《A path to ascention. Soul lords trials.》


 Prologue.

    It had been a couple of weeks since Rex returned from the dungeon dive, the inspiration from encountering the cradle of growth and evolution still fresh and doing wonders for him. He was spending the nights with his ladies, ensuring tha teach and every one of them was sattisfied in more ways than one, but the rest of his time was single handedly spent focusing on comprehending even deeper misteries of the soul and blood in extention. He had gone so far, as to abbandon any other paralel project he had been runing in his mind, focusing only on soul.


    As the two weeks passed by, he understood more and more, feeling the aproach of an eppifany. He could feel himself being at a bottleneck, just a small push was all he needed to realize the next step he had to take, to transcend the limits of a mortal. While he no longer had to worry about aging, an issue that had been solved a long time ago for both himself and his ladies, he was well aware that there was something missing before he could call himself transcendant. He was now well aware that most would break said shackles by absorbing a spark, a revelation he came upon when being in the presence of the dungeon core with a vessel of a spark still developing within it.


    Yet, at the same time, his mind had came to a question that he was now wrking on answering. Sparks are a fragment of the laws of the world, so naturally, there must be some, who have comprehended said lawas without absornign any sparks. Such beings should be in a league of their own, should they not? And so, his current plan had hathched. He would focus solely on the path of the soul, something that resonated greatly with his bloodline, and then use said resonance to push his understanding further, to the point where he could step into the realm of transcendent beings.


    It was at the end of the second week, mere month before the start of the second grand auction of Blythe that Rex finally broke past the bottleneck, entering a state that could not be explained with words. He was and was not at the same time, seeing the world through his soul for the briefest of moments, and yet, that moment, for it was nothing more to the rest of his ladies and servants, was so much more to Rex.


    "Fascinating." he spoke once he came out of the mistical state he was in. "So thats how it is. No wonder."


    ''Omnipresence.'' he thought, not willing to speak of his findings, for what he had comprehended was so far beyond the realms of gods, or so he reasoned. He was not aware of a single piece of lore in this world speaking of a soul lord, a god governing over the concept of souls, and now he could guess why. But at the same time, his path forward was also clear.


    ''I have to walk the path. And there is no better way than to live multiple lives, embracing the branching ability of ones soul, creating embers and stretching out, being in multiple places at the same time, yet always me, and no one else. omnipresence, yet limited in scale and scope. Just you wait, O benefactor of mine, I shall entertain you allright. Await the greatest suprise of all time.'' He grinned as he looked up, his thoughts running through his mind at unprecedented speeds to create the proper spell for what he had in mind.


    A day later, he sat alone on a remote hilltop, his spell formulated and ready. He once again looked up, a savage grinn adorning his face.


    "A suprise and a gift for you. I dont know how soon you will be able to recieve and unwrap it, but I hope it brings you a jolt of excitement once you do!" With those words he activated the spell, a blindingly bright light flashed, followed by all consuming darkness that lasted for just a moment, and then it dissapeared, leaving the place just as how it was before, only Rex''s smirk was even more wide now.


    "Success."


    ---------------------------------


    Somewhere, in the middle of a forest, in front of a lake with quite murky waters sat a young man, with rather lean, but musculed body. The young man was around the age of eighteen, his hands were quite rough and caloused, clearly used to hard work with quite crude and heavy tools. Dark brown, few centimeter long hair covered his head and the slightest stubble was covering the youths chin and upper lip. A clear indication of an overeager facial hair desiring to reaffirm the youths manliness. Dark brwon eyes, glazed over were looking off into the distance, no longer paying any attention to the line that was cast into the waters.


    A while later, the glazed over eyes regained their light, a large smirk developing on the youths face.


    "Success" he spoke in a low, but sure voice. Moments later he was looking at his own reflection, inspecting it quite well.


    "Hmm, was expecting better, though it is me, through and through, even if a bit more rugged and rough around the edges." Even with the somewhat murhy water, he coul still see his own reflection well enough. Upon noticing a long departed companion, he slid a hand over his chin, sensing the roughness of the stubble.


    "Hello, my old friend. He, he he he, how I missed you." Quite pleased with the discovery, but not so distracted that he did not notice the now slowly bobbing float, he switched his attention over to it, deciding to deal with the matter of dinner first, then organize the knowledge that he had just gone through during his motionless and glazed over state. he waited patiently for a while longer, then, with a rather sharp movement he pulled, hooking the fish and spending a few moemnts to reel it in. It was nothing impressive. The fish weighted a few hundred grams at most and as he inspected his catch, he recognized it as a lake nibbler. A common species around here, as well a decent source of protein.


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    Trowing it in the bucket, making the total increase to five lake nibblers, a number sufficient for his needs, he tidied up his place and left the lake, he would need around thirty minutes to reach his shack at the outer edges of the village. As he made his way home, he quickly went over the memories his shell of a body had of his life so far. The magic spell he had cast worked in quite simple manner. He took a miniscule spark of his soul, and it was sent through void to create him. A vessel to be precise, that was just as much him, as the current main body that had cast the spell. The body, along with the soul spark would develop and grow, untill his souls would wake up, revealing his true self. Who wants to go through life as a useless baby, incapable of controlling ones own bodily functions and other unpleasantless of childhood?


    What did came as a suprise thought was something else. His life here was as mundane as one would guess from a rural village. He grew up an orphan, named Rat, as all aorphans were named after a creature utill their twentieth birthday where they went on a hunt and earned themselves a new name. The better the prey you brought back, the better name you could take. Theoretically, the sky was the limit, but taking down a bear or something better was a task too tall for most youngsters, even if it was allowed to form groups during the hunt. Such things were just too risky.


    No, he was suprised for two reasons. First, he had just learned that by sending out these soul sparks, he gains access to memories of other lives he had lived before, and if the information he gained from this spark was the average, a drop in the ocan contained hundreds of years of experience. A cultivator from a murim world in this particular case. Though that was not the most peculiar thing right now. The second thing, and the more confusing matter at hand was that he could not feel the origin body, or the other few soul sparks he had sent out. Quite alarming, sure, but he supposed that it was one of a few possibilities. Either his connection had a limited range, and this soul spark had drifted out of it, or, just as likely, this soul spark was in a different world, making the connection impossible to establish.


    Either way, there was quite a simple solution for either of the cases. All he would have to do, was to drain his way to the peak of mortal realm and the connection should be established. Regardless, Rex was still Rex, blood mage extraordinaire, and the descendant of a variant soul dragon. His path to power will be quick and bloody, just like last time. Well, similarily. This time he was well aware that this was real, not a game or a lucid dream, and with all the dark shit out of his system, as well as not having the signature eyes of archons, he could limit his bloodlust to monsters, both in the beast and human form. ''What, I aint no herbivore, nor am I a saint to let'' monsters live. He thought to himself as the ridiculous idea of being a pacifist crossed his mind.


    On his way home, as luck would have it, Rex ran into a couple of goblins, a staple nuisance around these parts, and a reliable sourse of copper coins for anyone willing to deal with the annoying little shits. Like any person would tell you, a couple goblins are just a nuisance, a couple dozens a threat to a small groups, and a couple hundred a plague that will do unspeakable things to any poor woman that happens to fall in their sights.


    "Itadakimaasu". Rex smiled as he took the crude spear in one of his hands, placed his fishing gear on the ground and dashed towards the two goblins. ''Damn, I am slow.'' he thought as he closed in onthe duo, both baring their teeth and screeching at Rex in their nonsensical growls. While incomparably slower than what his soul dragon body could do, this soul spark was used to it, and thus he had immaculate controll over his own body, even if the technique and skills he could use, thanks to his preivious experience both as Rex, and as the cultivator, was heavens above what this body had used while his soul was autopiloting through his early years.


    Still, since only two goblins were of no true issue, not to a fully grown man such as himself, it took only a single stab through the eye to end the first one, and one strike of the spears shaft to the torso, followed by another stab into the second goblin to end the encounter.


    ''Easy peazy.'' Thought Rex as he pulled out his knife and cut the left ear of both goblins, the proof of his kills. He had noticed that a miniscule amount of energy entered his body with each kill, but it was so negligable that he did not pay much attention to it as he prepeared to drain the two bodies. "Now, for the dessert" he touched the first goblin, remembering the good old days when he first drained his kill.


    ''Drain'' he though in his head, activatin his signature skill, only for nothin to happen.


    "Nani??" Rex exclaimed in confusion, not expecting such an outcome.


    "Houston, I think we have a problem." Thinking for a moment longer, he came to a rather reasonable explanation.


    ''Ookay, so if we asume that I did not spend enough time to trully reawaken my soul, imprinting every ability of the main body, it would make sense that the full extent of the abilities do not show either. That would also explain why I have a passive drain, even if only a miniscule fraction of the original. That still means I dont have the upper limit, like most mortals, only I will probably have to spend a lot more time getting there.''


    Thinking over the implications and complications, he came to a rather pleasant conclusion. ''Wait, doesnt that mean I can actually slwoly enjoy growing and developing in this life, while still having the chance to grind? have I done something incredible subconsciously? Hell, guess I am a genious.'' Rex could not help but break out in a boisterous laughter, quite happy of the accident that had developed, writing it all off as ''Keikaku doori.''

 Chapter 1: Preperations for the great hunt.

    Rex remaining path home was uninterupted, with only a slight breeze passing by him, rustling countless leaves in the process. He inhaled deeply, apreciating the calm and quiet surroundings. Dont take it the wrong way, he was more than happy with the harem of pretty ladies he had amassed during his outings as either blood mage Rex, or the warrior Neo, but there was something to being all on your own, unleashed upon the world to go as you see fit, without a single worry about people close to you, who could be implicated by your actions. Still, he was rather sure that living an entire life, without the gentle and affectionate touch of a woman would be impossible. Still, he decided to be much more selective this time around, limiting himself to trully get to know the other person before going wild and rowdy. If worst comes to pass, there were always fair ladies willing to help out, for a fair compensation or a helpfull hand. Still, that was a problem that tommorow''s Rex would have to deal with, and so he would dea l with it then it came to pass, Right now he would enjoy the life of a single man to its fullest.


    As he sat in front of his shack, the days catch slowly roasting over a fire he had lit recently, he considered the next few steps he would have to take. First, he would have to figure out the aproach he should take to growing stronger. The good old grinding would not be nearly as helpfull here as it used to be, and trying to grow stronger through countless harsh battles alone would be dangerous and quite tedius, especially after the life he had led before this. Thankfully, this was where his new memories of a live once lived, came into play.


    As a rather well established expert in the way of cultivation, with countless manuals and arts memorized, the sword savage Ren Lui was considered quite the terror among both righteous and demonic sects. An eternal traveler who would slay man and beast alike who dared crosss his path, which happened more often than one would expect, all due to his tendency to never wear the same face for long, causing too arrogant young master or vicious demonic expert to kick an iron plate. Beggars and vagabonds were always quite easy to bully or unload ones anger on to. A practice that quickly lost its appeal, when one could never know if the possible target of his frustrations could actually end your exsistance with a smiple swing of any random branch.


    While Ren Lui was a true master in the way of the sword, having walked said Dao to a rather high level of comprehension, his mastery over other weapons was quite impressive as well, though obviously nowhere near close to the sword. A sharp mind needs a strong and disciplined body, as much as the latter needs the former, thus Ren Lui had studied countless body strenghtening manuals, delving deep into the theories behind the art, developing numerous different techniques on his own as well. Rex reasoned that it was precisely these techniques that he could employ, to speed up his growth. Though it would still be nowhere near the speed he could achieve with the original drain. Still, the place, and possibly the world seemed of a lower power level, if the memory of this body was anything to go by, so maybee he did not need to achieve quite the same level of power as he had before creating the soul sparks. Nevertheless, it was always better to overprepeare than to fall short, especially when the opportunity was right in front of you.


    With ''drain'' working passively upon each of his kills, as well as drawing in the mana from his surroundings, he had a rather free controll over mana, even if it was much more unrully than he was used to. Add to that his rather lacking mana pool at the moment, and any proper large scale spells were out of the question, at least ones that would affect the world outside of his body. So, aproximately hour later, once he had cooked and devoured the fish he had caught during the day, he retired to the inside of his shoddy shack, something he sshould solve rather soon, he reasoned.


    Sitting near the poor excuse of a bed that he had, he concentrated on his own mana pool, willing it to stirr, and putting it to work. Slowly, but steadily he moved his mana along his veins, inscribing miniscule runes along the way, wincing every now and then from the pain each rune caused. It was nothing gut wrenching, but since this body was not yet trained to shrug off most pain, it still caused quite a bit of discomfort. Thanks to the enourmous amounts of mana his body could siphon from the enviroment, he needed only a couple of hours to finish with the inscription of his veins, prepearing his body for enchancement. Now all he had to do was to allow his body to absorb mana from either his own reserves or feast on the enviroment. Still this growth would be rather slow, leaving Rex plenty of time to delve into other avenues of interest, one of which were the weapon mastery he had attained with the surfacing of his murim world memories.


    Once done, rather tired from the days events, he lied down to sleep, desiring to wake early and enjoy the life of adventures that awaited him. With the runes in place, no longer needing to focus and sit still like most cultivators would, he was free to do with his life what he desired, clearly being drawn to an idea of traveling with a group of companions and getting in all manner of sitations, and while not overly much different from his first go around, he was sure he could have much more fun than before, not chained by desires of the darker nature, nor bound to any code of honor or such. Nor hunted purely because of his peculiar eyes, that he did not have this go around. And while somewhat sad at the lost abilities said unique traits provided him with, he was more than ready to enjoy the advantages of the loss just as much, if not more.


    "Who knows, maybee I could become and adventurer this time around? A proper one." he murmured as he drifted off to sleep.


    -----------------------------------------


    He woke up early in the morning, a habit he had always practiced, and one that seemed to thankfully follow him along this time as well. Finding some last scraps of jerky in what he supposed was his pantry, he quickly consumed them, just barely calming his growling stomach, though it was obvious that he would need much more to actually have his fill. A side effect of the runic engravings that now permeated his body. While he was free to move around and not think of absorbing the mana all around him, it required him to consume quite a bit more calories in return. Both strenghtening his muscles and facilitating the growth of more would need a lot of energy, protein and other building blocks, all aquired through copious amounts off food.


    Unfortunately, the two copper he would earn for the goblin ears would not help much either, barely covering a half loaf of bread in a rather poor condition, leaving him with not much of a choice but to head out and spend hours on fishing, or attempt to get some game from the surrounding forests. Fishing was the more reliable of the two. Rex could use what little mana pool he had to use the sonar he was so accustomed, figuring out the places with the largest schools of fish, making his efforts muc hmore reliable and while he could theoretically try the same in the forrest to find game, the small mana pool made it nearly impossible to do so in a large enough area neccessary for such an attempt. Unlike the forest, with the lake he could focus in a single dirrection, since lake would only be in front of him, covering a notably larger area. On the other hand, should his hail mary in the forest succeed, he could aquire quite the amount of food.


    ''Right, that reminds me. Gotta work that space affinity I have grinded to create a storage space. That too seems to be a rather lacking area around here.'' He mused as he grabbed his fishing rod, supplies and the spear he had used yesterday. He had decided to use his advantages to their fullest, filling up with fish today and then attempt some hunting tommorow. It was simply much safer to go with the reliable option now that he was perfectly aware, no longer working on an auto pilot. Once he has secured a starting capital, he could then turn to the high risk, high reward options.


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    As he left his shack, he noticed that the village was still mostly quiet, most of the villagers still enjoying their well earned rest after yet another day of hard work. ''How nice, not having a bunch of bloodthirsty and zealous bastard considering you the spawn of hell in the near vicinity.'' Rex thought as he headed out towards the lake. Sure, him being an orphan did not do him much favours, but it only counted when the elder folk of the village complained about one thing or another, though the same treatment was reserved for any other kid in the village, Old folk being old, was all it was, leaving Rex mostly indifferent towards their occasional grumblings, at least as far as he could remember from the memories of this body.


    The only person Rex encountered was an aged hunter who was just returning from his morning hunt, a couple of chicken sized birds strapped to his side.


    "Off for your breakfast Rat?" the hunter asked with a smlight smile on his face, apreciating the self sufficiency of the younger man before him.


    "Hmr" Rex grumbled in agreement, something his autopilot sould had done most of the time. Short, one word responses, or a simple nod with a grunt was used most of the time when possible, if not just as short few word responses. This had made an impression on most of the villagers that Rex was somewhat of a musclehead, or a few screws short, nothing that would endanger anyone around him of course, but there were none that expected him to become a scholar, or learn to read for that matter. Still, everyone knew their numbers- cant have some fancy adventurer passing by cheat you out of your hard earned money, now can you. Or so the elders would say when they teached the youngsters.


    "Spend more time on it kid, the great hunt is aproaching, and fro mwhat I remember, its your time too. have you thought of some names you would aim for?"


    Rex just shrugged his shoulders at the question. In this village, upon the age of five each child recieved an animal, or rodent, or whatever else wildlife animals name came to the elders, or ones parents minds, with orphans often recieving the less stellar names. To eanr a name for yourself, said children had to take part in the great hunt, a ceremony held every five years, where only the kids past age of sixteen took part. Depending on what the youngster hunted during said hunt, they could pick their new names freely, recieving more scrutiny from the elders should their prey was not impressive enough for the heroic name they desired. Rex had been too young for the last hunt, but had to join this one.


    "Heh, thought so. Well, off you go boy." the hunter said as he too turned past Rex and walked off into the village, preoccupied with his own thoughts.


    Rex, no longer bothered by the aged hunter, too went on his own way, more interested in catching himself some food instead of the advice of the older man. Sure, it was a sound advice, were Rex the dim witted youngster he was believed to be, but to the current him it was pointless. Still, it served no purpose to suddenly act much different than ''Rat'' had up untill now, only changing it all after the great hunt when he would join one of the trips to the nearest town, where he would start his adventuring days.


    Luckaly for him, and the goblins, none of their kind happened upon Rex path towards the lake, allowing him to reach his ''hunting grounds'' unimpeded., where he wasted no time and utilised the mana sonar he was so used to, though projected in a single dirrection and at a heavily lowered range. Nothing he could do there, but it still served its purpose, giving him quite the understanding of the waters in front of him. With said knowledge at hand, he chose the better positions to cast his line, catching quite a few fishes in the coming few hours. He would occasionally switch places when he felt that the school was either mostly depleted or had moved off to some other location. He would once again use mana sonar, and relocate accordingly, continiuing his success.


    By the time some other would be fishers started to appear near the lake, his bucket was quite loaded with fish, and not desiring to attract too much attention, he quickly collected his stuff, covered the bucket with a rather ragged piece of cloth and returned home, where he proceeded to set up a small campfire outside of his shack, quickly gutted the fish before stabbing them on wooden spikes and placing them near the fire to cook. being over the age of sixteen, he was all on his own, thus he could not afford spices like salt and pepper, something only proper adventurers that sometimes passed the village, merchants or village chief could afford regularily. Not like he needed any of the stuff for the moment, even if he was well aware just how bland normal food tasted. Good thing this body had not experienced the taste of a proper heaven grade meat for prolonged periods, else the fish would taste worse than dirt. He supposed that was yet another blessing in disguise. He could once again enjoy the food of the places he would visit.


    By the time he was done with his breakfast and set up the remaining fishes to dry over the coals, sun was already in the zenith, high above his head, shining right down on top of his head. With his dinner already secured, as well as his stomach satiated for the time being, Rex decided that it was time to venture into the forest to try more riskier ways. He hoped either for some game or, if he was lucky, a small goblin party returning from a successfull hunt of their own. And while most goblins encountered near vilages were the feral ones, lost to the instincts and with no sanity to speak off, the larger groups could function similarily to humans, though in a much more savage and cruel way. The chielftain would find and beat the shit out of his would be followers, who would then execute his orders, either hunting and setting simplistic, yet effective traps for the local animals, or perform raids on small and remote villages, or traveling merchants of the lesser stature. Baseline bandits, but with a few even more detestable practices than the human scum who shared the proffession.


    And while Rex did not have a bow, his skills as both an experienced mage, as well as now a weapon master, his mana pool was just large enough to reliably trow his spear with incredible precision, just as how an arrow would fly, providing him with a reliable way to off any game of doe size, perhaps bigger, should he aim properly. Armed with said spear and a knife, after wrapping the cooked fish and stashing it away in his shack, he set out towards the woods once more.


    He spent a couple of hours in the forest, carefully tracking his own pace and dirrections he moved in, always ensuring he would find a way back home, unfortunately, he had yet to encouner anything worth his time. He had seen more than enough birds that could have been a solid prey to take down, shoule he be equiped with a bow. Quite a few squirels also appeared in his sights, but similarily as with the birds, the small rodents were jus not worth attempting to spear them. Should he succeed in striking one, what would be left of the poor creature to eat?


    Estimating the time to be around four of five in the afternoon, Rex turned back towards home, having calculated his return time to be similar to time spent coming out, returning home before any of the night predators start their prowl through the woods. And while he could probably take them down, it was simply too risky to do so at the given time. thus, not desiring to tempt fate, he slowly and just as carefully headed home, paying close attention to any odd sound he heard during his return.


    On his way back he did get somewhat lucky, running into a group of four goblins, though from their looks and reactions upon noticing him, he quickly deduced them to be the feral variant, as they snarled and charged towards him the moment they also noticed him. Using the size difference, as well as the cover of the trees, he succesfully split the little green shits appart, precisely stabbing the closest one to him in the heart with a quick thrust, then smashing the next one on the side with the spear shaft and sending it flying. By the time theremaining three reached around teh rather thick tree, the two friends of theirs where laying on the ground, bleeding and dead. In a similar fashion Rex took care of the remaining trio, ending the astest with a quick stab, then sidestepping the other two, delivering a powerfull blow to the next one, causing it to slump to the gound, properly knocked out for at least a few seconds, enough time to end the last one, leaving Rex with plenty of time to then deliver a stab to the now slowly coming to goblin, ending the life of the group. Quickly cutting off the ears needed for reward, he got on his way once more, hoping no other interruptions would cross his path back home.

 Chapter 2: The great hunt commences.

    Rex life took on a bit of a routine for the next week, where he would go to the lake for his morning fishing spree, catching quite the haul and then returning to prepeare it all while having his breakfast. Then, around midday, he would stash away whatever he had left over, prepeared for the evening and he set off into the forest, looking for a different kind of prey. And while he did not encounter any proper game during this time, he met more than a single group of feral goblins, a sight that was rather normal around these parts. And while said encounters signified that there was a rather large goblin tribe in the region, it was also clearly obvious that said tribe was quite a distance away, since the people hunting in the forest had reported nothing but feral groups. Only when one starts to encounter proper hunting, or scouting for that matter, parties, consisting of goblins capable of rudimentary tactics, as well the ability to retreat in the face of overwhelming opposition force, should one be trully worried about the presence of a tribe.


    With practised ease he dispatched the little green bastards, collecting their ears as proof and keeping on his way. The highlight of his week was an encounter with a lone wolf that had been snacking on the remains of a goblin. The beast, upon noticing a much tastier looking target, quickly abbandoned chewing on the goblin and pressed itself closer to the ground, apparently hoping that Rex had not noticed it before. Though when it understood that its prey was looking at him rather intensly, it abbandoned the stealth aproach, rose up and walked in Rex''s dirrection, its two yellow eyes glued on Rex.


    ''Well. well. well. It seems I am not the only hunter prowling these lands today.'' Rex though as he gripped his spear tighter at his side. The wolf was on the rarger side, aproximately the height of a pony, making it quite the specimen among ordinary wolves. And yet, Rex was and collected. His spear, while quite old and seen better days, was still sharp and tough enough to skewer the beast should it go for the charge and leap for his throat. It was also quite obvious that said wolf was a loner, why else would it be feasting on goblin flesh. Were it a part of a pack, there should be no problem in hunting proper prey. Since the wolf was here, it also explained why he could not find much of game anywhere near this area, with them all avoiding the predator as much as possible.


    ''I will hold you accountable for the lack of game around these parts. Thus, you are guilty of hindering my growth. Unfortunately, the only penalty for such an offense is death.'' Rex thought while a rather amused smirk sneaked on his face, as the wolf was nearing more and more to his position. Closing the distance to around twenty or so meters, the wolf dashed towards Rex, lunging at him once in range. Of course Rex did not just stand still, allowing to be pounced on. He slightly bent his knees, prepearing himself for the inevitable collision and once the beast was in its motion of the leap, he placed the spear in front of him, with one end of said spear firmly planted into the gound.


    No longer able to change its trajectory, the wolf could do nothing while in air, watching helplessly as it landed on the spear, its flesh being impaled and torn, alongside the organs that were hidden just below the impaled location. A high pitched yelp escaped the wolfs muzzle, clearly in quite the pain to to the puncture, but Rex did not sit still during said time. He quickly unsheated his dagger, with one arm grabbed the fur near wolfs neck and then, suing the grip he had just tightened, he swung around to the wolfs back, using the momentum generated, as well as a bit of his mana to give his other arm a bit more ''umpf'' as he drove the dagger into the other side of the wolfs neck, penetrating deep into the creatures flesh, causing yet anotehr yelp and quite a large spurt of blood from the freshly created wounds, both on its chest and neck. yanking the blade towards the dirrection of its blade, Rex enlarged the already deadly wound, causing yet more yelps from the wolf strugging with the spear imbedded in its chest.


    In just a few more moments, the wolf drew its last breath, bloody foam coming from its mouth, a clear indicator that the spear had punctured creatures lung. Due to the massive blood loss, it could not even struggle properly, its head too heavy and pain wracking its mind. The next hour or so, Rex was skinning the beast, all the while often wwatching around. It was at moments like these that he would have apreciated either a much larger mana pool, allowing him to actually use said mana to skinn the beast much faster, creating numerous mana constructs for said task, or a groupd of hunters, or adventurers, who could assist him with either the skinning itself or watching the surroundings. No one wanted to be sneak upon and ambused during the colection of their spoils.


    Since the wolf meat was notoriously bad, so much so that some grizzled and seasoned men would compare them wityh goblin meat, and it was better not to know just the kind of shit sad men had gone through to have to consume gobline meat to survive. What was important though was the comparison they had made, easily moving volves to the list of absolutely unedible creatures. Its pelts however, now that was quite the gain, easiliy fetching quite a few silver coins, should it have as little punctures and damage as possible. And with only the two that Rex had created, this pelt would be of a superior quality, thus securing him a rather respectable profit, allowing him to buy some solid and nourishing food.


    Luckaly, he did not encounter nuisances during skinning the beast and once he was done, he rolled the skin up into a some sort of a bedroll, tied it up with some roles he had in the small pouch on his back, a standart equipment that hunters would carry, besides a bow and a quiver, filled with arrows, one that Rex did not have at the moment. And with the pelt, secured on hsi back, he quickly turned back home, wanting to offload the gains as soon as possible. The money he would earn fomr his could free up a day or two for him, giving him the time to start working on the rather important problem of a space storage, something he could solve as a master of sorts of the space element.


    His way home was also mostly uninterrupted, some small predators or vultures drawn to the smell of fresh blood coming from the skin he was carrying, though none approached Rex due to his large size, when compared to said creatures anyway. Once back in the village, he wasted no time whatsoever, quickly reaching the local tanner, and displaying the wolfs hide to him. With no unnecessary banter, or comments tanner unfurled the skin on one of his tables, inspecting it for a moment, then delivering his verdict.


    "Damn Rat, that is one fine piece of wolf skin you got here, and with barely any holes whatsoever. I can give you five silvers. You will not find a better offer from the merchants, so, deal?"


    Rex nodded his head to the man, grunting in aproval, causing the tanner to smile for a short moment and then dissapear into his house for a moment, shortly after reappearing with the promissed money in hand.


    "Here you go, five silver, as agreed." he stretched out his hand, a gesture that Rex repeated, his own hand placed under the tanners, with his palm open. As he had done so, the tanner opened his palm, five silver coins falling into Rex''s palm, making a rather pleasant sound as they clincked when hitting one another.


    "Good doing business with you boy. If you get your hands on more good stuff like this, you know where to find me. I will give ya a good price."


    With another grunt of aproval, he turned around and left the tanner to his own devices, making his way towards chiefs house. Knocking on the door, he heard a muffled ''coming'' as hewaited, only a few moments later the door opened, revealing a rather aged face to him.


    "Goblin ears again Rat?"


    "Hm." a grunt of aproval and a nod of head the only response.


    "Feral ones?"


    "Hm." yet anothergrunt and a nod in response.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Not good, more of those have been caught around lately. Might have to report it to the local lord soon." the chief muttered as he thought of the current situation.


    "Well, dont just stand there you big oaf, hand them over." the chief spoke irritatedly, seeing Rex stand before him as if waiting on something.


    In response Rex did exactly that, handing over a rather small pouch he had on his side.


    "Five. Wait here." the old chief spoke, and similarily to the tanner before, dissapeared from Rex''s sight for a moment before shortly returning and handing over five copper coins, one for each ear. Rex did not wait much longer, turned around and left the house, his next destination- the small market square in the middle of thevillage, where a couple of merchants were always selling something. They would change every few days, the new one staying for a night or two, selling and buying stuff from the locals, and moving on to the next place, repeating the same thing. if the rumors were true, it was quite lucrative, if just as dangerous profession. one could always hire guards, but that would cut into ones profits, and everybody knew just how greedy and unscrupulous the merchants could be, resulting in quite a few deaths of the would be merchant lords on the long and unprotected roads between the vilages that littered the nations on the continent. Of course there were alos tales, often shared by the same merchnts of those that struck gold, risking their lives and quickly earning enough capital to start their own trading companies, sending their own expeditions int o the wild and unexplored savage lands, or organizing raids into dungeons.


    Rex spent most of his recently earned coin to purchase jerky and other food that could be preserved for quite the time, as well as some filling food to consume now, prepearing to use the freed time to start working on that storage space of his. Once he had eaten the fresh. but quick to spoil meal, he cleaned up after himself and sat down in his shack, out of the eyesight of the villagers. Then, he focused on a miniscule region in the center of his palm, the size of said location was no larger that a grain of rise. Then, he used his pitifull amount of mana, as well as the excess mana around him, that his body was greedily devouring with the depletion of his own reserves, to inscribe a set of runes around said imagined grain of rise, once again whincing every now and then.


    It took him a couple of hours to finish the process, leaving him quite tired and drenched in sweat at the end of it all. But he had managed to achieve the innitial success of the space storage, even if the space within it was no more than a grain of rise at the moment. What he would have to do now, whenever he was back home and did not plan of any other activities for the day, was to slowly, bust surely fold the inner walls of said space, one grain at a time, at least for the time being, to slowly expand the the space within. Eventually, he would have to do the same innitial procedure once more, to create another such storage. The simple explanation to it was that he could not do the expanding if there were items within said storage, making it incredibly cumbersome and annoying to have to withdraw everything thats stored inside only to spend an hour or two, barely expanding its size, only to then have to stash it all back in. With two, one could be used for storage, while the other would be developed in the meantime. Still, that would come much later, once he had at least a cube of storage. The only good thing about such storages, and their expansion was that the rate at which he could expand them would increase with the size of the space already aviable, otherwise such a method would be pointless. How long it would take to make a small room worth of space if one could only grow it by a single grain of rise per session?


    There was another great thing to the process that Rex had just started. The constant depletion and refilling of his mana tank to exaustion would slowly increase his reserves as well. And while in theory, he could use his runes engraved on his body to do so whenever, it came with too many risks when he was outside of the village. Constant mana exaustion would make him inattentive, sluggish and overall much weaker, increasing the danger he could face should he attempt it in the forest, during his hunts, thus only during evenings while within safety, such as the village, could he work on both expanding his space storage, as well as his rather lacking mana pool.


    Rex could enjoy the fruits of his labor for only a day, before the next great event came knocking on his door, just as it did with each and every other youth of the age. It was early morning, Rex was just finishing eating the food he had prepeard for breakfast, when he heard a knock on his door, followed by a rather gruff voice.


    "Rise and shine liite Rat, its time for the HUNT. Dont make me.."


    Before the voice on the other side could finish his supposed threat, or warning, depends on who would be retelling the events transpiring, the sad excuse of a door opened, revealing a fully dressed Rex, his mouth still chewing the last few bites of his breakfast, his knife tucked behind his belt and the old and worn out spear in his hand. Followed by a rather expected short grunt, and a nod of his head towards the central square of the village. The man suddenly frowned, clearly unhappy with the apparently relaxed youth, who had already eaten and seemed entirely ready for whatever they had prepeared.


    "Come on then." he grumbled, turned around and walked towards aforementioned square. Rex noticed a few more youths along the way, who were following their own seasoned guide, though most of the ones he saw looked still half asleep. The few that looked more or less prepeared seemed to be ratehr nervous, but besides that decently ready. The ones who seemed to have been dragged out of their beds however- not so much. Rex also noticed that the ones who seemed in a ratehr pitty state were the orphans, where as the youngsters with still living parents, or slightly more wealthier parents were all prepeared.


    "Huh? Who warned Rat?" Rex heard a rather confused question, from one of the prepeared kids, who quickly got a slap on the head by the hunter who was his guide.


    "Shush you fool. Mind your tongue."


    As he walked into the square, he noticed the older hunter that had ran into him a week ago, when he had just started his early excursions to lake to catch himself some food. The hunter, noticing Rex, who was fully prepeared, smiled and waved at his guide.


    "I see Rat here was already up and about?"


    "Yea, you know something about it?"


    "Not much, saw the kid heading out fishing around this time a week or so ago. Thought it was an exception, though it seems to be something of a habbit. Heh, early bird gets the worn. What say you, rat?"


    Rex just grunted in response what he believed sounded like ''Meh, think what you will''.


    "Whatever" annoyedly spoke Rex''s guide. "Just wait here, once everybody has been gathered we will set out."


    With his instructions clear, he found an unoccupied wall and sat near it, pressing his back towards it and closing his eyes, doing something that would remind one of the cultivators sitting and absorbing world energy as he cultivated in hopes to reach a higher realm. Though in truth, he simply relaxed his body, expecting some sort of a tedious ritual like ceremony as they left the village. And aproximately twenty minutes later, once the last of the youngsters eligible for the ceremony arrived, totaling thirtheen participants, his suspicions turned out to be true, with the village chief coming out in a rather ridiculuous half chicken outfit, thou Rex supposed it was meant to represent a phoenix or something, and ones rebirth through a challenge.


    Another twenty minutes passed as the chief performed some sort of play, for a lack of a better description, giving some sort of a drink to the non orphaned kids, while leaving the rest alone. Rex supposed it was a blessing from the parents, most likely some herbal concoction to help the kids out, clearly having cost a pretty penny. Not that he cared much for whatever advantage his supposed peers were recieving. He himself, as nerfed as he was in comparison to his soul dragon body, was a walking cheat machine. His attainment in soul, and blood in extension, as well as space and now sword law too made him an unreasonable existance, even if he could not draw upon even a tenth of said attainments potential, both his soul spark and body simply not strong enough for it yet. But that less than tenth was more than enough, especially when combined with the knowledge and understanding that came along with the raw power said laws could provide.


    What he was quite happy about though, was that each and every participant recieved a bow and a set of ten arrows to use during the hunt, as well as a choice weapon from a small armory of sorts, that was only revealed during this event. Obviously, the participants would have to return the weapons, with the right to keep an arrow for each quarry they slew. And while most of the youngsters chose spears, clearly the better weapon for a hunt and inexperienced hunters to be, Rex went with a meter and a half long double edged sword. He already had a spear, and with just a small spark of mana, he could draw upon a measly portion of the sword laws, making his sword sharp enough to cut through leather like a hot knife through butter. He could, in theory, achieve similar result with steel too, but he was not stronge enough for such feats just yet.


    With the participants armed, and quite a few still somewhat hungry, having been almost pulled out of their beds, the hunters who brought each of them here signalled to their ''wards'' to follow. The great hunt had begun.

 Chapter 3:The great hunt. Part 1.

    A group of twenty seven left the village. Thirteen youngsters, some of whom were now in high spirits, excitedly whispering among each other about the place they were going to and some even boasting about how big of a quarry they will go after. The other fourteen, experienced and seasoned hunters, some of whom have even done some adventuring, were much more calm and relaxed, having numerous similar multi day hunts under their belts. Their main concern was a possible encounter with some of the more nasty and savage elements of the wilds. There was a reason that an extra hunter was walking along with the thirteen, who each had their own innitiate to take care off. The foutreenth, Rilem, was a hunter of a different tier.


    After what seemed like eternity to most of the younger generation, though Rex assumed it was around four hours, of walking, their reached a rather distinct location. As they exited the forest, they stood in a small clearing next to a rather wild river, its waters crashing further down along the riverbed for a few dozen meters and then dissapearing from ones sight, only the sound of crashing water remaining. Fooking further, one could see quite the wast expanse of forests and even mountaintops. The sight was breathtaking and paired with the distant cound of crashing water, remainded one of their insignificance in the greater scheme of things.


    "Dont get too close to the river here, for if you fall in, there is nothing anyone can do. You will die." warned Rilem, as he lead the group a bit to the side, where old looking and crude steps had been cut into the stone sufrace, leading down the side of the enourmous waterfall. A rope was attached to the wall, aroun the height of ones shoulders, providing an extra point of security.


    "Grab on and hold tight. The steps can get slippery at times." once more warned Rilem, as he took the lead. It took them about another fifteen minutes to descend the few hundred meter high waterfalls side, placing them into a sort of a crater that was split by the river, that created a small pond at the place where it crashed down into the earth, and flowed off, now like a calm and inviting presence.


    "Dont dally now, we are close to the encampment."


    With the command of Rilem, everyone followed the man and even Rex had to admit that the place had its calming, yet savage beauty and a sense of peace to it. Capable of drawing ones attention to the sight before their eyes. He was just as sure of quite a varied fauna and flora present in the valley as well. A fact that could work as both a benefit and detriment for their little excursion. He also noticed the heightened tension among the experienced hunters, their hands on the weapons each of them held, vary of any stray sound that reached their ears.


    ''There is more to this place than meets the eye. Most likely a couple of rather nasty predators, possibly even some monster tribe inhabiting the place.'' Rex though to himself, calmly placing his hand on the hilt of his borrowed sword as if he was resting his hand in the position. It was better to be as prepeared as possible for whatever their guides and proctors were vary off. If he could pass off his observations as ordinarry actions of a simple minded person at the same time, all the better. That was how the villagers saw him after all.


    Luckaly for them, no ambush, or an attack of any sort happened to the group, and another dozen or so minutes later, they had reached their targeted location. It was a rather well protected camp, if compared to the village they lived in. Unlike said village, a proper, two meter high wooden wall surrounded the camp, with a couple of watchtowers build on the opposite sides of the camp. Rex could even see a someone standing watch in the tower closest to their arrival point.


    As they aproached the wooden gate, Rilem lifted his hand in greeting to the man standing on the wall above the gate, who in turn gestured back, cleary recognizing the man. Then the gate guard turned around and signaled to the people inside and moments later, the gate creaked open, revealing the camp to the eyes of Rex and his peers. As they entered, Rex looked around, evaluating the place. From his quick estimation, thirty to fourty wooden building stood within the camp, as well as a large number of tents.


    ''Around fifty or so tents.'' Rex counted, as his gaze slid over the interior of the camp. ''They have their own tanner and a blacksmith as well. Convinient.'' Rex thought as he noticed a forge and bellows near one of the buildings, as well as a few racks where a couple of hides were strewn on and drying in the sun. ''Even a couple of merchants? Impressive. Probably some sort of a join forward camp. maintained either by adventurers or a union of some villages. Though could even be here on the orders of some lordling.'' Luckaly, Rex did not have to guess for long, not that he care more than he had already guessed, as Rilem spoke.


    "Now, before anyone get any weird ideas, I better explain how things are going to work. Firstly, this is camp Wilder and its under the management of the hunters hall, so dont asume you are a hot shit, just because your parents held some sway back in your village, or you have shown some promising skills while growing up. Any of the hunters here could and will mess you up, taking more than one of you on at a time should you cross the wrong lines. The camp exists here because of the rather unique fauna and flora that exists in this valley. To your right" he then pointed to a group of tents that were seperated from the remaining tent group "are the tents that you will be able to use during the event. Note that wou will be sharing a tent with your proctor. On that note, while proctors will only observe you hunting, whether you do so in a group, or alone, they will share a few tips and tricks they themselves had been taught, or had picked up during their lives, so bit is in your best interests to have a decent rapport with them."


    He then paused for a moment to let his words sink in, then continiued. "Since the climb is rather straining to return back to your village, whatever you manage to hunt and bring back to the camp can be sold to either the merchants" he once again pointed in a specific dirrection, this time pointing towards a small clearing in one side of the camp, where Rex had noticed a couple of stands with people snoozing near them. "or the hunters hall itself." he then pointed to the largest of the building in the center of the camp. "And while the price will be much cheaper than you could get either in village, or the nearest cities, the convinience just cannot be beat. Coin does not spoil and burden one quite so much as killograms of meat or pelts does."


    Yet another moment of silence to digest his words, before the next segment of his explanation continiued. "The backsmith can sharpen your weapon, or sell you a new one, should the money you earn is too much for your pockets and you just cant resist a decent blade. Same goes with leather armor from the tanner. They both will provide solid equipment at reasonable prices. There is also an alchemist in the otehr corner of the camp. though be warned, the man has a few screws loose" he added as he twirled his right hand near his temple as he spoke of the alchemist. "Though he does make solid potions nonetheless. Still, I would recomend to not bother him unless you really need those potions. Thoygh I doubt any of you should be able to afford them right now."


    Yet another moment of silence, before he started the last part of his explanations. "Right, now unto the part that you lot care about the most. That great hunt of yours. Five days. That is how long you have to prowl the the land here in search of a quarry that you believe is worth whatever name that you aim for. As stated before, the proctors will not interfere, unless a deadly threat that could endanger both of you appears, or if he feels sorry for you, a bit sooner, so make sure you dont chew off more than you can swallow. I have seen plenty of hunters perishing while doing precisely that. And with that said, I suppose that is all from me."


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    A second later, Rilem slapped his face, groaning a bit. "Right. Rules. OI!" the then exclaimed, regaining the attention of the youngsters in front of his."The rules. Obviously, no stealing and kiling within the camps premises. If you run into another hunter in the wilds and he could use some help, else he might be cooked, give the neccessary aid. You never know when another hunter could bail out your ass from a sticky situation. Thats about it I suppose. Dismissed for real now."


    With Rilems speach finished, the proctors aproached their assigned youngsters, introducing themselves by manes, if the two of the pair where not familiar, though that rarely was the case. The proctors were all from their own village, even if they spent most of the time hunting and not around the village itself, they were still recognized. Just like the proctors recognized thei subjects of evaluation.


    "Well then Rat. The name''s Oren. Do try to remebber that yea? Else I might hold a grudge you know." The hunter that had ''woken'' Rex up aproached him and spoke, a playfull and at the same time slighty scummy smile adorning his punchable face. Rex, happily playing his part just shrugged and grunted, as if acknowledging the mans presence.


    "So, would you like to rest and calm your mind, or do you want to rush into the unknown, being the first to claim thei own kill in this valley?" Rex''s proctor asked.


    Thinking for a moment and weighting his options, Rex came to the conclusion that it would be a waste of time to sit around. He had a limited amount of food accessible to him, and unlike most of his peers who were rather tired, or exausted, in thecase of the hungry orphans who had to travel on empty stomacks, something that would be rectified a few hours later, when the proctors would cook up a stew for everyone to enjoy. Rex was both fed and ready to hunt. Add in the fact that he now had a proper swords and bow with arrows, and Rex was actually ready for his forst foray into the territory.


    "Hrhh, Hunt now." A grunt and a two word respone caught Oren by suprise, aware that Rex would use simple words and sentences, if neccessary, but never actually having hear the younger man speaking.


    "Wow, It speaks indeed. Alone, or do you have a group already in mind?"


    "Alone."


    "So be it, lead the way, but know that once outside, I will only be observing you."


    Another grunt and a nod of Rex''s head later, the duo left the place they had been in. The gate guard did look a bit suprised when he saw Oren with one of the hunter newbies, but did not tease the man overly much. It was clear that the latter did not like the idea of babysitting some green and foolish kids, thinking they have suddenly become big shit just because their parents praised their tallent, even if the one he was supposed to look after was one of the orphaned ones, having recieved no special cuddling and such.


    As the hours passed by, with Rex carefully moving throughout the forest, inspecting each and every claw mark left on the trees, stopping every now and then to listen in on the sounds around him even more than he already did while moving, Oren came to realize that unlike most of the youngsters he had seen so far, not even the ones he had watched over in the last two great hunts, but from the stories his fellow hunters had told of their wards, his wards was different. Meticulous, carefull and attentive, even if he barely spoke when spoken to. He went as far as to consider a possible defect in the youngsters neck, making it quite unpleasant, if not outright painfull to speak, resulting in the simple gestures and mostly grunts his go to way of communication.


    ''A fine seed for a hunters hall, if he keeps up as he has been doing.'' Oren thought to himself, as he saw Rex avoid yet another group of borks, a piglike humanoid creatures that were videly considered a distant cousing of the worlds menace- goblins. There were a few notable differences between the two though. First, unlike goblins, sickly green and warped childlike appearance, borks were, on average, around the heigh of one and a half, to two meters tall, though quite bulky, often times with layers of fat on either their bellies or neck. And while some considered borks to be somewhat intelegent, they were monsters nonetheless, and quite keen on tasting human, and other humanoids flesh, in return causing said possible dinner to return the favour, not only in terms of killing the overgrown, on two legs walking piggies, but also using them as food. Turns out, borks were still pork at the end of the day.


    It was closer to dusk, that Rex finally took action, when he found a doe slowly grazing grass near a small pond. With a bow in his hand, he positioned himself near a tree, very slowly and carefully notching an arrow against the bows string, and just as slowly and carefully drew it back,all the while his sight was trained on the doe in question. Taking a coupld of slow, deep breaths he had stilled his being, and after a second of absolute calm, did he release the arrow. From Oren''s position it looked trully beautifull, both the form of the bow drawn, to the execution of the shot itself. Was it any wonder that the doe was precisely hit, causing it to tumble to the side and to remain there, barely moving its legs in one last struggle, drawing the very last of its breath.


    Rex did not waste time, walking over to the fallen animal, retrieving his arrow, then quickly tying both fron and back legs together, and with the bow out of the way,m threw said creature in his shoulders. He quickened his pace as he walked back towards Oren, grunting out a single word before walking past him.


    "Home."


    There was no need for any further talk, with the quarry at hand, Rex upped his tempo to return to the safety of the camp, clearly aware of the likely danger that could beset them should they stay outside during the night. And yet, even with his heightened pace, as well as the additional burden on his shoulders, Rex still managed to skillfully avoid any of the bork groups he passed by. Oren could not help but assume the reasons for why his ''ward'' was just so damn proficient, as well as the reasons for why avoid the bork groups that were, no doubt a better quarry at the end of the day.


    It took them another hour, untill they reached the camp, no longer in need to stop and examine any of a possible tracks. as well as the rather straight path they took back, it was not that suprising on its own, but when a fresh and green youngster pulled that off, without training to boot, Oren once again was lead to the conclusion that Rex was born for the role of a hunter, or perhaps even a tracker. And while they had missed the supper provided by their guides, a couple of portions, one for Rex and Oren both, were set aside. Still, Oren never left the vicinity of Rex, inspecting the way he was skinning the doe. Finally, he noticed the amateurish mistakes that was expected from a rookie who has had barely any practice, calming the slightly tensed nerves of Oren. veterans could appreciate a raw tallent when they saw one, especially so when said tallent came with the correct mindset and personality, but make something too perfect and greed and envy of the heavens unfairness will start seeping through.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, one he did not even notice, Oren aproached his ward, speaking for the first time since they had left the camp to hunt.


    "Not like that boy. Let me show you the right way."


    Rex nodded and stepped aside, allwoing for the older hunter to show his expertise in the matter, paying close attention to the movements and techniques Oren was using, all while describing the how''s and why''s. Oren was also quite happy that Rex did not pick it all up instantly, only managing to replicate the older mans teachings after several corrections on his part. Something Rex did on purpose, having noticed the rising tension in the older hunters stance and mannerisms. With his quarry skinned and gutted, Rex headed towards the campfire after disposing of the guts and other useless parts, all according to the dirrections of his Proctor. Saving a few killograms of meat from the doe, he handed the rest over to the hunters hall, earning a couple silvers for the rest of the creature. With that done, they returned to their tent, where their portions of supper awaited, both then had a rather late meal and went to sleep, ready to wake up early in the morning.

 Chapter 4: Deception.

    When Oren woke up in the morning, he was suprised to see that Rex was already awake and in odd sitting postion. He remained as he was, watching over the younger man for aproximately an hour, before Rex opened his eyes and moved, prompting Oren to start acting as if he was stirred from sleep by Rex''s movement. As a hunter with quite a few yeasr on his back, it took him no time whatsoever to be up and about, and as he exited the tent, he noticed how fast Rex moved to the still burning campifre, where a few other hunters where gathered and prepearing a breakfast. The meat he had saved from last days doe in one hand and a couple of branches he had picked up on the way in the other.


    Wasting no time, Rex found a free side of the fireplace, and proceeded to slice the meat in relatively thin slices and stab said slices on the branches he had brought with him. HE then placed them near the fire. Due to the nature of the thin meat slices, it was cooked rather quickly. Rex repeated the same action untill the entirelty of his meat saving were cooked, after which he moved back to their tent, where he proceeded to devour it all. Oren was slightly suprised by the mans apetite, well aware that he could not consume such an amount of meat in one sitting. The dissapointd sigh from the youth told a different story entirely.


    "Should have kept more of the beast, no?" Oren jokingly asked, and his eyes widened in suprise when Rex grunted and nodded in affirmation. Rex then looked towards Oren once again, a single word leaking from his mouth.


    "Hunt?"


    "In about thirty minutes." responded Oren with a shake of his head, recieving a nod and a grunt from Rex, after which Oren left the tent, walking towards the hunters near the campfire who where prepearing breakfast for themselves and the rest of the younglings.


    "What up with your charge Oren? Where did he get the meat? Pretty sure none of the charges should have any food or coin with them?" asked one of the hunters who had observed Rex earlier.


    "Went out to hunt yesterday after the introduction."


    "No way? And, so?"


    "That kid seems off, in more ways than one." Oren responed. "It left like I was in the presence of a seasoned hunter. he did everything with precision and confidence, it was hard to asume he not be one uf us. Only when he skinned the doe that he managed to fell yesterday that I noticed the flaws of a rookie. And that was what he was cooking back then. Or at least what remained with him, after he sold the rest to the guild hall yesterday."


    "Wait, are you saying you avoided the Bork patrols?"


    "Yes, each and every one of them, it was not even close, truth be told. I somewhat want to see him run into one, for whatever reason. It just feels like the kid hides more than that too. Remember he picked a sword as his melee wapon, not a spear."


    "So, a monster has come out of the village once more eh? Anyone heard anything from the other villages hunters?"


    "A snippet here and there, but nothing noteworthy." chimed in yet another of the hunters.


    "So, no legendary party reborn just yet?" the fourth chimed in.


    "Highly unlikely. Rat is quiet to the point of seeming mute. Had he not spoken a word to convey his intent to go hunt, I would asume he was just that- mute."


    "Heh, I would say you lucked out Ore. Mine is a chatterbox, through and through, constantly yapping on about something. I can only hope that she shuts up during the hunts."


    "Yes Oren, count your lucky stars there, mine is also quite annoying. Believes he is a big shot because his old man is the villages blacksmith."


    "Uff, yea. That family has always been a bit too arrogant for their own good." winced Oren. "So, got anything ready for me to chow down quickly? Mine wants to head out already for another hunt."


    "Eager much? Did his yesterdays success got to his head?"


    "If only. He was up and about before me. Spent gods knows how long in a strange pose, what I can only assume, cleansing his mind, or meditating, or whateber else." replied Oren once again.


    "Planning suggesting him as a potential member to the hall?"


    "Need to observe longer. While he seems skilled and gifted beyond belief, I have yet to see that spark that can be seen in our eyes when we trail a quarry. So far, it does not look like his heart and soul is in the process."


    "Here, the first bowl of porridge." The one stirring the pot, spoke, interrupting their conversation, while another handed him a rather large sized bun.


    "Speak later, once we see how the others perform in their first outing."


    "Mhm." Orren nooded his head as he blew on his steaming hot bowl of porridge.


    ------------------------


    Thirty minutes later, just as some of the early birds of the younger generation started to slowly crawl out of their tents, Oren and Rex left the encampment, already on their way deeper into the valley. Once again, Orren observed as Rex was extremely carefull and meticuluos in his advancement, leaving no uncertainties behind, avoiding the Bork patrols with the same precision and ease as the day before. And while they did not encounter any doe today, Rex did fell four rabits during the first half of the day. What was somewhat suspicious thought, was Rex''s offer during their walk, when he spoke quite a bit more than he had so far.


    "You hold, We share later. Yes?" he asked as he held the four rabits to Oren, who glanced at him suspiciously.


    "Even if I agree, dont expect me to act as you personal porter."


    "No. Just these."


    "Fine. I dont mind eating some rabbit stew later." Oren responed, to which Rex just nodded his head in agreement. And while oren did not understand Rex''s reasoning at the start, Rex''s actions later made it all painfully obvious. Whenever they ran into another member of their village, as they prowled through the forest, Rex acted quite a lot more dull than before, even earning a couple of taunts and laughs from his peers regarding his simplicty.


    When met with the questioning gaze of his fellow hunter, Oren just pointed at the rabits tied to his belt, then a sneaky finger pointing to Rex, quickly followed by a shush sign, followed with another two, that meant ''Talk at the camp.'' Once they were away from the other pair, Rex quickly regained his sharpness, looking like an entirely different beast alltogether. And while Rex did not aquire any other prey during the rest of the day, he did forage quite a few edible plants and berries. They even lucked unto a patch of wild sweet potatoes, something that grew in the valley quitea bit, even if somewhat uncommon in the outer reaches of it, where the hunters spent the most of their time. At least while with their charges.


    Once back in the camp, Rex skinned and gutted the rabits quite quickly, spending little time on the cleaning of the potatoes as well. When he asked Oren for a pot, the latter just shrugged and provided his own, well aware that if Rex somehow managed to damage his, the youngster had enough silver from the doe to buy a new one. Another fourty minutes or so later, a rather pleasant aroma wafting out from the pot with the rabit meat, along with the potatoes and quite a few other herbs Rex had gathered.


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    "Done." Rex grubmled as he took the pot off the fire, gesturing Oren over to the pot. While he himself was not much of a cook as the blood mage of Blythe, leaving all the cooking in the hands of his wolfgirl, the memories and knowledge from his cultivator days more than made up for it. In a life, few centuries long, one tends to pick up quite a few tricks and trades, as it turns out. Filling the bowl Oren had presented with the stew, he placed the pot besides them, as he filled one for himself as well. They both ate in silence, with Oren finding the stew to be suprisingly delicious, quite soon refilling his own bowl with the second helping. Rex did the same soon enough, eventually both reaching the third helping, where Oren felt quite stuffed. Though there was still quite a bit left in his pot.


    "Breakfast." Rex quietly spoke, pointing to teh remains of their meal, still in the pot.


    "Could not agree more." Oren agreed. He had already mentioned at one point during their hunt that starting from the evening, they would have to rely on themselves and their teams, should they be joining up, for their meals. The first two provided because of the abrupt nature in which their were pulled out of their homes and rushed over. Once they both were inside their tent, Orens expression changed to be much more serious, as he turned to Rex.


    "So kid, care to tell me whats with the deception? You act like a simpleton near your peers, probably the same goes for when you are in the village as well."


    "A nail that sticks out gets hammered back in." Rex replied calmly, his voice half whisper, though loud enough for Oren to hear. "After this, I can join the group heading to town, where I plan to join aventurers guild. Aint no place for me in the village."


    "Ha, ha ha ha. There you are right indeed." Oren chuckled as he heard the explanation, well aware of the nature of such small villages.


    "So, care to extend our little agreement to the remaining few days? Whatever small game I take down, gets passed off as yours in the first half of the day. I gather some vegies and plants to make the stews better and we both end up happy. With the doe and a couple more rabits and smaller birds,something I could easily secure in a single day, I should get a decent score, or am I wrong?"


    "Right on the money. But why dont you care about the rite?"


    "If I register as an adventurer just days, maybee a few weeks after I ''earn'' my name, what does it matter how a group of strangers decided to call me for said short amount of time? Only the name thats on my adventurers card matters from that point onwards. Especially if I dont plan to ever return to the village."


    "Heh, yea. That does sound reasonable. Too much even. But hey, who am I to judge. Sure. I am game with your plan. Gods know that stew was great. Dont mind having more of it. And if I have to do nothing to earn it, all the better for me. Though the other hunters will be aware of the nature of your act. None will speak about it to you peers though, of that you can be sure."


    "Dont care then. As long as I am not inconvinienced back in the village before I can leave for the city."


    They soon lied down to sleep after their little conversation, what needed to be said was said, and the questions that were gnawing at Orens mind, answered. He could honestly understand the reasoning behing his charges path of thoughts. The orphans were not only not cared for in the village, but there was even a hint of dislike towards them, the old coots often favouring their own offspring, unless of course one of said orphans turned out to be a pretty girl, that their own children took a liking to.


    With their mutual agreement, the remaining days untill the last, fifth one went on in a similar manner, with Rex upping his game a little bit to make their meals a bit more calory loaded and larger, though most of said enlarged portions he ate himself, with Oren already stuffing himself full with what they had on the second day.


    -------------------------------------


    "Well its the last day kiddo." Oren spoke as they finished their breakfast. "Plan to up the ante a bit?"


    "Hmrr" Rex shrugged his shoulders dismissivly.


    "Huh, thought so. Though know that if the adventuring does not go according to plan, and you want a quiet place to settle down, I can recomend you to hunters hall. I spend most of my time here, or in camp Roimen, two weeks travel from here, on the other side of the valley, with the other camp housing me more. There is a small trading post near there too, making it a much more stable place to peddle your game as well, with this camp being more lucrative if you run into some of the big ticket preys. They are more often encounered here."


    "Noted." he whispered the word, quiet enough that only Oren could hear it.


    With that settled, they once again left the camp, Rex moved slightly faster today than before, though Oren noticed the same attention to details Rex had showed every day when they were alone. An hour later, a thought crossed his mind, one that was scary enough for an entirely different reason. ''Has he already learned the patrol patterns of the Bork scouting parties? Holy shit, that scary.'' And the more they traveled in the forest, the more confident Oren was in his asumption. And while that did not matter one bit for the score Rex would recieve at the end of the great hunt, hunters like Oren knew just know important such skills and adaptability were.


    Like the days before, Rex felled a couple of rabits and a couple of birds as well, quite similar to chickens, though with much larger wings that could support their flight. A few hours after midday, Rex suddenly stopped in his tracks, raising his hand to signal Oren to stop as well.


    "Have you caught a whiff of blood in the last few minutes too?"


    "Wait, you too? It was so faint I thought I just imagined it." Oren responded.


    "Thought the same the first time around too, now its even stronger than before and I am not familiar with this particular scent."


    "Yea, I dont like the looks of this." Oren added.


    "Think one of the charges fucked up?"


    "Could be, lets hope that its a group of them succeeding in felling a rather large quarry." Oren added.


    "And how often thinking positively actually turns out that way? Did you not know? Everything that can go wrong, will."


    "Cant let and old buck be positive for one, now can ya?"


    "Just making sure the old buck does not go derranged, is all. See, just how nice I am."


    "Lets check it out, just to be sure, yea? We hunters stick together and try to help one another out, if possible." Oren asked, his grip tightening on his bow.


    "Sure, a favour for a favour. I do owe you one. And consider this as a half, can spend the other half if we ever meet again."


    "Deal."


    With their little chat over, their refocused on tracing the smell of the blood that they had caught on, slowly and carefully trecking through the forest. They had to stop every few minutes, as the wind sometimes changed its dirrection, making the smell dissapear entirely. At those moments they stopped, waited a bit, untill the dirrection of the wind changed again and the slight smell of blood caught their noses once again. As the minutes passed and with them getting ever closer to their destination, the smell of blood became stronger, untill eventually Oren spoke, confirming Rex''s asumption.


    "Yea, thats definetly Bork."


    "Hmr, guessed so."


    And finally, yet another few minutes later, they came upon a small cliff, a few meter drop before them. And further off in the distance they saw the reason for the smell.


    "Well, shit!" cursed Oren, as he saw a group of hunters, along with their charges pused up a rather large tree, aproximately fifty Borks surrounding said tree, schreeching and growling at the people on the tree. Quite a few dead Borks lay around, heavily peppered with arrows, though even more were still active around the tree. There were even a couple of said orcs, slowly chopping away at the tree, but barely making any progress.


    "Thats one tough tree." Noted Rex, as he saw the rather grimm situation before their eyes.


    "Fuck" Oren grimaced as he was looking for a possible solution to the dissaster at hand, not finding any for the time being.


    "Would you get many browny points for busting out their asses?" Rex asked, his tone somewhat light, even with his muffled voice.


    "Not helping man. If you have time to joke around, help me figure a way to assist the others."


    "I mean, they could ditch the charges, and then use the feeding frenzy to escape, though I assume that would be against the hunter code or something yea?" and seeing Orens sour expression, he nodded "Thought so."


    "Fine." moment later he spoke "But I am gonna need your arrows, and afterwards, make sure your friends there dont let out a peep about what is agout to happen. They will no doubt question you... Wait, can you recognize one another by the arrows that you use?"


    "Huh? Yea, we all have some identifier on our arrows. Easier to tell who fell the beast in case two hunters happen to blast the same beast as well."


    "So, jea. Since they will know those are your arrows, they will question you. And as a decent fellow, you will fork it all up, not wanting to lie. So, once again, this better not reach the ears of the little shits there. No doubt they fucked up something big for the situation to arise. Arrows." he spoke as he extended his hand towards Oren.


    "But, thats ove a hundred meters away. What help will arrows do from such a distance."


    "Just gimme and watch, and dont try this at home." Rex wiggled his stretched arms fingers, demanding the arrows.


    "Fine, take them." oren stretched his arm, his quiver in his hand.

 Chapter 5: The benevolent spirit and Wu, the Fool.

    Rex took a single arrow from the quiver, slightly weighting it with his hand, then juggled it between his fingers, appraising its properties. The bow in his hand was not made for such a distance. Add to that the arrows, Rex had to do quite a bit of calculating to figure out the proper angles and power he could infuse to achieve the wanted result.


    "Have you heard of the benevolent forest spirit?" he asked Oren, as he finalized his calculations, slowly notching the arrow on the bowstring and drawing it, at the same time infusing a bit of his mana, as well as the tiniest amount of space laws into the tip. He vinced as he did so, a slight pain permeating his boddy, not quite there yet to draw on such a high level of concept.


    "It normaly dwells in a random tree, enjoying the natural cycle of teh small beasts eating grass and plants and the predators in turn hunting and feasting on the aforementioned. Enjoying the countles songs of birds, or the pitter- patter of the rain. And yet, sometimes, it takes interest in a larger conflict happening in its domain. A group of greedy men, chasing a poor maiden through the woods, only their desire to slake their carnal thirst guiding them. Or they hunt said damsel for coing, entirely detached from the hunt itself, only the promised rewards in their sight."


    Rex took a couple of breaths, before he continiued. "It is in times like those, that the spirit takes offence, or it might be just a flight of fancy. Perhaps it considers the maiden, running for her life, more worthy of life than her pursuers. Whatever its reasons, the result remains the same. It takes form, as a vengefull spirit, stalking the forest it inhabits, tearing the offenders apart." With thoise weords said, he released the arrow, a whistling sound resounding as it flew with speeds beyond Oren imagination. A split second later, a powerfull crack resounded, the sight before his eyes causing him to hang his mouth open, disbelief taking over his faculties.


    As the arrow connected with the first Bork, on the outer edges of the large group, a cracking sound resounded, followed by a black tearing scar in the air itself, splitting dozen orcs in half. And then, as fast as the dark slip appeared, it dissapeared, as if it had never been there.


    "Cough." Rex coughed, spitting out a small bit of blood, as he took the second arrow from Orens quiver. "Cough, would you look at that, he he. Will not have to worry about being recognized. Sorry about the arrows though."


    He slowly drew the second arrow, even slower than the first, as a large chaos started to spread within the Bork group, who had turned around towards the origin of the loud sound just moment before, both confusion and fear appearing on their faces as they saw the groupd of split Borks. It did not take too long, for another similar cracking sound to overwhelm any other sounds in the vicinity, as an even larger space tearing scar appeared, killing even more of the Borks, though that was not even the most terrifying of the events that transpired.


    For just a blink of an eye, something radiated from the tear before it dissapeared and whatever it was, it made the hair on both Borks and hunters, stand on end. What they felt was pure and unconcealed malice. Desire to ravage, devour and corrupt. Not a single Bork, still drawing breath remained around the tree, each and every one scrambling away in utter panic and horror. Unlike the humans, who were distanced from their primal instincts for long enough to just freeze there on the spot.


    Luckaly, they all came out of their stupor a few minutes later, and realizing their chance, quickly descended from the tree and ran away, back to their camp. Rex and Oren, who was helping the younger man walk back, Rex''s hand stretched over the older hunters shoulers, had dissapeared a minute ago.


    "What was that?" Oren asked a while later, noticing Rex coughing up some more blood.


    "Technique thats too taxing on the body, obviously. What else was it." Rex replied as he winced in pain. ''Thats what you get for playing the hero.''


    "Duuhh." Oren rolled his eyes at the response."I mean the feeling that came from that crack."


    "Fuck if I know. Some nasty fucker living on the other side."


    "What other side?"


    "Come one man. You saw the cracks. On that otehr side. Cough, cough. Need to not talk. Bad for lungs."


    "Fine." Oren grumbled. "Be that way. You did save my friends. What now?"


    "Later, in camp. Yea?"


    "Fine, rest for now. We should reach there soon anyways. Gotta be extra carefull though. That thing stirred the forest bad."


    The rest of their path time was spent in silence. Oren was thinking many things over, mostly though he could understand why his charge was such a quiet and absent creature. He was indeed a monster, with instincts for something far beyond his meager understanding. And yes, unless you kept quiet about it, you either get quickly shackled and used and beaten by those who are more powerfull than you at the moment, untill there is nothing more than an obedient husk of a slave remaining, who, even when stronger than the innitial slaver, would never even consider to rebel. Or permanently removed, out of fear of you rising in power and taking away the positions of those who had nestled deep in the best places in the nation. But if you could grow, well, the world was your oister. Yes, he understood perfectly well why the younger man next to him wanted to become an adventurer.


    Who did not want to when they were young. Some even tried. Those that did, either died, experienced a traumatic event and decided to never do that again, made a meager living with whatever jobs they could take on, or became the backbone of the adventurer guild. And then, said backbone split int o two groups. The middle ranked adventurers who fulfilled the majority of the guilds quests and the very best of them all. The elites who swam in money and pretty ladies, or lads, commanding respect and fear whereever they went. The very top would be respected and adressed with utmost care, even by kings, each one of them more dangerous than even elite warrior squads, sometimes possibly even surpassing small armies in pure destructive power. Or assasins of such stealth and skill that once on their list, the target could only await their innevitable death.


    With their slower pace, due to Rex''s internal injuries and exaustion, they took longer to reach the camp, where quite the commotion was taking place. Rex had regained a bit of his strenght during this time and entered the camp on his own, with Oren closely behind him. The older hunter had volunteered to deal with the days quarry, as well as preapearing their supper. Rex quietly thanked the man, informing him that he would rest in the tent. he had assured Oren that, while injured, he could recover on his own, but it would take most of the evening, and he would not be able to pull anything like that any time soon, so the older hunter should not expect any additional miracles from him. oren was entirely fine with it, what Rex had achieved was already unreasonable, so his condition was perfectly understandable. Should the hunter learn of the eventuallity of Rex being able to spam such attacks, he might just faint from the idea.


    Their great hunt was over, with this being the last day, even if a few of the smaller hunting parties with his peers were still in the forest, trying their best to attain some last second points for the evaluation. Oren had shared some tidbits with Rex, not because the younger man was interested in teh success of the others, but because there had been a slight ruckus during one of the evenings. The same group they had bailed out today had managed to take down a rather large sized boar, feasting and bragging all evevning , and morning too, if the words from Oren the next evening were true.


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    There was no such ruckus today, even if said larger party had managed to donw a Bork or two. they had been so close to death, and the experienced hunters did not waste any time to grill the younger, and too overconfident hotheads of their mistakes. The fact that they were alive now, saved by who knows what, was a blessing in and off its own, so the young ones were back in their tents, reflecting on their own mistakes, or so the older guys hoped. They themselves were around the campfire, sharing ideas and thoughts on the matter, more than just a little gratefull for the second chance they had recieved. Most of them would also never agree to be a part of the rite, the foolishness and arrogance of the youth almost being the end of them all. Lady luck had stood by their side today.


    And while unknown to Rex, the tale of the benevolent spirit started to spread around the camp. With Oren only trowing the idea out during the cooking as a joke, somehow forced into retelling the story Rex had shared, even if there were quite a few deviancies, after his friends and colleagues had coaxed him enough. And so, while laughing they deemed that it had indeed been some sort of a benevolent spirit. After all, no human could have achieved such a feat, with none of the hunters having ever witnessed, or even heard of the technique, or what it trully did. Space mages were just that rare, and most would spend their time studying the theories and ideas behind space storage. After all, the larger space storage a space mage operated, the larger profit they could earn to work as some sort of smuggler, or special expedition quartermaster.


    The dinner was rather quiet, with Oren only speaking a bit about the current situation, as well as the general state of the rite. He guaranteed Rex that he had scored him in the average range of scores, giving him enough to aquire a decent name, should he care whatsoever, while at the same time, not standing out too much, which he would deffinetly do, should the Borks he had felled earlier today be added.


    "Good thing no one knows, can prove, or would od such an unwanted act." Rex lightly smiled as he spoke.


    "Indeed. I have to agree with you."


    "Remember, you have earned a favour from me that can be cashed in at a later date. Just look for an adventurer by the name of Rex in the adventurers guild, while giving my description and ask for a personal quest, while giving your name." Rex spoke after their meal and before both went to sleep, each in their own corner of the tent.


    "I would advise to save said favour for a critical problem solving. The longer you wait, the more Ican help with at the time."


    "Yea, I reasoned that much too."


    ----------------------------------------------------


    Rex woke before Oren onc again, feeling much better than last night. And while mostly healed, he would not pull off such a dangerous move for the forseeable future, that was for sure, well aware of the dangerous strain his body had been put under. That and the rather stiif feeling in his muscles that needed to go. A feeling that Rex prompty stepped out of the tent to solve. The spent the next few dozen minutes stretching and straining hims aching muscles untill a rather pleasant warmth set in, indicating his success.


    Returning to the tent and collecting the remains of yesterdays gains, the things his proctor had not used for coooking, he once again left the tent, quite ravenous ater a night of circulating both mana and aura, healing his internal injuries away. he was mostly done what Oren sat on a log nearby, the older hunter having woken up just moments ago.


    "Feeling better?" he asked Rex, recieving a simple grunt and a nod in return.


    "Glad to hear." Oren replied, a small smile gracing his face. ''If he has enough focus to act up, probably aware of undesired eyes on us, he should be in a well enough condition.'' he thought to himself.


    "In an hour or so, the rest of the hunters should gather your peers and announce the end of the hunt, agterwards which we will lead you back home and give over the evaluation you and your pears have earned during the hunt. After which, the naming ceremony will begun, though I assume you will hate it the most." he smirked as Rex grunted in displeasure of the mention of village ceremonies. Since they both were quite the practical people, they held similar contempt towards such unnecessary and overly dramatic actions.


    As Oren had spoken, aproximately an hour later the rest of the tents started to stirr and one after another, both hunters and the youngsters started to leave said tents, prepearing their last meal before departure back home. And similarily to the first two meals in this camp, this one was once again prepeared by the elder hunters, congratulating them for surving and finishing the rite, though there were also words of caution, both regarding the path ahead of them in their lives, as well as the danger that each and every turn of the river that was life could hold, referencing the accident that had occured to the largest group within their midst. And while not among his peers, having already finished his own breakfast, Rex could still feel a few smug and arrogant glances dirrected his way. For whatever purpose, he did not know, He had done a magnificent job in either avoiding his peers entirely, or presenting himself as the same simpleton he had always been considered.


    Their return back home, as much as the village he lived in could be called that, was a rather calm affair, with little to none chatter resounding throughout the group. The youngsters were deep in thought, contemplating wheter or not they have earned enough recognition and respect from their proctors, to be graded well enough for the names they wanted to claim. Or if they could not claim the name most coveted by their hearts, what other names could they ask for, less recognized as names of great men, and yet powerfull enough to earn the respect and possibly fear from their peers, as well as the attention of the other sex, both within their own village and those nearby, who followed a simmilar tradition. There were numerous such couplings between the families residing in the villages and a powerfull name did wonders to earn that innitial attraction from possible partners who lived afar and were not personally familar with everyone in the other villages.


    The sun was in its zenith, when the group finally saw the rather shabby looking, yet ow, so familiar, fence around their home village, looking quite pathetic when compared with the sturdy wall around the camp they had spend almost a week in. Though, truth be told, some of the schreeches and roars they had heard in the forest during their stay, made the reason for said walls existance quite obvious. The horror stories some of the older hunters told to their charges did not help either, as the more terrifying ones quickly found their way around the group, well everyone except Rex, as he was considered too simple to apreciate the art of storytelling.


    Once inside the village, they walked into the central square, where their village chief was already waiting for them, once again dressed in his chicken, probably meant as a phoenix, outfit. There he recieved a scroll from Rilem, where the scores of the youngsters were written in. Taking the scroll, the chief bowed his head in gratitude towards the hunters and then turned and walked to a few other elders, who were sitting around a ratehr old, but sturdy oaken table. A rather large book was placed on the table already and dirrctly in front of the book sat donw the chief, placing the scroll he recieved from Rilem in front of the elders, while he himself took a quill in hand and signalled with his empty hand to the elders to proceed.


    "Willow, come forward." Read one of the elders and quickly, a girl with brown, shoulder lenght hair, tied into a simple ponytail walked forward, standing in front of the table of elders.


    "Speak, what name you think you have earned, and dream of?" asked the same elder.


    "Rianna, elders." the girl timidly answered and waited for their response. There were a few whispers among the elders, as well the chief, with mostly nodding.


    "Very well Willow, daugher of Anna and Rigar. you have performed well. From today onwards, walk with your head held high, Rianna, daughter of Anna and Rigar." A smile bloomed on her face as the girl nearly squeeled from happiness, shaking her tow fists in front of her in excitement, just moments after bowing to the elders.


    "Thank you elders." she quickly bowed and retreated back to the youngster group, standing in the back.


    "Owl, come forward." the elder spoke once again, a moment later, once the chief had finished writing the new entry in the big book.


    "Speak, what name you think you have earned, and dream of?" the elder repeated the question and waited for the youth to speak.


    "Orion, elders." the youth replied, a confident smirk on his face, quite assured of his choice. Others spectating were not anywhere as confident as the youngster, even the elders furrowed their brows, as they looked towards Owl. There was no whispering, no nodding among the elders this time, only a dissapointed sigh.


    "Too arrogant boy. A hero''s name can only be earned with heroic actions, and yours are nowhere near it. Think again, carefully, what name thou has earned, lest we name you Wu, the Fool."


    An obvious grimmace spread across the arrogant youngsters face, as if he had recieved a humiliating slap across his face, and thruthfully, it migh have very well been so.

 Chapter 6: Departure.

    Rex looked at the scene before him, the youngster by the name Owl, had acted arogantly, some would say exceptionally so. ''Orion'' quite the sacred name in the village. The last person wielding it was considered the greatest, and most powerfull person to ever appear from their midst. To be precise, Orion was the founder of the village and supposedly a leader of an A rank adventurer party, each member of which founded their own village nearby. Aiming for such an esteemed name was clearly an arrogance of utmost level, especially so if one had not performed a feat of a near miraculuos level during the great hunt. And while the group he was part of had done well, they had neither achieved something trully spectacular, nor saved their peers. On the contrary, they had made quite a grave mistake, only surviving due to the help of a misterious expert. To then have the gall to ask for the name of their founder bestowed upon him? That trully angered both the elders, and everyone else in the village, well, Rex excluded. Thus, both the reprimand and remark coming from the spokesperson of the elders were like quite the humuliating slaps to his face. Even Owl''s grandfather, one of the elders sitting at the table was scowling, noever having expected such arrogance from his favourite grandson.


    "Well, boy?" the elder asked, clear irritation in his voice heard, dirrected towards the youngster as he hesitated in answering. As the scolw on the elders faces deepened, Owl finaly scrunched his face once more, through gritted teeth responding.


    "Amaron." The elders conversed for a moment, and the spokesperson looked at Owl with some displeasure.


    "A name almost too good for one as arrogant as you. Though you have earned the point s for it. Owl, son of Iruman and Aleandra, from now on you shall be recognized as Amaron." Once again the village chief recorded the new name as Amaron retrieted to stand amongst the youngster group. Though even as he did so, a few whispers and chuckles could be heard among said group, clearly laughing about the drama that just occured, as well as the embarasment that Amaron must have gone through, causing the youngster in question to try and pin down the perpetrators of the deed, clearly intent on having his revenge later.


    And so, one after another, the youngsters were called forth and bestowed their names. Besides Amaron, there was only one more boy who was innitially refused the name he had hoped for, though this refusal was nowhere near as strict as the one Amaron suffered. Though just like him, the other boy recieved a name on his second try. Rex, being considered the less important, due to him being an orphan, as well as percieved as a rather slow individual, was called forth as the last one. The attitudes of the elders had started to change ever since the first orphan was called forth, their gazes much more judging and agreeable. Though probably aware of the fact, none of the orphans aimed high with their names, settling for wha twas considrered a decent name in the eyes of teh village.


    "Rat, come forward." the elder spoke. "Hurry up, we dont have all day!" he scolded Rex the moment he started walking forward.


    "Well, speak the name!" the elder hurried him, as he barely walked in the center. Unbothered by the old cunt, or anyone else present, for that matter, he simply spoke one word, and turned around as he left the center, walking towards not the group, but his own hut.


    "Rex." If he was shown no courtesy, neither would he show any in return, well aware that the hunters cared nothing for the ceremony, as well as the fact that should the need arise, he could just leave a bit sooner than expected. He had realized that he actually did not need to join the group traveling to the city on their next go. He could just tag along with the merchant that would leave at the latest in a day or two.


    His choice of name did elicit a barrage of laughter, with most present reaffirming his simplicity and slowness. It was considered in the village that words with less than five letters were those of fools and the like. Four was bad, three was downright supid and weak. And two, it was the name of the fool. One that brings shame upon their whole lineage. The rules did not apply to their animal, or plant and tree names in case of girls, monikers that served as their temporary names.


    "Once a rat, always a rat. Even his name starts on the same letter, and is of the same lenght." Amaron exclaimed, clearly in an attempt to overshadow his own embarassing moment in the minds of those present. And while the hunters cared little, there was one among their group who saw this whole ordeal in a different light.


    ''Stupid old coots.'' Oren thought ''Orion himself will one day pale in the presence of Rex and you have the courage and gall to show him contempt? I do wish you luck, for only if he forgets your venomous attitude does this place have a future.''


    "INSOLENT!" the elder in charge exclaimed and wanted to tirade on, untill one of the hunters sneered, eliciting a laugh from his compatriots, causing the elder to shut up. "A pot calling the kettle back!"


    "And while quite insulted, the eldr had little choice than to turn to his equivalents, as the rest near the table just shrugged and nodded once. The name held no value in the eyes of the elders and Rex had more than enough merit to be named as such."


    As the leder stood back up, a disdainfull expression and a sneer appeared on his face, as he spoke."Rat, from today onwards, you shall be named Ra!"


    A few gasps escaped the ones present. And while unprecedented, the decree was spoken, even if the other elders had their own scolws marring their aged faces.


    "Come, come, chief, record the name, as is tradition." sneered the culprit. Ow sure, his peers would scold him later, but at the end of the day, what was Ra, but an orphan with no future? He had just helped the fool along. Within a few years from now, Ra''s spirit will no doubt be whipped into place, teaching him to respect his betters.


    Oren glanced towards the dirrection Rex had left, not even bothered to hear whatever decision would be made, well aware of just how nonexistant the place was in the youngsters eyes, made his own decision. Instead of joining the feast that would follow, celebrating the new names of the new addults of the village, he rose to his feet, earning the attention of the rest of the hunters. He spat in the dirrection of the elders, and while aimed not too far from his feet, in front of the hunters group, the intent was obvious among his compatriots.


    "The benevolent spirit spits on you." With those words said, he turned around and left the village square as well. And while teh story had been taken as mostly a joke during the last evening of the hunt, going so far as to be spread among the youth, the other hunters ahd seen the seriousness with which Oren retold the storry. He had even doubled down and said that he saw it, as delivered the two incomprehensible shots that saved the group that was surrounded by Borcs. Whne questioned furtherm he simply said that he was under no liberty to speak any more, an oath given to the spirit, in exchange for the lives of the saved ones, as well as his own.


    So when Oren spat at the elders, clearly displeased with the old coots actions, invoking the name of the saviour of many within the group, the gravity of the situation became obviously clear to them. Oren had chosen to tell his friends who had saved them, just as Rex had predicted he would, even if it was not neccessary due to the destroyed arrows arousing many questions. With Oren walking away, the rest of the hunters followed suit. Even Rilem did so, a small smile adorning his face.


    ''Knew the kid was special.'' The leader of the great hunt thought to himself as he joined his compatriots. The obvious departure of the hunters caused the villagers to narrow their eyes, the sign was not boding well for them in the slightest. While no longer a permanent residents of the village, said hunters were contributing quite a bit towards its stability and prosperity, and such a united displeasure towards the elder, as justified as it was, had not been seen ever before. The consequences might be more far reaching than anyone could predict.


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    While the rest of the village feasted and celebrated the end of th great hunt, Rex had already finished his daily space storage expansion ritual, and had laid to early rest. And the hunters, they gathered around their own campfire, as question after question was asked to Oren, who replied as much as he could, not divulging any secrets he believed he had about Rex. And yes, the hunters called him Rex too, each and ever one of them. Some gratefull for their own lives, others for the lives of their friends and comrades.


    ----------------------------------


    Rex woke up early in the morning, as he usually did, and after a short preperation, he exited his shack, prepeared to do some fishing to secure his breakfast.


    "Yo kid." He recieved an unexpected greeting from Rilem. "Come, join us for breakfast. Thats the least we can offer."


    "Oren cracked eh?"


    "Heh, yea, hes a softy at heart."


    "Figures." Rex replied as he nodded his head for the older man to lead the way. In just a few minutes time the two had reached the hunters campfire, where teh smell of a fragnant stew was spreading around. He was greeted by the entire group, who bowed their heads to him and thanked for the assistance he had provided them.


    "Ha ha ha ha. You know, for men who live most of their lives in the forests, chasing their prey with smiles on your faces, like savages, you are a good bunch. Though that should come to anyone as no suprise. Nature is cruel, but fair. Most of the time anyways. She takes as much as she gives, at times more, in each dirrection, but she is always true to its own nature. No need to worry of a knife in the back, is there?" Rex laughed at the straightforwardness of the goup, not seeing a single envious look directed his way, all aware just how shitty his condition had been after twe two arrows.


    "Well, since you know anyways. Two requests from me I suppose. Lets keep my involment a secret fomr outsiders shall we? And as for the second, help Oren out to get two new arrows, will ya? T''was a sacrifice for your safety after all."


    A round of laughter resounded around the campfire, the mood being rather good. As they ate the stew, no one brought up the events of yesterday, asuming it to be an unpleasant subject, untill Oren himself questioned.


    "What about the old coot?"


    "Hmm, who?" Rex scrunched his brow, a questioning look on his face.


    "He probably means the elder that acted out." replied Rilem.


    "If you smell the stink of shit, like old and terribly stinky one, when you are out in the forest, do you go in search of it, to sniff it more and apreciate the grotesque nature of it, or go on with your day, forgeting it as if it had never existed?" and seeing their slight smirks and knowing looks, he added "Exactly, why get shit on your hands when the stink alone is enough to not want to stick around."


    A moment later he added "Once I am an adventurer, my words to Oren stand. Should he need some serious ass saving, or you fellas for that matter, since we know just how much of a softie he is, you know how to contact me." After which he prompty told the same thing he had to Oren, regarding his choice of name for the adventurer card.


    "By the way, a nice word to the trader there for me fellas?" Rex asked as he remembered something, once the breakfast was done and the hunter group was prepearing to leave. Rex had noticed a merchant was exiting the village gate, as small and pathetic it was.


    "What is it?"


    "Wanted to hitch a ride with the merchant. Need the guide to city to start my climb."


    "Sure thing man. The sooner you start, the sooner we will have a reliable backup, should worse comes to bear." replied Rilem.


    The group headed towards the merchant as Rex rushed back home, quickly gathering what little things he had. And while he no longer had the swords and bow of the hunt, the ten arrows here his, earned for each of his felled animals. In no time at all he was ready and closed in on the hunter group, who had easily managed to convince the trader. Rex was large enough, and with the light amount of hear he ad with him, would be quite the boon to the safety of the merchant as he traveled, while adding little to no weight to the total sum of his carriage.


    "Well, hop on young man." signaled the middle aged merchant. "Ill be countin on ya muscle to pull us through any trouble."


    "Aye sir." rex nodded as he placed his wrapped cloth on the carriage and took a seat next to the merchant.


    "Thanks fellas. You know how to reach me." Rex waved the hunters off as the merchant urged his carriage on its way. While aware of the events last night, the middle aged man knew little of the villages inhabitants, nor did he care for their drama. He trusted the hunters more than the villagers, much to the same train of thought that Rex had expressed recently. And if the hunters vouched for the young man, who was he to refuse free help, making their travel much safer than he innitially would expect. And he would soon be trully gratefull he had done as he did, listening to the hunters request.


    ------------------------------------------------


    As the carriage slowly strolled down the barely maintained dirt road, connecting the village with a few others, Rex had a slight smile on his face. ''Ha, the irony. To think that they would use a name of an egyptian sun god as an insult. hilarious.'' he thought in his mind, though his focus was on their surroundings. They had traveled for about a couple hours, before the merchant suddenly asked.


    "No offence kiddo, but were you not supposed to be mute or something?" he asked, a question that had been racking his mind for the duration of their journey, however short it was. He had heard some talks about the slow and simple fool on the outskirts of the village.


    "And you believe everything that you hear sir?" Rex chuckled. "I simply dont like to waste words on fools too full of themselves."


    "Heh" the merchant smiled at the comment "I suppose there is truth to that."


    With that, the surroundings once again descended into silence, only the sound of the wheels sometimes bumping on something along the way, or an occasional neigh from the horse drawing the carriage. Some time later, Rex shot his head to the left side of the carriage as his eyes narrowed.


    "We''ve got company incoming." he spoke as he gripped his spear in preperation of the incoming ambushers. He could also see some random wood pieces stacked on the ''road'' ahead, blocking their advance further.


    "I will interept the attackers. Looks like a goblin raiding party. Stick close to the carriage and dont get off." He ordered the merchant as he hopped of the nearly stopped cariage, having reached the roadblock. Just moments later, from the brushes emerbed a goblin, wearing some rags and a poor makeshit shield in its hand, as well as a rusted shiv in the other. Just mere moments later, the next one followed, and then the next, and the next after that.


    Rex did not wait for the entire group to get out into the opening where they could use their numerical advantage, as small as they were, thus he shot forward arriving before the emerging goblins in just a few seconds, a time frame during which yet another, slightly fatter goblin got through. Unfortunately for said goblin, it was met with the business end of Rex spear, piercing its neck the moment it straightened up and tried to shrugg off the leaves that had stuck to it. The rest of the goblins, being teh coward that they were, did not try to intercept the charge, waiting for an opportunity to exploit the attackers openings, however little their simple brains could.


    A spear stabbed into the flesh of their fellow boglin seemed like a perfect opportunity, as a couple of the goblins launched forward, only to be suprised by Rex''s step forward, notching the spear on his hip, pulling it slightly backwards, allowing it to leave the now slumping body of the fat goblin, and with a sharp twist of his entire body, the spear was twisted along, brutally smashing into the two mugs of the rushing goblins. A loud smack resounded throughout the claering as the two were launched away in different dirrections. Two different thuds resounded, and a single gurgle and wailing followed, quickly silenced as Rex then dashed to the position of thewailing goblin, quickly piercing its heart, silencing the bastard.


    Just moment after, he masterfully twirled his spear, deflecting a shoddy arrow that had flown in his dirrection. ''Even a goblin archer? So more than twenty little shits then. Good to know.'' he quickly reasoned as he found a rock, the size of his fist, thathe picked up and infusing a small amount of mana into his arm, he flung it, aiming in the direction where he was shot at, having already discovered the the place where the little ''sniper'' shit was hiding. A moment later, the sound of a rather loud crunch resounded, even as more goblins were shuffling through the brushes, though now in a more panicked and semi frenzied state.


    Once again, Rex closed the distance, using every advantage that he had. The superior reach due to the choice of weapon, the supperior skill that he wielded the weapon with, masterfully redirecting the trajectories of his thrusts and slams with the spears bladed tip, riddling the goblins with injuries, the poor makeshif shield not fullfilling their role one bit. With his quick and masterfull actions, in only another ten minutes, the last of the attacking goblins fell under the relentless assault of his spear. Quickly scanning their surroundings, and finding that there were no other attackers around, he signalled to the merchant to start clearing the blockage, and another ten minutes or so later, with the assistance of Rex, they were once again on their way forward to their destination- the city of Valrun.

 Chapter 7: Adventurers guild. Part 1.

    It took them almost a full week of travel, stopping in a few villages along the way, where the merchant did some more trading and they spent the nights, before they reached their destination. Along the way, they had encountered one more similar ambush party, this time consisting of only ten or so goblins, that Rex once again wiped clean, leaving ten little, green, atrocious and foul smelling corpses behind. The merhcant did lament that the road was getting more and more dangerous, probably an indication of a rather large tribe forming in the region.


    "There must be quite a few goblin extermination quests popping up in Valrun then. Well kid, you seem to be in luck. With those little shits swarming the area, there is bound to be a lot of work for the novice adventurers like yourself." a comment that Rex hust slightly hummed and nodded to. While he cared little for the weaklings that teh goblins were, he was well aware that he would probably have to deal with them for some time before he could either take a bit more challenging jobs or find a proper party to team up with to either dungeon dive or take on more demanding jobs.


    Valrun was your typical medieval city. A stone wall, three meters tall, surrounding the city. A rather large stone gate stood before them as a couple of rather bored and annoyed guards stood by it. One of the two guards seemed half asleep, while the other was picking his nose, moments later seemingly examining his findings with quite the expert stare. The low clacking of the carriage soon atracted the attention of the two, a slight smile spreading on the face of the half asleep one, the light drowziness quickly flushing out of his system.


    "Halt there. What brings you here?" the guard spoke, a slight glee in his voice.


    "Free merchant just peddling his wares." Replied the merchant, stuffing his hand inside his shirt and pulling out a rather large sized necklace that looked more like a badge than anything. Upon seeing the badge, the guard scoffed. Not a target they could extort, as the free merchants were always shrewed and axtremely vindictive, as well as well aware of the laws that the counties they operated had passed.


    "Tsk." the guard clicked his tongue, then dirrected his eyes to the other person on the carriage, but before he could, the merchant added.


    "We encountered a couple goblin parties on our way here, one even with an archer. So think carefully, do you want the trouble your planned actions could bring?"


    The guard wanted to scoff at that, but upon closer look at the man he had planned to try and extort some ''toll'' for entering the city, he noticed the worn out spear, as well as a rather large string of slightly tried goblin ears ganging on the carriage. And while slaying a goblin was no feat to brag about, dealing with an ambush of the green little shits, while not getting wounded, as the man looked perfectly fine? Now that was a whole another story alltogether.


    Gulp. The guard swallowed hard, quickly rethinking his innitial plans. speaking moments later. "Got an identification on you merc?"


    "He just lelf the village he grew up in. You know there are no such things there. He was on his way to the adventurers guild though, so if you want, ask there later."


    ''Just left the village?'' the guard sneered in his mind ''Sure, the village of masters? Aint no way that a touth with aspirations of becoming an adventurer has such skill'' Still he was smarter than to speak it out loud, only nodding his head and retrieving a strange crystal from his pocket.


