because of his physique and battle scars but also because he was hugging a sheathed sword while sleeping, and had a set of armor beside him on the floor.

    Should I be careful around this man? Had he been that one knight in shining armor that saved me from the Goblins?

    Thinking this while still laying horizontally on my bed, I remembered: This is not a dream anymore, and I did not die.

    Starting to feel panicked because of the strange situation that I''m sure no other person has found themselves in; being in a different world from the one you are originally from, and not long after arriving having being attacked by a band of monsters.

    Yeah, I''m sure I was the only one in this situation. I''ve read multiple stories about reincarnation, isekai and stuff like that, most of them are popular really, and I would be lying if the idea didn''t excite me, but being in the situation of those characters myself, I feel that I would rather skip on the experience.

    Anyways, I decided that before spiraling into more anxiety, I should get up.

    "Ugh, uhh...."

    Groaning as I was getting out of bed, I could see the knight beside me open his eyes and unsheathe his sword in a flash, pointing its tip towards my throat.

    I stood cold in my place, gulping loudly as beads of sweat started forming on my forehead and hands.

    "Oh, sorry, sorry. Force of habit, didn''t mean to scare ''ya" said the man while giving me a small smile and sheathing his sword which still had stains of purple on the metal.

    We both stood awkwardly there, looking at each other in the eyes but not talking to one another. I could notice he started to get a little uncomfortable.

    I decided to break the silence. "Uhm, sir were you the one that saved me from those... creatures?"

    I didn''t want to call them "Goblins" as I didn''t want to out myself as someone weird in case in this world they weren''t called like that.

    "Oh, those shitstain Goblins? Yeah, it was me and my party, mostly me though" he said while giving a strange emphasis to the words "my party".

    Well, at least they were indeed called Goblins. Maybe some other monsters I knew also existed here, which was both reassuring and terrifying.

    "I give you my thanks, then, sir knight. I would love to pay you back but I have nothing on me to do so" I said, trying to be as polite as possible, just to be sure.

    "Bah, there''s no need to be so formal! You can call me Neill"

    The man extended his big hand towards me in a manner I could only interpret as a handshake.

    I shook his hand and he drew his face near to mine, staring at me with his intimidating yellow eyes.

    He whispered "About payment, well... since you have no money, you should work until you can gather enough. Right, kid?" while giving me a toothy smile that sent shivers through my spine.

    As I was getting more and more anxious, the door of the room opened, allowing me to see two new figures that I did not recognize. The taller one was a mature woman, maybe in her thirties, with long braided blonde hair and hazel colored eyes, she had a bow on her back and a small short sword on her belt. The shorter one was a young looking girl, probably my age, wearing a red robe with a leather breastplate beneath it. She was holding in both hands a wooden staff with a small gem in the middle, wrapped in colorful strips of cloth.

    "Neill, stop trying to scrape up what little coin the young man may or may not have. We all know we need money for our plan but don''t go harassing who we just saved, yeah?" the woman said, entering the room and approaching me while the girl stayed on the doorframe.

    "Hello young man, are you feeling better? You had a tough time with those Goblins you know? You were very lucky to still be alive, considering you don''t look like an adventurer"

    I looked at the woman, mesmerized by the strange beauty of her face with nothing to say.

    "Young man, if you don''t mind me asking, what were you doing in the middle of nowhere by yourself? From which town do you come from?"

    As more questions started entering my ears, I understood I had two options: lie or tell the truth.

    I had no idea of the geography of the place, much less the names of any of the nearby towns so if I decided to lie it would have to be something ambiguous and maybe that way they would be sufficiently satisfied. However, if I told the truth it would be a lot easier for me, nonetheless I had no idea if being a person from another world is something they are familiar with. They could even kill me if there was an existing stigma around people like me, if there even has been someone like me.

    "Well kid, she is asking you a question. Answer" said the man with a slightly bored tone in his voice.

 Chapter 3: The truth prevails

    Far outside the fortified walls made of stone and copper plates of the capital, crossing the wooden bridges joining the various floating islands for which this country was distinguished from the others, lied a grassy-green plain. This plain was a natural structure of rock and dirt of about 1 mile wide, set afloat by the old magic that made the other islands stay in the air.

    The plain had beautiful patches of yellow and white Vyrlian flowers scattered around the area, which were endemic to the country and given their name because of the primary religion of its people. It had great visibility as no trees or buildings were present there, with the exception of a small house with a chimney seemingly always on.

    One could walk to the edge of the island, sit with their feet dangling thousands of meters above the ground and see the vast ocean clearly, feel the clouds passing just beneath their feet and watch as boats from other countries arrived at the port city, which was directly below the capital, always covered from the sun.

    It is, by all significance of the word, a peaceful place. A place where an old adventurer could retire to once they had saved up enough money. They could live in the small house enjoying the sound of the wind, the fresh smell of the grass and the view of multiple birds flying around.

    Once upon a time, this was the reality of this piece of land. Now, however, if you looked closely, something had changed.

    The grass was still green, birds still flew around, the clouds still moved beneath and the wind still blew but, besides yellow and white flowers growing on the land, crimson colored flowers had started to bloom. The color of fight, blood and violence.