    "Sure, as you say. Still need to check him." he spoke as he extended the crystal forward, and Rex, with the prompt of the merchant hopped of the carriage, walking towards the guard. Once next to him, he extended his hand toward the crystal, almost touching it. A few second passed, yet there were no reaction from the crystal. With that, the guard nodded and moved aside. "You may pass. Obey the laws while in the city. We dont like troublemakers."


    Rex just waved at the guard as he walked by, the carriage following just right after. Once inside, he thanked the merchant for allowing him to tag along, who in return just smiled and shook his head, returning the thanks for his presence. Without him, the merchant would have probably been a snack for the goblins by now after all.


    "Right, do inform the guild of the parties that you slew on the way. It should only reaffirm what they already knew, or if not, cause a few investigation to be made. Well, anyways. Good luck on your adventures."


    "Thank you sir. Stay safe." With those words, Rex and the merchant continiued on their own way. The inside of the city looked rather similar to what he would expect from a fantasy middle age city. Somewhat cleanly streets, with all sorts of single, sometimes two storry buildings, made out of many different materials, with only roofs being mostly clay brown color, creating a rather unique sight to behold.


    And while there were people moving about, Rex could not classify the place as packed. Clearly the city was a rather small one. Likely just a pitstop on the way towards the major cities of the region, where all the activity and chaos would acumulate. Still, for his needs the place served well enough. At least for now.


    He looked towards the center of the town, where two, much larger buildings than the rest stood out. One was the typical castle that should be decorating every town in the time period that this world seemed to be in, with a defensive tower on each of the four corners surrounding said castle. The other building was slightly smaller, though its roof still rose above the rest of its surroundings, clearly indicating its significance.


    ''That should be the adventurers guild then.'' Rex mused as he started his walk towards it. First, he would register as an adventurer and figure out the rest later. He also had to hand in the gobling ears to be paid for. And while not much, it would still help himsecure a place to stay the night if nothing else. If possible, Rex wanted so save as much money as he could, since it would matter quite a bit in the early days of his adventures in this world, and while he was sure that eventually money would become a simple afterthought, he was still far from it, having to live rather modestlt for the time being.


    With an obvious beacon in the shape of what he could only assume was the adventureres guild, Rex walkeddown the streets, looking around and taking in the medieval fantasy setting of the place. While true that most people he encountered were humans, or what looked like ones, he spied a few members of other races, Manning a stall on one of the streets was a enourmous, two and a half meter tall and bulky lion man. His body was covered with very short fur, no more than a centimeter long by his estimation, except of course his mane, that looked like bushy hair that remnded him of certain few anime characters he had seen in his modern life, a life that seemed like something he had experienced ages ago. And yet, he had been brought over less than a couple of years ago. Funy, how the perception of time changes when you are having the time of your life.The lionman was selling some sort of trinkets, as far as Rex could tell, but he was not overly interested in the giant of a man, just a mere curiosity, thus he kept on walking towards his goal.


    He also noticed a couple of dwarfs, if his asumption and knowledge about the slightly shorter and stout men was correct in this world. The two, bearded men were going at it in an open air forge on one of the corners, quite a large building with spacious couryard right behind them. The furnace was well distanced from anything it could set fire to and the duo were hammering some sort of a tool, or weapon, with vigour and determination. A couple more youngsters were sweating hard on the side, working the bellows to keep the forge hot, the fire within looked like the hel lwas just on the other side, heating the metal inside and readying it to be worked on by the two masters next.


    As Rex walked deeper into the town, he could see that the quality of the buildings slowly started to improve. What previously was shoddily built homes, sometimes even barely able to be called shacks, making his own one back in the village look steady and luxurious in comparison, were now replaced with well built brick buildings, more and more similar to one another. The simple brown brick walls, with nicely sized windows, each and every one being framed and filled with glass and covered with nice looking curtains from inside, obscuring whatever was on the other side. Simple, but beautifull wooden doors graced each of the buildings, some of the larger ones even had a plaque above said simple, yet beautifull doors, stating the establishements name. Of course, the buildings with the plaques also had their window curtains open, displaying something of their wares in said windows, with a few exceptions of course.


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    ''Madames sweet dreams'' being one such establishement. Rex did not need to ask what sort of services it provided, the couple of scantally dressed ladies near the buildong, winking at passerby males from time to time, while making quite lewd gestures with their hands, or sugestively licking their lips. Unfortunately for them, Rex was neither interested in such services, nor the quality of the ''product'' that he saw, the middle aged women being way below any beaty he had even considered as a possible partner. And with a whole world to explorek and no personal realm to secure any possible partner, he would focus on the more exciting and unknown aspect of the world. Thankfully, his getup did not radiate the feeling of a rich guy, in need to lighten his coin purse, so the two workers by the establishements door did not pay him any attention as he passed by, on his way to the guild.


    Another half an hour later, he finally stood before an incredibly large building, at the very least when compared to any other, besides the castle in the city center of course. The building was made of of bricks, like most others in better part of the city, but unlike others, the lower half of it seemed to be made out of large rocks and a substance that held the rocks tigether and looked like concrete or cement. above that, followed a layering of bricks, untill finally the roof took over that. Roof too was made of what looked like clay shinges in a light gray colour.


    A large, three meter high double door served as the entrance, with a large skull of a monster, either a troll os some sorts or another monster of similar kind, hanging above said door. Two spears were ''stabbed'' in the sides of said skull, a rope from each hanging down, and just below said skull, a board attached to the two ropes hanged, two clear words -Adventurers guild- written on it. With a slight nod, apreciating the style and astetic of the visuals before him, Rex walked forward, entering the wide open door of the building.


    As he stepped over the door still, he found himself in a rather large hall, with a few large boards decorating both side walls and quite a few people examining whatever posters were plastered on them. Clearly adventurers hunting for their next job to be. At the far end of the hall, in front and to the center of two stairs leading to the upper floors, stood a rather large counter, with a few attendents sitting behind it. It seemed as if said attendents were each in their own section, a boot if you will, with another plaque above each of them, indicating the purpose of their task.


    The first attendant worked at the exchange section, the second took care of job postings and competion. The third one was miscelanious. He assumed that it fulfilled the tasks of the other two, should the crwod grow too large, while handling its own duties, whenever such cropped up. Rex walked over to the third attendant, a brunette human lady, no more than in her mid twenties, with light green eyes, modest figure and somewhat cute face. She was dreesed just like the otehr two attendents, with a white shirt that had a pin with her name on it, and what seemed to be simple brown suit pants, if Rex saw correctly what out peaked from behind the counter as the girl straightened her back when noticing the aproaching Rex, as she slightly pushed up her chest, epmhasizing her non existant, some would say modest, chest.


    ''Lolicons and carpenters would swoon over her'', Rex though as he stepped in front of the girls.


    "Morning sir." a light and sweet voice greeted him as he stood before the girl, reaffirming his previous thought, bey not stopping him from doing what he had coem here for. Such body types were not his cup of tea, preffering the more developed and mature bodies with curves in all the right places.


    "Wanted to sign up as an adventrer. Did I come to the right counter?" he asked, his facial expression relaxed and calm.


    "Yes sir, it is indeed she replied. Anyone recomended you here, or are you an independant?"


    "Would you elaborate?" Rex questioned, having not heard the terms before, quickly adding another request before the girls started her explanation "And the rules that the guild expects the affiliated adventurers to follow would also be apreciated. I like to know what I am signing up for."


    "Of course sir. It would be my pleasure." the girl replied, quickly reaching below the counter and fishing out a few forms from below it. Rex was pleasantly suprised at how non judgemental the girl was, since his attire left much to be desired, making it possible to mistake him for a smiple village peasant, not a fighter that had taken a few goblin groups out during his way here.


    "Lets start with with the former then." she spoke in her soft and cheerfull tone, taking on the expression of a scholar, enlightening their less acomplished colleague, or a junior. "As you might know, the guild has class halls under it, with each hall having their own unique techinques that they teach their new members, creating a rather specialized and focused skillsets, fulfilling a certain role within either the parties they join, or any other task that requires a group work. It is the easiest way to know an individuals value if you have knowledge of their class and rank. Independants, or Solo''s, as they are often refferd to, are the peopel who do not join a specific hall, thus not aquiring said special techniques. And while such people are usually less specialized, and can perform most tasks rather well, it is much more difficult to estimate their capabilities." She took as small break as he took a few deep breaths, having gone through the first part of the explanation in a rapid sequence, almost forgetting to breathe during it, quite the spark of excitement in her eyes while doing so.


    "As a result, the members of each hall are often in search of promising new members, who, once found and identified, are then reffered to the adventureres guild. If you are one such individual, you should have been already instructed of the fact, and why it is necessary. As to why it is? The guild records the hall that had reffered said individual, and other halls have to respect the priority said hall has on the new member, as it is not unheard of for a prospective new adventurer to exceed in two distinctly different roles, becomin quite the interest for more than one hall."


    "So, refering someone is basicly calling dibs on the person to be brought into the hall of the referencer. Is that about right?" Rex asked, getting the gits of it.


    "Precisely so sir. While the guild does not mind a small competition between its different halls, it only goes so far as to what should be considered a healthy rivalry."


    "And how do the Solo''s get int osaid halls, should there be a desire?"


    "There are three ways, tow aviable for the solos. The first one is being reffered to the adventurers guild, but as you might have already guessed, that ones a no go for Solo''s. Just mentioned in case you thought that there are some backroom deals happening withing the guild. We like transparency as much as it is possible. A trusted guild has an easier time to do what it is supposed to do after all. Now, as for the options for the Solo''s, there are two. First. you can be noticed by a member, or members of a hall, seeing a potential for said job in you. Then, said members would reach out to the scouts of their hall, who then would contact guild, requesting to meet with the Solo in question and offer him a chance to join their hall. Whether there are tests that said hall would like said Solo to take on, to ensure there is a true compatibility between him and the hall, or they straight up offer the chance to join, depends on the hall in question. As for the other option, is is a muhc simpler one, as well as the choice that most of the rich folks use to get their offsprings a good class. With good old method of cash. Each hall has a certain price they demand for a set number of lessons with one of their instructors, should you wish to learn their techniques, but once a technique taught, you become a part of their hall, ineligible for the same in any other hall." she spoke so cheerily about buying oneself, or their descendants a spots that Rex could only smile in return and scratch his head akwardly, though he supposed it made sense, especially if the hall could then lower the membership fee of the existing members, or provide a set of other exclusive services to the members of their hall.


    "Anything eles I should know about the halls, before you switch over to the guilds rules?"


    "Yes sir. Unlike the guild, who recieves a small percentage of the reward money for each job adventurers complete, the halls require a yearly membership fee. But fret not sir, there is a good reason for that. halls ussually provide their new members with their innitial gear, once the first few techniques are learned, as well as a few exclusive benefits that depend on the hall in question. Tamers hall, for example, always help their new members to tame their first monster. Hunters offer their new member not only their first set of bow and arrows, but also a collection of lure recipise to make it a bit easier and safer for them, and so on and so forth."


    She then tiletd her head cutely to the side, placing an index finger to ger lips, a thoughtfull expression overtaking her face for a moment. "Yes, regarding this topic, thats about it."

 Chapter 8. Adventurers guild. part 2.

    Rex thought over what he had just heard, finding the rules rather lax, or so they sounded at the moment. He was quite sure that, wer ehe to join one of these halls, there would appear a lot more internal rules, or at the very least guidlines regarding many different ideologies. Life, for example, what Oren told him about the hunters guild, heavily encouraging to assist other hunters, should you run into one who is experiencing quite the crisis. In theory, that could be written off as a simple and logical action, based on the innate good nature of humans, buy Rex knew better. Humans were agotistical and greedy creatures, so the creation, and encouragement of such actions were either out of pure neccesity, someone up in the chain of command benefitting heavily with it, or a way to surpass ones competition, reducing ones own organizations losses in what would be an eternal war of atrition against a common enemy- the nature of the world, and the monsters that it spawns as a result. Still, as a general rules, it was not all bad, not creating a situation like with the guild in the other world, where he could be forced to do missions he was not interested in. Then again, he had yet to see how the Guild handles the issue here.


    "Right then, Lisa." Rex spoke, reading the name written on the girls tag that was attached to her shirt, right over her heart. "So, what can you tell me about therules of the guild?"


    "Yes sir. Right away." the cheerfull girl nearly bounced and took a deep breath, probably prepearing herself for to blast Rex with another wall of text.


    "So. Adventurers guild employes eight rank system- SS, S, A, B, C, D, E and finaly F. The lowest being F rank, and SS rank being the highest. In theory, there is supposed to also be an SSS rank, but that is only ever given to the hero, once he has defeated the demon lord, and by the estimates of the Oracles, that some thousand years or so away. So, SS rank is the highest one can get. All new adventures start at F rank, and while there are quite a lot of jobs that can only be taken by an apropriate rank adventurer, guild dose not, and cannot forbid you from hunting monsters as you see fit. There are quite a few instances where a Solo joins the guild, obviously as an F rank, rules be rules, then proceeds to exclusively hunt Borks, maybe even Orcs. Eventually being recognized as the C class adventurer that he is. The other way to raise ones rank is by taking on the quests posted by the guild. Depending on the rank you hold, a certain number of quests must be completed succesfully to be able to take a promotion exam. There are numerous adventurers who are can easily deal with the missions of their rank, but do not have what it takes to tackle the next rank, thus, said exams are rather dificult, meant to reflect the complexity and danger of the upper tier quests within said rank. Of course, there are also special quests, ones that are not combat oriented, and thus do not have a rank attached to them. Such quests can range from tutoring lessons, to acting as an escort for a lady, or gentleman to some posh event, though in the latter case, a minimal rank is usually required, but you get my drift, yes?" Rex nodded his head, thus far it was the standart fantasy ranking system, nothing new, nor complicated. Now came the crucial part.


    "So, what about the rules that the guild expects adventurers to follow?"


    "Yes, I was getting there." she answered as she took a gulp of water from the cup that she had on her counter. " In general, the guild goes with a hands off aproach, trying to interfere with the adventurers as little as possible. Still, the obvious rules apply. Do not kill your fellow members, do not steal from the guild and so on and so forth. The normal stuff that one lands in jail for, so nothing out of the ordinary. It is advised to use ones guild card as an identification tool, as most nations apreciate and depends on adventurers to solve quite a large percent of the problems that crop up all the time, walking and roaring, or otherwise. The guild provides a certain amount of privileges to its members and as such, expects that the adventurers will, in return either perform an elimination quests, or others with a certain number of them, or the total income from said quests reaching certain value in gold, based on ones rank, of course."


    "And if the adventurer does not feel like taking quests for some time? Like women expecting a child and what not?" Rex questioned.


    "Not to worry. In such cases one can simply pay the guild a certain amount of money, maintaining their status as an active adventurer. Or, they could chose to become inactive. In active adventurers cannot use the various benefits that the guild provides, except using the card as an identifcation tool, since no matter, active or not, it still is a great proof of ones identity. And once said inactive adventurer decides to restart theit adventurung, they can reactivate their status, though no more often than once a year, unless you of course get heavily injured and the guild finds it reasonable to do so. While we like to profit, as all people would, we dont want our adventurers to make risky decisions only because their deadlines are coming up. But back to the point. Once an adventurer reactivates their status, they have to retake a combat test, to ensure that they are on par with their previous state, qualifying them for their previous rank. There have been cases in the past, before this rule was implanted, that adventrers would get wounded, heal, but retain some hidden injury. Then, one back in active duty, take a risky mission and fail it, because they no longer have what it takes to pull it off. It is better to learn of such bad knews in a controlled enviroment, not out there, in the wilderness, losing ones life, and possibly the lives of their companions, all because they did not know of their weakened state."


    "Reasonable." Rex nodded his head in agreement, liking the Guild''s system so far. "What about special quests, ones that are aimed at a special individual? The idea of a forced quest does not sound appealing. And no matter where, there are always some bad apples within the basket, abusing the system."


    "Yes. The guild has had such situations in the past, as much as it hurts me to admit it, so, to combat such actions, guild still allows for such requests to be made. A famous adventurer is a force to be reconed with, both on the field, as well as a show of ones status and purse. Escort requests in particular are geared towards such adventurers. Now, while the guild is willing to take such requests, allwoing anyone to make them, they come with quite the commision cost and the adventurer in question can always reject sad requests, it being annuled in the process, while the guild keeps the commision cost. Its a win win for everyone, well, maybe except the rich fellow who was rejected. He he. But they probably have a lot of coin to spend, if they think they can make personal requests anyways."


    "So, no forced quests? Is that right?"


    "Mostly? There is the emergency quests that a branch manager can issue, but those are in case of monster tide that heads for said city, or a dungeon break. Situations from where one could not get away anyways. The emergency quests are there to mostly pump up the blood and spirits of teh adventurers present, as it promises quite a bit of extra rewards for something you would have to do anyways."


    "I do like the sound of that. So, how do I sign up?" Rex asked, a slight smile forming on his somewhat average looing face.


    "Wonderfull sir. We allways welcome new members. let me set you up straight away." she spoke even more entusiastically, clapping her hands together with a bright smile on her face. Then, she pulled out a sheet of paper, a form of sorts and handed it Rex.


    "Please fill out this form sir."


    "Sure." Rex replied, as he started to read through it, filling out the empty lines with the information he was willing to provide. "Whats up with the different font of the text here at the bottom?" He asked the girl, having reached the last section of the form, where it questioned about the affinities of ones magic and such.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Hmm? AA, yes, it is not mandatory to fill those. Thee are there if a mage wants to be hired as a teacher for said disciplines, or if the applicant is fine with guild considering his services when specific element mages are required. For example, sometimes lords try to reclaim new territories, or start a new city. For such an endevor one need quite the number of earth and water mages. Those rital spells to modify a large area of land are quite demanding. Or other requests like that. Holy element mages are requested whan a necromancer pops out and causes an epidemic or two, and so on and so forth. If a mage is interested in taking such quests, guild uses this information to reach out to said mages in question, speeding up the process many times over, since rarely any of the branch guild have the required personell within their local area."


    "I will leave these blank then. Thats it, I suppose. Here you go miss." Rex handed her the sheet back and waited, as the girl excused herself and left her station, walking over to arather odd looking device, an altar of sorts, with a slot for sheets, like the one Rex had kust filled out. She then placed the sheet in the groove, and pressed on a nearby crystal. A few minutes later, she took a rather smooth card from another groove on the altar and returned to the counter.


    "Here you go mister Rex. We are happy to have you aboard. Is there anythin elese you need help with?"


    "Sure, I have these goblin ears that I need to hand in, can we do that here, or should I go to the other counter?"


    "Its not a problem, allow me to take care of it." she said and then placed a tray on the counter pointing to it with her hand. Rex just shrugged, lightly smiled at the girl and proceeded to place the ears on the tray infront of him.


    "Thats quite a bit og ears." she replied, scrunching her cute nose.


    "Right, the merchant I traveled with said I should inform the guild that these all belinged to two groups, one of which had an archer among them. I would say at most a couple of day distance from here, were one to ride with a horse and not carriage, while peddling ones wares in the villages on the way."


    "Understood. One moment please." she bowed her head and took the tray, leving Rex alone for a moment, dissapearing in the backroom. A few minutes later, she was back, placing two silvers and a few coppers for the monster bounty.


    "Thank you sir, this information will help us pinpoint the goblin tribes precise location that much sooner. Anythin else?"


    "Coudl you suggest any decent, but relatively cheap inn to spend the night, maybee even rent a room for an extended period of time? Dont think today there is much time left to head out."


    "But of course. Here are the two I do believe to be the best suggestion." She then proceeded to tell Rex in detail about the location and specifics regarding both places, making a rather modest, but pleasant first impression on Rex, though half of it was probably because of Lisa was just that bubbly of a person and her explanation was quite cute.


    Before Rex left, he asked another question. "Right, Lisa. last question. Do you guys, the attendants earn any extra based on the bounties that adventurers bring in, or a bonues for registering extremely profitable Solo''s? You did a wonderfull job, would be a shame not to reward you with something. So?"


    Lisas smiled bloomed even more as she nodded her head. "Yes, there are a few such things. While we do not recieve any bonuses for the hand ins of the quesst we confirm finished, there is a small trowback that we recieve for confirmed monster bounties, since those are just extra monsters that could otherwise endanger our people."


    "Well, guess i know to whom I will hand in my ones. You are doing a great job Lisa. Thank you and keep it up."


    "You are welcome mister Rex. And than you too." her smile widened even more.


    "Its just Rex and see ya around." Placing his adventurer card around his neck anmd the coins in his pocket, he waved goodbye to the girl and left the guild, following Lisas dirrection towards closest of the two recomended inns. Unfortunately, the first one was full, so he had to backtrack to the Guild, and head out towards the second one, where he secured a room for a couple of nights and since it had gottne rather late, he ate at the tavern, a rather simple, but hearty and filling stew, and turned in for the night, heading to his room. He spent a few hours, expending his mana and growung his space storage, with it having reached the size of a fist, enough to house all of his coins for the time being. ''Good luck pickpokets stealing my money.'' he smirked to himself as he laid down to sleep.


    ------------------------


    As per ussual, Rex woke up nice and early, having laid to sleep slightly before midnight, or so he calculated. Glancing outside the window, that was luckaly situated to the east, he could barely see the first rays of the dawning sun beyond the horizon. As far as he was aware, there were no real winters here, only slightly cooler seasons, followed by the warmth season. They called them off and on seasons, the colder ones being off, the warmer ones - on, though the on part was never actually mentioned, with people only talking in a manner of season or off-season. Each year had two of both. There were slight differences not only in the temperature, but also what kind of special seasonal plants grew during that time, as well as the migrations of certain animals or monsters. It was particularily important for hunters, since some apex predators became extremely agressive during their mating seasons.


    being aware of the season, he could estimate that it was about six in the morning. There were magical clocks, working on the energy that monster cores provided, but it was quite the luxury, with only the richer merchants and nobles having the deep pockets and connections to aquire one in this remote region of the nation. So, Rex made do with what was aviable to him. As he descended the stairs, he found a half asleep inkeeper in the central room where the counter stood. Asking if there was anything he could eat for breakfast and making do with last nights roasted pork remains and some sliced vegies, since it was too early for inkeepers wife to start prepearing breakfast, he quickly ate the food he recieved, thanked the inkeeper, paid and left the inn.


    As he walked towards the Guild, he carefully observed his surroundings, noticing a few shady characters here and there, mostly doing their own things among their preffered crowd, or crew. ''Active underground it seems'' He noted to himself, making a mental reminder to try and stay away from said groups, at least for now. He had much more important tasks to solve, like earning money and growing stronger. After all, only the trully strong could live freely and as they wanted.


    Reaching guild was rather easy, the already somewhat uncrowded streets were near empty, some random drunkard stammering home after a night out with the lads, or the shady character here and there, waiting for his own dealings to proceed, or whatever else they waited for. The guild, was near empty as well, a couple of parties sitting around their own tables discussing whatever they did regarding their chosen jobs. He noticed there was only one attendant manning the counter, and he had not been here when he visited last time, clearly working the other shifts. The man looked middle age, with pale blue skin and elongated ears with pointy tips. He did look slightly tired, yawning evey now and then, looking at the clock that was placed behind the counter and him on the wall. Guilds were one of the few buildings where everyone could see the time, with their connections and resources, it would be quite embarasing to not have a clock.


    As Rex was aproaching the counter with the man, another worker exited the backdoor, tapping on the mans shoulder, greeting him and exchanging a few words, after which the pale blue skinned man yawned once again, nodded and left through the door that the new attendant had just entered. While slightly interested in the race of the previous worker, he had more pressing questions to solve, thus he restarted his walk towards the counter.


    "Hello there." Rex greeted the attendant, a middle aged lady with gray skin, and an average build.


    "Morning. Hows can I help ya?"


    "I was wondering, does the guild have a book with the common monsters, and the parts that should be submited as part of monster bounties? Also, If I could learn Lisas schedule, It would be helpfull."


    "Yes, there is. We give one to every new adventurer after their first finished quest, if they dont ask for it. Gimme a moment to pull it up. As for the second question, what ya need that info for?"


    "Right, Lisa was the one who registered me. She was extremely helpfull and all around a treat to interract with. Thought it was the least i could do to help her earn some commisions."


    "That young girl is a bundle of joy and warmth. Cant blame ya for that. Will do both in just a moment kiddo."


    "Thanks miss."

 Chapter 9. The Lights Oak.

    After recieving both the monster bounty manual, as well as the work schedule of Lisa, Rex walked over to the quest board, checking on what was aviable to his rank. And while he knew he was definetly above F rank, even if relying only on his weapon skills and combat experience, he would much rather play it just a bit safe, prepearing the foundation for his growth and developement. Thus, as he looked through the quests, he noticed a few possible choices.


    The first few looked to be some of the smaller vilages requesting some pest extermination. One had a probable goblin nest in their vicinity, and while they had a general area in mind, quite a bit of time would be wasted in the search itself, thus making the quest much better choice for a full party with at least one specialized scout and while Rex could surely do it, the reward was not worth the effort he would have to invest. The next few were about sightings of kobolds. Humanoid like creatures that would best be described as a combination of man and hyena or a many dog. Quite barbaric, with barely a resemblence of language and extremely agressive, like most monsters. Not nearly as universaly hated as goblins though. Those little shits took the crown in near every category of the ''detestable and despised''.


    Another one that caused a slight smile to appear on his face was slime hunt quest. The local alchemist was running out of slime cores, so he was in need of a fresh batch. While the quest requested at least fifteen to be delivered, any extra would be gladly accepted. As he though back on slimes, he could remember the few that this body had dealt with. The creatures were just like the typical fantasy story would portray them, a jelly like creature, the size of a german sheppard, with a single core floating within said body. To deal with the creature, one had to strike the core hard enough, causing its jelly like body to burst and evaporate, leaving behind a snall puddle and the core. They were slow and quite easy to take down, especially if you had a spear or any other similar reach weapon. Still, Not quite what Rex was interested right now.


    "How? What do we have here?" Rex spoke in a quiet manner as he noticed another quest that drew his attention. It was a gathering quest, also posted by the towns alchemist. It required the collection of silverweed tulip, a rather common herb with slight medical properties. The catch to it was that it only grew in very specific conditions, and would often attract a certain type of wolfs to inhabit the location, creating a sort of symbiosis with the beasts. The plants get to be protected, and in return, the compound that the herb secretes raises the fertility rate of the beasts, as well as elevate their healing factor and regenerative ability. And while no super regeneration is had, the beasts are smart enough to noticed the beneficial effect of the plant. As a result, where there is silverweed tulip, there will always be wolfs.


    As Rex examined the quest, it having a general map leading to the location of it, he failed to notice the aproach of another adventurer, though his instincts did no react because there was no negative intent or anything like that. Once he had decided to take it on, his hand met with the adventurers, as both had reached out to grab the same quest poster.


    "Sorry brother." said the owner of the voice, as Rex turned his head, matching the voice with the woman before his eyes. Clothed in light, but sturdy looking leather armor, with leather boots and gloves that matched the chest armour, clearly made as a set, as well as a couple of daggers by her sides and bow and a quiver slung over her back. Her hazel nut brown hair was tied up into one neat braid that reached her shoulder blades. Her face looked rather cute, with small and delicate nose, slightly sharp eyes and heart shaped face. Her hazel brown eyes sparked with equal amounts mischievousness and playfullness.


    "Where is the rest of your party?" she asked, slowly retreating her hand from the poster, it was first come first serve in the guild after all, pointing to another corner of the guild hall with her thumb. Mines in that corner. Slightly rowdy, but a good bunch.


    "Hmm? No, I am a Solo."


    "Wait, what? Solo? And you plan to take the quest on?"


    "Hmm? Yes. Its just wolves, besides the silverweed tulip is quite a nice herb to use in not only the quest but multiple usefull tonics and potions."


    "What rank are you friend?" she asked with a slight furrow of of her brows.


    "F rank, obviously. Why would I look at it otherwise."


    "Sigh. Listen brother. That quest if meant for a party. Its too dangerous for a Solo, especially of the same rank as the quests."


    Rex just shrugged his shoulders,no odea how to deal withe the good loking woman. "Tag along if you like. Dont much care. Hell, I will even equally split the reward."


    "And why would we do that?"


    "Because you look like that is exactly what was on your mind."


    "And how would we split the reward then?" she asked, one eyebrow now raised.


    "What was it, equal split of the reward with each member of the group, while maintaining the the right to keep whatever that it is that you have personally collected, within reason of course."


    "Nice try man, but we aint having no man around our party." Rex looked over her shoulder, even as he noticed a slight worry in her face. The girl was deffinetly the nice, bleeding heart one, having a hard time ignoring injustices and tragedy. Actually focusing on her group, he now noticed that the remaining four were also girls, and since they were in the guild, no headwears adorned them, allowing him to see that each and every one of them was quite pretty.


    "Yea, gotta agree with you lady. Aint no way I am sticking my neck into that mess. See ya around." Rex replied to her, loud enough to be overheard not only by her, but also her awaiting party, and, with the contract in hand, turned around headed over to the cepection hall, placing his chosen job to be registered. Unbeknownst to him, a couple eye twitches creeped on the faces of a few pretty ladies as they glared at him. The girl party gave gim all sorts of red flags, especially since none of them looked overly spoiled. A bunch of pretty girls, with no real background, with only the general protection of the Guild? Yea, that screamed for a bunch of scum or sleazy nobles to sink their teeth in, and, as ufn as it sounded, Rex was not at the point where he could safely mess around with that kind of annoyance. Truth be told, he himsellf was not sure he even wanted to.


    "You sure you want to take this one?" the middle aged attendant asked Rex, a slight worry on her face. "It is recomended for a party, besides its your first quest. Maybee something a bit more safer?"


    "Its fine. I have plenty of time, and I am interested in the plant itself, so it covers a multitude of tasks in a single quest. So please."


    "Hey Marta!" a vomanly voice sounded dirrectly from Rex''s back, as he felt an arm landing on his shoulder.


    "Ahh, hi Veena. Just wait a moment. I will be done in just a moment." The attendant, Marta, replied, a small smile forming on her face at the presence of the woman.


    "Dont rush. Light''s Oak will join the new kid. We will show him the ropes and dangers of underestimating the danger a quest can entail."


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Are you sure? You dont ussually..." Marta did not get to finish, as another voice, slightly irritated, by the sound of it, interrupted her.


    "YES! Now hurry up please. Times wasting." Rex did hear a much quieter grumble of "I''ll show you a mess."


    "Right." Marta akwardly smiled. "You dont mind, do you?" she then asked Rex, who did not look pleased with the development.


    "Yea, I would rather not."


    "Nonsense." the girl whose hand was still on his shoulder spoke "Why dont you take the chance to learn from a stable and experienced party?" Rex''s head slowly turned to her, a furrowed brow marring his face.


    "Why dont you rank up first then? Talk then, yea?"


    "Just me Marta, thank you. Those girls look like trouble to me." Rex felt the grip on his shoulder get sligtly firmer, but the girl was nowhere near the build of Rex, muscle mass or mana reinforced to matter, so he spoke to her. While his voice was quiet. the now assembled party right behind him could hear it.


    "I dont care what gripe you have with my comment, since it was factually true, I advise you back off me. I honestly would preffer not hurting anyone right now. I have a quest to attend to. On that note, I suggest you find another girl with proper background and channels for your little group. You are a walking buffet for the trully powerfull and detestable. Dont want to get into that mess. No thank you."


    With those words spoken, clearly catching the girls in a stupor, he brushed off the hand from his shoulder, took the quest and left the building, leaving the five girls standing there for a minute, clearly stupefied about what just happened.


    "Oi, gals? I think we just got rejected. Royally." Finally spoke one of the girls. With gray hair, well trained and lithe body, her blue eyes were calm as a lake on a peacefull day. She wore a light chainmail armour, a sword and shield strapped to her side and back respectively. She then bursted into laughter. "Alurial, I think your ability to scare off men has just gotten an upgrade. ha ha ha ha."


    "Ow, shut up Meru." The little and angry loli girl, dressed in a light cloth apparel and a cloak grumbled back, a clear pout forming on her face.


    "Come now girls. Its no time to squabble." spoke up the third girl. She too was dressed in clothes made of cloth, a staff in her hand. What stood out the most about the woman was her curvaceous body and red eyes that contrasted her blonde hair. A soft and sweet voice, combined with her gentle smile quickly pacified the other two, who seemed to be ready to start a cat fight. The loli girl, Alurial, looked so for sure.


    "Ria is right girls." spoke the hazel haired and eyed girl that had spoken to Rex at the job board, ponting to the blonde busom beauty. "What say you? Lets find a job top take on. Veena, you coming?" she asked, turning her head to the girl who had placed her hand on Rex''s shoulder. Veena was a dark haired woman, with lithe body, and similarily to her hazel haired friend, was also wearing a set of leather armor.


    "Samanta is right girls." spoke up Meru, her laughter having died down. "And while it stings to admit, the boy was right to an extent."


    "What hogwash are you talking about?" grumbled the half elf loli volcano, clearly not happy with the insinuations. "I mean, we have been doing this for a few months now, so can we really be called an experienced adventurer party?" thne she added in a much quieter tone "And I see how he couldcome to the conclusion he did."


    That did bring about a moment of silence, each girl of the group well aware of the truth in Rex''s statement. Its not like they wanted such danger to constantly hang over their heads. It was precisely because they had been annoyed and pestered by the males of whatever party they joined, that they were now in the situation they were.


    "Hmph." a snort came from Alurial, soon replaced with an evil looking smirk. "Why dont we give him a little taste of the trouble then?"


    "Danger alarm. Our little demn is hatching a wicked plot." quickly added the gray haired warrior of the group, causing a light laughter to escape the lips of the group.


    "Maybee next time?" questioningly asked Samanta, nodding with her head to the quest board.


    "Fine. I will have more time to plan it out."


    "Ow my." the blonde beauty smiled, covering her face with her free hand lightly. "Someone has caught Alurials eye."


    "S- shut up bi boobs." Alurial blurted out, clearly flustered by the comment, reverting to the simplest insult she could come up when regarding the blonde healer, automatically aiming for the most prominent feature of the girl.


    "Its okay Alu. You can still grow. Half elfs still continiue to develop their bodies well into their fifties. There is still plenty of time for you." Needless to say that caused the little tsundere to go beet red, quickly covering her head with a hood, dissapearing from the clear vision of her groups eyes, only a hooded figure standing before them.


    "Lets see what else we can find today." Spoke Samanta, returning the attention of girls to the task at hand.


    ---------------------------


    After leaving the guild building, Rex departed the town. Based on the dirrections on the map, he would need at least a few hours to reach the area where silverweed tulip was reported to grow. All he would need to then is to take care of any volves getting in his way, and a relaxed herb hathering awaited him. Since he had free time, at least as far as his mind was concerned, he delved into the ways in which he could increase his onw personal combat capabilities. using space laws was instantly off the table, the last time still clearly fresh in his mind, only barely more than a week passed since that time. Similarily, the soul path was another no go for him at the moment, his soul still not nearly strong enough to exert the necessary pressure on others. The recently aquired sword path was also a no go. He neither had a sword, nor his spear was of a high enough quality to withstand the power of the law.


    So, the only remaining tool that was much more freely usable was the path of blood. He could use both hisown blood, as well as the blood he spilled from his enemies to both heal and sustain himself, as well as restrict his enemy. And while in theory he should be able to even bend the blood still coursing through the bodies of his adversaries, this world, while rich with mana, had a few pecularities that heavily hindered ranged casting, allowing for only rather simle and crude spells to be lobbed at others. Though he had a few ideas as to somehow slightlly circumvent the problem. man was heavily maliable, at least most of the time, and as someone who had worked with mana constructs quite a bit, he had a rather developed understanding of its nature and tendencies.


    He coul, for example create hardened blood chains from the blood of his enemies, using it as a means to attack, similar to how he had using his mana constructs in the other world, since blood was part of ones body, thus, escaping the rather heavy supression of open world mana manipulation. Or so it seemed, as Rex was manipulating a miniscule mana chain, no larger that a couple of centimeters, made from a small puncture in his hand. He needed to test it with the blood of his enemies, or unlucky monsters, becoming his test subjects in this case. What he needed to figure out is when can he claim the blood as his property, due to his high attainment in the path. Was it enough to be spilled, or had the owner of said blood die first, before he was free to act as he willed with it. he also had to mind his rather limited mana pool, even with the infinite reservoir of mana that was the world itself around him. Rex was not yet adept enough with the siphon to be able to constantly drain it and use for both his bodily refiment and refilling of his personal tank. And the refinement was more important at the moment.


    There were no notable interruptions on hiw way towards his destination, if he disregarded the couple of wild dogs that had the poor judgement that he would serve as a perfect snack to the due. Quite quickly and effortlesly, both creatures were punctured and soon enough, lying in the puddles of their own blood. Rex could only thank the heavens for providing him with a timely assistance, allowing him to test his few hypothesis regarding the blood path.


    First, he learned that everything he spills is, rightfully, his to controll, the owner no longer having any claim on the spilled blood, providing him with a rather easy access to the material needed for his art. He was quite happy with the discovery, heavily expanding his ability to controll the battlefield, even if he could not utilise it to the fullest of its capabilities as of yet, his mana pool and ability to multitask being severely limited for the time being. Curse recovery and the necessary growth of a soul fragment.


    Secondly, as he had tested with his own blood, no matter how little, the blood was considered a part of the body, thus becoming a perfect tool to be used for mana constructs and other spells outside the body, clearly allowing for much more complex things to be acomplished. Of course, blood being blood, it provided the caster with a whole new list of problems that needed solving. And yet, regardless of all that, Rex was quite pleased with the state he was now finding himself into. While not everything was solved, he was more than happy with the current standing as it was. Finally out of his own musings, he looked at the rocky terrain ahead of him, having reached the foot of the mountain that the location was supposed to be at.


    "Well, time to get to work."

 Chapter 10. The first quest.

    As Rex started to slowly ascend the mountain where his target was supposed to grow, he though back to his usage of space laws to solve the hunter issue back during the great hunt. And while quite cumbersome, with notable side effects that he felt for quite a while after the deed, he still considered that it was the best course of action. With the knowledge that he had now, maybe he would have acted differently, but seeing how coveted blood mages were in the other world, he was not very keen on repeating the same process he had back there. Plus he had quite a bit more limitations in his ability to grow, making him more cautious than before.


    With his old, but trusty spear in hand and his attention focused on his surroundings, even going so far as to use mana sonar every now and then, depending on his natural mana recovery to stay toped off, he slowly advanced, looking for any signs of wolf activity or the telltale signs of silverweed tulip habitats. And after only twenty minute climb, Rex found the first few clues, indicating that the likelyhood of the plant being here was quite high. What he had stumbled upon, was a few pathes of wolfs fur, and one that looked recently lost as well, still maintaining the last traces of its sheen.


    With a laser focus, Rex kept moving forward, his senses on high alert, untill just a few minutes later, he noticed the first wolf, peacefully snoozing on a rock. Due to being downwind from the beast, he had not yet been noticed, and it would remain so, as Rex slowly lifted his hand with the spear gripped tightly in it, pulled back slowly, yet silently, and after another breath, he infused mana in his muscles and launched the spear at the wolf.


    With a whoosh, the spear flew across the air and only moment later, with a sickeningly sharp sound pierced the beasts hide, eliciting a pathetic whimper from it, leaving its slumped body on the same rocks, even if slightly more away from Rex now. In just as quiet of a manner, he aproached the fallen wolf, pulled out his spear and willed the creatures blood to obey his command. As if pulled by an invisible force, the blood was extracted through the spear wound, condensing into a ball or red liquid, swirling non stop. With a simple prompt of his mind, the blood started to solidify, becoming smaller and smaller in size, untill only a couple meter long chain was in Rex''s hand.The tip of the chain had a rather nasty looking spear end, well suited for stabbing, possibly even cutting, if it was robust enought.


    One end of the chain wraped around his bicep, near the armpit, Rex proceeded forward, leaving the dry meat, skin and bones as is, He would come by on his way back, where he would skin the creature, collecting its skin to later sell to the towns leaterworker. As he moved forward, he encountered more wolves, this time they were mot sleeping, and the moment he was noticed, a howl escaped the mouth of the one facing him, soon recieving respone from further up the mountain.


    The trio of wolves rushed towards Rex, splitting up and trying to attack him from three different sides. Since there was a solid teamwork between the wolves, but it was not nearly perfect, each of the wolves being in a different condition, making each and every one to close the distance in different times, creating a second or two gfap between the lunges. Using the different speed of the rather simple aproach that the beasts attacking him were taking, he just barely moved out of the way of the first leap, at the same time wrapping his newly forged blood chain around the beasts neck, choking it out. Then in a similar matter he avoided the second leap, using his spear as a brace to end the third, stabbing it in the heart. A pained whimper escaped the muzzle of the last beast, as the first was strugging to breathe, its neck being choked out quite nicely, with only the second wolf runing forward for a few meters before turning and lunging at Rex again. Though, much like the last one, it too was impaled on a spear that appeared in front of its leap trajectory, ending its life too. With only the choking wolf remaining, Rex aproached it, and stabbed downwards, impaling its heart and ending its life, a muffled whimper escaping this ones muzzle, the choking chain having mostly dampened said whimper. Repeating the same blood drain as with his first victim on the mountain, his chain elongated to reachsix meters, a part of the fresh blood used to reinforce the chain.


    Rex had barely dealt with the draining of his last three victims, enforcing his chain, when more of the beasts emerged from all around him, totaling a group of ten more wolves. Rex noticed that one of the beasts was slightly larger than the rest, its eyes exuding some slight amount of intelegence. As the rest of the beasts charged forward, creating similar gaps as the trio beforehand, the sheer number of them denied Rex the ability to repeat the same tactic he had used before. So, utilizing the extened lenght of his blood chain, he infused it with an extra umpf of mana, using its as whip to strike at most of the wolves, leaving only two to reach him, where he barely avoided the first, and stabbed the second, causing it a swift death, slaming the first in the side with the returning sharp end of the blood chain. And while unlike his spear, it did not finish the wolf off, it had suffered a deep stab would, eliciting a painfull howl, causing the blood to gush through the wound as Rex''s chain was drawn back.


    Rex used the method to tance around the wolves and control the numbers that could reach him, whittleing down their numbers one by one. As precise as he was, as carefull he dodged, he still recieved a few scratches here and there. While not a threat to his life, they could cause a simple lightheadedness, should he allow them to bleed. Good thing Rex was a blood mage, controlling his own blood to remain in his veins, not a single drop of his blood, besides whatever was on the claws that had cut his flesh, leaving his body. The technique was quite impressive, if he had to rate it himself, making one of the greatest dangers of wounds go away- the constant draining of the life maintaining liquid,making the fighter to tire much faster, or slowly go into shock, induced by blood loss.


    His adversaries however, could not say the same, during the last fifteen minutes being reduced to only a couple in numbers. Of course, the alpha was still alive, how could it not? It was the beast that had caused all those shallow wound on Rex body after all. Both sides were breathing somewhat heavily. Rex had been expending quite a bit of energy and focus, moving both his body and the chain, while the alpha and the the other wolf had a few, light stab wounds on their bodies- courtesy of the blood chain. Rex was skilled with the use of chains after all, especially ones controlled with ones mind and mana. And while tired, and wounded, neither side was willing to give up. Rex needed to colect the silverweed tulips, and the wolfs would not rest untill their quarry is finished and they can gnaw of its bones for the damage it had caused their pack.


    With one last snarl and angry howl, mirrored by its last mate, both wolfs lunged at Rex in a near perfect synchrony. In a quick response, Rex stirred the last reservoir of his mana, calling upon all the blood in his surroundings, forcing it to crystalize into spears of blood, shooting towards him, and just before the two wolves reached Rex, numerous blood spears skevered them from different positions. Rex placed his spear on the ground as one of his knees landed on the ground, exausted and with an empty mana pool, but victorious. With each kill, he could sense how a small few metaphorical drops fell into his own pool, enriching it and expanding its size, even if only just barely. That was his drain at work, slowly and just barely making him stronger every time he kills something. Exhaling heavily, a few minutes later he lifted himself off the ground, walking over to the alpha of the pack, drawing its blood to use whatever life essence was in to to heal his own minor injuries. As a master of blood, that was one of the easier techniques to pull off, especially with the amount of blood from the alpha at hand and the relatively shallow wound of his.


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    Extracting the blood of alphas mate, adding it to his chain, he walked in the dirrection from which the pack had emerged, only a few more minutes later coming upon a small pond that was surrounded with patch after patch of the silverweed tulips. Rex carefully walked towards the first patch, observing the plants and collecting only the ones that were in the correct stage of its growth, with the stems that had flowers about to bloom. He ingonred the ones that had blossomed, as well as the ones with barely developed flower buds. Still, with the amount of plants present, he aquired quite the number of them, a small smile spreading on his face. ''A good harvest indeed. In another few weeks another one could be made.'' Rex thought, as he slowly returned to the place he had slaughtered the main part of the wolf pack. Since he had quite a few test subjects, he decided to test the last improvement he did to his blood chain, forcing it to just barely vibrate with quite the frequency. The freshly added saw teeth on the chain looked sharp, though he would reinforce and compress his creation quite a few times to reach the desired effect.


    With his mana mostly recovered, he did just that, heavily reducing the lenght of his chain, from the near ten meters he had when absorbing all the blood from blood spears he had used to impale alpha and its mate, to mere four once again, though now his creation no longer looked much like a chain, but a slighty thicker metalistic wire and when it was forced to vibrate, due to the reduced diameter of it, consumed notably less mana. Thus, he trained the usage of his chain on the bloodless wolves, using the vibrating chain to skin them. It took him six tries, destroying the skins of those wolves untill he managed to get the hang of it, only slightly cutting another two, though they would still be sellable. Beasts, unlike monsters, humanoids or not, did not have any bounties on them, so unless one was an avid hunter, collecting a part of the beast for his trophee case, they held no value in the eyes of the markets.


    With the wolves skinned, flowers collected and the blood chain enhanced as much as possible, as well as his mana pool somewhat low, he descended the mountain, his path set back home, to the town of valrun, where his quest waited to be finished and a room in the inn had a cozy bed with his name on it. And while it was just past midday, he had at least half an hour descent , as well as a couple hour walk back home. This time, with an additional ten or so killograms from all the loot he had aquired. ''Damn, I need to expand my space storage asap.'' he though as he descended. unfortunately, Rex did not have the funds to just sit around in town and focus on that neccesity. His rune engraved body needed nutrients to continiue its strenghtening, something that was more important at the moment. After all, once his body reaches a certain point, he could use his sword laws, making him capable of hunting much more dangerous game, hastening his passive growth due to the always active mini drain. He had so much possible power so close to his hands, yet at the same time it all seemed still so far off in the future. Though a part of him seemed to relish the fact a slight bit.


    The return back to Valrun was uneventfull, as Rex played with his recently created blood chain, that was now snuggly wrapped around his wrist. Then again, with all the crystalization and compression it had gone through, it looked more like a red thread of metal than anything related to blood. Then again, it was the crystalization of life, in a manner of speaking, no longer just simple blood. And with every creatures blood added to it, it would only become more and more powerfull. Rex had quite a few other ideas as to how he could utilize his dominion over blood path, making him just that much more dangerous of an opponent. There was just one slight issue with the usage of the path. One that he had little to no knowldege about, at least in this world. Something he decided to figure out as soon as he returned to town. As he walked the path towards it, he did lecture himself just about that. How he did not look for that information. Something that seems quite obvious now that he looks back to it.


    Luckaly for him, Lisa was working the evening shift today, so he had a reliable and too nice of a person to ask about the topic, having made a profile of the girl in his mind. He also had no issues scheduling his monster bounty exchanges to ensure that the little bundle of joy would recieve a rather nice influx of bonuses. It was quite important to reward those that bring such light and joy to the world, yet get overlooked when it comes time to dole out its rewards. If the world does not step up, he will.


    getting past the guards was quite easy, as all he had to do was to show his adventurers licence, and after a quick stop at the tanner, where he got rid of the wolf hides, recieving a few silvers in return, he continued on towards the guild building. As he stepped in, he quickly noticed the bundle of joy that he had planned to head to, yet was stopped by a somewhat familiar voice.


    "Back already? Should have taken our generous offer in the morning. Maybee then you would have been able to fulfill your quest." Rex turned his head toward the voice that was clearly dirrected at him, seeing a rather smug loli with light green hair and pointy ears sitting at one of the tables. He saw another three figures sitting along side her, his gaze holding on the blonde busom beauty for a second longer than the rest, but noticing the lack of the hazed colored girl, he turned his head back towards the counter, noticing her interracting with another attendant.


    Not seeing a need to respond, Rex ignored the pipsqueek and walked towards Lisa, hearing a rather loud scoff and what he assumed was a grinding of teeth. Just before he reached Lisa, the hazel haired leader of Light''s oak finished her business and turned to leave, coming face to face with Rex.


    "Yo." Rex lifted his hand and greeted her "I would advise to keep your pipsqueek on a tighter leash. That ones got a dirty mouth. Might get you into trouble, or worse." A slight wince appeared on her face as she smiled bitterly.


    "Doing my best."


    "Do better. You seem nice. Would hate anything bad happening to you. Anyways, see ya around." Rex waved her once again and walked pas, stopping in front of Lisa, who was free at the moment.


    "Hello sunshine. How your day?" he asked the girl who was smiling from ear to ear as he aproached.


    "Hello Rex. How was your first day as an adventurer? Did you take any quests?" Would you like a recomendation? she spoke her hand clapped together before her small chest.


    "I am good. Thanks for asking. The day was nice and yes, I did indeed took a quest, finished it already as well. Wanted to turn it in actually."


    "Splendid. Let me have a look. OW?" she exclaimed as she saw the quest registered on hisname. "With what party did you went on it?"


    "Hmm? Its just an F rank quest. Why would I need a party?"


    "Wait, you did it Solo?"


    "Well, I am one, so what is wrong with that?"


    "Nothing, care to show me the herbs?"


    "Sure thing." Rex replied and pulled up a smaller bag he had taken with him. Then, he carefully opened it and Lisas eyes widened as she was the rather large number of silverweed tulip stems. Rex carefully took out ten of them and placed on the tray Lisa had placed before her. Ten pristine silverweed tulips were stacked on it, and Lisas eyebrows rose even higher, if that was even possible. She examined them quickly as well, raising her eyes to Rex with sparkles lighting up in them.


    "¨¡re you perhaps an alchemist Rex? Those are pristine."


    "Well, lets just say I know a thing or two about plants." he was not lying. With his cultivator memories, and alchemy being one of the mandatory things to master for a lone cultivators, he could tell a lot about plants just by examining them. Then spend a single plant that you destroy while profiling with mana, and you now almost everything there is to know about them. Add on top of it the blood path, if you believe that the juice from a plant is their blood, which is just that in a sense, and you can finalize cataloguing its properties. And with all that knowledge, it is a simple matter to figure out teh best way, age and state of the plant to harvest for a maximum benefit.


    "NO WAY! Thats BULLSHIT!" Rex heard an exclamation not too far away, well aware of a loli that was probably fuming over his success.


    "Thats great Rex. The alchemist will be in the clouds with this delivery." Lisa beamed, marking the quest as complete on his file, swiping his guild card on a special device. As she did that, Rex saw that under quests, near the F letter was now a number ''1'', while all other letters were extremely dim, with a ''0'' next to them.


    "And with that, you have officially finished your first quest. how did you avoid the wolves though?"


    "Thats a trade secret. Maybee I will tell you some other time." Rex winked at her while smiling and collecting the coins she placed on the counter. "By the way, I got a question I think you could be able to answer for me."

 Chapter 11. Kobold extermination quest. Part 1.

    "So, whats the question?" Lisa asked, her smile reappearing moments after the small pout she had sported at Rex previous tease, apparently aware of the humurous undertone behind the gesture.


    "I have heard that space mages are extremely sought after, due to their ability to develop and deploy their own personal space storages, since artifacts with the ability are unreasonably rare and expensive as all hell. I was wondering, what other schools of magic are of a similar status, as well as the ones that people consider foul or are forbiden. Would not want to accidentally asociate with a bad guy or a criminal."


    "Humm, humm. A good question indeed." Lisa nodded her head in agreement as she thought how to best answer the question.


    "Well, I suppose metal mages should go into the category, though not in the same tier as space mages, thats for sure. Of course holy element users are also respected slighty more than most other specializations. Everybody loves being healed after an unpleasant accident. I have heard there are even some rare users who could even regrow ones lost limbs. Just imagine the traffic of work they get? Especially from top tier adventurers, he he." she lightly laughed at the small joke she added at the end, and seeing Rex still smile, continiued on with her answer.


    "Of course, depending on the location, some other schools of magic become extremely demanded, like water mages in desert regions, where they can convert mana into water. Or wind mages for sailors that coast the enourmous and dangerous seas. Nobody likes to be stranded in the middle of the ocean after all. Enchanters are also highly sought after in other countries, though less so in ours, since slave trade is not much of a mainstream here, thank lords for that."


    "Care to elaborate on that Lisa?" Rex asked, since he had not seen any slave collars or anything of the sort, quite happy with the fact.


    "Yes. As I said before, its a practice that''s frowned upon here, even if it is not technically illegal. Most who could make use of it though chose not to, precisely because of the stigma. Though there are nations that not only encourage it, but also trive due to it, condemning endless amount of people to a horrible fate."


    "And enchanters come into play where?"


    "Right. So, enchanters make collars that are used to controll these slaves. Disobey and you are in for a terrible time, as the collar shocks you so hard you will feel sore for days, or so the rumors go."


    "Understood. Anything else?"


    "I dont think so, though you will have to excuse me if I forgot anything."


    "Dont sweat it Lisa. You are helping me a great deal as it is. I will definetly thank you later with monster bounties for your bonuses."


    "He he, dont you forget it." she giggled and added, before continuing to answer Rex question. "As for the frowned and outright forbidden schools of magic. Necromancy, poison chaos and demonic. Necromancy and demonic need no explanation, as both are acts of evil, creating countless tragedies whereever its practicioners pop up. Poison is more of a grey area, though still generally forbidden, with only extremely rare cases allowed within some towers of magic in other nations, or so guilds books state. As for chaos, its weird, as the users of it can do many weird things, from making living, talking brooms, to inviting spectral demons into our realm. Its precisely because of its unpredictability and potential for harm, that it is basicly forbidden by every nation. There had yet to be an example of a reliable and beneficial chaos spell. One that can create a reliable and stable result anyhows."


    "Anything else? Wait." Rex suddenly interrupted as if he had an epifany regarding their conversation. "What about empaths? Mind or blood mages? Those must exist somewhere right?"


    "Well, I am pretty sure that every ruler would love to employ at least a couple of empaths or mind mages to ensure that their laws are followed, or they are not lied to their faces, or so there would be no successfull attempts on their lives. Still, such mages are so rare that people often joke around that for every mind or blood mage, there are at least five space mages. And while rare, there is no actual demand for their services, except of course mind mages and empaths. Like seriously, what does a blood mage do?"


    Rex waited a moment on Lisa as she rolled her eyes upward, her eyelids slightly squeezed together, as if trying very hard to remember something, and apparently failing to do so, stopped her attempt, tilting her head to the side, lightly tapping her head with one of her knuckles and speaking.


    "Sorry Rex, nothing eles comes to mind."


    "Dont sweat it Lisa. You have helped me more than enough."


    "He he , happy to help, so dont you forget your friendly guilds attendant."


    "No worries. my monster bounties willb ereserved exclusively for you. Already asked marta for your schedule for that exact purpose."


    "Awww, you are so sweet. If only everyone who showed their interest in me would be as assertive."


    "Now, now miss, I like your cheereness, and find you cute, that much is true. But, my desire to reward you si precisely because you are such a great person. All I hope to recieve in return is the same bubbly and happy attititude, nothing more."


    "Okay, you have yourself a deal mister, but dont you go and regret it later."


    "Yes, we got ourselves a deal. See ya around Lisa." Rex waived at her, turning around and leaving the guild hall, with the corner of his eye noticing the Light''s Oak still sitting around a table, chatting about something, with one rather displeased glare following his profile.


    ''Sheesh, what did I do to earn the attention of a pipsqueek?'' Rex thought with a slight smile on his face, internally laughing about the sitiation. Sure, he did not have the unreasonable eye powers that his dragon bloodline provided the original body, but he had used it enough to pick up a few tricks here and there. The party, or the pipsqueek herself were of no concern whatsoever, even if he did not inwoke the power he held over his advanced paths.


    Befpre returning back to his inn, Rex walked around the town for a bit, visiting a the only smithy he was aware off, inspecting the swords that were on display here, In quality, they were better than whatever he had seen in the hunting camp, though not quite good enough if he wanted to tap int o the sword path he had access to. Should he try to do so, the swords would shatter after only a few swings, unable to withstand the sheer power that unleashing said laws would draw through its blade. Rex could instinctively tell that as well. With a sigh, Rex left the smithy, resolving himself to continiue as he was, barely getting a taste of the possible growth opportunities due to the limitations and relatively slow start.


    Once back in the inn, he ordered a rather massive meal, consisting of at least four serving of meat stew that was prepeared for the evening. In theend, he had to order a couple more servings to feel properly full, only then retiring to his room, where he spent the remaining time untill midnight expanding his space storage, reacing the size of two palms. His progress would now be quite steller for the coming few weeks, with exponential progres untill the storage would reach the size of one cubicmeter. Then there would be a rather notable block, at least for most normal space mages of this world, he could tell. Then again, space storage of such size was more than enough for his current needs, allowing him to start his work on the next one.


    xxxxx


    Once again waking up early in the morning, he went down to the first floor of the tavern, greeting the half asleep barkeep.


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    "Hey kid," yawning, the barkeep asked "do you get up so early every day?"


    "A habit. My apologies."


    "Nah, dont worry about it. Just I will know that I gotta prepeare something so you cannot complain about the lack of hospitality and service at our place, once you eventually move on to bigger things."


    "Have that much faith in my ability sir?" Rex asked, a slight smile on his face.


    "You get up early kid, ready to work. That in and of itself is an indication of a good character. tallent can only take one so far. Hard work on the other hand? Well, countless geniuses have fallen to the hardworking man, with only the hardworking geniuses surpassing them, and Lords know, those are as rare as a humble and honest noble."


    "Ha ha ha ha. Cant argue with those word boss.So, anything I could get to munch on?"


    "Aye aye, sit down and I will whip something up quick."


    Rex waited for a dozen or so minutes, then devoured the food that was brought before him, thanking the inkeep once he was done and paid for his meal, paying for a few more nights in the same room he had spent so far. he found the place cozy and quiet enough, exactly what he needed after a day of adventuring. With his breakfast sorted, and energy aquired for a day of hard work, he left for guild building, arriving at his destination in a respectable time, becoming better and better at navigating the town. Though he noticed a slight increase of theshady individuals in the early morning streets, boding nothing good for the city. he would deal with the problem when it arises, Rex supposed, should it do so, that is.


    Entering the guild building, he once again noticed the pale looking man at the counter, yawning more than one should at this time of the morning, even if they spent their whole night awake, manning the place. Still, with the procedure cler, he walked over to the quest board of F rank, glancing through teh aviable quests. he saw no new quests regarding silverweed tulips, though with the quality of herbs he delivered, the alchemist no doubt realized that there would be nothing of quality to harvest for the next wekk or two, thus not posting a new quest right away.


    Rex had considered starting his own business in alchemy, but quickly discareded the idea, loving the thought of proper adventures and grinding more than a possible life of alchemical experiments and brewing potions. Not like he could not do it while being a full fledged adventurer on his down time. Not to mention the ease of accesss to all sorts of herbs and rare materials as a premiere problem solver with a powerfull body and spirit.


    And since he was more interested in rewrding Lisa, he ingored the plant or herb collection quests that were placed on the board, focusing on monster extermination ones, or the ones that asked for acertain part of a monster being collected in a certain quantity. Both alchemy and enchanting did use several monster parts as an ingridient for certain recipes. And of course, there were also some monsters that were considered a delicay, or certain part of certain monsters was, making those parts quite lucrative to sell. Still, unlike beasts, with monsters came more danger was well, making the better prices a reasonable thing. Any fool could become a simple hunter, though an entirely different thing could be said about master hunters, that specialized in hunting down certain monsters.


    Still, Rex had to take an extra care when selecting such quests, since he was a lone, and with rather limited mana pool at the moment. Though, before he could decide on the quest to pick up, he heard someone aproaching him, likely another F rank, since the steps indicated that the person was coming to the same quest board. As the adventurer stepped up to the board, he turned to Rex and spoke up.


    "Excuse me, are you and F rank adventurer looking for a quest to take on?" realizing that the person was talking to him, Rex turned his head to the adventurer in question, his gaze turned slightly to the ground, the person reaching his chin coming into his sight. A man, around Rex age, with dark gray hair, and a somewhat thin build, a bow and quiver on his back, a dagger strapped on his hip. A simple, and a bit mismatched leather armor set donned on his frame.


    "Yea, why?"


    "Are you perhaps a Solo?" The younster asked, glancing around the empty tables.


    "That I am, why?"


    "As it happens, our party is one frontliner short for our quest, so, we were wondering, would you like to join us?"


    "Us being?" Rex asked, following the youngsters raising hand to notice a group of three standing closer to the door.


    "Rex." he spoke, ponting to himself "Whats the quest and how do we split the rewards, should I agree?" The youngster smiled at Rex''s words, responding.


    "My names Derek, pleasure to make your aquintance.The quest is to take out a kobold nest a few hours away from here. As for the rewards, equal split among the five of us regarding the reward, as well as five way split of the monster bounties we aquire."


    "Monster loot?" Rex asked since kobolds were known to hoard whatever they could get their paws on, resulting more often than not in some pieces of armor, or weapons that find their way to their treasury, amidst all the other junk that was placed there.


    "Five way split, just like with everything else, giving party members the right to buyout any piece of equipment for the wendors apraised value first, reimbursing the rest their share."


    "Sounds fair. I am in, would like to stop by the smithy on our way out. Spear aint the best choice in caves, one the true melee starts." And while Rex knew just how good stabbing with the spears reach could be, his ability to use the entirety of his skill set would be severely limited. sword and board would be much better choice in that regard.


    "Not a problem Rex. So, welcome aboard." Rex followed Derek back to his party, where he introduced the rest of his team.


    "Guys, this is Rex, he has agreed to team up with us for the kobold quest." he pointed to Rex as he introduced him to the party, the rest of the members being of similar height as Derek, reaching Rex chin at best, making him stand out among the party.


    "H-hello. I''m Alex. T-the healer." stammered out a black haired and spectacled buy with scrawny build. His hair was stylized i na rather akward bobcut, making the younster look rather odd.


    "He is a bit shy, but a great fellow once you get to know him." added Derek, smiling brightly.


    "Rudy. Pleasure to meet ya." spoke the next youngster. Dressed in a light chainmail, a simple sword by his side and a shield on his back. clearly the groups front liner.


    "As you probably noticed, he is our front liner." Explained Derek, earning a nod of agreement from Rex.


    "Wow, you are big." said the last member of the party, the girly voice quite obvious. "Names Nila. I am an archer, much like Derek here." Rex observed the blonde lithe girl for a second, responding with a quick nod.


    "Nice to meet you all. As Derek mentioned Rex the name. Can do whatever is needed, but as per Dereks words, I will be your second frontliner. Lets get this job done."


    "Thats the spirit!" Derek beamed and he beckoned Rex to follow him to the counter, where Derek prompty handed over the quest flier to the pale guild attendand. Their party was named Lightning Sparrow, but since Rex was a solo, he had to registered seperately from the party, noting that he was a temporary help for the quest. This ensured that no abuse could take place where a party hired additional people for the quest but hoarded its guild reward, making excuses that they had no additional help. And yes, there had been quite a few such scummy parties before the establishement of such precautions.


    With their quest registered, The group, along with Rex left the building, on their way out running in some of Rex aquintances.


    "Hey there." Rex raised his hand towards the archer/ rogue leader of the Light''s Oak. "Good luck on your quest, whatever you choose." he added with a light smile.


    "Samanta." she spoke. "Might as well know my name, if we are going to keep runing ito each other."


    "Rex."


    "Hey Derek." Samanta waved her hand at Derek. "What quest are you on to enlist Rex here?"


    "Sup Samanta. Kobold nest extermination. Needed an extra front liner." Derek replied. "Your friend?"


    "Aquintance, though I think he is pretty skilled, if the quest he took yesterday is anything to go by." she replied.


    "Well see ya around." Said Rex and Derek at the same time, their party, as well as Samantas, eager to get on with their quests, whatever it may still be in Samantas groups case.


    As Rex and Lightning Sparrow left, Rex did hear a friendly chiding of Samanta, coming from the buxom blode. "Why did you not introduce us too? I feel neglected. Buu huu." she made fake crying signs, winking at Rex, whos head was turned and looked at the performance as he left.


    "Fine fine, next time all right." Samanta relented. That was the last Rex heard as he turned his head back forward, a slight smile on his face. He did like the blonde from that group.


    "Wow. You dont often see Light''s Oaks girls so friendly with manly men." Whistled Nila.


    "HEY!" the other three biys of the group exclaimed at the same time, clearly annoyed at the girls brunt strike on their masculinity.


    "Come on guys. None of you are big alpha beast types. You are more like the loyal pupply that will defend their master till death. Just that said master has yet to be found."


    "Rex on the other hand, she glanced at the near two meter tall man. Just look at him." A grumble escaped the trio, though there was no vehemant denial of the observation.


    "We are as we are." Rex added his two cents "But I fail to see how that is a bad thing. Whatever girl manages to catch your attention and heart will be lucky."


    "Yes, yes. Thats right." The trio agreed with Rex''s words, their mood significantly improved.


    It took a few minutes for Rex to choose a rather simple and cheap sword and a buckler, spending a couple silvers for each, barely having any coins remaining in his space storage. He did withdraw them by showing his hand in his shirt, where the coins then fell in his hand, Once he paid, he shoved his hand in the shirt once again, as if placing the coins in his ''secret pocket'', depositing the coins back in his space storage. With that done, the group departed the city, on their way towards their goal.

 Chapter 12. Kobold extermination quest. Part 2.

    As Rex and lightning Sparrow walked towards their destination, there where few words exchanged, Rex''s temporary companions spending most it it with their senses trained on their surroundings,avary of any possible ambushes that might occur. The probability of a rather large goblin infestation, a raiding warband, or possibly even a village having formed in the vicinity of the town, had already been spread around the town, as well as nearby villages, making any smaller party or merchant growing much more cautious with their travels. And while notably less alarmed than his current companions, Rex too did his part in scouting their surroundings, every now and then chosing a single dirrection in which he used his mana sonar, ensuring that for almost a kilometer away there were no danger to them forming, or sneaking closer for that matter.


    Every hour os so the group stopped, to take a break for a few minutes, Derek reasoned that it was much safer to just a bit slower with their traveling to ensure that they were fresh and rested enough to respond to any possible agression they could encounter on their way towards the village where their quest was posted. At these moments of respite, some random question were dirrected towards Rex, mostly centered around his aquintance with Light''s oak. Thruth be told, Rex did expect questions of that kind, thruthfully answering and chalking it up to chance, nothing more, since the only reason he had even noticed the party was that both he and Samanta had reached for the same contract, him being the first to do so, consequently taking it.


    "And you did not offer it to the girls? Uff, cold man, cold." Smirked Nila at Rex''s recount of the situation, causing a slightly akward chuckle from the remaining trio.


    "And why would that be? I think what I did was the correct choice. I regarded them as adventurers, first and foremost, not some eye candy or weaklings who should be pittied because of whats not between their legs. How is that cold?" His response took the party by suprise, causing a thoughtfull silence overtake their resting spot.


    "That actually makes a frightening amount of sense." Nila commented a moment later, looking at Rex with different expression now. It was one of slighty more respect than before.


    "Soo, no breaks or special treatment for beauties?" asked Derek with a mischievous glint in his eyes.


    "Never said that either. For example, that blonde priest of theirs would get a lot more leeway in her actions than the annoying pipsqueek. It all boils down to each and every individual situation, but women are more than just pretty, or not so much faces. Not that being pretty does not go a long way, but their personality and character is an important detail to pay attention to. Like Samanta for example. While I dont doubt for a second that she has had to endure enough brute monkeys with their ''Come and entertain me, thats all you are good for'' or ''I am the party leader, and the only reason we invited you is because of that pretty face and bla bla bla'', she treated me with respect one we reached for the same, not assigning me the blame for things I did not do. Thus, it is only fair that I do not jugle her based on her looks alone, for there is so much more to her. The annoying pipsqueek is the exact opposite case. Whatever insecurities and other garbage she has lived through, she tosses it toward whoever falls in her crosshairs. You get what you sow and all that."


    "But what is Alurial," Rudy asked, and seeing Rex questioningly tilt of his head to the side with his brows furrowed, quickly added "the pipsqueek," before continiuing "has gone through enough trauma that she simply does not trust anyone to begin with?"


    "Just keep your mouth shut and stay away, untill you either dont have to interract with said person, or you have learned enough to make a judgement. I dont have to solve your baggage that you carry around."


    "Damn man, that is harsh, but fair I suppose." Nila commented once again, with another moment of silence setting over the resting spot.


    "Well, lets get going again." Derek spoke up a moment later, and with another four nods agreeing with him, they set out once again. Another break, and two hours later, the group finally reached the village in question. And as soon as they arrived, they found the nearest villager, asked for dirrections toward the chiefs location. Then, once in the presence of the man, and with all the information he could provide about the sightings and actions of any kobolds in their vicinity that had caused them to suspect the presence of a nest, they departed the village once again, heading towards what was most likely the general area of at least one entrance to said nest.


    With two archers amidst the group, both having some general skills regarding tracking and scouting, it took them a single hour to find what they were looking for. Near one of the small dirt mounds that existed around the area, hidden behind some bushes and guarded by a couple of kobolds, they noticed what looked like an entrance. Their suspicions were confirmed even more so when, upon noticing their presence, one of the kobolds rushed inside as it howled and yelped, clearly calling for backup, while the other one snarled and growled at them. Clearly wanting to charge, butwell aware that alone it stood no chance.


    A few minutes later, a group of seven kobolds emerged from the entrance, extremely primitive clubs in hand of some of them, while other remained empty handed. With a few more growls and howls, the kobolds rushed at Rex and Rudy, who where standing out in the open, their swords and shields drawn and raised the moment the charge started. Both Derek an Nila, the archers, were hidden frther back, ready to pepper the incoming creatures with arrows, while Alex was hidden close to the archers, even more hidden from the kobolds.


    With the swords feeling like and extension of his body, no matter how poor quality it was, Rex felf a slight smile creeping up his face, the sensation of an imminent battle stoking his inner fire and desire to grind and grow. As the group of eight kobolds rushed them, the cover fire was provided, wounding two of the charging creatures. With the spacing between them, due to some charging at Rex''s group on all for, while others, the ones with the clubs, rushed forward with only their back legs on the ground.


    Rex used the lunge dirrection to redirect the nearest kobold with minimal effort, while sliding his swords hand under his elevated shield hand, slicing open the lunging kobolds bely, eliciting a pitifull howl upon contact, that changed into weak whelping one the crazed creature laned on the ground behind him and its guts started to spill on the ground.


    "Killshot!" Rex exclaimed as he moved forward, making short work of the next kobold in a similar fashion, and then the next and the next. His moves were extremely precise and with zero wasted movement, seeming as an expert with years and years of gruesome battles behind his back.


    "Sheesh! Fucking prodigies!" Enviously exclaimed Nila, well aware of the age of the youngster that had joined them for the quest, as her arrow ended the gutted kobolds life. Both her and Derek noticed how Rex was moving with them in mind, pulling most of the kobolds to himself, while creating perfect opportunities for both archers to cripple the kobolds that were still alive after his debilitating cuts and moves. Wisely utilising the trees and his cover fire, Rex had managed to draw seven of them while Rudy dealt with the eight. Once the last kobold was skevered by Rex sword, he looked back at Nila and Derek, raising his eyebrow as he asked a question.


    "You guys sure you are F ranks? That was some impeccable flow reading and adjusting, as well as precise cover fire."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "You are one to talk." helplessly laughed Derek "There aint no way an F rank can move like that."


    "Nonesense. As you saw, I have a single F rank quest under my belt, one I completed yesterday in fact, and registered as an adventurer a day before that. So, I am as F rank as one can be." And seeing the deadpan stares he recieved, he just shrugged and added "might have had some training in combat and weapon arts before that though, but thats a secret thats mine to bear."


    "You are not some wanted criminal hiding in an outskirts of a small nation?" Suspiciously at him looked Nila, as she asked, barely containing laughter. Rex squinted his eyes, not minding the chance to fool around before they entered the burrow, where theserious part would start.


    "Damn, I hoped you would not notice. I will have to silence you all now." he replied, light laughter escaping his mouth moments later, quickly followed by Nilas own, and a light chuckle from teh rest of the group.


    "A-any injurues?" timidly asked Alex, one the laughter died down.


    "All good." Replied rudy, the only other front liner when he noticed Rex hold thubs up sign, indicating his own condition as fine.


    "All right team, time to get serious. Burrows are much more dangerous than dealing with kobolds outside." Derek warned, and nodded apreciatively when he saw the game-on faces of his entire group.


    "Great." he nodded and got into position behind Rex and Rudy, as the two front liners took point and entered the tunnel, closely followd by the archers and their healer.


    What followed was slow grind through the tunnels, every now and then a group of four to five kobolds emerging and clashing with their group, being intercepted by both Rex and Rudy, and due to the limitations of the tunnels, making their ability to defend their back line much more efficient and stable. It was so efficient in fact, mostly due to Rex playing along with Rudy''s movements, moving in when rudy was being pushed back, stepping back when Rudy pushed forward, just enough to give his co-front liner the space he needed to perform his intended moves and moving back in when something did not go according to plan.


    And while Nila had somewhat playfully cursed Rex expert action, neither she nor the rest of her group were actually unhappy with his presence. The precise and expert action of their temporary helper had saved them a ton of resourses, limiting Alex''s necesity to spend mana to heal and recover Rudy, with only constant ned to cast Replenish energy, exchaning his mana to relieve fatigue from the front line, and an extremely minor healing every now and then for Rudy.


    Another couple hours later, they reached an expansion of the tunnel, having slain no less than fourty kobolds, with a small sack loaded with a certain and specific claw from each one of the felled ones.


    "What the hell is wrong with this burrow? There was supposed to be no more than twenty of so of them. Isnt that what the almanac of monsters say?" complained Derek, clearly not happy with their current circumstances.


    "More money for us, I suppose. But yes, something seems off." Rex added, having learned a thing or two about the kobolds by now. "And we have yet to see their ''treasury'', or the females." The main two reasons they were getting more and more wary by the second, indicated by the equally worried faces of his companions.


    Having a rather bad feeling about the place, Rex decided to do the obvious, and used his mana sonar, after signaling his group to stop for a moment. What he sensed caued even his eyes to widen, not nearly ready to deal with what came up.


    "Time to get the fuck out of here! NOW!" He spoke as he turned around and picked up his pace.


    "Em, whats..." Derek started, but was interrupted by Rex''s, his words steely and final.


    "LATER! WE LEAVE NOW!"


    Understanding that something was wrong here, the group did not question Rex anymore right now, only quickly turned and followed after him, trusting in his senses since he had thoroughly impressed them with his skills during their combat phases. Lucklaly, since they did not have to grind through monsters, or check them for any loot on their way back, it only took them a dozen or so minutes to exit the burrow, with Rex leading them back to the village. It was on their way that Derek asked the question that was on all their minds.


    "Why did we leave the burrow, without finishing the extermination?"


    "Name the clasification monster groups, living as a single community or herd, based on their sizes."


    "Huh? Sure. There are nests, that usually have around twenty or so individuals. Exiles forming a new herd mostly. Next comes village. Expected numbers of up to hundred individuals. Then come cities, with up to five thousand individuals expected. With multiple cities, next come nations, containing anywhere from ten to fifty thousand entities. And last, but not least, comes the empires, having anything above fifty thousand entities. There are a few known monster empires on the continent, creating large forbidden zones that only the most powerfull and foolish adventurer parties dare to delve into."


    "Good, Now, all I can say is that I sensed more than a few hundred individuals deeper inside. Dont ask how, but thats a fact. Now, do you thing we stand a chance against a city of kobolds with just our party?"


    "SHIT!" at the same time exclaimed the members of Lightning Sparrow. "W-we need to report it right away!" with a slight panic in his voice spoke Alex.


    "And that is why we bolted as soon as I sensed it." Rex explained, as they noticed the village in the distance.


    As soon as they entered the village, they moved straight to the village chief, who seemed rather happy with their return, asuming that their little kobold problem has been solved. The elder mans facial expression quickly changed from contentment to one of horror, as Derek mentioned what they had uncovered in the burrow. And due to the emergency nature of their information, the chief was more than willing to have one of the only two carriages that their vilage have to ferry this party back to the town, to quickly inform the guild.


    While monster villages would simply demand a higher ranked quest to be posted, unless said monsters were of a high tier themselves, anything starting from a city needed the intervention of the local army, often working in conjunction with high ranked guild adventurers. Cities were quite the lucrative locations of wealth and natural treasures, with monsters having both nose and something of a sixth sense in locating them, causing countless powerfull people to desire trying their luck in such places. And while kobolds were the bottom of the barrel in terms of might or intelect, they still always managed to hoard quite the amount of precious metals, gems magical plants and other treausres. And a city, well, that would bring in a decent amount of wealth for sure.


    With the carriage prepeared, Rex''s and his colleagues for the moment left the village, the horse galloping with quite the speed towards the town. What had taken them several hours of walking, took only thirty minutes or so for the horse drawn carriage, soon enough bringing them to Valrun''s gate. before the guards could start their ussual bullshit with what seemed like rural visitors, Rex popped his head out, waving his guild card, and near shouting at the guards.


    "GUILD EMERGENCY! MONSTER CITY FOUND!"


    With those words alone, the guards scrambled to let them through, well aware that no sane adventurer would joke about the matter, especially not in front of any city guards. With their path quickly cleared, one of the guards even mounting the sole horse stationed nearby, and riding in front of them, a unique ringing sounding out as said horse lead the way, opening a free path forwards for both the guard and the carriage that followed.


    Just a few minutes later, Rex and the party jumped out of the carriage right in front of the guild, rushing into the building and storming straight towards the counter.


    "Sorry fellas! emergency." They somewhat rudely jumped in front of a couple guys standing and waiting their turn to finish their own things, but before anyone, including the guild attendant could cite the rules and how rude their action was, Dereks words silenced any and all possible complaints.


    "We found a monster city. Call the guildmaster." A serious expression apeared on the attendants face, but seeing the rather flustered, yet dead serious and not at all drunk Derek, the attendant nodded and ordered the group to follow him upstairs.


    They were lead to the third floor, that had a single door, leading to a rather spacious and cozy waiting room, with yet another door, with plaque ''Guild master'' hung on it. The attendant knocked on the door, a rather annoyed and rough voice, half shouting, sounding from the other side after the fourth try, when said attendand started to bang his hand quite agressively.


    "PIPE IT DOWN. TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!"


    "Monster city!" the attendant spoke back, his voice slightly elevated, yet it had the desired effect, as just a moment later the door swung open, a messy head and haggard face shooting out?


    "What did you say?"


    "We found a location of a kobold city, some four hour walk from Volrun." Rex spoke, earning the full attention of the guild master.


    "I need every detail, and you better pray that what you say is true. With things like this, people dont joke around."


    "i sensed several hundreds of kobold life signatures deeper in a supposed Nest. What else can it be called than a city?"

 Chapter 13. Preperations for the raid.

    It took more than an hour of retelling everything that Rex and Lightning Sparrow had gone through, up to and including the moment rex had sensed the lives of hundreds of kobolds, deeper in the burrow. He had explained how the city was deeper below, either behind some hidden entrance, since neither of their party had seen one, or a different set of tunnels all together, but he was sure that it was there, and if needed, with the apropriate front line and numbers he would be willing to bet even his life, shoving the way personaly. The conviction and the wager that Rex was willing to set forth, was enough to convince the guild master of the absolute belief Rex held in his own senses, entirely convinced that a city was there.


    "What the hell, lets see how true it is then." the guild master sighed, rubbing his temple, the pain from a hangover still racking his brain.


    "Send a messanger to the city lord, see if he wants a chance at the spoils of a possible kobold city?"


    "At once guild master!" exclaimed the attendant that was standing to the side still, and with those words he bolted out of the room.


    "I expect you, at the very least" he looked at Rex dirrectly "to be present and show the way, since it is your life that you are betting here with the claim. As for therest of your party."


    "I am a Solo." Rex spoke, ensuring the mistake does not complicate things.


    "Hired as a plus one for a quest, yes?" questioned guildmaster.


    "Exactly." Rex replied.


    "Well, your presence is mandatory, as we have established. Lightning Sparrow was it?" he looked at the rest of the group, and recieving a nod, continiued. "Well, as the rules state, you will earn a generous reward for the discovery, if it turns out to be true, as well as retain an axclusive right to take part in the coming raid. Do you wish to use that privilege?"


    Derek had to only glance at his party, who all as one nodded their heads vigorosly. "Yes sir."


    "Understood. expect the raid to start three days from now. Rest well untill then. I have a few things to discuss with our solo here still. I believe you will find your way downstairs, yes?"


    "Of course, guildmaster." Replied Derek, as the group started to rise from their seats.


    "I think I was Lisa at the counter, hand the kobold bounty in to her, along with a ''hi'' from me. Leave my part of the reward with her as well. Say I will come by to pick it up later." Rex spoke up, reminding the group about their reward, that still had to be divided. "On that note" he looked at the guildmaster. "Our job was to take out a nest, and with the fourty something kobolds we slew, the job should be considered finished, no?"


    "Ehem, yes. That should be the case." the guildmaster coughed and answered, and seeing Rex stare at him, took a paper sheet from one of the tables in teh room, wrote something on it and after fishing out a small stamp frm hi breast pocket, stamped the paper sheet.


    "Hand this over to Lisa when you go over to exchange the monster bounty. She will mark thequest as finished. You can go by to recieve your reward, as wellas the update on your guild card once we are done with our pending conversation." he looked at Rex, still intent on having a one on one conversation.


    "See ya around." Rex waved to Derek and hi group, as the four left the rooom, and the floor consequently.


    "So, what is it that you still might have questions about?" rex asked in a rather plain, yet polite manner.


    "Which hall are you a part of?" the guildmaster asked, not mincing words, as he did not see any discernable insignia anywhere on Rex''s person.


    "I am a Solo, as stated before. No hall afiliations whatsoever."


    "Wait, none? Not even a recruiter to the guild?"


    "I know a hunter who said hewould welcome me any time, though he was of low rank, and I have recieved no benefits from any hall to be considered recruited by them."


    "Then who taught you whatever technique you used to sense those supposed hundreds of kobolds further ahead?"


    "Taught? Thats a funny idea. Everything I am, is my own hard work." Rex replied, even if it was not entirely true. His cultivator self has had quite a few fellows who had shown him a thing or two, but none of those techniques were on the spot right now, so theoretcally, he was speaking thruth at the moment. The guild master eyes Rex for a moment, trying to discern any lies in his words, but sensing none, he moved on based of off the infor he had currently, as well as asuming that Rex was indeed correct about the kobold city.


    "If what you say is correct, you have quite the potential. As such, one the monster city is located, and subsequently raided, how about joining the guilds special academy?"


    "Care to elaborate?"


    "Of course. Like many institutions in the capital, it serves the purpose of teaching gifted youngsters in order to reach their potential. But unlike the scholarly pursuit of the academies, teaching clerks and other such proffesion workers, guild academy teaches the arts of war, to recieve new and capable adventurers who would pave the way into the unknown and cull the dangers the monsters bring along with their existance and expansion into humanoid controlled territories."


    "That sounds like a place filled with arrogant and pompous noble children, having earned their place not through merit, but mouontains of coin their parents would donate guild, alongside commoners with talents who are then either pouched by said noble spaws or beaten down because of their rebelious nature. Sounds about right?"


    And akward laugh escaped guildmaster mouth, not knowing how exactly to answer this statement, as it was pretty much on point with how the academy was these days.


    "But is such a place not the perfect location to hone ones skills and character?"


    "Yea, I will pass."


    "Any particular reason as to why, besides disliking the idea of such an enviroment?"


    "Yes. I am sure I would end up killing one of those arrogant little shits in the first few weeks."


    Yet another akward laugh escaped the guildmaster. "Well, I suppose its not the best place for everyone."


    "Is there anything else that you needed of me sir?"


    "Yes, wait a moment." Guildmaster spoke, and proceeded to write another message. "Give this to one of the attendants. While I am inclined to believe your story about the city, we cant very well have you run away. So, for the next few days untill the raid comences, you will stay over at the guilds guest house. Bear with it, will ya. Guild rules and all that."


    "Fine, what about meals and what not? Do I get to go out, or will there be someone who can get me something? I happen to have an enormous appetite, that needs to be sated."


    "Dont worry about that. I will have Lisa take care of you since you seem fond of the girl. Though, a warning of sorts, if you will. Hurt her and I will personaly break your legs."


    "Sigh" Rex sighed and shook his head "I wthink you misunderstand something. I think she is cute, like a little sister, but that is all. I want to help her out, maybee spoil her a little and beat the boys that would lust after her, but that is about it. You know, big brother stuff."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "So, once you are big and strong, can a weak little guild master of a boonies guild ask for your help to save her, should worst comes to bear?" the guild master asked innocently, though Rex somehow missed a glint of something in the mans eyes.


    "If I can help, sure, though I doubt it will happen any time soon. Got a lot of growing up to do still." Rex just shrugged as he replied.


    "Noted." The guildmaster replied, waving Rex off afterwards. "Go on then. You no doubt would like to rest after such a hectic day."


    Rex nodded to the guild master, and then left the place, decending the stairs and moving straight towards the counter where Lisa was working. he had to wait another thirty or so minutes untill his turn came, quite a large amount of men standing before Lisa, waiting their turn. Had Rex not made a deal with Derek''s group that their joint monster bounties, should they ever tackle any other job together, would always be handed in to Lisa, he would have walked straight to another attendant, but his share of the quest and bounty reward was no doubt with Lisa, so he just had to endure the waiting.


    "Hey Rex!" Lisa exclaimed with a smile as his turn came. "I have your share right here. Derek told me all about your job today. Crazy huh." she beamed as her hands slid under the coounter, grabbing a small pouch of money, while at the same time recieving his adventurers card, adding another completed F rank mission to his tally.


    "Sure was." Rex replied with a light smile of his own. "Seems like its not going to calm down any time soon." Rex added, as he looked at the rather heavy activity and ever increasing numbers of adventurers coming and going through the guild.


    "Yea, the guards have probably already spread the news of the monster city through half the town, if not all. Anything else I can help you with?" she smiled a bit strained smile as she looked past Rex, clearly more than happy to talk for longer with him, but due to the ever growing line, one that was ammassing with the other two attendanats as well by now, every adventurer clearly aiming for one of the coveted spot in the raid, she had to rush him forward.


    "As a matter of fact yes. Here, a message from the guildmaster." Rex replied as he handed her the note with guild masters seal. Lisa read through it in just a moment, then asked a moment later.


    "Come with me." She spoke as she left her place by the counter, moving towards one of the doors leading deeper into the building. Rex followed her, through said door, coming to a rather cozy room with a small kitchen, a table and a few couches along the walls.


    "Please wait here for a few hours, while I finish my shit and the craziness calms donw a bit. The raids are always a headache to the attendants and the city officials, but at the same time it does bring in a lot of wealth."


    "Sure. do what you must. i will be right here, though I was wondering, if there is anything like a pantry that I could raid. I warned the guildmaster that I have a voracious apetite."


    "Mhm. Here. Help yourself." She lead him to another door where a rather large pantry with all sorts of dried meats, vegetables, fruits and other sorts of food were stationed.


    "Thanks Lisa. Go get em."


    "Umm." she beamed with a smile, took a deep breath and left through the door, back into the chaos of the guilds reception hall.


    The remaining evening Rex spent as he would usually, having a rather large meal, after which he would spend a few hours expanding his space storage, reaching the size of a small shopping bag. As Lisa had stated, the guards had indeed spread the info throughout the town, with every able bodied adventurer soon rushing the guild hall to try and aquire a spot in the coming raid. While often quite dangerous, they were a veritable gold mines, with every such raid, having multiple parties had had struck gold and becoming rich overnight, not having to worry about income for years to come. As a result, Lisa returned to the back room in the late evening, clearly exausted from the ravenous adventurers.


    "Thank you for the hard work." Rex spoke and opened his eyes as he sensed the girl enter the room, moment later slumping on one of the couches, groaning like and old man, eliciting a light chuckle from Rex.


    Recieving a pouting look from the exausted lady, Rex chuckled once more, adding/ "You cant blame me. I was relieved when I saw that you are only human, getting tired and not bubbly animated all the time."


    "Mrrr, I suppose." she pouted a bit, but enjoying the relatively soft sofa more, quickly relented. "Five more minutes okay? Then I will lead you to the rooms."


    "Sure thing. But look at the bright side."


    "What bright side?"


    "Guild master said that you will look after me untill theraid comences, meaning you dint have to weather the adventurer storm that will no doubt continue for at leat another day or two." At his words, Lisa perked up a bit, a bit of life returning to her eyes. "Really?"


    "Well, thats what he said."


    "Thank lords for that!"


    As Lisa requested, there was a five or so minute break, with Lisa gathering herself up to get to her room, and guide him to one thats free and Rex meanwhile enjoying the silence. Once she was ready, the two went deeper still in the guild building and a few minutes later, Rex was shown an empty room and told that he would be woken up by her in the morning, where she would then stay glued to him like a sole to a new shoe.


    With that Rex laid down, having already done his exercises for the day and anticipating the next couple of days to be relatively calm as he would have to wait for the raid to be assembled and dispatched.


    xxxxxxxx


    As he expected, the next few days were relatively calm, at least for him, and Lisa in extension, somthing the energetic and super friendly bundle of joy was quite thankfull off, repeating it multiple times a day. And while Rex was allowed to move around the city, within reason of course, he spent most of his time in theroom that was sgown to him, only leaving the place to fill his body with a rather large meal. Lisa could only gasp at the amount of food that Rex ate during each meal, clearly complaining that what he was doing would induce a clear jelousy in every single woman. To be able to eact unreasonable amounts of food, while not having it stick to their curves? Yea, countless ladies would kill for the ability, some would go to an even greater lenghts.


    There was an interesting development on the morning of the third day, when he was visited by a couple familiar faces. A coworker of Lisas, had informed her, who then in turn informed Rex, about the couple of ladies looking for him, and since Rex needed a break anyhows, having spent a lot of time working either on his space storage, or actively taking part in absorbing words mana into his body, he agreed rather easily, following his watcher to a seperate room where he could have a conversation with the guests.


    "Huh? Fancy meeting you here Samanta. How are you doing?" Rex spoke one he entered the room and noticed the two people in question.


    "Hello there Rex." She replied, a slightly akward smile on her face, clearly more than a friendly visit to make sure that their aquintance was fine and not abused by the guild.


    "Dont think we have been introduced." Rex then turned to Samantas companion, who smiled amiably back at him and bowed slightly, making her large and shapely bust to sway with the movement, clealry catching his gaze for a moment. A mans gotta apreciate the beauty thaths before his eyes after all.


    "Ria." she spoke, the smile remaining on her face.


    "Pleasure." Rex nodded to return the greeting, moments later returning his gaze to the hazel haired beauty. "So, to what do i owe the pleasure? I doubt that this is a social visit."


    A helpless smile adorned Samantas face as she exhaled heavily, trying to find the best words to start with, deciding on an aproach a few moments later.


    "Lisa, would you mind leaving us for a few minutes? We would like to discuss this with Rex alone." she finally spoke, her gaze fixated on the bundle of joy.


    "Hmm? Sure. Call me when you are done." Lisa only nodded and left the room, leaving the remaining trio in a rather akward silence, that was broken moments later, as the blonde buxom beauty spoke instead of Samanta.


    "There is a favour we would like to ask, and I am willing to compensate accordingly. A-anything you whish." She spoke as shyly, one of her hands clenched by her side into a fist, as the other slowly pulled at her cleavage, revealing more and more of her well developed and shapely busom.


    "And why do you think I would enjoy something that is offered through gritted teeth?" Rex asked, clearly aware just how much the idea and offer was loathed by the girls, as well as the sheer desperation that both seemed to be in."Better yet, why dont you start with what it is that you believe I have, or can do for that matter, that would warrant your friends body in exchange. And to be specific here, hers precisely. Why not yours, your archers or your fighters for that matter?" he finished, sat at one side of the table and waited on the two women.


    A minute or so later, the two ladies sighed, and slumped into their own chairs, a clear exaustion obvious on their faces, as well as resignation and defeat.