    This was all thanks to an individual known as "The Adamantine Swordsman". One day, he arrived to the country and bought the island, named it Greenland and, outfitted with a full set of adamantine armor -a green metal with superb qualities-, gave a challenge to any resident of the country.

    He who shall defeat me will receive treasure and riches befitted to the best of fighters... he said, making every adventurer in the country ready to beat some sense into the man and make themselves rich. Wizards, sorcerers and fighters approached him, entering the makeshift colosseum consisting of crude stone arranged in a circle in front of the small house with a chimney.

    "Many a person has tried, hundreds even, and to this day none have succeeded in taking the throne to themselves as the King of Greenland, is what Nevermore is hearing. Yes, Wizard?" said a crow with shining feathers, flapping its wings beside the man with the white robe. Both were floating above the colosseum watching as a man with blue hair tied into a ponytail tried to slash with one of his slim swords the armor of the Adamantine Swordsman.

    Just as the sword of the blue haired man was about to touch the armor, a distortion in the air appeared similar to a heat mirage between the sword and the breastplate, making the sword fly out the hands of the man, landing some meters away from the ring of stone.

    "That just now... so that is why no normal swordsman can defeat him, and since his armor has high conductivity, magic is not as effective" said the robed man, pondering to himself while stroking his chin.

    "The fight is over now, is it not?" said the crow.

    After losing one of his swords, the blue haired man unsheathed the other one with a similarly slim edge, but shorter in length and with a blue hilt instead of red. However, as he was about to attack, the Adamantine Swordsman kicked him in the chest with enough force to push him to the edge of the colosseum, leaving the man breathless.

    The Swordsman then approached his opponent and put his foot on the man''s chest, making him unable to gasp for air, and pointed the tip of his sword towards his neck.

    "Now, it is done" said the Wizard, moments before disappearing into thin air.

    <hr>

    The man called Neill repeated the question the woman with pointy ears had said, but unlike the kind and empathetic look the woman had, Neill saw me like one sees a fly landing on their food. He looked vacant, bored and to be quite honest, a kind of dangerousness lingered in his yellow irises unlike I have ever seen in people from my world.

    What was his problem? If he does have something against me I better go for the safe option and answer vaguely, maybe they will believe it.

    "I... come from the South"

    After giving a half-assed answer, Neill and the woman looked at each other with expressions I could not figure out.

    "I understand young man, but would it be possible for you to be more specific? I don''t mean to pry but, the closest town is at three days of travel and you don''t seem to have a horse or supplies with you for the trip" said the blonde haired woman.

    "Yeah, now that you say that, it does seem weird" said the man with a spark in his eyes "What are you, huh? If you come from the South, it would be no problem if you told us the name of the town, right?"

    Being obviously unable to answer and feeling more and more nervous as if I was in a trial for murder, I just blurted a silent "uh..." and again, the woman and Neill looked at each other, as if communicating telepathically.

    An uncomfortable silence settled in, but then, the young girl spoke. Her voice sounded small and a little dry, though I could tell there was a hint of confidence that betrayed my first impression of her; that of a shy and quiet girl, maybe even a magician judging by the staff she carried.

    "You know Neill, maybe something happened to him" she said, while still standing under the doorframe.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, maybe you haven''t heard because you never care about what happens to your surroundings but, there''s been word that members of Serpent''s Hand have settled on the road between this city and the swamp-city".

    What a strange name, "Serpent''s Hand". Could it be a group of sorts?, I thought. Whatever it was, this girl might have just saved me some explaining to do, or even my life.

    I will try to play along, for now at least.

    "Serpent''s Hand, huh?" interjected the woman "It has been almost ten years since I have heard that name, they really have been resurfacing lately"

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    "And what does that have to do with why this kid can''t seem to be able to tell us the name of his town, huh? Something weird is going on"

    "What I am trying to say, Neill is that maybe a magic user from Serpent''s Hand might have messed up with his memories or something" said the girl confidently.

    "Can magic do that? Really?" asked Neill with what seemed to be a smile on his face, but after seeing that I was watching him he quickly returned to his original state.

    "But that wouldn''t explain why he was alone, with those weird clothes and basically unharmed. Would a group like Serpent''s Hand really do something like leaving a victim?" asked the woman.

    "I don''t know for sure, but it would not be too far fetched. Maybe he was just not a threat to them so they let him go after a little brain-washing thinking that he would not survive alone in the wilderness either way"

    The young girl seemed really smart. I have no idea who Serpent''s Hand, and while they seem like trouble they have also become my alibi.

    "If that were the case, I don''t think we should be meddling with him, what if he is trouble, too?" said the woman who seemingly didn''t mind saying I would bring trouble to them with me in the room.

    "So, what are you saying Leader? Should we just leave him here?" asked Neill.

    "I don''t think that would be a good idea" started saying the girl "I''m no expert in Enchantment magic but I believe it could possibly affect a person''s long-term memory, especially to someone as weak as him"

    The girl stopped speaking for a moment and after a short "Ah" of realization, she turned to me.

    "Sorry, no offense" she said, sheepishly.

    "I vote for us to keep him"

    "Neill, don''t talk about him as if he were a pet, we need to discuss this first" and while turning to me "Sorry dear, but could you excuse us a moment?"

    As she finished saying that, the three of them abandoned the room, allowing me to finally collapse on the bed, tired of the situation.

    ???

    Not a long time passed before they came back. However, their absence gave me enough time to check if my belongings were still there.

    "Okay, I have my cellphone, which fortunately is at 83% though it has no signal, so I better turn it off"

    Since I took a shower just before arriving here, I had nothing in my pockets besides my phone and, weirdly enough...

    "What is this coin doing here?"

    It was the coin I had found while walking through the rain. It was very shiny and silver in color. The design was unlike any other coins I had ever seen. It had what looked like a dragon with an open mouth on one side and a pentagon on the other.

    Having taken inventory on all my stuff, I decided to look around the small room.

    Outside the window I could only see a mud covered street and a wall and beyond the wall was a vast grass plain with tall mountains in the distance. It was a pretty view but not one I could use to gather information. I approached the only other decoration besides the vase of flowers. It was a painting of a snowy mountain with two flying figures, circling the mountaintop.

    The painting had a signature, it said L¨¦on M. Dustin, a fancy name.

    As I was inspecting the painting, the three came back to the room. Neill and the girl had a satisfied smile, the woman however, had a defeated look.

    "All right, young man, after a lot of consideration we have decided to take you with us, but only until we get to where we are going, after that, we leave you in the next town" said the woman, and after extending her hand into a handshake "My name is Valna, that girl over there is Irina and the muscle brain is called Neill. What''s your name?"

    I shook her hand covered by a fingerless leather glove "My name is Occam"

    "What a strange name, man" said Neill.

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you" said Irina in a low voice.

    Watching this group and seeing as they had accepted me in it, albeit temporarily, something deep inside me made me feel happy. I was still worried about how trustworthy these people really were but it was this or being alone in another world. Besides, Irina seems to know a lot and isn''t as suspicious of me as the others so maybe I could ask her about my situation, in private of course.

    "Anyways, Occam, since your mind seems to be foggy on the details about where you are, let me freshen it up for you" said Valna while searching inside her bag and took out a piece of rolled up paper.

    She then approached the table in the room and carefully extended the paper, which seemed to be a map of the region, while calling out for me to approach.

    "Look Occam, we are here" she said while pointing at a point in the North side of the map at a town in the middle of three ranges of mountains, the name of the city was written in very medieval looking cursive, and although hard to understand, it said Hipotens.

    There seemed to be other places too. There was one named Goldilan to the West, Lantanna to the South and Highlass to the North, though they were marked with fewer detail, maybe indicating they were, in fact, towns and not cities.

    "We are going from this city to the town of Lantanna since it is near this mountain range, see?" she said, while following the route with her slender fingers "It is the closest town to the dungeon we are trying to go to, that''s where we''ll leave you"

    "Wait, did you just say dungeon?" I said, a little bit surprised to hear such a fantasy-like word come out of her mouth.

    "Yes, we are supposed to go to the Teleios mountain range since there are rumors a Stone Giant settled in the mines there a long time ago, that''s why they call them now Giant Mines" said Valna.

    "We are going there to steal his treasure" a smile formed on Neill''s lips.

    "We need the money" completed saying Irina.

    "Are you really that strong that you can defeat a Stone Giant by yourselves? They sound dangerous" I said, concerned by their confidence.

    "Oh, no absolutely not" said Neill while laughing "That would be a deadly encounter even with another party of three, since we would be in his lair. The Giant must have abandoned those mines years ago, there''s only small fry there"

    "We expect there only to be some Giant Bats, Spiders, Cave Bears, Chokers, Slimes and maybe, if we are unlucky, some Ramfols" explained Irina, as if reading a book.

    While they seemed like a solid party that believed in teamwork, and even though I would not go with them to that dungeon, I couldn''t help but feel worried about them.

    "It''s good that you know your intel and have a plan but, do you have a party name?" I said to them.

    "A party name? What do you mean?" asked Valna.

    "I mean, don''t you need a party name to differentiate your group from the other adventurers?"

    "Only famous parties do that, mostly the ones in the capital from what I''ve heard"

    "Well, one cannot be famous without a name. I mean, you want to be famous, right? It means more money anyways" I insisted.

    "He''s right, Valna. Famous adventurers do get better rates and maybe even sponsors" said Irina while putting her chin between her thumb and index fingers.

    "Well, if you think it''s beneficial..." Valna said "You can call us The Company of the Wolf for now" while giving me a smile.

 Chapter 4: Beyond the Rain

    Focusing on the Rowan Ocean, West to one of the countries of the Storm Continent, lies a still boat. It''s a caravel with two white sails, with the one closest to the front of the ship having a symbol of a wisteria flower. The sea is calm as it could be, with the only meteorological anomaly being the giant veil of rain and wind way out East. It was difficult for the crew finding an opening through the storm, with only the map -which is trade secret amongst various sailors and pirates- and nautical tools to help them navigate the veil, but this was an experimented bunch, one that many times have sailed these waters in search of treasure and, most importantly, recognition from the one they wanted to convince they were worth the while. The captain wanted the crown, and his crew wanted him to be the king.