    "We heard from Derek that you found a monster city during you quest. The one that the whole town is talking about and prepearing to raid." Samanta started, waiting for Rex confirmation.


    "So far correct."


    "And am I correct to asume that you are going and have not formed a party of your own yet?"


    "True as well, though I dont see how that matters. I am a Solo after all."


    "Right, you probably would not know all the details here. Every party, Solos included, have a right to take part in a raid of a city they had discovered, since that is not a feat to be achieved by their lonesome, as well as a sizable reward from the spoils attained from the place. There are numerous groups that have made their goal to discover fresh monster cities, getting rich in the process."


    "So?" Rex asked, still waiting for the punchline, a realization dawning on his face. "You want to join with me. Why?"


    A defeated sigh escaped Samantas lips as she looked at him. "We had taken a quest further away from here, so by the time we returned, all the slots were already taken and we got trapped in a problem that needs a quick influx of funds."


    "Okay. That explains the desire to get into raid. I am still confused about the desperate move of offering Rias body. Even I could see the reluctance and gritted teeth as you did so. I know I am not the hottest piece of asss around, but that is just mean."


    "S-sorry. We might have overheard how ,uch you apreciated my form."


    "Ahh. A favour for a favour. Right. Should have started with the offer of a few dates or something. That calm and slight smile on your face makes you so much more enchanting and desirable. This, this was just sad." Rex sighed, earning an incredulous look from the two beauties. "So, what the problem?"

 Chapter 14. The raid. Part 1.

    As it turned out, Alurial had managed to cause the group problems much sooner than Rex would have ever expected. The little pipsqueek had become even more irritable after rex had brushed her off, lashing out at not only her friends, even if quite a lot less angrily, but also anyone who crossed paths with them, inevitably kicking an iron plate. As a result, there was a rather large amount of money they had to fork out, lest the offended party took offense and the guild would make the girls compensate in the only way they could at that time- using their bodies to pacify the hurt party, something that said ''hurt party'' was counting on, most likely having pulled some strings to get the current result.


    "So, after a small chat with Derek and learning of our involvement, as well as learning of my interest in Ria, you came to the conclusion that it was better for only one of you to have to go through what was looming over your heads."


    "No, I volunteered." Ria corrected him "Samanta and others offered as well, but since you had spoken so highly about me.." she did not finish, her head hung low, clearly embarased to talk of such things.


    "Now I feel like a piece of meat. And here I thought I have a pleasant impression on your group, the pipsqueek excluding." Rex sighed, covering his eyes and massaging his temples.


    "I am more than willing to offer myself, but we desperatly need to make that spot. Rex please?" Samanta spoke, though Rex still could see that the offer was still nothing more than an act of desperation, choosing the lesser of the two evils.


    "Sorry girls, but your offer is not appealing in the least. I doubt I could enjoy myself, with tears being the least of the harm such a deal would create." and seeing as their eyes grew more somber and dejected, he added "Though I have a possible proposal that could work for all of us." The last sentence did return a slight amount of light to their eyes, as they focused on whatever Rex would speak next.


    "What I offer, is simple. Wait a sec." he stopped and called Lisa back into the room. She was a member of the guild after all. And with Lisa by his side, he continiued. "So, my offer is simple. Your request in exchange for a montly dates with Ria while she makes a sound commitment that no other man gets anywhere near her." His words tokk the tree ladies by shock, as Lisa sputtered.


    "Rex, that is not proper at all. What is it that they asked for, by the way?"


    "That is between us, though note that they were willing to go much further, with my offer being the chaste one." His words caused Lisa to took at the two ladies on the other side of the table, all three of them suddenly blushing.


    "So, what do you think?" Rex asked the duo.


    "Why?" a quiet question came from Ria, barely audible. Moments later, she spoke once more, this time much clearer than before. "Why would you go so far for us?"


    "Lets just say that a forcefully plucked fruits are not nearly as tasty as one thats ripe and perfectly prepeared. Besides, Samanta is a nice person, a bit too good if you aske me. And you just seem too precious for some scummy noble to spoil. Right, and I want to be there as you deal with your small problem after the raid. So, do we have a deal?"


    The two party members looked at each other for just a moment, promptly agreeing to his offer.


    "Perfect then. Lisa dear, could you inform guild master that as my right to have a party for the raid, I will be joining hands with Light''s oak? And I would like to have this little deal of ours to be written down and noted by guild."


    "Sure, though the latter will cost you a few silvers at the very least." she replied as she left to take care of the requests, the trio remaining where they were, awaiting her return.


    "See, you look much better with that relaxed smile on your face." Rex spoke when he noticed that Ria had calmed down considerably and was even sporting that light smile of hers, prompting her to touch her own face in shock, feeling it for herself, as well as having Samantas gaze directed at her.


    With Lisa gone, Ria asked a question that had crept up in her mind during the latter part of their conversation.


    "I think I understand your reasoning in not going along with our offer, but how does this one benefits you? There is nothin more than simple dates guaranteed after all" she quickly shied her gaze away, not entirely comfortable talking of such topics, her last sentence of much more muffled.


    "Look at it this way." Rex replied in a relaxed manner. "I get to know you better at a slow and relaxed pace, without worry that some smuch, or a skilled manipulator could sweep you off your feet and sink their claws in you. You are aware that I find your physical appearance quite pleasing, so if I come to enjoy your company, and you mine in return, its a big win for me. And the slow pace of our outings will allow me to focus on adventures and my growth, with, as I stated before, safety net that you are focused on me alone as a potential partner."


    "And you thought that all through during our small interaction? Where are my man of such caliber." complained Samanta from the side, much more spirited now that at least a part of their conundrum was solved.


    "By the way, should the raid not pan out too well for you guys, for that is a posibility, I will call in a favour with guild master to get Ria through without the same problems the rest of you will face. Unless I myself get so much dough that I could consider bailing you all out, though that pipsqueek of yours is an issue."


    Samanta winced at the bluntness that Rex aproached the subject, since that was a possibility, but even with that stark difference in his attitude, she had a question that was hard to contain.


    "Why dont you like Alurial so much Rex? I know she is a handfull, but still."


    "Besides the fact that she is arrogant without the strenght to back it up, or that loud and presumptious persona that she goes around as? Geez, I dont know, must be the wind."


    Once again, both women winced at his words.


    "And of course her inability to see that her actions are quite the threat to the rest of your party. Case in point your current troubles. She either gets her act together fast, or she will be the death of you. And since I am investing in Ria now, you can see how my opinion of that pipsqueek gets only worse."


    The room descended in silence, and soem minutes later Lisa returned, with sets of two papers in her hands. One proved that Rex had teamed up with Light''s Oak for the raid, the other being their contract, with both sides agreeing to the aforementioned terms. Another ten or so minutes later, the duo left, allowing for Rex and Lisa to return to the living quarters of the guild, where they spent most of the day relaxing. It was in the evening that Lisa informed Rex that the raid had been completely assembled and ready to depart, which would happen in the early morning of the next day, and that all the parties who would be taking part had already be notified.


    xxxxxxx


    As per ussual, Rex woke up nice and early, the air outside felt positively energized, what with all the adventurers already up and about, arriving more than an hour earlier than the supposed assembly time. It seemed that not one of the parties was willing to miss out on the oportunity, though that was to be expected, what with all therumors of someone always striking it rich after such a raid. Of course, the level of success always varied, but nonetheless, that did not dampen the spirits and excitement of the crowd.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Finding his way to the guild kitchen, he met with a couple of attendants, up nice and early and prepearing for a possibility of quite the hectic day, likely that the adventurers that did not get a spot in the raid would come in droves to take some other quest to went their anger out on. They could do nothing to the guild after all, well aware of the enormous power behind it as an organization. Nodding a light greeting to the people present, Rex set about to prepeare himself some breakfast and, well aware that Lisa would soon slump into the kitchen and dining area, not being a morning person whatsoever, he made an extra portion to provide the young lady with.


    Truth to his expectation, Lisa arrive sson after, and seeing as Rex was setting plates for two, beamed a happy and thankfull smile in his dirrection. Once they both were at the table, with Rex''s portion being much larger than Lisas, though nothing new by now, Lisa spoke once they had been eating for a short while, a pleased sigh leaving her lips.


    "Sigh. Whatever woman manages to land you will be trully lucky." Then, after stuffing her cheeks and chewing for a while followed by another sigh, she continiued "Do tell me should you find another man like you. A girls gotta think of her future you know. " Rex smiled and even laughed a little, eliciting a light groan from the girl.


    "Well, I am starting to consider you like a little sister of mine, so whoever decides to pursue you, will have to get past my evaluation."


    Another groan escaped her cute person. "Not you too. The guildmaster said the same thing."


    "You should be happy Lisa. That just means how precious you are. Take it as a compliment that is should be."


    "Easy for you to say. Guildmaster is quite the busybody when it comes to matters like this. The scores of random adventurers lining up to my workplace are of no concern to him, but the second I show any interest in any man, he sweeps in like a hawk, disecting any and all actions of said pesron, eventually marking them as unft and scaring them away."


    "Well, I would have to say he has been correct so far then." Rex replied, adn seeing her incredulous look, added an explanation. "Anyone who gives up and runs away just because of the presence and scrutinizing eye of the guildmaster does not deserve your time and affection anyways. They were probably just looking for a quick score and bragging rights. Cant have such scum sully a treasure like you. So, whats one more guard dog to ensure that no scum or simple thief walks away with the treasure of a century." Rex smiled after his own explanation, sure his point had gone across quite well,reflected in the blooming smile on Lisas lace. The remaining breakfast was rather quiet, with both of them thinking on their own . Once done, Lisa lead Rex over to the guildmasters office, the middle aged man looking much more offical and presentable, a far cry from the hungover old man he had met a few days ago.


    "Ready to prove your words true kid?" The man grinned from ear to ear.


    "There is nothing to prove. All I have to is guide you to ensure that it is not missed is all."


    "Ha ha ha ha. Confident. I like it."


    "You seem to be doing much better yourself." Rex remainded the guildmaster of the last time they had met, something the man in question simply waved off. "We all have working ours, even me. What I do in my spare time is of no business to the guild, or anyone else for that matter."


    "Sure thing sir. On an unrelated matter, if you will lend me an ear." Rex spoke, waiting for the guildmaster to signal for him to continiue, an when said sign finally came, he continiued.


    "I dont know if you are aware, but is seems that someone has used some backdoor connections in this branch." To his words, the guildmasters face visibly darkened.


    "Tell me all about it."


    "Dont know much myself, but that it involves a party by the name of Light''s Oak and that they are supposed to play a rather large sum for some small offence, otherwise they would have to use their bodies to compensate for supposed damage, and that it had been done with the guild approval and blessing."


    "God damit!" guildmaster cursed under his breath, murmuring to himself "I though I dealt with all that rabble when I took over." A moment later he looked to Rex, as if expecting something else.


    "In case you cannot solve the issue in a timely manner, I wanted a guarantee that those slimy bastard dont get their claws on a blonde beauty by the name of Ria in said party. Otherwise there might be some rather tragic accidents a few years down the line. Heavens are fickle after all."


    "Hmm. I will take care of it as soon as we return from the raid. Hope such a time frame is fine with you?"


    "Not a problem. The party in question will be my plus one for the raid, so it suits us just fine. Ow, and I owe you one. Save it for a rainy day a few years down the line. It will come in handy, I know it."


    "With your potential? I could be a moron and would still see something so obvious. Pretty sure that everyone must be here already, so lets get this party started."


    With that said, the guildmaster lead Rex downstairs and out of the guild building, where a large number of adventurer parties had gathered. As Rex walked alongside the guildmaster, he soon noticed both Light''s Oak and Lightning Sparrow parties, who promptly walked over, without stopping the duo from continuing on their way. moments later, the group stopped by a rather large group of well armored soldiers, led by a man on a white horse. The man was around forty, some gray locks adorning his hair and beard.


    "Commander Wulf." guildmaster nodded his head to the mounted man in greeting as he addressed him.


    "Guildmaster Ross, a pleasure to meet you. Are we ready to seet out?" the older man asked, his face relaxed but his body told a story of a seasoned warrior who was always alert and ready for any unforseen situation.


    "JESS!" Guildmaster Ross yelled out and moments later one of the guilds attendants ran over. "Yes guildmaster?"


    "Everyone is present?"


    "Yes guildmaster. All checked in and accounted for. We can depart at any moment."


    "Perfect. As unrully and individualistic the adventurers are, they never fail to impress me when it comes to raids and large scale oportunities like these."


    Moments later, he pulled a horn from his belt and blowed into it, covering the front of the building in a rather odd sound, that silenced any other, quickly earning the attention of everyone present.


    "Adventurers!" the guild master exclaimed. "An opportunity has presented itslef to us, and we would be fools not to take it. I know that everyone here is well aware what is in store for us, so I will not waste more words. We head out NOW!"


    With those words, he mounted the horse that was prepeared for him, while the adventurer parties climed in whatever carriages they were assigned to, the result of a collaboration between every transport offering fellow throughout the city and beighboring villages. It was one of the reasons why the raid had to wait for a few days, ensuring that thei group would travel and arrive at their destination in a similar timeframe.


    Minutes later, the town gate saw off numerous carriages, each and every one loaded with excited adventurers or soldiers, greed and anticipation gleaming in their eyes. It took the large procession aproximately an hour to reach the small village where Rex''s subjugation quest had innitially started. And not much later, the rather sizable group, consisting of a few dozen adventurer parties, as well as a few hundred soldiers, departed towards the place where the burrow that Rex and Lightning Sparrow had raided.


    Men and women in various sets of armor and numerous different weapons of choice ammased in front of the burrow, their eyes gleaming at the coming oportunities. The guild master took point, with Rex, his temporary companions and Silver Sparrow close by, as well as a squad from the city soldiers, alongside with commander Wul and a few earth mages that were called in specifically to gain access to the other tunnels leading to the city, should the neccesity demand it.


    "Lets get this party under way, shall we?" Grinned Ross, recieving nods from both parties and the commander, closely following Rex and his party into the burrow. Due to them already having cleared it once, they were more aware of the place, rather quickly guiding Ross, Wulf and the earth mages to the last chamber, the place where Rex had sensed the signature of hundreds more kobold life singatures.


    Once in the larger cavern, Rex pointed towards the dirrection in which he had sensed the activity, pointing out that it felt that there was still some activity, adding that he could not use the same ability so soon again, at the very least nowhere near the same capacity. A rather bold faced lie that Rex had not hesitated to tell. Knowledge was something coveted by many, and the premier skills were in the same boat, but adding obvious weaknesses and drawbacks would make hiss ability to look more mediocre, taking the spotlight off of him.


    The earth mages spent around five minutes in establishing a spell circle what they stood in to cast a special spell, after which they confirmed the precise location of said group consisting of hundreds of creatures deeper down. They had confirmed the existance of a large contingent of montsters in the vicinity beforehand. As one of the scouts from the soldiers side returned to the surface, the remaining people present started to look for a possible path downward, one that they found shortly before the remaining adventurers arrived. The earth mages cleared the path in mere minutes afterward, opening the path forward, as every group wanted to find a spot that they could explore freely on their own and perhaps earn some serious treasure.

 Chapter 15. The raid. Part 2.

    The carriage of Rex and Light''s Oak, on their way towards the village.


    The carriage was covered by a slightly akward silence, once the party of six had boarded. Either Samanta and Ria had spoken to Alurial about what Rex said of her, or simply because of the circumstances, but no one wanted, or could come up with a proper topic during their travel, thus maintaining the glaring silence. Rex on the contrary, did not care enough to break said silence, enjoying the moment he could spend on meditaion and rest. Sure, he had countless things he could be working on right now, but sometimes it was the best choice to simply relax and enjoy the moments of quiet one could get. The coming hours, maybee even days, will be anything but.


    Aproximately halfway through, a voice interrupted the silence, a question dirrected towards Rex, if his eyes had been open to see the dirrection the asker was looking towards.


    "Why?" a single word, the meaning not quite clear, nor the recipient for that matter. At least untill the speaker gathered all the courage that they could, to make it obvious and clear.


    "What have I done to earn your animosity?"


    Recognizing the voice, or so he thought, Rex opened his eyes, the small frame of the petite half elf leaned forward, her eyes, slight tears at the corner of them, locked on him. Her hands trembled, clearly distraught by the whole disasterous situation her party has found themselves into.


    "Its not animosity. Its annoyance and strong dislike. You are not important, or capable enough to earn my animosity, nor have you done anything that warrants such. Yet. But you are on a path there. Congratulations."


    That was all he said, returning to his relaxed position and closed his eyes once again.


    Sniff. "Its because of my body." sniff. She stuttered out through sniffs as she descended into full tears, clearly considering her petite body to be the only reason for the attitude she had been recieving.


    "Then why dont you do something to change that? This world is filled with mana, a resourse that can make ones dreams a reality. Besides, have you even finished growing?" Rex spoke, his eyes still closed. "And while at it, fix that attitude and way of conduct as well. There are few men of skill and character who want anything to do with tsunderes or the like. True men prefer mature beauties like Ria. With the right mentality first and foremost. Thought the combination with a mature and gracefull body is the golden ratio. Or a kind and reliable woman like Samanta, with lithe and agile body. There are as many tastes as there are types of women, but only the controll freaks, agressive scum and weirdos would like a loud girl that does not know what she wants and acts like a spoiled princess or something. From the moment we met, you have acted as some sort of a spoiled prodigy, with the world spinning around you. No doubt the reson for the predicament your whole party is in right now."


    Rex''s no nonsense, straight to the deal words, cut deep, causing the half elf to only cry harder, shortly after being embraced by Ria, as Samanta sighed and adressed Rex.


    "Thats enough Rex, she had been taking this hard as is, there is no need to push her further."


    "She has to hear it from someone." Rex replied, his eyes still closed as he relaxed in his seat "Since we are of the same team for the raid, I am not going to risk a liability standing at my back. She either performs her task as the mage of the party, or she stays in the village and does not become a dead weight. I might risk my hide to save Ria or you, but if she is as unstable as she is now, that would be too cumbersome to deal with, especially in the middle of a monster city. And there is no better way in the short term to shake her awake."


    The remaining path towards the village was mostly spent in quiet. Alurial stoped crying a few minutes after Rex finished his point, only a few whispers from either Ria or Samanta to calm the half elf. Rex did notice a slight change in the demeanor of the loli mage as they exited the carriage, once at their derstination. Alurial seemed different somehow, her eyes, red from tears, displayed a different sheen. One of determination and self reflection. His observation turned out to be correct, as Samanta confirmed that Alurial will be joining their group after all.


    "''I cant let my friends risk their lives for something that was mostly my fault!" were the exact words used, then parroted by Samanta to Rex. In response Rex just shrugged, but did not object much to the decision.


    With that sorted out in a timely manner, they had lead the entire raid group towards the burrow entrance they had used, then alongside the guildmaster, Lightning Sparrow and a partial retinue of the city army descended into the burrow, leading the group towards the final chambers.


    Present time.


    With their path now open and cleared, as well as the remaining raid parties having reached the newly expanded tunnel, with guild master, commander Wulf and his soldiers at the forefront, the entire group started to descend into the unknown. A few minutes later, the soldiers at the front exited into a rather dark and remote corner of a large cavern, dimly iluminated by all kinds of fluorescent fungi and moss. What they could clearly see in the distance, in the very center of the large caverns ceiling was a rather large sized crystal, illuminating a rather sizable, few meter high wall, multiple sentries patrolling on said walls.


    Just like with the ones Rex''s group had slain in the burrow above, all they could see were kobolds, but the ones on the walls were seen with some crude metal helmets adorning their heads, much better equiped, or at all, when compared to the ones Rex and his group had dispatched a few days prior. Most likely some exiles or whatever counted as the scum of the monster societies. With enough earh mages in employ, creating breaches in said walls would not be too difficult, all the defenders had to worry about were the occasional hail of arrows launched in their way, once the aproach would be noticed, but since their opponents were kobolds, the general danger of said volleys was not too much of a danger.


    Keeping as much to the shadows as possible, the raid group emerged from the new tunnel and slowly got into formation, orienting themselves and spreading out in the apropriate interwals. The front line was formed from the better armored soldiers, shields covering their bodies from the possible hails of arrows, shortly aafter followed by the adventurer parties, their own shield users standing in front of thei heavy firepower.


    Once in position the raid advanced, soon after being discovered by the more alert and sharp sentries. Just moments after, howls and shrieks resounded throughout the cavern, alarming monster city of their unwanted guests. The first warnings of the coming bloodbath. And while it would seem as quite the savage act, raiding and killing most, if not all of the places inhabitants, kobolds in this case, the same fate, if not worse, was in store for any human village in the near vicinity. The city was fresh, no more than a few years old, judging by the lack of wiped out human settlements on the surface, but the completed state of the wall meants that kobolds were almost ready to start their own excursions to the surface, causing heavy casualities and damage to the local area, both nature and humans included.


    The lines of armored soldiers, their shields held high, walked forward, their armor and shields deflecting nearly all of the arrows launched their way, a rare few making contact with flesh of said soldiers. That too did little, as the few that pierced a soldiers flesh were quickly removed, the healers behind them chanting and mending said wounds moments later. And in less than a few minutes, the aproaching raid group had reached the walls, where shields were raised, protecting the earth mages while they performed their duty.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    With a loud crash, the ewall split open a short while later, creating a few breaches in the wall, revealing the other side of the conflict.Through the breaches in walls, soldiers pressed through, their shields used as battering rams, their fellow soldiers assisting with the sheer mass to gain space for others to come through. Kobolds, armed and armored with notably worse quality armor, if any at all, as well as weapons in a similar manner, could not hold back the incoming enemies, getting pushed back and creating a small space for the invading force within walls.


    With the soldiers gaining ground, adventurers quickly followed, flowing inside as well, some of them already having scaled the wall and tearing through the archers on it, clearing the segment behind the raid group, allowing the people on the ground to not worry about any arrows coming from their rear. No matter how low the probability was, noone was willing to risk it after all. Rex too, had scaled the wall moments before, using his blood chain to reach the top, and was now shredding through the poor bastards on the wall. Their crude bows helped little to slow him down, on the contrary, due to the akwardness of the kobold archers, he could easily slip pass them all, using the minumum amount of strenght and stamina to end their lives.


    "Wow, thats some scary skill." comented Meru from his party, as the girls watched his speed and prey limp on the wall.


    "Derek did say that Rex is a monster in his own right, but that is just ridiculuos." added Samanta. "Nevermind. We have a job at hand. Lets go!" She exclaimed at the end, their party having reached one of the breaches.


    As more and more space was aquired around the breaches, the soldiers moved in a rather specific manner, creating a few coridors in their shield wall, allowing the kobolds to get deeper in, where they where intercepted by adventurers. The shields were large enough to ensure the wall holder security and the healers behind did the same regarding the shield bearer stamina and health.


    With the wall behind the raid group cleared, and his party inside the walls, Rex looked into the city, sending out a rather sophisticated mana sonar, earning a much more detailed information regarding the place. The gathering spots of kobolds, wall thickness of the buildings, possible excavated metal deposit locations and similar information. It did cause a slight headache in his mind, but it was an acceptable trade in Rex opinion at the given moment. Kobolds were not the strongest of opponents he could face, and having aquired a decent amount of experience and understanding of the monster species capabilities, he was more than sure of his own ability of tackling quite the large numbers. Not to mention that he had help in the form of Lights Oak as well.


    Sounds of metal weapons clashing against shields, wooden cubs shattering and howls of pain permeated the air, as more and more of hkobolds fell, the difference in skill between both sides clearly apparent. A few minutes of heavy bloodsheding later, every adventurer and the entirety of soldiers were inside. Dozens of fallen kobolds littered the ground, their blood seeping out of the slowly cooling bodies.


    "Split up and spread out! In case of encountering overwhelming opposition use the flare your party had been given!" Exclaimed commander Wulf, guildmaster Ross grunting in approval. It was time to try their luck, since the parties of adventurers worked better on their own, with the people they had been working already. Rex had joined Light Oak already, using whatever chance he had to collect the blood of the fallen kobolds and compressing it more and more. He was slowly assembling a sword of blood. With each strike that would cut into any flesh of his targets, it would grow slightly more powerfull, even more so every time he could absorb the entirety of his preys blood. Sure, it would take time, but that was something he had plently off.


    "Your orders Samanta?" Rex asked the leader of the group, catching his temporary companions off guard?


    "You want me to lead? Even after that display of yours on the wall?" Samanta asked, clearly slightly flustered.


    "Of course. You know your team best, and they surely trust your decision making. If neccessary, I will provide my opinion or insight, or yell loudly in case of an emergency that I myself cannot contain, but otherwise I will trust in your lead. Experience matters quite a bit after all. So, you good with that?" Rex asked, recieving a few sighs of reliefe in return. "See, your friends agree too."


    "Alright then." Samanta agreed, pumping her fist to psyche herself up.


    "Thought I would like to suggest that we go in this direction." Rex added in a much quieter voice, heard only by his party. The manner in which he spoke, as well as the well hidden gesture, once again only seen by his party, was quite telling, removing any need for questions, and as the remaining groups were still in the last stages of their own preperations, Samanta gestured towards the same direction Rex had pointed to, and ordered her party to depart, loud enough for others to hear and notice. Some snickers and jokes about overeager fools who are risking their own hides did reach their ears, but was promptly ignored.


    Now that Rex was inside a walled city of sorts, with wide enough streets that they will be walking through, he switched over to his spear, taking the front alongside the fighter girl with sword and shield, Meru.


    "Allow me to take point." Rex spoke to the gray haired fighter. "My reach and skill requires quite a bit of space to work with and it is going to much easier to controll our attackers in such a manner."


    "Alright." She agreed rather easily "But dont hesitate to ask for help, or wsitch if it gets too hard and you need a breather." she added.


    "Noted." Rex agreed, making a few hops forward to place himself at the very front.


    Just around the next corner they encountered a group of kobolds, charging their way the moment they were noticed. Rex too, charged forward, his spear to the side in one of his hands, quickly changing its position as he came into range with the attacking group. he used both his own, and the inertia of the attacking kobolds to leverage kobold bodies and fling them over himself, causing heavy thuds to resound in the vicinity as the kobolds landed painfully and akwardly in front of Meru, where either she herself stabbed the lightly stunned creatures, or their vital areas were introduced to a rather sharp arrow.


    A decently aimed, even if not of the greatest potency, fireball was shot past Rex, connecting with the ground and delaying yet another groupd of kobolds from joining in, giving Rex a few extra seconds to finish his flinging exercise , freeing him up for the next batch. Unfortunately, said next batch experienced a similar situation, being flung, landing painfully, and tyhen being skewered by either arrows or the pointy end of a sword.


    "Holy shit!" Exclaimed Meru once they had finished the second group. "What kind of style is that? I would have a hard time controlling them all, especially with the second group arriving then they did. Sure the girls would have helped and we would win in the end, but some wounds would have been inevitable." Her sentiment was echoed by the rest of the girls, their heads bobbing along with the question.


    "Stupid, human sized monsters are easy. All you need is to use a proper leverage and their already high momentum. Rest comes with practice. I would focus on deflecting attacks with the shield and using the oppenings to deliver deadly stabs with a set like yours." Rex explained.


    "But you have a set similar to mine, why dont you use it then?" Meru asked in turn.


    "Because there is a lot of space here, giving me an extra advantage with the reach of the spear." Rex explained, gesturing for the group to move on. The slower they were, the larger the chance of another party to find the treasure they were hoping to find. It was first come first serve in such scenarios, with guild earning a percentage of the loot from every group. And while some, greedier individuals, would complain about guild taking an undue cut, mots were reasonable enough to know that without the guilds raid they would never have had the opportunity to aquire any loot in the first place.


    Since the monster bounties on kobolds had been revoked for the forseeable future due to the raid on the kobold city, there was nothing of value to collect, allowing for the party to move forward. Samanta let Rex lead their group forward- a tacit understanding among the group since Rex had shown to have some sort of sense for loot. In a manner similar to the one displayed at the beggining, they mowed past a couple more groups of kobolds, reaching a rather modest looking building, as much at it could be called such, earning a few raised eyebrows from the girls.


    "Trust me girls, there is something seriously good in there." Rex reassured, switching over to his sword and shield setup, since they would have to fight in confined spaces once again.


    "Brace yourselves ladies. A bit tougher fight awaits us before the promissed loot." He added, as he rised his shield up, his sword slightly glistening with the blood crystal coating adorning it.

 Chapter 16. The raid. Part 3.

    The building looked quite worn down, but its entrance was rather large. So much so, that a person of two and a half meter lenght could easily walk through, their back straight and head held high. In the second room, behind a small corner bend a hole leading to what should be abasement came into their view. Just like with the entrance, the hole was equaly large, making the girls to become more carefull and alert. Whatever was waiting for them down there, was leagues above the kobolds they had been dealing with so far.


    "You sure its a good idea?" Ria asked, clutching her staff with worry.


    "Its fine. You got me here. Besides, I do believe that whatever risk we are taking right now is warranted, especially with your conundrum." came the reply from Rex, his voice low, clearly an attempt to minimize the chance of them being heard before time. A minute or so later, they started to hear low growls further down the tunnel, causing the girls to raise their alert levels even higher. Son after, they turned yet another corner, coming into view of their opposition.


    "A kobold champion!" exclaimed the dark haired archer, Veena, as the party finally saw their adversary. On a large stone chair, a crude copy of some throne the kobold had seen somewhere, sat the two and a half meter sized menace. Dark gray fur covering its body. Black, beady eyes locked on Rex, who was at the very front of the group. A rather large size axe stood by the side of the throne, one of the champions paws holding it tight. Its body was covered in some rather simple chainmail and on its head, a rather funny looking kettle helm was placed, a single spike extending upwards from its center. Further behind it, a large pile of gold and other valuables could be seen, just waiting for its new owners to arrive. Two normal sized kobolds lounged on both sides. Both with ordinary brown fur, wearing similar armor to teh champion, if a little more worn down. Unlike the chief though, both had rather simple spears at hand, something both quickly grabbed and stammered on their feet, snarling and barking at Rex and the ladies.


    "i will keep the big bastard busy. Take care of the guards first and once done, help me with ranged attacks to immobilize and take down the champion." Rex spoke, moving forward even more so.


    "Will do!" Exclaimed Samanta, lodging an arrow into her bow and releasing it towards one of the two guards. In a blink of an eye, Veena followed suit, doing the same with teh second guard, both of whom had already started their mad dash towards the group. Rex in turn, charged forward as well, followed by Meru a decent distacne away.As the champion rose from its seat. Rex reached the charging duo, skillfully deflecting one of the spears coming for his torso, causing its wielder to stumble forward while moving out of the strike zone of the second one, pasing both and continiuing his charge towards the last, largest enemy in the expanded room.


    Meru reached the two, one of whom was scurrying back to its feet. Two more arrows flew in their dirrection, striking the chainmail of the fallen one, eliciting and small yelp, followed by two angry growls, coming from both guards. The arrows had barely struck through the chainmail the guards were wearing. Despite its poor visual condition, it seemed they were still quite capable of stopping attacks against them.


    Neither Meru, nor Alurial was slacking off either. The fighter girl had closed the distance and was using her sword to slash the upright standing kobold, aiming towards irs less armored body parts. Its spear thrust already deflected by herself, efficiently her shield. Sure, Rex was much better at fighting than she was, but that did not mean she could not, or would not fullfill her role in their party. She had been doing this thing for months already. Besides, she had teh assistance of two archers, a mage and a healer to boot, should she make a mistake or whatnot. Keeping a certain count in her head, and having reached the correct number, she swiftly retreated, yet another pair of arrows flying, distracting the two guards from her just long enough for another source of light to fly the kobold way. Alurial had thrown her fireball, causing an explosion to rock the cave they were currently in. The two kobolds were not having a great time, both had their hides nicely burnt, their skin singed in multiple places. Even their chainmails started to feel rather uncomfortable, the heated metal rings creating quite the discomfort for the two kobolds. With a battle cry leaving her lips, Meru went in once again, her muscles tensed and strained as she engaged the two kobold guards, trying to end their own battle in hopes to join Rex to end the champions life as well. It took another minute or so, as well as another fireball for the two kobold guards to finally be taken down, freeing the party to asist Rex.


    Rex meanwhile was holding his own quite commendably, having bolted straight towards the rising champion, ignoring the two guards. He was confident enough in his parties ability to take care of the two, allowing him to fully focus on the target in front of him. With unexpected speed, the champion lashed out, his battle axe creating a swooshing sound as it was flung towards Rex''s head, in an attempt to split him in two in one swift strike. Unfortunately, Rex was prepeared, lowering and sidestepping just enough for the strike to go just past him, while at the same time inflicting a small cut on one of the champions arms, earning himself a low growl from the kobold in return.


    As soon as the axe collided with the stone floor, cutting deep into it, the kobold struck out with his leg, trying to send Rex flying. Once again, a swift yet precise sidestep, followed by yet another cut on the extended extremity of the creature, earning yet another growl, slightly louder than before. With the kick also being a bust, kobold champion howled, making a sweep with his tail and ensuring Rex does not close in on its back, while it put more force into its legs and dislodged its massive axe from the stone floor.


    Learning from its mistake, it proceeded with large horizontal cleaves, avoiding any chance of burrying its weapon in the stone floor, allowing for continious and deadly strikes in succesion. AS such, for the next few minutes Rex could do little to actually damage the snarling opponent, managing to make a few additional small cuts on its extremities. The current stallmate was clearly getting on the monsters nerves, indicated by the ever growing growls and occasional howl of anger.


    Rex was expecting for the champion to start switching its attention to the rest of his group soon, yet before its got that far, the cave was assaulted by a sligfht tremor, as well as an explosion. their mage had taken action. Due to the small window where the champion was distracted, Rex managed to slip past its reach and deliver a rather nice and deep cut behind one of its knees, heavily limiting the ability of his adversary to make agile and fast movements, mostly rooting it in place. He did have to half block the incoming axe strike moments after, causing him to be flung back due to the sheer forse he was too slow to fully redirect.


    "TPHUuhh!" Rex spat out a mouthfull of salive and air, as he connected with the save extentions wall, air being knocked out of his lungs due to the impact, though he got back to his feet near instantly. He had enough battle sense not to stay on the ground and complain. "Got some spunk, dont you bastard." Rex grinned at the champion, raising both his shield and sword once again. He was aware of the likelyhood he had to parry the strike that flung him, and while he did everything as he had predicted, to mitigate the force he would have to take on, he had miscalculated the raw power of the creature he was facing. Not enough to make him incapable of continiuing, nor heavily wounded, but enough to knock the wind out of his lungs. Such mistakes were not acceptable, especially so since he was planning to get his own party eventually, which meant a responsibility for their lives and wellbeing.


    "Round two!" Rex smiled a predatory smile as he bent his knees in preperation of yet another lunge towards the kobold who was on one of his knees as he could not use his other leg, courtesy of Rex''s last successfull strike. But before he flung himself forward, another explosion occured, followed by a couple of last shrieks and the sound of aproaching bootsteps. And since kobolds did not have the right knowledge, nor the leg structure to use human feetwear, it was quite obvious who had finished with their task and were aproaching to assist Rex.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Wow, you took it down while we were taking care of the two guards?" Veena exclaimed as she oserved the scene before their eyes.


    "Not quite. Immobilized is all I managed to do. I would suggest a few fireballs flung in his dirrection to soften him up enough for us to finish this in a timely manner. No melle before that either, since now is the moment the champion is the greatest threat to the life of anyone aproaching. After all, he cannot move properly and is no doubt aware of just how great a threat to its life we are."


    "Understood." Samanta replied "Alurial, if you could?" she continiued, turning her attention to the parties mage.


    "Yes!" the half elf exclaimed and started to coalesce mana into a single point above her palm. Once an appropriate amount om nana had been gathered and compressed. it was ignited and then launched in the dirrection of the champion, who in turn tried to shield itself with his large axe. A loud explosion followed, notably more powerfull than the last two. Alurial was trying to inflict greater damage to the kobold champion as fast as possible, well aware that they had limited amount of time before someone eles stumbles upon them and interferes, claiming rights to at part of their loot.


    A Loud howl escaped the mouth of the champion, its attempt at blocking the explosion clearly a futile attempt, a rather powerfull smell of burnt fur and scorched flesh assaulting the parties noses. Noticing an opening, Rex lunged forward the moment the flames died down and just moment later, his spear, that he had switched to during the short pause, found its way int oteh champions brain, piercing its eye socket and skull.


    "Fast and decisive." Meru nodded in aproval of Rex''s action, clearly impresed with his performance so far. Rex tore out his spear from the now still corpes head of the champion, twhirling the spear in his hands and finisheing the action with a sharp swing downwards, freeing his spear blade from residual blood and brain matter that had stuck to it.


    "Loot time." Rex spoke as he inclined his head toward the pile further ahead, not sensing any other danger in their immediate surroundings. "Good work everyone." he added, not holding back on the praise for a job well done. He even noted that the use of magic was well thought out and properly controlled, eliciting a slight smile from Alurial, who had been acting rather mature ever since they departed from the village.


    What followed was a rather frantic and chaotic collection of their loot, stashing it all in what looked like some sort of cartoon burglar bags. According to Samanta, every adventurer party had their own emergency stash of these, specifically for the rare chance such as this falling into their laps. Sure, adventurers were serious people, often balancing on the knifes edge between life and death, but that in no way stopped them from believing in legeds passed down by their predecessors, both about legendary adventurers as well as ones about unreasonably powerfull monsters and untold treasures.


    Rex was especialy fast in his part, filling up a couple of bags and then moving over to the corpses of the slain kobolds and, from the view point of his party, kneeled down and checked said corpses for any hidden treasure that they migth have carried on themselves- something that was not that much of a suprise when it came to kobolds. Unseen by the girls, Rex collected what blood was still kept in the unmoving bodies, compressing and crystalizing it. He was slowly creating his own source blood sword. A weapon that would be extremely versatile and sharp beyond anything he could hope to find anytime soon. But the most important aspect of his creation would be its ability to withstand the usage of laws, since the weapon itself would be built through their usage. Rex was slowly prepearing yet another trump card for himself, even if his body was still way off from the point of using said laws without wrecking himself in the process.


    "Found anything?" Asked Samanta as she aproached Rex who was crouched near the body of the champion. And while not the primary reason, he had indeed checked the bodies for any suspicious trinket kept close to the flesh of their three victims. As it turned out, he did find something, and as such, he lifted his hand, showing his find to their group leader.


    "Besides this? Nothing else, but it had to be worth something." Rex replied, adding "I can feel slight mana fluctuation from it. Most likely enchanted in some manner."


    Samantas eyes suddenly locked onto the small medalion that hanged from Rex''s lifed hand. Her eyes followed the small snake head that slowly swayed from one side to the other. And while she did not sense the mana fluctuations that Rex had spoken off, her intuition said that the item was no ordinary trinket.


    "Jackpot!" she smiled a moment later "We have collected as much as we can, so I think its time to get out and head to the extraction point." she continiued.


    Rex nodded in silent agreement, collecting his two bags, swingging them over his shoulder and following. As the group left the cave, Rex found himself carrying four bags, two he had filled up, and then the one of Samanta, as she fulfilled the scouts role, and the one of Ria, for obvious reasons. Since their group was noticably loaded with loot, they moved more slowly, stopping entirely whenever Samanta sensed the presence of kobolds. Then, once the loot was placed down, and under the protection of their long range fighters, as well as Meru, Rex took to the frontline to tank and disrupt the attackers lines and rythm, either by tripping or wounding the opposition that was then finished by either an arrow or a well placed sword strike from Meru. Ria and Alurial were contingencies for the time being, though Ria did cast some fatigue relief every now and then, allowing their group to continiue on without any proper breaks.


    Alurial was the only one who did nothing of note during this part of their raid, though even Rex pointed out that it was a good sign, and that if she needed something to do, she could just focus on recovering and restoring her mana reserves, since they might find themselves in a situation where they could need the entirety of her mana pool. It was always better to have the party mage in their best condition.


    Rex''s comment did manage to draw a slightly smug expression to her face, though nothing else that could spoil his opinion of the loli half elf any further. As they advanced, they dealt with a few more kobold groups, untill eventually, aproximately two hours after they had breached the walls, they reached the point of extraction- the place that was deemed the destination for their raid, where all parties and soldiers would come to once they were done with their exploration.


    They had followed a small crystal, pointing in a certain dirrection once they exited the champions cave, and now were in fron of the guildmaster Ross as he sat on a makeshift chair in the middle of a temporary camp. Quite a few adventurer parties could be seen already lazing around, clearly having finished their own hunts, indicated by their own burglar bags well within their reach. Noticing Rex and his group, Ross waved his hand and slowly stood up, indicating his desire to have a word with the new arrivals.


    "Hey there!" Ross spoke once the party was closer to him. "So, how was your run?" he asked, one eyebrow raised and a slight smirk adorning his face. "Seems like a good haul, if the bags on your shoulders are anything to go by."


    Rex poked Samanta with his leg, and once her eyes was locked on him, he inclined his head towards Ross, making his stance clear.


    -You are the party leader. Deal with this.


    Samanta just rolled her eyes,but returned her gaze to Ross and replied "Not bad at all. So, what did you wanted sir?"


    "Cant the guild leader show his concern about his people, or express his happiness about their safe return?" With a grin and overly exagerated gesture of covering his heart with both hands, as if struck there, he replied, though quickly reverted back to his previous pose. "I have yet to hear about the presence of a higher grade kobold. Something should be leading this town after all."


    "We did slay a kobold champion. Could it the what you are reffering to?" she asked, earning a raised brow from Ross, who suddenly paid more attention to every member of their group, his eyes getting squinted more and more.


    "And is this the entirety of your group?" he asked suspiciously.


    "Yes. Why?"


    "Whats your party rank?"


    "F rank, but we are about to be promoted." replied Samanta.


    "I find it hard to believe that the kobold champion did this little damage to your group, since they are considered high E class monsters."


    "Blame that on me then." Rex spoke up, giving Samant the que to speak openly about their encounter, something she proceeded to do. Once finished, Ross just nodded his head in confirmation. Yet another proof that his hunch regarding Rex was correct.


    "Okey then, find a spot to rest and wait for the remaining members of our raid. once gathered, we will return home, where the guild expects its cut."


    "Roger that." Samanta replied, gesturing for her party to follow.

 Chapter 17. A new quest.

    With Ross permission, Rex and Light''s Oak found themselves a decent spot to plant their rears on the ground, taking a moment to rest and relax, waiting for the remaining parties to return from their own excursions into monster town. From what they had seen so far, either in the size of the wall, or the size of the parties they had to encounter, as well as the composition of said parties, Samanta noted the rather low age of the monster city. Had it been older, there would be a much larger variety of monsters present, acompanied by constant raids and dissapearance of local villages, unless of course said city is one of the outposts for high tiered monsters, like lamias, arachnes or even vampires. Though such places were mostly considered legends, since the probability of discovering one of those cities would lead to a rather quick and not at all pleasant death, at the hands of said inhabitants. Rare were the cases of encountering arachnes, lamias or, lords forbid, higher vampires. These monsters were some of the top tier monsters, though vampires could be classified as both. The classification between a monster and civilized races was mainly recognized with the lack of proper humanoid form, like the lower bodies of arachnes and lamias, or the preffered food being exactly said civilized races, like with vampires. Though since vampires did not neccessarily had to kill whomever they drank the blood from, they could still be considered as a civilized race, technically.


    Regardless, Samanta, as well as the rest of her party, was quite happy with their gains, something that she did not bother to hide from Rex, even going so far as to thank him, since it was his direct guidance of the party to reach the champions home and subsequently basement. Not to mention that he was the man reason that they could so efficiently and safely take it down.


    "But seriously" Meru spoke, a glint of admiration, as well as something else shining in her gaze "Those were some serious moves you pulled off in that basement cave. Would you be willing to have a spar or two with me? I could use some additional training, and who better than someone of your skill?" she asked Rex.


    "You do not mean now, I hope?" Rex questioned back, his back pressed against a his hield that was held upright by his spear and sword.


    "O- of course not. I am not in such a hurry." Meru lightly blushed as she stuttered a little "I meant once we are back in the city. With the haul we aquired I am sure we can take a decent break from the adventuring and enjoy a bit of off time."


    "Hmm" Rex hummed a bit as he thought it over, his eyes still closed. "I suppose I could do that. Though dont expect much. Havent taught anyone before, so level your expectations once we actually get to it."


    Alurial looked from the side as her party members slowly found their own comfort zones when interracting with Rex, though none did it overly much. She bit her lip, clearly wanting to join in on any of the conversations whenever they errupted, or better yet, start one of her own. There were so many things for her to ask, yet she stil had his reprimand in the carriage fresh in her mind, as well as the self reflection she had done after it. Rex''s words had cut deep, however, looking back she could do nothing but agree with his assesment. Deep down, she knew that already, but just could not bring herself to trully admit it and change for the better. It was that unreasonable pull she had felt towards him, followed by her ussual and bratty attitude that had created the rift between her and Rex even before they got properly introduced.


    And yet, even with his harsh and dirrect dismissal, she could not help but feel the same pull. There was simply something magical about him that Alurial could not explain. It was part of the reason she could so easily agree with his assesment, causing her to self reflect and try to change towards the mentioned desirable character. His villingness to ignore their previous disagreements and effortlesly blending in their party only made her decision so much simpler. Still, you win some and you lose some, since she had to fugure a way to actualy earn his attention and favour, as well as the need to figure out the currebt predicament she was in, what with Rias dates and whatnot that Rex had demanded for her parties spot. Yet another plus in his dirrection, as he had outright refused teh chance to enjoy Rias body, going for the romantic option of taking her blonde friend on dates instead. And sure, said dates could end up with the same carnal results, but that would already be a willing choice from both parties, instead of a sacrifice.


    And yet, try as she might, she just could not bring herself to innitiate a conversation. ''Maybee another time.'' she thought "With his training to Meru promised, I will have plenty of other chances to make my move." She psyched herself up mentaly as she continiued to listen.


    xxxxxxxxx


    Aproximately an hour after Rex and his party arrived at the temporary camp, once their conversations had died down, he once again used a rather powerfull mana sonar, yet again earning a slight headache due to the range and scope of skills range and complexity. What he learned from the sonar left him with a rather satisfied expression. Most of the kobolds had been slain, with only a few remaining, hiding in quite original and odd places. And while he could go around snuffing out said remnants of kobold life, he saw no reason to do so. During the hour he had been meditating and relaxing, more and more adventurer parties had returned, each with some loot collected in their own burglar bags, though none seemed to have had as good a haul as his party, though that was to be expected. He and Light''s Oak had taken out what was the greatest authority and might around, thus claiming the largest treasury as well. The fact that the monster city was a relatively small and new one only reinforcing the thruth.


    "Ross, any of yours encountered the boss of the place?" in a loud voice comander Warren questioned the guild master, who simply nodded, not bothering much with any further explanation. Not like there was much to tell either. An adventurer party took it down , and that was that. Unlike the army, they did not have any sort of promotion for exceptional performance, nor did they recieve bonuses for such acts of valour. You did what you could and stayed alive.


    "Tsk." Warren clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed by the relatively lax nature of the guildmaster, as well as adventurers in general. "SOLDIERS!" he then yelled "ONE HOUR BREAK!" before finding a place to sit down himself, acompanied by the two men always keeping near him.


    During the hour of soldier rest, the last few groups of adventurers returned, with Ross recieving a small briefing from some of his own aides regarding the overall status of the aadventurers. Due to the relatively low numbers, as well as the fact that this was a city of kobolds, there were only a couple of serious injuries, with shallow cuts and bruises being the majority., most of which had been cured by the healers of their respective parties. In most cases, only torn cloth or something of the like being the only evidence of an injury sustained.


    Once the hour had passed, Waren walked over to Ross, and spoke for a brief period, after which he once again roared out an order, signaling the start of the raids return. With adventurers being mostly prepeared, it took only a dozen or so minutes to move out, returning the same way they had arrived. Due to the rather heavy and extensive culling they performed during the raids innitial charge, as well as the precision that they had cleared the city with, not a single encounter happened as they left the cavern and the entire underground system behind. A few scouts would be sent out at later dates, ensuring that no other creatures resettle in the city, recreating a new looming threat for the region.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    They had spent most of the day on the raid and while most adventurers were more than eager to get some proper shut eye, as well as start with the distribution of their loot, there was still a rather important tak at hand, thus, wasting no more time, the raid parties boarded their carriages once again and headed out back to the city they came from. Due to the nature of their task, as well as the size of the group, they were not stopped at the gate, having free passage up untill everyone reaached guild building, where eeveryone disembarked from their carriages and were called upon, party by party, as the guild tallied their gains and took their share from it. And while there were a rere few comments about the unfairness of such ''taxation'', it was what each party had agreed upon joining the raid. It was a rule that was practised in every raid that was organized by ther guild, as well as the noble manors.


    One tenth. That was the tax that the guild recieved from all the spoils. And while relatively low percentage, when combined from the gains of the entire raid, it did add up. It was from this pool that guild also paid to the city for their assistance, sending their own soldiers to acompany them and assist with the raid. As for the soldiers, who were taxed just as well by the guild, they had less reasons to celebrate, since aside from a slight bonus for their work, comander Waren made sure that their own gains were all handed in to their own quartermansters and the like, enriching the city lords manor instead of the brave men who fought with their life on the line.


    Each party was brought inside a seperate room, where guildmaster and a couple of guilds workers awaited. There, with a decent amount of privacy, the aquired loot was inspected and then ''taxed''. The only item that escaped such taxation, was the necklace that Rex held, since magical items were the fortune of curse of adventurers. It would require an axpert in runes who could apraise and determine its effect, since noone would recklessly wear an unknown magical item. For all that they new, any magical item could be cursed with a multitude of nasty curses and whatnot.


    With their ''tax'' paid, the girls hurried along to split their loot, and once done with that they solved their own pending problem regarding the annoying noble and his scheme. Something that Ross questioned them about as well, demanding every single detail and name of the people involved. And when the girls, alongside Rex left guild building, he noticed quite a few gazes following them. And unfortunately, Rex sensed more than lecherous gazes dirrected towards the girls, something he assumed was a normal occurance for them. No, there had been plenty of greed filled ones, most likely planning some rather unscrupuluos actions to be taken later.


    ''Do I really want to deal with whatever annoyance that will bloom once those onlookers grow a pair?'' Thought to himself Rex as he walked alongside the girls, their path towards their own inns being on the same path for a while. ''Whatever. I will just deal with it as it comes.'' he came to a decision, having found the presence of Light''s Oak rather pleasing and fun. Even the loli had acted in an acceptable manner after their departure from the village, something he was pleasantly suprised with.


    Bidding the ladies goodbye, while not forgetting to warn them about possible actions that might be taken against them due to the countless malevolent gazes, he entered the inn he was at before being confined to the guild building. Greeting the inkeep and extending his own stay for yet another week, he ordered a rather large set for his meal. After the meal, as well as a decent bath, he retired to his room, setting up a few safety measures against possible nightly visitors, performed his daily space storage extension routine and laid to sleep.


    xxxx


    The next couple of days went by relatively peacefully. With the treasure he had aquired from the raid, he had a lot more leeway in how to proceed. Aside from the few spars he had with Meru, where he mercilessly broke her down time and time again, pointing out the mistakes she made every time, courtesy of his cultivator memories, he spent most of his time absorbing the surrounding mana into his body, speeding up his progress in its refinement, as well as expanding his space storage. And while he could not boast an excitingly spent time exploring the city, his gains were quite notable, even to himself. A few days slowly turned into a week, further allowing him to develop his skills- the most notable of all was the space storage. Rex had managed to had finally reach the size of a small sack, allowing him to hold all of his money in it, once he sold off his part of the treasure that is.


    And yet, the greedy eyes that followed him only grew in the time, with more and more fools scheming and lusting after his fortune. Even the girls from Light''s Oak mentioned the same, though they also had the additional problem of a noble scorned, who was more than displeased with his scheme failing, especially after recieving quite the heavy punishement from his father, the city lord, once Ross finished with cleaning guild from corruption said action had revealed.


    "Say Rex." Samanta, who had joined Meru on her bi-daily punishement this time asked, once it was clear that Meru was out for the day "We are thinking of leaving the city, and were wondering, would you like to tag along?"


    Rex though for a moment, his head moving slightly from one side to the other, his eyes catching more than one shady individual in the vicinity.


    "Did not think it would get that bad so soon." he smirked lightly, some unknown spark awakening in his gaze. "I do have a standing deal with Ria that I have yet to capitalise on, so it would be quite the loss to let you ladies dissapear on me, would it not?" he hummed for a moment, his eyes glancing towards heaven, as if in deep thoughts and trying to remember something. A minute later, when Meru finally started to rise from her slumped position on the ground, he shrugged his shoulders, asking a question in return.


    "Got any specific plans for now, or just shooting randomly?"


    To his question, Samanta leaned in closer, whispering into his ear "We have a few ideas, yes, though I would preffer to not talk of it out in the open."


    "Well, lead the way then." Rex spoke as he put away their training gear, provided by the guilds training room, kneeled down next to Meru, smiled and apologised to the warrior lady and then, like a sack of potatoes flipped her over his shoulder. Her face was stuck to his back, while her rear was on display, right next to his face. Seeing Meru handled in such a way, earned a rather strong chuckle from Samanta, followed by a an irritated ''hey'' as well as ''stop laughing or I will share your embarasing stories''. Apparently, there was plenty to tell, since one small and concise threat was all it took for the leader of ladies group to become silent as a graveyard in the middle of the night. She simply walked in front, leading Rex to the location of their inn.


    The inn Light''s Oak stayed at was a rather intheresting place. It consisted of a group of small lodgings, each capable of housing a party of five, the average size of adventurer party. Upon theiir arival, Rex dropped Meru on a small couch in what looked to be a living room and kitchen at the same time. Every other member of the party was already present, having clearly decided on the suggestion for Rex before the training session.


    With Meru out of his hand and having earned the full attention of the girls, he plopped down on a nearby chair. "So, care to explain? I doubt the idea came to you out of the blue. How much have you noticed?"


    "It is getting worse than what you warned about." Veena started, "Yes, aside from the constant stalkers, that seem to follow us every day, from sunrise to sunset, there have been a few attempts at stealing our purses. And as it that was not enough, our landlady had spoken of some shady individuals wandering around this place as well. Not to mention that guildmaster Ross warned us about that young lordling and a possibility that he could hire someone to get their revenge on us. We did mess up his sleazy plan or whatnot." She squeezed out the last part through gritted teeth, though Rex was not entirely sure whether she was angry at the lordling, or guildmaster for the original situation to begin with.


    "About what I expected, more or less." Rex mused, loud enough for the girls to hear "So, where do you plan to head to?" he questioned, adding yet another one after a momentary pause "And what is it that you hope to achieve with this journey of yours?" If he were to travel with these girls, it was rather crucial to understand their parties goals, as well as morality. Sure, he had a general read on each member, but that was just it. He needed to understand the reasoning and principles their party was based upon.

 Chapter 18. Destination set.

    Rex calmly sat in the chair, awaiting the response from the girls. Sure, they were nice people in general, even more so now that Alurial seemed to have matured overnight, adapting a much calmer and acceptable code of conduct, but that alone was not be all and end all of things. One of the more important points he needed to learn off was their parties core principles, since most were created with a rather specific reason in mind. Be it ''for profit'', ''to facilitate the growth of their members'' or even something as far fetched and idealistic as ''overcome the evil monster whatever the hell it might be'', said core principle often gave yet another glimpse into the personalities of the founding group, and possibly even the newest members, unless said fresh additions were so because of their unique talents, heavily rewarded for said decision to join.


    Eventually, Rex was graced with an answer when Samanta replied after a short discussion with teh rest of the girls.


    "While we would have left this place eventually, the recent happenings are what has forced our hand. Originaly, we wanted to stay here for a while longer, hopefully finding another front line fighter for our group while earning some well needed experience in the process, before getting on with the main reason for froming the party." seeing that Rex was focused on her, paying full attention to her words, she continiued.


    "Our main goal as a party is to reach rank A so we can make a noticable change in our home city. You have probably realised that we are not from around here to begin with." a slightly akward smile graced her face as she spoke so, clearly a topic that the girls were not perfectly comfortable with discussing, yet neccessary to get on the same page, especially if they hoped for Rex to join their party. He had more than proven his ability during the raid, and while there had been no other groups to witness his skills, it was only a matter of time before a better party noticed him as well, and offering a much better deal, should he join up with them. Guildmaster Ross does not show so much interest in ordinary adventurers after all. Something the girls had picked up on as well. His unwillingness to accept their offer regarding a night spent with Ria, in exchange for their participation in the raid, reinforced their willingness and desire to have him as a part of their party.


    With his sharp eyes and elevated perception however, Rex noticed a few teltale signs that there was more to it than Samanta told, most likely a juicy secret hidden beneath. It was of no matter to Rex however, at least not for now, so he decided to not pursue it, however it would be too booring to just leave it as it was, so a small hint that he was aware of the slight lie was in order.


    "Okey, we will leave it at that for the moment, since you trust me enough to offer a spot in your party, yet not enough to mention the full extent of your final goal. Nevertheless, that still leaves the other part of the question unanswered. I assume you have a few ideas as to the dirrection, maybee even destination, once this city is left behind?" His blatant disregard for subtlety, as well as the fact that he had noticed that something was left unsaid alarmed the girls, though not to the point of becoming hostile. On the contrary, his sharpness, as well as willingness to not inquire further at the given time was apreciated, thus Samanta proceeded to the next item on todays agenda.


    "Yes. We have considered our options." she spoke, pulling out a small, rolled up scroll, that she placed on the table and opened up. With that action, the rest of the girls gathered around the table, leaving an open spot for Rex. Simply shrugging his shoulders, he calmly got up from his seat and moved over to the table, where a map of the area was rolled out. A small castle was pinned with Samantas finger in the middle of teh parchment.


    "This is where we are right now. Valrun." Samanta explained, moving her finger away from it in the dirrection of north, if the map was to be believed, untill her finger stopped on another, smililarily sized, castle.


    "Aproximately weeks travel north, fort Vixiera. Located at the foor of Vyvern peaks, it is the main iron ore suppliers in the nation. Though that in not why it is a point of interest for us. A rather low tier dungeon exists there, serving as quite the draw for adventurers."


    She then moved her finger south, untill it reached valrun, then south east for a while, stopping once the finger covered another castle, this time slightly larger than Valrun and Vixiera.


    "Fort Crystal." she spoke "Aproximately two weeks south east from here and is notably larger than Valrun. Formed on the shores of River Nea, its serves as a border city between three nations, with the river and its forked split being the border. Due to its location, as well as the large size of river Nea, it has become a flourishing city of trade."


    "Why is it called Fort Crystal then?" Rex asked the obvious question.


    "A dungeon of course. Just like with Vixiera, Fort Crystal has its own dungeon within its territory. Due to the rather unique fauna of said dungeon, where its inhabitants develop crystals on their bodies, as well as the labirinth like layout that somehow changes from time to time, the city took over its name Fort crystal was how adventurers call the dungeon, and so over time the city that formed around it earned the same name." Explained Ria who had been quiet for the most part.


    "How confident are you of taking the creatures there on?" Rex asked.


    "If possible, we would prefer not to head there. While we could, in theory slowly take down most of the creatures on the upper floors, it would require enormous amount of effort. And while it is a possibility, this one is a last ditch effort, at least for now. I just thought you should be aware of it."


    "Noted. So, anything else, or is that it for now?"


    "No, of course not. There is also Arunhill and Maurina." replied Samanta, moving her hands both west and south from Valrun. "Arunhill is yet another city, aproximately two and a half weeks away from here, built near a large expansive forest thats filled with all manner of beasts and monsters. Scholars reason that there is an ancient dungeon deep within the forest, long since overflooded, creating the current situation. From what is known, no party had reached the deepest parts of the forest there for centuries."


    "So, no dungeon, but open field hunting. And what of Maurina?" Rex questioned, awaiting the last option.


    "Maurina is similar to Vixiera. A mining town south of here, aproximately three weeks away. Unlike Vixiera though, the mining itself takes place in the dungeon that has taken the form of an enourmous pit. The deeper ones descends, the more and more powerfull the creatures appear, as well as better and better metals could be mined, all of which have some magical properties, depending on the vein they are extracted from. The monsters are not the greatest reward there, but whatever metal vein a party can come upon."


    "And, which place does tickle your parties fancy more?"


    "Right now we are more inclined towards Vixiera or Arunhill. We dont have experience with mining, making Maurina less appealing and Fort Crystal feels like too much of a gamble too soon."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Solid reasoning." Rex nodded his head in agreement. "Anything else you can tell me about Vixieras dungeon, besides its supposed low level? While I dont particularily care, I have a glaring suspicion that it should be the more stable option of the ones you are considering as the primary options. Arunhill smells like the perfect place to get unlucky and encounter something that one would prefer not to, especially when the party is relatively new and inexperienced. And the perfect place for the lackies of a certain lordling to finish said unlucky party afterwards." he added, earning a few grimmaces from the girls.


    "So, our only reasonable choice seems to be Vixiera." Concluded Samanta.


    "Seems so. What is the plan regarding it then, asuming I join up with you? There has got to be more than just ''runing away from greedy and horny bastards''? " Rex inquired.


    "Taking gathering and kill quests from the guild untill we reach C rank, perhaps a bit lower, then to proceed towards the next location, assuming we have outgrown Vixerias dungeon. Could then proceed to Fort Crystal, or try our luck in the elven lands on the other side of the river there." Samanta explained.


    "Wait what? We are next to a fucking kingdom of elves and you mention it only now?" Rex''s gaze radiated new intensity as he stared right through Samanta, dirrectly in her soul.


    "You did not know?"


    "Hello" Rex waved his hand. "Grew up in a back water village in the middle of some random forest, mostly ingored by the townsfolk too. So yea, that is something new for me. Why try our luck then?"


    "Well, elves are not the friendliest of folk, their borders are quite strictly controlled. Unless rank C or above, it is quite difficult to get in without connection, or special circumstances. Might be even harder for us, since I am a halfbreed. The purebloods are not fond of halves like me." Spoke up Alurial for the first time this evening, clearly dejected that once again she might be messing wit hher own party and friends.


    "Any good hunting grounds in their lands then? Or that would simply be a good place to go to escape any stupid lordling, my curiosity notwithstanding?"


    "The latter, mostly." replied Samanta.


    "So, to sum it up. You are planing to go to Vixiera to escape the current greedy and horny cunts eyeing your booties, literal and metaphorical, as well as grow stronger, before trying our hands at greater quarry. And my role here woule be as the second front liner, is that correct?"


    "Thats about right." nodded Samanta.


    "I suppose I dont see why not, though I do have a condition."


    "What would that be?"


    "Dont ask questions about my skills, no matter how bizare they might appear down the line, or the actions I take outside of combat. I have my own secrets I would like to keep. They are of no threat to you though, so as long as we can agree there, I dont mind tagging along." With his mind spoken, he returned to his previous seat, allowing the girls to converse among themselves, coming to a decision a short while later.


    "We would like to be able to ask questions, but you can not answer anything you dont want to. I think it would be better that way, lest misunderstandings arise because of something you do not consider one of those secrets of yours. Does that sound fine?" Samanta spoke.


    "I am fine with that, yes. So? When do we depart? I would like to replace my weapons before we do."


    "We wanted to hire a carriage to bring us to Vixiera, saving on time traveling, so we can technically depart any time we want." Ria spoke.


    "So why dont we meet up tommorow morning, here at this inn, go get me my new weapons and depart? Stock weapons will be fine for me, so it should take no time whatsoever. Or do you need more time to arrange for our transport?"


    "No, we are fine with that." Samanta replied.


    "Great. I will see you tommorow morning then." Rex replied and stood up from his seat. He waved the girls goodbye and left their inn. if he was to depart, he had to tie up the loose ends in this city- namely a debt he believed he owed to Lisa, since he would not be able to enrich the girl with commisions from his monster bounties. Something he was not willing to leave as is. A short while late, he was at the reception of the guild, asking one of the attendants to inform Ross that Rex was here to see him, and while grumbling, muttering that not ever other adventurer could request a meeting with the guild master, he still went off, expecting the young man to be told off. Something that caused him a great deal of distress when guildmaster not only did not do as he had expected, but ordered for the adventurer to be brought up.


    "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Ross asked once Rex was inside his office and sitting in front of his desk. Rex placed a small pouch on his table, the clinking of money clearly heard as it hit the table surface.


    "I owe a small debt of gratitude to Lisa, one of your attendants. A small bundle of joy. And since she is not working now, I wanted you to ensure she recieves it. As well as the fact that I will be leaving town tommorow. Since I have promised a favour to you, I intend to keep my word. In case you need my assistance, I might be found in Vixiera in the near future, asuming I am not skulking the dungeon there that is. I expect this info to stay somewhat private, with the exception of your request, or the requests of some hunters, who might look for me by name. Should I move somewhare else, I will leave a message for you to know of that."


    "So those girls managed to catch you? Which one of them was it, who caught your fancy? Ahh, to be young."


    "That is not the reason, though if I had to pick, I would go with their blonde healer Ria."


    "IF you had to pick? Damn boy, aiming for the entire party? Thats gutsy, and most likely stupid as well. Think it over. Many great men have fallen this way." Ross grinned as he joked. Once he was done laughing about his own joke he added. "I apreciate the heads up though. And do not worry, I will make sure Lisa gets this."


    "Thats all I ask for. Thank you, guildmaster."


    "Dont sweat it. I am helping myself with this too." he added, gesturing with his hand for Rex to leave. Rex nodded to the man once more and left the study, descending down the guilds stairs and leaving the building soon after. And while he did not have anything else to do, besides the weapon purchase that is, he walked around the city for a short while, apreciating the rather simple and mediaval building style, well aware of the few pairs of eyes that were following him the whole time.


    ''What are they waiting for?'' Rex thought to himself, not quite understanding the reasoning of his stalker. Its not like he moved through some incredibly shady back alleys to be jumped, besides the level of adventurers in this city was incredibly low, rarely reaching the peak of E rank, which was just two ranks above his F. And while normaly that would be a surefire way to know who was stronger, Rex was a special case. His raw experience with weapon handling and mastery over concepts put him in a class of his own.


    Still, the observers that he had did nothing no matter how long he explored the city, and eventually Rex returned to his inn, having yet another hearty meal before retiring to his room where he would sink into his routine, expanding his space storage once more, in the process expending his entire mana pool several times over, using his ability to siphon mana from the world around him.


    "A good session." Rex sighed to himself, stretching a bit after he was done, a pleasant exaustion washing over his body. ''Time to rest and prepeare for tommorows departure'' he though before lying down on his bed, sliding into the land of dreams.


    He woke up early, just like he was used to. Well rested, he found himself slightly anticipating this new journey of his. It would be the first time he would be traveling with a proper party, on a sort of an adventure no less. He packed whatever little things he had aquired over the days he had stayed in the city, and with the entirety of his belongings walked down, greeting the inkeep who was already up and about, ready to serve Rex whatever he had prepeared for breakfast.


    "Mornin." Rex greeted.


    "Morning kid. Breakfast as ussual?"


    "Yes please. Make it double the amount. I have a big day ahead of me."


    "Sure thing, coming right up."


    A few moments later, Rex was sitting at a table, several bowls of stew in front of him. He face developed a light smile as he dug in his food, apreciating the hearty meal he had come to enjoy every morning. The inkeeper had a few different recipes that he would cycle through, to ensure every day was not the same, making Rex apreciate the place a bit more. Once done with his meal, Rex thanked the inkeep, informing that he would be heading out today, vacating his room.


    "have to say I am going to miss this." Rex spoke as he gestured with his hands to the overall place.


    "But we all have to move on someday. Sooner or later, one never trully knows. Take care of yourself out there kid. The world is a scary place, and if you look away for just a moment, hand is the least you can lose." The inkeeper spoke, an advice from an aged and life wise elder coming through.


    "I will heed the warning. Thank you once again."


    "Dont sweat it kid. Stay safe."


    With that, Rex lightly bowed to the older man and left the inn.

 Chapter 19. On the road.

    A slow and relaxed walk later Rex was in front of the small building that Light''s Oak lived in. Hearing no activity, yet aware that the girls were still inside, thanks to a small mana pulse of his, he decided to sit on one of the garden stools that were placed between the small buildings, waiting for his new party members to start moving around. And as he did so, he allowed his mind to roam, considering other ways he could employ his skills and unique talents to speed up his growth phase. Sure, he was strong when compared to low level adventurers, but Rex was well aware just how much might can a single entity posess and staying weak in comparison to that was not acceptable.


    While brainstorming and contemplating, he did not forget to use mana sonar every now and then to keep track of his party. Around an hour later, after yet another sonar he finally sensed change in their locations. The girls were starting to move around. Yet another thirty minutes later, the door to their lodging opened, as the ladies exited one after another, each carrying a bag of their own.


    "Ah, Rex. You are here early." Spoke Samanta once she noticed him slowly standing up from the seat he had taken, eliciting the attention from the rest of the party.


    "Would''nt want to delay the party on my first day as a member." A soft reply came from Rex, as he gestured with his hand "Shall we?"


    It took them another fifteen minutes to reach the smithy. The group had seperated in two to maximize the efficiency of their time. Rex, alongside Ria and Veena had gone to the smithy, while Samanta, Alurial and Meru went off to finalize their carriage needs for the road. With the six of them, they would still need two carriages, and by the time Samanta would bedone with that, Rex should have aquired his new weapons as well.


    Rex did not foll around, walking straight over to the smith, explaining his needs and interests. The man in charge looked at Rex for just a moment before asking to see his current weapons. Inspecting them for a moment, he nodded with satisfaction and brought them over to a selection in a seperate room that was not open to the public. ''A proper care this one takes of his tools'' were the words the smith spoke before revealing the limited stock, each and every weapon screamed of skill and devotion spent in their creation. Luckaly, there were only few spears among the collection, saving Rex quite a bit of time, just like with shields. There was only a few base types he could chose from, especially with his fighting style. With swords it took notably longer, the selection being the largest among the weapons. Still, Rex spent as little time as he could in the smithy, well aware that the weapons he buys now would only be used untill he condenses and crystalizes his own blood based versions. Unlike steel, the ones he creates himself would be akin to an extension of his own body, allowing him to infuse his own mana with terrifying efficiency.


    With Rex having aquired everything that he wanted, their needs for sleeping and whatnot being covered alongside their carriages, he followed Ria lead to purchase some additional rations for their journey and with that done, they walked towards their destination. A dozen or so minutes and an extra few bags in Rex''s hands later, they met up with Samanta''s group, who had finished everything on their end as well. Two decent looking carriages awaited them, loaded and prepeared for a week long journey.


    Since they wanted as few people as possible to know their destination, there were no other carriages, or people, besides the two coachmen of course. And as a part of their own special ''guild'' of sorts, their lips were sealed, unmoved by any kind of money. And for those fools who tried to forcibly open their mouths, said ''guild'' would ensure that no one in their direct line would later live to tell the tale. of course, just as great of a penatly was inflicted upon those coachmen who did sell their knowledge to whoever was buying, with the exception of the people of interest actually asking, or at least noting that they dont care, should said information was sold. A special marker was in the pocket of every coachmen, should he meet such a user of their services.


    And so, a few moment later, the two carriages left the town, quite a few people scrambling to prepeare a party or two to track them down. Neither the greedy rogues, nor lordlings henchmen wanted for their ticket to riches to dissapear, yet they had been too elusive lately to actually try anything against them. And now, they had skipped the town, clearly aware of their perpetual stalkers.


    The carriages were split in the same manner as the groups that were taking care of the last few errands, with rex sharing a cabin with Ria and Veena and the other three girls taking the second carriage. For almost thrity minutes, a comfortable silence permeated Rex''s cabin, his eyes closed as he meditated and lightly strenghtened his body forging art. While their chosen route was not overly dangerous, or traveled for that matter, it was never wise to fully take oneself out of commision, fully relying on ones temporary allies. So, while he was expending both mana and spirit, he did so in a measured manner, saving more than enough for some pretty serious business, should such a need arise.


    veena however, not able to hold back any longer, finally had decided to let it all out. Her gaze locked on Ria, a mischievous grin on her face as she leaned slightly forward in her seat, earning the blondes attention.


    "Sooo? How are the dates going?" she questions, expressively glancing in Rex''s dirrection. All girls were aware of the changed deal Rex had demanded for their chance to participate, and while less explicit when it comes to the details, it had a boatload of other juicy tidbits. During the last week, while Rex was training Meru, he had also found the time to take Ria on one of the promised dates, something the rest of the party girls learned about only after the fact. Ria, of course, had remained mute on the subject, though veena had seen a slight, if barely noticable traces of smile on her face whenever the outing was mentioned.


    "I believe I have mentioned that it is a matter for me, and me alone." Ria replied somewhat coldly, but Veena noticed the slight tug at the corner of her lips as her eyes moved upwards, as if recalling a rather pleasant memory. ''Tsk.'' Veena clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed by the continiues secrecy of her friend. ''Could I guilt trip her into coming clean?'' a devious thouoght began hatching in her mind. A light prank to be pulled off, all for the betterment of the world, of course. Before she could finalize her plans and take action, Rex''s voice interrupts the momentary calm.


    "i took her to a few places in the city, after which we had a nice and relaxed dinner, all the while talking about her and the rest of the party. There was nothing spicy for you to latch on to, so I would apreciate if you werent so curious about things that do not concern you in general."


    "Then why is she clearly smiling, no matter how small said smiel appears to be? I will have you know that my eyes are quite sharp."


    "A number of possible reasons, one of which could have been the way I treated her as a person with character, not just meat that I will eventually conquer. Something I have noticed more than just a few adventurers atempting over however little time I have spent exploring the city. She is kind, gentle and quite well read about the various herbs and potions that can assist in healing ones wounds and ailments. As someone with a slight interest in the art of alchemy, I find that rather remarkable. Why would I not enjoy a pleasant conversation about a topic that has earned our combined interest."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Veenas eyes were still focused on Ria as Rex spoke, quickly noticing the small smile on blondes face growing just a little bit more pronounced. Ria was clearly happy with the praise she was recieving. ''Damn! Did not know you were this easy girl!'' Veena exclaimed in her mind, clearly suprised by this side of her friend. Though she could also see just how fast Ria schooled her expression, returning to her previous calm demeanor.


    "Well, learned enough?" Ria asked, a certain glint appearing in her eyes. The blonde was not going to take it lying down, so she shot back rather akward questions as well, putting Veena on the spot. Ria looked like a mature and kind woman, but she had her own little ways of acting childish. She was the haughty elder sister that everyone needed in their life, living by the creed ''Only I am allowed to tease my younger sibblings'', replacing sibblings with party members in her particular case. And while Veena recieved a special course of said teasing, Rex was having the time of his life, laughing quite a bit at the archer blushing and complaining time and time again. Ria only stopped some thirty minutes later, when it seemed that any more would bring Veena to actual tears.


    "That will teach you to tease your elder sister. Hump." Ria huffed, winking to Rex who was looking at her with a slight smile on his face and a raised eyebrow.


    "I am liking you more and more, o magificent maiden." he spoke as a lull of silence took over the carrriage, his gaze firmly locked on the healer.


    "You will still have to wait untill our next date either way." replied Ria, her haughty elder sister mode still entirely on.


    "Woud not have it any other way." a reply came from Rex as he winked back at the blonde beauty, shortly after closing his eyes once again and returning to his meditation, not forgetting to use mana pulse to feel out their surroundings every now and then. One who is aware is that much more safe during their travels after all and Rex refused to be caught of guard.


    The rest of their first day of travel turned out to be rather bland, nothing but the rattle of their carriages and an occasional stop to let the horses rest, as well as a conversation every now and then about general topics. Even the places that were chosen as the resting spots felt mundane, consisting of either a small pond by the side of the road, paired with some fields of grass that horses were allowed to graze in for a short while, or a small forest clearing with similar conditions. And while it looked serene and calming, no other signs of human life around besides the road, Rex could not find it in himself to care all that much about any of it. He had flown on the back of a giant bird and seen sights that would take ones breath away. What could such mundane sights bring to him? Nor was he exploring these places with one of his dear girls. ''I wonder, would I be able to bring them over here to enjoy a rather simple but new adventure, once I reestablish connection with myself?'' Rex mused at one of these stops.


    Eventually, they reached a small clearing with lodgings, clearly established for travelers to spend the night, ensuring their journey remains as safe and relaxed as it can be. Still, since they were in the middle of nowhere, there was still a need for a nights watch, lest they fidn themselves rather stiff and dead in the morning, and that would be in case they got lucky. With the number of girls in the party, a horde of goblins was of a much greater worry for them, so much so that Samanta had spoken clearly about what should be done if they were to be overwhelmed and about to lose. ''End my life if that ever happens. I would much rather die than be defiled and broken in their pens.'' were her exact words regarding the matter. Rex did note that before they ever go there, they should keep going untill at least he falls, no sooner. Only he himself knew just what kind of devastation he could bring to the world were his back trully against the wall. As such, he pointed out that he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve should they be pushed to the end, none of which he was willing to expose at the moment. ''''Trust must be earned, not demanded." he explained to the group as they were having the talk awhile eathing their supper.


    As for the night watches, he offered to take the middle shift, allowing the remaining party to get a proper nights rest, explaining his willingness with the fact that he had rested during the days travel time, something that his two carriage co-hosts easily confirmed, noting how most of the path, his eyes were indeed closed. In the end, Samanta agreed, but on the condition that she would take it alongside him. There were six of them, so a nights watch split in three parts, two guards per shift, and since she was the one who ussually took the shift alone, it was only normal for the arangement. Rex just shrugged and spoke"Suit yourself." before retiring to one of the three tents that were set up beforehand. One of the tents was for the coachmen, the other two for their party.


    The first true challenge was about to comence, since two of the girls would be sharing the tent with Rex. Samanta, as one of the main supporters when the idea about Rex joining their party, had volunteered herself, with Ria raising her hand to offer herself as the second, only to be beaten to the spot by an excited exclamation from Alurial of all people. Thus, Rex''s tent companions would be Samanta and Alurial. Not that Rex cared much, since he was in no need to release any pent up desires any time soon, nor was he interested in complicating the party dinamic. Sure, he was taking Ria out on a date every month or so, but it was more of a way to mess with the girls innitially, than any proper courting.


    Entering the tent, Rex took the sleeping back on one side, sitting on it, crossing his legs, covering his body with a blanket and closing his eyes, setting himself an internal clock to stirr awake from the meditational trance slightly before his shift starts, or in case of a commotion. What he was not aware of however, was the speed with which his second tent mate would join him inside, quickly occupying the middle sleeping back, ever so slightly moving it closer to him. Since there was no hostile aura or intent in the actions of the small girl, Rex remained blissfully unaware.


    Samanta, upon entering and noticing the situation inside, lifted her eyebrows, clearly suprised by the situation, as well as Rex''s chosen position to rest in, though she said nothing. Each person had their own kinks and oddities after all. Who was she to judge the pose one took to rest for the night, no matter how weird it seemed. The light blush on the half hidden face of Allurial, as she had moved he sleeping bag right next to Rex''s was more interesting to Samanta though.


    She quietly walked over, her ranger training allowing her to move with deadly silence, and just as quietly took her own sleeping bag. Then, she subtly moved it closer to Alurial, and once settled in, she whispered to the smaller girl.


    "You do know that he is taking Ria on dates?" Allurial simply rolled her eyes, the reddish tint on her cheeks not dissapearing one bit.


    "Its fine, I am willing to share withe her."


    ''The dressing down that Rex gave her back on our way to the raid location has served her well.'' Samanta thought as she smiled back to the half elf, a mischievous idea surfacing in her mind.


    "Hoo? And what about me then? Would you share with me too?" a quiet whisper that managed to bring a bit more red in Alurials face, likely imagining how that would look. Though her eyes did half closed in suspicion a few moments later, sharply eyeing the party leader.


    "I will think about it." came yet another whisper.


    Samanta just smiled back and left it at that. She was more than willing to wait for more and better opportunities to tease her friend. Soon after, the two girls drifted to sleep.


    A few hours later, Rex slowly opened his eyes, aware that his shift should soon come. He did notice almost immediatly the two delicate hands of a mage that had clung to his blanket.


    ''Well, well. well. Someone has started to act upon their desires. Good luck on that, young lady.'' Rex smiled slightly, wishing all the best to the ambitious girl in her pursuit. She was after all seemingly chasing afer a god candidate. Cant be aiming much higher that that as a relatively new adventurer. Samanta had also scooted closer, though surely to keep an eye on Alurial, lest the girl finds too much courage. Regardless, the future was shaping out to be fun as all hell, so who was Rex to deny such an opportunity. He would live it as he sees fit, providing boons to his friends and miserable time to his enemies. Ready for his own shift, he slowly and quietly left the tent, noticing the two girls on watch duty as he exited, earning himself light smiles from Meru and Ria.

 Chapter 20. Nightly visit.

    Rex quietly walked over to the campfire, sitting on the opposite side from the duo, lightly smiling at them. He pulled out a water skin, taking a few sips from it, before whispering to the duo.


    "Should be about time to switch yes?" He earned a light nod from Meru, who then spoke as well.


    "Yes. some ten more minutes, if my estimation is correct." she then glanced at Ria, who pulled out a sand clock from her pocket, shoving that there was a bit more sand left before it would have to be fliped over to continue counting the time.


    "Was correct." smiled Meru at her precise time sense.


    "Dont mind me then, Feel free to wake Samanta before retiring for the night. Or dont. I am more than enough to take care of the shift." Rex replied.


    "And have her rail us in the morning because of it?" with a raised eyebrow, questioned Ria. "No thank you. We will pass on the generous offer." she added just a moent later. Rex just shrugged at that, not caring too much one way or another, releasing a slightly more powerfull mana pulse to scout out their surroundings. Noticing nothing of importance, he decided to mull over a few of theoretical ideas he had come upon during the free time he had.


    It was around ten minutes later that Samanta was stirred awoke by Ria, before retiring with Meru for the night. Samanta yawned a few times before taking a seat next to Rex, close enough to have a rather quiet conversation without disturbing the sleep of the other girls, or their coachmen for that matter.


    "Can you do me a favour Rex?" she asked after a moment of silence.


    "Depends on the favour."


    "I dont know why, but Alurial has taken a liking to you. Something you no doubt have already noticed, judging by the lack of suprise or interest I can see from you."


    "Yes, I have noticed. What of it?"


    "Be gentle and kind with her, whatever you decide to do. I am sure as hell I cant take you in a fight, so there is no point in even entertaining the idea of a threat, so all I can do is ask, beg if neccessary."


    "At the very least she has taken my previous words to heart. Gotta comend her for that, doubly so due to the short time it took for her to understand it. Still, I am in no rush to develop a harem at the given time. And while I am not particularily attracted to the body type that she happens to posess, its also obvious that she will grow into a trully beautifull woman with enough time. Enough for me to find it attractive."


    "A harem you say?" Samantas voice suddenly developed a curious tone. "I know nobles have those aplenty, some of the top adventurers do too. Dont you think its a bit early? Especially with how recently you yourself started?"


    "I am well aware. That is why I said that I dont plan on starting any time soon. That is why I changed the reward you promissed me for the joing party for the raid. By the time I will be fine with it, Ria will be smitten with me. But the most important factor is that she will not be tainted by some bastard lordling or smooth kazanova. I am possesive with my interests like that."


    "Ha ha. Doesnt that make you a paragon of light and justice." chuckled Samanta, slightly less worried about the future of their party. "I think we will work as a party just fine." she added.


    "So long as you remember that I am the last bastion. Only in case you see my dead body can you fall in despair, not a second sooner."


    "Understood." she sighed and spread her arms to the sides, helpless in his confidence that seemed a bit strong, even for someone with the skill he had displayed so far. Something that Samanta considered monster tier.


    The remaining shift was spent in a relative quiet, only the occasional birds chirp resounding here and there. A light breeze slipped through their camp every now and then, bringing over the chill that such nights provided. With such a reminder, Rex trew a few more pieces of wood into the fireplace, stoking it to burn brighter, at the same time using his mana pulse to ensure no ambushes formed. During their shif Rex did sense a few goblins moving on the perifery of his current range, not risking coming any closer and soon after dissapearing further in the forest. The question remained- were they a small group of strays, or a party of some larger colection of goblins. He still had in his mind the information he had recieved about the probability of a goblin raid party, or maybee even a horde existing in the relative vicinity of the city and since they were still relatively close, there was a chance to encounter either parts, or the main body of said force. Once their time was over, Samanta had the honors of waking up the last shifts girls and once Alurial and Veena were up and ready, Rex alongside Samanta could take a few more hours of rest in the tent, something Rex used once again to meditate and restore his mind.


    The morning was also quite calm, as Rex was stirred awake by Alurial, since the coachmen had just woken up as well. There had been no issues during any of the shifts, as evident by the peacefull ''sleep'' everyone had gotten. As Rex opened his eyes, readying himself for another boring day of travel, a thought did arise in his mind ''I should get my hands on something that could serve as an alarm during the night.'' He was working on exactly that, but there were quite a few kinks to iron out still, so all he could do was work on the idea and implement it once it was ready.


    After a simple breakfast, consisting of a light soup, made with some peas, dried meat and a few potatoes, as well as a small loaf of bread, they quickly disasembled their temporary camp, placed it all on the carriages, all the while the coachmen attached their horses, and set off to continiue on their path. Just as they set off, Rex used a rather strong mana pulse,finding something rather suspicious at a decent distance from them. A group of twenty riders, all keeping their distance, though staying on the same path as them. Only a couple of men were closer to them, every few minutes signaling to the group further behind. Clearly, they were keeping their eyes of Rex and the party. ''Bandits? Greedy adventurers? Henchmen of the arrogant lordling? Or maybee all combined?'' Rex mused for a moment. Regardless, the group had nothing good on their mind, thus he informed the girls of the fact, earning a few rised eyebrows, but said questioning gazes were quickly replaced with solemn nods, as the girls prepeared for any possible agression from the unknown group.


    The sun over their heads slowly moved along its path across the heaven as ,orning turned into day, then slowly evening, untill finally, the sune once again dissapeared behind the horizon, indicating the end of the second day Light''s Oak has spent on the road. When asked about their stalkers, Rex truthfully answered. Said group had maintained their distance, raising their suspicions even higher. Unlike Rex''s group, the peopel behind them had no carriages, allowing them to move faster. Since the riders behind them had not done so for an entire day, their purpose was quite clear. The only question now was whether said group wanted to just rob and kill them, or capture as many of the girls sa possible for their own nefarious goals.


    "Should we not take the innitiative? We might be able to take their group by suprise then." Questioned Alurial, not in the least biut happy about their sutuation.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "If the enemy did not have their eyes on us? Yes that would be a possibility, but since they are the ones tracking us, we cant aproach unseen. What we can do, however, is to pretend that we are unaware of their presence, creating a trap for them, when they foolishly asume we can be taken."


    "What if they dont do anything, ordered to only track us?" Asked Veena.


    "With those numbers? I highly doubt it." Rex replied, making the girls slightly more tense. Noticing the change in the atmosphere, he reassured the girls. "Whats there to worry about ladies? Just a few dozen foolish men, raceing towards their doom. And for what? A few gold coins? talk about stupid."


    "Think they will try their luck tonight?" Samanta asked.


    "The chances are high. I dont sense any large bags attached to the horses, indicating that wheatever it is that they plan they are on a small time limit. They need resources to get back in a timely manner as well."


    "So, should we keep watches the same as we did yesterday, or should there be any changes?" Asked Ria.


    "I dont mind switching with Samanta!" quickly exclaimed Alurial hiding her slightly blusing face as all eyes landed on her.


    "Dont mind, do you?" smirked Samanta, clearly aware of the half elfs reasoning and desire, but not willing to just give it up so easily.


    "We need you perfectly rested Alurial." Rex spoke up "So there will be no changes in our watch rotations, at least for now. Either Samanta or Veena ar fine to take the middle shift alongside me, since we can afford to have one slightly more cranky archer. Not so much the only mage. Besides, as far as I understand, Samanta has built up somewhat of a resistance to it, what with her taking said spot most of the time. Something we will change with time."


    And while Aluriel was not entirely happy, he accepted his reasoning. A satiating meal was had for supper this time, the group prepearing for the possible incoming ambush during the night. Just like before, Rex took his side of the tent, sitting down and meditating. Of course, he did not forget to use mana pulses on irregular intertervals to ensure than noone could come up with a solution to hide themselves from his mana pulse and senses.


    A few minutes before his own shift, Rex opened his eyes, both ready to switch the girls out, as well as aware that their uninvited guests seemed to have finnaly gathered their courage. They were aproaching. Slowly, but surely twenty pair of legs advanced on their position, their horses left a short distance away. Rex slowly reached out his hands, carefully shaking the two ladies sleeping besides him. A moment later, both started to come to, slight confusion on their faces as they noticed it was Rex waking them up, instead of amy of the two girls currebtly on watch.


    "We have company." Rex whispered, and within moments, the two ladies were wide awake, adrenaline starting to pump through their weins. Rex was the first to exit the tent, Samanta and Alurial remained inside, not willing to alert their abmushers to be too early. Meru and Ria, noticing Rex, smiled to him.


    "You still have some time before the change of shifts yoiu know." Ria spoke, her voice calm but friendly.


    "Its okay." Rex replied "I dont mind starting a bit early, since I am up anyways. Do wake Veena up for me, will you?"


    The two girls raised their eyebrows towars Rex slightly, all of them well aware that his shift is to be taken with Samanta. And since Rex would not make such a mistake, especially with the threat of a possible ambush on the way, there was only one explanation. It was happening. Their unwanted stalkers had finaly decided to grace them with their presence.


    "Will do." nodded Meru, walking past Rex and entering the tent with their coachmen. Ria in the meantime entered the tent where Veena was resting, awakening the girl, who soone emerged from the tent and walked over, stiing next to Rex.


    "Such a beautifull night." Veena sighed, as she looked to the sky, a clear and calm sky before her eyes, countless stars shining down on them alongside a large and bright white moon.


    "i will show you something interesting a bit later." Rex smiled as he spoke, his blood thread slowly untying itself from his hand under his controll. Veena of course noticed the red and thin thread slowly emerging from his collar, causing her to raise a single eyebrow at the strange sight, an obvious question on her mind, though she was smarter than to ask Rex about his secrets. She saw as Rex''s grip on his spear slowly strenghtened and his eyes turned sharper.


    She too followed his example, taking her bow in hand and seemingly inspecting its condition, as if prepearing for a quick maintanace during their shift. Not like he would need it anytime soon, right.


    xxxxx


    We were slowly aproaching the camp of the Light''s Oak. Derek had recieved a sizable payment for the job. Nothing we had not done time and time again. Track the carriages, capture as many of the girls as you can, ensuring that the half elf lives, deliver them to the henchmen of the little lordling and get paid the other half of the fee. Nothing complicated. Anything that we loot off is ours to keep. A simple job, especially when we were told about the target. An F ranked party, consisting of only girls. Could there be an easier job?


    There had been slight changes though, since the party now had an extra member that we had little knowledge about. The young man riding with them was seen alongside their party during the raid, or so our moles said. No other concrete infor about theman, besides the fact that he seemed new. based on his age, likely a fresh adventurer who got lucky to tag along with a bunch of beauties. Lucky bastard. Its all good though, the guys will make sure he regrets his ''good luck'' soon.


    Our horses were left a decent distance away, lest their watch hears the sounds made by our advance. As we were getting closer and closer, our weapons were slowly drawn, their darkened edges perfectly camouflaged in the darkness. From the cover of trees we finally noticed the campfire itself, stil burning brightly. next to it, sat one of the archers, Veena if I remember correctly from the portraits we were given, her lithe frame and dark hair, alongside with the bow she was inspecting, being clear giveaways. Alongside her sat the new member of their team. The wildcard, though seeing his weapons, a spear he was holding, alongside a shield on his back and a sword by his side, a close quarters fighter, capable of either tanking or dishing out damage from a short range, courtesy of his spear.


    Once aproximately fifty meters away from the camp, I imitated a cry of a night bird, in a rather unique tone, notably off from the natural tone of the bird I was immitating. My acomplices were well aware of the code, quietly spreading out and even more carefully aproaching the camp. Once within ten or so meters, we will have to spring forth, taking them by suprise, the two archers with poisoned arrows were already prepearing their shots, They were right besides me after all.


    As they were raising their bows, something unexpected happen. A whooshing sound, followed by a sound I would recognize everywhere, as it too was quickly followed by a breathless gasp, as one of the two archers flew backwards, a spear embeded in his chest. I quickly returned my eyes to the duo, sitting by the campfire, my eyes widening in suprise. The male no longer had his spear in hand. whats worse, in a blink of an eye, he shot forward, clearly infusing his body with mana to elevate his speed with a burst discharge as he lept forward. I could barely react in time as I raised my weapon, intercepting the strike that came my way.