    On the deck, there were nine people, all of them apparently waiting for something. The one dressed in a blue outfit with various gems and golden chains was the captain, and is climbing one of the masts. When he reaches the top, he takes out a spyglass from his pockets and peers to the tranquil sea, not even a ripple in sight.

    "Captain! It''s already midday and there''s no sign of the turtle, maybe it decided today wasn''t worth it" said one of the crew members, dressed in simple clothes and wearing a big straw hat, while carrying in her hand a small orb that seems to display the time of day.

    "Roo, you know that I always say patience is a virtue and you already know the plan: we wait until we see the turtle and then we get its treasure" said the captain while still looking to the sea "it always comes, its hunger for more treasure never says that ''it isn''t worth it today''"

    "Well, it must be a very diligent turtle, not even Fallou is that diligent with her magic" says another crew member, this time a scrawny young man with long hair and dressed with light clothes and a leather breastplate.

    "Shut it Ylfe or I won''t save you when you get swallowed, go and drown for all I care" said Fallou, the mage of the crew with a neutral expression "oh but first, pay me the whole bottle of Albeuor you made me buy you back in Rand"

    "First, tell Careme to pay me for the daggers he threw the other day overboard while fighting that giant shark. He promised me that if I lend them to him he would get them back and we couldn''t even get to the shark before another, bigger shark ate it"

    Ylfe said this while pointing to a burly man, he was bald and had multiple scars along his arms and chest, but besides these naked parts, his head, hands and legs were covered with reinforced hardened leather, seemingly easy to don on and off.

    Even though the man was accused of a careless act, he didn''t seem to bother. No, it was more that he didn''t even notice they were talking about him, as he was patiently drawing the clouds above the sea in a little notebook with a piece of coal, which betrayed his violent body.

    While they were arguing, the more productive members of the crew seemed to be working on the preparations for the encounter with the turtle. A man with gray hair and a tall woman were taking notes of the supplies and the state of various parts of the ship.

    "Deria dear, pass me the tools, this part needs some reinforcing" said the man, who seemed to be adding some armor to the hull of the ship.

    "Here you go grampa Bar, be careful not to fall, sharks might eat ya" said Deria with a sweet tone, while passing some materials to the man.

    The remaining crew members were in the other mast, one of them was playing a flute while the other was watching the environs with another spyglass.

    "Onepy, do you see something?"

    "No captain, I see nothin''. We''ve been waiting to hunt this turtle for months, and now it decides not to show up. Maybe Knack''s song is putting the turtle to sleep" said Onepy with a sarcastic laugh.

    "Very funny Ney, just don''t tell me to go to your room at night needing a bedtime song like you always do" said the one playing the flute, smiling to himself.

    "Stop bickering, I see something" said the captain of the ship.

    While looking through the spyglass, one could see the ocean surface sitting still, the sun shining its rays off the surface. No signs of the turtle, apparently, however.

    "Agh! Captain, it''s coming!" shouted Ney Onepy while holding his head, seemingly hurting.

    "Get ready crew! Do not let that monster escape!" said the captain, while a faint shimmer showed on the surface of the water, followed by the surfacing of a giant turtle shell.

    <hr>

    After bearing the questioning of the team self-named "Company of the Wolf", we all got ready and decided to grab a quick bite to eat before leaving the city. And although I would''ve very much stayed some time here and explore, I couldn''t exactly argue against the established schedule the team had. It was better to be on their good side and not become a burden, at least until we got to the town of Lantanna.

    As we got out of the inn, reality of this medievalesque world settled before my eyes.

    I could see walls made of stone erected some four meters tall surrounding the city, peeking over them were the various mountain ranges of the region, some I could recognize from my time outside, before I was attacked by the goblins and I did remember seeing some farming land on the outskirts of the city.

    Various types of people were present at this time of day, either walking on the mud and stone roads or on horses and carts. It seemed to be a city that had some presence of merchants since I could see some small stands that were selling vegetables, tools, clothes and other various implements that seemed far from modern.

    Walking behind the party of three (now four) to the nearest eatery, I caught a glimpse of the inn''s name on a sign that read "Balik".

    "You don''t have to worry Occam, I''ll cover for you" said Irina, while slowing down until she was beside me.

    I didn''t answer. I didn''t really know what to answer. I didn''t understand what she could mean.

    "You know, how we found you is very similar to how my first adventure outside of the Magisterium went"

    I turned to look at her, with a puzzled expression on my face, and her mouth was curled up in a small smile. In her eyes, there was a hint of nostalgia and sadness.

    "I know you haven''t lost your memories, that was a lie. Sorry" she said while whispering.

    I got a deep and uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Sweat started to flow from the pores of my hands and my back and head felt hot.

    "My great grandfather, he was from beyond the Storm. He apparently was a great sailor that scoured the sea for Wandering Dungeons in search of treasure. He came here, to Ozark, and established himself with the small fortune he had gathered over the years"

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "What I''m trying to say is that... I know you are from beyond the Storm too. And I know that it''s not common to see people like that, so you decided not to reveal your identity with people you just met"

    I had no idea what this girl was talking about.