    And yet, I was had, as the strike was nothing but a diversion, used to leverage his charge and slightly adjust the trajectory, shooting past me the next moment and impaling the other archer with the sword that I had just intercepted.


    "ATTACK!" I roared as i turned around to attack the man. We had been detected and he was waiting on us to come cloe enough for a suprise attack. Fuck, this is gonna get bloody. No matter, as long as the half elf lives, we will at least break even. A moment later, I was alrady by the side of the man, my two handed sword in a downwards motion to split his back in two. And yet, with unnatural instinct, he lifted his shield in a weird angle. My eyes bulged in horror when my strike was diverted with a minimal effort, my body following the motion of the strike.


    Behind me, I could hear an explosion, clearly the mage had used her fireballs. Shit, we are going to have some serious losses. The man is a danger as well. No F rank moves like that.


    "Urgh." A painfull groan escaped my mouth as I felt a searing pain in my side, the man had used the short opening to puncture my side, though, thankfully, my men had already arrived besides, forcing him to get back, withdrawing his blade from my side and leaving me with my life still mostly intact.


    "Ruben, Heal!" I exclaimed as I placed myleft hand on the stab wound, watching as three of my men surrounded the man.


    "Huh?" A clear confusion muddied my mind, as I swayed. The trio that had surrounded him suddenly lost their heads, a spurt of blood shooting upwards as if they were fountains.


    "What?" my vision blurred as all i could see was grass, as if I had laid on the ground, one of my ears pressed against the earth. And then, darkness.............................................

 Chapter 21. Theory on new schools of magic.

    As soon as the ambushers were close enough, and Rex had noticed two archers rising their bows in preperation to shoot, he did not wait any longer, infusing mana in his arms and legs, making them much stronger. Then, within moments, he flung his spear with deadly accuracy, impaling one of the two archers in their chest, the power of the trow ragdooling the body a few meters further back. As soon as the spear had left his hands, he bent his knees and propelled himself forward, the action empowered with generous amounts of mana. In just another blink he was infront of the man with a two hander, who was blocking his access to the second archer. A swing from his sword that the two handed sword wielder atempted to block was used to slightly alter his own trajectory, barely moving past the melee fighter to reach the archer. And then, another stab later, the ranged attackers had been taken care off.


    Rex did not have much time to dally, since a loud yell came from two handed sword wielder, comanding his asociates to drop the stealth aproach and attack in full force. Said yell was followed by a quick action from the man, who had lunged forward and was swinging his two hander down from above. Rex used a minimal movement, along with a perfect positioning of his shield to redirect the sword strike and then used the opening he himself had created to stab the attacker in his guts. He did have to stop before he could inflict trully letal wound on the man, since a few other swords were already swung with the intention to end his life, thus Rex had to step a few steps back, avoiding all weapon range.


    "Healer!" the stabbed man exclaimed, moving his empty hand to press on the stab wound as three other friends of his charged at Rex. A slight smile crept on his face, as the perfect opportunity presented iteslf to him. And so, he willed his mana and his blood wire into action, creating a very thin and barely noticable, but extremely flexible and dangerous wire saw. And with it, like a whip he swung it around, seperating the heads from the bodies of the hree attackers as well as the wounded two handed sword wielder. Confused expressions were the last thing that crept on the faces of the four bastards, as their heads landed on the grass field.


    The rest of the girls had already left the tents, creating a rather well defensive position around the two coachmen, with Alurial boing wild with her fireballs, creating quite the chaos among teh remaining attackers. Veena and Samanta used their ranged advantage to great effect, aiming for the legs of whoever tried to close in on them. Rex timely suprise strike had caught the attackers with their pants down, not having reched the perfect positions for their liking. Meru worked like a perfect wall against wwichever bastard managed to reaach them, before yet another arrow ensured said bastard was out of commmision.


    Ria was casting a few buffs on the rest of the girls, ensuring their stamina was toped off as well as providing them with more power than was aviable to them on a daily basis outside of combat. And whenever Meru was even slightly wounded, she rushed to heal said wounds, worried about a possible poison or paralythic coumpound applied on the blades of attackers.


    In less than a few minutes, Rex had taken out six of the twenty attackers, while the girls had managed to create an utter chaos among the remaining ranks, alongside a few more casualities.


    "CAPTURE THE WOMAN FOR FUCKS SAKE!!" screamed another man, who Rex noticed was in a slightly better equipment as the rest, marking him as one of the leaders, if his hunch was correct. The other, was most likely the poor two hand sword user he had decapitated just moments ago, so it was rather desirable to capture him alive. Though he still had a problem to deal with in the form of another ten men or so. Thus, having no other eyewitnesses besides his own team, he called upon the free blood that was there for the taking at his feet, slowly oozing out of the dead men he had just slain.


    In a few more moments, under his orders, the blood followed, and with a single swipe of his hand in the heigh of his chest formed a rather thick, rope like object, akin to a floating keyboard of sorts, but without any movable elements. Then, from the front side of said keyboard, spikes formed, aimed at the attacking men. With another movement of his hand, the formed spikes shot forward, peppering the ambushers, earning painfull wails and curses whenever any of the needle like spikes connected.


    "WHAT THE FUCK!" in a panic exclaimed the remaining leader, confused beyond reason at the sight before him. A mage would make sense, but what he whitnessed did not. He had never seen a mage who used blood, of all things as the medium of their spells. Nor had he ever read of one. The only thought that came to his mind when the words ''blood manipulation'' were brought up chilled him to the bone. Vampires were the only creatures known to civilized people who not only could, but often would immerse themselves in the study but also perfection of the art. And not some lowly and disfigured specimen either. Blood manipulation was a noble art, so much so that their ranks and titles were rumored to be assigned based on the mastery over said art.


    Any other knowledge about the art, as well as deeper insights in the politics and other internal affairs of the vampires were shrouded in mystery, but that alone was enough to freeze him in his tracks for a while. What? How? Why? countless question raced through his mind as more adn more of his subbordinates were incapacitated due to the injuries the blood spell caused, eventually leaving him the only one capable of action.


    "End the rest while I secure our informant!" Rex exclaimed as he shot towards the leader,bringing out from the stupor the remaining people around them. With countless questions in their minds, the girls nevertheless acted upon his order, moving in and delivering killing blows. It was either them or their would be captors/ killers, so there was little to no compasions they felt. Well, maybee just a little due to how savagely Rex had twarted their attack. Still, it was pitty towards a stupid beast at best, not interfering with their tasks.


    "Shit!" exclaimed the leader, pulled from his stupor as Rex yelled out his order. Yet with a heart filled with terror, all he could do was turn around and try to escape with his life. Something that turned out to be quite difficult, especially since the moment he had turned around and was trying to infuse his legs with mana, similar to the monster chasing him, a sharp pain cut through, disrupting his attempt and causing him to fall face first into dirt.


    "Urghh." A pained groan escaped his mouth, his legs having been pierced, no doubt with the same hardened blood needles that had taken the last of his men. Just death was the least of his worries now as he remembered all kinds of horror stories the old soldiers used to tell about many different monsters of the higher tiers, vampuires being one of the most used. It was hard not to. Human like monsters, that feasted on thir blood, making slaves and bloodthralls, forcing you into enternal servitude. Or worse still, the vampires that were fascinated with necromancy. And now, he was in the presence of one of them.


    The terror was growing further and further, as he forced his mana into his wounded legs, trying to get away, only to realize that his shoulders, were griped in a cice like hold, ensuring he could not get away, even if he sacrificed a leg or two.


    "Now, now. We cant have you leave so soon. We have a couple of questions that need answers after all." The monster spoke, his smile sending shivers down his spine.


    "So Bob? Can I call you Bob? Of course I can. So Bob? Who was the fool that fired you?" the monster asked once again, as if his life was nothing to him. Then again, what was he, a mere mercenary of E rank to a monster of such rank, if not just an eyesore? And, either noticing, or smelling his inner fears, the monster added.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "If you cooperate with us, you will get to have a quick and painless death. Nothing more, nothing less." Sure, he did not want to die, but if the alternatives were to either be a mindless servant for who knows how long, or worse, be bound to his own bones, forced to serve for eternity, a simple death did not seem as such a bad bargain at all.


    "A lordling paid us to get the half elf for him." he stammered out, hoping that the monster would keep his word, quickly adding "And if we could capure more of the girls alive- bonuses."


    "Anything else?" The monster asked, his calm smile did nothing but elevate the terror he was fearing towards it.


    "N-no. Thats all." the merc replied.


    "Hear that Alurial? Your lordling was so enamored with you he sent a goon squad after you." The monster laughed for a moment, and then returning his gaze to the mercenary.


    "A deal is a deal." the monster spoke, one last smile appearing on his face as the vision of the mercenary dimmed. ''Ahh, so thats it? Release, thank the lords.'' were the last thoughts in his mind.


    xxxxxx


    Rex looked towards the girls who were keeping their distance alongside the two coachmen. All eyes warily eyeing him.


    "So, care to explain?" Rex asked "I know that blood magic is not common, nor did Lisa mentioned it as one of the forbiden ones. Thus, I am guessing there is something else there. Care to explain, because it feels as if you are looking at a monster right now?"


    Rex question was met with increduluos gazes, as the camp site was overtaken by silence.


    "You dont know?" suspiciously asked Alurial, her voice quiet, so much so that all Rex heard were some mumblings.


    "Louder girl. Where did your voice suddenly go? I aint no lip reader." Rex quiped, slowly getting annoyed at the situation.


    "I will cast holy magic on you." determined spoke Ria, waiting for Rex reaction, and showing even more confused reaction whne Rex just shrugged.


    "Sure, go ahead. Though care to explain why?"


    Still, even with all of her confusion at Rex willingness, she quickly gathered herself and cast a smiple holy spell, slowly aproaching Rex. ''Sanctifying light'' it was called, and it supposedly cleansed corruption in a small vicinity around the caster. Soon, Ria was standing right in front of Rex as she held her hand close to his face, only causing him to close his eyes once the light was too bright.


    "Would be nice if youd did not try to blind me with it." he annoyedly said, untill Ria exhaled loudly and allowed the slepp to end.


    "So? Explanations?" Rex asked a moment later, as there was a deadly silence still.


    "So you actually dont know?" asked Ria once again.


    "No seriosuly. will you tell me or not? This is getting mightily annoying."


    "Vampires." was the one word answer from Meru.


    "I am guessing the blood suckers can use blood magic, yes? So, whats with all the fus then?"


    "Emm. As far as we know, they are the only ones who can ue it. Thus it is asumed that whenever it appears, a high class vampire is right behind it."


    "Seriously? Only vampires? Cant be right. Its just a school of magic, not some rare bloodline ability." Rex sighed, shaking his head, his eyebrows rising in the air as realization dawned on him.


    "Wait, you though I was one of them? Phfffff. Ha ha ha ha." Rex started to laugh loudly, the absurdity of the situation too hilarious for him.


    "Think about it. You are extremely young looking, wield your weapons with ease and skill of a seasoned veteran. Make calm and calcutated decisions during stressfull situations and act far too mature for your age. And you have access to blood magic. If Rias holy spell have had any effect on you, we would stil believe you to be one. But vampires are extremely vulnerable to holy element, so much so that even the greatest procettion one can aquire does not cover said vulnerability entirely, making your indiference to it a guarantee that you are not one of them." Spoke up Ria, as a holy element healer, she had the greatest knowledge regarding anything from the negative and corrupt side of the world, be it plants, animals, creatures or curses and the like.


    "Still, your ability to use it is something to ponder. Could you perhaps have some of the vampiric bloodline in your veins, but thin enough to make you human when it comes to weakneses and the like?" she mused further, only to be interrupted by Rex.


    "Nope. That much I know. To be honest, I have a general idea why it is so, but that is not something that can be easily explained, or willingly for that matter. What I can say is that it is an inborne ability. Every mage, or to be precise, every person, has an element that they feel more in tune with, familiar if you will. Take Alurial for example. From what I have seen, she uses exclusively fire, does she not?"


    "Yes I do." Allurial confirmed.


    "But why? Do you perhaps feel that fire comes almost as if on its own? Unlike any other element that you have perhaps tried?"


    "Yes. With other elemental spells it feels as if I have to whip them into shape and form, and even then it does not come out perfectly as I want it to. But I already knew that."


    "Sure, but the question regarding affinities is this- how many of them are out there? Just the basic elements plus space and time? or are there others, more complex and niche that are simply not talked about and researched." Rex questioned further.


    "Like what?" asked Alurial.


    "Lets start with metal, plants, illusions?"


    "Wait what? what specific?"


    "Yes. My element of blood" Rex started, thinking to himself ''soul and space as well, but there is no way I am talking about those anyways'', before continiuing "is just one of such niche elements. Now, if you dont know that they exist, and whatever little tallent you have is forced to exercise the base elements, none of which you have affinity for, showing your lack of aptitude, what do you do then? Train as a fighter and use your mana tallent for reinforcement, am I correct?"


    "Thats about right, yes." Replied Meru.


    "And there you have it. Because there is a perfectly viable alternative instead of desperately seeking your own smal corner of true competence, people settle for whats known, leaving these niche and unknown elements just that- unknown. Of course, there will likely be some savants that in one way or another discover their true affinity, most likely then falling into the sight of some religious or zealous, or perhaps both, group, quickly meeting their demise as a heretic or demon worshiper or whatnot, once again forcing the element to remain obscure and unexplored."


    Rex sighed as he took another moment to sumarize his thoughts, since there was a rather logical reasong to the way the world worked as it did.


    "Though, to be fair, most of the world around us exist in a rather calamitous state, where no one knows just what kind of monsters could surface the next day. Thus resulting in a constant need of manpower and warriors. Few could afford to possibly waste away in search of their true discipline. Damned if you do, damned if you dont."


    "And how would you suggest the issue to be tackled, if not solved entirely?" asked one of the coachmen, the elder of the two, clearly seeing a possible path towards quite the profit.


    "Aha, I see a man with a nose for profits." Rex smiled at the man, continiuing "I might have a few possible theoretical solutions for it. Unfortunately, I dont do charity."


    "And how comes you know all that? Sounds like some extremely esoterical stuff." asked Veena.


    "Lets just say that I have an extremely high affinity and comprehension when it comes to mana manipulation and controll in general, as well as I have fiddled around with quite a bit of stuff on the matter. And gentlemen, feel free to share the theoretical part of the conversation with your organization. They will surely find a way or two to profit, and reward you in turn. Though note that my affinity with blood magic should remain a secret. Neither of you want me after you." Rex smiled, this time with an unsettling and predatory smile.


    "Now then, since the problem has been solved, I advise to go to sleep for those that want to, while the rest of us should go throught our would be ambushers and loot everything of worth, as well as go after their horses that are waiting there" Rex pointed in one dirrection "to be picked up. Should fetch a pretty peny at our destination."


    Once both Meru and Ria were sent to sleep since they have had none this night, the remaining group got to cleaning up the bodies. The first few minutes were spent by the girls staring as Rex was siphoning blood from the bodies, condensing it all into a sword shape. With that done, alongside quite a few questions regarding his school of magic, the group did their task admirably, having finished even before the coachmen woke up. Even the horses had already been collected, wating patiently for the departure.

 Chapter 22. Lunas garden.

    The rest of their journey was far more mundane, with only an ocasional attack from either a group of predatory, eyeing their extra horses or some random foolish group of goblins, salivating over the bounty this particular convoy could bring. Rex did the expected, blowing them away with the blood needles he had revealed in their fight against the mercenaries, then proceeding to drain the corpses of their blood once that was done. When asked by Alurial about the reason his casting seemed to be so easy, when compared to her fire magic, Rex explained that blood was part of ones body, thus not subjected to the adverse effects of the worlds mana that inhibited casting. It was for that exact reason there were no spells an individual could cast that created sea of flames of earthquakes that could devour cities with ease. The world itself was against such displays of power. But at the same time, one could reach extreme levels of power and speed by hardening and empowering their flesh with mana infusion. Still, the destructive power of magic was obvious, making it the greatest power at most levels, only being overshadowed by the pinnacle body reinforcing masters who could shrug off the fireballs and other offensive magic dirrected their way with copious amounts of mana infused in their bodies, making their defenses incredibly potent, even if for a limited time.


    What Rex did not speak about was his own way of strenghtening his body, as wellas the true power of the concepts he wielded, since it seemed to be knowledge that this world simply did not have, saving his own special advantages for himself and whoever he decided to share with. He was all too well aware of the ficklness of people, leaving him with the need to observe and understand his current and future companions for a long time, before he shared any of his own special skills.


    At the end of the day, mana capacity and controll were the skills that trully seperated the absolute best of this world from the good, average or the meh fighters and mages of this world, no matter which discipline one chose to start with, since even mages focused on body enhancement, though with elemental properties, once they reached a certain treshold of power. A simple lumpo of element, trown at their adversaries, could take one so far.


    Eventually, they reached their goal, quite a few plumes of smoke rising in the air as they aproached a rather large wall. Their ''aquired'' additional horses moved calmly in a rather organized line behind the two carriages, making their group look quite odd, all things considered. Horse merchants ussually had notably different compositions after all. Still, as they aproached the gray, four meter tall wall, only a few odd glances were dirrected their way from the men patrolling the wall.


    "State your business!" Asked a guard by the gate, armoured with a set of chainmall armor, a rather large pike and cumbersome shield, his visor lifted to provide a better field of vision while he did not have to engage in battle.


    "Bringing adventurers over as part of a job." replied one of the coachmen.


    "And the horses? Dont seem like something a group of adventurers, fitting in two carriages would need."


    "Some fools decided to ambush us during our nightly rest. Did not work out well for them." replied the coachman, earning a raised brow from the guard.


    "You have what, six to eight men? Just what class of adventurers are you transporting?"


    "Couldnt tell you, would not either. Want to risk your hide, then go and ask yourself. My job is to get them where they need to be."


    "Problems?" Rex jumped out of one of the carriages, his gaze sharp and not very friendly. "We are itching to test out the dungeon, so hurry up."


    "Y-yes, my apologies." stuttered the guard, Rex''s gaze making him slightly uncomfortable and even a bit scared. "There is a small toll that needs to be paid upon entry. Five copper coins per person, the coachmen excluded, since their guild has a standing agreement with our city." Noticing the sign, stamped with what looked to be city lords seal, stating the same, Rex withdrew thirty copper coins and dropped them in the hand of the guard.


    "Six person group. Thirty coppers." he stated in a cold, no nonsense tone.


    "Wait just a moment sir." the guard replied, as he dissapeared inside the gate for a moment, leaving his pike and shield at the gate, returning just a minutes or so later, six medalions at hand.


    "This here proves that you have entered the town legaly. Please keep them on at all times, since guards can ask to be shown it in case of some trouble. He have had some issues with the more shady elements of the world. Thieves and the like, who enter and exit the city through other means. This way of identifying allows us to at least somewhat reduce their numbers."


    Rex nodded, and once he was sure that there were no enchantments on the medalions, or curses for that matter, since there were no runes or anything else similar on them, he wore one himself and gave the rest to the remaining girls, who proceeded to do the same, adorning their necks with them. Once the fee was paid, the gatekeeper gave a signal, and the gate was opened fully, allowing their group to pass.


    Once inside, the first thing they did was find the closest merchants and after a while, they managed to sell off the extra horses they had on hand, earning quite a bit of money for the transaction. The two coachmen were also provided with a small part of the bounty. They had done their job well and Rex considered it to be a decent incentive for the two to keep their mouth shut regarding the things they saw during their trip, since only the parties destination and composition was something they were supposed to keep quiet about initially. This gesture, alongside a friendly note that he could be quite ruthless, if his hand was forced, served as enough of an ensurance.


    With the unnecessary things offloaded and their money bags noticably heavier, they moved on to find a decent inn to make as their base for the time being, eventually considering renting a small house for the party, depending on how profitable it would be running the dungeon. Since it was a relatively low tiered one, the profits were not expected to bea heavy, many hopefull and aspiring adventurers already grinding in the place. And yet, for those of a slightly higher caliber, as well as willing to take more risks, there was always a way. Delve deeper and slightly better stuff could be found, and when luck shines on a party, some trully expensive treasures could be found, even in a relatively weak dungeon as the one they are aiming at.


    The most important reason to delve into dungeons however was not tied to the monetary rewards one could earn delving them. No, the greatest treasure was the chance to grow stronger, as with each kill ones body recieved a miniscule boost to their own flesh and bones. It was something similar to what Rex''s drain could do, though on a much smaller scale, even when compared to his current, much weakened passive version. And it did not strenghten ones soul, as far as Rex could figure out. There was also a limit to how much growth could dungeons provide, as there were some hard caps for each place, as well as the people who were atempting to grow in such a way. Still, he was quite interested to see, if he could double dip with the empowerment, since his won uniqueness guaranteed that no such caps ever applied to him.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    They spent a few hours walking around the relatively small town, checking whatever inns they came upon, every time finding a few reasons they could not chose said place as their temporary base. As they walked around, they could take in the town. Its gray and relatively small buildings, with a dark brown single roofs, stood side by side. Small glass windows ensuring at least some light entered the buildings during the day. A few smelters that purified the metals they dug up in the bearby mine, as well as a large number of warehouses, belonging to numerous companies of merchants who bought up both unpreocessed and processed metals alike, then moving the macross the land and selling for profit.


    Due to the nearby dungeon, there was plenty of shops that catered to specifically adventurers, selling or buying what one needed, or was willing to sell off. A constant chatter could be heard in the streets with numerous stalls, someone trying to get a better deal for whatever they had aquired during their delves. All kind of magical cores were lined on nemerous stalls, alongside monster parts or rare, mana infused materials, most of whom could be torn from some rarer monsters.


    Eventually, they managed to find an inn that satisfied their needs called ''Luna''s Garden''. It was run by a dryad. A green skinned woman with yellow eyes and light brown hair. Her clothes seemed to be woven from all sorts of leaves and moss, barely covering her light curves. A friendly, inviting smile adorned her face as she welcomed the group in the lobby of the inn.


    "Welcome guests to Luna''s Garden. How may I be of assistance?" the dryad asked once the group stopped in front of the counter, her eyes glancing over every member of the party in front of her, as if taking their measure, something Rex was sure she did. He noticed a slight tremble in her eyes as she ''evaluated'' him, something she hid very well, thought not well enought to escape his sharp eyes.


    "We are looking for a few rooms to acomodate us for some time." spoke Samanta "This is the best place we have found so far that fits our needs. We would need a room for the man and however many rooms necessary for the rest of us. We girls dont mind sharing our rooms either, if it makes it easier." she added.


    "I am sorry to inform you that my establishement dont have enough rooms free at the moment to acomodate your party." the dryad smiled apologetically as she replied, though Rex could sense her wariness towards him. "May I suggest you try another establishement? There are many others within our humble town, thanks to the dungeon nearby, that could fit your needs."


    Rex then moved closer to the counter and leaned on it "You are scared of me. I wonder why?" he then chuckled, continiuing "Now, the question is, will the monster that you percieve me to be, just ignore your audacity? Or will it take a note to repay it in kind. Tell me, little tree spirit, do you want to take that chance?" an evil grin spread across his face "I have heard that smart and civilised monsters dont shit where they sleep." his smile was now downright terrifying, so much so that it sent chills down the girls spine. He did not have to spell out the meaning behind his words, for they were obvious to all, creating a deadly silence in the inn.


    "A shame things did not work out, lets find a place thats not full girls, shall we?" Rex suddenly spoke up, his demeanor and voice bright and light, creating a comical moment. A laugh errupted just moments after, Meru not able to hold it in. As she laughed, holding her sides, nearly falling to the ground, she squeezed out.


    "Ha ha ha ha. Lords, stop it. Ha ha ha. You sure you are not a vampire? ha ha ha ha. Thats too devious."


    "YOU KNOW????!!!!" in panic screamed the dryad, recoiling back to the far wall of the room, now clearly trembling in fear, terrified what will hapen with her now that the cat was out of the bag.


    "Sorry to dissapoint, but there are no vampires here." Rex shrugged his shoulders at the dryad. "Did you sense an overabundance of life energy?" he then pulled out his blood sword in progress, pointing at it. "Could it be you sensed this little thing?"


    Now, seeing the object that was obviously radiating the life energy that had alarmed her held in the mans hand, she visibly relaxed, clearly having made a mistake and now aware of it. "Still, were I an actual vampire, was what you did a smart thing? like I said before, I dont think such creatures would fail to notice the things I did and leave you alone, purely because you knew too much." His question did cause the dryad to flinch, now clearly aware of her own mistake, as she deflated even more, so much so that a small sniffs could be heard from the woman.


    "Look at you. You made her cry." Scolded Ria, quickly moving over the counter and pulling the dryad into a hug, gently caressing the brown hair. "There, there. Its gonna be fine. Ria here will reprimand the bully. There is nothing to fear here."


    "Hey, on whose side are you? It was her who was trying to chase us- perfecty fine probable clients- away, even with a lot of empty rooms." complained Rex in fake anger, clearly visable from the smile on his face. He was not at all angry at Ria, the woman was overly sweet to cute little things.


    "I believe it is her right as the owner of of the place." Ria spoke back, but Rex did not hesitate to reply.


    "IF, that was the case, I could not argue, but that is not the case, is it now?" his gaze focused on the sniffling and crying spirit, only for a sound of door opening, earning their gazes. Through came a carbon copy of the dryad in Rias embrace, though with much greater curves and demeanor that screamed- motherly. The same light green skin color, same light brown hair and yellow eyes, though with curves that could light a lire in most mans loins. Her slightly swaying waist movement as she walk made her all the more alluring.


    "Ow my. Did my little Lunaria cause a mischief once again, not able to deal with it till the end?" A sweet and soft voice resounded from the elder dryad, as she reached Ria and little Lunaria. She bowed towards Rex and the girls, at the same time flasing a nice cleavage to Rex, intentionally or not, he could not tell, but apreciated it all the same.


    "I apologise for rude behaviour. As the owner of the place, I should have thought my peopole better. Allow me to make amends by offering you a discount on the services you seek, should it still be desired . I would understand if Lunaria had offended you and you decide to take your business elsewhere." she stayed as she was, her head bowed in apology.


    "Its fine, its fine." quickly spoke up Samanta "No harm''s done, since our companion gave as much as he recieved. And we would still like to get some rooms, if it is all the same to you. A room for the man, and the rest of us dont mind sharing."


    "Certainly." replied the mother, raising her head and smiling amiably. "Lunaria, apologise to our guests will you. you still need a lot of training in life aura reading before you can properly use it to evaluate our possible customers." as she spoke, she had already moved over to the counter, flipping through a journal of sorts, looking for something. "Ah, yes. I can offer a room for three, one for two and then a room for the man. Will that be fine?"


    "Yes. That will be great, thank you." replied Samanta. the rest of the registration went smoothly, with Light''s oak aquiring their lodgings for a few days at the minimum, with a note that they might need to extend their stay for longer, should some of their plans not work out as well as they thought. little Lunaria eventually apologized, though now she was openly glaring at Rex, his monster act clearly not being apreciated. He did find it to be a well executed leason, one the young dryad was in a clear need off. Luna, the elder dryad pulled Rex aside and profusely apologized for the actions of her daughter, imploring him to not mind the younger girl too much. Life in a safe place has spoiled the youngling quite a bit, nevertheless, Lunaria was her daugher as she loved her too much.


    "Such a wounderfull mother." Rex nodded with a smile. "Do not worry. If your daughter causes too much trouble, I am sure we can come to an arrangement that pacifies my possible anger without any drastic measures necessary." His eyes roamed over the body of the woman, his intent clear, earning a slight blush from the mature woman, who nodded in understanding. Rex was not some incredibly handsome man, his looks quite average, His life aura however, even without the blood sword in question was impressive. And for dryad''s, that was a much greater attraction than ones physical looks. For all intent and purposes, to Lunas eyes, Rex was stunningly handsome creature, and had Lunaria not mistaken the blood sword for the signs of him being a vampire, thus not properly seeing Rex in all his glory, Luna was sure her daugher would be swooning all over him right now.


    Luna could only sigh in relief, thanking the scatterbrained personality of her daugher for the current situation. While she herself was incredibly tempted, as a fully grown and experienced lady, she had the will to restrain herself, but a rebellious teenage girl, falling head over heels for the incredibly desirable man that decided to stay in their inn? Yea, that did not sound like a promising script for a string of proper and smart decisions.

 Chapter 23. First dive and a smell of mystery.

    Their rooms were neat and tidy, filled with the fresh and clean smell of a forest, creating a calming and relaxing atmosphere in the rooms, something that the girls did not hesitate to share about, smiles and pleased expressions on their faces, once the group was gathered together again after leaving their extra luggage in their rooms. The inn itself had no tavern attached to it, as many would often do, solving said need with a couple of small, but inviting diners nearby. All one had to do was walk outside the door, look around and there they were, a couple different choices to sate ones hunger.


    Rex simply followed the girls lead as they chose one of said diners, spending almost an hour in the place, enjoying a rather filling meal while conversing about their next few steps. Since they had all the gear they needed, the obvious first choice was to visit the adventurers guild and see what kind of things do people and busineses desire the most around these parts. Clearly, most of the stuff would be aquired in the dungeon, but the precise items and whatnot varried and it was paramount to know what exactly to focus on aquiring, since they had limited carry capacity. In the dungeon one had to be particularily carefull with their luggage, since beeing too greedy would often lead parties to their demise.


    With the meal done, they moved out, their next destination set. It took them a few dozen minutes to reach the guild hall of the city. The building was notably larger than most others around it, though nowhere near as impressive as the one that was built in Valrun. Still, it held a certain grandeur and specific charm, decorated with all kinds of magical metal ornaments, though none of them was trully precious. Still, the message was clear- an abundance of different materials could be aquired in the vicinity, appealing to quite a large number of willing and hopefull new adventurers, as well as countless smiths who greedily had flocked here in hopes of practising their craft, making the place one of the larger meeting spots of new and aspiring adventurers and smiths both.


    As they entered, there was quite a large activity inside, even if it was already slightly past noon. A lot of laughter and complaining could be heard as they walked towards the bounty board, ready to inspect teh general make up of local quests and the rates of monster bounties in this place. Dungeons were special places where the corpses of monsters did not remain intact. Once slain, they would dissipate into mana dust, similar to how Rex''s original drain would work, though always leaving behind a monster core and if one was lucky, some other monster drop. Something similar happened to adventurer themselves as well, though it took a couple of days before it happened, os if one wanted to burry their deceased companion, they had to leave the dungeon where it happened within days of the incident. It was also a reason why the return of an adventurers cards, found in the dungeon was rewarded by the guild. It was a sof proof of the demise of said cards holder. Sure, there were extremely rare occasions where that was not the case, though such events were rare, causing the local people to talk about the mirracle for weeks, if not months or sometimes even years after the fact.


    "A solid rate going for the monster cores." spoke up Samanta after they had examined the board for a while now.


    "Yes, the large amount of material requests also make delving quite enticing." added Veena as she looked through the numerous gathering requests. due to the presence of the dungeon, most of the problems and whatnot were connected with it as well, since due to the lack of general mana in teh area, all of it being hogged by the dungeon, there were few monsters that were willing to starve themselves and stump their growth, making it quite the goldmine for everyone willing to delve.


    "There is something suspicious going on here though." Rex spoke up after a short while, having focused his attention on one of the more obscure and less interesting corners of the board, or so most adventurers would say. He ponted towards a certain page posted, only having a few sentences, warning about teh dissapearance of non adventurer type folk. It was followed by a rarher weird ramblings that it was a work of some sort of a monster, clearly targeting the weaker group of the local populace.


    "Realy Rex? Such messages exist on every towns questboard. Sometimes you can even find a dozen of those during certain seasons." dismised Meru.


    "Come now Meru." Rex smiled towards her "Do you really think I would depend on such a message alone? I have sensed something weird ever since we entered the town, though I have no idea as to what exactly that is. I will figure it out eventually, of that I have no doubt, but in the meantime, dont wander around alone okay?"


    "But we should be fine, whatever it is, its targeting the simple folk. Clearly it is too weak to mess with adventurers." spoke up Alurial, fake bravado in her voice.


    "For now, sure. But are we really willing to risk it?" Rex replied, the girls understanding that such follish action was indeed just begging for trouble.


    "All right gals. From now on, no leaving the inn alone. Always travel in at least pairs." with a strong tone of voice spoke Samanta, her decision clear and non disputable. They spent some more time inspecting the board in front of them, before leaving the guild. Even here, Rex noticed quite a few stares landing on his group, salivating over the beauties in it. Luckaly, there were no fools as of yet who dared to come over and trow their supposed reputation of might around, hoping to strongarm any of the girls in servicing them, but it was only a matter of time before Rex would have to remove a limb or two to send a message. He did not care if there would be polite and respectable introductions, but he would not allow some idiots to interfere with his adventuring life. What was a few destroyed fools when wieghted against his fun.


    With the general value and demand of most common and uncomon drops figured out, they returned to the inn, went over their own gear to take along and left the town, their next destination clear. The dungeon.


    Another ten minutes later, walking along an obviously heavily used road that was traversed by countless feet day after day, they reached their destination. At the foot of the mountain, a rather odd looking cliff stood. The stone was of a rather odd and unnatural blueish-red color with a sickly green luster. At the center of it, a large crack, as if split by a mighty cleave of gigantic axe or sword, created a rather notable passage inside. What awaited further could not be seen, since a milky white and puffy looking, cloud like substance obscured ones sight. Even Rex''s mana pulse could not penetrate said barrier.


    "Now that is an interesting phenomenon." Calmy observed Rex, an interesting question arising in his mind. "Say, is every entrance in the dungeons like this one?"


    "While the shape and form of the door itself varies greatly, from what I have seen so far, the dungeon mirror is pretty much the same, with the exception of its size, since that depends on the doors more than anything else." Another question that he felt the need to figure out. There were some sort of space laws at play there, and Rex was likely the only creature who could make that comparison, or had any hope of ever solving this particular puzzle. Regardless, that was a subject to delve into when he was otherwise idle and in safe and secure locations. Right now he should focus on the task at hand first and foremost.


    As one of the two front line fighters, and more importantly, the main interceptor, he took point, with Meru taking her position slightly further behind him, followed by Samanta, then Ria and Alurial. The last in the formation was Veena who would ensure there were no attaacks from flanks. In case of an emergency though, Meru was free to rush there and cover the group there. And if all hell broke loose, their orders were to gather together and protect themselves, since Rex would go full monster mode, using his blood magic with reckless abandon, shredding through whatever stood between them and the path home.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As they crossed the dungeon wall, a rather odd, but light and relatively pleasant feeling went through their bodies, creating a warm and fuzzy feeling in the bodies, as if it was the most natural thing to step into dungeons and raid the places for the treasure. Rex supposed that was one of the many reasons why so often would peole overestimate themselves and eventually lose their lives, biting off more than they can chew. Though the pleasant feeling dissapeared as fast as it came, revealing a rather uninviting cave before them. Rex slowly walked forward untill the entire group was on the other side.


    As he looked closer around himself, he saw a rather ancient looking platform, starting with a Tori like gate that they just came through, and ending with relatively small stairs on the other side, leading them into the cave proper. Fist sized crystals were embeded in the walls, creating light just bright enough to be comparable with a full moon night without a single cloud in sight. With all that light it was quite easy to see dirrectly around oneself. Something that was even easier for a creature like Rex, his senses much more capable than your average person. The air was slightly damp, though suprisingly clear, not at all what one would expect from who knows how expansive cave system, closed off from the outer world.


    "Lets take a few minutes to get used to the place." Rex suggested and with the unanimous agreement of his group, they did exactly so. A few minutes later, when they finally started to move deeper, they saw another group of adventurers come towards the gate. The new group of three men, looked dirty and exausted, multiple claw marks noticable on their banged up armour. heavye and tired sighs escaped their mouths every now and then, creating a rather comical and pitifull sight at the same time. Each of the men held their own sack, seemigly half loaded with loot from their delve.


    They all had quite banged up shields, over which the sacks hung, as well as a sword each. The largest of the trio also had a pickaxe tied to his waist, indicating that the group might have some expertise with mining, or they were just hopefull fools. A more skilled group might have tried to use said pickaxe to maybee try to chip away some crystals from a monster that was still alive to test if such a method could yield said crystals, or would they scatter as mana dust as soon as they have left the body of their host. A question someone must have come up with some time in the past, though what was the answer, and can there be different results, based on the monsters tier or type? Rex did not believe that enough research and experiments would have been performed on the subject, at the very least not in recent times, since people would still be talking about such a bizzare experiment, or practice.


    ''Its fine. If needed, I can morph my weapon to be into the shape of a pickaxe to test out my ideas. When reinforced with my mana in sufficient quantities, it should become quite the tool, especially after each and every strenghtening that it will go through in the dungeon.'' Thought Rex, already planning to create a veritable armor and weapon set, made of crystalized and superreinforced blood armour and weapons. In his hands, such a set would become terrifying artifacts, capable of competing with most, if not all artifacts in existance on this plane and win. While at the same time being just a sharp weapon or heavy set of armour to anyone else who tried to wield them, should he somehow, no mattter how unrealistically it could be, lose them.


    While he thought to himself, the trio incoming passed them by, dissapearing through the portal moments later. Even with all the distractions, he noticed how one of the groups members stared at the girls for longer than advisable. ''And there it is. Most likely the first retard that I might have to deal with soon.'' Rex thought to himself as he had seen a large amount of arrogance and entitlement in those eyes, hidden underneath an exausted and dirty body.


    "I think its time." Rex was brought out from him musings by the voice of Samanta, who had drawn the attention of the entire group. With a few nods of acknowledgement, Rex once again took point, leading the group further into the cave. Just a few minutes later, they were in front of a cross section, the cave splitting into five roads further ahead. Next to each path was a scribble with a few words. Stuff like ''nibbler area ahead'' or ''bat cave further'' or similar other comments at the others. When Rex looked back, he noticed a similar marking near them, pointing to dirrection they had just came from, with a smiple ''Exit'' written. The dungeon was a constant construct, allowing adventurers to delve deeper, explore it and mark their fidings, creating a rather stable and re;iabe;, as well as predictable, dungeon exploration. And while there would be people who live and breathe for the excitement of discovery, most of the adventurers simply wanted a reliable and safe way to earn money for their retirement days. No matter the world, pretty ladies never came cheap.


    With Rex not caring too much about their next encounter, he allowed the girls to decide without his input. Eventually, they moved along the path that had a note about nibblers. The creatures looked something akin to an overgrown frog like creature, with their weird looking eyes on extended stalks and mouths that were filled with rings of sharp and disturbing rows of teeth. In general, they came in sizes from a german shepherd to, in extreme cases, the size of a horse, though the latter were extremely rare variants, guaranteed to drop some rare stuff.


    A few more minutes deeper into the tunnel, their first encounter began, as moving past another curve, they came face to face with a group of four nibblers. These were of the smaller size, aproximately the size of a shepherd. Once Light''s Oak walked into their line of sight, a weird, fox''s yip like sound resounded, created by one of the nibblers, followed by a frenzied charge towards them. His swords and shield in hand, Rex picked up his pace, creating a larger distance between himself and Meru, while at the same time leaving enough room for both Samanta and Veena to blast the incoming nibblers with their arrows, or, if Alurial felt really frisky, a fireball or two in their general dirrection. There was enough firepower in the small half elf to create quite the pandemonium. As it turned out, Alurial was waiting for something more apropriate to blast into sminthereens.


    With expert movements, like he had done this thousands of times, Rex used his shield to displace the charging nibbler, using his sword to wound said unlucky creature in the split second opening he had, going further ahead, repeating the same action with the next, and then the next creature, Meru quickly dispatching the bastards left behind or intercepting whatever got past Rex by simply avoiding him. Even as primitive and simple creatures as nibblers could sence the potent and dangerous aura that Rex exuded when he was not concentracing on supressing entirely. The bloodlust was oozing out of him, his experiences and memories of the past lives where he had killed thousands upon thousands of creatures shining through. And since he had mostly focused on the murdering of monsters and creatures with nature similar to nibblers, they could feel most of it.


    Rex party could feel a slight shift in the air around them, as if an enourmous battle with countless warcries constantly resounding all around them was taking place. But unlike Rex''s quarry, they could feel it electrifying and sharpening their focus. Rex himself was well aware of the fact too, slightly annoyed by his inability to controll his boundless killing intent perfectly as of yet. It was much better to use it in short bursts, disorienting a particularily annying or dangerous opponent, not create opressive atmosphere where the enemy was more inclined to make mistakes. The ordinary creatures, that would be prone to such actions regardless, due to their simple minds or lack of patience, would fall easily enough as it is. Still, the key to improve his controll was precisely doing what he was right now. Practice makes perfect after all. And with every moment spent in such a state, he could feel his grasp slowly improving, if only little by little. Not that Rex was in any rush at the moment. Most of the time in the coming weeks would be spent diving into the dungeon after all, giving him plenty of time and practice to hone his controll over it, giving gim yet another tool that would allow for a much better controll in dangerous situations that would inevitably arise. It was a dungeon after all and anyone who had delved long enough could almost swear on their lives that dungeon tries to trip every party which had spent long enough within said dungeons walls.

 Chapter 24. Deeper still.

    With their first nibbler group dispatched, the bodies dispersing into mana dust, leaving behind four, small crystal cores, and Ria collecting said cores, their group proceeded further. Just a few minutes later, another group of nibblerscame into their sight. A few of the monsters seemed to be munching on something, and as soon as Rex''s group came into their view, the same fox''s like yip resounded, followed by the few nibblers charging towards them, just like the ones before. The only difference this time was that while the few charging were of no actual threat, the ones emerging from the walls around were more so.


    As Rex quickly wounded and incapacitated the two nibblers that reached them first, he noticed another ten or so ''spawning'' from the walls. He wasted no time whatsoever to charge towards the nearest one, delivering a powerfull slash to its neck, effectively ending its short life. veena and Samanta were not idle either, launching arrows with precision towards the emerging creatures, each having chosen a diferent side to start their onslaught with, ensuring there was no overlap and wasted arrows. Even Alurial was prepearing a fireball, launcing it towards the largest cluster of the emerging monsters, wisely left alone by any other of the groups members. Rex could only smile at the great cooperation among the girls, always staying within a certain distance to intercept any possible threats going towards his backline, just like he noticed Meru doing. The only idle one could be said to be Ria, yet even she was already a step ahead, applying a small buff on the two archers in her vicinity.


    The emerging group of nibblers proved to be a non issue for them, making Rex to compliment the teamwork the girls had. It was trully impressive, only their individual power being the bottleneck that was currently preventing their quick ascention through the ranks of the Guild. Though he did add that he was in total agreement with their slow, methodical and carefull aproach to solving said hurdle, notihing that only absolute monsters and madmen could and might push themselves forwards through countless life and death battles.


    In return, Samanta praised Rex as well. She had not seen anyone else who could so seemlessy integrate themselves into a fully functioning party as if they had been a part of it since the very beggining. Rex did ask a rather interesting question, regarding their retatively worse performance back during the kobold raid. Sure, they were competent back then, but nowhere near the flawless and wordless cooperation they had shown just now.


    "Our apologies for that." Samanta bowed apologetically to Rex. "We did not know enough about you to risk showing our full capabilities, back then. There have been more than one attempt to add another front liner to our ranks for quite a while now, but each time said possible candidate proved to be some sort of plant. We were put into a rather dangerous situations because of that, and having extremely powerfull trump card seemed like an obvious choice, if such a situation would happen again. Though now we believe that you have proven your intentions and character, thus allowing us to lower our guard around you. Knowing a rather sensitive secret of yours, we believe it is only fair we do the same. Once again, we apologize for our wariness towards you."


    "No harm no foul." Rex just shrugged at that. "We good to continue on?" he asked as he started to colect the monster core of slain nibblers, handing them over to Ria. She was the first of the group to hold some of the loot. "By the way, have you thought of adding a holder to the group, since I doubt that space mages are so easily aviable for small parties such as ours?" Rex questioned as they moved forward. Holders were a rather special profesion, often employed by larger parties. They were sturdy creatures, capable of carrying impressively weighted backpacks without slowing them down, allowing parties with them to grind in dungeons for notably longer while returning with much larger bounties.


    "We have yes, though since we had not focused on dungeon exploration all that much till now, it never became a neccesity." explained Alurial. "Besides, a holder is a serious and long term comitment, as such we do not feel it the right moment to even try and find one."


    "A solid choice." Rex nodded his head in aproval, even more impressed with the decision making of his new party. "if we ever reach the point of neccesity, lets have a detailed discussion, shall we?"


    "Of course Rex." agreed Samanta "After all, you are a full fledged member of our party now."


    For the next few hours they continiued on, every few minutes encountering a new group of nibblers, ratehr easily dispatching them all, then looting the cores and proceeding further in the cave. Eventually, they came upon another cross section, with multiple tunels leading in quite a few dirrections. Just like last time, near each new tunnel there was a marking, left by adventurers who had mapped the place out. The most important were two of the multiple tunnels they saw.


    Two different monster habitats that could be crossed, should one decide to head towards the exit gate. As Rex''s group was considering their choice, they noticed another adventurer party, consisting of five members emerge from a nearby tunnel. Unlike the pathetic looking trio they saw at the very beggining, this group seemed much like them- decently armed and aroured and in a good condition. Two chainmail wearing men with kite shields, a robed healer holding a staff and two archers.


    "Howdy, fellow adventurers!" exclaimed one of the warriors, his face, as much as could be seen through the helmet, and the beard with the white streaks in it indicating teh advanced age of the man.


    "Havent seen you around here. New to the place?" he asked as his group stopped ten meters or so away from Rex''s group.


    "Yes." replied Samanta, slightly guarded, just like teh rest of the group.


    "You are wary. Thats good." the older gentleman spoke up once again "Never know just who you could encounter in the dungeon. One error in judgement could lead to your demise. I am Otto, and this is my party Peacefull Meadow." then he continiued "I see you are deliberating which path to take to return. Since we are doing the same and you seem to still be in doubt, mind if we go ahead?"


    Realising that their party was somewhat in the way of the other one, and Otto with his party could not get past, without making it seem like they had some suspicious plans, Samanta quickly apologized as their party cleared the way. "Our apologies, please, go ahead. if you would thought, does that mean that these two are the paths that we did not take when entering the dungeon?"


    The question caused Otto to chuckle slighty, clearly reminiscing about something from the past." No dear. There are multiple gates to exit the dungeon. The likelyhood that you somehow return to the start is incredibly low, and you have to have a terrible sense of dirrection to pull that off, unless of course the dungeon is playing a trick on you. Ha ha ha, I have heard of such thing, long ago."


    "Thank you for the information sir. Have a safe trip home." Samanta bowed to Otto once more.


    "Dont mention it lady. We should try and help each other out, if given the chance. You never know, one day it might be my ass and that of my friends that you save in return." With that said, Otto and his party continued onwards, slowly dissapearing into one of the two tunnels.


    "So, we pick the other one?" Rex asked a few moments later.


    "Yes. While it might be much faster, we still have plenty of energy left and I doubt any of us want to give up our chances to earn a bit more. Those horses did pad our purses quite a bit, but there is never a moment where more coin is bad." Confirmed Samanta, earning nods of agreement from the rest of the girls.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Since they took the path with werbols, I suppose that leaves us with morboons" Rex summarized. Werbols were mole like creatures with oversized front paws and small, akward back legs. They would attack by rolling toward someone and then at the last moment using their huge paws to slash at their target. The same oversized paws would be used for digging and expandng the tunnels, creating new branches over time.


    Morboons on the otehr hand were chimp like creatures with red, glowing eyes and some stone growths on their backs and shoulders. They had quite powerfull arms, usable to both smash or trow rocks. Unlike Werbols, who were mostly solitary creatures, Morboons lived in groups, making their path notably more difficult, but at the same time making it much more rewarding.


    "By the way Rex." whispered Samanta. "With the monsters scattering into mana dust, are you getting any blood for your projects?" Rex had shared how collecting blood would make his gear much more powerfull, so she, and tehrest of the girls were worried that his growth would be crippled in a dungeon.


    "Dont worry about that. Each slash I make with my weapon collects a slight amount of blood, ensuring that I dont leave empty handed. Add to that the fact that there are countless monsters around here, as well as the fact that the blood here is much more potent, I have to say that Iam still coming out on top. I dont have to spend any extra time to drain all that blood either. Its a win- win situation. And to top it all off, I am also growing stronger with each kill we make, just like the rest of the group." Rex smiled, slightly touched by the gesture.


    "Ah, that great then." Samanta smiled back, signaling for the group to proceed now that their worries had been laid to rest.


    Much like nibblers, Morboons would charge at their group the moment they were noticed. Unlike nibblers though, Rex could not simply brace himself to shield smash them in the face, creating opening to imobilize the monsters. he had to addapt a strategy of misdirrecting the strikes, while moving his body to side and inflicting a debilitating cut to teh back of their knees, effectively roothin the monsters in place, leaving the msitting targets for veena and Samanta to make pin cusions out off, somthing the two archers did not hesitate to do.


    With the larger and bulkier frames of the monsters, Rex had a harder time to controll the entire groups advancement, making Meru deal with soem of them as well. Not that Meru complained at the fact. Sure, she was enjoying the task of taking down whatever creatures Rex was leaving in his wake in heavily weakened states, or covering the back line when necessary, but she also enjoyed using her shield to intercept and tank the creatures. It was a win- win situation for her either way.


    Heavy controll thanks to their two archers and mage, powerfull support from their healer with buffs and healing, if needed. A true monster of a front line juggernaut in the form of Rex, who could turn into a true terror if backed into a corner and a second front liner covering any gaps in their formation. And while there would be groups that glorify the monster or damage dealers, Meru was apreciated and recognized as the important part of their new teamwork that she was. She was the lifeblood that ensured that the organs could fulfill their funcions in unison. A rather interesting comparison that Rex had made, but nonetheless apreciated.


    "Thats new." Rex spoke as they had one more obstacle in their way before the gate leading outside. They had spent a few hours on their way through the morboon territory. What awaited them was a morboon of a much larger proportions. While the average one seemed to be the same size as an adult human male, this one was well over two meter tall, closer to three, with logs for arms, covered in rather impressive crystal like growths instead of stone that covered the ordinay rank and file morboon.


    "Is that a rare variant or boos of some sort?" he grinned, prepearing for battle.


    "Well, I would be willing to bet it drops better stuff than the normal ones." with shiny eyes commented Veena, her hand quickly reaching for one of her arrows and notching it in her bow, already prepeared for the incoming fight.


    "Just one way to figure out then." Rex grinned as he moved himself in the right mindset. "Keep a safe distance for starters. I am much more durable and trained to test out the waters here." He spoke in a calm manner, sounding as both a suggestion and somewhat an order, though none of the girls took it as an attack or anything. Rex had already proved enough times that he was having quite a bit of fun as part of their group and as such, whenever he spoke in somewhat commanding tone, it was with their safety in mind.


    "Its your lead Rex." reaffirmed Samanta, allowing Rex to have the shotcalling rights, something he rarely called for, though whenever he did so, Samanta was glad after the fact. He seemed to notice things borderlining future sight, or so she thought, knowing full well she would have made other decisions, likely resulting in rather severe consequences, from broken limbs to heavy, life threathening injuries. Their teamwork was great, sure, but there was an entire other force, namely their enemies, be it monsters, enviroment, or perhaps other adventures, that could affect and change the board.


    With the green light recieved, Rex advanced forward, the girls having their eyes locked on their enemy to hunt. The moment it noticed Rex, a loud and threathening roar escaped its maw. Then, it charged towards Rex, its crystal clad arms smashing into ground. "Its slow." Rex spoke loudly, his first observation shared with the girls, who noticed the same. When the monster was within range, it used its two arms to try and smash Rex into a pancake. An attempt that failed as Rex rolled out of the impact point.


    "Powerfull strikes. Dodge only." he delivered the next observation, having calculated the probability of Meru blocking such a strike. Following Rex dodge, it tried to swipe on of its arms Rex''s way, once again awoided by Rex, this time with a precise step back, followed by a quick slash at a less crystal covered spot on the monsters arm, achieving a small cut and coating his blade in slight amounts of bloody sheen.


    "Relatively soft skin, where its not covered by the crystal." yet another note was shared with the group.


    With each strike that Rex avoided, teh beast was getting more and more enraged and desperate, wildly flaying its limbs a few minutes later, trying again and again to land a hit on him. Noticing the slightest slow down of the beast, the first signs of fatigue after such intense thrashing, he exclaimed to his group. "Its tiring, Join in!" The girls in turn did not have to be told twice, with arrows flying towards the monster in rapid succesion, soon joined by a fireball or two, heavily singing the monster fur and causing it to stagger. As the arrows punctured its skin, combined with the burn from fireballs, a loud and feral scream excaped the monsters throat, yet before it could fully turn around and charge at the new threat, Rex released whatever bloodlust he had managed to supress during the day, causing the monster to instinctively tremble for just a moment and then quickly flip back towards him, its arms raised as if blocking a lareg overhead swing.


    Rex took the advantage of the moment of confusion, moving in proper melee and delivering a nice slash on its unprotected abdomen, quickly dodging back afterwards, avoiding yet another smash, performed by the monster on instinct, acompanied by a powerfull roar of pain. The same pattern was used for a few minutes, with Rex stepping in and delivering yet another particularily painfull slash, thus keeping its attenction on himself, allowing for the girls to wittle it down, one attack at a time. They had to split apart and semicircle the monster, its backe heavily covered with crystals.


    Eventually, the monster succumbed to its numerous wounds, falling on the ground with a loud thud, quickly dissipating into a notable cloud of mana dust, leaving behind a notably larger monster core as well as few chunks of the crystal that covered its arms and back.


    "Its speed is rather lacking, aside from the innitial charge. I believe that with that knowledge, Meru could safely tank a minster like it, using the same strategy that I did, with you girls lowerign the rate of attacking by half." Rex spoke once the loot had been secured.


    "And why is that, if you dont mind me asking?" Samanta inquired.


    "My strikes are much more threathening to the monster, since I was using trace amounts of my mana every time I inflicted a wound. When used in such a way, with the miniscule amount of mana, my blood magic manifests as searing pain in the wound, at, least in this case. I dont think I have to explain why it was more afraid of turning its back to me for any time at all."


    "Whne compared to my fireballs, how much of a difference are we talking about?" asked Alurial.


    "From pure pain point, I would guess the comparison would be something like a small candle burn on your hands versus searing brand on your neck, though note that is only sensations, blasting ones nerves." As he explained, wisible goosebumps rose on the girls skin, Rex earning himself a few odd glances and a coment.


    "Remind us not to spar with you, thank you very much." said Veena as the group left the dungeon.

 Chapter 25. Spoils and preperations.

    As they exited the dungeon, it was already dark outside. The sky was cloudy, covering quite a large portion of the stars with their presence, creating a much darker and depressing atmosphere. Every now and then, the moon showed itself from behind the curtain of coulds, iluminating the path back towards the town. Upon the realization that they still had a while to walk before finding themselves back at their inn, the girls groaned, clearly unhappy with the situation, though none of them were willing to set up camp around here, thus, with a string of rather quiet curses, the party set off to return to town.


    Some time later, they had reached the town wall, with the girls expressions being quite annoyed, causing any possible attempts at courtship to be delayed for the time being. With a quick flash of their adventurer licenses, they got past the gate guards, the groups next target obvious. They were returning back to Lunas Garden first and foremost and only after a long and nice bath, as well as a hearty meal and full nights sleep, would they go to the guild to sell off their spoils.


    Rex was the only one of the party who was entirely satisfied with their gains, then again, he had earned the most from everyone present. Not that he was cheating the girls in any way, their spoils were all collected and counted by the girls, Rex not caring if they decided to hide some op their earnings. No, his greater gains came from his own passive ''drain'' as well as the blood he aquired whenever he cut any of the monsters. Due to the magical properties of dungeon monsters blood, he was gaining quite the harvest, even if he could only siphon a small amount wit heach cut he made. With the pace and quality that he was aquiring, it would only take a few more days untill he could ignore his normal swords and use the blood crystal onehe was creating, it having reached the stage where no monster they had encountered so far could hold against it. Even the morboon crystal variant could be neatly sliced with with a few extra days of grinding in the dungeon. The though about grinding brought back nice memories of his delves in dungeons in core body and spending days grinding away, growing ever more stronger with each kill.


    Still, there was something pleasant in doing the same, but with a group of people that you found pleasant to be around. And with such an opportunity, joined with the need for companions to speed up his own growth, at least untill the needed treshold where he could reliably and with speed grind alone, he had all the incentives to stick around and enjoy the time adventure he was having. Such a though brought a smile to his face, one that he quickly wiped off of it, returning to his calm demeanor. ''Damn man, your women have made you into a softie! Get it together!'' he scolded himself in his mind, not capable of holding a slight elevation of the corners of his lips.


    "Fuck it!" He gave up, not holding back the slightly pleased expression on his face, joining the girls for their supper as he was. With everyone gathered after a good bath, the ladies of the party seemed much more content, having washed away the blood and grime that was covering them, though no one else in the party had the calm and possibly even happy expression on their face.


    "You seem particularily cheerfull." suspiciously spoke Alurial, the pleasant exaustion clear on her face, just like the rest of the girls.


    "Just happy how beneficial the dungeon is for ones growth." Rex replied, not hiding the reason for his good mood.


    "Would be better if we did not have to walk back and forth each time we decided to delve." complained Ria.


    "I mean, if you hate it so much, why dont just hire a carriage to bring us back and forth then?" Rex asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.


    "And how do you suppose we do that?" With an eye roll asked Alurial.


    "Our previous coachmen spoke of a way to do exactly that. Something about a rune caller or whatnot. There is a branch of their around, rather large one at that, likely due to th dungeon present. Wanna check it out tommorow before we depart to the dungeon?"


    "If it provides a way to awoid all that sensless walking, I am all for it!" exclaimed Veena, quickly joined by the rest of the girls, all leaning in the same dirrection.


    "Its decided then. tommorow morning, a visit to the guild to offload our today''s harvest, then visit to the coachmen guild, then off to the dungeon we go. Spounds about right?" Rex confirmed their their plan of action with the girls as they waited for their meal, having stopped in one of the diners near Lunas Garden. A few minutes later, their orders were brought out. The girls had chosen some vegetable salad with additional meat patties covered in some meat sauce. Rex, on the other hand went for the good old steak, with somevegetables that resembled potatoes, so Rex named them as such in his mind. A bit in the meal, he ordered another piece of meat, having devoured the first one with terrifying speed.


    "How in the lords name?" Alurial was speechless. Such a meal would probably cover her for an entire day, and Rex, not only devoured it like nothing, but even ordered seconds. Hust where was all that ebergy and goodness going to? Sure, he was rather large for a human, and well build as well, but still, the amount he ate was astounding.


    "You have seen what I do. Believe it or not, that eats up a boatload of energy. And as reason would dictate, I have to get it somewhere. Hence the size of the meals. Besides, if you think this is scary, wait till you see me get serious." Rex words left Alurial stunned, no words coming out from her mouth for the rest of the evening. The girls were done eating relatively soon, so they paid for their meals and retired to the inn, wanting to get some rest. Rex stayed longer, finishing his meal, and with that done, inquired the waiter serving them about the more reputable alchemists around. Recieving the wanted information, he tipped the man a silver and left, in searh of said alchemists shop.


    The man of interest, an alchemist by the name of Arbazur Mimereta, was well known alchemist within the region. So much so, that he had recieved a few requests from the town lord as well. What was more interesting was the backing of the man. He had done good enough work to earn both recognition and protection from the underworld bosses in the area. Thus, the mans workshop was located in a slightly shady area of the city, where only bums, well armed men and dangerous looking men or rich folk with shit ton of muscle would visit. For Rex''s needs though, such a place was precisely what he could use.


    After a few minutes of wandering through the back alleys, countless shady individuals having paid attention to Rex, yet not taking action as of yet, he finally noticed the desired sign a few street crossings away. Having memorized his path here and mapping a better, much more straight acess to the place, he walked forward, only to be blocked off by a rather large and fat thug.


    "Oy there mate. Help a poor fellow out, will ya? A few godl coins is all I asks." a smug sneer appeared on his face.


    "I am in a relatively good mood, so I am willing to ingore your ugly mug and let you get out of my way. Better yet, dissapear entirely, for who knows what might happen next time I see you." saying so, he released a slight amounts of his killing intent, causing the dumb thug to almost pass out from the sheer malice, pissing himself in the process. "Now scram!" Rex added, causing the thug fall backward on his ass, then quickly scramble away, as fast as his akward body would take him, almost slipping in the puddle he had just created beneath.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Sigh. They dont make them like they used to." Rex make sighed, as if remiscing about the good old days, laughing about his own joke as he reached the alchemist shop. ''Arbazurs concoctions'' the text on the sign said. Unlike other buildings in the surroundings that looked rather shabby and run down, this one looked almost brand new and well maintained, a couple of chimneys constantly spewing out a constant stream of dark smoke.


    A pleasant creak resounded as Rex opened the door, a sign ''open'' hanging on it, an dwalked inside. A small, yet clear chime also resounded throughout the store, indicating the presence of a likely customer. only the determined and capable would travel here after all.


    "Welcome sir. How may we be of assistance? A health or maybee mana potion? Some special ailment that needs treating? We most likely have whatever it is that you need." A sweet voice spoke, bringing Rex attention to a girl, no older than ten, sitting on a rather large chair on the other side of the counter, countless stands with books that looked like catalogues placed on them.


    "Why hello there girl. The names Rex. Whats yours?"


    "I am called Rumi. I assist master with chores and handling the shop." she replied cheerfully.


    "Nice to meet you Rumi. So, how does this work?" Rex smiled with a warm smile. Whatever thecase, the girl seemed happy, so was leaving it there. Whether she caller Arbazur ''master'' because she was learning under him, or becasue he had bought the girl somewhere, mattered little. All that matered to Rex was the way the people of such a status were treated. A good master often could be hundred times better for said ''owned person'', than a random stranger along the way.


    "You can leaf through the catalogues on the podiums, if you find a potion that you were looking for, we might be able to provide it for you. For the right price of course." she quickly added the last sentence, reciting it dryly, like something that was learned as delivered on request.


    "Understood. Thank you." Rex acknowledged and thanked the girl, stepping up to one of the displayed books and slowly leafing through it, inspecting the potions and tonics that were offered, alongside a small description of their effects and price. Once he was done with the first catalogue, he proceeded towards the next, his mind comparing whatever was on offered to whatever knowledge he had of alchemy and the concoctions he could theoretically create on his own. And while his knowledge on the subject was rudimentary and rather shallow, that was the case when compared with immortals who focused their life on the pursuit of alchemy. Here, he might as well be considered a world class alchemist.


    Another hour later, having gone through most of teh catalogues, he could confirm his earlier suspicions. His knowledge was wastly supperior when compared to whatever was offered here, with the only need to find the proper ingridients for his needs, opening up yet another path to greater might and insane profit margins. He had ''consumed'' a piece of monster drops they gained from todays delve, learning the attributes of said items, figuring out more than one different recipe he could use said items in.


    "Is there any other, higher tier alchemical concoctions, or this is the entirety of your masters catalogue?" he asked the girl, who was carefully following his every move ever sine he started exploring the catalogues.


    "My apologies, but I would not know. I would have to ask master. Unfortunately, he does not like being disturbed."


    "Dont fret young lady. I might visit again sometime. Just ask the question when your master is free. You can frame it as interest from another enthusiast of the art and possible customer."


    "Understood sir." acknowledged Rumi, quickly jotting down the message on some small paper she neatly folded and put in her pocket.


    "Have a nice day then." Rex nodded his head slightly, then left the shop, returning back to inn, performing his routine of expanding his spacial storage and then retiring for the remaining night.


    He was back up in the morning, having ''slept'' a few hours, though in reality his sleep these days consisted of a special meditation form, allowing for a proper rest of his body, while at the same time hastening his physical development further towards his goals. Since his room was next to the girls, and there was yet to appear noises that indicated that they were slowly waking, he kept on meditating, with the slight caviat that his mind does not drift off, inducing a sleep like state. He was entirely aware and sharp of his surroundings, waiting on the girls. Another couple of hours later, there was activity on the other side of his wall, prompting him to leave his own room and await the girls outside. He recieved a few ddly raised eyebrows once the girls exited their own rooms, inquiring how he could be waiting for them every time.


    "I wake up notably before you. Then allI have to do is focus on sounds from your rooms that inform me of your status. Once I know you are all up, I just have to wait here untill you exit. Simple as."


    Rex''s explanation was taken at face value, leaving it as such, with the group leaving the inn for a quick breakfast, then they would come back to gather the necessary gear and proceed with their daily plans. Choosing another of the nearby diners, the party had a filling breakfast porrdige with freshly baked bread. Once that was over, as previously planned they returned to the inn, collected the stuff needed and left for the guild. Their way there was uneventfull and with the relatively empty guild, they got to exchange the monster cores very quickly while also earning some extra knowledge about the crystal they had earned. It was a slightly more valuable drop that was rather frequently aquired from teh same monster they had felled. From what the guild attendant said, there were a few of morboon spawn spots in the dungeon, each having one of the boss monster spawning there, with a few day interval. Still, the crystal was worth more, thus the group happily exchanged it for raw cash, leaving soon after that.


    Their next destination was also quickly found, yet again no incidents occuring during the walk. Though they did hear a few civilians talk in worried voices about yet another disapearance. From what they had heard, it was starting to happen more and more frequently, raising their alarm levels even higher. If it was going to continiue rising at the pace it was already, not only the city lord, but even the guild might have to take action.


    "Think we should do something?" Worriedly asked Ria, near instantly recieving Rex''s point of view.


    "Its not a matter of ''should we'', but more of a ''can we?''. I am sure that the town lords men are working, yet there has not been a single witness to the dissapearances, not have there been any bodies emerging, leaving everyone in an absolute dark. I say, instead of trying to catch something we know nothing about, lets focus on delving untill crucial information appears that allows us to take action, should it be needed. Otherwise we are just running around like headless chickens and wasting our precious time."


    "Rex is correct girls." agreed with hims Samanta. "Remember our goal. Sure, we will help, if we can, but it sis just as, if not more important to ensure we grow stronger."


    Hearing her words, the girls nodded in agreement, a few apologies escaping their lips for being short sighted, only recieving encouraging smiles from Samanta and assurances that she is the same as them, jokingly blaming Rex for their ability to focus on what they should. Rex just helplessly shrugged his arms, not even bothering to reply to the light jab. BY the time their conversation died down, they had reached the coachmen guild.


    The guilding was a rather simple in its design, though what seemed to be stables next to it looked entirely different. Unlike the modest building, the stables were huge, with multiple fieds next to it, surrounded by fences and reevaling a few horses, either lesurely lazing about, or beeing trained by some men. Entering the smaller building, they quickly encountered one of the coachmen, askign an recieving dirrections towards the man in charge who had the authority to provide them with what was asked.


    As it turned out, the two coachmen had spoken truthfully,as there indeed was a way to aquire what they were looking for, especially so with the place they wanted to go to, as it was a well known and frequented place by adventurers. All it took was a single and rather simpel enchanted item, that when infused with mana sent a signal to its other pair, notifying the coachmen guild where its twin was located that their services were needed. Since before issueing said caller, there was a simple contract made, stating the place from where the group would be activbating said item, it was a simple matter for a carriage, or however many necessary, to be dispatched to aforementioned location. A short wait later, or however was expected depending on the location and distance needed to travel, the carriage would be there, ready to collect the group. And while it was slightly more expensive than originally asumed such a service might ccost, the girls unanimously agreed that it was necessary, causing Rex to simply shrug and give up.

 Chapter 26. Dissapearances.

    With their own little contract established, their pickup spot designated as the local dungeon, the group used the services they had already paid a month forward for to be ferried off to the dungeon with the girls in a much more elevated and pumped mental state than before for obvious reasons. Once inside, the party chose a different path than before, encountering nibblers at the start, just like before, but at the crossroads chosing to deal with groups of kobolds instead of morboons. And since everyone was well experienced dealing with that particular creature, their speed was notably faster than the day before. With a proper and well known opponent, Rex was using his new blood weapon, slicing and dicing through numerous kobolds. He started to resemble a battle maniac, as he was the one who was charging towards the enemy as soon as a new group appeared, sometimes causing the monsters to flinch with his agressiveness after the first few were savagely cut apart.


    There was savage efficiency in his style, while still showing his great skill with his weapons as well as awareness of his surroundings. Whats more, he did not fail to fullfill his task towards the party, tying down most any group they were encountering. What made Samanta even more intrigued was the slow, yet incremental changes she could recognize the further and further they delved. Rex was growing stronger wit hevery group they took down. A slightly sharper movements here, a faster response time there or a sword swing that sliced through a latter armor a kobold was wearing at another point. Sure, the sword he was using was getting stronger with more and more blood spilled, but that could only explain the cutting power.


    When she asked Rex how he was doing it, he just shrugged and explained.


    "You do know I am a mage type. And yet, just how often do you see me using my abilities as a ranged weapon or the like? What I do most of the time, is infuse myself with mana, enhancing my own physical capabilities. It does have a few problems though, if you have ever asked Alurial about the practise. First, ones body must be trained and in great condition, since infusing too much mana could have extremely harmfull. So, besides training physically to strenghten ones body, one has to also learn their limits. That is what I have been doing- slowly increasing the amount of mana I use to empower myself."


    Alurial then confirmed his words, explaining the obvious difference between mages and pure body warriors who are extremely proficient in mana enhancement techniques. It was their mana reserves as well as the upper limit of mana they could at a time, with mages having a much greater upper limit, being brought down only due to the lack of physical training on their part.


    "So, how comes you are not going a pure mage path?" Veena asked "Isnt the whole blood element and its lack of ordinary element supression in the world enough of a reason to focus there?"


    "Besides the whole- blood magic is a vampire only thing?" Rex asked, explaining further "My unique skill set makes better use of a well rounded combat style. And I find it fun. Not to mention it allows me to adapt to any unexpected situation."


    "Fair enough I suppose." Conceded Veena.


    With kobolds not providing the party enough challenge to properly stimulate their further growth, though mostly being a rather lacking source of revenue, their monster cores selling cheap and having no proper item drops either, they speedran through the sections that they were in, soon after reaching yet another cross-section.


    "Dunno about you guys, but I dont feel like hunting monkeys today." Spoke up Meru, clearly hopingfor something else today, making one of their possible paths forward a no go.


    "Anyone else has a special interest forming due to the options presented before us?" Samanta asked the party.


    "Dont care."


    "Whatever." or a simple shrug came from the rest of the team, leaving Samanta with a rather large selection.


    "Dont complain later regarding my choice then." she sighed and looked toward the marked tunnels before her.


    "Reptiles it is then." she spoke up, signaling the group to follow her. A marking ''Lizardmen ahead'' engraved by the path she had chosen.


    Lizardmen were a what one would asume the creature looked like based on the name alone. With height of up to two meters, lizards head and tail stuck on a humans body, while covered in scales of various colours and equiped with either clubs or spears. The first group they encountered had six or so members and similarily to the monsters before, they rushed ahead, obviously eager to tear the intruders apart, hiss-like and gurgling sounds coming from their throats as they closed in.


    Though there was yet another change that the party had noticed as soon as they started to walk down this particular tunnel. The cave was becoming more and more covered in vegetation, creating a damp and swampy feeling. It was as if the dungeon itself was saying that they are entering a swamp, and thus acting to make the place look like one. While stronger than kobolds, the lizardmen were not quite on the same level as morboon boss, allowing both Rex and Meru to block or parry the incoming strikes without too much issues. Still, the club strikes were quite heavy, forcing the duo to adopt a tactic to parry most attacks and then use whatever opening they were given to inflict wounds. Samanta and therest of the backline di what they do best, peppering the monsterswith ranged attacks whenever they had the chance.


    And unlike the day before, where they started late afternoon, this time they had much more time for their delve, even if the girls liked to think by the end of the day they would leave the dungeon, only to come back next day. There were parties that spent rather long time in dungeons, going from days to weeks, sometimes even months, all depending on the size of their groups, amount of support staff taken along, whether they have at least one space mage with them and so on and so forth. Parties of a smaller sizes, around five or so, would ussually try to limit the duration of their delves to a couple of days maximum.


    As the hours passed by one after another, their party advanced further ahead, leaving empty path behind them, only the vegetation remaining due to the disipation of their slain enemies corpses. And with every encounter and fight against the lizardmen, it became easier and easier on the party. Rex had increased the distance between himself and therest of the group, having shown his terrifying strenght and precision, serving as a deadly spearhead that would pierce through the armor of their enemies and start wrechking havoc from within, allowing the rest of the group to perform their own tasks.


    Flurry of deadly arrows and powerfull fireballs scrattered and disoriented the creatures advancing towards them, while Meru intercepted off whatever got past Rex and the firing squads effective range, though more often than not she was finishing the monsters off. And while they were undoubtedly getting better and better and handling lizardmen, it was also true that the group was getting more and more tired, more so mentaly, since Ria was capable of recovering ones stamina on the go. It was the mental strain and exaustion that starting adventurers have to be carefull about.


    Eventually they reached yet another crossroads, with most of the having gone by, the small sand clock around Samantas neck fliped over quite a few times already. For better or worse, they encounered no rare monster of lizardmen origin, ending in a rather calm manner, the party not having experienced any encounters that would endanger their lifes more than prefferably. Luckaly, one of the next segments of their aviable options led to an exit gate, allowing the group to plan an end to the days delve, though they would return home slightly later.


    The monsters that stood between them and the exit once again were morboons, thus their path back home was relatively smooth, with a single notable encounter along the way. It was a pack of morboons with an odly colored individual among them, that was a rare variant. Unlike the boss like champion, this particular morboon was of the same size as a regular one, though what made it unique, besides the obvious different coloration was its ability to create fireballs, similar to Alurial, though with a notably worse aim and intelegence to utilize its destructive power properly.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Upon registering the quickly aproaching Rex, just like an ordinary morboon, the rare variant went into rage induced berserk like state, son trowing its fireballs in Rex''s dirrection, not caring much for a concept of friendly fire, causing random explosions and wounding and dispersing its own allies, providing Rex with plenty of space to dance around said fireballs as well as cutting some morboons down as he aproached closer and closer to the main headache of the encounter.


    Only once he was in melee, did the fireball barrage from the rare monster stop, it not being stupid enough to try and blow Rex up alongside with it. Unlike humans, monsters had instinctual understanding of their own techniques, allowing them not accidentally kill themselves using something they should not. Still, such a change in their surroundings only served in Rex''s favour, providing him a much larger and populated as well, area, where nothing but his quarry would be present.


    Even as meru repelled the few morboons that got past Rex, that blood red blade of his own making, as it was swung again and again, heavily supressing and wounding the rare variant as well as shredding any dumb creature that tried to interfere in the abttle of monsters. And as he did so, the rare monster revealed another dangerous technique it had up its sleeve, as it quickly had to pull it out. Heavy punches that exploded with loud booms and plumes of smoke as its fist connected with another surface, exclusively being the ground or dungeon walls. Rex was too fast and slippery for a proper contact against his flesh, allowing him to eventually finish off the monster.


    Even Rex did not escape entirely unscathed, a few minor scrathces adorning his form as well as singed clothes, the proof of the high temperatures he had been dealing with. However, it was quite the rich harvest for him as well, since the danger of the monster he had been fighting with had kept Rex at bay, forcing him to chip away at its life, one strike at a time, thus allowing him to absorb more and more blood into his weapon with each sucessfull blow. And the life essence of a rare variant such as this turned out to be quite the quality recourse that he was in need of, giving him progress with his weapon project by quite a large margin. And to add a cherry on top, the monster dropped something rather rare as its dust scattered. Besides the monster core, that was of a bright red shade and radiated warmth, it left behind another bead like object, that, once in Alurial hands, since the group was curious about the bauble, was deemed to enhance the power of fire element mages, strenghtening their ability to controll and mould fire mana outside of their bodies. Something that Alurial was drooling over the entire time they still had to spend within the dungeon.


    Once outside, they saw it was close to, if not slightly past midnight, the moon hanging over their heads, as if greeting their return to the surface.


    "I am exausted!" Exclaimed Alurial, recieving weird look from Rex and Meru.


    "What?!" she exclaimed once she noticed their increduluous but knowing expressions. "Dont look at me like that. I am a back line caster, it is only natural that my physical condition is lacking compared to the rest of you." she complained with overly exagerated gestures, quickly begining to laugh, not able to keep up the act.


    "It is so much easier when you are true to yourself, isnt it?" Rex spoke as Samanta activated their beacon, sending signal to the coachman guild for them to be retrieved.


    "Mhm." Alurial nodded in agreement to Rex''s words, a certain glint in her eyes as she watched him.


    It took another half hour of star gazing for the party untill their transportation arrived, bringing them back to the town. The team was quiet and content, each of them already halfway into dreamland. But as they crossed the city gates, both Alurial''s and Rex''s eyes shot wide open.


    "You sensed it too?" Rex asked, noticing the unnaturaly sharp and maybee even frightened half elf.


    "What is this ominous feeling?" she asked, clearly uncomfortable. Rex took a deep breath, as if the action would help him determine a proper answer to the question posed.


    "That is tainted mana. A phenomenon when a large scale spell is formed and the caster, or casters, are not skilled enough with either the spell itself, their ability to perform group casting, or possibly the school of magic entirely. Either way, a grand scale ritual magic has been cast here and extremely recently as well." his face was dead serious as he added "I smell serious trouble brewing."


    His words forced the rest of the party to grow tense as well, though untill they reached the inn and had at least a bit of rest, if that would be at all possible now, it would be hard to come up with any proper solution to the issue that had cropped up. Rex himself did not offer any additional suggestions at the time either, more focused on a few things he would have to do once back in his room at the inn.


    As they entered Luna''s Garden, they could see the uncomfortable state their host was, clearly feeling the taint in the air. Noticing their group, she tried to get a smile on her face, resulting in an extremely sad excuse of one. "Welcome back." she ''smiled'' at the party.


    "Any actual harm coming to you due to the taint? or just extreme discomfort?" Rex asked, causing the dryad to become startled, though noticing the half elf knowingly looking in her dirrection, understanding rose in her eyes.


    "Its so bad that ordinary mages can feel it too?" she asked, though the inquiry regarding her condition was answer enough, thus she shook her head off of the question, answering Rex.


    "Its very unpleasant. So much so that it is harder to breathe, but that is about it. And once the taint dissipates, I and my girl should be fine."


    "Good. If it gets any worse, inform me immediatly." Rex spoke, snickering in his head about the comparison of him to ordinary mages, his voice calm, yet authorative, making Luna feel just a bit better and safer becasue of it. A smiple ''mhm'' came out of her on instinct, casuing her to lower her head, a slight blush creeping on her face. ''Look at me, acting like a dutifull and obedient wife. Luna, you are a grown lady!'' she panicked and admonished herself in her thoughts. ''He does smell nice though, when not covered in monster blood.''


    Unlike his party, after a quick bath, he did not lay to rest immediatly. After all, he was nowhere near as exausted as the girls, nor was he willing to stay unaware of a possible deathtrap hiding within these walls. For a few hours Rex did nothing but concentrate, siphoning and cleansing mana around him, amassing truly incredible anounts within his grasp. Once he was sure he could gather no more, he molded it as much as he could, then released it, creating a massive mana pulse, resulting in an expansive and extremely detailed scan of the entire town.


    With sweat covering his forehead, slowly dripping down his face, he exhaled, clearly tired from the action he had just performed. Though his effort was worth it, having learned incredible amount of usefull information that could be used to solve the problem at hand, should he be forced to act. Though with the personalities of the ladies he was in a party with, it was just a matter of time untill they were in the thick of things, earning another sigh from Rex. Women could sometimes be so troublesome. He wondered just how attracted men were to the fairer sex and just how crazy shit they were willing to deal with for some fun times. Physical or otherwise. And while he had quite a bit of clues to follow regarding the ritual, he did not found anyone he could classify as the culprit of the event. Likely they hadd already left the town, or dispersed and returned to their normal personas.


    There was little talk in the morning, each member of the party deep in their own thoughts. Both Rex and Alurial could feel that the taint was just slightly lower than it had been in the previous evening, though only by a small margin. Their senses were proven to be correct as Luna seemed just a bit more comfortable than a day before. She did confirm what their senses told them. It was only when they reached the guild that they learned about a rather significant clue he had not picked up in his scan before rest about the cause of all of this.


    "How many does that make?" Rex asked one of the receptionists, a grim expression marring his face.


    "More than a hundred." the receptioninst replied, his face as glum and strained as one could imagine. Said receptionist lived in this town and unlike most adventurers, could not just collect his stuff and leave it all behind. A simple ritual gone slightly wrong was one thing, one that possibly sacrificed over hundred lives to achieve something- a big ass problem.


    "Thats terrible!" Exclaimed Ria, turning her puppy eyes to Rex "We can help them somehow, right?"


    "What do I look like? Support center?" he hopelessy looked at the busty blonde, no other words coming to his mind. Ria, in turn, used her feminine viles, grabbing one his arm and pulling it to her chest, enveloping it in fluffy softness, eyes firmly locked on Rex''s own.


    "Fine, I will se what we can do, but it will take some time. And I have a rather powerfull suspicion that the missing people might already have perished." He replied, already cooking up a few possible plans of action against their sudden issue. It was no longer a simple wait and see scenario.

 Chapter 27. The ritual site.

    "Already perished!?" with panic exclaimed the attendant that was right next to their group. "Whatever do you mean!?" his voice was growing more and more hysterical, clearly someone he knows was among the mising people.


    "Not neccesarily all of them, of course, but certainly a part of the missing people. It would explain the high level of mana taint that has appeared in the town, since it was nowhere near anything like this when we departed for dungeon yesterday." Rex stared his explanation, continiuing along. "And with the way that the world itself holds mana back, lowering its capacity to be manipulated freely, another sort of mana source is needed. Something like using human body as a component. Asuming they have no mages, only ordinary people, using hundred of them in one time would create much greater devastation, seing as something went wrong with their attempt. Though i am sure they will try again. Their goal is still unfulfilled, whatever it may be." he finished, then suddenly remembering something, added "And go inform your guild master. This shit is big."


    Rex sudden order stunned guild''s attendant, though only for a moment, after which the man quickly scurried upstairs, obviously to report the information he had recieved. Not wanting to waste time, Rex lightly elbowed Samanta, nodding his head towards the next free attendant, his thought process clear


    "Right, sorry Rex." she replied, following along. Moment later they were once again at the counter, a middle aged black haired woman with lithe build smiled at them, her facial expression slightly strained. Though that was to be expected. Such large scale kidnaping did not bode well for the local populace.


    "How may I help you?" the attendant politely asked, in response to which Samanta pulled out a pack with monster cores, placing it on the table with a sold thud.


    "Gotta sell these little puppies." Samanta replied, trying something to raise the spirit of both the attendant and her own party. They had barely spent a few night and already, the world is threathening to crumble around them.


    "Y-yes, right away miss." slightly stuttered the lady, but proceeded to do exactly that. She opened the bag, emptying its contents into an open box like object by her side. In just moments, the cores were sorted and counted by the contraption, eventually stopping, revealing the price their core haul was evaluated as. Veena evaluated that it was notably more than an average group of their size ussually earned.


    "And remember, that is without us pathing deeper, spending a night or two on the road." Rex added, creating a rather tantalizing bait for his party. No doubt angels and devils were batling out on the shoulders of the girls, vying for the dominant position regarding the matter. One one hand, which lady, or adventurer in general, did not wish for more money and treasures. On the other, longer delves woulkd mean night shifts, uncomfortable sleeping conditions and more danger, since they would be capable of delving for longer.


    Though their musings were interrupted, as the attendant man that had rused upstairs to report to the local guildmaster almost rolled down the stairs due to the speed he was descending. Yet, unlike what was expected, he did not retake his original place behind the counter, instead finding himself in front of Rex and his party. With his hands of his knees, the attendant took deep and labored breaths, sweat flowing down his forehead due to the ablsolute rush he just had as well as the adrenaline spike due to the near accident on stairs.


    "haaa, ufffff, haaa." he heavily gasped, trying to calm his breath somewhat, holding one hand towards Rex, indicating to wait for a moment. Something that Rex did after looking to Samanta for confirmation, and when recieving it, he returned his gazer to the attendant, waiting for him to regain his breath.


    "T-thank you for the wait." with heavy and laboured breath the man spoke, having regained a small semblance. "" Guild master would like to talk with you, seeing as you have some deeper understanding of the issue we have at hand. "If you would be so kind as to follow me upstairs."


    "Might as well do as asked Rex." spoke up Alurial "Even I have no idea whats the issue here, besides the fact that there is tainted mana in the air. We might be able to save some of the missing people if we cooperate with the guild and their recourses."


    "Fine." Rex replied to Alurial, his head having turned to acknowledge the speaker. Then he returned his gaze to the attendant. "Lead the way."


    Following the attendant, the party ascended the stairs that had almost ended atendants life just moments ago, with Rex noticing the extreme resemblance in the structure of this guild building to the one they had visited back in Valrun. The only difference being in building size. Everything else seemed near identical, at least from structural standpoint. There were different decorations, either plants or monster trophies hung on the walls, clearly indicating the local gamne to be had.


    A short while later, Rex and the party sat on a rather large couch opposite ornate and well crafed large sized desk, with aged lady sitting on the other side. Old and wizened face, with sunken, yet still lively eyes, cunning and sharp glint in them. Gray hair covered the elderly womans head, pulled together in a simple bun. She wore mage robes that seemed to have served the lady for years, yet its clear magical nature was still clear to ones eye.


    "So, who here can explain me in detail, what am I dealing with here? Judging from what my worker tells, you have some knowledge regarding the matter." she spoke, her voice calm, yet still strong and maybee even a bit commanding. She was obviously used to ordering people around, thus her tone sounded as such, even if she was not trying to throw her rank around.


    "As a mage yourself, you no doubt noticed the taineted mana in the air within city. Am I correct in that assumption?" Rex asked and recieving a nod from the guidlmanster, he continiued. "Such a phenomenon could be observed when large scale spells are performed incorrectly, corrupting the spell and mana around it. Since we sensed it upon reentry, I can only asume it was some sort of a ritual magic, with this city as its center. Now, I could make a case that A or above class adventurer might have been experimenting with new spells, were the world not so uncooperative when it comes to the manipulation of pure mana outside ones body. However, in our current circumstances, what with the rules being as they are, a single man could not pull that off. Not sneakily at least, nor with no other obvious proff of the casting. That leaves us with only ritual magic, using some sort of batteries to power it. Now, combine it withe the dissapearances and the answer is rather clear. Part of the missing peopl were used in the ritual, to serve as fuel. Unfortunately, it also means that said part of the captured are near guaranteed perished, doubly so because the ritual failed to do what it was supposed to achieve."


    "And what would that be?" asked guildmaster.


    "Would have to see the circles as well as have some knowledge regarding the school they are using as base of it."


    "What of the remaining kidnapped townsfolk, or the perpetrators?"


    "Would need some blood samples of the people missing, if I am to even hope to find them. As for the culprits, I have even less of a chance to find them, unless they try to perform another ritual while I am stil in the city."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "Blood you say?" questioned guildmaster.


    "Its a universal tracking tool. Be it smell or connection to the body of the owner, many things can be learned." Rex explained, not willing to defend himself any further than that.


    "Wery well." guildmanster spoke, writing something down. "RUDY!" she then yelled and only moment later, a young man, around the age of twelve appeared and rushed over to guildmaster.


    "Yes grandma?" the boy asked, his light blue eyes ghazing at the elderly woman, some anticipation sparkling in kids eyes. Guildmaster gave him a piece of paper, and urged. " Be a dear and give this to Jennie. She will know what to do after."


    "Yes ma''am!" the kid exclaimed, grabbed the piece of paper and dissapeared within moments from the room. Noticing the questioning gazes of Rex and his party, guildmaster just shrugged as she spoke. "i am old. There are things that those young legs can achieve better than me. Besides, the kids grown up on stories about brave and heroic adventures. he loves makin a difference and workling for the guild, when given the chance. No doubt he will sneak away from home the moment he reaches adulthood, should his parent not allow him to."


    Her tone was just a slight bit tender, clearly enjoying her time with the boy, but then her demeaneor changed, once again exuding notable amounts of regal air. She was a damned leader, and she would act like it.


    "My name is Ruta Amanerra. Guild master of the local branch. No doubt we will recieve some belonging of the victims with samples of their blood on them. the underground elements within the city went wild yesterday, creating chaos and kidnapping numerous people, as you must have heard by now. The tainted mana in the air appeared some two hours before dusk. It has gotten lighter, but if what you say is correct, we should expect another such ritual soon, yes?"


    "That is the most likely scenario, yes." Rex replied, elaborating moments later. "As I said, the amount of taint is a clear indicator of the failure. If the mastermind behind this is willing to use people as living bateries, he is either desperate for something or wants to achieve something that could only be done here."


    "And what would that be?" Ruta squinted her eyes.


    "Honestly no idea. As I stated before, I need to see the magic cirlces and it has to be discipline I am well familiar with to answer." With that said, the room fell silent, guildmaster working over the details she had just learned about. said silence permeated the room for a while longer, untill footsteps could be heard on the stair, becoming louder and louder. Just moment later, the door shot open, in rushing a hunter with a small pouch in hand.


    "Can you find her with this!?" he desperately looked to Rex''s group, extending his hand that held the pouch.


    Rex quickly took the pouch from teh mans hand, opening it and taking out a piece of cloth with obvious stain of blood. even if rather dry already.


    "Lets see what we can do." he quickly looked toward Ruta." Gather some muscle. Will likely need them."


    Then, Rex concentrated on the cloth piece in his hand. he raised his free hand over the cloth, and with a simple movement of his finger, the dried blood, as if a living creature, answerd his call, detaching itslef from the cloth and rising in the air towards the extended finger.


    "Ria, Purify on me." Rex spoke, before swallowing the blood, earning a few grimmaces from buth the guildmaster and the hunter, though due to the purify that was cast on Rex having no effect, neither did anything further, waiting to see what happens next.


    "There you are liitle morsel." Rex spoke a few minutest later, slight light eminating from his eyes. "Found her." he looked to the huner "She is still alive, though we need to hurry, another ritual is being prepeared as we speak." his head turned to Ruta once again "How far are we with that muscle?"


    "Already on the way. Whatever guards and adventures are aviable, everyone has been gathering." she replied.


    "Who is going to command your forces?" Rex asked, well aware that time was of the essence, but before Ruta could reply, the door burst open, and in came a large man, clad in dark gray plate armor and holding a sharp and deadly looking claymore. "Aunt." he quickly nodded to Ruta "Any news?"


    "The boy here tracked one of the kidnapped. Follow him with your men." she spoke, sneding the man a message that was not heard by anyone else as well. "Keep an eye on the boy as well. I think he knows blood magic, but is not a vampire himself. The blonde just used purify on him, no effect at all. I dont think this is a trap, at least not one he is a part off. Still, be carefull. Whatever is being planned, does not bode well for us."


    "Understood!" the warrior replied, quickly looking at Rex, waving his hand in a motion to followe him. "Names Mamon. Time is of the essence, lets go." With that said, he turned and left as quickly as he arrived, Rex and his party quickly following the man downstairs and outside the guild, where they came to face a group of fifty or so people. Most of them were clad in chain or scale armour, with a few mages and rangers among them, each and every man already on a horseback.


    Rex had to tip his hat to the speed with which the task force was assembled, since he had been focused on the spell for only a few minutes, no longer. He also noticed additional horses for his group arriving just at this moment, and with another signal from Mamon he and his party got in their respective saddles. "Well then young man! Show us the way to save our people."


    Rex eyes lit up with pale red light as his head turned in a certain dirrection rarther creepily. "This way!" he exclaimed, tapping the horse with his heels lighty "Hya!". With his command and the light tap, the horse began moving in the dirrection he guided it, quickly rising its speed to full galop after repeated taps. As the group followed Rex''s lead, Mamon could not help but wonder, just who, or what, the young man in front of him was. He was using magic that was asociated with immmortal and extremely powerfull creatures while being human-esk, as well as having skills far beyond his apparent age.


    As he glanced back to the party the young man was a part of, he could see a certain style of riding displayed, something he had only seen a few times in his life, whenever certain elven dignitaries traveled by for some meeting taking place in the capital. The identity of the group was also under question, though he assumed that most people would not recognize the minute details that he had picked up on due to his particular interest in horses and everything that surrounds them. The elves just had this unique style and extreme adherence to old traditions. Still, they had a task at hand, and his wandering thoughts could be allowed to continue as such after said task would be resolved. Refocusing on the path ahead, his mare doing wonderfull job of sticking close to the youngsters horse, he could pay more attention to the place they most likely were heading towards, and if his guess was right, it would be an old and abbandoned iron mine just a bit ahead.


    A few minutes later, as they stopped, he was proven to be right, the mine entrance dirrectly ahead of them. Dismounting and drawing his claymore, slightly annoyed at the limited moves he would be a ble to perform due to the lack of space ahead, he nonetheless aproached the youngster, hearing one of his companions speak up.


    "Rex, is this the cause for the taint and dissapearances?" Mamon looked at the hazel haired archer who asked the question.


    "Its inside." Rex replied "We have to hurry." and then pulled what looked like a hilt from his belt, in just a moment extending and taking a shape of one handed sword. The dark red colour and crystaline sheen reminded him of blood for whatever reason, moments later clicking together. ''Even his weapon is made of blood? Just how usefull could that be.'' Mamom questioned in his mind, though sure he would have the chance to see it in action soon enough.


    With the light Red sheen in his eyes and weapon in hand, Rex led the group inside, keeping brisk pace and guiding them forward with a sense of dirrection and purpose. It wasnt long untill they encountered resistance. Men, dressed in dark robes and wearing goat masks, with varying number of tentacles on said masks, would stream out of side tunnels, armed with spiked clubs and shields, mumbling incoherently in a language that seemed foreign to Mamon. And not just a tongue that he did not know, or recognize. No, this language felt wrong on an instinctual level.


    As they cut through the numerous cultists, for it was now obvious that thats exactly what they were, he could also see both Rex, and the party he was with, in action, and he had to admit, the party was skilled, even if not very experienced. The women of the party worked in a seemlessly perfect harmony, complimenting one another as if that was what they had worked on their entire lives, or at least for the most part. Rex at the same time was death incarnate. Whichever cultist aproached his frenzied form was cut in pieces in mere moments, their attacks avoided skillfully, yet with the barest of efforts that could be put into Rex''s movement. Mamon saw the tactical mind that was saving as much of his energy as possible, while at the same time ensuring that he was delivering devastating blows and wounds against his enemies, all while paying attention to the entire battlefield, using wthatever was aviable to reduce the casuallities inflicted upon their side, be it his party members of the rest of the people Mamon had brought with him.

 Chapter 28. Soothing soul soup.

    The deeper Mamon and the group was led by Rex, the more reckless and fanatical the cultists became, their minds clouded in their zealous faith to whatever entity or purpose they served, so much so that more than once Mamon considered the possibility of mind altering and corrupting practices having been but in place when said cultists had been innitiated and trained. And while he could not argue the effect it had on the enemy forces, he was also painfully aware just how much worse it made each combatant. Under no circumstance could he imagine subjecting proper soldiers, or even trainees to such program that would result in mindless charging meat puppets.


    "WE ARE CLOSE!" Rex yelled, his voice carried throughout the tunel in all dirrections, followed by even more fanatical charge from the zealots, said mindless men emerging from every possible path they did not come from.


    The low lighting of the tunnel system was gettign weaker still, making the place even more difficult to navigate, even Mamon felf like stumbling every now and then.


    "YUKI! ILLUMINATE!" Mamon yelled, and moment later, a rather powerfull source of light emerged atop their group, revealing the bloody scene that they left in their wake as their charge was lead further. And with the fresh illumination, Mamon could see a rather important detail about Rex and his way of fighting. As he was avoiding any attacks coming his way, some of them were so odd that it seemed he had extra eyes in the back of his head, just barely being missed, all the while using every concievable opening to end yet another cultists life, a constant stream of blood was following along with him. Mamon saw said blood raising every now and then as Rex''s swing brought his blade to it, then in mere moments being absorbed into the blade that seemed to gain just slightly darker sheen to it for a brief moment, then returning to its original, lighter tone as it was swung forward. Whatever Rex was doing, it used quite a bit of the spilled blood.


    A few more minutes later,a bright light shined at the end of the tunnel. A few more moments later, they finally reached a rather large cavern, the brightness of which would have blinded the aproaching group, were it not for Yuki''s illuminating spell that kept their eyes adjusted to such brightness. Still, with two such illumination sources being too much, Yuki extinguished his own, revealing the full extent of their surroundings grotesque sight.


    In an interval of five meters, all around the cavern walls, dried cadavers of all kind of creatures were nailed to the walls. Wolves, bears, rabbits, foxes. Even humanoid corpses, some with dried and pointy ears, indicating their elven origin, though such specimen were extremely rare among the humanoids, most of which looked human. At the sight, more than a few of their group retched, womiting just moments after. Mamon noticed the tightening of Rex''s jaw and his grip tightening, clear anger radiating from the young man. Either he was a heavenly actor, or experienced genuine anger at the sight of this travesty.


    Further into the cavern could be seen a large runic circles drawn with blood, on its outer rings, in special smaller rings laid the kidnapped people, barely breating but still alive. Though judging from their slumped bodies, they were all unconscious. In the inner circle, a dozen robed men stood, their robes much more adorned than the acolytes that they had to cut through, murmuring something in their own foreign language.


    "YOU ARE TOO LATE!" screamed the central figure, cloaked in bright purple robes, adorned with golden markings of unknown origin as well."Ih man Warl Ratos!" He exclaimed, raising his staff and slamming it into the ground, cackling madly as he did so. Aside from the triumphant laughter of the head priest, or whatever else the madman fancied himself to be, the cavern was deadly silent, every other person waiting on the result of the chant.


    "Whats happening!?" suddenly questioned the priest, his maddened laughter coming to a stop and noticing that noting had was happening. A clear confusion on his face, their great plan being foiled? Failed? He was desperately looking around now, trying to comprehend what had gone wrong, untill a gurgled cough earned everyone attention.


    Rex spat a large mouthfull of blood on the ground, taking the backlash of tapping into his power of concepts his body and soul fragmnent could not yet handle with ease.


    "Secure the hostages!" he managed to squeeze out in between the coughs as Ria was rushing behind him and activating heal. Those words of his had managed to pull everyone out from the momentary trance, as Mamon rosued the men with a powerfull ''Charge!'' while the head priest hysterically yelled towards Rex, his eyes bloodhot as he saw the kneeling and blood vomiting form of Rex.


    "HOW DARE YOU MONGREL!" head priest schreehed, rising his staff and gathering a bolt of darkness in his hand, mere moment later shooting it towards Rex, clearly intent on killing the man that had humiliated him so and disrupted the culmination of their plan. Though what followed next was not according to his plan. A thick blood wall emerged before Rex, devouring the propelled orb of darkness, creating sizzling sounds and rotten, sickly green fumes as the two spells colided.


    And then, as if mocking the entire attempt, the rune circle lit up, eliciting a smile from the head priest, but only for a moment, as in the next, both he and his followers crumbled to the ground, getting devoured by the activating cirlce instead of the sacrifices placed in the smaller circles, now lying there unconsciously.


    All the while that was happening, the adventurers and soldiers were pulling the limp bodies of the townsfolk away from th glowing circle, clearly hoping to get away from it as soon as possible. Even Mamon was clear to a rether obvious rule with mana and glowing circles. If they devour energy, something had to come back in return and as the circle of the entire diagram lit up once more, a creature was formed from remains and mana devored so far.


    A four meter tall, muscular body rose from the center, large scaly wings of similar size hung from its back. With a head of an aligator and rows of teeth like sharks, a huge shit eating grin formed on its grotesque face.


    "Ah ha ha ha ha haa. I shall feast tonight!" the creature laughed, its sharp tone of voice hurt just to hear, unpleasant and grating like screeching metal brakes. Its happy and extremely jubilant mood did not last too long however, as the moment its stretrched its hand toward the nearest human, no doubt desiring to take a bite of the unlucky fellow, it elicited a terrifying shriek, as if it had just been cut a sack shorter. It keeled over, its clawed paws over its pelvis area as the wings were now flailing in all dirrections, catching a few unlucky men with the motion, sending them flying and causing heavy loud ''thud'' noices as they impacted some nearby rocks or walls, whatever was the first thing in their trajectory of flight. The luckiest of the bunch however were stopped by their fellow warriors.


    --------------------


    Rex had to make quick decisions as they were moving down the tunnels of the mine. He could sense through his active spell that was tracking the woman who''s blood he had injested that her condition was rather poor, as well as the rather ominous mana in her surroundings, enveloping the body and thus giving Rex quite a bit of information to work with. Whether or not the cultists were aware, they were working with blood magic, much to Rex''s suprise innitially, though when considering more, it did make a lot of sense. Blood was the most reliable way to channel and move insane amounts of mana without a lot of interference from the world. And yet, because of the wrong beliefs the people held, they had the asumption that the school itself was an exclusive domain of high class vampires, thus leaving it quite underveveloped and crude.


    Was it any wonder that when Rex and the rest of people following him entered the cavern, filled with dried cadavers of all manner of beings, earning quite a burst of anger from Rex, the second thing he noticed was the incredibly crude and absurd runic circles drawn out with blood? He could see dozens of mistakes and redundancies in but a few glances, his incredibly high comprehension of the concept heavily at play. He could also instantly understand the supposed goal of said ritual, as well as how terribly wrong it would go, if performed as is, as well the suffering about to be inflicted on the hostages who were placed as offerings, the living batteries.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Well aware of the pain he was about to experience, but having few other choices, unless he was keen on dealing with some eldrich entities in the coming few moments, he did what had to be done, calling upon the power of his concepts and with iron grip over the ritual circle, changed quite a few parts in it in just a moment. As the cultist leader finished his chant, activating the ritual, modified by Rex just moment prior, said leader started cackling, so sure of his success and victory, only to become confused and bewildered as noting seemed to happen. The confusion spread along to everyone present, clearly expecting some sort of grand effect to take place so they could react accordingly.


    It was Rex, coughing up blood as great pain permeated his body, that the people present were awoken from their confusion and inactivity, his voice in between said coughs serving as the wake up call.


    "Get the hostages!" were the words that restarted the people present, though not for long, as the cultist leader was enraged and used some sort of shadow, or eldritch ball like spell to propell it in Rex''s dirrection. Since his modified rune circle would need a bit of time to take effect, and thanks to his previous actions, collecting large amounts of the previously spilled blood, he could protect himself from the incoming eldritch ball much easier, not having to call upon his concept powers again so soon. Still, it was hard to move his mental muscles, commanding the blood to rise as a wall to intercept said projectile, his mind being wracked by the afterpain of his previous actions. Still, he did manage, sounds of sizzling coming from the impact, as green and sickly smoke rose from the impact location of the eldritch ball and his blood wall.


    And finally, as if to mock the cultist priest in his hubris, the rune circle lit up, finally coming to life. And yet, in contrast to what should have been the draining of the unconscious villagers, the high priest himself, alongside his last living followers, barelled over, his face distorted in agony from the unbearable pain, eliciting a howl from each of the cultists. A last, desperate and hatred filled glance was thrown in Rex''s general dirrection, before every remaining cultist dried up, becoming awfully similar to the corpses strewn to the walls of the cavern.


    Then, all while Rex was still recieving hieling from Ria, a snall vortex of energy started in the center of the rune circle, growing larger in just a few moments, untill finally, it dispersed, revealing a large and monstrous figure, clearly the result of the ritual sacrifice. The four meter large hybrid between human and reptile, with the form of a humanoid, head of an aligator whose mouth was filled with rows of shark like teeth, leathery wings of a bat and tail of a rat, laughed, its voice high pitched and grating on ones ears.


    "Ah ha ha ha ha haa. I shall feast tonight!" it swiped its hand out aiming to grab on of the closest humans. Unfortunately, Rex was already in a much better condition than right after using his concept powers, and since he was quite aware of the most likely result due to his tampering, he had moved the remaining extra blood over, right next to the ritual circle. So, the moment the demonic creature swung its claw to get its first snack, Rex struck, in mere moments hardening the blood into the sharpest weapon he could create at that moment, and launched it dirrectly at the groin area of the demon.


    Rex could only smirk, as the demons motion to grab the nearest human abruptly stopped, its eyes bulging out of their sockets so much onecould asume they were just barely holding in its head. That followed by an extremely high pitched and agonizing scream dirrecly from hell. Then, the demong hunched over, its clawed hands grabbing its own crotch and fell, its wings flapped around erratically, sweeping a few of the slowest men away, causing them to collide with either another adventurer, or walls or rocks for the few unlucky ones.


    "SHRED IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!" Mamon yelled with his full voice, charging towards the demon with full force, his claymore descending on one of the flailing wings, biting int o it with a loud crunch, half breaking and half cutting it off, making it basically useless. The sharpest and most experienced of the group were quick to join in on Mamons order, though in only a dozen or so seconds, another shriek came from the demon, followed by a powerfull wind wave, repelling the adventurers and warriors away from its bloody form. Even if not many of the attackers managed to cut deep enough to draw blood, the few that did, had created quite a bloody sight.


    Both of the demons wings now lay broken, blue blood oozing out from multiple wounds oon its body, the greatest of them all beeing a large puncture wound between its legs. its eyes were bloodshot and bulged, the same blue blood was leaking like tears in large quantities.


    "VERMIN!!! I WILL DEVOUR YOU ALL! FLESH AND SOULS ALIKE!!" it screamed in abject rage and desperation, the damage, either physical or mental, it had taken clearly having pushed it past any semblence of strategy and sanity. It was nothing more than a veritable mountain of muscles and rage at this moment.


    "Cast Holy Light!" Came a loud order from among the ranks of adventurers, and due to the pwoerfull and comanding voice, every priest from the group did exactly so, numerous beams of light dirrected towards the demon, causing it to smoke and burn, doing notable amounts of damage. Though with its sanity lost, it screeched and charged forward, hellbent on slaughtering everything, as its instincts dictated.


    Then, just a couple steps later, the demon flinched, as if terrified by something for the briefest of moments, though enough to halt its charge, giving enough of an opening for quite a few of the ranged attackers to pelt it with arrows, some even infused with mana, resulting in more wounds and even some explosions, the result of the infused arrows. Then, every adventurer and soldiers sensed the same thing as the demon- cold and terrifying killing intent, freezing them all in spot for a moment.


    The cold killing intent embraced everyone present, and a bling later, a single human form, lightly covered in a bloody haze, appeared in front of the demon, its dark, blood red blade swung in a large arc, sending yet another chill through everyone present. Then- nothing. A deadthly stillness enveloped the area for a few moments untill a quiet ''pop'' resounded, followed by a rather odd sight.The demons face,as if not able to decide which way to go, slid both up and down at the same time, split in half right through its middle. The rest of the splitting of the demonic body was obscured by a dark, bloody red film that enveloped both the human and demon in a ball like shape.


    "Full area healing!" Resounded the same voice tha thad ordered the casting of the holy light, and, with the killing intent now dissipated, like before the healers followed command. Whoever it was, clearly worked with them, trying to ensure their survival. Chants and prayers resounded, shortly followed by a warm and green glow, illuminating the cavern in its healing light.


    -----------------


    "You cant get away!" Rex spoke from within the blood barrier, only he and the deceased mana body of the demon present. Well, not entirely correct. The demons soul was also there, locked in place due to some odd reason that was evading its understanding. And since only a soul body remained, its temporary manifestation destroyed, it should have been pulled back to the relms of hell, where it would wait once again for a chance to emerge on the mortal plains.


    "HA ha ha. Foolish mortal. It only serves in my benefit. Who knows, this disruption might just be whats needed for me to freely stalk this realm in the future." The demon laughed, once it had considered its current state.


    "That implies you would leave this place alive. Well, as alive as a soul body can, that is." Rex smiled towards the souls location, his face resembling some cruel and sadistic bastard, having just caugh an innocent and naive child and prepearing to inflict untold suffering on the poor creature.


    "I have to thank the fools." Rex spoke, sending a small thanks to the cultists for the opportunity. Then, he channeled mana through his body in a rather unique way, creating and extremely complicated runic circle all around him from pure mana. It took the demonic sould only a few moments to understand what it was seeing, causing utter despair to surface from its depths.


    "What in the nine hells are you? MONSTER! NOOOO!!! NOOO!!! STAY AWAAAAYYYY!" It screamed in utter terror, its soul slowly dissipating, changing into fine transparent, yet slightly silvery vapor, drifting in Rex''s dirrection, eventually being absorbed by him.


    Rex could feel both the area healing from outside, recovering his mangled body, as well as the demons soul, shredded and used as a healing balm for his own soul fragment, greatly increasing its size and strenght. And while it was still a long way untill he reached the size his orgin soul had, this was the right step forward, speeding up his progress and changing the near future plans he might have made.

 Chapter 29. Gains and a moment of bliss.

    Some ten or so minutes after Rex had started to devour the demons soul, he was all done, feeling dozens of times better, even if his physical form was still rather battered. Still the area healing had done wonders, allowing him to dissapear from the blood barrier unnoticed, moving closer to the remaining adventures from a side. Stopping a decent distance away, he allowed the blood curtain to disperse, revealing teh split for of the demon, though now that teh area with its corpse was no longer sealed, it was starting to glow in a faint green light. Unlike the warm and healthy green of healing energy, this light was murky green, as if emerad green water had been filled with mud and stirred to the point of creating perfectly dirty water.


    "Split the body, collect what organs, horns and bones are still intact!" ordered Mamon now that they could reach the body, no longer worried about the possible dangers resuting from messing with the blood barrier. If whatever created that bloodlust decided that they were an obstacle, their bodies would remain here untill random rodenst and bugs would pick them clean.


    "Burn the dried up bodies. We dont want to risk lords know what evil spirits possesing them. The poor souls deserve that much mercy, and we cant have the friends of those cultist scum figure a way to honor their damned friends!" also ordering the disposal of the dried corpses, he looked around, searching for their guide. Moments later, he saw Rex near one of the cave walls, half slumped there, the blonde healer from his party already by his side, an arm on his neck in dirrect contact with his skin, her healing magic working overtime. As he aproached the dueo, he could see the sorry state Rex was in, tears and wounds , as well as stains of blood covering his body, though there was not a single speck of demonc blood, making the man not a valid candidate for the demon slayer. With such a wound, no doubt the killer would be covered in the blue blood of the demon.


    "What happened to you? You look like shit." Mamon spoke, earning an exausted look from Rex.


    "Think that tracking spell has np consequences? Or did you not see me during our descent? I had to push my body much further than i should be able to at the moment. Dealing with the consequences now though." Rex head slumped back, pressing against the tunnel wall, his next words much quieter, clearly exaustion setting in.


    "Think you could get me a stretcher and some way to reach the city. I doubt I could ride a horse any time soon."


    "Who took the deamon out? I doubt we would have survived, had it reached us." Mamon asked, though he supposed he would have to ask another time, noticing Rex losing consciousness, his head held from falling back down by the blonde healer. Mamon turned away, returning to ordering around the rest of the group, while at the same time aranging for Rex to be helped out of the old mine. And yet, even as he was ordering people around, his mind was in full swing, looking for explanations or possibilities regarding the identity of the demon slayer. He did reach a rather far fetched, yet more probable explanation to the events, at least more likely than Rex being the one who killed the demon. What if, the one who taught Rex his blood magic was around? No doubt only a true vampire could achieve such feat? That would explain the relative ease the demon was dealt with, said vampire lord playing with his food. It also would explain how said lord would appear and dissapear so effortlesly, none of his men being the wiser. Regardless, it was clear that whoever killed the demon seems to have no animosity towards the local populace and they even left the demon corpse behind, providing insane profit for both Mamon, the parties that took part, as well as the guild branch.


    By the time the group was done with both, cleaning up the old mine and collecting demon parts, as well as exiting the underground, one of the men he sent out had already returned with a large contingent of carriages. After loading the still unconscious townsfolk, including those that had awoken, yet could not move on their own, alongside Rex and his blonde healer who refused to leave his side, they then proceeded back to town, with many people smiling, either due to the incoming payday, or simply happy their friends or relatives had been rescued.


    -----------------------


    "Urghhh." Rex groaned as he came to, finding himself in a rather comfy bed, one of his hands clamped in a vice grip. He turned his groggy head to the offending side. With his sight slowly coming into focus, he saw Ria, slumped on the bed, her two hands gripping his. ''Well, guess I have left quite the impression on the buxom beauty.'' Rex smiled to himself, quickly inspectng his own condition using his soul power. It was quite the dangerous undertaking, he had to admit, but the alternative was to run away and hope the damn shit would not chase after him. That would of course resulted in quite the devastaion, and, most likely, the death of everyone else from the group besides him. And that would include Light''s Oak. And he could not argue with the results of the success. His soul fragment was many times larger than before. And that was not the greatest of gains he could not speak loudly off.


    His soul fragments recovery, or growth, whatever he decided to call it had come with a massive boon. His passive drain had grown stronger still, speeding his future growth multiple times. Though with the fonderfull news, came the realization that he would outgrow his current party incredubly soon. He was already leagues above the girls in skill, his past lives working overtime thus far. But now, it would take only a few proper dives for the rest of the girls to realize just how fast they are left behind. ''Ow well, tommorows problem for tommorow''s me.'' Rex sighed in his mind, carefully and slowly extricating himself from the bed, just as carefully moving Ria in his place, extricating his hand from her grip and covering her with the blanket that was covering his form. Then, just as quietly he left the room.


    A small corridor later, he found himself in front of Lunas gardens counter, the dryad milf playing with her daughter in front of him. The elder woman smiled towards him, clearly feeling much better now, an obvious indication of the receding mana taint in the air.


    "Good evening Rex." she spoke gently. "Have you recovered?"


    "I am wel enough for now, though overexertion is not advised foir a few days. Could i ask your girl to watch over Ria untill shewakes up? Would not want her worry becasue of my sudden dissapearance."


    "Would you be so kind dear?" Luna asked, and afer a small nod, the younger of the two dryads dissapeared into the corridor, recieving a polite thanks from Rex as she passed by.


    "I hear I and many of our townsfolk have you to thank for the rescue of our friends and neighbors." Luna gently spoke, the same smile on her face.


    "Lets just leave it at that, shall we? I have no doubt that the adventurers guild will reward me properly for my efforts." Rex just shrugged, adding. "Any of the diners open right now?" his hand moving to his growling stomack.


    "Unfortunately no longer, but if you dont mind waiting a bit, allow me to quickly cook up something for you. Its the least I can do as a for thank you."


    "Cant say no to such an offer from a beautifull lady." Rex agreed easily. He had heard a couple of rummors about Lunas skill in cooking in the short time they had spent here, as well as the difficulty of actually earning an offer from said dryad to actually cook for someone, thus the offer was more than welcomed.


    Aproximately an hour later, Rex was invited through door hiding behind the counter that either Luba, or her daughter man at all times, revealing an extremely nature themed room, potted plants and smaller trees growing everywhere around. Large glass windows adorning the walls, allowing for incredible amounts of sunlight to spill through during the days, providing plenty of warmth and light for the numerous plants and mini trees present. Extremely fresh aroma permeated the room, reminding Rex of a magical garden, within a forest. With the darkness of the evening, a few mana crystals were placed around, iluminating the room.Stolen story; please report.


    In the center of the room, a rather small table stood, by the looks of it big enough for four people maximum. It was covered with a few dishes that look extremely apetizing. A bowl of salad, consisting of finely sliced and uniform pieces of vegetables, in the colour of the rainbow. Just the look and juiciness of it promising a mouthwatering experience. Then, there was a plate with roasted meat, melted honey slowly dripping from the top it, a light reflecting from the light on its surface. And a few, freshly baked loaves of bread, the inviting smell of freshly baked bread calling him over.


    "Wow!" Rex exclaimed, a smile creeping on his face as he was subconsciously drawn towards the table, saliva pooling in his mouth, forcing him to audibly gulp with anticipation. His honest reactions brought a fresh smile on Lunas face, the mature woman was clearly enjoying his reactions to her work though she did not stall aby longer, well aware of Rex hunger.


    "Come, come." she dragged him forward "I do hope you will find the taste as good as your mind is making it out to be." She seated Rex at the table, took the salad bowl and placed a sizable portion of it on the plate before him. Then, she took one of the loaves of bread in her hands and broke it, handing Rex the smaller part, smiling kindly. Rex in turn reuturned the smile, thanked for the food and dug in, scooping a spoonfull of the salad, putting it in his mouth and chewing on it.


    As his teeth crushed the small cubes of vegetables the salad was made of, he stopped, overwhelmed with incredible explosion of different tastes, the different vegetable juices mixing in indescribable harmony. He enjoyed the incredible senstations for aq moment, and once he was more used to them, as well as the taste got more subtle, he restarted chewing, his eyes still closed, enkoying the magnificent experience. only once his mouth was empty, the chewed food swallowed with happiness, he spoke.


    "Incredible." A single word that he could find that at least somehow could describe what he had just felt, even if wholy lacking in the depth and precision.Yet, seeing Lunas happy expression, he abstained from trying to say anything else, returning to enjoy the rest of it. And so, without rush, he enjoyed ever spoonfull of the salad, every now and then taking a bite from the bread he was offered. That too was an experiece on its own. Crunchy crust that was a pleasure to chew on, enveloping a could like puffy dough, with slight sweetness to it that perfectly went together with the salad. The juiciness of the vegetables went perfectly with the bread, removing any need, or desire for any drink, at least for now. He still was looking forward to th roasted meat that was waiting for its own turn.


    Once Rex''s plate was emptied from the salad, Luna smiled and brought over the main course. With practiced movement, she made two swift, yet precise and elegant slices with a knife, revealing just how well cooked and juicy the meat was as well. Then, using the same plate that Rex had just cleaned of the salad, with its juices still at the bottom of it, she placed the meat cuts on it. Rex already could tell that she had planned for exactly such an outcome, the juice mix would, no doubt, enhance teh flavour of meat even further beyond. he could only lick his lips in anticipation.


    And boy, was he right. The meat was so tender, he was in no need to use a knife to cut off a piece. With the use of just his fork, he easily seperated a piece of it, slightly drawing it through the salad juices before placing it in his mouth, once again being assaulted by the magnificent explosion of taste. Just like with salad, he enjoyed it for a moment, the addition on meat flavour creating an entirely new picture of tastes. A picture that became much more vivid and incredible once he started chewing. And just like with salad, there was little he could actually say to describe the magnificence of the taste.


    Once again, he ate in silence, Luna sitting on a chair next to him now, nibbling lightly on the salad, a happy smile on her face as she watched Rex lost in the world of taste. She quietly sat there, allowing him to experience the culmination of her work, both culinary and as a dryad, the room serving just as great of a part in the overall experience of this divine moment. Only once Rex''s plate was clean, did she finally spoke.


    "Would you like seconds?" a happy and content question with a light smile on her face, transforming into even greater smile at the desire blooming in Rex eyes for more in response. There was little need to ask any more, or to actually hear Rex respond, as she proceeded to fulfill his desire, cutting yet another piece of the roasted meat and placing it on his plate.


    ---------------------------


    "Now I want to steal you away and never let go." Rex said, once they had finished their meal and had sat in silence for a short while "And while feasable, I do believe that such an action would clip your wings, in result destroying the very thing I would steal you away for." Perfectly aware of the combination of time, place and enviroment that had made it all so incredible.


    "Your maturity and ability to understand it all speaks volumes about you, making my decision to treat you to the experience more and more correct." replied Luna, happy in her own ability to judge people.


    "Though, that does not stop me from making selfish decisions." Rex replied, taking a coin of out his ''pocket'' and using his mana to enchant it in a rather particular way. Once done, a few moments later, the coin now having a hole on its surface and numerous rune engravings, he pulled a simple string our of his ''pocket'' as well, creating a simple yet elegant necklace out of it and handed it to Luna.


    "Take it and always wear it. It is the least i could do for you. And, if such a day comes when you need help, break it. I will recieve signal and rush here to help you out." Rex smiled "I only hope to have the opportunity to enjoy your cooking more than just once. It was, incredible."


    "My my." Luna smiled, accepting Rex token of gratitude and promise of help. "Have I smitten a promising youth?" she giggled girlishly, though her eyes were filled with mischief. She fastened the new necklace around her neck, not in the least worried about a possible hex or curse on it. "You have a dear, kind sir." she added, clearly meaning the promise of help and a repeat of access to her chomecooked meals.


    "While I would love to stay here in your presence and acompany you for the entire night, I am afraid I should check on my party members." Rex sighed, reluctant to leave the cozy place in the room, but well aware of the neccesity.


    "Untill later then." replied Luna, rising along with Rex and leading him back to the front, from where he walked over to the room he awoke in. Quietly entering, not to disturb the sleep of Ria and now Lunas daugher, who was slumped on the bed, similarily as to how Ria was when Rex woke up and once he was sure that Ria was still asleep, and would likely remain so for quite a while still, he quietly left, heading in the dirrection of the rooms of the rest of his party.


    Unlike Rias resting room, he did not try to enter the other two rooms where the rest of his party slept, only making a mild mana pulse to check whether or not they where in their beds, and upon confirming that, he returned back to the first floor reception, where Luna was once again in her place behind the counter.


    "At least they are all asleep and not worried about me." Rex spoke up, once he was close enough to the mature dryad. "Puts my mind quite a bit at ease. The maan taint is dispersing nicely, as far as I can tell, so I do you will not have to experience discomfort for much longer."


    "Thank you for your concern. I too, would have loathed to be forced to leave this little paradise I have carved for myself and my daughter. Spirits know how important dryad presence is in places with active metal mines, though I suppose you would not understand. Dont mind the last part, nature spirit talk and such." Luna spoke her mind, quickly apologizing and asking Rex to disregard her little tangent on natural state of things and whatnot.


    "But you are correct. Humans are simple creatures, often failing to see how their inventions and actions affect the land around them, doubly so because their senses are just that basic, leaving most of said changes out of their understanding. Like the metal mining for example. Few would have the comprehension of the harm it does by leaking into rivers and land all around said mines, not to mention the danger to human lives and health. And sure, magic would be a perfect tool to slove said problems, but one has to be aware of them to begin with."


    "You can see it?" Luna exitedly asked, joy and hope radiating from her. Unfortunately, Rex had to dissapoint her, shaking his head in denial, though quickly following with simple explanation of the theories he could recall from his life on earth. With the knowledge as base, he could offer more than one possible action to be taken, to help Luna purify the town and its surroundings. They spent most of the night on the discussion, providing Luna with numerous ideas as to how to make her current home even better while fullfilling her task of healing the land around her.

 Chapter 30. Difference in class.

    Rex and Luna had spent quite a few hours conversing, the time passing by without their notice. What finally brought them out of their own little world was the sound of door opening, a few loud yawns resounding through the small hall leading to the room of interest and then, the form of miniature Luna coming through, yawning more and stretching her arms out.


    "Mornin mom." she spoke up in habit, greeting her mother and failing to notice Rex''s presence at the same time. Then again, in her defence, Rex was not a constant existance in her life. Luna though, would not allow her daughter to be so rude to guests, instantly pointing out her daughters shortcomings, even if the mistake was made due to her still being half asleep.


    "Lyra. I taught you better young lady. Show the respect and courtesy our guests deserve."


    "Dont be so hard on her. She did my party a solid by watching over one of our numbers. How is she by the way?" Rex spoke up. He recieved the slightest of nods of apreciation from the young dryad, followed by the creak of the same door, revealing Ria, just as half asleep as Lyra.


    "I am fine Rex." Ria spoke "But I doubt I am the one that needs to be worried about. How are your injuries? And better yet, how did you get them. I sure as hell know it was not the work of cultists."


    "I suppose that should be discussed with the rest of the girls present, no? Though I am rather touched by the concern you have shown. Thank you." His words earned a nod, followed by a light blush creeping on Ria''s face, something she quickly hid by rushing past Rex and Luna, leaving a few words behind.


    "I will get the rest of the team then!"


    "Well. I suppose I will be busy for some time now." Rex shrugged and said, his gaze focused on Luna. "Though if you need anything, you know where to find me." A slight smile on his face as he rose from his seat and stretched. He had been stuck more or less in one position for hours as well, and unlike his meditation ones, this did not feel nearly as relaxing. In just a few minutes, the entirety of his party was donwstairs and crowding the lobby, questioning looks on all their faces.


    "Breakfast?" Rex asked, a light smile on his face.


    "And are you sure you should be moving around after the condition you reached yesterday? Ria emphasized it was real bad." Alurial asked, ''suspicion'' written all over her face.


    "Yes, I am more than fine to do that much, though I suppose a day or two of rest for full recuperation would be apreciated."


    "Well then, we are in luck if that is the case. From what Mamon told us during our return here we will have to stay put for a couple of days anyways. The guild doing some pretty heavy sweeping to ensure no other loose ends regarding the damn cultists remain unsolved." explained Samanta.


    "A win- win it is then. So, whats with the breakfast?" Rex asked once again.


    "Yes, yes. Lets go then. We have quite a few questions for you to answer in the meanwhile."


    "So long as I dont mind sharing." Rex added with a slight smirk.


    Their breakfast passed by quickly, the group would have been done in less than thirty minutes, all eager to hear Rex''s explanation and whatnot, if not for the person in the center of all this himself extending their stay in the small and cozy diner they had deemed acceptable for their current needs. Rex, like an enourmous black hole, continiued to order all kinds of different dishes, devouring them almost as fast as they were brought over. IT was only after Rex had dealt with more than nine servings did he finally finish, having caused a couple of girls to stare with their jaws hanging.


    "I suppose we can start now." Rex sighed contentedly, his voracious appetite finally sated.


    "Sooo? Care to explain?" Veena did not mince words, going straight for the heart of the matter.


    "Whats there to explain? Tracked hostages, messed with the ritual, big bad demon came, gave a helping hand there and it went poof. My helping hands were rather unpleasant and with power drawbacks, resulting in me in the sorry state i was back yesterday."


    "Does that mean that the peak of your abilities leaves you in that condition?" Alurial asked, clearly a phantom pain passing her body at the mere thought of going through something similar, even if only once.


    "Well, yes and no. Yes, for the current me, but In the future however, that is not neccesarily the case." Rex explained quickly, not going into too much detain and leaving quite a bit out.


    "And how much of what happened in the mine was your doing?" asked Meru, ponderous expression on her face. "Aand with that level of power, what could you take on at your full capacity?"


    "Well, not much truth to be told. You saw my condition at the end. I needed help heting back, on acount of me passing out, not to mention all the healing Ria used on me. Obviously that kind of self harm is not a viable strategy in a long term. Sure, as a desperat measure it works suprisingly well, but that is about it."


    "Lets get it straight. It was you who took out that demon right? Mamon has asumed it was your teacher vampire lord or something, not willing to lose his precious disciple, or experiment on account of you being as battered and destroyed as you were. He reasoned the tracking spell and the power you showed on the way there was you overexerting yourself with blood magic. And as far as we know, your special skill was kept secret, only us, guild master and the guy whose companion you tracked knowing otherwise. But I doubt you have to worry about that guy either. Seeing how thankfull and happy he was when we managed to save his girl, I am sure he will keep quiet. There are some legends about the good monsters- people cursed to become monsters, dirrectly opposite their nature."


    "Thats good to hear." Rex nodded, happy with the outcome of their little adventure. "So, can I assume I have a couple of days to rest and recuperate before we dive in the dungeon yet again?"


    "Yup. We will take the time for ourselves and get some well deserved R&R as well." Samanta explained.


    "Thats good to know. I suppose I will see you in a couple of days then."


    "What do you mean with that? It''s not like anyone is changing inns, are we?" Meru asked, dumbfounded by Rex''s words.


    "Ah, no you misunderstood. I am most likely not leaving my room, with the super rare exception to get something edible. Meditation is one hell of a help in recuperation."


    "Should have started with that." scoffed Alurial, earning eye rolll from Rex.


    THe coming few days were hectic in the city, with the guild running back and forth, searching for any remnant pockets of the cult, capturing a few townsfolk in the process. As it turned out, there was quite the information network developed here, connecting quite a few other, small villages and trading outposts, converging information here and then forwarding it further, enabling the damn madmen to expand and strenghten their influence on the world.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Rex was also asked to visit the guild, Mamon and guidmaster Ruta awaiting him. Similarily to his own party, the two higher ups from the guild asked Rex about his involvement with the demise of the demon as well as the probability that his master might have some designs for the city. Rex denied any such notions, pointing out that his presence here was a mere coinsidence, the place chosen only for its relatively manageable dungeon nearby. A perfect place to train and grow stronger, without subjecting oneself to unreasonable levels danger.


    Quite a few questions later, assured that Rex supposed master did not care about the place, most likely having already left, Ruta and Mamon switched to the last part of the days agends, at least as far as Rex''s was concerned. It was time to reward him for the risk taken, as well as the invaluable assistance he had provided during the rescue. Without him, they would have found the place weeks, if not months later, way too late to stop the ritual from happening.


    Almost fifty gold richer, Rex left the guild building, spending a few additional hours to walk through town, buying several different foods to stock up. He would not leave his room that long after all. He had every amenity neccessary to do so, and there was no reason not to utilize the time given to strenghten himself even more. With his recent recovery, he could dive back in the grind with twice the size of his smile, reaping the lives of whatever was unlucky enough to stand in his way.


    -----------------------------------------------


    "So? How do you feel?" Samanta asked, a couple days having passed since they last spoke, just as Rex had predicted.


    "Ready and willing. Is a dive planned, because I am more than eager to go right back to it." Rex replied with conviction.


    "Good to hear. I have been itching to go and break some skulls as well." Meru enthusiastically spoke up. The warrior having felt quite bored for the duration of Rex''s recuperation. A few more eager nods later, they increased the tempo with which their breaakfast was dissapearing from the table and soon after, a group of eager and enthusiastic adventurers left the diner. A few dozen minutes later, a couple of cariages left Vixiera, Light''s Oak within, on their way towards the dungeon.


    A short while later, they all stepped through the swirling curtain of otherworldly substance, once again returning the dungeon. The previous eagerness was still shining in their gazes, even as their grips tightened on their own weapons ever so slightly more and their focus on surroundings increased.


    "I know we have had a couple of days off and that this is the very beggining of the dungeon, but I will not have us getting jacked simply because we were relaxed due to the relatively low danger nibblers possess." Samanta spoke up with a commanding tone in her voice, recieving a chorus of ''Yes Mam!'' from the rest of the group. A visible twitch of her eye later, she commanded the group to advance, starting their slaughter of any unlucky nibbler that became an obstacle in their path.


    The group saw a notable change in Rex already. Whatever he had gone through during his relatively short fight with the demon, or whatever he gained from its defeat had changed him significantly. His movements were more precise and deadly, as if an unseen weight holding him down had been lifted. Now, with much greater freedom he was a monster incarnate, single handedly manhandling whatever they encountered. Sure, he still left masses of twitching and half dead creatrures in his wake, all ripe and ready to be culled by the girls, the sight in and of itself was somewhat chilling. And to top it all off, the happy smile that had found its place on his face made it doubly so. Sure, Meru loved herself some solid skull bashing every now and then, enjoying the light soreness after a day of hard work, but not even she had a smile of a lunatic adorning her features during the combat itself. Only true battle maniacs, or psychoes for that matter, loved the process of combat itself to such an extreme.


    "So? Thoughts?" Questioned Veena as they followed the carnage in the form of a single man, finishing whatever sad excuse of monsters was left for them, collecting whatever loot they dropped after their deaths as well. Since they had little to no actual combat to focus on, they could have some light conversations as well.


    "While his efficiency and overall capability to anihilate such low tiered monsters has risen, its not like we were unaware of this aspect of his personality." spoke Alurial, her gaze locked on Rex''s back as he continiued his slaughter. "Though at the same time, we also have no choice to admit that he is far beyond our capabilities already. If he continiues to grow stronger at the pace we have seen him change in just these few short days, we will only become a hindrance to him. And I dont know about you girls, but the idea of clinging and dragging down someone with such insane potential due to our own greed does not sit well with me. Besides, its not like we can maintain a friendly relationship with him going forward, whatever he decides to do."


    "I have to agree with Alurial." quietly agreed Ria. "I have shown quite a bit of my own care and interest to him as well, no doubt indicating my willingness and desire to explore the possibility of a more personal connection, and, while it is unlikely to bear any result in the immediate future, since he seems intent of keeping his more amourous options at bay for the moment, opting for more fun and no strings attached style of life, eventually I should be given a chance to capitalize on it, should I still have the same interest. Or so I believe is the message he was putting out with his actions and gestures."


    "You too think there is more to him than beeing a simple orphan from a remote village in the middle of nowhere?" Samanta asked.


    "Yes, of that there is no doubt. The nature and implications of said secret is anyones guess, but it does not look like a negative for us or anyone in his near vicinity, unless of course you earn his ire." Ria explained. The girls continiued their own little conversation as the group moved along, sometimes praising Rex ability to shred through monsters, his energy and zeal seemingly endless.


    "Rex, where do you find the pleasure in this endless grind? Its just waves and waves of monsters that you cleave through? How can you still smile?" Samanta asked once they reached their first intersection, Rex slowing down and waiting on the groups decision where to go next. He looked at her, an empty expression on his face for a moment as his eyes slid upwards, clearly thinking on a way to better express his thoughts. He shrugged just a moment later, as if giving up on the previous, deep seated thoughts.


    "The Grind in and of itself is pleasure. Doubly so when one does not have to wade through gust and gore of their quarry once they are dead. Just murder it all, claim the loot, which I have to thank you gals for doing by the way, and proceed to repeat. And to top it all off, you also get stronger in the process. Whats there not to like?"


    "Men." Alurial rolled her eyes, clearly having seen and met more than one man with the mindset Rex was exibiting right now. "How long do you think untill you grow tired of it all, I wonder."


    "Longer than most I recon. Personal secrets and all." Rex replied, a playfull smirk appearing on his face. "So, what do we facny today as our next course?" he asked, quite eager to continiue their exploration. Eventually the group decided on morboons, proceeding down the tunnel indicating their next enemy zone.


    And, just like with nibblers, as soon as they encountered the first of the monster groups, Rex was ahead, taking them all on as if they were nothing. Gracefull and nimble sidesteps paired with deadly and merciless sword swings left every opponent in his wake a pile of paralized and worthless meat, awaiting their inevitable deaths, either by the sword of one of the girls or bleeding out. And, much to the girls suprise, Rex seemed to not be slowing down at all. On the contrary, with an opponent that Rex did not have to lower his stance to deal with, he seemed to have only gotten more comfortable and better, reinforcing Alurials belief in the steps they would have to take once outside the dungeon.


    And as regrettable as it was to part with such a gem, it was necessary for his coniniued and unobstructed growth. And she was more invested than the rest of the girls, well maybe except Ria, who had been trying to sink her claws in him nice and deep. Alurial felt some odd atraction to him after all. Once even she could not explain properly. Mana resonance would be the closest explanation she could come up with, but there had not been such strong case among her people for hundreds of years, so she was not entirely sure.


    Eventually, they reached the end of morboon zone, the champion once again meeting them. "Lucky!" Rex exclaimed noticing the monster


    "Thats mine, so stand back!" Rex said as he charged forwards, his blood sword drawn and placed on his shoulder as he charged forward. The girls could only shrug and helplessly sigh, watching him go from the sidelines. If he wanted to, who where they to deny him. Besides, Rex was rational enough of a person, so if he would sense the danger and his inability to finish, he would call for their assistance.


    In mere moments Rex was before the champion, it roaring in anger at the audacity of the smaller creature to charge at it in its lonesome. Two, stone covered arm came down in a heavy motion in an attempt to crush the arrogant creature, prepearing it to be feasted on once it dealt with the rest of the intruders. The familiar sound of it arms slamming onto rock resounded, creating a small crack on the tough cave floor. A large, toothy grin spread across the champions face. One down, five to go.

 Chapter 31. Tutorial complete?

    Before the morboon champion could proceed to deal with the shocked group, clearly frozen in place from fear of its might, a powerfull pain shocked its own mind as its slumped down to earth, losing one of its legs holding it standing. As it gritted its teeth, the pain coursing through, and tried to make sense of what was happening, a figure appeared in the corner of its vision. The same foolish puny thing that had solitarily charged at it and consequently crushed was now behind it, the bloody tool in his hand dripping with even more blood.


    A powerfull roar came from its throat, signifying its pain and anger and driving it into pure rage induced state due to its condition. That did not help much, on the contrary, Rex believed it to be as stupid a move as one could do in a situation when they were already losing a lot of blood due to the recently lost leg. Forcing a much larger blood circulation would only result in the creatures demise much sooner. Not that Rex planned to wait for it to expire on its own though, so he took the ctions of the champion for what it was- a last ditch desperate attempt to equalize the speed between it and him.


    A couple of desperat and honestly akward swings, all gracefully dodged by Rex, the monster staggered, giving Rex all the oppening he needed. And thus, taking the oppening, Rex moved in, closing any distance between himself and the monster, and then, within moments he delivered a powrfull slash across the creatures exposed neck, half severing its head with the motion, resulting it the fal and death of it. As mana dust dispersed, a similar loot as the last time was left behind it, providing a solid rewards for their run, ensuring they could be in the green should they exit right now. Not that they could, having not chosen a path towards said exit.


    With the champion finished, it took them another thirty minutes or so to reaach another intersection, providing them with yet another choice. And, thanks to Rex insistance, the group went down yet another path that lead them deeper in, no plans to extract themselves from the dungeon aany time soon. This time, they enemy of choice were kobolds. Sure, weak creatures, even by the standarts of their party, but due to the stage that they encountered said monsters, said individual weakness was covered up by the sheer number of monster per pack Rex and the group encountered. Normaly, trow a few dozens, maybee even a hundred of kobolds at such a small party and you have a recipe for disaster, but with the tight knit teamwork among the girls and Rex''s sheer monster strenght and power drawing a fair number to himself, it was a relative breeze to cut through. It took them just another couple of hours to get through this segment of the dungeon. And Rex was still absorbing all of the blood he spilt while killing the monsters. Why waste such usefull and readily aviable resource and material. The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea of multiple floating swords around him, be it cleaving through numerous enemies or defending him again waves and waves of arrows, became. Still, he was ways of somewhat finishing his first sword, let alone many others, so the idea had to be set aside for now. Neither he nor his party were strong enough to take on monsters powerfull enough to fasten his progress to a noticable degree. He would have to make do with a single, ever growing sword and a small chain-wire. Rex had to admit, as far as tools went, he was quite stacked already.


    Yet another three hours later, the group finally reached another cross section. They all looked quite tired, with Rex being the only exception. Even with his relentless merciless brutal carnage, there were plenty of kobolds that had reached the rest of his group, making them work hard for every step of their progress. It was not until Rex finally deployed his chainwire that the number that could reach girls shrunk notably, at teh same time creating rather horrifying memories in their minds regarding a small metalic like wire splitting bodies upon bodies in half. Upon hearing their general dislike and aprehension regarding such tools, all Rex could do was laugh and think to himself- ''Good thing you have not seen movies where lasers split people in finely cut pieces.''


    Regardless of their current state, there was still some time for them to combat through before they could return to their inn, seeing as they have yet to chose a path that led towards a portal out. Luckaly for them, there was one such path before them. Though the whole ''Ragudons ahead. Avoid at all costs'' did arouse any desire for them to proceed. Ragudons were a rather peculiar monsters that could best be described as centaur like creatures, with the lover half of an oversized lizard that had grown to the proportions of a horse, and upper side of a humanoid torso with eagle head and large talong at the end of their two hands. They were solitary creatures, though considered B class entities. And for a party of supposed F ranks, that was an obvious death sentence. What the creatures did in such a low tier dungon- that was anyones guess. How the party that explored this particular path got through and back to both find its far end and return to create the warning? That was anyones guess and Rex was fine not trying to figure it all out.


    "Urghhhh. I already am damn tired. This means we will have to slog through at least two more sections before returning. " complained Alurial, the least fit person of the group.


    "We have one tent with us. To spend the night in these intersections is always and option. That would allow us to go a bit deeper and explore more." Rex added, clearly quite for his own idea. "But I dont mind us going forwards still. I have enough juice for quite a bit more of delving. If you ask me, we pick a route that does not have hordes of relatively weak monsters that could overwhelm us with sheer numbers and allow me to do most of the work. If on our next intesection we dont find acceptable path towards exit gate, we camp there and try again come morning. With a few hours of sleep and rest it shoould be enough to cover us." There were back and forth for a few minutes, condiserding pros and cons of either possible strategy at this point, but at the end, they agreed with the proposition Rex had made. Yet another proof of him outclassing the girls by quite the wide margin already.


    Their choice of paths led the group through lizardmen and thanks to relatively slower speed of theirs, probably due to the damp and cool enviroment they lived in, Rex had a field day.His superior speed and skill shone brightly in such conditions, as he weaved through the groups with grace and skill of an experienced master, leaving only gems and other loot items behind, with rare few of the creatures remaining alive as he passed through. Unlike before, his main focus was on killing everything in his path to conserve the energy of his party, most of them showing notable signs of exaustion. And while they could perform somewhat, if it came to it, he found there was no need to tax them overly. The rare monster that was left behind took nothing more than a simple stab to end it after all.


    Another hour and a half later, yet another intersection was before them, with one of the tunnels promising path home. What was even better was that it was guarded by yet another biome of lizardmen, and seeing how Rex had just blased through one and still had energy in his tank, something the girls could simply not comprehend, it was decided to push for one last time.


    "Worry not ladies. I GOT THIS." Rex assured, a confident grin on his face as he moved forward, once again taking his forward position, ensuring that a rather large gap was created between him and the rest of his party.


    "All you then." Samanta confirmed, the party of girls following Rex said distance behind. It was easier for him if every one of the monsters focused on him from the get go, instead of chasing after the annoying ones that decided to go for the softer looking ladies in the back. He could only assume that with the way he cut through monster after monster, they probably reasoned that his meat would be tough and not very tasty, if they were capable of reason that is.


    ''Ahh, the magnificent feeling of growth one experiences as they grind.'' Rex basked in the pleasure of his once again elevated Drain passive skill, slicing apart monster group after monster group with practised ease, his blood sword a blurr of activity, splitting bodies apart and drinking its fill of the blood spilt in said carnage. And as much fun as Rex was having, there was also some noticable weakneses of his current strategy- speedruning through everything in his path, leaving only corpses behind. Namely, the amount of blood he could absorb in the process was miniscule. After all, as soon as a monster died, its body dispersed in mana dust, leaving only its core and sometimes some other drop items behind. And while annoying, Rex had to deal with it for the time being. His party wanted to get back home and rest, and since it did not interfere with his own plans and needs in a reasonable manner, he simply went ahead with it.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    With no need to hold back his strikes to ensure plenty of their opposition was still alive to be cut down by his party, ensuring that they too kept growing, he was able to increase the speed of their progress yet another step further, eliciting a few meaningfull glances among the girls, their previous discussion coming straight to mind. Rex himself remained mostly unaware of it, only having some slight info on them discussing something. Then again, since he was the only male in the party, he reasoned there were a few sensitive topics that he should be excluded from.


    With the increased speed, thanks to Rex ability to go a bit more all out than before, what could have been a segment requiring in between three to four hours was just barely completed within two, leaving Rex quite the sight to behold. What awaited them, before the platform with gate baack hime was quite the sight to behold. A large, three and a half meter entity sat on the ground, humongous two handed axe laid next to him, its handle resting against the gray scaled body. Muscles bulging everywhere, clearly noticable even from the distance and with scales covering most of its body.


    With his weapon drawn, Rex slowly aproached the specimen, already psyched and ready for anything. He held no illusion of being able to sneak up to the creature and finishing it off before he had to engage it in terms of strenght and competence. Sure, he was a much better fighter and tactician, but the sheer size and mass of the monster, as well as its no doubt unnaturaly sharp instincts would be quite the fun challenge, unless of course he was willing to wrech his own body once more, invoking the power of concepts. And since he was no masochist, the former would have to do.


    A few steps later, the monster opened its eyes, angry and predatory red eyes locked on his moving form. And unlike most other lizardmen Rex had encountered so far who seemed just a tad bit sluggish, this one had that sheen to its eyes that many other lacked. With speed surpassed Rex''s expectations, the enourmous monster got to its feet, gripping its axe in both hands and letting out a monstrous roar. Following that, it began its charge towards Rex who, in turn, had started his own sprint forward, very soon bringing the two combatants right in front of each other.


    Using its forward momentum, the lizardman swung its axe in a half circle arc, utilising both its inherent might as well as the innertia of its sprint to load as much power in the strike as possible. This is where Rex reasoned monsters instincts kicked in, enticing it to use its moves in such a manner to achieve maximum benefit from the exerted force, since there was no way that understanding of physics was taught to magical monsters that just appeared within the dungeon. Unless of course the dungeon itself preprogrammed its monsters with a baseline of advanced knowledge, something Rex was rather skeptical about.


    Sidestepping and bending out of the strikes way with relative ease, something his much smaller frame and build allowed for, Rex delivered a quick sword swipe to the monsters now exposed flank, barely creating shallow wound and instantly retreating back, avoiding the incoming blade once more as the monster finished a full rotation and swung its weapon upwards, then following it into a roll forward, creating small distance between the two and roaring once more. It seemed the lizardman was not happy with Rex avoiding its strikes. ''Suck it up. I aint that dumg.'' Rex thought to himself as he launched forward, precisely avoiding the axe once again, but this time, before he managed to deliver another slash on the monsters side, it tail was swung at Rex, forcing him to step back, robbing him of the opening he had gained without inflicting a fresh wound on his scaly opponent.


    "Damn, thats some instinct. A single, not too costly mistake and you are already adjusting. Tsk tsk tsk, I will have to up my game as well then." Rex chuckled as he was forced to avoid a few more attacks of the axe, sometimes followed by the tail as well, in an attempt to take him by suprise. Unfortunately for the larger predator, Rex was just that well equiped to see every single attack coming a mile away and react accordingly.


    The dance went on for a few minutes, with Rex mostly avoiding attacks that were tossed his way in a more and more desperate and frantic manner, slowly creating some unexpected gaps in the monsters attacks. It was during one such gap, larger than any others beforehand that he too upped his own game. Instead of swinging his sword, creating another, small gash on the monsters side, he stabbed, penetrating its skin and sinking his swords blade deeper into the flesh. Following the nasty wound, he poured his mana through the weapon, causing the monster to spazm in agony, his blood magic doing its thing, slowly poisoning the monster all the while delivering signals of excruciating pain.


    It was quite impressive how the lizard alpha could still move in such a condition, its swings becoming much more sluggish, but daring and even desperate. Both Rex and the monster understood their respective roles now. Rex was the hunter, and the alpha was the prey. And the monster was not very keen on its new role, driving it berserk. If previously Rex was dodging with minimal exertion, now he was doing so purely out of neccesity, his body not being fast enought to create larger gaps. He was pushing quite hard already, the monsters berserk elevating its speed notably, though it came with a large cost. Even as Rex was doing his best to avoid the barrage of strikes, he could see how the monster was slowly coming apart, blood errupting from more and more places on its body, and none of said places was a wound he had inflicted on the monster. The berserk was putting just that much strain on its body. A true last desperate trump card that would put one out of commision for quite some time should the ywin whatever encounter was deemed desperate enought to use it.


    Still, Rex was a monster in his own right, spelling lizardmans doom the moment the two charged towards one another, allowing Rex to gleam a lot of information from its physical capabilities. Thus, while many of his moves looked as if he was barely capable of avoiding them, it had been calculated and precise dance of death. And with the monster going full berserk mode, it was still the case, even if it was now much closer than Rex would like. Still, blow after blow was avoided, the blood poison and its berserk overload doing enough damage, untill finally, with a painfull, soul shaking shriek it slumped to the ground, bleeding profusely from all wounds and orifices. Blood that Rex absorbed in his sword without a second of delay. The dungeon was stingy in that regard. Leave such resources too long on the ground and they disperse in mana dust in no time. Once under his influence however, it was safe and free to be used however Rex desired.


    Just a few moments later, the body of the champion scattered to dust, leaving behind a rather large monster core and a few rather odd looking crystals that Rex saw for the first time. Beckoning the girls over, indicating he was done, the party looked at the drops, and noticing the crystals, a sharp inhale of breath could be heard.


    "I am assuming thats something rare?" Rex asked, expecting an explanation and reprimand coming for his ignorance.


    "OF COURSE! THOSE ARE EMPOWERMENT CRYSTALS!" exclaimed Alurial with frantic excitement. For a moment there Rex could swear he saw dollar signs and slight desire flash in her eyes.


    "Yes, yes. Empowerment crystals. Very nice. Now EXPLAIN!" he sarcastically rolled his eyes, practically yelling the last word, noticing just how dazed and overly excited the girsl were, shocking them out of their reverie.


    "Right, sorry." Alurial stammered, ashamed of her momentary lack of focus. "They do what days, weeks or even months in the dungeon, slaying monsters would do otherwise. Strenghtening ones body with a much faster pace."


    "So, stat potions. Okay. But why are you so excited about it then?" Rex asked in return, not quite understanding their excitement.


    "For starters, only variant monsters have a miniscule chance to drop them. Then, as the drop chance indicates, they are unreasonably rare, thus becoming an insanely coveted super insanely expensive thing, auctioned in the capitals greatest auction house as the main item. Thats obviously because whoever is lucky enough to get one would instantly consume them."


    "And I am asuming there is another reason for that, besides the obvious quick gain?"


    "Yes. Supposedly, it increases ones upper limites ever so slightly, based on their base potential." Samanta chimed in.


    "Ah, so it allows one to go over their base cap. Makes sense." Rex replied, then looked over to the three crystals besides the core. "So? What now?"

 Chapter 32. A new adventure awaits.

    Rex''s odd question had the girls tilt their heads in unison, not quite understanding his point, untill, to elaborate, he picked up the three crystals and pointed his other hand at them. "I mean, I know I killed it all by myself and all, but we are supposedly a party, and while they sound quite enticing, my unique circumstances make them less valuable than for most others. And, since there is only three, while our party consists of six, it has to be decided on how to split them."


    "Wait, what?" Alurial asked, a dazed look on her face. Rex gave them yet another few moments to recollect themselves, untill Samanta spoke up.


    "Rex, we think you are a wonderfull person. You are both strong and reliable in a fight, so much so that we are afraid we would only be slowing you down, should we cling to you further. We had a talk among us and came to the same conclusion. We all would feel bad, if, due to our own greed, your potential would be crippled." A guilty and regretfull look adorned their faces, making it obvious that the decision was not a simple one, yet, due to their inherently kind nature and general like for him, it had to be done.


    "Well, I suppose you are right. And I have to thank you for your good intentions. Though, that is yet another reason why I have to ask, so, how do we split this? While we will be parting ways rather soon, as it now seems, we were a party when the beast was felled. And besides, this would be a gift from me to you. The question is, would you be willing to take two and sell third in an auction to be split and used as funds. Since, while I have little need to consume it, I could totaly use large amounts of spare money to be used when necessary. Do think it over, yea?"


    Another moment of silence took over the cavern, the girls deep in thought for a moment. Then, they nodded and turned to each other, talking over who should be the ones using the other two crystals. From what Rex could tell, their party was tight knitted, planning to stick together for seemingly forever, thus, helping out their weakest member to gain additional potential was a logical course of action. Eventually, their agreed on Meru getting one and the second going to Ria. As their only frontliner for the moment, Meru was an obvious choice as strenghtening their main defender was only logical. In the same manner, empowering Ria would allow them to hold out longer and maintain their health during longer and harsher quests or delves.


    "You sure about it?" asked Samanta before the girls consumed the two crystals. And, after recieving a single, yet certain nod, she gave the ''ok'' sign to her party, becoming to empowerment crystal poorer in the process. It was a quick event without any special light shows or floating bodies. Ria and Meru swalled the relatively small, glowing crystals, then closed their eyes and stood like that for a few moments. Then, both, with heavy breaths exhaled, as if releasing their weakness out of their bodies.


    "So, how does it feel?" Rex asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes.


    "Stronger." both replied at the same time, earning a small giggle from Alurial and Samanta.


    "So, dibs on the next one?" jokingly spoke Veena, earning a round of laughter from everyone present.


    "So, lets get going home yea? We can figure the logistics of the last one when we are back at the inn. We could use the rest and fresh minds for it." Samanta spoke up, clearly feeling the exhaustion creeping in more and more.


    With that agreed upon, and choosing Rex as the holder of the last crystal, something he took seriously, quickly depositing it in his space storage, they proceeded to the gate that was just a few hundred meters further ahead, beckoning them home. Once through, they saw the light of the stars, night having long since creeped in on this world. Sending signal to their carriages to come and pick them up, they relaxed for some thirty or so minutes before boarding and getting brought back to the city.


    -------------------------


    "How''s my favourite adventurer party?" cheerfully asked Luna as soon as Rex''s and the girls stepped through the door, drawing a slight smile from them.


    "Exausted, but clearly better now that we have been recieved with such warmth." Rex smoothly replied, ,earning even brighter smile from Luna, a small mischievous glint in her eyes.


    "My, my. You sure know how to flatter older ladies. Be carefull, one too many such compliments and one might just eat you up."


    "Oho? Is that an offer I hear?" Rex found Luna to be quite magnificent, both in looks and personality. Add her killer cooking skills, and it was no wonder he did not mind playing around with the mature lady, in more ways than one. And her having a teenage daugher, with no man around, ensured she would be of a stronger character.


    "While I would love to, I will unfortunately have to decline. For both our sakes. Dryads are extremely possesive after all, and I doubt you are the kind to be tied down by little old me alone." she innocently blinked a few times in Rex''s dirrection.


    "I suppose another time then." Rex just shrugged, moments later starting another laugh, acompanied by Luna. Even as he ws flirting with their hostess, the rest of the group was already on their way to their rooms, not in the mood for more shenanigans. Only Meru and Ria had more energy in their systems, clearly due to the empowerment crystals they had consumed earlier. After a few more minutes of conversation with Luna, Rex too retired to his own room, taking a quick bath beforehand, as ussual performing his daily storage expansion, reaching a solid size of couple bag spaces by now. It was good enough to start working on his second space, ensuring he would not have to unload everything each time he wanted to work on expanding said spaces, always keeping one empty for exactly that purpose.


    The next morning was rather slow. Rex woke up early as ussual, and after a single mana pulse, noticing that there was absolutely no movement from his party members rooms, he returned to his own devices, strenghtening his body using his culvitation arts, coursing mana through his veins and powering the runes he had engraved from within, ever so slightly strenghtening himself. It was around noon that he heard a knock at his door.


    "Sorry Rex. We were even more exausted as innitially expected." apologized Samanta as soon as he opened the door, clearly feeling guilty.


    "No worries. I assume you ar all well rested at least?" he asked in return, not in the least worried about the time lost. He had a rather productive morning after all.


    "Yes. Muscle sores for some, but nothing unexpected."


    "Good. So,a quick breakfast, then return here for a team conversation in one of your rooms? I dont trust to speak of the subjects at hand out in the open." Rex questioned.


    "Yes, that is exactly the same as our thoughts." Samanta agreed with Rex, leading him downstairs where the rest of the girls awaited. Then, with everyone present, they left the inn, quickly finding a diner where they could fill up their grumbling bellies. Rex, once again made his party wonder, just where does he stuff all that food, as he was only done after five servings, each and every plate presented before him having been cleaned of food entirely.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "I suppose with what we saw you do yesterday, it is only natural that an equivalent amount of food should be consumed." With a shake of her head and light smile on her lips, commented Samanta as they returned to the inn, their spirits lifted after a hearty meal.


    Once back at the inn, the group moved into the largest of three rooms, each member finding a spot to sit down. They were about to have some rather serious discussion after all. What followed next were the plans for near future for Light''s Oak, as well what Rex had in mind for his own adventures. While at it, Rex handed every girl a rather small amulet like acessory. He had created them during his morning openings while the rest of his party still slept, none other being a morning person. Rex also explained that they served as a desperate call for help that he could be reached through. All they had to do was to crush on of the amulets, and he would, with his utmost speed, come to help. He did also note that while he would be made aware of the call, he would still need some time to reach the place of distress, depending on the distance he would be from them at the time of activation.


    "Think of it more like a method of contact rather than ''save us now''." he explained.


    They also decided that Rex should be the one to hold onto their last empowerment crystal, since he was now past this place and should look for a much more viable place to grow stronger. And capital, with its large size and numerous powerfull parties would be the perfect place for him to find aproprietly powerfull help. As for the funds that were supposed to go to the girls, the ysaid it did not matter, since they already got two thirds of their loot, and since Rex was the only one to actually fight, they had been rewarded already more than enough, though if he really wanted to, he could just go to the adventurers guild and request that however much money he wanted to, he could transfer it to their party. That was one of the ways some nobles sponsored parties, or adventurers they found to be rather promising after all.


    With all of that covered, Rex decided to not waste much time, prepearing to leave as soon as possible, though not before cashing in some of the favours he had earned up untill now. So, he spent the rest of the day, fooling around with Ria, cashing in his next date with teh beautifull buxom blonde before time, since neither of them knew when they would meet. They explored the market, stopping at many different stalls and tasting whatever looked delicious on display. Rex also bought her a simple but nice hair pin that emphasized her beautifull eyes. They had wanderd around the town utill evening, laughing togeher.


    "I do believe I will miss these." Ria spoke up as they walked up the stairs to her room, sun having alrady set some time ago. "It is so much easier to enjoy when you know your date enough to feel relaxed and safe."


    "Cant comment on that, thought I have to agree it is nice, just relaxing and having fun, especially so in the presence of a beautifull lady. I bet that the lack of expectations on my part, besides obviously us both having fun , also brings forth an extra layer to all of it." Rex chimed in.


    Neither of them having any desire to push their current situation any further, Ria being worried where it would take them, while Rex simply having had enough fun for the day, they bid one another good night before retiring to their respective rooms. Rex did hear quite the commotion and numerous teasing remarks the second Ria was inside hers, getting punced on by her party members, demanding each and every detail of their day. Rex left them to their own devices, well aware that neither of the girls would push it too far, or so he reasoned. They were on extremely good terms within their party. While not exceedingly rare, it was still joy to see as such incredibly high trust and cohesion was a rather safe bet on the longgevity and safety of any such group. With their date over and his next few weeks, at the very least, occupied with what would likely be boring travel, he used what little secure time he had to once again expand his space storage and work a bit on his body refinement and once done with that, he sank into a meditative state, resting for a few hours.


    His morning was rather monotone. As ussual, he woke up earlier than the girls, using the few extra hours to comprehend the profoundities of soul and space, seeking whatever new insights he could glean. Yet, having achieved no tangible results by the time the a knock resounded on his door, he left it at that and joined the girls already waiting for him, well aware that he was likely already up and ready to go, waiting for the ladies.


    "Last breakfast then, yea?" Veena asked, a forced and quite fake joy in her voice. Sure, she was among the ladies who interracted with Rex the least, but that did not mean she had not come to enjoy his presence. Still, it was obvious he was in a league of his own, resulting in the current situation.


    "Indeed it is." Rex nodded in acknowledgement, the smallest of smiles on his face. "Fret not Veena, for once I am strong enough, I will take your party under my wings. We can mess around then once again." he added, knowing grin now adorning his face.


    "He is right you know." Samanta chimed in, clearly in an attempt to lift the mood of her teammates. "Not only is this temporary, we even have ways to contact him, should the need arise."


    The following breakfast was rather calm, some jokes and funny memories of their short time toghether brought up, bringing smiles to their faces. Rex was not holding back either, joking and laighing along with them, enjoying the rather light atmposhere that had taken over the place.


    "Am I right to asume you will stick around here for quite some time still, yes?" he asked once the laughter and jokes had mostly subsided, a rather pleasant silence having taken over, with only the sounds of an occasional sip or a snack being munched on resounding around them.


    "Yes. I think that is the smartest thing to do. Have any insights on the matter?" Meru asked in return.


    "Nothin new. Just asked to make sure I am up to date with your plans. I do have to agree with your decision though. A good choice. If you want a suggestion from me, take on two extra front liners. That will shore up your front in a much more reliable way. Plus the addition of two, allows to pick less experienced ones, opening path to earn their undying loyality and trust. Established adventurers are quite headstrong and could be hard to work with. Grab two fresh orphan gals and become their family."


    A few rather loud minutes passed by, the girls animatedly discussing his proposal, weighing pros and cons, eventually reaching the vote. Though it was rather trivial, with them all liking Rex suggestion. Though once that was done, Alurial looked to Rex with quite the suspicious gaze.


    "Are you perchance using us for your nefarious plans?" she asked, eyes squinted in suspicion while a small and mischieous smile was tugging on her lips.


    "No way. How harsh of you!" Rex grabbed his chest with both hands, exageratedly acting as if his heart was wounded. "In no way shape or form have I even considered to use your party as the tool to collect possible candidates for my harem. No sir!" His overly exagerated actions, as well as the fake tone of voice earned him a round of laugh from the girls, dragging him in along with them. Eventually though, it had to ome to and end, and before departung alone towards the coachmen guild where he would hire them to bring him to the capital, he spoke.


    "Do take care of Luna and the place for me though. I have come to like the dryad quite a bit. And if she ever offers to cook for you, take that chance. As someone who has experienced it, I guarantee you, it is well worth it."


    With the advice out of the way, and their goodbyes said, he thanked Luna for her hospitality and the pleasant company she had been for him, asking her to not hesitate to use the charm he had made for her to call for him, should the need arise. He also shamesly admited that he asked Light''s Oak to look aafter her and her place. Earning a friendly smile from the motherly dryad and kind words of farewell, he left the place, leaving the girls behind and moving out.


    It was not long after that he was in the coachmen guild, ironing out the details of his trip and paying extra to ensure they would leave in a timely manner. Rex was a rather famous persona in the upper echealon of the local circle, at least for the coachmen, since the info he shared about the magic had spread as well as his actions in tracking down the acursed cultists were spoken about. Thus, he was well recieved and treated as an important guests, going so far as being brought dirrectly to the manager of the local branch. There, recieving praises and warm compliments from the man in charge, he formulated his request, while sharing some small snippets of knowledge he had spoken off before in the presence of the coachmen who brought his party here, giving just a little bit extra, ensuring that this transaction would be profitable for both parties.


    "We wish you safe journey and fortuitous encounters in the future." The branch manager bid Rex farewell, once the two were informed of the readiness of his trip.


    "Thank you for your quick and efficient work. I hope that my meager knowledge will be of help." Rex replied as he made a small nod towards the man in charge, quickly following the attentant to head out. A new chapter in his life would begin now, hopefully just as interesting and vivid as thus far, maybee even more so.

 Chapter 33. The pains of long distance travel.

    Rex sat in the carriage, his gaze dirrected outside the window of it, seeing rather monotonous scenario passinng by his eyes. As far as his sight allowed, all he could see was rather simple forest, encompasing the dirt road they were traversing, sometimes replaced by a rather mundane and simple field of grass, or, if he was lucky, a hint of river, or some other larger body of water gleamed in teh distance, whispering of the possibility of new and never before seen species of creatures grazing at its shore. Still, all he could do was either boringly gaze at the rather simple and boring sights that he passed by, or immerse himself in deepening his own understanding regarding the laws of nature he was already proficient in, growing ever closer to another breaking point, opening up countless possibilities when it came to applying said laws to whatever he could desire, though mostly he would be able to tap in said potential when it cam to harming others.


    And so, with no better alternative, he immersed himself in something of an inner world, his mind asking questions about the nature of soul, its purpose and other aspects of being. Were he to ask the same questions out loud, to an audience who were nowhere near as aware of said laws, his questions would sound like a foreign tongue, impossible to decipher and even more so to understand. Such was the nature of laws though, a mystery and impossible to comphrehend, unless one had reached past a certain treshold. And so, he spent his time, minute after minute, hour after hour, untill it was dusk and the coachman stopped the cariage, informing Rex of stop.


    The two horses pulling the carriage were released for the night, allowing them to both rest and fill up on the grass nearby. The creatures were well trained and obedient, ensuring that whatever the situation, they would stick by the coachmen in charge of them. Then, in order to have no need to take shifts for guard duty, a rather special alarm tool was deployed, fulfilling the task of a guard, reacting to movement and mana used in its vicinity to warn the campers. It was rather expensive, though quite a few of the coachmen had their own. Though they were only used in cases where the client they were transporting was important enough and of small enough parties, making a proper night shift schedule quite the impossibility.


    The first night went by without a hitch, with Rex waking up rather early in the morning, much to his ussual time. Noticing the coachman was still out cold, seemingly quite used to spending nights in tents in the wild, he left the tent quietly, enjoying the rather pleasant air as he took a deep breath. Fresh and chilly air entered his lungs as he sent out a mana pulse, taking in his surroundings and noting anything important. Though, since they were only a day away from Vixiera, he did not find anything of note. Still, it was always better to be carefull, always assuming that there was someone out there, planning for your demise. And while stopping said planning was impossible, being aware of ones surroundings and prepeared for an ambush was an entirely different matter.


    With some time in his hands, while waiting for the coachman to wake up, Rex walked over to their luggage and supplies, and after finding a rather small, yet invitingly looking piece of dried meat, he returned to teh center of their small camp. Setting up a rather simple wooden board, he proceeded to cut said piece fo dried meat in smaller cubes. Then, after collecting a few known herbs, ones he quickly cleaned and sliced in similarily small pieces, he trew it all in a small pot he had placed on the fireplace where a fresh fire was joyfully dancing, consuming a few small wood pieces placed there.


    With the meat and herbs boiling, he stood by, adding salt and some spices as well, tasting his project a few minute later. He was no master cook, that muc hwas true, but making some simple travel soups and the like? He could do that much at least. A few more minutes later, after several more tastings and corrections, either adding a bit more salt, or some other spice, he was satisfied with the result, removing his breakfast from the fire. By the time he was done with his breakfast, consuming the light soup with some rather hahrd bread, the coachman also woke up and came outside of the tent. Offering his broth to the man, noting it was no restoraunt food, he started to clean up.


    "Anything special you are going to capital for sir?" the coachman asked, once they were ready to depart, his curiosity piqued due to Rex young age.He had also heard that Rex was quite the character, though he did not know anything precise.


    "Vixiera was not up to par. From what I have heard, capital''s adventurers guild should have plenty of records and information about the places that would serve to help me grow the fastest, while aslo having numerous adventurers I could party up with." Rex replied calmly, having taken the seat right on the other side of the wall that the coachman''s back was pressed against. With a small window open, they could easily have a conversation while traveling. There were plenty of people who would rather talk of mundane and insignificant things, or share rumors they had heard whereever they came from, rather than sit in silence and loniless.


    "Well, yes, Vixiera is a rather good place for begginers, allowing them to grow used to the place while maintaining the danger level within reason. But precisely because of that, once reaching a certain point, it becomes rather insfignificant and pointless to remain there." The coachman agreed, sharing some of his own knowledge regarding the matter, as well as some of the rumors or stories he had to share, shaving away the monotonous and boring time they had to spend on their journey. And so, with tales and stories, sometimes funny, other times recounting tragedies, they get through yet another day, stopping at a small village for the night.


    The village was nothing to write home about, just a loose collection of homes, with a simple fence around the perimeter, keeping the more curious of critters away, since no real monster would be held beack by something as small and shoddy as the fence in question. In total, the village sported some hundred plus souls, most of whom worked the simple farming plots just right outside the village. paying the innkeeper a few coppers each, they retired for the night, with Rex performing his ussual training regiment, since he did not have to worry about a night raid. They had a simple, yet heart breakfast the next morning, and soon departed once again.


    The next few days could still be somewhat tolerable adn rather interesting, the coachman still sharing al kinds of stories, even jokingly adding that such long travels were the bane of many adventurers, since most of them were men of action, finding such boring and uneventfull traveling a chore. And while the coachmen themselves were more than fine with such state of things, they were rather peculiar people to begin with. In return, Rex told a few more harmless things aabout magic, well aware that it was precisely why the coachman was speaking so much with him. Well, it was not per say because of him knowledge on magic, it was simply a way to entice people tp speak more, accidentally revealing things one would rather not.


    It was at the beggining of the second week that Rex was starting to feel quite annoyed, the long travel time taking it''s toll on his mind. Even with all the meditation he had been going through, he was starting to be come rather bored by now. In between his meditation sessions, he started to think of ways to solve the issue, swaering to himself to aquire some monster that could fly fast and for a long time. At another point in time, he considered, how much time and recourses it would take to create a rather well developed train system, allowing thousands of people to travel for incredible distances in a single day. Much less feasible than the demonic bird and numerous times the cost as well, so his options were rather limited, with him deciding on the bird option once he had the chance.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    By the end of the second week, Rex looked like some beggar, his hair disheveled, though mostly clean, courtesy of baths in inns and ponds along the way, though he had not bothered to keep it neat at all. Even his eyes were somewhat bored, little spark of vigor or life radiating from them. If anything, he looked like some tired and experienced elder, ready to teach his young studens some profundities of life. It was then, that something happened. As per ussual, Rex used a mana pulse every few hours, purely out of habit, ensuring that they did not pass by the any points of interest. What he noticed there was slightly off, instantly igniting some spark in his eyes. Finally, something was going to ahppen. A group of people, stalking outside the field of vision that one would have while traversing the dirt road, were hiding, and another, smaller than the first, awaited further ahead on the road, blocking it for the most part. Seven men, each and every one of them with rugged and worn looks, a glint of agression and brutality in all but one of their eyes, The only person who looked somewhat civilized was standing slightly furtehr ahead of the group, clearly chosen to be their spokesperson of sorts.


    "Greetings coachman!" he spoke in a rather courteous and polite manner. "My apologies for the blocade, but we must insist that whoever you are carrying be unloaded and you can go on your merry way." he continiued. Rex understood well their intentions. Due to the coachmen guilds rather notorious reputation for dealing with those deeming they are a fine target to kill, most bandits and the like with at least some brain would do their best to ensure that their conduct would not hurt the coachmen, if at all possible. Their people they were carrying though, well, it was all fair game. Who were robbed and killed? Who robbed and then kidnaped for ransom or sold in the some black market as slaves, that depended on the group at fault, tjough slavery part was rather hard in thsi particular nation, what with their general dislike with the practice.


    Having learned some information about Rex, while having to slow down to near halt, the coachman replied, but was interrupted midway, by none other than his passanger. "I would advise you and your friends let us pass without incident, we..."


    "NO NO NO." Rex quickly interjected, "Let the gentleman do his thing, I have been dying of boredome here." Slight panic in his first few words, followed by somewhat more quiet yet steely voice.


    Sighing, the coachman stopped entirely, shrugging and letting things play out as they will. Just moments later, Rex stepped out of the carriage, his eyes radiating vigor and energy so much so, that the bandit, who had been talking so far, furrowed his brow in confusion. He had yet to meet someone using the coachmen carriages who was so lively when meeting them.


    "Go on, dont you plan on calling your friends over there?" Rex asked, nodding his head in the dirrection of the other group, hiding in the distance. Something that clearly startled the man in front of him, making him step back a few steps in fear. Who ever they had stopped was clearly no ordinary man, even with the lacking mana signature they had sensed, but before he could think of a quick solution to try and talk his way out of the predicament, one of the brutes behind him almost growled, exlaiming in frustration, clearly not the patient type. "WE ROBBING OR NOT?"


    Rex already predatory smile grew even larger, making the other party understand that he was not going to agree to a peacefull seperation, both groups leaving as is.


    "Damn fool." he cursed the bastard who spoke out of turn, but signaled with his hand for the people behind him to advance, clear reluctance and unwillingness reflected on his face. He was already thinking of a way to use the coming chaos to slip away and leace the nation, not willing to risk his ass on the off chance he would run into his maniac. His suspicions grew ever more clear, the moment one of the brutes charged ahead of the rest, roaring a battle cry filled with bloodlust and savagery, only to loose his head in a blink of an eye.


    Their oponent had a sword in hand now, dripping with fresh blood. And while the blade seemed as if made from crystalized blood, something it was indeed so, unknown to the eloquent bandit, the way said fresh blood dripped off of it seemed wrong, and the bandit has had enough chances to see similar sights. What was trully bone chilling though, was things happening to the fresh corpse of one. The blood was slowly flowing out of it, congealing into a small orb above it, clearly being drawn by someone, or something.


    As the rest of his fellows reached the strange man(?), he moved into action as well, barely avoiding the strikes reaaching for his flesh, finding a small opening every now and then to deliver a devastating counterstrike, reducing their numbers by one. The singular enemy moved with teh grace of a dancer, and was as slippery as an eel, avoiding any of the atempts to corner him. Yet, the greater worry was still the blood orb, still congealing above the first victim. And then, he noticed something else that caused his legs to go still, causing him to fall on the ground, his jaw now clattering in abject horror. Every other fresh corpse the man had made, displayed a similar blood orb forming and condensing above them, signifying the true danger they were in. It was now that th ebandit understood what the coachman wanted to say. He was trying to warn them off, sparing their miserable lives.


    As Rex was slaughtering the foolish brutes, using his experience and already dangerous weapon to reduce their numbers, he continiued to pay attention to both, the singular man who was on his ass now, trembling like a weak leaf in a wind, and the group further ahead, who had been creeping ever so closer bit by bit, maintaining their stealth, or so they probably assumed. ''No matter, I have been prepearing for them to come into my range for a while now.'' Rex thought as he avoided yet another strike, utilizing an opening and bisecting the fool who he had just sliced with his weapon. IF he did not know better, he would swear his weapon was singing him praises for its continius use.


    Aproximately five or so minutes later, only the terrified bandit, still on his ass and trembling in fear remained, the other party having reached quite close. Rex reasoned they were close enough for him to deliver a friendly gesture of saying ''hello!'', but before he could do so, multiple voices resounded, screaming ''"Holy Light!", as five or so sources of said spell illuminated the area, all aimed dirrectly at him, followed by an order.


    "Cut down the damn blood sucker while its weakened!"


    Following the command, multiple men in leather armor jumped out of the nearby brushes and taller grass, each with some kind of weapons in hands. Be it sword and shield, dueal wielding, or two handing axes, they all charged forward, each of them hoping to at the very least inflict copious amounts of damage, if not outright get lucky and kill the monster. Was it any suprise to see their faces distort in pain and confusion in equal levels, when their charging bodies were peppered with bextremely powerfull and dangerous crystalized blood needles, coming from the floating blood orbs. Rex followed that with another salvo of blood arrows, aiming at the priests in hiding, though their positions were obvious to an unreasonable monster like Rex.


    Yet another barrage of screams and wails later, he could focus on the people right in front of him with several states of exaustion, wounds and other ailments afflicing them. The ones remaining alive further away were already running in absolute panic, leaving their wounded and dead friends behind. For a moment there, Rex considered hunting the fleeing bastards down to every last man, but he came to the logical conclusion that it would be time consuming and rather boring. And so, even if their blood held some value, Rex decided against pursuite, focusing on the moans of pain and curses coming from the still living men right before him. Though, truth be told, he could see some rather ugly looking women among the group was well. Deciding it was more humane, he ended their suffering, delivering quick and precise cuts on each of the agonizing bandits, ending their suffering. And since he could sense no other probable enemies aproaching, he moved towards the last bandit alive. Rex had a few question to ask, and what better subject that on so terrified of you that it was almost possible to smell him soiling himself. Rex scrunched his nose for a moment, realizing the reality. It was not just his imagination, the poor bastard had gone and emptied his bowels in his terror induced state.


    "It was a simple curiosity is all." Rex spoke, no longer willing to bother, creating a slightly larger blood bullet from one of the orbs, shooting it and penetrating the head of his cature.

 Chapter 34. Solendiel.

    Yet another two weeks slowly slogged by as Rex spent most of his time meditating in the cariage. There was very few accidents along the way, with no other bandit groups stopping them. The worst case they had to deal with, was a group of thirty goblins, clearly a hunting party from the rummored camp hidden somewhere within the nation, though according to the coachman, efforts to locate it were already heavily underway, the Monarchy of Sol doing its due diligence in finding and stomping out the cancer that such a gobling collection was.


    They had crossed forests, fields of grass, some smaller mountain region as well as countless farm fields, growing many different plant cultures. It was rather obvious that while monsters roamed the world all around them, this region was rather empty of them, either through natural causes of made so with regular human intervention, resulting in the current situation. The people were mostly happy, even if tired from the hard work they were doing every day, though that was how life was in the countryside, whether it was more medieval setting or the times he lived back on earth. Farmers were hardworking people after all. Still, as far as he could tell, the royal family had done a solid job, creating a nation that valued their people, earning loyality and support from all levels of society. Sure, there were local lords overseeing territories who were absolute asholes, or even monsters, but that was not too common here, though not avoidable in its entirety. Point in case, the prick lordling that was annoying Light''s Oak.


    Rex had asked his coachman about the general state of the nation, what with slavery being rather frowned upon and whatnot, earning a rather level headed answer from the man. Sure, it might have been much easier, were there slaves that would do the hard work for near no cost, but at the same time, crime and all sorts of dissent would spread among the people. The lack of slaves, human or otherwise, ensured that basically everyone was a local. Right now, everyone within the country, to some extent at least, so long as you were not from some incredibly remote place, would consider themselves an essential part of the nation, willing to bear arms, should it be necessary. Their royal family had never wasted the lives of its people without just cause. Sure, they were not the richest, or largest for that matter, but life was good enough as it was. And anyone craving for adventures could simply join the adventurers guild and sate said desire through their quests and dungeon diving parties. It would take quite the malicious acts on behalf of the royals to force the people to take up arms and rebell.


    They were riding now a rather steep incline upwards, the road having changed from simple dirt one to one built from what looked like pavement, neat and quite uniformly cut rocks sat one next to another, the road stretching forward untill the end of the incline. "We have almost arrived. Just beyond this small hill, one can finally see the capital, Solendiel. It is quite the sight if I do say so myself." The coachman spoke up, with them nearing closer and closer to the top.


    "We shall see." Rex replied, slightly interested in what was so beautifull about this city for someone so traveled to speak in such manner about something he has seen countless times. Soon enough, they reached the top of the small hill, a breathtaking, yet unnerving sight at the same time, revealing itself before Rex''s eyes. A large, seemingly botomless pit lay in the distance, promising endless pain and suffering to those not carefull enough to watch their step and fall down. In the middle, a huge, platform like expanse of land floated, as if unaffected by gravity whatsoever. The platform itself had multiple huge, though smaller than itself, islands floating nearby, connected with large, gothic like chain bridges that could fit three carriges one besides the other. Each of the islands, floating in the sky, was adorned with buildings of a specific type, creating an odd, yet fascinating sight.


    The main island''s walls were built of white, marble like material. Its walls were large, surely over seven meters high, or so Rex asumed from the distance they were at right now, some people surely patrolling the ramparts. Beautifull, precisely crafted mosaics and other pieces of art were could be seen as they aproached closer to the gate that connected one of the smaller islands with the outside.


    "Quite the sight, didnt I tell you?" the coachman asked, a knowing and proud smirk adorning his face.


    "Damn. that is something." Rex replied, still focusing his eyes on the incredible sight before him. But, as they grew closer, he sensed something of about the place, not quite sure about the cause. It was only a few minutes later, that it finally hit him, a deeper understanding washing over him.


    "The city is inside a dungeon, and can somehow be seen from the outside?" Rex half asked, half stated, earning a raised brow from the coachman, though he could not see it.


    "Wow, you are correct sir. How did you know though? I have yet to met another who could deduce such a thing without prior knowledge and judging from your tone, that would seem to be the case."


    "I just had this feeling, is all. But that would certainly make sense. If that were possible, I doubt there would be a place in the world, not aware of it. Unless of course such a thing would be held as some super powerful nations secret weapon or something." Rex explained, his mind working overtime to consume and assimilate the knowledge he had just gained from reaching another step further on his space law comprehension.


    Once done with absorbing the knowledge, something that took him some solid ten minutes, during which they reached the gate, he returned to enjoying the peculiar sight before him, apreciating the wonder that now occupied everything in their path.


    "Your adventurer''s ID will suffice as a proof of your persona, and there is a small tax for people entering. It is a dungeon after all, even if the road to capital and the city itself is safe, one can always find stuff to hunt delving deeper inside. And with its rather special nature, you can expect the monsters inside to be equally special, fetching quite the price for their item drops in the neighboring countries " the coachman explained, earning a light ''thanks'' in return from Rex.


    "I dont see much of a trafic here. Would have expected it to be different, what with it being the capital and all." Rex asked, having his own explanation for said peculiarity.


    "No wonder. The gate we are going to is used exclusivly by adventurers guild and military. There are a few other ''main entrances'' that have rows of people coming and going. The gate we are aproaching is called the Red Gate. The ones open for public are the Green Gate and Yellow Gate. There is also the Teal Gate that is used exclusively by nobility, be it local or from other nations. The fact that nobles use their own, special gates ensure there are nearly no arrogant young master incidents, and the adventurers having their own gate, should they wish to use it, reduces the trafic even more on the main paths. Quite the genious aproach, if I do say so myself." The coachman explained, his nose high in the air, clearly quite pleased with the ingenuity of his betters.


    "Anything I might be interested in exploring within the city?" Rex asked, more moving on auto mode than anything.


    "I suppose the gladiator arena is a possibility. Your age and special skills might be quite the trump cards, earning you quite the fame and fortune. Or, if knowledge is what you seek, Royal academy is another possibility. Though I would have to warn you, young masters and all. No doubt you understand." coachman spoke, grimmaacing at the mention of the latter.


    "That bad huh?"


    "The fringe cases are what makes it unpleasant. No matter how much you try, there are always those who think they are above the common filth, their families having protected and ruled the local areas for centuries. When such people see the true talent, they become bitter, lashing out at anyone in their range. Royal family does everything it can to remove such sentiment whenever it spaws, but you know how it is. Regardless, it one of the best places for an aspiring magician."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Yea, hard pass. School arcs have never been my thing. I would much rather use my time productivly." Rex shook his head, making a joke only he himself could understand, leaving the driver slightly confused, though once he was aware of the nature of said joke, he ignored it, leaving it as it was.and continiuing further inside. The transition between outside nad the dungeon was almost imperceptible, with Rex noticing the slightest of shifts in the surrounding atmosphere.


    "Right, I heard of some fancy auction houses. How do those work around here?" Rex asked, deciding to earn some additional knowledge before striking our on his own.


    "Well, depends what it is that you need. Looking for some rare and expensive things to aquire? Just go and request a vip status. Costs a shit ton of money every year, but provides a private booth and absolute anonimity when bidding on anything. If you want to sell something expensive thought, I would advise to do so through adventurers guild. The power they wield ensures no on tries to fuck you over. While the more prestigious houses would never do it, at least not in the open, there are fair few tales going around, painting this or that establishement as one that would let greed dictate its actions, resulting in more than a single death of such, lucky possesors of treasures they should have never had."


    "Anything in particular I should be doing in such a case?" Rex asked, not at all worried of the coachman doing anything untowards.


    "Just ask for guilds special services. The receptionist should bring you over to a private room where you can then ask for their mediation in auctioning some goods. Of course, the guild takes five percent of the final cut, after the auction house has taken their ten."


    "Thank you. A small gift of gratitude for the information provided." Rex replied, handing the man a small pouch with couple dozen silver coins.


    "It is my pleasure sir." replied the coachman, smiling at Rex and slightly tipping his hat. "If you would excuse me sir, will have to focus on the road now. We are about to enter the more lively part of the city." he added, soon after reaching an intersection, revealing a large and bustling street, numerous carriages and people moving in some dirrection, clearly with a goal in mind. Along a rather large pedestrian roads, stalls of all sorts were erected, people hawking about the things they sold, ranging from all sorts of snacks, to adventurer gear and the like.


    Rex was not meditating now, his eyes taking in the sights. Since they came in through the red gate, this smaller island consisted mostly of clay red buildings, with all sorts of curtains decorating the windows of buildings they passed by. On the red buildings, plaques made of dark wood, with light letters covering them, were placed, containing the name of the establishement and sometimes some light description of the buisiness. Like ''Bairons Connections.'' with slightly smaller letters below ''General goods.'' Such shops, or busineses sprawled all along the street, creating a sense of market district.


    After an hour or so of travel, they reached another gate, this one made of the same white marble like material as the central platform, indicating their destination. Going through a similar inspection as the one they recieved at the entrance, they soon walked through, crossing the chain like bridge to reach the main island. Crossing the bridge was an experience of its own, spending some five minutes on the masive, yet lightly swaying bridge was eye opening. The massive white wall, encompassing the central island was even more impressive from up close, countless artistic drawings covering it. Scenes of groups of men, fighting monsters, pushing them back, step by step, eaach one paved with the blood of their comrades, with maidens crying and awaiting the return of their heroes. Others, depicting duels between men in a grand colleseum and even more still, showing the life of everydays farmer, praising them for their hard work.


    ''Quite impressive.'' Thought Rex, as he marveled and enjoyed the sight before his eyes ''They ensure that every class of their society is apreciated and valued. Makes for quite the effective way to bring everyone together. The lack of slaves and pure servant class makes it even more pronounced. Solidarity.'' Rex could not argue with their methods, though he was also well aware how fragile such society could be. All they needed was a couple of incompetent rulers and all this hard work would go to waste. Stil, it had been a few centuries this nation had been around, proving that the concept worked.