    "Come on, I don''t exactly know what continent you come from but it''s obvious with your weird clothes and your weird accent. Although, it is indeed strange that we found you in the middle of nowhere without supplies, money or even a weapon to defend yourself, but I won''t force you to tell me, you must have your reasons; my great grandfather apparently had his fair share of secrets, too"

    After hearing all this, I knew what I had to do.

    "Please don''t tell anyone" I said.

    A lie upon a lie, I need to get to that town fast and lose this group before the lie crumbles. Though, I don''t know how I would fare for myself here.

    Irina raised a finger to her mouth, signaling she will not tell anyone. And before I could notice, the voice of Valna announced we had arrived to the eatery.

    It was a rustic place that looked like a combination of a shack and a food truck. It had pieces of dried and fresh meat hanging from the beams of the place and a big pot over a fire contained by a clay structure. The person attending the eatery was a small man and was serving the other two people there wooden bowls of what looked to be like a stew.

    "I would like one-two-three-four bowls of what you have" said Valna to the man.

    The man quickly fetched four bowls and served generous spoonfuls of the stew and put them on the counter. Valna then fetched 3 small pale copper coins and left them besides the bowls. The group approached to a bowl and started to eat. I followed suit.

    "Be grateful, you eating was thanks to the money we made by selling some monster pelts" said Neill to me, taking a big piece of meat from the bowl with his hands.

    Standing up, I grabbed my bowl and, without any type of cutlery provided, slurped the liquid.

    It had a salty taste and not much more. I tried a piece of meat and, while it was tender, tasted like boiled meat with a hint of ''animal'' after taste. Really, what could I expect from medieval food. Maybe I could make a profit from modern cuisine, I would only need to find the ingredients.

    "Alright team, we are ready to go, we just need to get our horses from the stable and, if we get going now, should arrive in three days if all goes according to plan"

    We arrived at the stables and the three of them jumped on their respective horses. I felt kinda left out, like that time all my friends got to go on the school trip but I didn''t because I forgot to give my parents the permission slip.

    "Come on kid, you don''t want to be left behind, do you?" Neill said while beckoning me to hop on his horse.

    "Don''t even think that I like this, but Valna said that it was my duty to protect you since I am the one with the armor and sword"

    While on the horse, me and the group approached the city gates, guarded by soldiers wielding spears.

    As we were coming closer to the gates, I felt something. A feeling of wanting to stop, to start running in the other direction, to keep being blessed by the protection of walls and civilization. The sounds of the city started to echo and muddle in my ears. Going outside meant being unprotected. Going outside meant seeing those monsters.

    Going outside meant death.

    I felt a hand on my shoulder, a strong hand.

    "Let''s go young man, we will keep you safe, you needn''t worry" Valna said while giving me a genuine smile.

    My nerves started to calm down, the world recovered its sounds. I shook my head and clenched my fists, looking directly at the gate and at the green plains that awaited me.

    ???

    Some time passed and the sky was now cloudy, a cold breeze could be felt.

    Contrary to my previous experience, the trip went on without the sight of more goblins or any other creature.

    "I would''ve thought Goblin attacks were common around these parts" I said to the group.

    "Well, they are common, especially now that they are preparing for war when the weather gets warmer, but they are not exactly stupid so they don''t tend to attack groups that look strong, that''s why we have Neill here with his imposing armor" said Valna while gesturing with her face towards Neill.

    It truly was imposing, and all the while we were riding, the plates rubbing against each other produced a sound that made it impossible for anyone to not hear him coming.

    "Occam, Valna and Neill are plenty strong to fend off a group of Goblins. You saw for yourself, no?" said Irina.

    "Yeah, maybe you are right, I''m just still shaken by what happened I guess..."

    Dejected, I started to reminisce about my near-death experience. Honestly, even I had had a weapon, I don''t think I could''ve saved myself, so I''m lucky those three found me. Still, I''m hoping magic is something I''m blessed with and hasn''t shown up yet, or at least something I could learn. Maybe asking Irina would be a good option.

    "Irina, what can you tell me about magic?"

    "Oh? Do you think maybe magic has something to do with your past, young man?" said Valna.

    "Umm, sure, I think it could be something like that"

    "Well, magic is everywhere, and acts like a cycle" started explaining Irina with a concentrated look on her face "A creature has a level of wolnide in their bodies, which humanoids and other creatures can cultivate and expand, and when they die, it gets reabsorbed and can be used again".

    "All spells are made up of one to five of the elements. Even when spells materialize using the wolnide in our bodies, they almost never use it in its pure state, rather they transform that energy into some combination of the five elements. Those elements can be Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Chaos. The spells use the wolnide to transform into these material elements to correctly manifest, using some catalyzer like a wand, seal, staff or whatever helps conduct the wolnide from the Mage''s body to the exterior".

    A mix of known fantasy words and unknown concepts came pouring out of the girl''s mouth. I kind of got the idea on how magic operated in this world, but still had my doubts if I could learn it.

    "And if I wanted to, could I learn how to do magic?"

    Please say yes, please say yes.

    "Well, to be a Wizard you need to study at least 8 years in a Magisterium, and even then it can be very expensive. Although there are exceptional individuals who have learned magic by themselves, such as Krulik McRaven or the Champion Primus"

    So it was, in essence, like getting a university degree, with tuition fees and the like.

    "Although, since you are are not really a kid anymore, you couldn''t take the Magus Curriculum, but you could take the Late Magus Curriculum. It teaches you the basics"

    It sounds like further bureaucracy, and right now wasting years of my life here is not on my to-do list.

    "Hmmm, then maybe magic is not for me. Thank you Irina." I said while we continued our trip.

    We had arrived at a point in the main road that we passed through a forest glade. That was, in my mind, the perfect place for a bandit ambush. One thing was monsters, and another thing was murderous and intelligent humanoids attacking us.

    I don''t know what it was, but my nerves seemed to have passed through to Valna, because she made us a signal to stop and took out her longbow.

    "We are not alone, be ready"

    We continued through the glade, with grey clouds further covering the sun. Suddenly, while making a turn obscured by trees, a foul smell filled my nostrils.

    In front of us was a carriage that was pulled by two horses. The carriage was smashed to splinters and some of the parts of the horses appeared to have been eaten. Large pools of fresh blood were surrounding the scene and the people that were supposed to be riding the carriage were in the air.

    Two large and pale creatures stood around the cart, they were wearing skins of animals around their belt and shoulders, and in their hands laid the bodies of the carriage''s passengers. Their small figures compared to the hulking monsters were being crushed by their jaws, and the sound of bones breaking, flesh tearing and blood spilling filled the quiet forest glade.

    We stopped, in fear, at the sight. They hadn''t seen us.

    One of them raised its head, and smelled the air.

    It looked towards us, and gave a red stained crooked smile.

    "More... Food... Here...." mumbled the creature, an Ogre.

    Rain started pouring, as if the forest wanted its soil to be washed from the carnage.

 Chapter 5: Not here, Not there

    The cold rain fell on us while looking at the sight of brutal eating.

    I was frozen with fear, and my mouth filled with the contents of my stomach. There was no way I had this much bad luck.

    First, there were Goblins, which by chance were defeated by Valna''s party. But now there were two Ogres, which were on a whole other level.

    If I recall correctly, the idea of Ogres originated from Arthurian legend, like many other creatures, and their main characteristic was that they were typically giant, dumb brutes that liked eating human flesh. They were strong, barbaric and violent. Their name came from the god of the underworld Orcus, and with all those characteristics in mind, meant that we had very little chance of making it out of here alive.

    In my mind, the only way we could survive was to make a run from here, but with the heavy rain now upon us, it was hard to see.

    I watched as a glowing arrow flew towards the Ogre closest to us. The arrow hit the creature in the hand, and with a burst of green energy managed to tear off one of its fat fingers, making it scream in pain and drop the mangled body it was eating.

    Valna had taken initiative in attacking first, and ask questions later. Although, no question would be answered by the Ogres.

    Irina and Valna got off their horses and sent them running to the safety of the forest.

    "Neill, keep the young man safe!"

    Neill turned to look at me, his armor glistening in the rain, he had the face of someone ready to die fighting. A small grin could be seen on his face, as if he was waiting for this moment.

    "Stay where I can see you kid, I''ll make sure nothing happens to you"

    He stepped off his horse and unsheathed his blade. Neill was running towards Irina and Valna, the three of them making a barrier between the Ogres and me.

    The two creatures appeared surprised, but before long they seemed to be ready to retaliate.

    The one that still had all its digits, in apparent anger, threw the body it was eating towards Valna.

    With an attack this cruel and barbaric, blood and guts spraying all around from the flying corpse, its trajectory advancing forwards towards the half elf.

    However, with nimbleness she ducked and rolled on the mud, soiling her beautiful braid but effectively dodging the attack. Immediately after, still ducked on the ground, Valna rapid fired two glowing arrows towards the Ogre, which hit it directly on the head, and with two green bursts blew off chunks of flesh that left a burning mark.

    The Ogre put his bloody hands on the wound, screaming through the sound of the rain.

    Meanwhile, Neill had arrived besides Irina and extended his longsword towards her. The gem on her staff started shining, she then touched the sword, imbuing it with a faint glow. After this, Irina ran towards me, making sure she kept her comrades on sight.

    Neill approached one of the Ogres at a blinding speed, and with swift movements of his weapon, slashed its legs spilling black blood towards the ground. The Ogre fell to one knee, giving Neill the opportunity to reach more vulnerable parts of its body.

    Sensing this approach, the Ogre grabbed one of the felled wheels of the cart and struck Neill in the chest, making a sound of crushing metal, and sent him flying besides Valna. Neill contorted his body in the middle of his flight and managed to land standing on the mud. He took a deep breath and straightened his back. His determination made him seem as tall as the giants that were attacking him.

    "Al Aer!" shouted Irina, pointing her staff towards a large rock on the side of the road.

    With what I suppose was an incantation, the rock sprung from the ground and flew directly to the kneeling creature, hitting it on the head and knocking it down, destroying the rock in the process.

    This team was well coordinated, they had turned the tides of a dire situation in an instant. I was almost starting to think that we could win this. However...