    The central island was much larger than the ones connected to it, white, marble buildings seen everywhere. much like in the Red island, marble white was the color scheme chosen hre, with curtains serving as the way to give ones own home some personality and uniqueness. Much grabner buildings stood on the side of streets, everything cleaned and maintained neatly, no such thing as slumms anywhere in sight. Either there were none, or they had been moved god knows where, for while it was certainly not possible for random bums to gain access to the city from outside, those that succumbed to vices like alchohol, gamblings or drugs, for Rex doubted there were none in this world, would inevitably pool in the smaller streets, out of people''s slights, if the rulling class took offence at their presence.


    "I dont see no bums or other kinds of lowlifes around. There any special rules about that?" he asked, well aware that the coachman had his eyes on the road ahead. So, he listened to the mans explanation, his eyes remaining locked on the road.


    "Aye. If the local guard finds such people, they offer them a choice- ejection from the city, where they can go as their heart commands, or join the purity legion. As for what that particular entity does and represents, ask at the guild, they should be able to explain much better than me. Should reach one of the two main guild halls soon anyways. And before you ask, there are two large branches in the White district, or royal garden as some poets tend to call it and one in each of the smaller islands floating around this one. The city is simply too large for a single branch to acomodate all the adventurers and quest givers. Plenty of smiths, alchemists and other artisans desiring for a fresh supply of materials and the like. Surely you plan to test your luck as well?"


    "Probably, just to sate my curiosity, then again, one never knows how life turns out, though I want to travel around, explore the world and whatnot. Seems there would be plenty of adventures and excitement to go around."


    "Aye, that there is. Especially if one runs across some undiscovered dungeon, or even better, ruins. Not to mention stumbling upon a city of non humans." Rex understood the meaning behind the last sentence. While humans, elves, dwarves and the like were somewhat friendly, engaging in trade with eaach other, sometimes the more intellegent monsters would do the same. Finding trusted merchants from teh aforementioned races and using them as go betweens, enriching both sides and the man in between even more so. Eventually, if the trade if prosperous and long enough, said city might even develop their own embasies in some of the more human lands they trade with. In such a manner, more than one lamia embasies had been established in some human or elven, or better yet, dwarven cities, with the latter being the preffered case. Dwarves were so much more predictable and stable, being the stubborn people who honored their agreements to a letter. It was in such a way that some of the intellegent monster races, such as lamias, dryads and some other were considered friendlies most of the time, unless they attacked on sigh. Some feral ones did so after all.


    Species like vampires and werevolves were less tolerated, purely due to their ability to integrate among people without anyone being the wiser, as well as their insane combat power. And while there were undooubtedly some merchants who traded with both, well aware of the nature of their trading partners, such cases were few and far in between. In most cases, the merchants were blissfully unaware of the nature of their trading partners, earning a fortune for both sides in the process.


    An hour and a half. It was the time Rex spent inside the carriage as it traversed the White district, Rex noticing numerous high class establishements along the way. One thing he noticed in particular, was the presence of adventurer guilds halls here. Everything from Hunter hall, to warrior or wind mage hall could be seen, and many more he must have passed by, simply located on a different street. Rex considered adding the topic to the list of questions he would have to ask at the guild, but since he himself held no desire to join any, he came to teh conclusion that it would be a waste of time, for both him and the guild attendant. Eventually, the carriage stopped before a huge mansion, built of white marble and adorned with numerous monster skulls, creating majestic and imposing sight.


    "We have arrived. Welcome to the Eastern adventurers guild of White district." spoke up the coachman, announcing their arrival. "I do hope the trip was bearable."

 Chapter 35. Riley, the appraiser.

    Much like from the outside, the interior of this particular adventurers guild branch was also made with a sense of grandeur and toughness, many different monster trophies displayed in cases along the walls, in between enourmous posting boards with countless different requests, with numerous adventurers going over their possible choices, collecting quests and registering them with the receptionints, lining another wall, standing behind a massive counter. It had some wear and tear, no doubt having lasted for decades, but in spite of this, the counter still looked in good condition, all things considered.


    Looking at the adventurers, Rex could sense various auras all around him, from measly F ranks, much like himself, to what felt like A ranks, Then again, he had never met one classified as such, thus it was only his own personal asumption, this was one of the main adventurer branches in a capital city after all. Both rugged, barbarian like mountains of muscles and scrawny guys, dressed in robes and holding staffs, could be seen everywhere. Even the types of weapons he could see were diverse. From bows and daggers, to swords, axes, maces or god knows what else, alongside a shield of some kind, or staves of many different makes. It was trully like a festival in here, each person creating their own unique take on the adventurer attire and equipment.


    Finding the row of adventurers, standing in front of the receptionist he needed, he waited for ten or so minutes, only a few other guys before him. Once in front of the counter, he was face to face with a lady in her fourties or fifties, notable wrinkles starting to take place on her lightly smiling face. Relatively short, dark brown hair, styled in a girly bobcut reached just slightly past her ears, just barely covering simple yet somewhat elegant stud earings. Hazel colored eyes, behind small and fragile glasses looked at Rex, her attention fully focused on him.


    "Hello there adventurer. How can I assist you?" the lady asked, a nametag on her chest with the name Herberta on it.


    "Two things. First, I would need something along the lines of rank promotion." Rex spoke as he handed his guild card to the woman continiueing "While I might not have a lot of quests under my name, I have done quite a bit of delving in a dungeon and my actual abilities are far above my current rank. Anything that could be done here?"


    Herberta looked at his card, noting the low number of quests he had registered as complete, and the numeric value of most expensive cores he, as part of a party had handed in, The system served as an additional way to track activity of adventurers and their parties. There were numerous such parties that rerely did any quests in particular, spending most of their time delving and then selling most of their gains dirrectly to the guild for a decent profit, while at the same time allowing guild to profit just as much, if not more due to said transactions. The current system became the solution with which they could evaluate the power of parties delving, and with it, the general power of the members of said party, allowing them to be asigned apropriate rank. Sure, from time to time the system failed, but it was in rare and rather special cases, thus proving said system to be more than adequate.


    Seeing the value of what Rex could only assume was Variant lizardmans monster core, indicated by the suddenly raised eyebrow and somewhat increduluous look, he asked. "I am guessing an advancement should be in order?"


    "Yes, with such scores, it is quite likely that you are notably above the F rank. Would you like to apply for E rank, or try to pass D rank straight away?" Herberta asked, her voice calm and measured, no doubt having done this countless of times.


    "Ow, we can skip a rank? Did not know that."


    "While possible, it is not something that happens too often, truth be told. Still, the scores imply you should be allowed to do so, thus, as per the rules, I have offered the chance to do so." Herberta explained.


    "If it is not too much trouble then, please." Rex replied. Following his confirmation, Herberta reached under the counter, withdrawing a rather large sized book with tough, leather bound cover. She leafed through it, untill, somewhere in the middle, she stopped, a neat bookmark placed between the pages. The first half of a page was half filled, and so, reading from the guild card, she wrote Rex''s details, noting down his advancement exam request. A few minutes later, the book was returned under the counter and Rex was a dozen coppers poorer.


    "Come back in a week. Apropriate examiner will be found by then. Find any receptioninst and hand them this." Herberta explained, giving him a small token with a number and letter ''V491'' on it. "Now, regarding the other matter you wanted to discuss?" she asked further, remembering Rex''s innitial words.


    "Yes, of course. I need to employ some of guilds special services." Rex spoke, slightly lovering the volume if his voice. While not rare, people did not walk around loudly announcing themselves to use said services due to the fact that they often revolved around rather large sums of money.


    "Understood, please follow me." Herberta replied, moving her hand under the counter and pressibg a button there. Just a moment later, another person came from doors behind the counter, taking Herbertas place as she moved to the side, leaving the counter and leading Rex deeper inside the building. A minute or two later, he was led inside a smaller room, two sofas placed around a table. Herberta gestured Rex to sit down on one side, and once she had closed the door, she asked. "What manner of services are you in need of sir?"


    "Need to auction an item in the name of a party."


    "Understood. Please wait here for a moment. I will bring the apropriate expert soon." she bowed and then exited the room, leaving Rex alone. Shrugging, Rex closed his eyes and patiently waited for said expert to arrive. Ten or so minutes later, a knock resounded at the door, followed by their opening, and entrance of a gray haired old man, followed by Herberta.


    "Greetings youngster." the old man spoke up, his tone of voice light and calm, but powerfull none the less, indicating the wealth of experience under the man''s belt. "So, I hear you have something to be auctioned off."


    "Yes sir." Rex replied, reaching his hand in his supposed inner pocket, withdrawing the Empowerment crystal from his space storage and placing it on the table. "An Empowerment crystal. We were lucky enough to aquire it from the variant we felled. But since we had to part ways, it was decided to auction it off, with the profits being split in six ways, me taking one and the rest deposited in Light''s Oak''s party account."


    As Rex placed the crystal on the table, the old man''s eyes locked on it like a hawk, well aware of the nature and value of the item, even before Rex explained. And while his eyes were locked on the item, well aware of its authenticity, no other muscle on his face had tensed. The older man was used to dealing with rare and expensive loot.


    "Ho, ho ho." he lightly laughed, clearly pleased with the item before his eyes. "You are indeed wise to act as you did. Quite a few fellows would be more than willing to act dirty to get their hands on such an item, without paying the apropriate price, going so far as to loot it from your corpse. Often going straight for said option. The guild is more than willing to take on the task." As he spoke, he took out a special parchment and filled in the blank spaces, handing it over to Rex once done. A rather smiple contract form was prewritten on it, with the older gentleman filling in the gaps, describing the item and its class that Rex has asked to be auctioned off, as well as the manner in which the remaining earnings are to be split. It had a clear guilds rate written down as well, ensuring perfect transparency regarding the services guild would provide as well as the compensation they would recieve.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Once Rex signed, the elder man did the same and once done, showed the finished document to Rex once more, and then, placed it in a small, but ornamented box, that glowed for just a moment, before revealing another, identical scroll, that was given to Rex.


    "Herberta, if you would be so kind, please take the scroll to the archive and have it booked. I would like to exchange a few more words with this young adventurer."


    "Of course sir Riley." she replied, elegantly curtsying to the older man and then leaving the room with their scroll. Once they were alone in the room, and the door was neatly closed, the old man sat back in his own sofa, enjoying its softness for just a moment, before speaking to Rex.


    "It is incredible to meet a space mage so young. Especially so, one without a formal training as far as I can decipher, yet capable enough to use space storage himself." and as Rex narrowed his eyes, sir Riley continiued, not wanting to antoagonize his young guest. "Do not be alarmed. I myself am one, quite achieved in my own field as well, if I do say so myself. I have this rather unique technique I have developed over the years. It allows me do differenciate between people who create a fluctuation in space when withdrawing something from their space storage ring, or whatever other accesory they have, and bona fide space mages, reaching inot their own spacial storage. Though that is as much as I can do. As for why I brought the topic up? It is rather simple. Would you be willing to offer your services to the guild? You would be well compensated for your time of course. There is never enough space mages to go around." he smiled bitterly after the last sentence.


    Rex looked at him for a moment, deep in thought, before moving his right hand in teh air, as if drawing something, though nothing was happening, not even the slightest disturbance in the mana around them could be felt by the older man present.


    "Do you sense anything now?" Rex asked as he then moved his hand and a coin appeared in it, as if conjured from nowhere, earning a furrowed brow from sir Riley.


    "No and I dont see any space storage rings on your fingers either. How could that be?" Riley questioned, clearly confused and bewildered, having sensed nothing this second time around, while celarly seeing the younger man using his storage space.


    "Do not feel bad sir. This is not something that every other space mage, as rare as they are, could comprehend, let alone use. Though I do have to thank you for letting me know of the rather obvious flaw in my technique. For that, I will share something with you."


    "What can you tell me about this item." Rex smiled now, pulling out his blood sword from his space storage and placing it on the table between the two men, watching as Riley leaned forward and started to inspect the sword.


    "Fascinating. I have never seen anything like it. Where did you aquire it?" Riley asked, turning the weapon over in his hands, inspecting its edge and balance, making a few test swings away from Rex. "What is it made from? For whatever reason, my senses and artifact" he pointed to a monocle on his left eye "say its made of blood, but that cannot be it. I have never heard or seen blood that could be shaped and solidified like this. Maybee, if a true vampire master smith decided to..... No, there is something missing there." The older man was slowly descending into a rabit hole, placed before a mistery and desiring to understand it.


    "It is my creation." Rex stunned the man with his words, He waited for a short while untill Riley looked at him, before continiuing. "But it is just barely more than a shell. It still needs boatloads of blood to reach a state I would be happy with, And no, before you ask, I am not a vampire. Already was tested with holy light by my former party."


    "How is that possible?" Riley asked a few more minutes later, now more fascinated with the living specimen before his eys than the weapon still in his hands.


    "Living so far away from society and shunned by my village, I had quite a bit of time to learn about myself, I am more proficient with an element called blood, than with space, though I am not bad with the latter either. Still, with blood as my core element, I need to develop it and polish my controll over it. That also demands I frequent dungeons and other dangerous areas, slaughtering monsters I encounter and use their blood to refine my art. It is also the reson I am keeping quiet about my abilities regarding space. One rare and desired attribute can be overlooked, two, where one is unprecedented among humans would cause too much envy and greed. I believe a man as experienced and wise as you can see the possible complications."


    "Yes, I can understand your point, but why then focus on blood over space. If you dont mind me saying, it is, as you have already noticed no doubt, something that is attributed to exclusively vampires, high born ones at that too. No doubt there will be zealots of certain factions aiming to dissect and studdy you. Either as a variant vampire, unaffected by holy elemnt, or human abomination, capable of using blood magic." Riley asked, clearly having put quite a bit of thought in his question.


    "Given a choice between iron sword or mithryl scythe, enchanted with extremely powerfull combat equipment, which weapon would you choose to train with and develop your skill set around. Sure, the sword is orthodox, and probably you would already have some knowledge, as well as numerous possible teachers around, but master the scythe, and no one could ever hope to match you, since their weapons are the iron sowrds." Rex spoke in metaphor, though his point was easily understood by Riley.


    "So, for your purposes, blood magic is just so much more potent than space.?"


    "Space is extremely taxing, on both body and mind, making it not a very feasible tool for long and arduous battles or dungeon dives. As you have obviously noticed, I am young, incredibly so, and thus, I still have enourmous potential still untapped" Rex spoke, while inwardly thinking to himself ''limitless really, if one knows everything I do.'' "Thus, it only makes sense for me to focus on combat capable and highly sustainable style, thus, blood magic."


    Riley took in the information offered, weighting the pros and cons of such a choice, examining his own choice he would make in such a scenario, coming to a rather conflicing result. No matter how much he was trying to reason Rex''s choice, he could not do so. Blood magic simply seemed a bit too unordinary, painting a rather large, possible target on his back, making such a choice rather undesirable.


    "I suppose the knowledge that there are far more than just the basic elemental magic affinities would play a part in the decision making. I am surely not the only one within this country who can utilize blood magic. The lack of ways to determine said ability, or affinity for any other of the subelements for that matter, being the main reason why there are no other such mages, most likely at least. Blood is quite unique and rare after all. And do not aske me how I know. Just a gut feeling."


    After a moment of silence, Rex continiued, believing the older man had digested the information "As such, my decision is rather obvious, besides, it is not like I do not utilize space either., though its place in my hands is more of a utility and support, rather than offensive power."


    "It is your life, I suppose." Riley sighed a short while later, slightly tired due to all the new information he had recieved over the last hour or so. "I would advise you to somehow spread the info regarding the non basic elemental affinities. The sooner said knowledge spreads, the less you will be paid attention as an anomaly." he offered advice to Rex, seeing quite a bit of potential in the youngster.


    "Already well underway there. The coachman guild should be already spreading the information as we speak, no doubt trying to get their hands on as many promissing misfit spell casters as possible at the same time. Those guys are fast, I have to say."


    "Ahhh, so thats why." Riley exclaimed, understanding now why the other guild had gone into something of a frenzy. "Did you, per chance, gave them some way to find said special elements?"


    "I did gave them a few ideas regarding that, yes, though no matter which they use. they are quite unreliable, and I said as much to their man in contact with me. Still, they will, no doubt, aquire at least a few of said special elements."


    "I suppose thats fine. Not like their organization is inclined to join conflicts, only doing so when attacked or dragged in. As far as organizations growing, becoming possibly more dangerous, it is as good as it could be, though, I would not mind you sharing some of those methods with adventurers guild either."


    "Well, why dont we talk business then?" Rex smiled, smelling an opportunity in the air to earn some additional coin.

 Chapter 36. Breakthrough.

    Rex spent another hour or so, negotiating with Riley, earning a few extra coins, while sharing some of the lesser methods to learn of someones natural affinity for magical elements, basic or otherwise. Riley in turn could only shake his head and sigh in defeat. The methods ranged, starting from extremely simple ones to incredibly complex, depending on the element they wanted to figure out. Regardless, Riley was jolting down everything Rex said, as if the older man was back in his youth, meticiously scribbling down the words of his magic proffesor, afraid that not jotting down even a single word would be paramount to sacrilege.


    Riley did slip in a few questions in regard to what Rex did to hide his usage of his space storage, only to recieve some cryptic response about seperate spaces anchored to living beings and their different wavelenght when compared to ones anchored to inanimate objects and how it is simple to hide said wavelenght once you are aware of it. Riley, who had developed his skill true sheer luck, not some meticuluous planning and experimentation, could barely follow the theoretical explanation, let alone apply it in practice. To him, it felt like Rex was trying to explain colours to a blind man since birth.


    "Herberta told me you are having an advancement test to D class within a week. You would not mind if I spectated, would you?" the older man asked once they were done with their negotiations, Rex prepearing to leave the building. He needed to find an inn to settle in for the duration of his stay in the capital.


    "I dont much care. Pretty sure you could aquire acess to said advancement test as a spectator regardless of my will." Rex just shrugged, storing away the gold coins he had recieved for the information he had provided.


    "True, but this way I dont create animosity of any sort. As a smart young man you understood the nature of my request and replied in a manner that shows just that."


    "Well, I can be rather brutish and simple too at times, as much as I dont like to admit it these days." Rex sighed, well aware of his own doings in a different world and different time. Riley chuckled at Rex''s words "He, he. You talk like some of the old timers I know, having gone through countless battles, regretting things they have done in order to win, or survive, but still keep going forward."


    Rex snorted a single ''hm'' at that, waving to the older man and leaving the room. On the other side, Herberta was waiting, having returned a while ago, yet, noticing that Rex and Riley were still conversing, waited patiently just outside. As soon as Rex exited the room, she politely bowed to him and noticing that he was leaving, bid him goodbye. Rex in turn nodded his head and returned the farewells, leaving the guild''s building, wandering off into the cuty.


    "Sir?" Herberta spoke up once she was sure Rex had left, a questioning look adorning her face.


    "A fascinating young man." Riley replied, his gaze locked on the couple of parchments in front of him.


    "Anything the shadows need to look into?" she asked, a sharp glint in her eyes.


    "Whatever you do, do not send our people to monitor him. I doubt someone of his make would apreciate being tailed. And I am sure he would notice. Its better to keep our distance and cultivate a prosperous business relationship."


    "Sir?"


    "I remember you said you are responsible for his advancement test, yes?"


    "Yes sir. He arrived during my shift. It is why I could bring him over in such a timely manner after all."


    "Mhm. Do pay attention then. Also, notify me when its going to take place. I want to personally see how he takes on that challenge."


    "Understood sir. I will inform you as soon as possible." Herberta quickly confirmed, explaining in detail everything she had on the young man, the supposed timeline, test he is taking and every other detail, including his adventurer card stats. There were some oddities that Riley believed indicated that Rex was no ordinary adventurer. All he needed was time and opportunities to witness Rex in action.


    -------------------------------------------


    On hs way out, Rex stopped by the quest board for E ranks and inspected the notices still hanging around regarding what reagents or monster cores were wanted by certain individuals. Just as expected, numerous requests regarding all manner of drop items hung one next to another, every now and then some adventurer tearing some off of the board, moving over to the counter with recpetionists, no doubt to register their willingness to take on the job. With E rank board somewhat explored, he moved over to D rank one, examining those as well. It was aproximately a week he would have to wait, but, besides the search for new lodgings, Rex was quite relaxed, as if sensing something good paggening soon.


    The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city, white after white building passing him by as he explored the central district. After around five different inns, Rex came to the rather obvious conclusion that this place, besides the street stalls and adventurer guild, alongside all its internal class halls, was meant for rich merchants, their families or noble born. Everything was very expensive, leaving even his, now notably fuller money pouch, to cry metaphorical tears as it refused to fork out money, just because Rex might have wanted to stay in one of those oversized and overstuffed with luxury inns.


    Eventually, he left the central island all together, having asked some poor looking adventurer in his fourties, regarding the places to stay for an average new adventurer. Then, following the older man''s suggestion, he moved towards Green district. Yet few more hours later, close to midnight, he finally found one of the inns he was told about by the poor adventurer. A decent place to stay at, for affordable prices, so long as you dont seek trouble, or create one yourlself.


    Mama Beth, as the sixty something years old dwarf lady was called by the workers there, the owner of said inn, was more than clear in her explanation of the rules. Then again, there wasn''t anything out of the ordinary she explained. Dont steal, dont kill, dont destroy the property and so on and so forth, the ussual normal things people would be told not to do and expected to behave as such. Just simple human decency, though, maybee because she was a dwarf, she herself was rather boisterous and lively, not at all how one would picture such aged lady. Then again, as far as dwarfs were concerned, she was just barely in her mid thirties, when compared to humans age.


    The following week Rex planned to spend exploring the city during day and immersing himself in deep meditation and cultivation during the evenings and nights, and he did so for about five days, when in the middle of the night, his eyes suddenly shot open, dark, bloody light shining through them for a short while. Rex closed his eyes a short moment later, deeply inhaled and then exhaled, dark, ominous cloud of ethereal smoke coming out of his mouth as he did so.


    "Breakthrough. Wonderfull." he murmured to himself, a small smile adorning his lips. He lifted his hand and flexed it, coursing mana through it, sensing the power he could now deploy without damaging his flesh. If he was sure that his skills and experience could allow him to easily take on whatever he would be tested with during his advancement trial few days later, now he sure he could simply stat check his opponent. He did not have to guess though. He could simply continiue as he had for a few more days and then find out. That did not mean he woudl start celebrating or anything. While he was now leagues above his previous limits, he was well aware that there was still a long way to climb, though now it would be much easier. Taking on groups or borcs and possibly groups of trolls would be doable, and whats more important, much more profitable for both his coffers and growth. And with that, he could stick his nose in more fun, yet potentially dangerous situations. Not to mention that with more powerfull monsters on his plate, he could empower his blood sword just that much faster, allowing him to reach a point where sword concept could be used much more freely, giving him yet another boost when it came to deadly combat. And so, with a pleased expression on his face, Rex returned to his meditation, spending the next few days in a simmilar manner, exploring the city and its floating island districts during the day, and meditating and expanding hsi decondary space storage during the night.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Morning. I am supposed to have my advancement test sometime around now? Receptionist by the name of Herberta said it would be around a week later and gave me this token. A weeks gone by, so I was wondering, it it ready?" Rex spoke to a different attendant manning the same workstation Herberta did last time he was around, placing the same token he recieved on the counter.


    "One moment." Replied the relatively young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Name plate with ''Airon'' attached to his shirt just above his heart, taking the token and walking through the door behind counter, a plaque with ''staff only'' hanging above it. he returned a couple of minutes later, with Herberta in tow. The woman instantly zeroed in on Rex, her gaze locked like a predator noticing their prey. Rex though, did not even react, let alone flinch at the hunter like attitude of the woman.


    "I have been waiting for you. Follow me, the test is ready." Herberta spoke, her voice calm and indifferent. Rex just shrugged and followed her, not at all bothered by the rather odd attitude of the woman. Not like he had done anything noteworthy in the city, accidentally offending some hidden society, nor had he done anything untowards with her either. So, either the woman was having her special days, irritated with anyone who looked at her wrong, or someone spoiled her mood big time. Once again, he did not care either way. Okey, well, maybee just a little, but not quite enough to actually take action and dig deeper. He had bigger fish to fry, namely his test and then possibly some party hunting and whatnot. He could, of course, dive in the dungeon solo, just like how he used to do with his main body, but he was here, in this world to have a different experience, so finding a party of some sort, hopefully one that could keep up with him for a while longer than Light''s Oak.


    A five minute walk later, exiting the main guild building through the back, and reaching another one in its inner courtyard. This new building reminded Rex of a gym from his original home world. Large, blocky building with high ceilings, possibly fitting inside it a field the size of a bastekball court. He followed Herberta inside, seeing something alongside his expectations. A basketball court sized field stood before his eyes, with beach sand covering it, surrounded by elevated stands, providing seating for around a hundred or so spectators. Of course for his match, the seats were empty, except for one place where Riley was taking a seat, having entered around the same time as Herberta and Rex. Noticing Rex gaze in his dirrection, Riley made a light, but noticable nod towards him, recieving a similar nod from Rex in return.


    In the center of the court, stood three people, two men, dressed in miple leather armor, one equiped with sword and shield combo, while the other was wielding double daggers, twriling both weapons in his hands, clearly not the patient type. Noticing Rex and Herberat aproaching, a knowing grinn apeared on his face, his gaze locked on the woman.


    "Well, well, well. Nice to see you again Herberta." The dagger wielder stared "I had the feeling you have been avoiding me lately. Though you are giving me the cold shoulder." His gaze then moved to Rex, a sadistic glint flashing in his eyes "And here you are, with a random, not even good looking greenhorn in tow. Tsk, tsk tsk." he clicked his tongue "What a sad sight it is to see."


    ''Well, now I know why see is so iritated.'' Rex thought to himself, his pace remaining the same, even as Herberta was slowing down just a tad bit, and Rex could almost swear he heard her jaw clenching. Once in front of the trio, he also could have a better look at the last of them. A woman, in herr mid twenties, mostly hidden by a green cloak, yet the same style leather armor as the dagger wielder could be seen just barely. Gray hair, shoulder lenght and hazel brown eyes. While she was no super model, she was notably above average in the looks department.


    "So, who am I supposed to fight against for this test of mine, and what are the other two doing here?" Rex asked, starling the trio before him, their gazes locking on him quite quickly.


    "Wait, this greenhorn is here for the promotion?" Exlaimed the dagger wielding ''cool kid of the block'', clearly not expecting such an outcome. "The fuck? He is what, barely an adult?"


    "Herberta, mind explaining?" Rex ignored the hothead, his head turned to the attendant.


    "Ah, yes." the woman snapped out of her own thoughts, turning to face Rex. "Thats Tom." she started, pointing to the quiet and calm guy with sword and shield "he is here to spar with you today to see if you have what it takes to be D rank. He himself is low C rank, so we are sure he could make it challenging and safe at the same time. While you will be using sparring weapons, accidents do sometimes happen. It is best to have the examiner of a higher rank to avoid as much of such accidents as possible."


    "And, sow what are the other two doing here? I dont think these are open to public." Rex spoke, playing the part of an annoyed youngster rather convincingly.


    "What with that then?" the hothead asked, pointing towards Riley up in the stands, though he and his party, unlike Rex, did not know who was up there, their eyes not nearly as sharp as Rex, nor aware of the identity of the man like herberta. Though before she started to seethe even more, due to teh disrespect shown towards Riley, Rex interupted.


    "I dont see how that would be any business of yours. All that matters is that he has my agreement on the matter. So, why dont you kindly leave the place and let us get on with the test. Dungeon and potential party members await me after all." Getting Rex''s hint, Herberta closed her mouth, though clearly not entirely happy about the interruption.


    "It is my younger brother you are about to fight against." the hothead arrogantly spoke up "It is only natural I stick around. Cant have an accident happen when I could easily prevent it." He then pulled out his adventurer ID, and nearly shoved it in Rex''s face "And I would be more carefull with how I adress B class adventurers. Not all others are as patient and forgiving like me."


    "You know, for someone with such a low mana pool, you do talk quite big." Rex replied, shutting the hothead up. "I dont mind taking him on Herberta. Would not want to bully the younger of the brothers." he added, looking towards Roberta as he spoke, then, looked at the younger man, still standing there quietly, his brow slightly forrowed "My apologies Tom, no offence towards you intended."


    A moment of silence took over the court, untill a loud laughter echoed, courtesy of the other woman in here, standing next to Tom. "Ha, ha ha ha ha. Damn, Grey, he totally looks down on you! Ha ha ha ha ha." she continiued to laugh, slapping her thigh as she did so, clearly finding this all quite funny, what with the younger one of the brothers being asked to fill in. A vein visibly brightened on Greys face, the manclearly annoyed.


    "You know, I would not mind teaching you some manners. He is totally asking for it, so no issues with the change, Right Herberta?"


    "I dont think thats such a good idea, protocol states...." she started to respond, loud laugher filling the background, only to be interrupted by Grey. "Nah, he asked for it, so just go with the flow. It''s either we do it here and now, or I have to find him later to teach some manners, Which is it gonna be, huh?"


    "I dont care either way, though I suppose for your own safety, there would be better. Wouldn''t want me to mistake you for some petty criminal, only to cut you down, now would we?" Rex shot back, his voice calm and relaxed, though the content of his reply, not so much.


    "Sigh" Herberta sighed, her shoulders slumping at the situation. "Fine, Let if be so, but you are both to use practice weapons, as the test demands and when I say stop, you stop, or I will use force." she added, the last part nearly in a growl. She was not happy at how she was made to play along with the whims of two fools, or so she thought at least.


    "Pick your preffered weapons." she spoke, gesturing to a table with a set of dull, but sturdy training weapons. As expected, Grey picked a set of daggers, much like the ones he had been playing with beforehand. Rex looked at the weapons before him, shrugged and picked up a simple sword, not that he would be using it all that much. The B rank adventurer was nothing to be concerned about, so he might as well use the opportunity and teach his senior in business some humility.

 Chapter 37. Advancement test.

    With the weapons chosen by both parties, they moved to stand on both sides of Herberta, the woman having taken place in the center of the sandy field, a stern and somewhat annoyed look on her face. Grey was twirling his daggers, seemingly showing off his skill with the weapons, cocky smirk on his face, though he looked annoyed as he ran his tongue over his cheeks in annoyance, with them bulging out for both Rex and Herberta to see, his eyes locked on the young and arrogant kid, not knowing the wastness of the world.


    "I advise you take the shield as well." herberta spoke up, noticing that Rex was holding one handed sword, his other hand empty "That is the whole point of your choice of weapon."


    "That is not necessary, but your suggestion is noted." Rex calmly replied. Sure, he could have just ignored the dumb hothead he was about to manhandle, but he was never one to take insults and let them slide. ''Treat me with respect, and so will I, act like a fool, then dont blame me for teaching you a lesson.'' was a rather simple rule Rex like to use as one of his guidlines, though like all guidlines, it was just that- something to take note and try to adhere to, without loosing too much sleep in cases that was not an option. Rex recieved to clicks of tongue as he said that, one of irritation, coming from Herberta, and another one of pure anger. Gray was clearly too pround and stupid to take hints. ''Ow well, was going to help him out anyways.'' Thought Rex to himself, even as Herberta proceeded with the quick rundown on rules and then, after her command, she yelled "START!" and moved out of the way, maintaining a rather notable distance between herself and the two combatants. Tom and the gray haired woman had vacated the sand field, standing by the side, spectating the coming fight.


    "Take That! Ha ha ha ha ha!" in laughter exclaimed Gray, lunging towards Rex, the hand with regularily gripped dagger in front of him, and the other hand, with dagger in reverse grip hidden behind his back. In just a few moments, Gray was in front of Rex, his frontally positioned left hand making a two to seven o''clock diagonal cut, aiming for Rex''s torso, though the moment he realized Rex had sidestepped the strike just barely, torqued his body in the dirrection of his swing, his right hand coming in hot with the reverse gripped dagger, aiming to extend his attack with the inertia he had picked up.


    Unfortunately for Grey, Rex was much faster than him, something he learned the hard way, with Rex tilting his body just a bit further back, at the same time performing a lightning quick kick with his right leg, it connecting with Grey''s guts with a rather loud thud, the force of said kick and Greys forward motion forcing a painfull grunt out of him, followed by his body being propelled back with quite the momentum.


    "Urghhh" a painfull groan excaped Grey''s lips as he landed, clearly not prepeared for either the speed or power Rex was bringing forth. And as Grey groaned in pain, getting back on his feet, more so his pride having being mercilessy struck than his body damaged, Rex straightened his own posture, his weapon hand holding the sword having not been used. With the same relaxed expression on his face, he waited for Gray to collect his wits and come at him again, ready to dish out punishement every time he would be so carelessly charged by the other party.


    And, as he expected, Grey, with his face flushed red in embarasment and anger, charged forward once again, seemingly faster than last time, though the difference was basically non existant for Rex''s senses, resulting in quite similar ending as the time before. With Grey recieving a kick in the guts, eliciting a more painfull groan from the older adventurer as his body was propelled through the air, a notable ''thud'' signifying his second landing. And while the once again floored man had changed the actual strike pattern from before, it was still rather simplistic and crude. He was quite inexperienced in actually taking on intelegent opponents, most likely depending on a tanker to attack from monster blind spots.


    "With such non existant experience or understanding when it comes to fighting a fellow man, you sure do talk big." Rex spoke, having noticed his second strike was a bit much to Grey, who was still collecting himself to get back up "Do find someone who would shore up said deficiency before you act tough in front of others. Might just save your life one day." he then lazily swung his practice sword as he added "So, got anything else or are we done here?"


    His taunt clearly worked, as another groan later, Grey was back on his feet, taking a forward leaning stance. Rex could almost swear smoke was coming from the mans head, clearly embarassed and angered quite a bit.


    "DONT GET TOO FULL OF YOURSELF BRAT!" he screamed, shooting forward, his weapons taking on a slight glow for just a second.


    Clearly, Grey was using what little mana reserves he had to empower both his charge and coming strike. Though, much to his own bad luck, Rex was way out of his league, the difference between them only to grow larger and larger. The moment he charged forward, Rex''s weins were flushed with mana as well, allowing him to easily react to the empowered charge as well as the incoming strike. Well enough aware of the capabilities of this world''s healers, Rex became the rock a poor fool was about to crach into, his body permeated with mana, making it many times tougher and faster.


    As the two, dagger wielding hands descended, the training blades glowing almost red by now and a scream "PIERCING FANGS!" coming from Greys mouth, two, hands met them, capturing the raging man''s wrists in a vice like grasp. What followed was an even more frightening sight, as with a simngle, powerfull "FUSS" shout, Grey was flung back, his unconscious body flying like a ragdoll for a few meters before landing on the ground, unconscious.


    "I would advise you go and heal him. It could be as bad as fractured ribs, I doubt his body was heavily reinforced with mana, judging from how he few like a ragdoll." Rex said to Herberta, then turned his head to the other two spectators, members of Grays apparent party and added "And yes, I did held back quite a bit, no need to glare at me so. He could be far worse right now. You are lucky someone as kind and gentle as me taught him the lesson in humility he needed so much."


    At Rex''s words, Herberta rushed over to Gray, cheking on him for just a moment, then proceeding to cast some healing spells on the unconscious body, confirming Rex''s suspicion that she was a sort of healer. There was no way she was not, after all, they were to fight, and accidents can always happen, making it an absolute foolishness to not have a healer at hand. The guild and its advancement tests had been around for long enough to have surely solved said possible issue, and they apparently had.


    A few more minutes later, Herberta walked back to Rex, slight wariness now in her gaze. Rex had, after all, manhandled B rank adventurer, even if said B ranker was a ratehr weak representation of the rank. "So, I take it I have passed with flying colours?" Rex asked, his tone calm, not betraying any excitement, if he had any, regarding the result.


    "Yes, you have. And while your fighting prowess seems rather impressive, further rank advancement is not as simple. You will have to continue to fullfill either guild quests or turn in monster cores to reach the necessary point count for next advancement." Herberta spoke, now in a much more cordial tone than before. If Rex was something of a annoying amd unwanted eyesore to her before, clearly due to him earning the recognition from Riley, now she could see what the old gentleman had seen in him, even if she had no idea how said gentleman did so.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Follow me then, to finalize your rank up. From today onwards, you will be considered D rank adventurer, Congratulations." Herberta lightly bowed to Rex, leading him back to the guilds reception desk to finallize said formalities, leaving now peacefully sleeping Grey on teh sand, his two companions looking in Rex''s dirrection with complicated gazes. They knew better than anyone just how foolish and spoiled Grey was, but that did not make it easier seeing him manhandled with such ease. It was as if they saw a man, roughly handing a tantrum trowing kid, establishing the pecking order in their place of residence, at the same time disciplining said kid.


    --------------------------


    A few dozen minutes later, Grey woke up, groaning. His body felt stiff and sore. "Urghhh" he groaned as he slowly got up in a sitting position, sand irritating quite a bit of his body. It was never fun, sleeping in sand for a while, with it creeping in any possible crack. "What happened?" he groggily asked, the last whatever time rather murky at the moment.


    "You were handled like a kid, by a kid no less." grimly spoke up the girl, his companion.


    "Lucy?" he asked, trying to remember, untill, it all came crashing back, his face flushed with embareasment. Indeed, he was, for lack of a beter word, manhandled.


    "No use in flipping over it. He was out of your league, whoever he is. That last move that took you out, I think he is a mage of sorts. No way can anyone shout like that. And if someone that young is a mage of that level, well, lets just be happy he left you with only light bruising and some cracked ribs, all of which was healded already, mind you." Lucy added, though much to her and Tom''s suprise, Grey just nodded in agreement. Sometimes display of such overwhelming difference was indeed healthy for ones mental growth. Grey quickly understood the futility and danger of seeking revenge for something he could easily classify as his own innitial fault. He was spoiled, quite a bit so, his parents quite the sucessfull adventurers, but he was not stupid either, a trait that often took backseat due to the priviledged upbringing.


    "Yea. That guy is a monster all right." He groaned as he was helped up, still feeling stiffness all over his body "Lets forget the guy and get me home for a shower. The sand is getting itchy in all the wrong cracks."


    "Gughhh! Too much info!" cursed Lucy, helping him to their home alongside Tom.


    ---------------------------------


    "What was that?" once back in the guild building, Herberta asked Rex.


    "Hmm?"


    "The last thing you did, that ragdolled and knocked Grey out."


    "Magic?" Rex replied, not intent on sharing his newly created spell. Truthfully, he could have used any sound as the base for the spells formation, though he had to give credit where credit was due, and as such he picked the most obvious of choices. ''In honour of Dowakin, no other shout should acceptable!'' he though to himself, chuckling at the thought. realizing that she would not be graced with an answer, Herberta continiued walking forward. Not like she had done anything to earn good will from the man in question.


    The next half an hour or so was spent updating Rex''s adventurer ID and informing him of the additional options that he could now access. Sicne he was now D rank, there was a possibility to take high society course, learning all manner of rules and etiquette necessary to blend in with nobles. There were more than a few requests fomr them, either to serve as bodyguards on some trips, or as a show of status in some of their fancy parties. naturally, Rex refused to even entertain the idea. If he had to deal with nobles, it would not be him wagging a metaphorical tail to their whims, desperate for their coin and favour. It would go the other way around. Whoever would want him to take their quests, would have to kiss his ass, not the other way around. And so, with his ID updated, and etiquette courses vehemantly refused, he left the guild building, deciding to test his luck with possible new members tomorrow. He was in no immediate rush to test his luck, and besides, he had plenty of time to spend, his Empowerment crystal needing quite some time to be auctioned off. Something of such value needed proper advertisment and the right level of auction to be put on display after all.


    --------------------


    As Rex learned quite soon, ''Beth''s Hearth'' was quite the popular inn with mid level advernurer ladies, no doubt the strict rules, enforcing a rather pleasant and calm atmosphere, combined with hearty and safiating meals doing the lion''s share of advertising. As he left his room, he encountered quite the number of well toned and trained ladies, sporing all kinds of clothings, some of them even wearing full armor sets already. He was quite pleased seeing so many other people moving about this early, rising his expectations regarding the possible new members of his adventuring party.


    Ordering a hearty meal, consisting of several meat dishes and promptly devouring it, he left the inn after paying for his meal and expressing his compliments to the dwarven woman regarding her cooking. Then, in a rather brisk pace me moved towards the adventurer guilds branch he had already been to, just a little excited. First, he would simply check the activity of the place so early in the morning, then he would check out the board with party recruitments, and then, well, he would play it by the ear. Who knows, he might just find something interesting to hook his attention.


    Once inside the guild, Rex could not help but smile, a few dozen parties were already present, some of their members still clearly half asleep, with eyes nearly shut and some of them even trying to nod off as they waited for their party leader to either pick a new quests to focus on, or whatever else said leaders were doing. Finding a rather distant and empty corner, Rex simply basked in the atmosphere, evaluating everyone who fell in his gaze. Sure, he could theoretically join up with any party willing to have him, but it would be much more efficient to find one that was not set on grinding the capital''s dungeon exclusively, traveling from city to city and taking on some odd quests at times. And while he would have no issues grinding the dungeon till apocalypse came, he was here for adventures and stuff.


    After spending an hour or so on the current task, having appraised quite a few adventurers, none of whom had matched his relatively set bar of competence and skill, he moved on to the recruitment board where he started to study the aviable choices.


    ''A party looking for tanker. Average rank of our is F...'' Rex read, and once seeing the rank, spoke in a quiet, almost impercievable voice "Nope, skipa that" looking at the next one, then the next one, and so on and so forth. A dozen minutes later, he almost cursed, having read through almost nothing but F rank party recruitment listings. He was more than just a little annoyed. He had checked more than once if there was some sort of rank sorting implemented on the board, and not finding it, with light grumbling returned to the browsing. And yet another ten or so minutes later, he growled and gave up.


    "Fuck it. I will just do some solo hunting today. Might as well continiue tommorow." He grumbled and walked away, not even paying attention to the quest board. He was not familiar enough with the dungeon to take on random tasks, not at all aware of the feasibility or effort/return index of said quests. He would focus on monster hunting and then would simply sell off his drops to the guild at the end of the day. And so, with his plan worked out, he left the guild building, finding the nearest transport ''reif'', a carriage like contraption, attached to a rather tough looking metal wire, stretching from the central island to the side of the bottomless pit the city levitated above. It reminded him of those gondolla sky lifts skiiing resorts would have back in the original earth he came from.


    There was no actual controll of any sort as he boarded the sky gondola, departing towards the dungeon side of the place. He look a position near one pf the windows, two other groups of adventurers sharing the ride. Rex glanced outside as the gondola slid across the botomless pit, trying to discern anything special about the place, though coming to no such conclusions. At least not yet anyhow. Once on the other side, he had to pass through a small set of rather large and powerfull walls, each sporting a rather impressive set of metal doors, ready to be closed on a moments notice. Well equipped guards manning the fortress like place. But actual guards that interracted with people passing through said gates? Only a couple of guards at the third of the five walls.


    Rex was not the only person passing through. He had boarded the sky gondola alongside two other parties, each consisting of six people, and as such, he was walking behind them, keeping a notable distance, lest he be mistaken by said guards as one of them. The guards in turn, noticing Rex''s aproach, as he was looking around, inspecting everything in his sight, as well as his apparant age, shared a look, and then, one of them, spoke up.

 Chapter 38. Ghoul among us.

    "First time delving in capitals dungeon?" The guards voice was calm and collected, Rex could almost call it friendly.


    "Yes." Rex replied, a similar calmness in his voice.


    "Place your adventurers ID here" the guard gestured towards a vending machine like device next to him "It records the ID of thsoe delving inside. Once you are leaving, do scan the ID again. Royal family uses the records to track the number of people, as well as time they have spent inside, allowing us to calculate many different things, as well as assume the death of adventurers, if they stay down there for too long. There have been a few mistakes, announcing someone deceased, only for them to crawl out alive, if only barely, but that happends insanely infrequently. Many people would much rather deal with a temporary heartbreak than live their lives with false hope after all."


    "I am guessing there is some sort of tax as well?" Rex asked, finding this system to have so much more potential.


    "Yes, and no. The guard answered. The guild dues pay a small percentage of the value of any monster cores or drops the adventurers sell, though the same is true for any other legaly operating merchant in the city. Rules and all. AS for the adventurers themselves? You would not even recognize the tax if nobody told you about it. It does not interract with your kind."


    "All right." Rex nodded in agreement, not caring one way or another. "So, just scan my adventurer ID at the scanner. Anything else or can I then go and have fun?"


    "Thats all kid." one of the guards confirmed "Scan the ID and then you can go outside and go wild, if thats what you wish. Do be carefull though, the monsters can be quite nasty out there." Rex did as told, scanning his adventurer ID and walked forward, though stopped at the last moment, as if remembering something.


    "By the way gentlemen, how long does one have to stay in the dungeon to be pronounced dead? I would like to avoid the possibility."


    "Lets see." One of the guards spoke, walking over to the machine "You are D rank, so five days for you."


    "It depends on the rank?" Rex asked, quite interested in this particular info.


    "Of course." a guard replied "Would be foolish to asume and F ranker could last the same time as a D ranker, not to mention thsoe above. And do not forget, that some of the rich B rankers, and above, will ussually have a space storage ring, even if tiny, stuffed with emergency ratiosn or the like, even further extending the time they can spend down there while still being alive."


    "Hmm, that makes sense." Rex nodded in agreement, quite pleased with such thinking. "Thank you for the information." Rex nodded in thanks towards the guards.


    "Thank us by coming back alive kid!" Exclaimed one of the guards. The man looked rather old, close to his late fifties, no doubt almost ready to retire, if such a thing existed here. He waved his hand lightly towards Rex, watching him dissapear in the barely lit tunnel, leading further down to the depths of the dungeon.


    "Kids these days. Sigh. What happened to the old saying ''better stay together, you will live longer?'' Sigh." the older of teh guards sighed twice, at the start and end of the sentence, clearly worried about the young man.


    "Emm, Gus? You do remember that he is already D rank, right?" the younger of the guards asked, clearly still rather suprised by that fact.


    "Yes, yes, the kids a D rank what the big deal .everyone starts as a D ra...." A moment of silence took over the gate, two, rather increduluos guards staring at each other. Just moment later, Gus shuffled over to the device, pulling up the last record it had, checking it twice, no trice over.


    "I''ll be damn. I think we just saw a new monster. He he he." he chuckled, clearly a lot more happy now than before, much less woried about the safety of the youngster. "Still, should have looked for a party. With such potential, there few that would not at least consider him. Hmm, guess I will ask, if he comes back through here. yes, I should do that indeed. Peter! Remind me if he comes through!"


    "Damn old man! Retire already!" the younger of the two cursed, only to be rebuked and silenced a moment later.


    "Why dont I tell that to your mother, eh? No doubt my daugher in law would not mind disciplining her own child. Hmm, hmm, yes, I suppose I should. He he he he."


    "OI! OI! OI! I said nothing gramps. Nothing!"


    -------------------------


    Rex heard a small bit of the guards banter, though he paid little attention, chuckling a bit at the forgetfullness of the old man, though he supposed that was to be expected. Old age was a bitch and a half to deal with, something he wished to never reach, either through eternal youth, godhood or simply going out with a giga bang. Regardless, he had plenty of time to solve that problem, not to mention that his main body was already there.


    ''I wonder, does this wonder, does this world have something similar to the heaven grade meat that rejuvenates ones body as long as its kept on oes regular menu?'' he wondered as he moved deeper, slowly picking up his pace, the road ahead of him was quite empty, with not a monster in sight. Then again, there were two other parties just slightly ahead of him, and since he had yet to find an intersection, he supposed they were doing the clearing for him.


    A minute later, he caught up to the aforementioned parties, who swapped between monster packs. clearly an arrangement of some sort. It did not take long, for the reserve party to notice Rex''s approach, a slight caution flashing in their archers eyes. ''Solo delvers are apparently not that common. No wonder that.'' Rex though to himself, slowing down his pace to maintain respectable distance. As the two groups switched after another pack, the one at the front was quickly informed of his presence as well, the same caution apparent in their eyes, untill eventually, one member, a healer judging from her attire, from the current backup party spoke facing him, clearly adressing him.


    "You plan to stick there for long?"


    "Hopefully no. Never been down here, so I hope there is some sort of cross section soon. Kinda itching for some action, truth be told. Mind letting me get in on the rotation?"


    "Why ask only now?" a gruff looking man with chain armor asked, his voice low.


    "No cross sections as of yet, and I am getting bored. Plus the creatures look kind of fun to take out." Rex replied, his gaze dirrected to the front of the small procession, where the third party was fighting right now. "E class creatures?" he added as he looked back at the resting group.


    "Ducktrumps? Yea. Wait, you havent read the monster guide?" Suddenly exclaimed the previous healer.


    "I dont plan of fighting anything above C class, so I doubt there is much to worry about." Rex shrugged a bit, his hand tapping the sword at his side, yet another annomaly for the backup party. The gruff looking warrior just shrugged though, commenting "Suit yourself. It is your funeral."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "BECK! THE KID WILL TAKE THE NEXT GROUP!" he shouted towards the front group, as they were finishing the last of the monsters in this pack. As the front group was walking back after collecting their drops, he added in a quieter voice, only heard to the leader, and Rex, though the latter was obviously not an intended audience "The kid did not study the monster codex." Only recieving a sigh and shake of the other mans head.


    "Go ahead. Your funeral." Beck spoke, his eyes on Rex, shaking his head in dissaproval. In the dungeon, everyone was an addult, so who was he to scold or teach others.


    "Thank you gentlemen." Rex made a small bow with his head, moving past both groups and taking point. "How should I do this?" he wondered in a low voice as he moved forward, the next monster groups movements creating some sounds further ahead. A minute later, cutting around another corner, Rex came face to face with yet another group of the ducktrumps. Some two meter in height, with grey skin color and four arms a group of man like monsters stood, two, pipe like horns, rolled like that of rams protruding from their temples. Some odd liquid dripping from the tips. ''Suppose thats why duckt-rumps.'' Rex thought to himself, his hand moving to his sword.


    ''Lest assume that its either corrosive, or poisonous.'' Rex listed off in his mind, his eyes on the dripping liquid coming from the duct like horns. ''Though most likely the latter.'' he added in his mind, not seeing any chemical reaction with the ground. As he was noticed, the group of five minsters charged his way, a few low roars escaping their maws. Rex would loved to see the faces of disbelied the two parties displayed when he danced through the charging monsters, his sword seperating their heads from the rest of their bodies with frightening speed, precision and efficiency, the monster bodies dissipating into mana dust just moments later. Rex was quick to colect his monster cores, since there were no other drops, and move back behind the two groups. "Your turn I suppose." He said, looking at the gruff warrior, only recieving a short grunt in return a few moments later.


    As the three groups, one of which was a single man moved forward, still no separation of paths in sight, Rex noticed that whichever group was on the backup, would eye him much more than before, weary and on alert in case he might decide to play with them as well. He was quite intrigued, having a possible explanation in mind, though what better way to find out, than to actually ask. So, being the man that he was, Rex did exactly that, just moments later speaking up.


    "Damn, eyeing me like I would be planning to go on peopel carnage or something. Are there some sort of solo human hunters out there, or am I missing something crucial?" His voice was playfull, combined with a raised brow, his hands nowhere near his sword that was resting in its sheathe. His question did tense up the backup group and the front line as well, who had been coming back to switch out with Rex.


    "Oww? Now I must know." Rex smirked, pressing the question, the expressions on the faces of the two parties quite telling. But, seeing that the two parties were only getting more and more tense, he sighed, adding. "Whatever is popping in your mind, if its something stupid like suprise attack or something like that, dont bother. From what I have seen, even if both your parties had perfect synergy and ideal teamwork, there is not a thing you can do to take wound me heavily, let alone actually take out, so do us all a favour and dont do anything that would constitute as an attack against me, yea? I came down today to kill some monsters, dont ask me to add some humans to that list as well. And I would actually want to hear the answer to my question. I have been in the capital for about a week, exploring its layout and prepearing for my advancement test. I have little to zero interractions with other adventurers, or the stories and myths they share among each other. Think it over while I kill some monsters. I assume you dont mind me taking a few groups while you consider your next steps, yes?"


    Rex moved to the front, both party members moving to the sides, giving Rex a wide berth. After witnesing what he could do, they were understandably reluctant to actually attempt anything, even if they suspected the solo to be one of the infamous ''Ghouls''. Another ten minutes passed by, with Rex being the only one to take on the monsters ahead, with every pack slain, reminding the parties just how outclassed they actually were. And yet, the solo showed absolutely no interest in starting his supposed rampage. All he did was slaughter the monsters, collect the drops and move ahead. Though none of the people behind him had even the slightest doubt he was perfectly aware of their distance and actions at any given time, making him all the more scary. The same heavy tension remained for yet another twenty minutes, Rex having stayed ahead, slaughtering everything in his path of monster origin, when they finally came upon a cross section. The tunnel seperated in two, with one continiueing with the same ambience and colours as before, while the other started to display all manner of crystal growths, making it way better illuminated than the current segment they were in. Similar crystals illuminated the path behind them as well. though unlike the yellow-orange tint of the new tunnel, this one was more aking to pale white, reminding of a night with clear sky.


    "Finally!" Rex exclaimed, seeing the cross section. Then, he turned to the two parties and spoke "Now, I am taking one of the paths, you both can go either back, or share the other one. I will also assume that the change in lighting means a change in monsters and such, so, here the deal. First, I expect the damn answer to my earlier question and secondly, once that is done, you will pick the path you want to take, while explaining why that is so, and whats the difference with the one you would rather not travel down into. Win- win, yes?" He looked at the two parties, exchanging glances, untill one of the leaders shoulders slumped as he murmured "This is bad for my nerves. Fine, fuck it!"


    "Will do sir." the gruff looking warrior spoke, taking a step forward. "For starters. The earlier question. There are rumours of solo adventurers, or maybee mercenaries, nobody actually knows, delving into the dungeons with a single purpose in mind to slaughter other adventurers. They are ussually very strong, thus you can understand our worries when we saw how easily you dispatched the monsters. Add to that the fact that no one has ever heard about you, for trust me, strong guys like you, soloing the dungeon? Yea, there would be number of rumors about you by now. The killers are called ''Ghouls'' by the way."


    "Emm, jea. I could see why the tension. I did say I just arrived in the city a week of or so ago though, but never mind that. So, your choice then regarding the path?" Rex asked then, prompting the adventurer party leaders to share another look and a nod, as if they had talked over their decision.


    "We want to stay in the same biome." teh same rugged man replied.


    "Sure. As to why?" Rex questioned.


    "The same monsters will keep on appearing. The change in the coloring indicates a path to a deeper level. While we are comfortable here, going deeper would be too risky for us. Are we free to go?" the gruff warrior spoke, adding a rather meak question at the end.


    "Emm, sure?" Rex replied, a questioning look on his face, quickly replied with a neutral expression as he repeated the same words, though with certainty. "Yes, go ahead. Have fun." he added and turned towards the yellow-orange biome.


    "Why are you soloing thogh?" suddenly, a rather soft and insecure girly voice asked, followed by a few curses from the men among the parties as Rex returned his attention to them.


    "Huh?" the though for a moment replying "Because the damn recruitment board is not organized and flooded with F, or if you are lucky, E rank party advertisements. Good fucking luck finding anything above that." Rex himself cursed as he rolled his eyes.


    "You know that D ranked parties and above dont place their recruitments there, right?" the gruff warrior asked, a confused look on his face, clearly taken off guard by Rex''s answer.


    "You what now? Come again?"


    "Emm, yes. D ranked parties and above either organize their own events, since most of them are under a subguild of sorts, where more than one party of said subguild recruit, or make requests dirrectly to the guild halls for the type of adventurer they are looking for, paying the apropriate fees and what not. Or so I have heard. Not there ourselves as of yet."


    "Heh?" Rex was confused, capable of nothing else but cursing "Damn bastards." but quickly calming down. "Nothing one can do I suppose. Thanks for the info, by the way. Good luck." Rex made a simple salute towards the two parties as he turned toward the path deeper down, moving on, leaving the other parties on their own, lonesome.


    "Seesh, Rita! Your curiosity will one day kill you!" Exclaimed the ranger of the other party. "I almost pissed my pants when he turned back to us. Sheesh!"


    "S-sorry." the girls whispered.


    "Nevermind that. Dman, I am getting too old for this." sighed the gruff looking warrior. "Same as before?" he asked, looking towards the leader of teh other party.


    "Same as before." the other leader nodded, adding "Gotta spread the word. Damn solo monsters and their lack of common sense." he cursed and spat on the ground.


    "You dont have to tell me. But still, damn, thats some skill with that blade of his. And did you notice his age? Brrrrrh. I would not want to be on his bad side." the gruff warrior trmbld, remembering teh heartless and precise moves he saw Rex perform on the ductrops.


    "You and me both brother. You and me both."

 Chapter 39. Delving.

    As Rex walked down the tunnel, observing the change in his surroundings, he also picked up a slight rise in mana density in the air, unlike the dungeon that he delved back in Vixiera town''s vicinity with Light Oak''s party. Then again, from what little he knew of the dungeon, it was much older and classified as a much higher tier. To be precise, it was both of a higher tier and class as the one he was exploring beforehand.


    Vixiera''s dungeon was what they called ''a locked dungeon''. Such dungeons came into existance in two ways. First, the dungeon formed in mana scarce location, not capable of developing to its full potential, possesing a defective core. Why such dungeons even formed, no one knew, but they were there, rare as they are. The second, and more common case was the destruction of a dungeon''s core. Sure, such a thing was quite the achievement, but if a new dungeon was discovered in a timely manner and experienced and powerfull party, or a raid group, could pull such a feat off, leaving behind a forever crippled dungeon that does not grow any further, while maintaining its current state- monster spawning and all.


    The dungeon, and the capital itself in turn, was the other type- ''Infinite dungeon''. And, as the name suggests, they could go on forever, or so the scholars assumed, since once the core is reached and destroyed, the growth of the dungeon stops, making it change its class, while retaining the tier designed to it. Tier was basically the level of monsters one can expect to encounter at the deepest floors of said dungeon. Solendiel''s dungeon was classified as S plus class, since its core had not been reached and even famous and incredubly powerfull A class parties had reached their limits trying to delve the very depths of the dungeon, never even getting a whiff of its core. Thankfully, the monsters within such dungeons had some sort of rules they followed, sticking to the depths, plus minus a level to their general habitat, as such, making the upper floors relatively safe once cleared for the city established, much like Solendiel had been.


    As for the other thought that crossed Rex''s mind, it was the same old ''Did i do this right?'' question, regarding his aproach to displaying quite a bit of his skills. And as always, he came to the same conclusion. He would have manhandled the cocky dual dagger wielder Grey as he had, simply due to his low tolerance of arrogant fools who could not back up their boasts, or lacked the foresight, or judgement ability, to know in whose presence to shut up. And, due to that simple, near guaranteed result, there was little point in trying to lay really low, coming to his current situation. ''Well, you lay in the bad you made for yourself, I suppose.'' Rex thought, having analyzed his decisions. Hearing some movement noices just around the corner, he came out of his musings, refocusing on the task at hand. He still had quite a few hours to burn, grinding through the monsters here, before he would need to turn around and backtrack his steps to return to the ''surface''.


    Soon enough, the monsters of this new dungeon ''floor'' came into Rex''s sight. "Sheesh. Now those are some overgrown bugs alright!" Rex exclaimed at the sight of a group of three, horse sized spiders. The main part to note here was that it was their torso that was the size of a horse, the legs not included. The monstrosities had ant like, chitin armor, eight shiny dark legs, covered in the same chitin like armor. Twelve, beady red eyes on their heads and a rather nasty set of sharp, double mandibles that seemed powerfull enough to crush human skulls, and likely armour as well. No fluffy and soft hair anywhere in sight. "Well, that explains why those two groups were not very keen on coming here. I doubt with their skill level they could take something like this on." Rex grinned, his sword already in his hand as he shot towards the monster group.


    As soon as Rex was upon the monster group, he noted yet another advantage he had as a solo against these monsters. Due to the difference in their size, he could easily engage them one at a time, all by smartly positioning himself between and under one of the spider legs. Their lareg size prevented others from properly joining in to gank up on him, and by the time he had slashed enough of said legs for the unlucky monster to fall to the ground, half chirping, half schreeching, immobilized and waiting for its inevitable demise, he could move on to the next one, once again dodging and weaving between their legs as the monster in question was trying its damn hardest to stab Rex with said legs.


    As Rex weaved between each desperate strike from the spider, his sword finding purchase in yet another leg at the joint connection point, neatly slicing it off and earnng another schreech from his prey, its desperate atte,pts to stab Rex redoubling, as far as it was posible with less and less limbs at its disposal. Untill, yet again, just like the spider before it, enough of the legs were cut off, forcing it to fall to the ground, helpless just like the one before it, allowing Rex to move on to the next one- the last of this group.


    Just like the first two, this one fared no better. Its dungeon monster brain not capable of logical thought, demanding it to try and devour Rex- something the monster tried with its entire being. And yet, a short while later, it was on the ground as well, the chirp like schreehing leaving its mouth. The other two were still barely alive, quite a bit of their green, blood like inner liquid pooled at the end of their stumps that were once their limbs. With a simple mental command, and a bit of mana, Rex called out to the liquid of life on the ground, and, like a loyal and over eager servant, ever happy to be of use to its master, it answered, floating towards him. Whether it counted as blood back on earth, he could not remember, his chloo times long since past, but here, at least conceptually it was blood, and as such, did and counted for everything it should in mammals, birds and so on. And, since the monsters were stronger than ductrops, their blood also provided more of a strenghtening factor to his sword in return. And, unlike ductrops, these monsters did not have poison Rex had to consider, nor were there audience, allowing him to utilize the special situation he was in currently.


    With the monsters on the ground, he moved in closer to one of them, but, instead of finishing it off, he slashed his sword a few more times, delivering precise and calculated slashes, creating new wounds on its larger body, resulting in yet another schreech and a rather notable stream of the life sustaining liquid. "Sorry for that, little monsters, but I need to get as much as I can from you before you die and the dungeon does its thing, scattering your body into fine mana dust, leaving me with nothing else but your core and maybee some other drop." As he spoke, he repeated the same procedure on the other two, the combined blood flowing towards his weapon. With the size of the monsters, he was quite sure it would be quite the harvest today. And, once the stream of blood started to slow down, the bodies scattered into fine mana dust, leaving only the cores behind, just as Rex had said before. "Thank you for your sacrifice. I apreciate it." He said, looking to the place where the three corpses had just been and turned to move forward, deeper still into the tunnels. He had quite a bit more time, and no doubt a boatload of monsters willing to hand themselves on the platter, thus, Rex returned to the task at hand- to grind, grind and grind a bit more. ''Who knows, I might just spend the entire night here.'' Rex thought, a rather creepy grin on his face as he moved on.


    ----------------------------


    ''I wonder, if all the spiders I killed today... Today? Hmm, does not sound right. Ahh, yes. This session. Yep. That fits. I wonder, if all the spiders I killed this session would not scatter into mana dust and were to be placed in a single place, attempting to create a mountain of sorts, how high would it reach?'' Rex thought as he walked back, having spent hours upon hours on the glorious grind. He was slightly tired, yet happy with the results.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Firstly, he managed to test his endurance and recovery rate, something that was incredibly important. Sure, he could pull untold amounts of mana from his surroundings, were he not strenghtening his body all the time, and he could use some of said mana to force recover his body, but there were still hard limits to that. And since his drain worked like a passive empowerment system, always there, strengtening him with every kill, he could not use it to drain still living beings, recovering his energy. Regardless, he was now aware of his ability to last for a dozen hours at least, expending his energy in constant battles, with a caveat that there were some downtime. What little he recovered during said downtime had to be noted after all. It was for this precise reason he had had to stop in the middle of his delving, waiting in one place for an extra couple of hours or so, recovering, before he decided to call it a day and return.


    Secondly, he got quite a bit further in regards to the completion of his first sword. Sure, he would need to empower it further, preferably using blood of even higher quality, but for the time being, so long as he does not delve much deeper, Rex would start his work on the next weapon to fill out his arsenal. He was still not sure whether he wanted another sword, or would shield serve a better purpose. A question he would come back to at a later time. The main conclusion he had reached was the same. Another weapon would soon start taking shape.


    Yet another thing Rex learned during this little excursion of his was the ''respawn rate'' of the monsters in the dungeon. Just as the monsters were disintegrated after their demise, new ones were formed to fill out the now empty place. Each dungeon, depending on the floor and many other factors, had its own set timer to do precisely that. It took whatever mana it needed, and formed a new monster, based on gods only know what parameters and what not. The two biomes Rex passed through had the respawn timer of six and three hours, with three being for ductrops, and six for the shelled spiders, as such, he had to clear out a few more ductrop groups as he was returning. It seemed that this particular tunnel was not all too popular among the adventurers. Rex assumed it was both due to the poisonous nature of ductrops and the general disadvantage of groups when encountering the shelled spiders.


    Eventually, Rex could notice the first signs of daylight, off into the distance, more than hundred meters of straight tunnel path later, something that took him a minute or two to cross. "Hello dear sun, how I missed you so." he spoke lightly, enjoying the slight warmth on his skin as he basked in it for another minute, standing just outside the tunnel entrance. The fort''s gates to reach the gondola a few dozen meters away, open and awaiting him, as if inviting him in. And sure, he was well aware that he was technically still inside a dungeon, and that he was not actually basking in the rays of sun. It felt close enough, or maybee the dungeon actually allowed the sunlight to pass through, but Rex did not care enough to find out. All he wanted to do was grind untill his Empowerment crystal was auctioned off, hopefully find some party that does quests outside of dungeons and allows him to join, and then be off, leaving this place behind. Not like he had anything anchoring him down. Free as a bird and all that.


    As Rex walked ever closer to the gates, he noticed the same pair of guards that had been here when he entered, causing him to rise one of his eyebrows. His arrival was not left unnoticed, the two guards dirrecting their gazes his way. What could have been a terrifying sight of a young man, covered in blood grime, due to cleaving through numerous monsters, was nowhere to bee seen, yet another advantage of Rex''s controll over blood. Sure, he looked rather disheveled, having rolled around more than once during his encounters with the shelled spiders, but otherwise he was rather clean. A decent sized sack hung over his shoulder, the monster cores and a couple of other monster drops of his session inside. Rex had no desire to announce to the general population, he was either a space mage or equipped with an expensive space storage artifact. We was in no mood for carnage among civilised races.


    "Sir, I dont think it wise to stay awake for such long periods of time, especially so in your age. Think of your children and grandchildren." Rex spoke up, slight concern played into his voice.


    "Mind your own manner kid! When I was your age, I..." the old man cursed in retort, only to stop as the situation dawned on him. "Oi, kid. Did you spend the entire day inside?" he asked, his eyes squeezed and locked on Rex, judging him with those experienced eyes, then he added as Rex was still quietly aproaching. "And I am back from my rest. A few other shifts already having gone by."


    "Hmm." Rex just nodded, noting the fact in his mind. Noticing the still locked squinted eyes on his persona, Rex shrugged his shoulders, the free hand rising in ''beats me'' expression.


    "You tell me. Dont have a clock on me, and the nature of the tunnel makes it hard to guess time gone by. I am tired though, so if you dont mind, I would like to get back home. Anything besides scanning my adventurers ID at the same machine as I leave?" he replied, not all that bothered by the situation.


    "So you have then." the old man concluded. "Yes, just scan it there." he pointed to the other side of the aforementioned machine, painted in an entirely different colour.


    Rex nodded in understanding, proceeding to do as told, scanning his adventurers ID, then turning to leave. "By the way , this gate does not look all that popular with adventurers, how comes?" he asked.


    "None of the really valuable monsters unique to this place can be found on this path. Combine it with the poison attribute of ductrops, and the shelled spiders, it is no wonder. And by the time one has reached deep enough, it too dangerous for most parties, unless they are peak B rank or higher." explained the younger of the guards.


    "Ohh? But there is something deeper on this path thats valuable then, right?" Rex asked further, the implication quite clear.


    "Of course. Have you not bought the guide thats aviable on the dungeon?" the older man asked.


    "No. I suppose I should do that then. Right after I turn in my gains, that is." Rex replied and started planning things out. It seems he might have to plan out his next few steps with more attention to details.


    "One silver, and you can have this one." the older man quickly spoke up, pulling out slightly worn small book. "Saves you the trouble of looking for it, no?" a shrewd and slightly scheming look in his eyes.


    "Sure, I would not mind that." Rex replied, his free hand dissapearing in his chest pocket, only to reappear with a silver coin in hand a few moments later.


    "Pleasure doing business with you." the old man replied, quickly snatching the coin, as if Rex might change his mind at any moment, depositing the book in its place.


    "And with you old man." Rex replied, light smile on his face. "Take care of your health." he added as he turned away, leaving the gates. A few moments later, the younger of the two spoke up, clearly not too happy with the older man.


    "Sigh, why would even try to sell those old guides with such unreasonable price. It worth a few coppers at best. Are you not afraid to offend a potentially dangerous adventurer?"


    With a similar sigh, though much more drawn out, as if shaking ones head at a dissaponting child or grandchild, he replied. "Its not the book that I am selling with that price. Its becoming ones aquintance that bears this price. You are too young to understand now. Maybee one day. Besides, each one of my own dungeon guides have my little comments and advice, as well as some personal wisdom written down, making it worth the rest, easily."


    As for Rex, he was already well on his way, going straight to the adventurers guild''s branch he had visited before. It was time for him to see just how much would E rank ductrop cores and the D ranked shelled spider cores fetch and, perhaps, earn some extra ''bulk sale'' bonuses. All jokes aside, he was interested in the difference. For while it was possible to meet their needs, as far as their expenses went when delving in Vixiera dungeon, Rex was quite well aware that he did made their party more efficient and fast, skyrocketing said delving to a much higher level than the girls would have done without him.

 Chapter 40. Rumors and visitors.

    With what could only be described as an all nighter behind his back and a sack loaded with monster cores, Rex walked into the adventurers guild, the building buzzing with activity already, much to Rex''s expectations. The city was large and populated enough to ensure that there were always adventurers looking for their next job, trading in their spoils from previous missions, or fresh and hope applicants with star lit eyes, queing to step on their own path of excitement and glory. With the questions of how many actually reach such a point and how much hard work must one put in to do so, not even popping up in their minds. Plenty of tales being told about getting rich and famous overnight, fanning the flames of impressionable youth.


    "Greetings. How may I help you?" asked the attendant once Rex reached the counter, having stood in the line for exchange and trading services, a few adventurers already there before him.


    "Exchange." Rex spoke a single word as he put down the satchel he was carrying and pulling out two seperate, smaller bags from it. "Monster cores." he added, opening both and placing one next to another.


    "At once sir." the attendant replied, moving slightly to the side, standing in front of a machine of sorts. What Rex could see was a bowl, where the attendant poured the cores from both bags. Then, the bowl lit up slightly, causing the cores to roll off in different dirrections, falling into multiple different holes, a small display like screen changing the values shown on it, representing the number and class of the cores handed in.


    "The total amount comes in at sixty E class cores and four hundred D class cores. What is the party name I should record this to?" the guild employee asked, having returned to her original position in front of Rex, withdrawing coins from the counter.


    "Just me." Rex replied, placing his adventurer card on the table, waiting for the girl perform her duties.


    "WHAT!" she exclaimed in suprise, quickly regathering her composure. She had heard of crazier stories of course, but this was a first to her, causing the reaction.


    "M-my apologies sir." she quickly apologised, well aware of the attention she had unintentionally drawn towards them.


    "Just get it done yea." Rex sighed, well aware of the countless stares on his back. He understood perfectly well how the suprise and outbursts of the attendants at the guild counter could mean only one thing- something extraordinary had happened, catching said attendant by suprise. And adventurers, the curious and daring creatures that they were, could not pass up on the chance to stick their noses in the matter.


    Rex was big enough to not be pestered by most of the comon thugs, or newbie crushers among the adventurers, even though mere size mattered little. It was always sometning about the way one presented themselves that dictated the amount of hasle they have to deal with, and Rex, well, he presented as confident and powerfull enough. At least to most people. In case the other party had some preconcieved agenda, the lines began to blurr, resulting in situations like with that Grey character. A simple desire and asumption of ones own superiority led to belittling Rex and provoking him, resulting in the proper beating that Grey had recieved.


    "The total for the cores will be five gold and twenty silver and here is your ID back. Thank you for the hard work." the attendant spoke, placing both the money and his ID back on the counter. Rex quickly collected and pocketed it all, neatly placing the items in his space storage.


    "Hmm, good day." Rex nodded and left the counter, having a quick stop at the bounty board, checking if something interesting had appeared. Spending a few minutes doing so, yet finding nothing of interest, he left the building, heading straight towards the inn he stayed at. A nice and long bath, coupled with a hearty meal and rest afterwards was all he was looking for at the moment. Rex could not only apreciate such a life, but indeed sink into it, enjoying both the process in which he grew ever stronger, as well as the result that it provided him with. Who did not like becoming stronger after all.


    The next few weeks went on in a similar fashion. Every other day Rex would head to delve deeper in the dungeon, now equiped with a wealth of knowledge, all thanks to the guide he had bought from the old guard. He would spend at least a day, sometimes more, diving deeper, choosing the same entry point he had the first time around, becoming more and more proficient in slaying both shelled spiders and ductrops, elevating the speed of his clear and the depths he could reach before deciding to return. Without a party and at the adventurer rank he was at, there was only so long he could spend inside the tunnels. He still needed to rest now and then, and, while he could do so for a short period of time, for example, a three day dive, at the end of the day it would be too dangerous without a proper lookout when he finally decided to do so in the dungeon. He could not indefinetly recover his condition like he could with an active Drain after all.


    There were two big new rumors that quite a few people were talking about. The first one, less so a rumor and more so an excitement and gossip. The guild had made it public, for obvious reasons, that they had aquired an Empowerment crystal and it would be auctioned off soon in the coming monthly auction, resulting in scores of conversations about the eventual owner of said item. It was the general consensus that the crystal would be aquired by either the lord Firidan Ashrow, who was trying to make his eldest son stronger, the lord nearing the age where he would hand over the reins of his noble family to the man in question, or merchant lord Luke Fergus. The fat merchant trying to marry of his spoiled daughter to earn some new and profitable connections, thus the crystal would become quite dowry indeed. And from what Rex could pick up, there was no sug thing as a divorce in this world. Once married, always married. Of course, polygamy was a thing, the super rich and powerfull having multiple wives and mistreses.


    The other rumor however, was something that actually had somewhat of an impact on Rex himself. Yes, he was the second rumor, in fact. A new, solo adventurer, delving the path of skitterers, all alone, for days at times, coming back and forth and earning quite the pretty peny as a result. And, more interesting of all, he was doing such a fine job, injuries seemed to be foreign to him. OR at the very least he was an expert on spiders and other arachnids.


    And yes, deeper still, past the shelled spiders, other arachnid like creatures dwelled. During his firts time, Rex had avoided going deeper, practicing his craft in the shelled spiders, having passed at least three other possible biomes. Over the past few wekks howver, he had explored most of them. Spiders of all sorts and types, some scorpion like monsters as well, adorned with crystal like protrusions on their carapaces or small, whip like tentacles on their backs. Though what took the cake were taratnulas, the size of a bus, Rex had just finished farming and was returning to the city, his satchel quite loaded, though the most valuable stuff, like rare drops from variants and the like, he kept in his space storage, hoarding the stuff like a mad collector.


    "Ahh, morning Rex. How''s the hunt?" the old guard at the gate asked, noticing Rex and waiting for him to be in the range of his voice.


    "Hey Ivan. All good, though I think I found a new monster type, will know at the guild though." Rex replied, stopping in front of the old man. "Gotta say, you must have been quite the hothead back in your days. The things you know about this path is quite impressive." he added, causing Ivan to chuckle, clearly reminiscing on the good old days.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "You better believe it kid. Ahh, the fun we had. Though I will never admit it in fron of my wife. She will eat me alive." he grumbled "Be carefull with them women. One moment, they are all sweet and nice, blinking their eyes cutely at you, a coqetish smile on their faces, the next they are demons, their claws sunk in your soul for eternity."


    "So, you would chose something else, if given a do over?"


    "Nope, would step on the same rake all over again. Had you seen her back in the day, you would too. And the kids are a blessing, even if at times I might have wanted to choke them myself." Ivan smiled as he spoke. "I am an old man, my time draws near, but whenever I see them, and their kids, I feel warmth in my chest, and I know, I made the right decision back then. One day you will understand. If you live that long that is. Ha ha ha ha ha."


    "Be carefull old man. I hear your grandaughter is coming of age." Rex smiled maliciously at the older man, the implication clear. Though unlike what he had expected, them having joked around quite a few time already during the past few weeks, Ivan being on duty whenever Rex sets out to delve, the reply was a ganger still.


    "Fheeffff. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. As if Lita would ever look your way. Mua ha ha ha ha ha." the old man laughed, his hand banging against his thigh. "Good one kid. Oooff. Ha ha ha ha ha" he huffed, trying to stifle his laugher. Rex smile in return, the old man having quite the wits and tongue, making for an awesome conversation partner. "Take care Ivan. See you around." Rex added as he waked away. "Jake." he nodded to the son of law of Ivan as he passed the other guard, who nodded in return, showing more respect and possibly even sligh amount of fear towards him. Rex''s joke about bedding his daughter not lessening said worry any less.


    Rex had also made great progress in the development of his second blood weapon. He had decided to go with a shield. The result was a braclet on his left hand in dark, dark red in colour. When needed, he would nudge it with his mind, forming a kite shield, similar to the crussader kite shield, with the more triangular shape. It was already quite strong, capable of tanking hits from his blood sword, not leaving even a scrath on it. The two items were in a similar class right now, prompting Rex to consider his further plans. On the one hand, he could start working on his auxilary weapons, possibly adding a few extra swords he could controll as if he could use telekinesis, something that would be near impossible in the world he was in right now. Only due to the fact he had dominion over blood, something that was considered a part on ones body, thus not affected by the supression of the world itself, could he exert the controll he had in mind. And sure, some of the more powerfull vampires in this world might have stumbled upon the same idea, however, yet again, due to the nature of the world, and its''s ledling status, access to concepts and comprehending them was far too difficult. Only as a creature with a connection to a higher world, as miniscule as it was, could Rex coninue his own path forward, growing beyond what was possible in this plane with enough time. He already had the baseline for such growth, only time was needed to achieve it.


    Rex did consider the idea of visiting the adventurers guild''s branch first thing, though decided against it. He had spent a few days inside, murdering countless arachnids, a few buss sized tarantulas included, resulting in him actualy being quite dirty and smelly, so much so that he himself felt slightly uncomfortable. ''A bath first it is then.'' he concluded, moving back to Beth''s Hearth. As ussual, there were no issues along the way, the slums having been relegated to a couple of the geberal districts. No such sight was allowed on the main island, resulting in a much cleaner surroundings and lack of shady characters and crime as a result of that. To cleanse the district islandsthough, well, even the royal family did not have the manpower to do such, especially so with how fast new such places would pop up. Where there were people, there was always some sort of powerty and crime.


    "Greetings Beth. Bath first!" Rex spoke hurriedly as he flew past the dwarwen inkeeper, his goal set. Beth, in turn just nodded and yelled behind him "And you darn need it too!" smiling once he was gone. "Good kid." she murmured to herself, having grown a liking for him, no doubt his enourmous appetite playing a big part. As the saying went, there is no better way to reach a mans heart than through his stomack, and there is no better way to tell a dwarfs worth than by seeing his apetite. And sure, the kid was no dwarf, but that did not mean Beth could not judge other races by the same standart. They were all people after all. And Rex, well, that was a damn fine man if the saying was to be believed. ''If only he was a decade or two older.'' Thought the inkeeper.


    Some thirty minutes later, Rex was back on the first floor, clothed in light and unasuming clothes, his hair still wet from the bath he enjoyed. "Come here Rex!" Beth called out to him, standing in front of an empty table, covered with quite a few steaming meat dishes. "Thought you would order once done with the bath, hope you dont mind me setting it up beforehand."


    "I love you Beth. Thanks." Rex replied with a smile, the dwarven woman slowly earning his recognition, respect and apreciation. It had been barely a few weeks, and she had already picked up his tendencies regarding meals and other stuff related to her services. Rex could not help but compare Beth to the dryad inkeeper Luna, apreciating both styles provided.


    "Carefull boy. We dwarves are too much to handle for youngsters like you. Eat up while its still warm." she responded, walking back to the kitchen, returning to other duties. The young human girl assisting her with the inn, soon coming out of the back, replacing Beth in serving the other customers. Ever since the rumors about him started, either curtesy of Ivan or the two parties he encountered on that first delving day, the adventurer girls staying in Beth''s inn were glancing at him more often, gosiping among themselves, guessing what parts of the rumor going around were true, and if Rex was the person in question. Not like anyone had ever asked him dirrectly. Not that Rex would bother either confirming or denything them either. Truth be told, besides the eoccasional laugh he got out of the rumors, he could not care less.


    Yet another hour later, having finished his meal after asking for a few extra plates, he thanked Beth, as ussual and paid for the meal.


    "Ow, right. There were some people looking for you yesterday Rex. Did not say what they wanted, nor left any way to contact them either. Thought you should know." Beth spoke up as he was about to leave.


    "Did you notice something particular about them?"


    "The ussual rain coated adventurers, as if planning something less than legal. Then again, it was rainng that day. Still, felt a bit off." she replied, Rex considering her words for a moment.


    "Thanks for the heads up. Dont sweat it, it they wanted to meet me, they will come again. Perhaps I will be around then. See you later Beth." Rex said, waving to the lady and going back to his room, where he ''collected'' his last sessions loot and then left the inn, heading straight towards the adventurers guild and, just like any other time he had done so, arrived without any issues. he did think over some of the possible reasons someone might come, looking for him, but since none of the soul tokens he had left with either Luna or Light''s Oak were broken, it could not be anyone he knew. Neither was the Empowerment crystal sold, so that was not it either. At the end of the day, he would find out eventually, the encounter almost guaranteed to happen, should the other party remain interested.


    Entering the guild building, he first noted the people around, his mind always in need to register any possible threats to calculate any necessary respone and other such things. And once done with that, an action that took him just a few seconds, he advanced towards one of the general questions and transactions attendant. A short while later, he was in front of a rather young looking, perhaps in hear very early twenties, short statured brunette, with hazel coloured eyes, decent sized bust and rather well cmaintained physique. Something Rex had noticed in comon to all the guilds attendants. He had to be honest. He was quite pleased with how the adventurers guild showed its desire to maintain well fit and organizedworkers, making every interraction other adventuresr had with them a pleasant one. Even the more annoying and iritating adventurers could do nothing much but grumble and get on with their days.


    "Hello sir, how may I help you today?" the attendant, by the name of Nessa asked, light, but proffesional smile adorning her face.

 Chapter 41. A rank adventurer on the loose.

    Rex considered the order of business for a short moment, the lightly smiling Nessa waiting for his response. At the end of the day, he still had to exchange the monster core, everything else could be done afterwards, not like had much of a stake it that part of business, so, he spoke.


    "First, I would like to exchange these cores" Rex said as he placed a rather large sized sack on the counter "Then, I might have some cores of monsters I did not see in the dungeon guide. I do have to note that mine is probably an older version, so excuse me if the info is slightly outdated. And I doubt they are variants, since there was a biome they inhabited." At the latter words of his, Nessa perked up. It was not unheard of, discovering new monster types in teh dungeon, on the contrary, that just how life worked. Every dungeon innitially was filled with unknown dangers, and only as adventurers explored said dungeons, encountering the monsters and delving deeper, charting the places, did the dungeons in question became less and less unpredictable, monster types, weakneses and strenghts, frequency of traps and the like noted down and shared among the members of adventurers guild. With Rex frequenting a rather unpopular path of the dungeon, it was no wonder he encountered another type of monster not found so far. There were plenty of intersections with changing biomes, and sometimes, two biomes could be extremely similar, yet house two different monster types all together.


    With his needs stated, Nessa got to the task at hand, moving over to the sorting tool of the cores and emptying the bag inside, letting it do its job. A short light show later, the cores were sorted and the numbers displayed. Then, as per ussual, the attendant calculated the reward Rex had earned and paid out the apropriate amount, a light smile appearing on Rex face. Even if he were to farm the dungeon in a party of six, like he had with Light''s Oak, D rank monster cores fetched quite the sum, ensuring his savings grew more and more with each delve and consequent trip to the adventurers guild to turn the aquired cores in.


    "Here is the latest codexes of the dungeon monsters." Nessa then spoke, placing several books on the counter. "What type of monster is it?" she asked.


    "Arachnid" Rex replied, and a few moments later, once Nessa had found the apropriate book, he started to quickly leaf through it, looking at the general description and drawings, if there was one, at the same time placing a couple of monster cores on the counter. "Their cores. I assume you need to evaluate them as well." he spoke, all the while still going through the spider section of the arachnid monster book. Rex was nearing the end of the section, without any luck on locating the corresponding entry, only to be distracted by a gasp, and an incredulous "A rank!" exclamation.


    Nessa was suprised would be an understatement. Over the past few weeks she had seen Rex from one of the other positions, but she had never interracted with im personally. Rumors were, he frequented the path of skitterers, delving all alone and returning without a scratch. He was always concise and professional, speaking as little as he needed to get the job done and be on his way. He was no looker, just your awerage man, thus, beside curiosity regarding the new shiny thing in town, rummored about, she had paid little attention. But now, when a D rank adventurer brings in monster cores of A ranked monsters, well, she had to look at him in a whole new light.


    Once she was over her stupor, clearly suprised by the presence of A class cores, she blushed just slightly, embarassed over her loss of composure. "M-my apologies sir." she quickly apologized to Rex, whose eye twitched at the loud exclamation. But, clearly not wanting to deal with any posible pestering to come, he quickly spoke up.


    "Its not here." he then placed a paper sheet on the counter, adding "Everything I remember about the creature. Money for the two cores and update my ID."


    Nessa did as instructed, handing him two extra gold coins, one for each core handed over, then quickly updated his ID and handed it back to him. "Anything else you need sir?"


    "No." Rex shortly replied, turning around and leaving, at the corner of his eye noticing the numerous gazes, ones filled with envy, others with greed, others still with either interest or awe. Whatever the case, it was now an open secret that he had slain an A rank monster, no matter the circumstances. And as such, the rumors about him would only grow more exagerated, possibly earning the attention of soem particularily annoying creatures.


    Nobles. Rex was never a fan of the caste. It turned out, getting born in wealth and power did little to promote the growth of virtuous and kind people, leaders that the lower classes could look up to and depend on both guidance and protection. No, in overwhelmingly most cases, with each new generation, more and mroe decadent, arrogant and cruel descendants came into being, and eventually power. Their own offspring, having more and more freedom to act as the monsters that they eventually become, either resulting in an uprising, where said noble family would be exterminated, or said uprising lower claases would be slaughtered, leading to a bloody and tyranical regime that woudl eventually fall.


    And while the royal family of this nation, as small as it was, was still clinging to a rather modest and kind image, doing what was best for their nation at large, like condemning slavery and making laws that were fair to the common folk, Rex was well aware there were enough nobles well on their way toward the no return point, if not already there. The arrogant lordling back in Valrun a perfect example of the fact. And as such, prospective adventurers, especially ones not affiliated with any guild halls or any other large scale organizations, were the perfect tools to fortify their positions, or expand them, either through dirrect conquests, since those too sometimes happened, or most often, through backroom dealings or covert operations. A poisoned dagger here, a small kidnapping over there, and low and behold, some other noble suddenly decides to transfer over the rights to a mine to another, purely out of their good will, or, it turns out that a daughter of one just so happens to have eloped and gotten with child of another son, resulting in the need of a marriage, as all nobles do. Then, obviously, the father of the new mother to be must provide a dowry, and so on and so forth. As for how willingly, on the part of the new mother, the child was concieved, and whether or nor she would ever be allowed to leave the villa of her new husband? Well, no self respecting noble would ever gossip about a woman of another, unless of course she was rather welcoming to near every passerby. And while Rex had little reservations when it came to ending the lives of some unsavory and unpleasant fat nobles, he was less inclined to kidnaping and other such actions, not to mention the idea of serving some weakling who had done nothing to achieve their status, was downright repulsive.


    At best, Rex would ever consider working as a mercenary of sorts, so long as the possible job seemed interesting enough and the price was right. Still, the probability of such a job was too low, and not at all a priority on Rex''s list. He was still considering the best way to find a fun party to travel along, fullfilling interesting quests, visiting breathtaking locations and perhaps fighting some dragons, if it came to that. Sure, he might have a sould of one, as old as who knows what, but that did not mean he had issues with either slaying or eating the fierce apex predators of the world.


    Having dealt with the days agenda, he quicly left the guild, returning to Beth''s inn rather quickly, not one bit interested in exploring the city. Rex reasoned, he would just dissapear in the tunnels of the dungeon for a few more days, and, hopefully, by the time he resurfaces, the possible frenzy regarding a new A class adventurer would have died down, with the person of interest nowhere in sight.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "He. You are back early. All went well I suppose?" beth asked, noticing Rex slump into a seat at the table in the very corner, out of sight and out of mind.


    "Coule be better. Those damn attendants need to learn to keep their mouths shut. So, I will dissapear in the tunnels for a while, starting tommorow."


    "Hooh? Care to share with the little old me?" Beth asked, sitting opposite him and sliding a plate with a large serving of meat and mashed potatoes, covered in something akin to a mayo sauce.


    "Well, with a bribe like this? Cant say no, besides, I assume you will hear of it soon anyways." Rex shrugged, rubbing his hands together and swalowing hard. "On my last delve entered a biome where I encountered an arachind type monster I could not find any mentions of in the monster codex. Naturaly, I killed it, and a few other of its kind, just to make sure it was not a variant, but the generic monster for the biome I was in. And, of course, being the nice guy that I am, reported as such at the guild. You know, to share the knowledge around, might save a couple of lives in the future."


    "Sounds about right, so, where the loose lips of the attendants come into play?" Beth asked, her full focus zeroed in on the story.


    "Was getting to that." Rex replied, continiuing "Turns out, the enourmous spider is A class. The at....."


    "WHAT???" Beth shot to her straight up, her chair falling to the ground with a ''thud'' sound, her eyes locked on him, near bulging out of her face.


    "Come on Beth, not you too." Rex sighed in defeat, shaking his head in fake dissapointment. To her credit, besides the momentary shock, Beth recovered perfectly, lifting her chair and sitting back down, as if nothing had happened. "And, then what?" she asked, waiting for the story to finish, earning a smile from Rex.


    "Well, as I was saying, she near shouted throughout the entire place regarding the fact that it was A class core I gave her. And you know I dont like crowds and new people, thus, me dissapearing in the dungeon again, come morning."


    "Dont blame the girl too much Rex. You are young and dont spend much time around other adventurers, but A rank''s, or those that can kill A ranked monsters, are rare and held in high regard. Often more so than nobles. Can you blame a young girl, for that is who I think the girl was, to make a blunder facing a true monster for the first time in her life, and in such an unexpected manner?" Beth explained. well aware of Rex''s rather lacking common sense in such matters. And as she did so, Rex was already devouring the food in front of him. Onc eshe was done speaking and Rex mouth was empty, he replied.


    "Dont blame the girl too much. Does not mean I can''t complain, now does it? That the reason I am making myself scarce in the morning." he then added, not a shred of guilt displayed on his face "Sorry for the heat you are gonna get."


    "Sorrt my ass." Beth snorted, obvious to the lack of said guilt. "Dont worry, I will just charge you extra for that." she added, an evil smirk on her face.


    "Damn. Have I mentioned I love you." Rex replied, having already finished his meal and placing a few coins on the table. "Can you make me breakfast tommorow as ussual, though a couple hours earlier? Want to skip town nice and early."


    "With the amounts you pay me? Abso- fucking- lutely." she grinned, pocketing the coins placed on the table.


    With that arranged, Rex left, returning to his room, prepearing for the coming delve. Who knows, he might just have to skip town alltogether sooner than he thought. Maybee another country would be a perfect place to visit, in case far too many flies start to swarm him an get too annoying. Whatever was going to happen, Rex would deal with it when the time comes, more interested in his own goals and ways to achieve them. Monarchy of Sol was a rather small, backwater country, as far as the continent was concerned, and while A rank adventurers were a big deal everywhere, they were not nearly as much so in some of the larger empires. Sure, everyone with connections and in high places would be aware of your existance, collecting info on you, but it would not become as troublesome as it could potentially be come here. Still, while he was not annoyed overly much, Rex would stick around for the time being.