    The element of surprise had disappeared, and even though the Ogres had sustained serious injuries, they were still strong. Stronger than humans.

    The Ogre that Valna had shot twice had already shaken off its pain, and with quick movements unbefitting of his size, ran towards the vanguards of the group giving them no time to retreat.

    Its heavy body sinking in the mud and leaving the imprint of its footsteps gave me chills. It was as if for every step, the ground shook, as well as my heart.

    But the two of them had no fear, they were concentrated in fighting. They were concentrating in surviving.

    The Ogre swiped its big hand towards the two of them, but before it could reach Valna, Neill stepped in front of her and, with his longsword, deflected the attack. Valna used this opportunity to fire yet another glowing arrow, this time to the exposed neck of the creature giving it a nasty wound that spilled its dark blood. With silence and concentration she jumped backwards, giving herself distance to better use her longbow.

    Meanwhile, the other Ogre finally stood up, or rather, started running in four legs like an animal to attack Neill. He was at a disadvantage, with monsters to his right and left.

    Its approach seemed to be successful, tackling Neill with its large body and sending him flying yet again, this time towards a tree. While in the air, Neill threw small knives towards the creatures in a display of expertise. When he hit the trunk, a grunt of pain escaped Neill''s lips, but he still managed to stand up again.

    "Hydo!"

    Irina once again raised her staff, this time generating a ball of a green liquid that flew towards the creatures, splashing them both. The liquid spread on their bodies and started to produce steam, giving them nasty burns. It seemed to be some type of acid.

    This still wasn''t enough to take them down, rather, it seemed to anger them even more and, to pile on my misfortune, made it so that the monsters concentrated their attention towards us.

    Both of them started to run towards us with blood lusted eyes. The heavy rain making them look like shadowy walking mountains.

    I wanted to run, escape with Neill''s horse and not look back.

    I could do it, I could escape through the woods and leave the three of them fighting.

    Either way, I wasn''t contributing to the fight, it made zero difference having me there.

    I could run away.

    I must run away.

    You should run away, like the coward you are.

    Before I could do anything, a flash came from where Valna was. I turned to look and I saw her putting her hand to the ground while holding an amulet with the other.

    Suddenly, wooden spikes seemingly made from roots grew from below the Ogres, impaling them with each step they took.

    The spikes pierced the soles of their feet and their legs and made a mess of white and black exposed muscle and tendons. The spikes then constricted their movements, pinning them to the ground, making it difficult for them to move.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    What I saw next happened in an instant.

    Both Irina and Neill approached the Ogres. With her staff held high she yelled "Be Pyra!", conjuring a burst of fire towards them, making the spikes burn up, calcinating the skin of the monsters. The fire burned hot enough to instantly vaporize the rain.

    Then, Neill sprinted towards them, unsheathing his short sword from his hip, ready to deliver the final blow. He struck one of the Ogres with two consecutive vertical movements of his long sword, completely cutting of its thick neck, while with the other hand, holding his short sword, stabbed it directly in its head, piercing its skull and, after retrieving the weapon, making the contents of it spill on the ground. A mass of dark blood and grey matter coagulated on the mud, producing a wet sound like a damp rag hitting the ground.

    It was over. And we were alive.

    I was shocked at the display of power these three showed. Was this the standard for this world?

    "Fuck me, that was tough. Valna, do your thing, I got really beat up by those two" said Neill, sitting down on one of the Ogre''s bodies, the roots now extinguished by the rain.

    "Thank you for your hard work as always Neill" said Valna.

    She approached Neill and with a whisper, created a translucent bird that flew and perched itself on his head. The bird started singing a faint melody and I could see the wounds on Neill''s face and arms fade away, however leaving the residue of battle on the dents of his armor and torn clothes.

    Irina sighed and approached Neill too, extending her hands towards the tears and dents and magically reverting the armor to its original state.

    Not long after, Neill looked as if he hadn''t fought at all.

    "Thank you Neill, it was a tough fight" said Irina.

    "We really spent a lot of energy here, I don''t think we could make it if we have another encounter like this" Valna said, while extending her hand towards Neill so he could stand up.

    After standing up, the magical bird disappeared from Neill''s head.

    I was just watching from the sidelines as the three of them congratulated each other for the good work they had done, and I couldn''t help but feel like a burden.

    While they were fighting and risking their lives for each other, I was thinking of running away. What kind of person does that?

    But what could you have done? You are weak and pathetic in this world. The only reason you are alive is because of the mercy of those three. You''d be dead if it weren''t for them. You know this and you still thought about running away. What a coward.

    You should at least risk your own life for the ones who saved you. You owe them that much. Make yourself useful and offer your life. It''s only fair, no?

    It''s been years since I''ve felt like this.

    Please, not again.

    Once more, I felt a hand on me. This time, a warm and soft hand touching my arm.

    "Are you all right Occam?" Irina looked at me with a gentle expression, her wet hair clinging to her face.

    "... Yeah, I''m alright, I was just thinking if I could''ve been more useful, that''s all"

    "You don''t have to worry about that young man, you lost your memories so you don''t need to concern yourself with fighting right now"

    Valna gave me a smile, her typical smile, which made my body warm even under the cold rain.

    "Well, enough talking, with the Ogres gone, we can now check what this was all about" said Neill.

    "I''ve told you Neill, robbing dead people is wrong, you''ll end up haunted by a ghost or something" Irina said, while putting up the hood of her red cloak and approached him.

    "I know, I know, I wasn''t planning on doing that. I just wanted to investigate these two"

    "Hmm, they seem to be from the Gobler clan" said Valna while taking a necklace from the bisected neck of one of the Ogres.

    "Well, now they are down two soldiers" commented Neill while rummaging through the destroyed cart.

    The rain seemed to be letting up.

    "What is this talk about a Gobler clan?" I asked Irina.

    "Oh, well, in this region, there''s three clans: the Koblins, Goblers and Boneclaw that fight for the middle turfs"

    "Are they dangerous?"

    "Well, when they are preparing for war -that is, some months before Summer- they appear more regularly on main roads and such, but besides that they don''t bother anyone"

    "Rather, the skirmishes they have tend to reduce their population, so the months following Summer are relatively calm although it doesn''t last that long since they reproduce so fast, and the same goes for Kobolds" interjected Valna.

    Neill seemed to have finished investigating the cart, since he stood up and whistled, making the horses come back from the forest.

    "All right people, we should be going now, don''t want to waste what''s left of the day"

    Irina and Valna got on their horses, while Neill and I kept riding on the same one. We continued under the light rain and exited the glade.

    "What did you find out?" asked Valna to Neill.

    "It seems the cart belonged to the Crimson Company, we better not get entangled with them. They''ll go and retrieve their stuff anyways, they always do"

    Neill seemed to have a past with this Crimson Company; while saying their name his face darkened and his tone grew colder. Valna didn''t seem to question his decision.

    Sometime later, the clouds stopped covering the sun, though really it was already plenty dark. The sun was setting.

    "We should take some rest. If I''m not mistaken, at this pace we should arrive in two days" said Valna.

    As we prepared to set up camp, I insisted on helping out. It couldn''t be so different from my camping trips I had with my friends back in my world.

    I helped put up the tent and start a fire, while the others extended their bedrolls, making sure the ground was dry enough.

    "Al Aer" I could hear Valna casting a spell around our camp. When she circled the perimeter, a bell chime sounded.

    "I didn''t know you were a Wizard too, Valna" I said while warming my hands on the fire.

    "Oh, no young man, I''m no Wizard. I''m a Ranger, you see, we can use magic too, although compared to what Irina can do, our spells are rather simple. For example, this spell is just to alert us if something enters our camp"

    That... seemed logical, I mean, she was a half elf with a bow, I should''ve guessed. Though, if the magic she used in the fight with the Ogres is considered "simple", what is the true power of magic here? And what other kinds of magic users existed?

    "Yawn... I am really tired from the beating, good night" briefly announced Neill, who had taken off his armor and went to sleep.

    "He''s always the first to sleep... Though, I suppose his role takes a toll on his body" said Irina, while studying a large leather book.

    I wanted to ask her what she was doing, but I must''ve looked too hard since she turned to look at me.

    "Are you curious? This is my spell book, years of work have gone into this specific tome and contains all the spells I know"  she said, proudly.

    "Can I see?" I asked.

    "Umm, sure" she said, while I approached her, letting me see the contents of the pages clearly.

    What I saw I couldn''t describe.

    Literally, since it was a mess of formulae, diagrams and annotations. All of it seemed like a huge and complicated math problem.

    "Look, this here is the spell I used earlier, the one that made the rock fly towards the Ogre" Irina said while showing me three pages full of symbols.

    "It''s a simple spell but you have to understand the basics of how it interacts with the physical world to correctly use it, without this, catastrophe could happen!"

    Amazed by the complexity of magic, I asked.

    "Then, does Valna also have a spell book like this?"

    "Oh, no no, only Wizards use spell books, Rangers and other spell casters use magic more ''intuitively'' sort to speak. Some use small spell books to make it easier for them to remember what they know, but mostly it''s just them visualizing what they want to do and using the Words of Power necessary to cast it"

    "Then, what are the benefits of studying to be a Wizard?"

    "Well, we have a larger repertoire of spells since we can study and learn, while other spell casters are confined to the spells that derive from the source of their power; like nature, bloodline or a powerful entity. Also, sufficiently advanced Wizards are able to cast spells using the wolnide from the surroundings, instead of their own reservoir, among other things"

    It seemed like there are better and faster ways to gain magic in this world, though they seem to be weaker than a pure and studied career like a Wizard''s.

    "Well Irina, young man, you should both be going to sleep. Tomorrow we set out at sunrise, so get some rest. I left you some sheets over there so you can sleep. It''s not as good as a bed roll, but it should work for now" Valna said, pointing to a soft looking pile near the fire.

    ???

    "Good night Occam"

    "Good night Irina"

    I laid down on the sheets, the starry sky above me, trying to sleep.

    It had been a long time since I''ve seen this many stars. It was such a beautiful sight, but I couldn''t recognize any constellation.

    When looking at the night sky, I saw a shooting star.

    I wished for me to go back home. Though, a part of me wanted to stay here and see what this world had to offer.