    First and main of the reasons for such a decision was somewhat silly, truth be told, though heartwarming at the same time. The reason being- his limited mobility. he had spent almost a month, traveling from Vixiera to the capital. If he were to travel further still, how much time he would need to return, in case Light''s Oak, or Luna broke their medalions, calling for his help? So, he first needed to aquire a much better and faster mode of transportation. And, what better choice than aerial transport in a world as wast as this. And so, during his trips through the city, he had visited more than one book shop, looking for encyclopedias on flying creatures, their habitats and what not. Unfortunately, he had aquired little in regards to his current search. Sure, there were more than one giant flying bird, living in the vast world outside the dungeons, but each and every one''s habitat was far off in distant lands, creating more trouble than worth to hunt them down. And Rex was stil working on recovering and strenghtening his soul. To enslave the monster to his will he would need to brand it, and as such, a much stronger soul was a must.


    The remaining of his day and early part of the night passed by peacefully. He meditated, expanded his space storage and cleared his mind in preperation of his next dive. Using his sharp mind and incredible memory, he plotted the best course he could to reach the buss tarantulas as soon as possible. Since he had learned he could take them on, and because of the awesome feeling when felling them, he wanted to get to the grind as soon as possible. The fact that their cores went for a gold piece a pop, and that they sometimes could drop monster crystals, not to be mistaken with Empowerment crystals, was just an added bonus.


    He soon descended the stairs, arriving in a deserted mess hall of sorts, and saw a lone helper of Beth yawning behind the counter. Due to Rex''s steps creating a light sound, she looked up in his dirrection, with half lidded eyes, only to immediatly shot straight up moments later when she realized who was coming down, moment later to dissapear in the kitchen. And soon, the same young girl sauntered out, her hands filled with trays of prepeared food, walking towards the table Rex sat at, soon followed by a couple other girls, the small procesion finished with Beth herself, holding two lareg trays loaded with roasted meat.


    "Ho, ho ho." She jubilantly laughed "You went and stirred up the hornets nest, did you know?" and seeing Rex roll his eyes continiued "The adventurer girls staying here gossiped like crazy as they returned. Turns out the new solo guy might be an A ranked adventurer. Think the guy staying here might be him? So on and so forth. How did you manage to sneak around to never expose the fact that that solo hunter lived here, I will never understand."


    "Heh" Rex smirked, licking his lips as the first of the meal trays landed in front of him "Trade secrets. Though I do have a solid suggestion for you. In case anyone asks either you or your girls, make sure they pay you for the trouble, and then speak freely abut me lodging here. Who knows, you might just up your prices for the time being. Might as well earn at the expense of the powerfull and influential scrambling to get on my good sides, or solicit my services."


    "My, how nice of you. A true heart of gold." Beth laughed, clearly amused by his proposition. "Well, I suppose there is nothing wrong with pitifull ol'' me earning some extra coin for all that trouble you will bring on me."


    "Indeed there is not." Rex replied in between bites, devouring the food presented, the little helpers of Beth still coming and going, delivering extra plates with salivating food.


    "How long you plan to be out? Same as ussual?" Beth suddenly asked, her tone more serious.


    "Mhm." Rex nodded, replying in between bites "Cant stay there for much longer at the current time, not without extra set of eyes for the moments of rest. Too risky otherwise."


    "Good that you know your limits. You are a good fellow Rex. Would hate to see you burn out of devoured, either by the dungeon, or the shitty politics and backroom deals of the blue bloods." Beth replied, a hurtfull look in her eyes, clearly she had seen such a fate personally. Rex even noticed a lone tear creeping up the corner of her eye at the painfull memory, though she quickly brushed it off, no doubt smoldering it and showing back deep down, hopefull to never see it resurface.


    "Well, time for me to hit the sack as well. The morning rush is coming soon and I need to be as rested for that as I can be. The girls will clean up after you are done." She spoke, the start of the sentence slightly coarse, though it quickly returned to her ussual sound and demeanor.


    "Thanks Beth." Rex thanked and pulled out another coin, handing it to her "Keep your stocks full, will you. I will, no doubt, be a starving beast once I am back. And buys something nic for your girls. As thanks for the hard work."


    "Aye, but dont spoil them too much. The worlds a harsh place. They better not forget that." she smiled in return, pocketing the gold coin.

 Chapter 42. The swarm of flies.

    After a hearty breakfast, the size and proportions of a feast for some, and with plenty of compliments to the chef expressed, Rex left the inn, taking on teh ussual shady adventurer getup- cloaked and a hood hiding his features. Using his mana pulse, noting any suspicious entity snooping around, he did as well as he have always done, some minutes later exiting from some random alleyway, nowhere near Beth''s Hearth. If anyone had to guess from Rex''s appearance in this particular location, they would logically assume two or three other inn''s as his lodging place. With the slight subterfuge performed, he was on his way towards the path of the skitterer, locked in on his coming grind session.


    As he aproached the gate, he noticed two, unfamiliar huards manning the position he was used to seeing Ivan and Jake in. Logically speaking, either their shif started an hour or two later, or someone was already trying to make some moves. Luckaly for Rex, he did not give a fuck, nor could the guards do anything to intercept him. That did not mean they could not try their luck though. As evident by the slightly akward movement towards him one of the guards was attempting to make.


    "Sir, If you could.." he started, though was quickly interrupted by a growl like sound, coming from Rex, startling the man and causing him to step back.


    "Just Dont." half whisper, half growl left Rex throat, causing the hair on the necks of the guards to stand, the warning clear as day. With the two guards frozen in place due to either fear of him, or the possible consequences should they try to pester him, Rex walked over to scan his ID, and, once that was done, walked further, dissapearing into the tunnel leading down in the dungeon''s depths.


    "Fuuuck." gasped one of the guards, slumping to his feet, his jaw clattering as if he was cold beyond reason. "The hell was that?" he asked, his jaw still clattering. The other, in a slightly better state, noticable by his still standing figure, shivered visably. "That, my young friend, was pure and uncontrolled bloodlust. And judging from the intensity, we have a true A rank on our hands."


    A comfortable silence, save for the clattering of ones jaw, took over the gate, only descending into complete silence a few minutes later. A couple minutes later still, the guard who had fared worse of the two, asked "So, are we getting punished for our failure?" slight aprehension in his voice.


    "Nope. Not with the info we just learned. Best thing the bosses can do is ask Ivan nicely to pass along the invitation. Guys like him" the older guard pointed his thumb towards the tunnel entrance, clearly meaning Rex "dont like to be pestered. And while young, he clearly must have lived on his own, one way or another. Such life makes em like that. Then again, earn his respect and friendship, with no underhanded or sleazy means, and damn, that kind of men are the best to have your back." A few minutes later still, the same guard added "And boy, does the kid have potential. If he is at this point right now? Ufff, I predict peak rank A class easily." With that, the place descended in a peacefull silence once more, each of the guards thinking their own thoughts, not willing to disturb the other. Their task was done, one way or another.


    Rex had chosen the response he did for several reasons, one of the more prominent being that one of the guards, the older one, radiated combat experience. Even as idle as he had been before he started his move, he had little to none holes in his defence. And the moment of hesitation, while seemingly due to nervousness or the like, was a calculated move, clearly ment to lower his guard to earn a beter position for their coming interaction. And so, Rex responded with sharp and controlled agression, though in a manner that conveyed his intention clearly, perfectly understandable for a war veteran like the man he was dealing with. And at the same time, he established a certain character to be percieved. IF the veteran was as good as Rex felt he was, at least the military part of the city would steer clear of him, assuming no ego maniac fool was in charge.


    And so, having stepped his foot in the tunnel, teeming with all kinds of monsters the deeper he delved, Rex proceeded to speed run the early part of the dungeon, blasting straight towards the habitat of the buss tarantulas, as he nicknamed the buss sized, burrow digging tarantula like spiders. As he proceeded onwards, his sword in one hand, slicing monster after monster, all the while using his left hand, equiped with his new blood shield, swating creatures getting in his way aside, opening them for a sword strike, larger and larger smile crept on his face that sometimes got stained with fresh blood, only moments later, the foreign liquid crawling along his neck, then arm, untill it fused into either the shield or his sword. It was time to grind.


    -------------------------------


    "So? Report soldier." spoke the man, short gray hair and small moustache coverign his face, sitting behind his desk that was covered in all sorts of reports and missives, awaiting for the soldier in front of him to speak.


    "As you have been informed, the man in question entered teh path of the skitterer in the early hours of the morning, before the supposed ussual time he would do so, not encountering the two ladies supposed to greet him."


    "Yes, yes. I know that already!" grumbled the older gentleman, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "Tell me what is so important that you asked to see me so urgently?"


    "I would advise to stop any attempts to honeypot the man in question. It might spectacularily backfire."


    "Ellaborate commander Felix."


    "Yes sir. While incredibly young, barely a grown man, he posessed a bloodlust even I could not dare to boast, as well as a perfect controll over it. Recruit Famos, who was with me at the gate, was paralyzed with fear, his teeth clattering for few mintes after the man had left."


    "Oh." the general replied, his face stiff. "Damn, good thing those pretty ladies were not there yet. We might have dodged an arrow there."


    "A poisoned one at that. Yes." continiued Felix.


    "So, your proposal then? I doubt you would have come without one." the general asked.


    "Yes, indeed. I would advise, as I did beforehand, have the guard, Ivan, pass along our desire to be on friendly terms. Nothing more. If this Rex, is not inclined at the moment the message is passed, do not force the issue. He is an adventurer first and dangerous man if pushed secondly. Neither would respond well to force or coersion." Felix spoke.


    "So, we play the long game. Is that what you are saying?"


    "Yes Zirion, thats exactly what I would suggest." commander Felix replied with a serious expression on his face.


    "So be it. Pass along the order. No one is to contact the man besides the message guard Ivan is to pass along. We stand by and wait."


    "Yes sir." replied Felix, turning around and leaving after saluting the general, Zirion Mardian- Lord commander of Solendiel defence force.


    -----------------------------


    It was close to evening of the day when Rex had departed towards his latest dungeon delve. Beth was, as ussual, happily humming a song of the darven people, bussying herself with cleaning the mugs, hanging behind the bar in the large room, serving as both diner and hall at the same time, much like in those mediaval taverns, the stairs to the second and third floor off to the side of her and the counter. A creaking of the door, followed by a melodious chime, indicated that yet another possible guest, guests, or a simple passerby, have entered the building, earning a glance their way from Beth. As she noticed the new arrivals, a slight smile creeped on her face. ''Yet another pouch of coins, delivering itself to my doorstep.'' she thought, the smile remaining on her face.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The trio, two men, clad in silver-gray armour, a kite shield on their back, a sword attached to their hip and the helmet in their other hand, pressed againt their side. Cleanly shaved and groomed faces, with angular shapes and stern, somewhat haughty attitude as they glanced around, clearly looking for someone. The third person, standing in the middle, was a rather beautifull young lady, clad in leather armour, embroidered with golden threads and an obvious heraldry on her chest, no doubt the same heraldry could be seen on the face of teh shields the two knigts had on their backs. Fair skin, heart shaped face, alluring, slightly pursed lips, raven black, shoulder lenght hair and emerald green eyes that took in the modest, yet well kept interior of Beth''s tavern. Noticing her behind the bar counter, doing her thing, the trio walked over, just moments later finding themselves before Beth.


    "Welcome to Beth''s Hearth. How may I help you?" she asked, the same light smile on her face when meeting a potential customer. She was ninety nine percent sure that these nobles would not ''debase'' themselves and stay at a common inn, not when their own estates were just an hour or so away. Did not mean she would act foolishly, not more so than expected from a crafty innkeeper that is.


    "Have you seen this man?" the lady asked, placing a sketch of a person on the table, turning Beth''s attention towards it. Beth looked at the sketch for a while, finding it to be quite a good drawing of Rex, much better than the rest she had seen today, and she had seen her fair share of those ever since morning. She then glanced back towarsd the lady, a silence in between them. Then, as if asking ''You know inkeepers dont speak for free, right?'' rose an eyebrow, untill, a small pouch of gold fell on the table, courtesy of the noble lady.


    "Not bad." she replied, continiuing "I have to say, out of all the portraits of Rex I have seen today, yours is the one closest to the real thing. You have my praise." Clearly, her response was what the trio had been hoping for for quite a while, their gazes locked on Beth, waiting for her to continiue. She quickly opened the small pouch, estimating her profit, smiled, noticing the fair number of silver coins and spoke further.


    "I wil tell you the same thing I told the rest. Yes, he stays here. No, he is not in at the moment. Left on another one of his delves, Will be back probably in..." she started to count on fingers, calculating the expected lenght of Rex''s dive "In two or three days. He left this morning and ussually stays out for around three days. Thats all I can tell you about his current whereabouts. As for how deep he might be? I would bet my lilly ass he must be rushing towards those new monsters he discovered down there. Anything else I can help you with?" she added at the end, rather sure that was all the nobles in front of her wanted.


    "How many others?" the lady asked, her voice gentle yet authorative, though not in a forcefull manner.


    "At least half a dozen. Likely a bit more. My apologies, lady. Did not keep a precice count." Beth inclined her head in a slight bow, indicating she was indeed slightly apologetic about her inability to answer with a precise number, though not inclined to lie. She could have acted differently, more scared and subservient, as most others no doubt did, but, she had two advantages others did not. Firstly, Rex was staying in her place, thus the info she provided was valuable. Secondly, Rex had advised her to do so, and he liked the dwarven lady quite a bit, giving her an extra injection of courage, a small medalion around her neck the proof of Rex''s protection. Her rather brave front did not go unnoticed, one of the knights almost glaring at her, though did not act out in front of the woman.


    "Understood. Have a nice day." the lady replied, signaling to the knights, turning around and walking off, the two tin cans following right behind her, leaving Beth on her own as she waved goobye to the trio. ''A profitable day indeed.'' Beth smiled, returning to her precious task, polishing the mugs once more.


    "My lady, that commoner was out of line. We should teach her some manners." the irritated knight spoke once they had left the inn, clearly upset about Beth;s light hearted attitude, even if she showed them enough respect, at least as far a dwarf was concerned.


    "Have you ever seen a dwarven woman, an owner of her own business, to act like a fool?" the lady scolded the knight "I would bet that the A ranker, this Rex, is backing her. No way would she act as she did otherwise. There is no noble family who would want to start a feud with an A ranker, especially when there is no reason to do so."


    "But, my lady. She was out of line. A proper peasant should kneel and happily answer any question someone of noble birth like you would ask."


    "I said enough!" the lady raised her voice, no longer sounding gentle. Now, the demeanor of a ruler, one willing to act with brutality and force, came to the forefront. "Neither is she a human, nor a subject of ours. You will stand down. That is an order. Unless, of course, you want to try your luck in a duel to the death against an A ranker?"


    "U-understood, my lady." The alternative was not something the disgruntled knight was willing to try, well aware of the short, and undoubtedly painfull end he would experience in such a case.


    "Still, it is slightly disconcerning. The number of other noble houses chasing after this new A ranker indicates that someone behind the scenes has started moving. I must inform father. Storm might be rising on the horizon."


    Unbeknownst to Rex, numerous players in the capital had started moving their pieces, every player greedy to aquire the new and shiny one that had appeared on the board, all because of him. And Rex, well, he was, as expected, dismembering yet another buss tarantula, the poor monster still alive for a while longer. Grinning as he collected not only the monsters core but also the crystal it dropped, the third of those Rex had aquired today, he moved onwards, happy at the progress he was making, not one iota worried about the things happening in the capital. Right now, he was far too absorbed in the bliss of the grind, and he still had a couple days of such pleasant time.


    -------------------------------


    "Muaaaaa" Rex yawned, his hands stretching to both sides as he basked in the warm sun of the early morning. He had just exited the tunnel, his three day delve finaly over, a satisfied smile adorning his face and a pleasant exaustion taking over his body. In the sight of his eyes, the now familiar gate stood, inviting him to pass through and get both a hearthy meal and a well deserved rest after such bussy schedule. The slight smile adorning his face dropped the moment he used a mana pulse, an action he did on reflex ever now and then, scanning for any possible hidden danger in his vicinity.


    As he slowly walked forward, the gate nearing ever closer to him, he noticed a relaxed Ivan, slumped against his ussual spot, seemingly oblivious to all of worlds problems, only his grip on the weapon, and unmoving frame, the light movement of his chest, indication of the mans breathing, not including, betraying his focused state, clearly listening in on any sound coming from the tunnel Rex had just left. And indeed, as Rex walked few meters further, the old man''s head turned in his dirrection, eyes popping open and locking on Rex. Then, aware that the aproaching entity was not a monster, indicating a monster flood, he returned to his previous state.


    "Went and stirred the hornets nest, you did." Ivan spoke, still maintaining his previous position, as Rex walked through the gates, scanning his ID, indicating his return.


    "Got the message and then went and pestered you, did they?" Rex asked, a slight smirk on his face.


    "Tch. What''tcha think?" the old man scoffed back, then sighed. "Sure did. Good thing I am O so understanding and kind." then he snickered "Bad thing I am old and senile fool, close to his last breath, ready to fall over at any moment. Say kid, wanna do an old man some kindness?"


    "Depends. Got some loand sharks bullying your granddaughter? I can take care of those. And well, if she decides to thank me passionatly, who am I to deny such heartfelt thanks." Rex snickered as he shot back, yawning afterwards once again.


    "You sound tired, more so than ussual kid."


    "Well, you try spending three days hunting A ranked monsters, spending rare few hours on minimal rest. See how much better you fare. Say, how many dumb fucks you aware off, scouting the gate, probably waiting for my return."


    "A dozen? Maybee two? Depends if all those second rate noble families sent their people to try and kiss up to you." Ivan noted, remaining in his place.


    "Wonderfull. Seems like every fly in the capital has smelled the fresh dung. So? What did your side wanted to convey? Can do atleast that much. Hope they paid you extra for that." Rex sighed, his attention on Ivan.


    "Same old same old. ''If his exelency would be so kind, bla bla bla. Visit the military branch, bla bla bla. Maybee some future cooperation. Bla bla bla.'' You get the gist kid, dont ya? I assume everyone coming to you will speak the same bullshit."


    "Yea, I fugured." Rex sighed. "Well, might consider, as long as they dont annoy me first. I would guess for at least a month or so I will be particularily irritable." Rex then turned to Jake, the son in law of Ivan "Jake, feel free to forward that part to those superiors of yours." His intention clear- dont bother me for teh coming moth at the very least.


    "Will do. Thank you." Replied Jake, not cearly as relaxed and nonchallant as Ivan. He was far too young to have caugh ''I dont give a shit'' bug.

 Chapter 43. A rankers arrogance.

    With the message both recieved, and his own passed along, as well as their ussual banter concluded, Rex left both Ivan and Jake to their devices, quite in the mood for some hearty meal and some proper rest. It was a damn travesty he could not utilize Drain as he would like to, refreshing his own physical and mental stamina indefinetly, though he supposed beggars could not be chosers, and as such, he had to play with the cards he was dealt. Not to mention, he still wanted to find a decent party , soemthing that would now be a much simpler, and a much more difficult task at the same time. He was quite sure that as soon as he reaches the adventurers guild, there will be a personal request from the branch manager to have a short talk, a part of its contents also obviously clear. And it was precisely the reason Rex refused to go there right now. No sir, he would stuff his stomach fool first and have a well deserved rest afterwards, only considering the guild after the two tasks set in stone. If, he could avoid any of the flies buzzing around, well, that would be an extra bonus.


    And so, well aware of the snooping fools, and quite interested to track their mobement, he used mana sonar every ten or so seconds, registering the movement of a couple dozen people, scurrying towards the sky gondola, frantically doing their best to return to the main islands and inform their respective bosses of Rex''s emergence, leaving the otehr person fof their two man cells to track his movements. They needed to know where Rex was headed to after all. How else could their masters reach him in a timely manner, lest some other, faster nobles manage to sway him to their cause. What if one of their rivals managed to do so? A tragedy, trully.


    Not one bit sympathetic towards the plight of the poor and desperate noble families, Rex sticked to his plan, reaching the sky gondola in a timely manner, not rushing, nor intentionally slowing himself down. Due to his constant mana pulses, he was well aware that the guys staying behind were already on the main island, having taken the gondola before him, waiting for his ascent to the same place. Smart move, then again, not like Rex had a choice in the matter, only a single line of gondolas connecting this gate location with the main island only. As such no genius action had been demanded from the trackers, or whatever they were supposed to be. Then again, Rex''s path was not obstructed in any way and as such, taking the gondola up, he simply continiued on his merry way, soon enough reaching Beth''s Hearth.


    As he entered, and noticing Beth handling small tasks, a few of the regular adventurer ladies relaxing and having a drink after their own, succesfull dives in some other dungeon part, he jovially exclaimed, his gaze locked on Beth "HONEY, I''M HOME!" promptly dodging a mug that was in Beth? hand just moment ago, flunk towards his head.


    "I will show ya Honey!" she scoffed, a smirk of her own adorning her face "Had fun in the dungeon, ya rascal?"


    "You bet." Rex replied, a grind on his face, followed by a large yawn."Got anything ready? Would love something to eat before I get some well deserved sleep." Rex added, out of teh corner of teh eye noticing a face he had not yet seen in the inn, though he gave it no heed. While quite young, and rather scrawny, the girl he noticed seemed grown up enough. If he was asked to describe her, he would classify her as an average looking young peasant girl, just having reached adulthud, hoping to find her fortunes in the capital, or as an adventurer, or perhaps both. There were plenty such hopefulls, their dreams eventually mercilesy crushed by reality.


    He found an empty table, nicely located in a corner, decorated with a small sign ''Reserved'', courtesy of Beth, as he had dirrected Rex towadrs it with her thumb, ordering her young helpers at the same time. And, nearly as soon as he sat down, plate after plate of roasted meat, a few bowls of salad and some other side dishes were placed on his table, the young girls of Beth doing it all with smiles on their faces, eachand every one wearing a new and rather cute dress, likely the small gifts they earned from Rex''s generous payments.


    As Rex was enjoying his meal, the scrawny girl he had noticed earlier, quietly rose from her seat in the corner, moved closer to his table, and then, to his suprise, kneeled, and took a dogeza postion, her forehead touching the floor. She said nothing else in the meantime, allowing Rex to continiue to eat his meal. And while he noticed the odd behaviour, he had no reference point to base the action in this world, as such, he happily coniniued with is meal, slightly interested in whatever the girl was trying to achieve. And, while he was slightly interested, it did not mean he would be swayed by the result. Though, he would, at thevery least listen to the girl, should she herself had something to say. As far as he was concerned, teh girl was doing something rather humiliating to herself, all to earn his attention, while maintaining some dignity at the same time.


    The action was humiliating, since to prostrate one self in such a manner would indeed be shamefull, yet at teh same time, it maintained ones dignity, showing she was not willing to stoop so low as to whore herself out, at the very least at the given moment. A somewhat of a paradox, at least in Rex''s opinion, but he did not have to make sense to others with his own musings. The girl remainded there for some thirty minutes, thetime it took Rex to finish his meal, look to Beth and ask her to explain at least soemthing regarding the situation he found himself in. Luckaly, she was both willing and able to at least somewhat explain.


    "Raise your head girl." Beth started, slightly wincing as she looked at the girl. Beth was the one most knowledgable about just how uncomfortable kneeling on her hard wood floors was, but the girl did not move, at least not untill Rex spoke as well. "Do as you are told." And, at his command, she rose, wincing, clearly in pain from the action. With the girl, moments later seated across from Rex, BEth continued.


    "The girl is a daughter of a village chief a week travel from here. Been in the city for aproximately a week as well. Came here to place a quest in the guild. Bandits apparently are raiding their area, but the local lord des not seem to care. Unfortunately, there seems to be an ex adventurer among the bandit ranks, C ranker at that, or so they talk."


    "I am guessing the reward was too low for anyone of teh apropriate rank to even consider taking it on?" Rex asked, quite sure of the fact.


    "Straight on the nose. So, the girl? been looing for someone, anyone who would take the job on."


    "No luck so far I bet." Rex added as well, earning a weak ''no'' and a sad, near desperate shake of her head. "So, she overheard of an A ranker, and so, she is here?"


    "Well, thats about it, yes." Beth finalized "Shes been here for two days, not leaving the inn, offering to wash dishes or anything else she can to be allowed to say here. All to beg your assistance."


    "Out of curiosity, how did you plan to request my services, if even the guild deemed the reward too meager for the quest to be posted, based on the danger level of it. Sure, this little action was impressive enough to earn the right to speak, but then what? Seeing you, I doubt there would not be an adventurer or two, willing to do the job, were you to offer to entertain them. And yet, you have not done so."


    "I was promised as a sister to one of the churches and my three years of service starts next season. I must remain pure untill said service ends." the girl spoke in a weak voice "And, while I would gladly offer my body, if it meant the salvation of my home, family and friends, I cannot do so, for I have been promised into said service. I cannot make my parents, sinners in the eyes of our lord, as much as it pains me."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "That explains that question. So, the other?" Rex asked, and seeing the girl hesitate, added "Go on. Speak. It cannot get any worse for you."


    "I, I.." she hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, her voice quiet and unsure still "I though someone as powerfull as you would care little for the meager money we could offer , and might be willing to assist out of boredom, or compasion for the little people, struggling for their lives."


    Rex just stared at her for a moment, using mana pulses every ten seconds or so still, sensing several groups of people aproaching. The flies had finally arrived, but that was of little matter right now.


    "Ha, ha. HA ha ha ha." he started laughing loudly, quite amused by the rather simple and foolish, yet brilliant reasoning of the girl, startling her in the process and earning a raised brow from Beth, who failed to understand his reason for laughing. Rex stopped just moment before the flies entered the building, not interested in listening in either pompous fools, assuming they mattered, or slimy snakes, whispering sweet nothings into his ear, trying their best to milk him for all he is worth, white giving nothing of substance in return.


    "Give the girl a room. My treat." Rex spoke to Beth, his tone light, a request of his, yawning in the process. "We set out tommorow, might be forced to deal with a few flies before departure unfortunately. Not now though. I need the rest first, and visit the guild after." He finished, rising to his feet and rubbing his neck. As he did so, the procession of annoyances, each group led by incredibly well dressed ladies, or elder gentlemen, or so the men no doubt dubbed themselves, too acompanied by an eye candy or two, each trying their best to catch Rex attention. And yetm no matter how nicely and revealing the women were dressed, not one of them had the fair skin of a true lady, no doubt servants or courtesans raised for similar purposes, to use their bodies to please existant or possible future assets of their lording house. And sure, none of them were slaves, but they had families, either indebted or under the noble houses thumb, making them barely better than actual slaves.


    There was a single woman though, flanked by a knight one either side, who did not fit in with the rest, clearly her leather armour indicated military training and the way she carried herself doubled down on Rex''s assumption. Beth, teh crafty woman that she was, noticed Rex''s locked gaze, iven if it was for only a few moments and whispered in his ear, standing close enough to him. "She came with quite the complimentary portrait of you. Much better than any other I had seen."


    "Mhm." Rex hummed, notifying he had heard and noted down the fact, yawning afterward yet another time. them covered his eyes with his palm and massaged his temples. ''Now, how should I get rid of them as soon as possible.'' he thought as the bunvh of bootlickers reached him, clearly the only male and person present who had absolutely no regard for their attires, or teh heralds they carried. Only those with A rank might could ever be so unphased or rude for that matter. No other A ranker, they could employ would be willing to risk their own health, fighting with an unknown monster after all, most likely emboldening the man before them even more.


    And, while seemingly chaotic and unorganized, Rex could sense some unspoken order to the aproaching group. Six groups were slightly more ahead of the others, no doubt the power and hierarchy of the nobility at play, then further back, another six smaller groups, closing the proseesion wit hanother eight, two people pairs, either a man and a woman, or two women. Whatever the parir, or group for that matter, all exept for one had at least one eyes candy, rising in numbers the further to the front said group was. There was so much people, that only the first group, six noble families, could fit in the relatively empty inn''s first floor.


    And yet, as the first of the words could leave the dignitary mouths, a chilling presence settled in the room, clearly aimed towards the nobles and their entourages.


    "I dont care.Three days hunting A rank monsters. I need sleep. Get lost and coem back in the morning and MAYBEE, JUST MAYBEE, I might listen. And dont bring your whores or possies with you, clogging Beth''s inn for no reason." he grumbled, as his eyes pierced every noble in front of him, though his voice was loud enough tha teven those outside could hear his message, loud and clear. The fact that his piercing gaze locked on all, but the leather armor clad noble lady, as he said those words, was missed by everyone, but said woman, a slight, near imperceptable smile appearing on her lips. She was the firts one to act on Rex''s words though, with a single gesture ordering her two knights to follow suit and left the inn''s premises. The small, barely perceptible smile on her face widening as they walked further and further away, heading to the carriage awaiting their return.


    And unlike the first time, when one of her knights complained, clearly offended oin her stead, the two were silent as a graveyard in the middle of the night. And only when they were inside the carriage, did one of them asked a question, seeing the large smile on her face. "Your highness, you seem in a particularily good mood. Why is that so?"


    At the sudden question, her hand rose to her face, touching the clearly smiling lips of hers, only moments later for her to respond with a shuddering breath "I want him. I NEED him. He is a born warrior, and that presence." she shuddred, clearly recalling what they all felt "Its even more refined that grand uncles."


    She did not speak any further, nor she needed to. The task that was entrusted to her two attendants was clear. One of them would visit the city''s military as soon as they return, inquiring about their success, since both sides, at the end of the day, moved with the interest of the same entity- the royal family of the Monarchy of Sol. The other knight, would move on to report the details of the short meeting they had with Rex. Evelyandra, or Eve as her parents and older siblings would sometimes call her, ahd to prepeare for the meeting in teh morning. Her first gamble, of not bringing any eye candy had paid off, earning some recognition of the A ranker, and he was defiently that. The aura he exuded was a dead giveaway, but the silent might he radiated, something she was born with and could instinctively tell, screamed the fact as well.


    With Evelyandra being the first to leave, and Rex rather persuasive aproach, the rest, not willing to either offend the royal family, or experience the wrath of an A ranker, quickly dispersed as well, leavign Beth''s inn nice and quiet once again.


    "I will need some extra renumeration for all the trouble you bring." Beth spoke moments before Rex ascended the stairs, earning a sligth groan, followed by a single "Tommorow after the guild" as he continiued his ascent, only the bed in his mind. And while Rex''s groan might seem like some sort of sign of displeasure, the two of them kew better. Rex was quite pleased with the chill demeanor the dwarven woman maintained, even after learning he was an A ranker. Such an attitude was rare, and he would cherish it all the more precisely becasue of that. That was how it should be, Rex thought, reaching the bath, having a quick one and then dissapearing in hi sroom, for the first time in ages, foregoing the ritual he had been immersed himself every evening within civilised lads where he was not in danger of imminent combat, namely his space storage expansion.


    Rex had set up plenty of safety measures within the room, ensuring he could both meditate, immersing himself deep in contemplating the concepts and shutting his mind off entirely whenever he rested, as such, it was no wonder he woke up naturaly, not a single fool havign tried their luck in pissing him royaly off. With an enourmous yawn, he slowly rose from the bed, stretching as he did so, movign towards the closed and covered window. Peeking through, he noticed slowly rising sun, indicating the coming new day. ''Some fourteen hours. As expected.'' Rex calculated the lenght of his sleep, not at all suprised by the result. He had pushed himself quite hard, resulting in something akin to growth spurts, his passively drained improvements barely taking place during the delve itself, manifesting properly after a proper rest during which his body coudl adapt to the changes. Yet another, anourmous meal awaited him, all the calories he had burned during this metamorphosis in need of replacement.


    "Rise and shine sleepyhead! The ussual?" Rex was greeted by a cheerfull Beth, as he descended the stairs, still stretching his arms as he smacked his mouth.


    "You even have to ask?" he glanced at her with a knowing look. The had gotten rather familar over the last few weeks after all.''Right, might as well collect the money from the auction. That message arrived shortly before I departed for this delve as well.'' Rex reminded himself. He was going to the guild anyways. Might as well do both, sicne he was quite sure that the branch guildmaster would want to have a few words with him as well, doubly so after he turns in his spoils for this delve. Actually, might even avoid yet another gasp of suprise from a stunned attendant.

 Chapter 44. Honeyed words. Part 1.

    With his breakfast done, Rex was well on his way the adventurres guild, the early morning streets of the city pleasantly empty of people, and thus, no annoying nobles were anywhere in sight. Untill, that is he noticed am aproaching carriage, that stopped rather close to him, its door opening and a recognizable face, called to him from inside. "We could bring you whereever it is you are going. Save some time for both of us?"


    "Fine, might as well." Rex sighed "At least you are the one I am least annoyed of seeing. Small mercies." A small, uncomfortable smile crept on her face, still awaiting Rex in the carriage, and so, he got in, taking the opposite seat of her, one of her knights having exited teh carriage just moments before, the other actually serving as the coachman. "The nearest adventurer''s guild building." Rex added, with Evelysandra forwarding Rex''s destination to her guards, who started to move towards his desired dirrection.


    "So, I am all ears." Rex added, his gaze locked on the woman in front of him.


    "As you might have guessed, my family would like to establish quite close ties with you. We would provide financial aid, help you aquire anything that you desire, equipment wise and anything else. In return,..."


    "You see. Before you continiue, let me save us both time, and you breath. I found you interesting, purely because you deemed it correct to not annoy me with some cheap courtesans and the normal nobility bullshit. Dont make the same mistake any of them would here. Do you trully think that whatever material things you can offer to aquire or provide, matters to me at all? Or that I cannot aquire them in a timely manner?." Rex stuck his hand in a pocket, withdrawing a simple ring from it, put it on and then, as if using a space storage artifact, withdrew one of the bags he had loaded with A rank creature cores he had aquired during his last delve. "Every single core inside is A rank. How much do you think this would fetch me? And that, is only a part of the cores I aquired during my last, three day delve. What is money to me with such wealth generating power? And besides, do you trully think the adventurers guild would not offer the same for me to show their expeditions and the like some preferances?" The realization dawned on Eve''s face more and more, now properly understanding just how extraordinary Rex trully was.


    "Then, how about right to delve in dungeons that only the royal family of Sol has knowledge and access to?" she asked, deciding on another aproach, something only they could offer.


    "See, that is more like it, though I am not all that interested in diving the dungeons non stop. The outsdie world is wast, and just begging to be explored. It would be a shame if I were to hole myself inside a dungeon or two, even if I quite enjoy the process as is."


    Eve bit her lip, considering the next possible offer, and while not entirely willing, she felt it was needed to go there. "We have some Empowerment crystals to offer as well. While they would have less of an effect on you, they would still help you reach ever higher state."


    "Someone''s pulling all the stops." Rex chuckled. "But no, they hold no interest for me." His words caused Eve to stare at him increduously, not believing his words. They were talking about Empowerment crystals here. Everyone wanted those. "The one just auctioned. You no doubt heard of it?" Rex asked, and recieving her nod, he added "I was the one who put it up for auction. Why would I do it if I wanted to consume it myself?" and sensing that they were almost at the destination, he sighed.


    "I will keep that offer to access those special dungeons of yours in mind. If a particularily nasty quest or something of the like pops up, contact me through the adventurers guild. I will at least listen, if I am close enough. That is the best I can offer right now." He stashed back the satchel with the monster cores and slowly left the carriage, leaving behind a thoughtfull young lady.


    "Your highness?" one of the knights asked, watchng her thoughtfull expression.


    "Lets return. I guess we can call this at leat half a success." she lightly smiled, having considered the price they had paid, or the lack of it, then what they recieved in return, and that, seemed like quite the advantageous trade in the long run. To have as much as an ear of an A ranker, even if nothing else was guaranteed, was already quite the win.


    Somewhat aware of the young princess thoughts, if only in the general gist of things, for now he knew the girl was an actual royality, though still not caring all too much, he entered the guild building and instantly sensed quite a few sets of eyes locked on him. He did not even need to check for line that would be shorter than others, a single guild attendant beelining towards him near instantly. Once in fron of Rex, the young, beautifull lady bowed, a slightly more loose uniform offering an eyefull of her chest as she did so.


    "Sir, the guildmaster would like to have a word with you. If you would be so kind as to follow me." The girl was obviously nervous. Whether it was just because she was asking an A ranker to do something, or she was uncomfortable with displaying her assets more than ussual, Rex did not know, not that it mattered much, he himself was somewhat interested to use the guildmanster to get his task over with as soon as possible. No dubt those annoying nobles will have gathered by the time Rex''s returns. A nuisance for later, and so, he spoke few words, his decision clear.


    "Lead the way." and with that, the girl quickly straightened her back and with flushed face moved ahead, heading straight towards the guildmaster office, Rex following closely by. There was no way he would fall behind, their stats were undeniably worlds apart. Soon enough, the two stood in front of a relatively large, oaken like door, some animalistic patterns covering said door.


    The attendant knocked on the door once and after an old, tired voice called for them to enter, he gestured Rex to do so, remaining outside herself, clearly not meant to be a part of the conversation about to commence. She was, just a simple attendant after all. As Rex entered, his gaze locked on the two people in the center of the room for just a moment, and having recognized at least one of them, inferring the other was the supposed guildmaster, his eyes moved around, exploring everything about the office around him.


    A hardwood floor, of a similar material as the large oaken door he had just passed through, encapsulated in walls covered light tones, adorned with paintings of all manner of creatures, be it birds in the colours of the rainbow, fierce looking, fiery tigers, pouncing on their prey, prepearing to sink their fangs in the unfortunate beasts, and many others, depicitng yet other sights of nature.


    The two, elder men were calmly sitting at the table, waiting for Rex to join, both relaxedly sipping on their tea, hot steam rising from their cups, light, calming aroma permeating the room. The two were sitting on a shared sofa, one of four such pieces of furniture surrounding relatively small, yet elegant and clearly well made table. The actual work desk of the guildmaster, if this was indeed his office, stood further back in the room, covered with all manner of paper sheets, no doubt requests, reports and other documents of similar nature. Rex heavily doubted that a guildmaster, even if only one of several branch halls here in the capital, was quite bussy indeed, so it was quite the tell that he had gone so far as to create the current scenario, most likely all to recieve him.


    "Quite the spectacle you have been called to take part in, mister Riley." Rex spoke, light chuckle escaping his lips. He was at leat familiar with the man, so deemed it fine enough to make such light mannered joke.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "He he." Riley chuckled as well, replying with a sigh, clearly overplayed for a similar reason. "What can I say young man. The things I do for the guild. Even in my advanced age, I am being run ragged." He had learned quite a bit about Rex, his own information gathering teams, some of them no doubt were the women residing in Beth''s Hearth, had provided plenty of reports, speaking of Rex''s general character and mostly easy going nature, at least as far as they could infer from his interractions with Beth.


    And as Rex snickered at the old man''s take, clearly amused, Riley relaxed even more. It was important not to turn A ranker''s off, and unfortunately, each and every one of them was a rather odd personality, as if the world itself refused to provide tallent to those that comformed to teh general norms. No, like a bored kid, the world seemed to always choose particularily eccentric or damaged people as the vessels of her true potential.


    "So?" Rex''s gaze landed on the other older man who dressed in relatively simple clothing, though at a closer look he could tell it was well made. not the kind of clothes one could aquire at the local tailor''s place. Rex''s gaze turned notably sharper, his much more calm and relaxed demeanor vanishing entirely, creating silent, yet almost palpable tension in the room. A cold drop of sweat suddenly rolled down the guildmasters face, he was getting notably more nervous. He himself was no A ranker, a simple B class adventurer with a knack for management and eye for tallents, as such, it was always daunting to be in teh presence of monsters such as Rex, and if his senses did not lie to him at the moment, one of the more powerfull, if not the strongest adventurer entirely, he had ever encountered.


    "Ahem, yes. M-my apologies. I am guildmaster Aridun Zeth." he coughed in his left fist, as if clearing his throat, then spoke up. "It has come to my attention, you have discovered, and even slain some new type of monster within the dungoen, Path of the skitterer, to be precise, and, not only is the creature of A rank itself, your guild ID still has you marked as D ranked adventurer. And that, will simply not do. As such, I hoped to catch you at an apropriate time to discuss teh promotion, only to then learn of your departure for the dungeon once again. And so, here we are. What sayd you, young Rex? Would you like to try and take a test to once again rise your rank?"


    "Is there anyone actually capable of testing my fit for an A ranked adventurer ID around? And is it not a precedent to rise three ranks in one go? I seem to remember something similar when I took my first advancement test."


    "Ahemm. While, yes, no such cases had been documented in any recent history, does not mean it cannot be done. It is ones ability that speaks louder than words after all."


    "By the way, I need to exchange some monster cores. Since we are here, can you arange it to happen behind closed doors? I simply cant be bothered to deal with another loud attendant, incapable of containing thier shock." Rex asked, more than willing to get it done here and now.


    "Well, yes. That can be arranged. Should we do it here and now? It would take a few minutes for the relevnt equioment to arrive." Replied Aridun.


    "Perfect, lets do that first then, and then, we will finish our previous conversation."


    After the guild master called forth the girl standing just outside, holding a small device, powered by a monster core, she was off just as fast as she entered, soon after appearing with a trolley of sorts, mounted with one of the devices for appraising and counting monster cores, no doubt Rex''s request being rather common practice, especially for the upper echaelon of adventurers. That woudl also explain why the generic attendants were so easily suprised with high quality stuff, like the A rank monster cores he had presented. And while Riley was aware of Rex being a space mage with access to his own space storage, Rex still put on an act, making it look as if he was withdrawing the monster core bags from a spacial storage ring on his finger.


    Soon enough, two satchels were emptied into the bowl of the evaluator, the light glow of the apparatus indicating it was on and doing it''s thing. Of course, once the process was started, the girl was once again sent outside, not privy of the results of this particular haul. And while there were no exclamations of suprise or the like, teh eyes on both elder men bulged as they saw what teh machine was showing.


    "Good lord! What have you been up to? Did you save up monster cores over the duration of your stay in the capital?" The guildmaster asked, quite shaken by the sheer amount presented. He was well aware of the time Rex had spent here, making the amounts of cores of such high class monsters in his possesion staggering. He was not aware of full on A rank parties, who would bring in such hauls, not in such short time frames at least.


    "And why would I have done that? This, minus a couple cores I actually did not hand in last time, were aquired in my last delve. The biome of those buss tarantulas is quite large, and there is plenty of them to slaughter. The hardest thing is to get them to lunge out of their burrows without getting tapped or flung and plastered against a wall. I imagine that would hurt like hell."


    "Wait, those new A rank monsters are ambush hunters?" Riley asked the important question, having caught the off handed remark of Rex''s.


    "Hmm? Yes, did I not mentioned that? Huh, must have skipped my mind. Happens. So? You still think there is anyone fit to test me you can find in a reasonable amount of time? Do understand that I am, for all intent and purposes a destroyer. I dont protect or whatever. My skillset is honed with single point of focus- utter and absolute demise. You would need monsters I can freely unleash carnage upon, and I doubt you have anything like that at hand."


    After a moment of consideration, Aridun Zeth spoke up "We might have the perfect way to test your skills."


    "Hoooh?" Rex drawled his voice, rising en eyebrow at the old man''s statement, his intrigue piqued "Do tell me more."


    "There is a gondola rarely used, leading to the deepest parts a fortress has ever been established. From what I know, A rank monsters aplenty roam there. We would only have to see you actually take on a few of them and sucessfully end them to be able to convey the A rank upon you. What do you say?"


    "Lets get it over with then. I have some nobles to send packing and a gang of bandits to catch outside the capital. So we doing it or not?"


    "Yes, yes. Allow me to summon a few aides necessary for the task." Aridun Zeth quickly responded and as he did so, Riley started his own questioning.


    "Say Rex, anything the guild could assist you with?"


    "Dont bother. I dont plan on taking any long term jobs or the like from anyone at the moment. I have my own plans to follow. Nor am I good, or willing to follow some weaklings orders. And nobody would want a personality clash. You will understand why shortly."


    "Do give it some more thought? Maybee another time?" Riley added, though his voice tone indicated a request, a plea more than anything. Rex just shrugged his shoulders, letting a comfortable silence overtake the room. Rex had no desire to sit down, even after the guildmaster invited him to do so repeatedly, letting his mind wander to other things, namely the coming headache. While he was powerfull enough, and half willing to blow off all those nobles, he was well aware that such crude and arrogant, as far as the nobles would see it, blowoff would leave many offended, possibly resulting in some rather stupid decisions by them. Namely assasins or the like, sent to regain their lost, nonexistant honor, resulting in an anihilation of said assasination group, tortured untill Rex had the name of the ones ordering the hit, that would then result in a small carnage at the properties of said noble house, that in turn could spiral further and further, leaving a possible ocean of blood in his wake. And, as Rex had assured himself multiple times over this partucilar existance, he was not all that interested in such a result.


    ''Should I use either the royal family, or the guild as a scapegoat? Nah, that would give them a reasonable leverage to call in an IOU, saddling me with something bothersome and not interesting whatsoever.'' He mused, untill an interesting idea came to his mind. ''Yes, that might just work.'' With the immediate problem somewhat resolved, Rex relaxed, his mind delving into the secrets of blood, attempting to unravel the concept even further than he already had.


    A short while later, much to his joy and annoyance, there was a knock on the door, the summoned aid having arrived. In came four people, one of which Rex recognized as the attendant girl that lead him to Riley, when he wanted to auction off his Empowerment crystal. She was present at his advancement test as well, he remembered.


    "Thank you, for responding to my call so suddenly." guildmaster spoke gently "I believe this will be an opportunity to you as well. We need your assistance to witness something trully extraordinary." he continiued, then explaining the cause of their summoning, earning a rather suprised looks from the four new arrivals, their eyes glancing in Rex''s dirrection cautiosly.

 Chapter 45. Honeyed words. Part 2.

    Besides Herberta, Riley''s personal assistant, or so Rex''s had dubbed her, there were three other people here on the request of Aridun Zeth. And, as a carriage was taking them towards the only sky gondola that was strictly controlled within the city, he had enough time to inspect them, though there was little that could rouse Rex''s interest. The remaining three, after all, were men, and thus, for the life of him, Rex could not get himself to care enough to give them any of his precious time. All he needed to know, was their potential threat levels, and he had estimated that the moment he first saw them. Each and every one of them was on a similar level as Herberta, and if he had to guess, they were somewhere in the upper tiers of B rank. why else would they be asked to assist with an A ranker''s evaluation. Rex was slightly interested i nwhat manner of monster he was supposed to take on, and why would the two geezers needed these four to cover their backsides. Not like they would go anywhere near actual combat zone.


    His question was answered when, after disembarking the carriage, and passing a few checkpoints, each and every one personally cleared by Aridun, they boarded a sky gondola and descended, arriving in yet another fort like structure, though this one was many, many times more fortified than the one he had frequently passed through. Even the materials were much more sturdy and expensive, obviously. Still, he could hear some random, banging like sounds resounding in teh distance, some monster no doubt testing the durability of the forts walls.


    As Rex used his mana pulse, he noted two, rather important facts. First, there were plenty of monsters surrounding the fortress walls, each and every one of them around the power of buss tarantulas. Though, unlike the tarantulas he had fought previously, there was quite a number of these monsters that roamed either in pairs, or even in groups of up to six individual creatures. And that, well, no ordinary A ranker could contend with such numbers. A one on one with a monster of the same tier, at least at this level, was a dangerous dance, where a single misstep could result in a grievous injury, or worse, death. At least, for your general adventurer that is, though not like Rex would just go and flaunt his not yet so obvious superiority to the people present.


    The other thing he noticed however, was the response from the monsters, as there was reaction to his mana pulse, a few loud and excited roards resounded beyond the walls. ''Huh? A sensory type monsters? Now that is something I have yet to see. And to be able to percieve my mana pulse, now that is twice as impressive. Should I try and lace it with the concept of space, to eliminate even that tiny little fluctuation it creates?'' Rex mused as the small group moved deeper in the fortress, their destination only known to Aridun and maybee Riley. No matter, Rex would find out soon enough, and he was more than ready for any possible ambush, even if he did not expect one to be there. Better safe than sorry after all.


    Soon enough, they were on top of one of the fort''s walls, standing in front of a window like opening, since the wall itself reached the top of the tunnel it was built in front of, serving as a seal to keep any monster from leaving said tunnel. ''So, it is indeed a ledge this fort is built upon, once it was reached the first time and cleared of any monsters around. Must have taken an insane amount of both manpower and military might to keep whatever monsters live here at bay during the construction. Hat''s off to you, the forefathers of Monarchy of Sol. Hats off indeed.'' Rex thought as he pieced things together, looking at the numerous monsters the crystals embedded in the tunnel''s walls revealed to his eyes.


    Though, he quickly noticed the problem at hand, but he still waited for Aridun to speak. He was nice enough to do so after all. And, not long after, the man in question indeed did so, pointing towards the monsters in distance.


    "We would like you to show your prowess by dealing with some of the monsters here. I do believe you have the capability to do so after all. Would you be so kind? As soon as you do so, we will be able to update your adventurer ID to an A rank, as it should be, judging by number of A rank cores you have already turned in."


    Rex simply scoffed at that, either he was taken for a fool, or the guild master was indeed just a pencill pusher and had absolutely no understanding of the power and senses A rank monster had, and he had no problem with dissing the old man for his stupidity.


    "Fuck that. I am leaving, and if you are too stupid to understand why, dont ever plan anything at the danger level of peak B or above. Anyone who would sign off for such a task would be signing their own death warrant." he turned around and walked back towards the sky gondola they had just left. Could he, pulling out all stops and evoking some of the concept power at his fingertips, take down whatever horde of those monsters would fall upon him the moment he engaged even one of them? yes, but at what cost? He had no desire to display power beyond their comprehension, painting yet another, much more problematic target on his back, especially when he was trying to avoid as many murder hobo routes as possible.


    "Surely, there is no need for such an overreaction? Its just one or two A rank monsters we need to vitness you take care off. Surely. Surely it would not be too troublesome?" the guildmaster of the branch questioned, quite confused regarding Rex''s little outburst. It was Herberta, the one with the greatest experience among the gour B rankers, who pieced Rex''s reasoning together from what little clues she had. And at that, her eyebrows rose as her eyes slightly bulged when she understood Rex reasoning. And the fact that he did it at a single glance, was enough of a proff that he had actually taken on more than a single A ranked monster. No one else here have had the pleasure? The chance to do the same, so of course, how could they understand teh actual terror and might of those monsters. And their senses? B ranked monsters were already quite dangerous, needing a strong group to take on. So, what about A ranked ones? Whould the rest simply stand around and do nothing while there was an intruder close by, the sound of their fight coming over? Of course not, and then, like a chain of dominos, a tide of monsters would be upon this intruder, drowning him in flesh, claws, fangs and projectiles these monsters had at their disposal.


    She quickly proceeded to share her conclusions, the other three B rankers being the first to agree with her. They were no musclebrained fools, havign reached the point they had, and thus could immediatly understand the gravity of their sutuation, as well as the actual danger Rex could pose as an opponent. There were plenty of A rankers,in this wide world, born with the love of it in spades, who could actually act like muscleheads, using their heaven blessed talents to surpass obstacle after obstacle, emerging victorious at the end. And, there were plenty of them who, in their overconfidence, bit off more than they could chew, rushing headfirst into danger, and dying as a result. So, a level headed A ranker, who had a head on his shoulders was a true monster, and to have one appear in such a small kingdom as Sol, was twice as impressive.


    Understanding slowly dawned on Aridun, as Herberta explained, the other three B rankers nodding in agreement, more than happy to not have the pleasure of experiencing a veritable monster tide, crashing down on their hides, no doubt ending with their bodies being torn apart in countless pieces and devoured by the monsters present. A chill ran down their spines at the more thought of such an outcome. "Good lords! We must hurry and resolve this misunderstanding!" exclaimed Aridun, now perfectly aware of the ginormous fumble, no, the veritable sea of shit he had just dropped himself into, with no land in sight, and no paddle to waddle in any direction with.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    By the time they reached the sky gondola, Rex had already departed to topside, seemingly not the least bit interested in dealing with the fools, so inclined to die. And once back on the main island, he frantically asked the guards as to where Rex might have gone to, outright panicking at the moment. Riley, who, as a space mage, had been on a few raids back in his day, though nothing as grand as a raid that dealt with A rank monsters, just sighed, understanding Rex''s frustration and probable anger. He should have seen the issue first, scolding Aridun for his foolishness, but old age was a bitch and a half. His mind and senses no longer as sharp and acute as they used to be. All he could hope for, was that Rex did not stop his dealings with the guild entirely, though he was prepeared to hear the gloating of one of the other branch guildmasters or their aides within the capital, laughing their asses of regarding Aridun''s incompetence. The old fool was quite the savant when it came to administrative problem solving, though he was dearly lacking when it came to dealing with monsters and such. There was a reason he never get to plan or set up raids, unless he was responsible for the logistics side of one. Supply deliveries, loot redistribution and sale, and the like- those were his fields of expertise.


    --------------------


    Rex, on his way back to Beth''s Hearth, bought a snack or two, and munching calmly, went over his well thought our plan. And while it was not all that complicated, or genius in its complexity, Rex was quite pleased with his train of though, and so, soon enough he had reached hisdestination, quite a few carriages parked besides, each and every one adorned with a corresponding sigil of their noble house.


    "Haaa, more than I would have expected. Guess they simply can''t read between the lines." Rex sighed, noticing the number of carriages, then entered the inn, noticing near every table taken by some well dresed and refined gentleman, or a lady, properly dressed as one, not the supposed eye candies that were with them last night. His eyes going over the room and finding the table in the corner, the one he ussually sat at, once again with the sign ''Reserved'' on it, another one by it''s side stating ''Rex'', he moved straight towards it, smiling lightly towards Beth, who was bussy doing her own things at the bar counter, and nodded to her in thanks. Once he was seated, he sighed once again and spoke in a loud enough voice.


    "I dont have the time, or patience to listen to each and every one of you, or care for that matter, so by groups of five, and dont bother mentioning anything that the royal family can offer, be it coin or assistance. I dont need any, nor will I suddenly decide to serve any of you." then, the next words coming out of his mouth were cold, infused with a fraction of his bloodlust, indicating the finality in his words "None of you are worthy. If you want something done, make a quest request at the adventurers guild. So, if anyone still has anything else to say, now is the time." he moved his hand, gesturing towards the five empty seats around his table, and, unfortunately, the nobles seemed too damn enthralled with the shiny new toy on the block, each still desiring a chance to get their grabby little hands on it. The attitude Rex had displayed? The arrogance? Which A ranker did not have those? Whats more, he had yet to make absurd requests like fun times with their pureblooded daughters or other such nonsense. Sure, he was a possible asset, but that did not change the fact that he was a commoner still.


    And so, as if beforehand decided, the most influential noble family, right after the royals, had their representative walk over, alongside with four other nobles, none of the others from the top three, royal family not including. And, from how much this noble ''gentleman'' spoke, taking over the relatively short conversation, or sales pitch to be more precise, Rex could read the general gist of it. each of the top three wanted to set themselves in the best light possible, and as such, decided on this format, overshadowing other, lesser nobles, who could do nothing but bite their tongues, grind their teeth and try their best to entice Rex in any way possible with what little time and opportunities they were given. Honeyed words, generous offers, still laced with riches, glory and whatnot, with little to nothing that could trully capture Rex''s interest. The same happened with the next two groups as well, the other two, top three noble houses doing the same as the first one, creating stark contrast between them and the lower nobles that were simply unworthy of his stature. Or so their words heavily implied.


    Honeyed words, interwoven with praises and any other tactic imaginable, all in order to entice Rex to consider either joining, or heavily favouring their respective houses, going so far as to imply that the possibility to join their ranks through marriage was not entirely out of the question. And while outwardly Rex remained indifferent, he was smirking in his own mind, ridiculing the stupidity and narrowmindedness of said nobles. They were just humans after all, no special bloodline or unique ancestry within their veins, making the very idea of preserving their ''noble'' blood pure was outright ridiculuous. ''No murder hobo route this time.'' Rex reminded himself, keeping his laughter inside.


    Eventually, aproximately an hour later, he was done with all the noble sales pitchers, showing no actual interest in their offers, leaving them with the same suggestion as he did before, regarding the neccesity to submit quests to the adventurer guild. And while notably annoyed, apaprently these branch members of the noble families were not taught to act well, they left without causing any sort of a scene, result of Rex''s relatively civil decorum, at the very least for his own standarts. And from what he had heard in just teh last day or so, he had, probably, been far more tolerant than most A rankers might have been. He had used his bloodlust, heavily supressed of course, precisely to somewhat offset that part. A warning, that while he was more understanding and civil than ussualy expected, he was more than capable of riping throats out and the like.


    "Damn, that was annoying." Rex grumbled, his gaze moving to Beth, who was behind the counter. "A solid meal would be apreciated. Gotta deal with the girl afterwards. Will be out of town for a while. Keep my room cozy for me please."


    "Aye aye. Coming right up." Beth replied, shortly after dissapearing into the kitchen, and moments later, her little helpers, with wide smiles adorning their faces, came through, loading Rex table with plate after plate of roasted meat and some garnish, causing him to smack his lips in anticipation, and as soon as the first plate landed on his table, he pulled it closer, grabed his cutlery and dug in, enjoying the taste and texture of the food. Nothing better than hearty food to wash ones troubles, or annoyances in Rex''s current case, away.


    "Eat soemthing. We will be on the road for a while after. Cant have you pass out or something. How else will you bring me to that village of yours?" Rex jerked his head in the dirrection of the girl, who had descended the stairs when the nobles had left. And after his order, she did exactly as told, little as a mouse, sitting in the furthest corner she could, reaching for the nearest plate with food and nibbling away. "And make sure you are full before we depart." Rex added, not the least inclined to have an anemic girl collapse along the way.


    "Right, what''s your name. Cant be calling you peasant girl all the time." He asked, remembering he had a propensity to either completely ignore, or not ask for names at all, as if most of teh people he encounters are noting more than some extras. ''Damn, that''s quite harsh, now that I think of it. Should probably try and be better.'' Rex noted mentaly, noticing a rather significant flaw(?) in his character.


    "Zena." the girl replied, her voice barely audible.


    "I dont like this mouse like behaviour. What happened to the bold girl who was willing to fall on her knees and beg for assistance?" Rex sighed, not at all enjoying the current companion of his, slightly startling the girl. Most likely she had no actual idea just what an A rank power adventurer actually meant, and now that she had seen, or mostly heard, how carefully and near desperately noble clans tried top earn his favour, while not incurring his wrath, it had at least somewhat dawned on her. No wonder she was now as meek as a little mouse, in the presence of a lion that could snuff her life out like a candle, and no one would even blink an eye. Rex would need to work on the girl a bit to bring back that interesting and daring person he had found somewhat adorable, cute even, but hey, he had quite a bit of time ahead of him, from what the girl had shared, her village should still have some time, though not much. and as such, when he and Zena were full, he paid Beth for themeal and any other tabs he had acrued, reserving his room for another month ahead, leaving an extra gold coin or two to be used, should he get delayed with his return.

 Chapter 46. The independant contractor.

    With time somewhat of the essence, Rex deemed it correct to employ the services of the coachman guild, depending on their reliable and fast performance, they could cut the time necessary to reach Zena''s village by at least half. And, to no suprise to Rex, the road mafia, as he jokingly calld them in the privacy of his own mind, were already aware of hsi existance, though seeing as he had created quite the stirr in the capital, it would be a wonder had they not, and made Rex question the competency of the people in charge.


    The coachman guild, as the name suggests, were the premium service provider for anyone who needed something to be moved somewhere. Be it people, food or any other items, should your own capabilities to transport it, safely at that, were somewhat lacking, for the right price, everything could be arranged. Know the right guy to ask, and with a little something extra, it could be done on the hush hush and with guaranteed result as well. There were bandits on the roads after all, and while they would never risk actually killing the coachmen themselves, there were enough that would kindly stop said coachmen, and free their passangers from their possesions.


    And, as an adventurer with the power of an A ranker, though still not officially one, since he had blown off the stupidly planned promotion exam, something the coachman guild was already somehow aware, he was quite the person of interest, and unlike the nobles, who were quite the annoying pain in the ass to be around, the things the road mafia could provide Rex with was a whole another matter. And, as he was guided to the office of the de facto kingpin of the largest smugling and espionage ring in this nation, with similar organizations all over the world, doing the same in their respective regions, Rex was more than willing to listen.


    "Ahh, welcome, welcome sir, to my humble office." the somewhat portly man stated, having stood up the moment Rex was lead in, bowing to him as he spoke, showing the utmost respect and courtesy to his new guests. "To what do we owe the pleasure? Can this humble man help you in any way?"


    "I am no noble. The posturing and acting is not neccessary. I preffer things sraight and to the point. While my companion is giving the details of my destination to one of your workers, lets get this over with." Rex replied, and as he finished, the overly polite and pandering smile, along with the gestures immediatly dissapeared, leaving before Rex, a sharp gazed and cunning man.


    "As you wish." in a serious voice teh man replied. "I am Regal, and, based on the duration you plan to stay in this nation, we might happen to deal on quite a few occasions, sir Rex. And, as a man as capable as I believe you are, you would no doubt be able to apreciate the things we can provide as both as service and assistance, when needed. To that end, we would like to establish something of a mutually beneficial contract of sorts, if you would be interested. We, certainly are very much so."


    "We can, surely, come to an agreement." Rex nodded. "And while I am more than inclined to at least listen to whatever you might need doing, wheter or not I accept highly depends on each individual case. I dont do protection details and extraction missions, unless the target is an inanimate object, one that can be stored in spacial equipment. Nor am I an assasin for hire, though taking on bounties is a whole another task all together. Dead being the preffered type of condition I like to bring my targets in and as such more likely I would take such a job on."


    "Mhm. Assault type it is then. I will have it noted in your file then sir. As for what it is that you might require in return for the services offered?" Regal asked.


    "The same old I suppose. Reliable transportation and information of course.Ah yes, I would also like to recieve some heads up should your people hear about some unsavory business being planned against my aquintances. I would like to consider myself a rather protective creature, easily angered when such people are harmed. And we both understand that someone like me, trowing something of an anger fit is not good for both the enviroment and the economy of the place where said incident occurs."


    "Understood. Transport, information and slight observation of certain groups. It can be easily arranged, especially for someone with your particular value." replied Regal, more than pleased with the way their conversation was going.


    "Anything you would like to ask, since I am here and we have come to an agreement of sorts?" Rex then asked, his mood now rather good.


    "Now that you mention it, I suppose there is a little something we could use you assistance with. We have recently been asked to aquire a rather peculiar ingridient, but have some trouble of setting up an apropriate team to aquire it. Manticore liver, to be precise. A man of quite the reputable standing has asked us to aquire some, but the creature is A ranked, and rather dangerous one at that. And, while we have attained some information regarding a certain location that it could be encountered outside of a dungeon, ensuring that a single kill would be enough, we are still in need of a few A ranked warriors to take the creature down. Would you be interested?"


    "How far is the location of the monster, and would your side handle everything after the killing of the monster?"


    "A few weeks from here, near the mountains of Kor. Quite a number of dangerous monsters have taken residence there, feasting on the wildlife and some unfortunate travelers they encounter. With you joining, we would only need to aquire one more A ranker to proceed."


    "No need. You will learn of my destination from your subordinates soon anyways. i have a small bandit infestation to take care off. Once I am done with that, send an escort after me. They should take me to the mountains of Kor, where a scout that had tracked the manticore should await, alongsdie the collection team. It is just a single manticore. I dont need help with that. Just pay the apropriate amount, and we can have it done in a manner of days, once I am there."


    "There is no need to go to such lenghts. We are well aware of your ability as an A ranker, even if not yet marked as such on your adventurer''s ID..."


    "You misunderstood. I am not trying to prove myself or anything of the like. It is a single A ranked monster. I hunted for the likes of it in the dungeon, and the ones I dealt with, were ambush predators. What I am saying here is rather simple- I cant be bothered to try and cooperate with others when the task is so simple and straight forward. Besides, your better be sitting down when you read whatever your people, who will see me dealing with the manticore report. We can continiue after then, yes?"


    "Allright sir. We shall do as you wish." Regal nodded, though he was slightly skeptical in his mind. Most, if not all A rankers were arrogant and often overestimated their skills, having never trully encountered obstacles untill the ybite off more than they can chew. But hey, if Rex was actually as good as he himself believed? The riches that would flow from such a cooperation would be staggering.


    "I will dispatch a prepeared carriage once everything is good on our end. It should take no more than a few days. I do hope that suffices?" Regal asked, his mind already turning, considering the people he has to contact to assemble teh team to harvest verything valuable from the monster corpse, should Rex actually succeed.


    "Thats fine. I might need a few days to track and exterminate the bandits anyways." Rex nodded as well, and with their small conversation done, turned around and left Regal to his own devices, who was already back i nhis seat and scribbling down notes and orders to be forwarded to get the job going and ready for Rex''s inevitable arrival. "VITOR!" he yelled out, ready to send out teh first few of the already prepeared messages.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ---------------------


    A short while later, Rex and Zena were calmly sitting in the carriage, already on their way out of the capital, their target the small village Zena was from. And from what little attention Rex paid to the girl, it was obvious she was both hopefull and worried at the same time. With someone like Rex acompanying her, the bandit problem would be solved for sure, and yet, fear was nagging her, for while they still had supplies that should last for a while to keep the bandits at bay, paying them off whenever they would pass by, it was also the nature of such lowlifes to always reach for more, their uncontrolled greed the cause of plenty of mysery among the simple farmers and the like in the countryside.


    "Rest. You stressing out about them will not change anything. The best you can do is rest and stay healthy. In the worst case scenario, your family would want you to go on and do something with our life, not break down and waste away." Rex spoke asingle sentence, and while it did sound mightily bland, there was some truth to his words. The rest of their yourney, that lasted for three days, with a couple, few hour stops to get some needed sleep for the coachman and rest for the horses, was spent in mostly silence, with Zena often praying to whatever god, or Lord''s as they called them here, while Rex was contemplating the concepts of blood and space. It was an endless expanse of knowldege, and he was a studious and curious pupil, always in search for more, so, whenever he had teh chance he would happily immerse himself in the practice.


    And so, after three days of travel, Zena started to notice familiar sights, her anxiousness once agin returning, her worry for family and friends apparent. And, to try and calm herself down, she spoke of the land around, the tales they shared and legends that were passed down in their small village, talking of feys and other forest creatures passing by their community, sometimes as benevolent and kind elder men, sharing wisdom and advice, other times and dark and dangerous monsters, whisking children away, never to be seen again.


    Then, as the sun was shining its last rays of the day, it slowly descending over the horizon, they crossed a hill, and a small, yet somewhat cozy looking village appeared in their sight, a small, simple fence seperating it from the fields it was enveloped in. Plenty of crops nearing their harvest time planted all around. And, noticing the lack of any signs or a raid, Zena sighed with relief, slumping back in the seat, a huge boulder falling off her shoulders.


    "Not a word of my actual power, or rank." Rex spoke, his voice stern. "Cant have the bandits learn and run away. Would be a bitch to deal with."


    "Y-yes sir." Zena nearly squaked, slightly startled, but smart enough to understand where Rex was coming from, and the change in his demeanor. He was, what kids would often call a cool uncle, though hew as around her age, who would switch to a no nonsense and strict elder when the situation called for it, or when they were on the hunts, prowing their prowerss and laser focus on the task at hand. Soon enough, they rode into the village, most people having already retired to their own homes, the small village feeling unnaturaly gloomy and somewhat deserted.


    Then, right in front of the village chief''s house, Rex and Zena disembarked, a dufflebag on Rex''s shoulder as he nodded to the coachman, thanked him for the job and then followed inside after Zena, who had rushed in the moment she was out of the carriage.


    --------------------


    "ZENA! You are home!" an elderly man, his head covered in white hair exlaimed and hugged the girl, tears of joy rolling down his cheeks, He had been clearly worried that some misfortune had fallen upon the girl on her way to the capital.


    "I am sorry grampa. There were difficulties at the capital." she sobbed as well, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. It was at this moment that Rex entered, his large frame creating quite the imposing sight, since neither the girl, nor her grandfather were anywhere his heght.


    "Evening." Rex spoke, his no nonsense mode on. "Lets talk the bandits, you can reunite and catch up later. How many? When was the last time they were here, do you know where they are staying, or whne they will be here again?"


    "Ow, yes, yes. Please, help us." the old man stuttered, quickly wiped his own tears and moved towards the somewhat shabby and old looking table in the middle of the room. "We have,somewhat managed to appease them for now with what little produce we had stashed away, though they seem more and more hungry for more with each time they pass by. I have noticed the way they look at some of the women that failed to hide in time. I worry they might start to demand some of them."


    "Yes, yes, its bad, now, Now, get to the specifics." Rex rolled his eyes. What was it with old peopl and the need to over explain. He wa here, was he not? Get to teh damn point already.


    "Y-yes. Ahemm." the old man cleared his throat. "We have seen some fifty men, about, dont know if there are more though. The last time they came by was a couple of days ago, and I suspect they will be back any day now. It all started so innocent too. Freedom fighters they said they were, intent to free themselves and everyone else from the tyrany of the local noble. Lord''s know he isrotten to the core. But then, their demands got more and more ridiculuous and unreasonable, and well, here we are now, fearing for the safety of our wives and daughters. Unfortunately, we have no idea where they have their camp, no one is daring enough to even attempt to trail them. Their leader is quite scary and rutheless, or so we have been told."


    "Got a spare room where I can park for the time being?" Rex then asked, having already analyzed what he had been told.


    "Y-yes sir. Zena will bring you. Would you like to join for what meager meal we can offer?"


    "I''m good, pass." Rex replied, urgind Zena to show him the room. And once the door wasclosed, Zena having returned to the village head to talk about her trip and whatnot, Rex sat in the middle of the room, his mind slinking into a meditatative state, all the while using mana pulses every now and then, enveloping the entire village and some decent ways fruther out with it. He would know when something aproaches, be it a group of bad intentioned, armed men, or a rodent, sneaking its ways towards the storage of either of the residents homes.


    And so, hour after hour passed, Zena and her grandfather spending more than a couple to catch up, either of them tearing up every now and then, due to the hardship the other went through during the seperation, untill they too called it a night, returning to their own beds to rest and recover for the coming day. They lived in a rular enough of a village, plenty of things still needed to be done, the harvests and the colder season steadily aproaching.


    Soon enough, the morning cries of roosters indicated the beggining of a new day of work, the villagers leaving the comfort of their humble but precious homes, greeting one another, though with less vigor than they would have ussually. There was a dark cloud over their heads, threathening to deliver an outpour of tragedy and even more hardship at any moment. Though, as the peopel started to converse, a slight glimmer of hope rose in those hardened adn burdened gazes, hushed whispers of a returned Zena, a mountain of a man along with her. Maybee, just maybee the salvation was upon them, Just maybee, the dark cloud over their heads will be dispersed.


    Zena herself, soon appeared as well, leaving the comfort of her home, having donned a much more modest and worn out outfit, her sleeves rolled up and a bucket in her hands. And as she drew the water from the well in the village center, she talked with her fellow villagers, answering as much as she could, without giving out Rex''s supposed rank.


    "Unfortunately, the guild refused our requests, stating there was not enough of a reward for what we asked. But dont worry," she smiled, slightly bitterly "A mercenary overheard my pleas as I was begging any adventurer I encountered to help us. And though the price he asked was steep, I nevertheless had to agree." she explained.


    "Pray tell girl, what price he asked?" one of the elder ladies asked, worry apparent on her face. And Zena answered, relaying what Rex had told her this morning before she left the house.


    "If he can solve the bandit problem plaguing us, once my three year service is over, I am to work as his servant." a worried expression marred even more faces now, though none dared to speak. Zenas words, while bitter, was leagues better than what they suspected might come soon, once the bandits come again. And think of the devil, and he will come, loud yells and exclamations could be heard in the distance, as a group of fifty something men appeared over the small hill, their path leading them dirrectly towards the village. The faces of the elder ladies, and the middle aged mothers, some with their infant children at the hip, turned ashen, each and every one hurrying back to hide in their homes, fearfull for their own, and the lives of their children.


    "Guess their camp was close enough. The spy reached them, delivered the message of my arrival, and they are already here. Are they perhaps worried thats since I am alone, I might be trying to organize the village folk to mount a defense? Heh. he he he. Well then, sir bandit and his cohorts, show me what you got." Rex grinned and rose from his meditative pose, his hands itching for some action. "Should warn Zena to have the women and children well out of the vision range of my actions. It is not gonna be pretty." he reminded himself, using his mana to mark each and every member of the aproaching group.

 Chapter 47. A master and The master.

    Stretching his muscles, Rex slowly walked outside, anticipating the actions of the aproaching group, each and every one of them notably filthy, with savage glint to their eyes. Some within the aproaching group were mumbling incoherently, drool dripping down their lips, staining their unkempt beards. As Rex observed the group, his brows furrowed more and more, his senses screaming of something wrong, yet he could not quite place the reason. At least not quite yet. It was on the tip of his tongue, a memory just beyond reachfor the moment, yet almost deeply familiar, as if he was an old friend with it.


    Rex stood next to the village elder, Zenas grandfather as they awaited the aproaching brigand group, though Rex supposed they were nothing more than lowlife bandits, untill finally, the group had reached the sad excuse of a fence, surrounding the town. And, noticing Rex, standing right next to the older man, clearly a stranger to this place, both his near two meter height, as well the well defined and muscled build, alongside the sword strapped to his side indicating at the very least an attempt at resistance, the leader spoke, clicking his tongue in dissapointment.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You dissapoint me old Berg." the leader sighed, shaking his head and then locking his gaze on the village elder "We had such a good thing going. Why you had to go and mess it up. Now, we will have to make and example out of you, lest the other villages get some funny ideas into their empty little heads. Huhhh. And I liked Zena quite a bit too. I would have offered her the chance to serve me as a favour. A pitty, trully."


    He then turned his head towards Rex, evaluating him for a moment, before continiuing ."Foolish mercenary. You have no idea what you have walked into. My new lord is not something you could ever hope to comprehend. He gave me power, and I will use it to make and example out of you. No one. NO ONE WILL MOCK ME AGAIN!" he screamed, clearly taking Rex''s rather relaxed stance and villingness to confront him so openly as the highest insult there was. And it seemed that the man had had more than his fair share of those, if his sudden outburst was any indicator.


    "Thas it. I remember now!" Rex exclaimed, finally the thing bugging him coming to light. "How could I forget? Dumbass." he scolded himself, clearly still not deeming the bandit leader, or his group for that matter, important enough to grace them with his undivided attention. And that, clearly, was not something the already ticked off bandit leader could take, a roar of madness followed by an order to kill everyone, followed. And with the order, with groans and almost feral savagery the bandits charged, only to be stopped by a chilling, deadly aura suffusing the air. Even in the trance that they experienced, their baser instincts screamed at them to run away, the compulsions sounding in their heads heavily muted and drowned out.


    "There is no going back for you lot. Too far gona already." Rex spoke with finality, his blade leaving its sheath, the shield expanding from teh braclet on his left hand. With a single strike of his sword against the shield, a metalic sound reverberated across the fields, as Rex walked forward. "Hide away, people of the village. Only monsters fight on this side of the fence. Monsters and their minions." Rex spoke, the next moment dissapearing, and in just a blink of an eye, he was among the bandits, his sword singing as it sliced through the air, leather armor, clothes, flesh and bones, blood spurting in every dirrection with each of his swings.


    The bandit leader, did not remain in his enraged state for long, the sight before his eyes clearing his mind with suprising ease. Even with all the power he had earned from his master, he could barely keep up with the movements of his opponent, his tralls falling like some badly controlled puppets, their strings cut, though in their case, it was more along the lines of their body parts. Be it arms, legs, heads, or even half their bodies, split at the waist or anywhere higher, they were dismembered with terrifying efficiency. Even with the hobbies that the bandit leader had, he could not boast such exquisite skill and precision. Whoever this mercenary was, he was bad news. Bad news indeed.


    And yet, he was a little too late to make his escape, as the moment he tried to, he left a tug at his leg, a dark red chain wrapped tightly, pulling him to the ground and dragging in the dirrection of the monster, that was just a bout finished with the snack before it.


    "Come now, you can''t be thinking of leaving so early. We have so much interesting things to talk about." Rex spoke, goosebumps forming along the back of the unfortunate, last living member of his group. "I cant help but be interested in this lord of yours. Mind telling me in what kind of cave, or crypt he has holed his sorry pale ass? I cant have some half baked amateur mesing around with such a delicate art."


    At the mention pf his master, and in such a deplorable way, he was brought back to relit, replying in almost a hiss, his tone venomous and vile. "You dont get to talk of his like that. He is beyond your comprehension. And dont worry. He will come for you, and there is nowhere for you to run or hide. Your days are numbered. HA ha ha ha." the bandit started to laugh maniacally, clearly not all there.


    "Hmm? Is his blood trully so thin? Or it was simply a faulty ritual?" Rex mused for a moment, moments later returning his gaze to the madly cackling bandit. "Worry not, I dont actually need your cooperation to get what I want. This is gonna gurt though. Sorry for that." Rex noted, his hand pressing on the mans chest, his blood chain already having restrained the bandit most heavily. As his hand touched above the man''s heart, his five fingers dug in, a painfull and desperate scream escaped the poor soul, a green, sickly light eliminating from the puncture wounds. And, as hort while later, silence descended over the clearing, the bandit leader slumping down, his lifeless body being released from the chain and crumbling like a piece of charcoal, ground into dust.


    "What was t-that?" in a trembling voice, the town elder asked, his eyes darting between the place where the bandit leaders corpse should be, and the remaining group of deceased men, a stream of blood courisng in Rex''s dirrection, dissaepearing without a trace as if the chain that was dipped in it was absorbing it all.


    "Some things are better left unknown. You will sleep better at night. I need to prepeare. I will set out slightly befor dusk. Their leader is still out there. I advise you to gather the men with the strongest guts, collect the corpses and then trow them all on a pyre, leave nothing but dust behind. Trust me on that. You dont want to deal with the consequences otherwise."


    "U-understood." stuttered the man, tales about evil and bloodthirsty fae coming to mind from his childhood, and with that terrifying image in his mind, he was quick to gather a crew to do just as Rex had ordered. Still, more than one of them lost their breakfast, vomiting at the sight of the carnage that was left in Rex''s wake. And yet, with their own horrific visions of the tales imbedded in their memories, they too soon got to work, their women and children kept inside to avoid the bloody sight that coloured the entrance of the village red in blood, guts and body parts. Zena, as an addult, an one present when Rex did his work, was more than just slightly shocked. The words about her serving at his home ringing in her head, contradicting the calm and collected man she had come to consider Rex as.


    Rex, in the meantime, cleared his mind, a light smile on his face. He had a rather interesting encounter ahead of him. Dooubly so because the entity seemed to be something of an annomaly among its kind. How else could the sloppy and amateurish acts that had been performed on the bandits could come to pass. And so, he prepeared and schooled his mind, though the slight giddiness never went away. And, just as he had stated beforehand, slightly before dusk he left, a large bonefire and the smell of burning flesh acompanying him for quite a time. He spent another hour or so walking, untill, finally, he reached an old, run down manor of sorts, hidden within an outgrowth of trees, clearly left to be devoured by nature.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As he walked past the once impressive, yet now half crumbled property wall, now overgrown with wines and weeds, a few, pitch black hounds came at him, their maws gaping, trying to tear chunks of flesh from either his arms or legs. Rex though, was well prepeared for the ambush, his shield swung to bash the lunging creatures and his sword swinging swung to end their lives. Red blood splashes and whimpering of dogs followed as Rex dispatched the creatures, their blood red, scalding eyes slowly loosing their shine as life left their bodies.


    "Come now, do you really plan on wasting the life of your familiars? Not coming to greet me yoursel?" Rex asked, his gaze locked on a few bats hanging from a tree in slight distance, their own, blood red eyes locked on his form. "How rude. Guess I will be the one goint to you then." he continiued, not entirely sure if the current master of the house could even hear him. Sure, he was seen, and while that too was because he himself allowed for it, he was not so sure about the auditory input. Slightly sighing, he proceeded forth, walking towards the main villa of the compound.


    As he aproached, he had to dispatch a few more groups of hounds, the creatures ever agressive adn almost feral, their bid to stop his aproach almost desperate. And with each step further ahead, he could feel the desperation of the familiars grow more and more,, untill, a few dozen meters before the main villa, it all stopped, all but the bats having been sent over and consequently wiped out. Rex had been particularily carefull, not employing any other of his tricks beyond the two weapons at his disposal. He had not even absorbed any of the blood of the slain creatures, trying to actually see the expression of his opponent when he would make the grand reveal. A grin rose on his face at the mere thought of it. ''That expression should be comedy gold.'' he thought, his hand pushing open the main door of the mansion, creaaking sound permeating the air as the door gave way, clearly not been used for years, if not decades.


    ''A window''s user, apparently.'' Rex snickered, making a word play, only understandable to himself, at least in this world.


    As he stepped inside, teh creaking of the wooden floor gave his position and movements away, though it mattered little, the owner no doubt could both smell him as well as sense his pulsing heart aproaching. Rex too, was not any less aware of the one awaiting him further, inside a rather large guest room. And so, his steps straining the half rotten away wooden floor with each move he made, he reched teh room in question. Upon entering, the first thing that gained his attention was the rather decorated and oversized chair, located right in the middle of the room, a coffin situated right next to it. ''Really? That cliche?'' Rex sighed exasperately, clearly not expecting such a turn.


    The man sitting in the chair was quite young, at least from his visual appearance. He looked some twenty years old, black, shoulder lenght hair, combed backwards, revealing his rather handsome features. Sharp, manly chin, pale sking and red, almost glowing eyes stared right at him. An arrogant smile on his face, clearly the creture had no idea what kind of monster had entered it''s supposed territory. Somewhat long, pointy ended elf like ears poked through the well combed hair, though not long enough, or soft enought to move upon the movement of the head.


    "My, my. How rude." the pale figure chuckled as Rex slowly aproached, his step confident and relaxed. "Not only did you enter my home without invitation, but you also slaughtered my precious pets and minions. The audacity." he scoffed "No matter. I will enjoy breaking you untill nothing else remains. I might even use whatever remains of you to purge the village you oww so valliantly protected."


    "He he he he." Rex started laughing, and then spoke, infuriating the pale hunter with his words. "Get on with it then, I have other things to do after this. You blabber and blabber, yet what exactly are you? No proper vampire would be so pathetically weak, even if just as pompous or arrogant."


    With an angered hiss, the pale vampire shot towards Rex, its nails elongating into claws, and its sharp canines doing the same. Just moments later, it was upon Rex, slashing down, intent on ripping pieces of Rex''s flesh from his arms, to have a taste and start the round of torture that would surely last untill the first rays on daylight. As Rex would eventually learn, while quite unpleasant and generally unliked, teh vampires of this world did not combust in dirrect sunlight, though they did experience notable amount of pain.


    And yet, as the claws descended, Rex face morphed into vicious grin, his sword rising to meet the incoming claws. The vampire, to his credit, noticed the facial change on his opponent, loud and blaring warnings ringing in his head, and so he twisted his body, just barely rolling out of the way of the incoming blade, cold sweat rolling down its forehead. He left as if he would have lost both arms, had he kepy on with his innitial move.


    "Where did you get that sword?" he hissed, his danger sense going through the roof. "ANSWER ME!" he screamed once he understood Rex had no intention to do so.


    "Heh. Why dont you make me? Little bloodsucker." Rex sneered, quite amused by the situation.


    "SCREW YOU. GO DIE IN HELL!" the creature screamed, swiping his claw horizontally in front of it, creating a line of blood that morphed into spears and shot towards Rex the next second. And yet, to the absolute confusion and disbelief of teh vampire, the spears did not pierce his opponent. They did not even cause him to parry or block. As if reverting to their original state, the spears, like ballons filled with fater, exploded against the raised shield, splashing to the sides.


    "Figures." Rex smirked "Cant even do that much right. A failiure indeed."


    Rex''s taunts turned out to be super effective, yet another sentient creature that had its fair share of self esteem problems, sucumbing to the rage it felt. Swipe after swipe of its arms sent numerous blood spears towards Rex, seeking any sort of purchase against his flesh, each and every one failing just as misssserably as the ones beforehand.


    "DIE! DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!" frantically screamed the vampire, each action more desperate than the last, the last semblence of sanity and stability dissipating more and more.


    "You pittifull creature. Dont worry, I will release you from your suffering." Rex solemly spoke, untill a grin once again spread across his face "Do make it fun though. Not every day I get to encounter such unique and damaged specimens."


    Then, yet another few minutes later, employing a short opening between the blood spear salvos, Rex moved forward, almost like blinking, appearing right to the side of the frantic vampire and delivered a gut wrenching, bone breaking kick to its abdomen, raising it from the ground a meter or so and then another, straight pung to its face, also breaking at the very least its nose, sent it flying through the rather large ballroom, imbedding the vampire into the wall.


    With a painfull groan, the vampire extracted itself from the wall, falling to the gound and quickly rising back up, only to be met by yet another punch to it''s face the moment it had stood up, sending it flying once again and imbedding it in another wall. The same pattern repeated several more times, untill the monster could not take any more of that, releasing a burst of blood spears from his body as he extracted himself, preventing a yet another repeat of the same process.


    Humiliation. That was what the vampire felt. Utter and complete humiliation. This human, thid damn blood bag, this damned cattle was wiping the floor with him, crashing him into wall after wall. And HE WAS SMIRKING! Rage, uncontrollable and all consuming rage permeated from him, and, in one final attempt, he summoned the greatest maagical feat he had ever managed, a literal blood serpent materializing in front of him, causing quite a lot of his blood in the process.


    Laughing like a maniac, he sent it forward, its jaws spreading, revealing rows upon rows of large, jagged teeth, ready to rip and tear appart the damned human bastard in front of it. Yet, what it witnessed, sent a chill down its spine, along with pure disbelief. Its most powerfull attack, stopped just steps before the human, and like a lost puppy, rolled around his feet, its head nudging the human leg, as if asking for pats.


    "Not a bad construct. You even infused some, pet like tendencies in it. I will use this in the future. Thanks. Though it seems that this is about as much fun as I can get out of you. It was fun while it lasted. Have a nice whatever it is you bloodsuckers have after the final death." With those words, he dissapered from his position, only to appear behind the stunned vampire, his sword piercing its heart, devouring what little blood remained. Soon, the vampire faded into eternal, final sleep, never to wake again.

 Chapter 48. On the trail of a manticore.

    Looking towards the blood serpent, fond memories of his own construct army flooded his mind, though Rex had to admit, there was something special about pet like creatures, with a mind of their own, yet still having you as the center of their world. The small, dozen centimeter long snake was slithering between his right hands fingers as he walked back toward the village, a magnificent display of his controll over the concept as he had condensed it many times over from its original size of over four meter lenght. What was even more impressive, was the fact the little reptile like creature, blood construct merged with the essence of a living being, could freely change between its miniature size and its full lenght. Rex estimated a low, A rank power would be its limits.


    And as it was excitedly circling his hand, quite pleased with its master, Rex realized he had just aquired a companion of sorts, even if it was not on the same level as humans. Its power alone could make it a terrifying creature, should Rex left it go wild in some random settlement. Not that he would, having more than enough mana to sustain it, should it overexert itself. Gorging on blood would also serve the same purpose, allowing it to quickly replenish and recover any injuries suffered during lareg scale battles, provided there is plenty of bloo around, something that was a guarantee, unless of course Rex was messing around, using said blood for other purposes.


    ''''Should I just bind it to me? Rex mused on his way back, and eventually decided to do exactly that. Something that was more than easy, seeing as the conjured creature was attracted to Rex, his comprehension and controll over the concept making him the fire for the moth that was the construct. Tapping into his soul concept, Rex established his first brand ever in this world, claiming the snake as his personal pet, linking the animalistic soul at the very center of this construct as one of his subjects, and with that, the blood forming it strenghtened, this new servant of his recieving its first reward.


    The stench of burned flesh still lingered in the air, yet was slowly,but surely, dissipating. A few of the villagers still watching over the last bit of the pyre, upon noticing him, looked down towards the ground, clearly fearfull of him. He could not blame them. Such insane power was clearly a point of fear, such people often being fickle and rash, doing as they pleased. He soon reaached the village elders home and after a few knocks and an invite, entered, bowing his head to not hit it on the doors frame.


    "It is done. There shouold be no other bandits for the time being." He spoke, a weight coming of off the elders shoulders.


    "Thank you. Thank you. I dont know how we can ever repay you." the elder started to sob, falling to his knees.


    "You dont have to. I already got paid. Dont you remember? Your granddaughter will serve me after she is done with her three years of service at that religious thingy you have. Isn''t that right?" he then looked to Zena who had just entered the room, having woken up as Rex entered. She nodded her head a few times, aware of just how acomodating Rex was being. "Do make sure they dont defile your body though. Plenty of lecherous and arrogant fools find their way in positions of power in such places." Rex then gave her a small amulet. "Wear it at all times, and should you be in danger, crush it while asking for my help. I will be informed, allowing me to go and collect you, as well as a small little something will hapen, hopefully saving you in the process. My servarnts, even if future ones, are off limits to anyone."


    Zena just nodded, tying the talisman around her neck, both thankfull for his help and slightly aprehensive at what her future held.


    "I will retire to the room you showed me previously. When another carriage arives and asks for me, please come and get me. I have things to think over in the meantime. And I have no need for food and the likes, so there is no need to interrupt me for that."


    "Understood sir. We will not disturb you." The elder bowed, allowing Rex to leave and get on with his things. And so, in a relative peace, the slight ruckus the village folk created when they celebrated the defeat of the bandits not including, a couple of days passed by, Rex''s temporary rest inerrupted by the arrival of the promised carriage. He was greeted with a deep bow, the coachman introduced himself as Axel, and informed that he was sent by Regal to bring him to the trackers, as agreed beforehand. Rex spent a few minutes instructing Zena, reminding her of the details of their deal, and then, boarded the carriage, departing from the small, heading towards his next destination.


    "Say, Axel, do you think a crippled vampire, or a manticore. Which one is stronger?" Rex asked the man guiding them forward, earning a confused ''Eh?'' innitially, only for teh latter to shrug in uncertainty.


    "Would not know sir. I am but the coachman of a carriage, What would I understand of such things."


    "Well said man, well said. What good does wondering about things we dont have to deal with, or are likely to never encounter? Better deal with whats ahead of you, while prepearing for the unknown. Still, I do hope the manticore is not as muc hof a letdown as the other one." Rex sighed at the end, causing the coachman to shiver. There were few A ranks who would ever dare to boast such a thing, but none would do so in front of a single carriage driver, unless, maybee, just maybee, it was indeed a dissapointment, and their need to went a bit got the better of them. And that thought, was quite scary in and of itself. That meant, he was transporting a true monster among monsters.


    The two week or so travel seemed like yet another, daunting and excruciatingly boring task, wasting away Rex valuable time, untill, rather soon in this new journey of his, Rex realized something particularily important. He had Snek now, the blood snake he ow so generously liberated from the imcompetent vampire he allowed to pass onto much better fields of hunt. And with yet another A ranked monster serving as his huard, he could use the time so much more efficiently, expanding his secondary space storage all throughout the journey. And since he did not need to maintain peak combat readiness, as well as the fact that he was, notably more powerfull than before, such risky action was not much of an issue.


    So, with such smart, and previously reckless and risky behaviour, he smoothly proceeded with teh expansion of said space storage, reaching an unreasonable size, should he decide to share said knowledge with others, better versed and educated on the subject. At the ned of the two, otherwise uneventfull weeks of travel and non stop spacial storage expansion, it had reached the size of a large barn. He could surely fit a few worths of fully grown dragins in there and still have plenty of space to spare, thus, on one of teh last days of the travel, during one of the short stops, he moved the entirety of his hidden belongings from the primary space storage to the new, larger one, switching his target for expansion around. It would take way less time in advancing the smaller storage space to the same size as the larger one after all.


    Rex also used their short stops to hunt down some unfortunate creatures, wandering too close to their resting spot, allowing Snek to feast on their blood. He had learned along the way a rather interesting fact regarding his new pet. Snek was, at the end of the day, an actual, living creature, even if rather odd in its state of existance, as such, some regular feeding was a given, lest Snek grows weak and sick. Rex could not have that, and through their soul link, courtesy of his brand, he could get the general gist of its diet, which consisted of two things- either copious amount of quality blood, who would have guessed, or monster cores. The latter was a particularily favourite food of his, munching down on as many as Rex was willing to provide. And since he had quite a few extra laying around, for research purposes, they were all fed to Snek, tthe now little snake happily napping most of the day in Rex''s sleeve, cozily wrapped around his wrist. Though it was well aware of its surroundings, on the lookout for any fool brave enough to attack its master.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


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    "We are here." after a few knocks on the carriage wall, and after Rex opened teh small window to the coachman, the man in question stated. Rex jumped out of the carriage, stretching and yawning, as his gaze went over his surroundings. From what he could see, they had arrived in a rather poorly looking and run down outpost of sorts, an aged wall made out of wooden beams surrounding him, and even that seemed in quite the disrepair. Just a few moments later, they were aproached by a group of four people, all dressed in the typical adventurers raincoat, most of their features hidden from ones sight. Still, Rex could read enough from the way they moved. ''Three men and one woman.'' Rex noted in his head, evaluating their danger level, should a scuffle ensue and he was in need to resolve said altrecation permanently.


    "You Rex?" the only woman asked.


    "Who''s asking?"


    "Tsk. Fine. You the one Regal sent to take care of the manticore? And where is the rest of your team?" the woman asked, tsking, yet changing her question. She was good, sure, but not quite there to actually get him worked up, let alone take him out, and the woman, she felt it too, resulting in the cautious aproach she was taking at the end. Still, her pride had to be placated somehow, and thus, the rather rough and ragged aproach it was.


    "Yes. And I am all that is needed. Just point me towards the creature and be ready to harvest." Rex replied, moments later aksing another question that came to his mind. "By the way, how fast are they in flight?"


    "Huh?" the woman looked at him questioningly, but answered a moment later regardless. "Nothing special, I would say most birds are capable of greater speeds than them, why?"


    "So slow. Nevermind then." Rex sighed, discarding the fresh idea of possibly capturing one for his own transportation needs. A slow air mount was not the way to go after all. "Anything properly fast, capable of carrying a human on along with them in these mountains?"


    "Ehh, I dont think so?" unsure herself, the woman still answered. Even if there was anything of the like, she or her team sure as hell had yet to notice it, whatever such a creature might be.


    "Oh. Sigh. The manticore it is then. Chop chop, time waits for no man." Rex urged the group to move out, more interested to get back and figure out his next move. He still needed to hunt down a group he could mess around with, and it seemed less and less likely that he would find one in a small, backwater nation as the one he was in. Still, he had some prior engagements to note and consider, should he plan on leaving and traveling far away.Two weeks to a month of travel time was already incredibly slow, so anything further wouldstrain his ability to assist those he had promised to do so.


    ''Means of proper transport it is then. That too comes with it own mountain of complications.'' Rex thought, following the quartet of trackers, leading him further and further away from the outpost an into the rather dense and gloomy looking forest, the mountain peaks, covered in what looked like eternal mist, reaching towards the sky far into the distance. A rather good place for monsters to grow and develop.'' Rex thought as his mind refocused on the taks at hand, his eyes following the actions and movement of the trackers, each adn every one of them carefully examining what little tracks they could find, slowly moving their group ahead.


    Another hour later, Rex''s attention was brought to what seemed like a spot of death, plenty of blood scattered around an indentation in the ground and plenty more still, within said indentation. Judging from the state of said blood, the killing must have been recent, a few hours ago at best. There was also a rather unique scent in teh air, even so long after the killing happened and Rex assumed it was precisely this scent that kept any scavenger at bay, all fearfull for their lives on an instinctual level.


    "It is of a cat origin. Could be what we are looking for, but there are no definitive proof just yet. There are a few feline predators around these parts, and the scent alone would not tell us anything more." one of the three men spoke to their leader, Rex hearing everythig he decided to share.


    "Keep going. I will take care of if if it comes to that." Rex gestured, more than eager to get on with it, his hands still itching for a proper fight.


    "Aye aye." rolling her eyes, the woman replied, nevertheless giving the same order to her men, clearly in command of the small group. So, with the command given, the trackers proceeded along with the now rather obvious trail of the predator, moving away with its prey in possesion. Due to the rather carefree nature of the predator, it was quite obvious that their current target was one of, if not the proper apex predator in the area, not caring one bit of other possible dangers.


    Yet anoteher two hours later, they had reached a cave entrance at the foot of a smaller mountain, not even remotely close to the gargantuan ones still far off in the distance, their peaks covered in mist and coulds. Observing the surroundings even more carefully, the trackers sighed in dissapointment, noticing a few details that displeased them.


    "This is the lair of a striped savage cat. Not the manticore we are looking for. The woman pointed to a few balls of half digested, basketball sized fur balls. Back to the square zero. Maybee the other team has had better success."


    "Is it worth to hunt and collect?" Rex asked, considering his options.


    "Huh? Yes? Its fur is used to make quite good cold protection equipment, Liver and heart are used for quite high quality alchemy, and the flesh is in demand with a few reknowned hound breeders. The beast is quite vicious and savage though, so the risk is high enough as well." one of the men replied on instinct.


    "So, if I were to take it down, you could get it collected, processed and sold?"


    "Woud not even take a week. Who do you think we are, amateurs?" the woman scoffed, clearly insulted by Rex question.


    "He he. One way to find out." Rex smirked, starting to move towards the cave "Wait here. It will not take long." he spoke as he stretched his hand, dissapearing into teh cave opening. A few moments later, the four trackers could hear loud hissing and screehing of a cat, followed by crashing noises and howls of pain. Then, more crashing and more desperate hisses of a feline nature, followed by a few more. Then, utter silence, untill the sound of footsteps reverberated from the cave. Footsteps and the sound of something being dragged. A few minutes later still, Rex siluete first appeared, moments later revealing the man in question himself, his body slightly slanted forward, one hand stretching back, pulling the body of a very large, two horse sized cat, its fur covered in stripes, much like a tiger would be.


    "The rest is in your hands." Rex spoke when he stopped in front of the suprised trackers, a glint of appearing in their eyes. "Lets hope the other group has had more success in finding the manticore." Rex sighed, waiting for them to get to work. Credit where credit is due, the four quickly began the process, with quick and practiced ease they skinned the beast, collecting its valuable organs and skin, as well as large amounts of its flesh, leaving a rather thin carcass behind. As expected, they even had a space storage artefact, storing both the organs and flesh, leaving the skin to be rolled up and carried like a rug on one of their shoulders.


    "Its getting late. Lest return and hear the results of the second team. We know that a manticore was sighted around here, as recently as past week. All we need is to pinpoint it''s location. And we need to offload this haul as well. Good job by the way. You will get a fair share." the woman spoke, much more friendly now towards Rex, who had just secured a fair extra spending money for her and her team. Rex might just be the guy to work with in the future. He did not seem to have earned a single scratch in the scuffle with the cat.


    The return was rather swift and with no other incidents, though Rex did notice and hunted down a small boar, securing a rather tasty dinner. And thankfully, the second group had more luck than his group did, having found some traces of the manticore, going so far as to track it down to its lair- another smaller mountains peak, with a small cave at the top and some poisonous plants growing in its vicinity.


    "We set out early in the morning. The sooner we are done, the sooner everyone gets paid." Rex said and with a nod of the rest of the groups heads, he retired for the night, his loyal Snek serving as his eyes for the duration, having napped most of the day already.

 Chapter 49. Manticore job completed.

    Good thing Rex was not actually sleeping like ordinary mortals, but spending the nights in a meditative pose, mostly advancing his body towards a higher grade of refinement. Sure, his passive draining, alongside the natural enhancement that came to all adventurers killing things inside dungeons, was quite the boost, ensuring he grew stronger with speeds that would baffle, if not cause some to faint should they hear of his progress, there was no reason to rob himself of yet another way to empower himself, especially when said empowerment would give him access to more unrestricted usage and manipulation of concepts under within his grasp.


    The makeshift beds that were placed in the mostly run down building the two tracker squads, along with a much smaller collection team, hired precisely to harvest everything from the manticore he was supposed to slay, were staying in, was beyond uncomfortable and would no doubt result in some stiffness come morning, and a slight smile creeped on his face as he imagined the looks of the remaining team when they wake up. Thus, anticipating a rather funnny morning, he returned to his own devices, meditating the night away.


    It was around an hour or so earlier than his ussual wake up time, probably at aproximately five in the morning, a light knock resounded against his door, causing him to open his eyes.


    "Coming." Rex replied to the knocks, leaving his bed, slightly strtching on hsi way, Snek quickly sneaking back into his sleeve and coiling around his hand, dozing off to rest after a night''s watch duty. Not that Rex blamed his little pet. On the contrary, in the short time he has had it with him, he had grown to like the creature. ''Gotta get some quality monster cores from a dungeon soon. or some good quality blood.'' Rex pinned the task to a metaphorical ''to do list'', hanging at the forefront of his mind, in a sense, always in his vision and thoughts.


    Rex was among the first few people reaching the central room that was designated as the briefing room, listening to teh predicted groans and complaints regarding their bedding quality.


    "Stop whining like little girls. Be happy we did not have to sleep on ground, roaches crawling over." The lady team leader from yesterday shut them up.


    "Brrrr, dont remind us of that. I still have nightmares about that job!" grumbled on of the trackers from the second group, slight goosebumps covering his body at the mere recollection.


    "This is how it looks." the woman spoke, standing in the middle of the room, everyone else surrounding her, though leavign enough space in the middle, where she unfurled a map and placed it on the ground. A relatively large, easily noticable red chess piece like figurine was placed on the map and after that, another one, resembling a monster, was placed in another location. She then pointed towards the first piece "This is our locatiion" then pointed her other hand towards the monster figurine "And this is teh manticores lair. The second team says it is rather difficult to reach, unless one can fly, the poisonous herbs not including, so we might have to lure it out."


    "Whats the fall range from the cave entrance to teh closest decent location where a proper battle with it could be performed, for ground based fighter?" Rex asked, already calculating more than one way to deal with the monster in question.


    "Here. A rather large clearing is there. The fall would be ten to fifteen meters." ponted on the map one of the second scout teams members, having been there yesterday.


    "Would a fall from such height damage what we are after?" Rex asked further, more and more liking the idea of fighting the manticore inside the cave. It would limit the possible combat and variables in such limited arena of combat.


    "Manticore is much stronger than yesterdays cat you know." the woman commented, remebmering the speed Rex dealt with the monster teh day before.


    "Thats for me to deal with. So?"


    "No. It should be fine, unless you tear out the organ and drop it along from teh height. And even then besides the dirt and superficial damage, it could stil be used." explained on of the retrieval squad.


    "Then I will take care of it inside the cave and once its done, will throw the corpse down. The limited mobility inside the cave will help me out a ton." Rex analyzed. "Can we go now?" he then asked, his thoughts circling back to the need to aquire a proper flying mount. He could brand it and then have teh coachmen guiild take care of it untill he needs it to work. They would surely take such a job on, especially after Rex finishes this job without an issue.


    With the gameplan decided, everyone quickly ate some breakfast, and then departed toward the lair, spending fair few hours on the road, or more precisely, creeping through a rather dense folliage and forest. And soon enough, the peak with the manticore den came into their sight, a grin rising on Rex''s face. He simply could not keep the smile away. The closer he moved, the more and more he could feel his blood pumping, prepearing him for the start of the hunt, his predatorial instinct stirring his soul. What greater pleasure could there be than hunting an apex predator in its own territory.


    As far as Rex could thell, they were one and a hal, maybee two killometers up on the mountain, its peak with the cave in sight. Numerous, colourfull plants covered the otherwise naked peak, their distinct colours indicating their poisonous nature. Even from the lower level that be and the rest of the group was stationed, it could be seen rather well. And so, after rolling his head in a circular motion, stretching his neck muscles, he exerted his will, the blood chain wrapped around his non snaked arm coming to life, shooting upwards and wrapping around a solid acnhor point, Then, without further waiting, he was pulled up, the chain reeling him in.


    As he was ascending, he controlled his aura, covering himself in a miniscule layer, ensuring no poisonous dust comes in contact with his skin, resulting in a possible poisoning, or worse. With his knowledge of the air composition, as limited as it was, it was not too hard to filter and allow in only the needed elements, like oxygen, its percentual quantity nicely regulated.


    With a very quiet ''thud'', he landed on the top level, only the poisonous plans and the cave entrace his current companions, though it was not so for long. Not wasting much time, Rex made a final nod toward the remaining group and descended inside the cave, on his way to slay the monster expected to be resting right now. The cave was damp, slippery rocks everywhere, though much like the larger manticore, Rex had little to no issue with that, their balance superb, either due to sheer size in the manticores case, or actual superior balance and experience.


    There were even more colourfull and poisonous plants inside, but one again, due to his filtration, there was nothing that could be done against him by the current defences. The cave itself was, for the most part, a singular path, slowly descending deeper into the heart of the mountain. There were a couple of smaller, branchin tunnels leading to the sides, both stalactites and stalagmites, as though teeth from a mouth, covered said branches, makin it nigh impossible for anything larger than small rodents and insects to pass through. Nevertheless, Rex used his mana pulse, focused in one dirrection to scout these small branches. Who knows, maybee they held something interesting. Though, as expected, he was not that lucky, his search for some extra ''treasures'' turning out in vain. Did not meant he would not do the same should another, similar opportunity arose, and soon enough Rex reached the place where the monster was. It was a rather large, easily ten times the size of the tunnel he had traversed. At the very center, on a nest of poisonous leaves, laid the monster, easily the size of at least three horses, It quickly sensed Rex, its eyes shooting open and a powerfull, clear roar leaving its mouth, clearly displeased, enraged even, to see some intruder walking into its lair.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Tsk." Rex cliked his tongue, both already discovered and not having as much of an advantage as he had hoped for. The sheer size of the cavern the manticore claimed as its lair messing with his ground advantage quite a bit. Luckally, the monster was not yet aware of just hwo dangerous Rex was, still on the ground and charging at Rex, its lion like mouth open, large fangs prepeared to bite down on him, ending his measly human life. And, like many before, was suprised by Rex speed and power, as his sword rose and delivered a ratehr shallow cut in manticores side, having to doge the scorpion like tail coming for him just moments after his sowrd connected with the monsters flesh. Still, the first blood was in Rex? favour.


    What followed next was a deadly dange of lunges and paw strikes, followed with a rather dangerous stabs of the monsters tail, all aimed to either end Rex''s life in a single strike, or, in case of a slight miss, still deliver heavy and debilitating wounds, heavily reducing his ability to perform, priming Rex for the soon coming final strike. manticore was too enraged to think about playing with its supposed food.


    And yet, much like the first strike, most were avoided entirely, making its powerfull strikes impotent flailing, or the like, and the lighter strikes were either parried or intercepted by the tough shield, followed up by another slash, creating a new wound on the large manticores body. It seemed that Rex was working on a death by a thousand cuts, and manticore, well, seemed amost helping Rex attttain his goals.


    The manticore had some intelect, its paw strikes were getting less and less agressive, the savage fury slowly dissipating from monsters mind and getting replaced by dangerous cunning. And yet, who was man? The spirit of change and adaptation. There was a reason that human, in general at least, was the least gifted race withe either sheer might or magical potential. And so, Rex was quick to notice the change, adopting to the situation near seemlessly. The greatest proof coming when the manticore was performing a paw strike, to quickly transition if into a semi lunge, knocking its opponent donw, followed by a precise tai lstrike, impaling the unsuspecting human.


    Things did not go taccording to teh monsters plan, the moment it relatively light paw connected with the blocking shield, a powerfull pain radiated from said paw, red, blood like spikes coming from the shield and through its paw, heavily damaging the apendage in the process, earning a roar of pain fomr the manticore. Rex had willed his shield to create spikes on its furface, then pierced the incoming paw, resulting in their current situation.


    It was from there that the situation spiralled donwwards for the monster. Reduced to only three useable apendages, tail not including, it tryied to take to air, utilizing its inherent ability to fly. Something it should have done sooner, as the moment it tried so, a chain wrapped around one of its propelling the man upwards, and due to the stinging pain in the wounded paw, it was unable to repell the incoming human, its sword now creating much larger gashes on it''s body, the ''ow so important'' life blood slowly being lost, making concentrating and performing much harder the longer their fight went.


    And so, the manticore started to spew poison inside the caver, hoping its potent creation would put an end to its opponent, or at the very least weakend it enough for the monster itself to deliver the final blow, resulting in victory. Cheap and shamefull, but victory nonethless. But no, the human seemed to not care one iota that the cavern was filling with poison, its movement not only not slowing down, but on the contrary, using both the metalic like rope, as well as some odd moevement techniques, the human was even faster now, launching himself through the air, using the aforementioned rope to also reposition himself, avoiding any desperaate attempts to stab him with the manticore''s tail.


    The deadly dance, now move to the caverns sky, lasted for nearly thirty minutes, the monster loosing more and more blood, the wounds of it''ss body alumulating, untill finally, Rex took one of its wing, causing the large and heavy monster to fall back to the ground, where the assault from the human only intensified. The monsters scorpion like tail was the next apendage to go, yet another fifteen minutes later experiencing the same fate, eliciting powerfull roars, filled with pain and rage. With each passin minute, the manticore was getting more and more desperate. Neither its jaws, claws or poisonous sting had landed even once, either avoided entirely or deflected by the dark red oddly shaped appendage on the humans arm. As far as it was aware, not every human had such a thing. And its poisonous fumes had done nothing either. Where said fumes would normally show some effect within minutes, if not sooner, there was not the slightest inkling of it working, the human doing it''s best to end manticores life.


    There was no other choice now, it had to try and flee, all other options exausted, and even that last effort choice was already quite bleak, one of its wings laying on the ground, removed from its body a while ago. It lunged, intentionally overshooting, flying over it''s adversary, recieving another, though shallow cut on its abdomen. And once on the other side, it did its best to charge forward, one of its front paws non functional. But, to the suprise of the monster, the human, while doing his best, was barely maintaining the distance between them, sometimes slightly stumbling, the slippery floor of the cave working against it.


    Through pain, in just a few minutes, the manticore had reached the exit, jumping forward, using the only remaining wing to somewhat lighten its fall, gritting its teeth as it landed, the non funcional leg necessary to to balance it out, resulting in a sstrong jolt of pain flooding its mind. And then, extremely sharp pain came, its word spinning for a moment, untill it slowly stopped, a headless, one winged manticore standing in front of its eyes, the damned human it was fighting just a while ago on its back, blood spurting from the freshly cut neck as the body slumped to the ground. Its eyes dimmed, darkness taking over.


    -----------------------------


    "CHOP CHOP!" Rex yelled, jumping of the slumping body, the remaining team, wide eyed and slack jawed, staring at both him and the now dead manticore. "I ain taking shit if you waste the good stuff that the manticores body is. I even made sure no stabs penetrated too deep, damaging the liver or any other inner organ."


    His words brought the team back, the woman who seemed to be the leader barking out orders, organizing an efficient and fast collection. It still took them more than an hour to finalize their task, numerous jars and boxes filled with certain parts of the slain manticore. Still, with the size and potential danger, what with all the poisons and stuff such carcass could hold, they were quite fast and organized."Lets head out. We have everything we need!" yelled the team leader, Rex following slightly behind.


    They spent a few more hours, descending the mountain. Their steps had that extra little pep, most of the team in a particularily good mood, even with all th extra weight on their shoulders. No one eles besides Rex and the tem leader had any sort of space storage after all. As such, only the most expensive and sensetive parts, with the shortest shelf life were, plaaced inside the womans space storage, the rest mounted on the backs of the team, Rex not included. He was the muscle, should the need arise during their return trip.


    And even with all that blood and flesh, quite a bit of it no doubt smelling more than just a little delicious to local predators, not one of them even dared to aproach us, the fear of the manticore ingrained in their DNA''s. When back in teh camp, their haul safely stashed, a small celebration came to be, the leader pulling out a charitable sized chunk of quality meat and some booze, allowing her men to unwind, within reasonable limits of course.


    As everyone else celebrated, she released a bird, resembling a hawk, a small message attached to its leg, a bottle of booze next to her as well. She too was having a bit of a celebration, more than pleased with the way the job turned out. Noticing Rex, she walked over once the bird flew away, taking a few gulps from her own bottle.


    "You are quite the specimen, I will admit that much. I have had the chance to witness quite a few A rankers in action, none quite so, special, as you. I would not mind working with you again, in the future. My name is Anabelle. Should you need the services of a similar nature, just ask Regal for Anabelle''s hounds. Pleasure doing business. In a day, two at the latest, the carriages should be here to collect us. Find a comfortable spot and relax while you can. I can bet you have some interesting and wild things lined up." she spoke, winking at Rex and taking a gulp from her bottle, theen turned away, and with a rather emphasized sway of her hips walked towards her men, joining them for a while.


    "Heh, nice try." Rex smirked, enjoying the eye candy offered and then got up, returning to the room asigned for him, slinking into meditation, but not before he placed a rather large jug of manticore blood next to his bed, allowing Snek to gorge on the high quality liquid, no doubt quite the tasty treat for the snake. The next day and a half, went by without an accident. Once the carriages arrived, Rex recieved a rather large sack of coins for a job well done, with a letter from Regal, praising him to high heavens, promising plenty of work in the future.


    "Where to sir?" Rex own coachman asked, having been sent to take Rex whereever he wanted.


    "Take me to Ravenhold port city. I heard its closer than capital from here."


    "Yes sir, a weeks difference. Jump right in." and with that, on their way they went, Rex slightly intrigued by the few rumors he heard from Anabelles crew during his few, short walks through the camp.

 Chapter 50. Danica and Igdan.

    The route to Ravenhold fort was rather scenic, crossing multiple rivers and a mountain, the rather cliffy and rugged terrain giving off just the right sense of primal and untouched beauty, captivating one with its untamed nature and promise of the unknown, soon replaced with humble, small villages, people working hard on the fields, the crop season having just started. The year had been good, providing plenty of yield, allowing for the farmers to breathe easier, the cold season seemingly less dreadfull than some particularily bad years. The elderly and grown ups smiling and the children young enough to not be much of a help, running around and playing, their laughter serving as a sort of music for those listening. Even Rex was spending some time gazing through the window apreciating the sights, both of natural beauty as well as those of people. content or happily living their lives, at least somewhat bright future ahead of them, even if only for a single season. And he wanted Snek to enjoy its naps as well, so days were his time to awake and on the lookout.


    Ravenhold fort itself was situated along a large river, named after the mountains it originated from. Legends claimed that large sized crows, ones that could easily carry humans, or even domestic animals, lived there, along with the mystical tengu clans, half crow half human beings, though due to the sheer distance, as well as being in another, not at all friendly nation, there were no actual information regarding the truth of said legends. Still, the river was large, incredibly so, allowing for stable and constant ship travel, both for transporting people and cargo alike. As such, numerous cities, similar to Ravenhold fort, had developed over time alongside the river, creating a rather capable and extensive trade network, spanning more than seven nations, untill the river touched the sea.


    It was quite easy to get through the city gates, the coachman briefly stopped, a guard poked his head in the cabine for a moment, and upon seeing Rex guild ID, that still indicated he is D rank, pulled back and allowed them access. The city was not exacting any sort of entry toll, its main income coming in a form of a tax that was paid by merchants selling goods or services, as such, everything here was slightly more expensive, but since there were many different wares that could only be aquired in this city, said elevated price could not even be detected, no comparison aviable, unless a competing merchant started to sell teh same thing for cheaper.


    "Take me to the docks." Rex asked the coachman, recieving an affirmative, but short response from the coachman. Another thirty minutes of a rather fast pace riding, Rex was informed it was as far as he could be taken, thus, he thanked the man for the provided services, wished him good luck on his travels and departed, the fee already covered, or included as a part of the job he had already performed.


    "Lets see what interesting and exotic things I might find here." Rex smiled, the inquisitive and adventurous spirit of his elevated at the new and unknown place, just waiting for him to explore. And so, he moved forward, towards the river, his gaze skipping from one palce to another. Many different shops, or warehouses lined the street, numerous peopel of different complexion, age and even races walked around. Caucasia, mostly, though he did notice peopel of asian or even egyptian descent, or so they would be called back on his original world. He did notice a couple of blacks as well, an elderly man a teenage kid, neatly dressed and with some papers, likely some ledger or manifesto, tucked in the elders pocket. They were aminatedly talking to one another, something about the proper way to calculate the shipments to take with, keeping in mind the stops along the way to be made and profit margisn and such. Rex was not too interested, so he did not follow after them, noticing the lack of any non human races. Sure, there were some occasional dwarfs around, and a super rare elf here or there, but nothing from the more beastlike races he had heard of. ''Was it really so human skewed in this world, or just in this small, backwater nation?'' Rex wondered as he stopped at some street stall, surrounded by numerous people, calling to get whatever the vendor was selling, his gaze moving towards the center of the commotion, noticing some octopus like skewers being served. His elevated height was quite teh advantage at this point.


    "Another time maybee." he muttered to himself, not willing to stop and wait through the supposed line, nor willing to push his weight around. Thus, he continiued further, continueing his excursion. And in such a manner, taking in sights of the docks, he spent most of the day, finding several decent looking inns along the way he could rest and get a decent meal. His nose was good enough for the latter, informing him of prospective kitchens, and so, upon teh arrival of dark, he stopped at the one that seemed the most promising, wit ha creak of the doors entering the building, a plaque identifying the joint as "The Fat Burge."


    As he stepped inside, a relatively well lit, filled with the smell of alchohol and apetizing food greeted him, the interiaer reminding him of bars he had seen in old american western moovies. Several round tables filled the room, most of them taken, though he could still find a few empty ones just glancing around. A large counter stood in the far end of the room, numerous bottles stacked behind the back of the large and fat guy manning it, polishing a glass ale mug. A few, rather skimpily dressed waitreses walked around, either bringing over more booze to the patrons or either delivering or taling away plates with food or whatever remains of it after the patrons were done.


    Rex, with his rather large frame attracted quite a few, carefull glances, though few lingered on him for long, one of them being the barkeep, as Rex aproahed the man, damn enar staring him down. "What can I do your ya?" the fat bartender asked, once Rex was in front of the counter.


    "Got room for a night?"


    "Yea, thats one silver. Money up front."


    "Mhm." Rex nodded, his hand dissapearing inside his pocket, placing a silver coin on the table moments later. "Need some hearty meal as well." he added, recieving a small menu, that he observed for a moment and then ordered six servings of some riasted meat with some extra bread and a bowl of soup. As well as a mug of water.


    "PIXIE!" the bartender yelled out, one of the waitresses rushing moments later over.


    "Yes Burge?" the girl asked, glancing at Rex out of the corner of her eye.


    "Tell her and take a seat at an empty table, unless you want to find some trouble." Burge spoke, returning to his previous task of polishing the glassware. Rex repeated his order, and once the girl was done, found and empty table to take a seat at, awaiting his order. he did not have to wait too long for the fist part to arrive, his table covered with a few pieces of bread and his soup, the waitress bowing slightly, her breasts jiggling with the movement quite invitingly, her skimpy outfit emphasizing the movement quite a bit, and promised that teh rest of his order would come soon as well. Rex, quite interested in the soup before him, nodded with understanding and devouted his full focus on the tantalizingly smelling dish.


    Rex had to admit, it tasted just as good as it smelled and its smelled wonderfully, making him more interested raising his expectations regarding the rest of the meal.And, he was not dissapointed once it started to arrive as well. He devoured the food like a man possesed, not forgetting to savour its taste as well, though if someone were to look at him from the side, it could be mistakenly assumed he had not eaten for nearly a week. Though once teh last plate of food ordered was placed on the table, pausing his eating, Rex asked for the cost of the meal and paid immediatly as he was told, leaving a few extra copper coins as a tip for the girls working the place, then returning to his meal, once again greatly enjoying it.


    Once done, with an extra plate in his hands, he ascended the stairs leading to the second floor, his room located there, and without any fuss, or beingf involved in any either, he retired for the night, leaving this extra meal for Snek to gorge on. It was no monster core of blood, but was tasty all the same and it turned out Snek could apreciate such things every now and then. The night was calm and without incidents either, leading to a morning that finnaly grought something interesting to Rex''s attention. he was eating yet another, rather large sized meal, numerous plates of roasted meat to be precise, when to, rather eyecatching individuals entered the building, walking straight towards the bar.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Hey. Hows the search going Burge? We needed those mercs yesterday. We payed you pretty penny for the job." spoke the older of the two. By the looks of it, the man was almost as tall as Rex, just a few centimeters shy of two meter mark, with blond, short hair, and musculed figure. He was what one would call a mountain of muscles, though the man felt like he could be extremely agile as well, despite his muscular frame. He wore a tanktop, his muscular arms, adorned with quite a few battle scars, result of claws and other, sharper objects cutting his flesh, proudly displayed as both a badge of honour no doubt, as well as a warning not to carelessly aproach him, lest one wishes for trouble. Thought the two, most eye cathing things were the two, just as blonde as his shor hair, wolf ears, standing straight and pointting to the sky, as well as a rather sleek, yet no less conspicious blonde tail, wagging bakc and forth, even if just barely.


    "I told you Igdan, I will do what I can, but no promises. None of the main groups that could fit the bill have returned, delayed on their latest jobs. I dont know the details though."


    "Then return the money we paid. No job has been fullfilled." growled the other of the two, some ten centimeters shorter, shoulder lengh blonde hair, the same type ears and tails adorning her as well. Incredibly toned and fit body, with quite the shapely ass, one that demanded attention, the rather tight fit pants accentuating its form even more.Thick, toned thighs that could no doubt snap some necks, boasted the athletic ability, and even from behind Rex could tells she had a drop dead magnificent bust as well, He could see some glimpses even from his own position. The first beastkin he had seen so far, and the pair seemed quite interesting as well.


    "Dont bust my balls Danica. You know the details of our deal. You want to hasten the departure, look around. maybee one of the guys here fits your bill. I stil have time to fulfill my end of the bargain. Now, if that is all, I have stuff to do." Burge scoffed, turning around and leaving the two in their spot.


    "Grrr, that jackass. I will..." Growled Danica, cearly frustrated and not one bit willing to take it laying down.


    "Stop it sis. Does not help. Sigh. Lets see what we have to work with here. Maybe we can scrounge a decent dude or two. We dont have the time to wait around." Igdan dejectedly spoke and turned around, his sharp, yellow eyes scanning the room, rather loaded with people.


    "Urghhh" Groaned Danica, turning around as well "I know brother, does not make it any better." And as she did so, she once again earned quite a few looks from the filled and bussy tables, numerous gazes locking on her enticing breasts, jiggling with her movement. Even Rex had to admit, those were some incredible tits, on just as incredible body. The face of the woman was quite young, around twenty five, if Rex had to guess, but there were a couple of old scars, indicating just how long ago she had staretd her combat activities,


    Noticing the numerous stares, locked on her tits, she scoffed, pulling on her chain, moments later an adventurer''s ID attached to the other end of it landing between her inviting breasts.


    "I aint into weaklings. Want to get a shot at having a taste of me? First prove you have the balls and strenght to deal with a babe like me." she smirked, her A rank adventurer card clearly on display.


    "Hehe." Rex chuckled lightly, quite amused by the firecracker attitude of the bombshell beastkin, her green eyes locking onto his position, after both sibblings ears twitched due to his snickering..


    "What are you laughing about you big log, Huh?" She snarled, making Rex realise that the ears of the pair was much better than he expected. Sighing and shruging, not caring all too much, nor willing to pretend he did not actually chuckle, he replied, leaving coins on the table for his meal, some extra left as a tip.


    "Dont mind me. Recalled some pleasant memories of mine, but do go on." he replied, rising from his seat and leaving the room, heading upstairs t a void a possible escalation.


    "Oi. I asked nicely." Danica grabbed his hand as he passed her by, clearly not willing to let it go, causing Rex to sigh. ''Firecrakers eh?'' a stray though ran across his mind.


    "Just thought you offering that goodness way too cheap is all. A mere upper A rank strenght to get a shot at that, too cheap lady. Learn to value yourself more. If I was backed up and in the mood, I would definetly tap that." With what he had to say out there, he tugged his arm, freeing it from her grasp, only to hear another angry snarl, turning int o a snicker, alongside a laughter. The growl and snicker came from Danica, the laughter- Igdan.


    "Ha ha ha. I told you the same thing." laughed Igdan, clearly amused at the response they got. Danica however, was clearly not of the same opinion.


    "Grrrr, should have just kept quiet if you dont have what it takes. Dont talk the talk if you can walk the walk." an angry grin grew on her face, her canines showing.


    "Told you I am not interested. Besides, I find it a waste to damage such a fine piece of art." Rex replied, his gaze going over the enticing body of the blonde wolfgirl, or wolf woman, her body and curves deffinetly indicating the latter.


    "Then you will not have a problem proving it right? Not that you get a choice. What say you boy? My way, or the hard way?"


    "Errrrrhhhh" Rex groaned, now slightly annoey by the insistence of Danica. "Thats it, schooling is in order. Dont complain later." He nodded his head towards the door. "We dont need an audience for that. Hope you know a secluded spot."


    "Yea, thats better. Come on Igdan, you will serve as the witness." Danica now grinned, smashing her hands together, clearly something to prove. She was the first to head towards the door, followed by Rex and their small procession was closed off by Igdan. Once they had left the inn, Danice lead them off, reaching some sort of a warehouse, quite large in its size, a plaque ''property of Tigerclaw company'' hanging at the door.


    It was then that Igdan walked forward, fishing out a key from his pocket and unlocking the rather large and somewhat archaic looking lock, providing them with acess to the property. Walking through therather empty firt building, they soon exited in a relatively sizable field, encompassed by similar buildings to the one they had just passed through. A field the size of a basketball court, covered with sand, much like the testing ground back in Solendiel inside the adventurers guild.


    Danica walked on the sand, stretching her neck and moments later, Rex felt the usage of a space storage, and her hands wer covered in a rather nasty looking battle gauntlets, clearly used often and to a great effect.


    "Come on, draw your weapons. As an A ranker you certainly have your space storage, right?" Danica almost purred, clearly trying to rile him up, or giving him a chance to confess before he gets properly smacked around. Not that she would let him off without at least a few proper bruises. Not her style.


    "I would rather not. I said I dont want to hurt such prime real estate. My weapons would do precisely that. Are you ready though?" he then asked, he asked back, stepping on the sandy field and rolling his shoulders.


    "He he he." a predatory grin spread across her face as she slightly crouched, clearly prepearing a lunge "Show me your worst.".


    PLAP!


    A loud, resounding sound of a landed slap spread across the clearing, followed by a rather girly ''eep'' as Danica jumped forward, one of her hands moving swiflty to rub one of her but cheeks.


    "And that is. you died." Rex sighed, standing right behind where Danica was just moment ago, his right hand stretched before him performign a squeezing motion. He could swear he heard her grinding her teeth, anger boiling inside. Igdan though, he was no longer all smiles, his eyes narrowed as he locked his gaze on Rex, his stance slowly changing, prepearing to draw a weapon and lunge in to save his younger sister, should the need arise. For some reason, for just a blink of an eye, he sensed that the guy Danica had picked a fight with was extremely dangerous.


    "Grrr. BASTARD!" Danica roared and lunged at Rex, and just a moment later, the second she was in striking range, performed a one- two strike combo, aimed to disrupt his balance with the first, and deliver a devastating blow with the second. And yet, nothing of the sort happened. Rex lightly deflected the first strike, and then using some weird movements, flowed along the second strike, his body turning as his hand displaced the strike. Igdan could feel a brief mana flare, being the better of the siblings in that regard, and he shuddered. The level of controll was terrifying.


    As a result, Danica''s strike went wide, her arm caught and bent behind her back as she herself was planted face first in the sand and once there, Rex body weight pressed her down, a cold blade pressing against her neck.


    "Dead again. We done? Or do you want to recieve more slaps?" Rex asked, his voice monotone and bored. "Think before you act. The next monster might not be so nice. Any other nation, and you might already have a slave collar around your neck." he added, his latter sentence earning quite the reaction from the restrained woman, a notable tremble going across her skin, Rex noted. ''Damn.'' he thought, realizing the implication. Then, he released Danica before Igdan felt he needed to act, though not before delivering another slap to that juicy posterior of hers. "You are the older one no? Teach her." Rex shot a short glance towards Igdan, before turning and walking away.

 Chapter 51. The plea.

    "Wait!" Igdan called out, Rex''s head slowly turning back, his eyes on the older sibling who was helping his sister up, though eyes locked back on Rex as well. "Do you take on job requests?" he quickly asked, realizing the limited time window he was given.


    "Depends on the request."


    "There is a ring of slavers here in this city. Illegal of course, but they have the authorities in their pocket an too many A rankers for us two to take on. Interested?"


    "Let me guess. They have someone you want to save?"


    "Yes."


    "Do you expect me to do the saving part?"


    "Would you?"


    "No."


    "Just muscle then? Taking out anyone that come to stop you as you go in?"


    "Sounds like a pain in the ass. Too much hastle to deal with. Such an operation would be loud, drawing a shitton of attention in a short order. And I am in no mood for murder hobo mode." Rex replied, quickly loosing interest.


    "ME!" Danica cried out, joining the conversation at long last, though there was not an ounce of the somewhat arrogant and brash woman in her voice from moments ago She sounded paniced, desperate even, as she continiued. "You can have as much fun with me as you want. Anything, just please, help us."


    Rex had noticed that something was off with the siblings, the slight tells even back at Burge''s bar, where they interacted with the man himself. He sighed ''I would be particularily annoyed, were I to read of an MC that would reject such an offer from as incredibly beautifull and exotic woman as the one in front of me. And while I am indeed not actively looking for a quick shag, a man has needs, and they are mounting, Guess no hypocracy for me today, at least not now.'' he though for a moment, before responding.


    "With the added note that you take better care of yourself." he pointed towards Danica, his previous words back at the bar flashing in botth of their minds.


    "If you agree to help, Anything." she almost cried out.


    "Lay it on me then. The details, and be fast, yet precise. I assume you are out of time as is, yes?" Rex spoke, and then prepeared to listen. And Igdan was quick to lay out the problem at hand. As it turned out, a rather notable number of their tribes young ones were kidnapped, alongside the few adults watching over them, and then then Igdan and Danica tracked their captors here. Unfortunately, the problems started to arise here. While capturing and selling people as slaves is forbiden withing the nation, one could keep the slaves they had bought in other nations, so long as the transactions did not happen withiin the nations territory, alongside numerous rules that forced the owners to take care of their slaves, forbiding some of the more atrocious things that one could expect a slave could be put through. And there was quite the stigma associated with the practice. Most people would look at said owners with distrust and disgust, doing their best to avoid dealing wiith slave owners, if at all possible. The nation would also regularily send some inspectors to ensure said slaves were treated decently well. They were servants in all but name, with a few extra duties they could not refuse.


    The first, and main issue was that quite a few of cities enforcers were in the pocket of said slaver group, paid of to ignore their acts and movement of their product, no doubt backed by some nobles quite happy with a fresh delivery of exotic slaves to do with what one wills. Secondly, was the fact that it was a city, heavily limiting their ability to use pure and brute force, lest one draws upon their heads both enforcers, and some parts fof the army. stationed within the city to maintain peace. And while ordinary soldiers were of no significance, there were a few A rankers that would prove problematic.


    "Dirrect assault is not an option." Rex calculated the possible paths of advance "The open fighting would draw too much attention too soon, summoning both the law enforcers and giving our target a chance to move the prize away. We must employ stealth. I assume you can''t go anywhere near the place without being noticed and snitched upon, what with the rather notable features of yours?"


    "Yes. We have noticed a few people skulking around, keeping tabs on us." With gritted teeth responded Igdan.


    "A little bit of subterfuge and acting it is then." Rex noted "I need the place where they are cooped up, no doubt something you have already lerned of, yes? As well as a small act on your part." Rex spoke, proceeding to explain his plan once he was given clear location where the slavers had their base. And as it turned out, the place was not too far from this compound.


    -----------------------------


    Derek and his goons were given a simple task- keep their eyes on the bastkin siblings and inform the boss should they act up. Simple right, untill one becomes aware that aforementioned sibblings were both A rankers. No so simple anymore. Still, they have had worse shit to deal with, so they made it work somehow. It was rather expensive and strssfull, but they had managed to do their job gor a couple of weeks, only a couple of days more untill the latest batch would be moved further, riddling him and his team from the sibblings.


    Right now he was staking out near the warehouses that the two had aquired for their own purposes, and he was waiting for them to leave the property, having entered alongside another, new face some time ago. ''''He, they must be growing desperate.'' he snickered to himself, teh sibblings no doubt have noticed the small leads that gave away the soon to happen transportation, ensuring they would never again find their missing tribesmembers. He could only lick his lips, remembering the taste of that lady, the only addult woman from their kind that was captured. She had struggled quiet a bit, making it all the more fun breaking her in. ''Such a shame we could not have fun with any of the teenagers. Their screams would be even more delicate no doubt.'' he mused, a smile on his despicable face.


    "Ow? What do we have here?" he muttered, his gaze refocusing on the entracnce, noticing the activity there. Soon, the door opened and the stranger exited the premised, scoffing at the wolfkin called Igdan. Igdan seemed rather roughened up, and his sister was nowhere to be seen.


    "Fuck off old man. Aint interested in some charity!" the new guys scoffed, spiting on the ground and leaving. ''They actually ran into another A ranker? Unexpected. Them getting roughed up and rejected though? Yea, thats about right. Humans are like that. He he.'' Derek snickered, a stray thought crossing his mind. ''Should I go and report the dudes existance anyways? Better safe than sorry, right? Might as well have another roound with that woman as well. Yes, lets do that.'' he decided and slowly sneaked away, on his way towars the base of his employer. Though he was not that lucky, as before he reached teh exit of the darkened alley, an abrupt pain the back of his head sent him to sleep.


    "Well, well well. What do we have here?" Rex asked in a relatively quiet voice, standing atop the unconscious body of Derek. "A rat, and a rather nasty one at that." he added, noticing the scratch marks on his hands, reminiscent of those of nails. "Lets tuck you away. I might need you later." he noted, ensuring the bastard was well bound and could not get away without his notice before he proceeded with his plans.


    It was rather easy to find the building complex in question. ''Bernards emporium'' sign hanging over the ratehr large gate like a sore thumb. The fat, wobbly and grinning facial painting next to it even more sticking out, the slogan ''Bernard will fulfill your every heart''s desire'' rather telling as well.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Why dont we have a peak at what I have to work with?" Rex whispered to himself, using a rather powerfull mana pulse, mapping out the entirety of the property, gaining quite profound insight as to the happenings inside. Over thirty guards, positioned all over the property, with four having some traces of mana strenghtening. ''Those must be the A rankers'' Rex noted, mentaly pinging them to be aware of their movement at all times. Be then used his mana pulse a few minutes later, noting the changes in the guard positions and then a few minutes later once agaiin, doing the same.


    Once he had a general understanding of their patrol routes, he got to work. Finding a rather dark and unobserved corner, he used his blood chain to drag himself over the large fence, landing unnoticed. Utilizing the smallest trace of space concept, he conclead himself, making it much more difficult to not only notice him, but any traces he might leave behind. Then, with practiced ease and precision, he proceeded to visit teh patrolling guards, incapacitating them with a single and swif tstrike to the back of their necks.


    It took him more than thirty minutes to clear out the perimeter, not a single of A rankers having moved as of yet, not having the slightest idea of teh infiltration happening at this very moment. Well aware of the rather high difficulty of incapacitating the quartet without rising any commotion, Rex proceeded to head towards the captives, who were being held in a rather well hidden secret basement.


    The four guards down here were not so lucky, since Rex needed them all out of commision instantly, thus his blood chains had wrapped around ther necks in an instant, breaking them at that very time, snuffing out their lives, terrified and paniced expressions marring their faces in the fast moments of their lives. Rex was aware of the situation here, thus, he first wwalked over to one of the rooms, reinforced cells to be precise. Opening the first doors, quite dark room came into his view, only a couple of monster core supplied lamps barely illuminating the room. He could still see the ten or so teenager girls, no older than fourteen, cuddled together in the very center, a few, sad excuses for blankets wrapped around them.


    "Who''s Swei?" he asked, his tone relatively hushed, yet clear enoough to be heard. Nor was it late enought for the girls to be sleeping, so his words were easily heard. he also noticed the girl whose ears twitched at his words.


    "Well, does not actually mater all that much, but I have limited time and patience. Danica said you have seen some shit and can help others out, if needed, so get out here and follow me." at the mention of Danica, teh entire group of wolfkin girls stirred, their gazes now actually moving towards Rex, from their previous positions, staring at the ground.


    "H-how do you know D-danica?" asked on of the girls, her hair, ears and tail just slightly darker than the blonde of the sibblings. "Reika, was it?" Rex replied and seeing the girl slightly flinch, he continiued "I am here to deliver you all to her and Igdan. So, once again, Swei, get your ass out here. Need you to fix someone up. ASAP."


    "Whats asap?" asked the girl with dark brown hair and tail, moving towards him "I''m Swei."


    "As Fast As Possible. Now follow me. The rest of you, get dressed properly, as muc has you can and wait here. You dont want to see teh stuff out there. Trust me." Rex explained and then pointed his thumb in the dirrection of the guards, their bodies drained of blood, reminding old mumies by now.


    Swei quickly followed Rex, her ears though pressed against her head. They had heard the screams and cries before, and while she was worried, Danica''s name had calmed her just the tiniest bit.


    "Its not gonna be pretty." Rex warned, stopping in front of another door. He pulled out some blankets from what was obviously a spacial storage ring. He too was an A ranker. Swei thought, though seeing as he was here, it had to be the case. As the door opened, strong stench waffed out, causiing Swei to cover her nose. And the sight before her eyes nearly made her throw up. A few women, including Wirsha, who was the only adult within their group who was captured, were in a terribel condition. Tied to beds, like some pets, with chains around their necks, mostly torn clothing and bruises on their limbs and faces. They had clearly been assaulted and abused, then used to exually relieve their abusers. It was despicalble sight, rage filling Swei''s heart. Thought somewhere, deep inside she was a little relieved she had not experienced the same, even if she felt strong grief in regards to Wirsha.


    "Clean them up a bit, then cover in blankets. Once they are in bearable condition, we call over the others, help them to the carriage that you will take to leave this place. I will take you to Danica then. While you do this, I will go colelct the few boys in the room a bit further." with that said, Rex lef tSwei to her job, something she quickly got to. Danica was right, Swei had seen some things, though nothing quite as repulsive as this. Still, learning from teh tribes healers had prepeared her for some shit like this.


    By the time Rex had freed the boys, five in total, Swei was also more or less done and with the help of her friends, they managed to get the abused women moving. They did look much like dools right now, their minds closed off, trying to cope with the suffering they had experienced.''We will have some fun gentlemen. It is only fair.'' Rex thought as he remembered the captured guards, He needed names. Seeing his, he was quite heavily inclined to doll out some old fashioned justice.


    Sure, he was familiar with slavery on a rather personal level. The main body of his having quite a few slaves himself, Thought there was a notable difference. While, for all intent and purposes, the people under him were his property, at least as far as the world, and he himself somewhat saw it, they lived life much better than most nobility, having access to luxuries no mortal should. It was his belief that one had to take care of his supposed property, only egriegious criminals deserving such animalistic punishements and suffering.


    With the entire basement cleared, Rex turned towards the group, asking "Anyone missing?"


    "N-no, though we did hear that they were ready to transport us within a few days." ansered Swei, still somewhat aprehensive about the state the few woemn she had to somewhat clean up, though she also believed that with enought care and support, they might be recoverable. The slave collars and the like had also been removed by Rex, none of them in danger of a shock due to them being disobedient.


    "Now, I need you all to wait here for a while. Taking down the A rankers will take some time and make some noice, but not to worry. Not onlyw ill I do that, there will also be a guardian in front of the doors, so just sit tight, yea?" Rex warned, and due to his activities so far, there was no reason for them not to believe him. Thus, after a few nods, Rex dissapered outside, leaving the mall waiting.


    "All right then." Rex cracked his neck, prepearing for quick, yet decisive and rather rutheless aproach. "Snek, be a dear and protect this entrance." and with his request, his pet snake left the sleeve it had comandeered as its sleeping space, slightly growing in size as it landed on the ground, reachin the size of a horse just moments later. yet another unique trait of the blood serpent, something that Rex had been utilizing quite a lot and to a great effect.


    Stealthily, Rex once again utilized all the tools in his arsenal, aproaching as close to the four A rankers as possible, and after a short deliberation, he decided for the stealthiest approach aviable to him. Stealthy in execution that is, not so much in lack of evidence left behind. With slow motion, he summoned his blood blade, amd after a short moment of concentration, he drew it with speed, creating a slash that seperated everything in its path. Walls, furniture, armor or flesh and bones. Nothing stopped the generated strike, infused with the concept of sword cut. After soem twenty or so meters, teh move simply dissipated, leaving a rather devastated sight behind. From his position, he could see the hole he had created, as well as the four bodies, split in parts. Sadly, he had also destroyed their storage rings, no doubt loaded with some goodies. The rings themselves were no doubt valuable, though there was little reason to cry over spilt milk. What was important however, was the relatively quite execution, leaving him with plenty of time to get out of there, and so he did, quickly returning, ushering the captives out of the basement and into some carriages he found stationed withing the property.


    When asked, why he was collecting the bodies, of the still living, mind you, guards, he simply replied that they should be able to disclose the names of the ones financing and employing their services, even if some of the information was undoubtedly lost with the deaths of the A rankers. There was none of his blood, something he had to spit out after the move performed, as he was rather meticuluous in erasing any traces of his own presence within the property and once the three carriages were loaded and had their own coachmen, as questionable as their skills were, they lef tthe property through the back gates. Rex ensured there were no one watching the place, and before they actually arrived at the destination Danica and Igdan waited for him, he also ensured that no one was there to notice the three carriages entering the property, not forgetting to pick up Derek along the way, something he would be quite happy with a bit later.

 Chapter 52. A monster for monsters sake.

    As soon as Danica saw Rex, awkwardly controlling the carriage as it stopped in the middle of the warehouse, two others behind him, not much better with the skill of their own coachmen, little to none, if any marks at all on either himself or his clothing, telling of an incredible or hard fought battle, she rushed over, hopeful smile on her face.


    "Danica!" exclaimed one of the coachmen, who turned out to be Swei and just moments later from the carriage she was controlling, almost flying, came another body, crying and screaming her name. The slightly darker, bundle of blonde sniveling and crying, her tail swishing happily collided with the older woman, her smaller arms locking around Danica''s neck, afraid to left go.


    "Its all right sweetie. Aunty has you. You are safe now." Danica replied, her voice sweet and quiet, slight tears of relief in her eyes as well as she too hugged the young girl. Igdan walked over, checking on the other girls exiting the first carriage, after whom the boys jumped out too. There were some unfamiliar faces too, human ones, though all seemed young, fourteen or so, until Swei rushed over and climbed back inside, calling Danica to help, apologising to Igdan, saying that the rest should not be in the presence of grown men for the time being. And with a single glance, seeing the blank faces and the bruises, Igdan instantly understood, moving away right after calling for Danica, replacing her in calming their niece. moving himself, with the girl in his arms, closer to Rex, who had moved over to the last carriage, clearly waiting for the captives to be moved away from the front.


    "Got enough space for them?" Rex asked, glancing towards Igdan, the other man a few steps away.


    "Mhm. We got that covered. Thank you, once again. We could not even guarantee the safety of Reika alone, and yet, here you are, having rescued not only her but everyone else too." As he thanked Rex. he bowed, Reika following his example.


    "A job is a job. Besides, I was promised quite the reward, so don''t sweat it."


    "We heard no commotion, how did you do it?" Igdan asked, quite curious.


    "Ask her what she saw. Or listen to the rumors that will undoubtedly spread within the city soon." Rex just shrugged, dodging the question entirely. "Right, find Swei and have her bring the most stable of the women. Need her to do some screening."


    "What for?" Igdan asked.


    "Should any of their torturers be among the people in here, they can watch them suffer a retribution, and if they so choose, inflict some suffering later as well. Should help their minds heal, if only a little." As Rex spoke, Igdan''s eyes grew larger. He knew Rex was a badass, but this, this was on a whole different level. "I need a place to set up and dirty. Don''t worry about unnecessary noise, I will have that covered." he then added, his intentions clear. Igdan nodded and guided Rex towards one of the side exits, leading him into some sort of a room.


    "Used to skin cattle here, or so we were told. Should suffice for your needs, yes?"


    "Yes. This will do." Rex replied, his expression dark and damning. The next dozen or so minutes, he moved unconscious bodies from the third carriage to the small skinning booth and once that was done, he engraved some odd looking symbols on the walls that soon began to glow with a dim light. Runes, Igdan realized, once again elevating Rex''s danger level by yet another tier in his mind. They were truly lucky Rex was on their side here, that was for sure.


    Another hour later, Swei walked over with one of the human girls, calming her as they stopped ner Rex.


    "Do you want revenge? See those that raped and abused to suffer?"


    "Y-yes." the human replied, her voice shaky, yet determined, filled with both fear, rage and pain.


    "Good. Know that they cannot hurt you, nor touch you. They will not even get to speak. Just point at those that were there, acting." Rex spoke, his voice monotone, almost like he was not even there. It seemed that his non human way of talking calmed the traumatised woman, even if only a little.


    "They will not get to die, not so soon anyways. They deserve a far worse after all." he added, earning obedient nod from the woman.


    "I want to see it too." spoke Swei "Wirsha is family, and while she is in no state to be in the presence of any of them, she would no doubt be happy to hear what happened at a later time."


    "Suit yourself, though once again, its not going to be pretty. These beasts deserve nothing less than what coming though." Rex replied, shrugging his shoulders opening the doors and walking in.


    ----------------------------


    (Gory stuff ahead)


    The relatively smaller room was lit well enough, several lamps placed in each of the corners, as well as one on the ceiling in the middle. Due to the previous purpose, skinning animals, the room had been used for, there were plenty of tables, and some stands that the animals could be hanged from, still remaining and in decent condition as well. Rex had used each and every contraption present to full effect. Men were either laid out on the tables or hanged by their arms from the stands, each and every one tightly bound by a rough, dark red chain. It was clearly biting into their flesh, bruises already forming on the places the men were bound. Each and every one was alog gagged, denying them the ability to talk. And while most were still unconscious, as evident by their limp bodies, some were glaring in Rex, and subsequently the human woman''s and Swei''s direction.


    "Point them out and don''t be scared. All they can do, those that are awake anyways, is glare at you and struggle, and soon enough, they won''t be in the right mind to even glare." Rex spoke, once again in a calm, almost monotone voice, though now there was the barest hint of kindness in there, or so Swei thought. Holding the human woman in her embrace, whispering encouraging words to her, Swei slowly guided her over to the bound, now prisoners. And slowly, but surely, the woman''s hand rose, pointing at one of the men, a hiss leaving her mouth.


    The chain, bounding him suddenly bloomed, creating a rather peculiar crystal above the man''s head. "Go ahead, observe them all. Once you are done, then we will start." And so, with the support from Swei, the woman was guided passed all of the prisoners of Rex, her hand rising a few more times, marking a few more of the beasts that had acted either against her, or any other of the women in the same room. As a result, by the time the two women were done, seven bloody crystals had bloomed above the prisoners.


    It was at the very end, when the human woman was in front of Derek, that she audibly hissed, squeezing Swei''s hand with one of her own, while the other covered her own mouth, damn near retching. She was also trembling like a leaf in the wind, barely holding on the tree. Swei was quick to act, pulling the woman into a warm and caring hug, whispering calming and reassuring words. Whatever the scum did, it was obviously much more damning than the rest, or so it seemed.


    A few minutes later, the woman whispered. "Its him. The one who hurt your friend the most."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Her words were clearly meant for Swei, and she understood it too, intense and hatred filled two eyes tried their best to tear new holes in the culprits flesh, hoping to inflict untold agony upon this bastard.


    "Right. An extra special care for this cunt then." Rex spoke, a surprising chill coming from his voice. Swei would have sworn the room temperature dropped at that moment. "Hear that sunshine. We are going to become extremely close soon enough." Rex added, having walked over to Derek, the bastard being one of the men hanging from the stands. "Why don''t you have a small taste of what''s to come, eh?" His voice was still chilling as he spoke, and with a single motion, he tore off the shirt Derek was wearing, leaving him bare chested. Then, a blood red nail elongated, as if growing in moments from Rex''s right hand index finger. Using said elongated nail, Rex lightly stabbed the mans chest. creating a shallow, maybee a centimeter deep at best, wound that he continued from, creating a small, yet relatively complex rune. The moment Rex was done said rune lit up.


    Derek spasmed as a shocking pain coursed through his body, his teeth clanking together around the chain that prevented him from speaking. The taste of blood invaded his senses, clearly having created a fresh, miniature wound in his mouth just moments ago due to the extreme biting pressure he had put on the gag. Then, a snap of fingers, and he felt as a searing pain assaulted his leg, his teeth once again grinding against the chain, the intense pain coursing through his body. Only when it stopped, his head hanging low, him being aware ever since the trio walked in, having woken up just a bit before that, he noticed the blood crystal on his leg, falling of just moments later, revealing a fresh, but already cauterized wound.


    "Don''t worry, there is plenty more where that came from. Plenty more." Spoke the only man, his body towering over both him and the two women. Damn, one of them was among the toys they had back in the base. Now he regretted just a tiny bit he had spent most of his time on that mutt. Should have shown some good time to this slut too. He glared at them out of the corner of his eye, quite confident they assumed he was already close to breaking. Nope, they were nowhere near. He will hold on, and when the artillery comes, he will have the last laugh.


    "My my. Someone seems to be enjoying themselves. why don''t I oblige a bit more." the man in front of him spoke once again, the blood crystal at his legs suddenly morphing into something else. Now that, that actually terrified Derek. ''WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!'' his mind screamed, seeing the small, oddly shaped jaws with incredibly sharp looking teeth. With his mouth gagged, not like he could actually speak. ''HOW THE FUCK IS THERE A VAMPIRE IN RAVENHOLD?'' his thoughts raced, scrambled even, as he was starting to understand the actual danger he was in.


    "A tad too large." Rex spoke, the jaws morphing once more, shrinking in size, until it seemed like a small snake, the length of approximately five centimeters. Then, like an actual snake, it slithered up Derek''s leg, soon enough reaching his abdomen. Then, along his naked flesh, Derek felt the micro hooks puncturing his flesh, as minnicsule as they were, as the small construct kept climbing on him. Soon enough, the construct was on his shoulder blade. And then it happened, a piercing pain where the construct had just been, going a bit deeper, just above the skin surface. It still hurt like an absolute bitch. That little shit was having its fun, taking bites out of Derek''s flesh. Each one was a sharp, stinging pain. What''s worse, that thing was doing so in irregular intervals, making it impossible to preppeare for them. And if that was not bad enough, when it grazed a bone, Derek could do nothing else but jerk in shock, the pain multiple times worse.


    "I will leave you with this for the time being. I need to have some heart to heart talk with our friends over there, so do relax in the meantime." Rex added, leaving Derek to his own devices, moving over to another of the poor bastards. Nothing good was in store for either of them, Derek was aware of that. Still, if he could just grit his teeth, the ones up top would come for their merchandise. With clerics and law enforcement, it was only a matter of time. ''ENDURE! ENDURE!'' he creamed in his mind, the pain jolting through his body every now and then, making it hard to focus.


    ------------------------------


    It had been about an hour or so, Swei supposed, since the woman had pointed out the ones who had taken part in the defilement of hers and other in that awful room. And Swei had to admit, Rex knew what he was doing, as all along, he had been inflicing bone chilling pain upon the perpetrators, and, unlike the bastard that thad brutalized Wirsha, he was using more ''natural?'' mean of torture? There was no flesh chomping construct of sorts, made from ones own blood for sure. Not that it was much of a relief for the ones experiencing his full focus. From precise and aimed strikes, to peeling off ones nails and tearing out teeth, there was a plethora of methods used, causing the bastards to whimper, cry and wail, their mouths gagged to lower the noise they make. And while she was not entirely sure if Rex had access to any sort of healing magic, none of his torture subjects seemed anywhere close to their deaths, something that, to those who realised the fact, caused even more terror. And yet, Swei noticed something else that was incredibly important. Rex, for all hi proficiency and skill in the art of torture, was neither gleeful, nor smiling, enjoying the process like a hobby of sorts. He was the monster he believed he had to be when dealing with other such creatures, or so Swei thought. And she could appreciate that, a lot. A man who hides just how much of a monster he is might just be a tickling time bomb, ready to explode any moment, taking with him those who believe him family. But those like Rex, who can turn into a monster if necessary to protect something, well, they were precious. That was what her mother taught her, and her mother her before, and so on and so forth, for hundreds, if not thousands of years.


    "Well." Rex suddenly spoke up, the rest the rapists getting a moment of respite from the pain. Not only they, bute everyone else was awake by now, fear, terror and despair in their eyes. "I think you are ready for the big leagues, joining your friend over there." he pointed his had towards Derek, who had slumped once again, his legs weak and a puddle of piss forming beneath him. Panicked trashing began, as the ones having experienced Rex''s torture techniques saw small blood snakes slithering up their bodies, stopping in a simmilar locations as they did with Derek. And while most of had no idea what was about to happen, seeing Derek, they were not at all inclined to find out. Swei was sure. She would not want it too. And the mere thought of how mangled the bastard''s, slumping above the puddle of his own piss, shoulder was a slight shiver went down her own spine. The woman in her arms though, she seemed much better now.


    Before Rex could say anything else, there wa a knock on the door, moments later in came Danica, her nose furrowing, no doubt the smell of blood and piss that was slowly permeating the room, assaulting her senses.


    "We have a situation. Might need your help." Danica spoke, a slight apprehension on her face.


    "The authorities at your doorstep?" Rex asked in a calm manner.


    "Yes, how did you know?"


    "Well, someone high up is clearly funding this whole operation, or paying for the merchandise. I doubt any one faction, unless its adventurers guild or the royals, could hire four A rankers to to it. And as such, they surely have ways to track either the merchandise, or the cunts working for them. Time to figure out which one it is." he looked back towards his prisoners. "We will continue this later. hang in tight there." Then he turned and walked towards the door, ushering both Swei and the woman outside of the room. "Right. Dig in boys." he added as he had reached the door, muffled wails and cries of pain accompanying him out. Once everyone was out, Rex closed the door and not a single sound could be heard, the glowing runes no doubt muffling all of the sounds.


    "Swei. Take your new friend to the back where other girls are. This here is adult business." Rex said, turning towards the entrance, where he could already hear quite the commotion. "Shall we dear?" he spoke, looking to Danica, who nodded with a serious expression on her face, but before they could walk off, a shaky, timid hand just barely grabbed Rex''s sleeve.


    "T-thank you." a weak whisper followed, coming form the human woman.


    "Don''t sweat it. That is no way a lady should be treated, and those who do, well, they all deserve some retribution." Rex was incredibly fast, escaping every ones notice, as his hand was atop the woman head, extremely gently caressing hear hair. "Go rest now." And just as quickly his hand had moved to caress the woman''s hair, it was back in its previous position, with both Rex and Danica heading towards the entrance gate.


    "Wirsha, was it? Your kin that was raped and savaged?" Rex asked as they walked towards the gate. "It seems I have caught the one who did the most damage to her. The dude almost falling over in his own piss back in the room." His words made Danica tense up, her teeth grinding in anger. "Trust me, by this time tomorow, he will be begging for death, and he will be denied such mercy. If you want to ecxract a pound of flesh to placate your own anger, under my supervision that can be done. No easy death for him though. But lets leave that for later yea."


    "Mhm. Lets." was all Danica answered, though there was the tiniest of smiles on her face. Rex was a good man.

 Chapter 53. What a small world.

    As per usual, Rex had used his mana pulse, on a rather superficial level though, as such, he was well aware of the number of people outside this particular property. Now though, as they closed in on the gates, he had done a rather deep scan, quickly adorning his own adventurer overcoat, hiding most of his features from the people who would see him in a short while.


    "Relax." he whispered, noticing the rather suspicious look Danica shot his way, seeing him hiding his own appearance "This will be fun. Trust me."


    A few moment later, the two reached said gate, Igdan standing in front of it, his arms crossed and fangs slightly visible as he glared at the rather weak group of armoured men in front of him.


    "And for the last time I repeat." he snarled "Not one of you cunts are going inside. Or what, you plan to try your luck and go through me?" his A ranker''s adventurers cared, clearly displayed, much like Danica did back at Burge''s bar, or whatever the place was named. ''Shit, I paid for the night, and never got back there.'' Rex remembered suddenly. ''Should not waste money like that.'' he reminded himself, watching the scene unfold before him.


    "And again, we have evidence here that there are some stolen goods behind you, within these warehouses. All we want is to return said property to its rightful owner." One of the guards, with slightly more adorned armor spoke, the pattern of speech and the haughty tone in the voice giving Rex the feeling this particular fellow must have some roots in nobility.


    "Now are you implying that I am a thief? Tired of living, are you?" yet another snar escaped igdan''s lips, he was clearly acting his ass off, though there was also some amount of righteous indignation in his tone.


    "Not at all. Someone as busy as you must simply be unaware of what little rat might have stashed away within your home is all." the guard spoke again, and rex could feel there was some kind of insult meant there as well, judging by the tone of guards voice.


    "Whats going on here?" a new voice joined the ongoing back and forth, resounding from further away. A woman, in a rather form fitting leather armor, a bow on her back and surrounded by a group of well armoured and dangerous looking individuals approached the gate, yet another guard in the same uniform as the group already in confrontation with Igdan.


    "Ah, princess Evelysandra. Thank you for you grace in assisting us in maintaining the order within your lands. Your grace truly knows no bounds." the guard captain, Rex classified the pompous noble something something that way now, was almost falling over trying to kiss up to Eve. "This here honored adventurer is a bit stubborn, and refuses us to reclaim some stolen property that is stashed within the premises of this warehouse."


    Evelysandra looked at Igdan, then momentarily glanced at Danica and the hooded figure besides her. She then walked forward, and some five meters away from Igdan, bowed lightly, speaking in a calm and polite manner.


    "Honorable adventurer. Please, allow us to enforce the law. We mean no disrespect otherwise." Igdan''s brows furrowed, not quite sure what to do. Anyone else could be easily sent away, picking a fight, but an actual princess. Well, that complicated things. Thankfully, the one who could decide such things, his power alone warranting such liberties, spoke up, though in a rather odd tone of voice, clearly not how he talked before.


    "I take it you have your tracking device with you, to pinpoint a precise location of said stolen goods?" The guard captain just glared at Rex, and not noticing A rankers card, yet still slightly wary, replied.


    "But of course. We would not be here otherwise."


    "Well then, no doubt the princess with follow through and witness this whole thing to the end, right?"


    "There is no need to trouble her highness any further. She undoubtedly has more important things to do. Her goodwill and assistance already provided is more than we could have asked."


    "I was not asking, nor suggesting." a cold, spine shivering killing instinct overtook the area, only three people, two personal guards and the princess herself recognizing it. "Or are you afraid that she will see your attempts to get your hands on the people who were wearing these." Rex continued, as from his space storage, the slavery equipment he had removed from the captives, formed a small pile. "Or do you perhaps want to reclaim those that served as guards for said property''''? In either case, it is not happening. I bet that the princess is very much interested in the details though." he then looked towards Evelysandra. "World''s indeed a small place. Heh. What was it? A couple of weeks since we met? Are you stalking me now?" he chuckled, removing the hood.


    "A pleasure to see you again." Eve replied. "I do have to disapoint. I Was sent here on an official matters and was just passing by when this guard rushed to us and begged for assistance to ensure the proper application of the law. Though it seems to be more than meets the eye. So yes, I would love to see this through to the end."


    "As I thought you would." Rex replied, a blood chain shooting from his sleeve, wrapping around the guard captains neck, locking him down. "Well? don''t keep us waiting. Come on in." he tugged the chain, causing captain to stumble forward, nearly falling "Cant have the princess delayed any longer than necessary, now can we?" Downright predatory smile crept on Rex face as his free hand moved with deceptive speed, moments later holding a rather unique looking item in his hand. It resembled a snow globe with a small, dragonfly like construct inside, its body turning towards the same direction no matter how much Rex turned it.


    "If you would do the honours princess." Rex spoke, stretching his hand in her direction.


    "Of course. I was done with my official duties anyhow." Eve replied, walking over and taking the globe in her hands, Then, with her two guards, who recognized Rex, in tow and Rex himself, dragging the guard captain along like a lost puppy, they entered the property, walking forward as their compass showed. Soon enough, they stood in front of a group of teenage wolfkin, the compass pointing towards one of the girls, an ominous aura emanating from Eve, though that was more of her demeanor showing, not an actual aura like Rex would do.


    "Guards, take this guard into custody. Extract everything he knows. This will not be permitted!" Eve spoke, anger clear in her voice.


    "Swei, be a dear and take her highness to the other girls in the next room." Rex spoke up "I will permit myself to have a chat with this little friend of ours inside the interrogation room."


    "Understood. Please come this way." She replied, asking to be followed.


    "Only her." Rex stopped the two guards. "No men are allowed where she is going. You two, come with me. You are in charge of this piece of trash, are you not?" With furrowed brows, the two guards looked towards Eve, yet after her explicit order, they did as told. Moments later, Evelysandra saw the state of the few women in the other room, one of her hands moving to cover her mouth. While looking way better than when they were recovered, the sight was still not pretty and Evelysandra quickly could put two and two together. She gritted her teeth in anger, barely squeezing out a single phrase.


    "Detestable scum." She turned around and stormed back, demanding Igdan to be shown where Rex and the guard went. She was about ready to get her own pound of flesh from the scum, but even more she wanted to find out who was the one behind this operation. Ignoring all the warnings Igdan expressed, she damn near tore the door open, rushing inside, only to stop dead in her tracks, the stench of sweat, blood and urine hitting her in the face like a fist.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "It is lacking in ventilation. I can''t deny that. But it is not nearly as bad as you make it seem." came over the voice of Rex, standing in front of the guard, who was chained, like many others inside. With gagged mouth, the guard was squirming and obviously screaming in pain, his eyes bulging and tears streaming down his cheeks.


    "So, ready to talk?" a moment later, the guards body went limp, the assault of pain finally stopping. It was then that Eve could finally take in the whole of the room, numerous other prisoners, in much the same condition as the guard, were chained all around, making the place a little nightmare come to life.


    "What is this?" she asked, feeling the need to retch. She was furious for sure, and while having seen some solid amount of gore and brutality, what with spending some decent amount of time in dungeons herself, honing her skills and gaining experience, this was on a whole another level. If she were to be asked to imagine the torture chambers of some of the more barbaric ruler''s chief torturer, this would still trump such a theoretical place.


    "Well, a treatment of beasts for beasts of course. What does it look like?" Rex asked back, clear confusion in his voice. And then, from one of the hung men''s shoulders, the guard to be exact, out popped something small, still moving. That was the last straw, causing Eve to run out, and throwing up in a bucket that was luckily positioned nearby.


    "Well, are we in a mood to talk now?" Rex asked, the torture stopping on the guard for a moment. He also used his own control over blood, something he could do within other living bodies now, though a small assistance of a carved rune was necessary still to achieve such, stabilising and suppressing the pain said guard was experiencing. Was it any wonder that the guard in question spilled whatever he knew the second his own gag was removed, numerous similar, pleading pairs of eyes looked towards the group of four men- the guard in question, Evelysandra''s two knights and Rex, hoping they too could get the chance to spill whatever they knew, hopefully avoiding whatever their fellow men were going through. As it stood, only the ones taking part on the raping were going through any torture, the rest of the captors waiting their turn.


    Both knights wrote down whatever names were mentioned, at some their expressions turned ugly more and more, no doubt some rather important names were mentioned, all of whom slipped past Rex''s head. Not that he could not memorize them. He simply reasoned that it was Evelysandras and her royal families job to fix this. Not that he would refuse to help out, for the right price of course. He was an adventurer slash mercenary after all, even if the mercenary part was not official in any capacity just yet.


    Once the guard finished talking, in panic swearing that it was all he knew, Rex turned his head towards the two knights. "So? Want to take him with you?"


    "What about the rest?" one of the knights asked.


    "Only those who are not actively being destroyed. These bastards deserve it, so they will still get the chance to enjoy such royal treatment for an extra day or two. What say you?"


    "Urghhh" a rather unhappy groan came from the other side of the door since it was still open after Eve rushed out. "While what the ydid is indeed monstrous, this is just as bad." Eve added.


    "Precisely. That is why I am donning it. Punishment fits the crime and all that. I am still on fence regarding the one that allowed and organized it. A piece of me says he deserves the same. The other says he deserves worse, for knowing what was to go down and still arranging it."


    "They have suffered enough. Let us execute them, as they deserve. As a member of the ruling family within these lands, it is my duty and responsibility to do so."


    "So be it. Though do note that should any of them live, I will have nothing to do with your family in the future."


    "U-understood." came a slightly hesitant answer "Justice will be served."


    "So be it then." Rex sighed, withdrew all of his torture constructs and melted then into a small, thumbnail sized ball and put it in his pocket. Then, he left the room, walking over to Igdan. "Leave the rest to princess people. We are out of here." With that, they moved to the room with teenage wolfkin, finding a rather empty corner and sitting down, relaxing for a moment, all the while Eve''s knight called in the rest of her team, unchaining those captured from the bloody chains keeping them in place and applying their own bindings to ensure none would escape.


    "So, what are you gonna do next?" Rex asked Igdan, his head directed straight ahead and his eyes closed.


    "Wait for a week. A ship from our homeland will pass by. Board the kids and send them back. As for me and Danica? We will figure things out when the time comes."


    "I suppose good luck with that then." Rex replied, sliding into a meditative state, working on both his comprehension and developing his body arts further.


    With the extra hands from the rest of Evelysandra''s escort force, the prisoners were loaded into the same carts Rex had used to bring them over, and on less than an hour, Eve left teh premises, apologizing to Danica and Igdan on behalf of her country for whatever role they served in the atrocities visited upon the wolfkin tribe, promising to do her utmost to have the true masterminds behind this whole operation to be made to answer for their crimes.


    As that all was going on, Rex had an interesting question pop up in his mind, so now he was calmly sitting, fiddling with the snowglobe of tracking, as he eloquently named it, using his own mana as a precise tool, trying to understand what makes it tick. And, once he reached a bottleneck of sorts, he decided to request the help on the other part of this particular puzzle. It was rather simple to earn the girls permission to examine her, what with him being her saviour and overall good guy.


    What he found was a rather complex rune of sorts, half carved into the girls back. And since she did not remember anything of the sort, no doubt she had been heavily drugged during the process. Thankfully, Rex could search for such a marking now without actually having his subject half naked as he did so and as such, he called over every other slave to be one by one, ensuring nothing similar was on any other person. And unfortunately, he needed to do the same with the traumatised women. Luckily, or sadly, depending on how one looks at it, they were mostly unresponsive, with only the woman who identified and subsequently saw the identified rapists suffer being slightly better, murmuring a few thank you''s to Rex as he ensured none of them were marked.


    Once he was done with the searching of said marks, finding another teenage girl similarly marked, he then proceeded to erase both marks and heal the wounds as best he could. At the end of the day, there would remain a small proof of the marks existence, once upon a time, though nothing overly dramatic. The two girls, like brave soldiers, held through the pain of the process, and once done thanked Rex once more.


    "All done?" Ask Danica as she approached Rex, seeing the two teenagers leaving.


    "Mhm." Rex stretched, glancing towards a window, a cloudy nights sky in full swing. "Catch ya later." Rex yawned and rubbed his neck. It was about time he left the place. Maybe he could visit the adventurers guild here and see if anything interesting was posted. He also had to do some ingredient searching. The erasure of the tracking marks had given him plenty of things to think about, expanding yet again the amount of knowledge Rex wanted to study, expanding his own understanding and comprehension of said subjects.


    There was so much stuff to do and so relatively little time. The only silver lining was that with each increment Rex himself grows stronger, he would, eventually, have to spend less time grinding, allowing more more and more of research and brain storming.


    "So, technically, you are free right now, yes?" Danica asked a moment later, her eyes locked on Rex.


    "Yes? You needed something?"


    "Yes. Come with me."


    There was absolute silence as they walked, heading further into the property, leaving the warehouses and what seemed to be the workers quarters behind. That''s where all the girls currently stayed. A few minutes later, the duo reached a smaller building that looked much cozier than anything else that Rex had seen on this property.


    "The folks who ran this place used to live here, back when they owned it. We acquired it. like many other within cities we trade with. The tribe I come from that is. Come inside."


    Once inside, Danica lead rex further in, until they reached a bedroom of sorts. A large, double bed laid in the middle of the room, fresh bedding covering it. A couple of old, but nicely looking wardrobes stood on either side of the room, giving off the feeling of home, as odd as it sounded. Rex''s moved his gaze off of her for only a few moments, glancing over the room, but when his focus returned to Danica, she was already mostly naked, sitting down on the bed.


    "Might as well get it done with, yes?" she asked, slight redness tinting her cheeks.


    "I thought you would need some time. What with the recent events and such." Rex scratched his neck a bit awkwardly.


    "No. Would not change a thing, so might as well."


    "Don''t mind if I do then."


    -----------------------------------

 Chapter 54. A man needs what a man needs.

    As Rex laid on the bed, he thought of many things. How. while he had not lived too long of a live so far, he had found plenty of things that could and would feel good while doing. Pulling back into his mindscape and comprehending the concepts that were at the core of the worlds he inhabited, grinding the dungeons to grow stronger, earning more time to live, appreciate and enjoy the world he was in. Going out on adventures and encountering the unknown, or perhaps even taking out the human trashe he encounters, letting his inner monster out of the cage to deal with such filth. Every sapient creature had their own beast of such nature, some were just in denial of its existence.


    Yet, there was something oddly calming and warm, waking up in the embrace of a beautiful woman, a slight smile on her lips as she slept calmly, her chest lightly moving with each breath. As he calmly gazed at the disheveled blonde hair, the slightly droopy wolf ears and the overall content expression on Danica''s face, he realised yet another, extremely important truth about himself. ''Not only am I greedy, but apparently possessive as well.'' He concluded, as thought after thought streamed through his mind- different plans on how to earn Danica''s affection, ensuring she would become a proper woman of his. And, as if responding to his selfish decision, the world itself seemed to answer, as Danica stirred awake.


    Her eyes slowly opened, still sleepy, yet her face bloomed into a smile as she realized that Rex was still there, in her embrace, the same as when she drifted to sleep. ''Old, lying crones'', she cursed in her mind, last night still vividly in her mind, though her inner thoughts, did not make their presence known on her face, as a smile bloomed on her face.


    "Morning husband." she almost purred like a kitten, stretching upwards and planting a small peck on Rex''s lips, causing a slight shortcut in his mind.


    "Husband?" Rex lightly asked. "Mind telling me more?" he added, his voice relatively calm, though there was plenty of interest in his tone.


    "AH!" as if understanding her own mistake, she exclaimed, trying to quickly apologize. Sometimes the different cultures was such a bitch. "I... I am sorry. It totally slipped my mind. Dont mind whatever I said." And before she could even try and escape in her embarrassment, Rex''s strong arms caught her in an embrace, pulling her back, their bodies pressed together.


    "Now that you said it, I don''t plan on letting you go that easily. I would like to understand this tradition of yours though." Rex said, his voice rather quiet, yet confident and possessive at the same time and Danica could feel his intention.


    "Y-you dont mind?" she asked, her tone of voice rather quiet.


    "Mind? I am ecstatic truth be told. I was just thinking of ways to ensure you would be mine and mine alone. Turns out I am indeed a lecherous and greedy man. And it seems that what once becomes mine, is something I can''t simply let go of. So please, do explain."


    "Mhm." Danica just nodded, internally pleased by his decisiveness. The more she learned about him, the better she felt about her choice. "Our society does revolve around alphas, in a way. The stronger the male, the more desirable he becomes in the eyes of women of the tribe. And yet, while the man can choose to show his interest in any woman, even multiple ones, it is, at the end of the day, a choice of the women, who would they want to be a mate off for life."


    "So when you offered yourself to rescue your teenagers, it was a sort of a declaration that you are willing to be my mate, as it is?"


    "Mhm." she nodded again, her hands wrapping around Rex as she too embraced him back. "Strength, character, convictions. Those are the main three things we, as tribes women, are taught to discern. And as we grow, we also develop our own understanding of said parameters. You proved you have strength beyond reason. Then showed you have your own way of doing things, following your own road. And when I saw your anger against the bastards who broke Wirsha and those other girls, easily inflicting suffering to return balance, I was more and more impressed with you. And while it mattered not by then, since I had already given myself to you, it pleased me a great deal." then a mischievous smile appeared on her face as she added "Not to mention everything else you are capable of." she then lightly bit on his shoulder, the gesture clear.


    "Don''t you worry, oo wife of mine. There is plenty more where that came from. Thought not right now. lets get you properly cleaned and some breakfast. We both know we need it."


    "Nnng. You are right indeed." Danica agreed, her head lying on Rex''s muscular chest. "I do need to get used to this. Will you carry me towards the baths? I will guide the way."


    "As miss desires." Rex replied, his hand roaming playfully over her back, until moments later, he was out of the bed and with Danica, wrapped in the sheet, in a princess carry in his hands. "Show me the way." Rex asked, carefully walking towards the doors, following Danica''s directions.


    "Ahh. Morning brother!" she exclaimed, a triumphant smile on her face as the duo ran into Igdan just as the man was leaving precisely the rooms they were going for. "Lets catch up at the breakfast table. I am in need of a bath." she glanced at Rex, teh same mischievous smile on her face "Husband dear, shall we?"


    "Alright." she smiled back helplessly. He had picked up quite the mischievous woman it seemed. Not that he minded. This promised quite the fun adventures. He then looked towards Igdan, whose jaw was hanging slack. "The lady calls. See you later." with those words spoken, he dissapeared in the bathroom, following Danica''s instructions to draw one that would be the perfect temperature for her. After a quick wash up, they slinked into the bath, with Rex lying with his back pressed against the bath itself and Danica leaning against Rex.


    "You know." she spoke, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the warmth she was enveloped by. "Back at the tribe, I would joke with Igdan that I might have to settle for him, were I unable to find an appropriate man for myself. The quality of our own warriors was just so so. Or perhaps I was too competitive and grew too strong too fast. And while I will be the first to admit my offer back then was made in part desperation, due to our inability to save our young ones from fate possibly worse than death, part desire, hoping someone as strong as you would find my offer tantalizing enough to help us, and part hope, seeing a man who seemed worthy, as far as I could understand in my clouded state of mind, I can wholeheartedly say I am content now. May our hunts be successful, our harvests bountiful and our family, united and strong."


    "I think you forgot an extremely important part there." Rex added, a slight smile on his face.


    "And what would that be?"


    "Our adventures fun and exciting. I doubt you wish to settle down and pretend to be some random peasant, do you?"


    "HA! Indeed, you are correct, though I am afraid we do not have much time to enjoy them. With how wild we were last night, I doubt I will be able to continue for long."


    "He he he." Rex snickered. "You saw me operate all those blood constructs and chains, did you not? Do you think I cannot decide when our family grows?" at this sentence, her head suddenly shot towards Rex, a spark of excitement in her eyes.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "So we can have as much fun as we want, while exploring the world and experiencing plentifull of different things and places?"


    "Yep." Rex replied and his response was followed by something of a semi insane giggle, if Rex had to classify what said laughter sounded like, followed by a quick flip of Danica''s body, her now stradling Rex. She then looked in his eyes and seeing no falsehood, kissed him deeply.


    "Lest leave it for much later then. We wolfkind live long lives after all."


    "Sure thing. I am in no rush myself either. Adventuring and fun sounds perfect to me too."


    They spent another thirty minutes or so in the bath, talking about the near future. What to do, where to go and so on and so forth. Rex had no problems mentioning his current conundrum- the need for a fast, flying creature that would serve as their personal traveling mount, reducing the travel time needed to reach any of the people he had left a mark of his with. He was rather strict with that part of his needs. Danica did tease him regarding the amount of women he had ''marked'', though he just shrugged and reminded that he had already said he was quite the greedy and lecherous man, and while he was totally fine and satisfied with her alone, one can never know the things future hold.


    "Well. I suppose and Alpha like you would indeed have multiple mates." Danica eventually just shrugged "They better not try and steal my spot." Danica was a woman of conviction and principles. Once determined on a path, she would stubbornly stick to it, even to the detriment of herself.


    Once they left the bath, in the kitchen area Igdan was already present, just like Swei and a couple other wolfkin girls, working on preparing breakfast.


    "Did you have to be so loud?" Reika, Danica''s niece grumbled "You know my room is the closest to that mansion of yours" she spoke, referring to the overseers building Rex and Danica had spent their night in. "i could not sleep for half the night."


    "You are almost grown up now. It is time you learn about those things. Has your mother told you the essentials?" then a thoughtful expression appeared on Danica''s face "Don''t believe all the things those old crones will tell you. It feels incredible."


    Understanding what she was talking about, Rex added in a calm manner. "Well, your case was rather unique. I am quite the unique specimen with skills beyond most other people. Blood magic is surprisingly adaptive and useful in many different ways."


    "Don''t care! I felt great and that is that." Danica just shrugged, a pleased smile on her face as she saw the almost desperate Igdan and annoyed Reika.


    "Sister please!" cried out Igdan. "Let you brother eat in peace. Don''t traumatize me any further." he shrugged, unpleasant expression on his face. No doubt Danica''s expressive words and gestures had conjured some images in Igdans mind, and the poor man wanted to delete said images from his mind and memories both, having tainted his eyes. Their upbringing was even more strict and conservative as he might have thought. Not that Rex could blame him. Incest was only wincest as long as it was not your own family after all.


    Rex was the gentlemen, steering the conversation in a different direction, asking Swei how the girls, and more importantly, the women, were doing, receiving the same report. And while it would be hard, most likely even impossible, for the poor women to return to their past selves, with time, they might be able to recover somewhat. Rex had done a good job to set up the foundation, both Swei and the other woman retelling the other victims the karma their abusers experienced. Swei noted that there was some reaction, the slightest smiles showing on some faces.


    And as discussed with Danica in the bath, Rex expressed his desire to travel with them until they reach their home, ensuring their safe return as well as stating his interest in these giant swallows Danica mentioned. From her words, these humongous birds might be just the thing to solve his current issue. Igdan of course agreed, more than welcoming Rex''s presence, internally happy he could bring Danica''s man back home to present to his parents. ''Another bullet dodged'' he sighed, instantly getting teased for exactly the same reason. Danica was indeed observant, especially so when it came to her own brother,thus, the teasing and constant jokes ensued, as it should be among two siblings.


    Day after day was spent quite relaxedly, with all three adventurers keeping their ear out for any information on the fate of the slavers, who had been taken away by Evelysandra, and their backers. And, the princess was actually doing as promised, just days later news of the slavers being tried and publicly executed spreading like wildfire. As well as some rumors about the unfortunate demise of some of said slavers during interrogation, sadly before they managed to spill any real information on the one, or many, behind the entire operation.


    "Well, well, well." sighed Rex as he heard that particular piece of information. "Seems our royal friend has some loyalty problems in her retinue."


    "Sigh. Did you expect anything else? The shady and greedy nobles will always exploit those with good hearts and pure intentions. It is a tale as old as civilization. One of the oldest tales that is shared among cultures is of the Veziran the mighty and the betrayal of Venko the schemer." commented Igdan, and noticing Rex questioning look, sighed again "I will ask one of the storytellers back at the tribe to recount it for you. They will do it much more justice than I ever could."


    "Not really. Was expecting the leak to be slower though. Means the informants are high enough. That should keep her quite busy for the foreseeable future." Rex replied, a light smile on his face.


    "And pray tell me, brother in law, why are you smiling."


    "Is it not obvious? If Evelysandra is busy with her own issues, she will have no time to come and bother us, now will she? And by the time she could do so, we will already be on the way back to your tribe. Returning to the previous topic. Think the ladies will want to witness the executions? Or should I just go and witness myself, making sure rapists are all executed at the very least?"


    "I will send Rin with you. She is much better, and I heard her whisper she would like to see their ends. And she would feel safe by your side. That is something she had been retelling to the others. How you were taking revenge on them for their suffering and pain. You have quite the admirer, even if she barely shows it." Swei replied a moment of careful thought later.


    "So long as she gets better and does not develop an overly unhealthy obsession, I don''t mind."


    While waiting for the executions date, Rex spent quite a bit of time together with Danica. They either explored the city, leaving Igdan holding down the fort, trained, sharpening Danica''s skills and combat style or just had fun, either just the two of them, late at night or some family friendly games, involving the teenagers who were somewhat bored, though fearful enough not to wander or sneak outside on their own. One kidnapping and traumatic experience was enough for them to know better. Luckily enough for them, in just a few more days they could leave this cursed place behind, at least as far as they were concerned.


    Another particularly important thing Rex did, being the paranoid and overly protective person, so long it concerned his family, he cast a blank brand on Danica, marking her soul, ensuring she could never be enslaved using similar methods, if those existed on this plane. Then she could feel Rex at all times, the general direction he was in and his overall health condition, should she concentrate on their connection. And when in such deep state, she could also feel his possessiveness and overprotectiveness he now felt towards her. There was nothing she could classify as love or anything, but she was well aware that she too was the same.


    The execution itself was a rather morbid, if quite the boring event in and of itself. A proper, black hooded fellow took his sweet time to behead each and every of the accused. The people cheered with each descent of the axe, one less criminal who could threaten their own families, or those of friends and acquaintances, walking the streets of their cities, constantly looking for a new victim to their vile schemes and plots. That was one of the few avenues Rex had to tip his hat towards the royal family. The sentiment that slavery would devalue the life of every citizen of the country, damaging its foundations in the process was deeply ingrained in the common folk, though it had little effect on the nobility, even if outwardly they had to show a similar stance as that of the royal family. Yet, the power balance, while delicate and somewhat even, was skewed in the favour of the royals, maintaining the status quo.


    At the very least Rin was smiling now, the deaths of her tormentors releasing some amount of her pain. And while not curing her entirely, something Rex doubted could truly be done, she came out of the ordeal in a much better state. And with such a victory, once the execution was done, Rex led Rin towards the docks once again, their ship having already arrived early in the morning and getting restocked and prepared for a return trip. Numerous sailors on the ship exclaimed in relief, seeing the teenagers returned safe and sound. There was the slightest pause once Rex and Rin appeared, quite a few glares directed in his direction. Said glares rose in quantity once Rex, in no uncertain terms, warned the sailors to stay away from Danica. She was his after all.

 Chapter 55. On the waves.

    With the execution being held early in the morning and the relatively recent arrival of their ship, a few extra hours had to be spent just lazing around. Something Rex was fine with, spending his time with Danica. The duo had found a decent place to relax, with Rex''s wide, muscular back pressed against one of ships railing walls and Danica in front of him, leaned against his chest as the spoke of miscellaneous things. He asked her about the traditions and etiquette he should maybee care about, what with them going to Danica''s tribe, and she did in turn mention everything she thought important, adding that he could totally ignore it all. Not like they would stay with their tribe. There were plenty of places Danica had always wanted to visit, mentioned in tales as old as their culture and others she had learned off during her travels. Together, they could travel the world without being locked to the desolate lands that the outer reaches both their homelands resided. They also talked about various names their party could go with, since Rex would now have to form his own. Danica refused to even consider joining someone else''s.


    "Sigh. It seems some things cannot be outrun." Rex sighed, sensing a familiar aura approaching, though doing nothing besides said sigh and sentence. Not that he had to, just a few minutes later, a familiar trio of two knights and leather armor clad beauty stood before him.


    "The wind whispered to me that you were seen boarding a ship, soon to depart towards the wolfkin wildlands. If I did not know any better, I would think you are avoiding me."


    "You in particular? Not really. The unnecessary rabble and fools that, like swarms of flies around a dead carcass, have you in their sight, undoubtedly. So, to what do we owe the pleasure?" his words caused Eve to furrow her brow, thinking about something, though she soon enough returned to her previous expression, ready to speak, though Rex add another sentence before she did that.


    "Speak freely. Whoever had their eyes on you, knows better than to get anywhere near this ship. Not after they learned of the condition their four A rankers guarding their precious merchandise was found."


    "I did as promised. The ones at fault have been executed. Would you grace me with the reasoning for you leaving our lands?"


    "He he." Rex chuckled a little at that, understanding now the relative worry Evelysandra was feeling. So, he explained. "Well. To be fair, you failed to catch the one, or ones, behind the operation, funding it, so your part was only done halfway through. Were they left in my hands, not only would they all be dead, what you have achieved, but I would have every single piece of info they had, names and all. And while I could, certainly hold a grudge for said incompetence, I don''t overly so. Were I truly angry and leaving, never to deal with your family, or nation for that matter, you would not have been allowed on the ship, let alone us talking. Truth be told, all I am doing is escorting the reclaimed youth of Danica''s tribe, while visiting the parents of my first wife."


    "Yes. I am the first. Work harder if you want to earn a place by his side." Danica grinned, seeing the fluster on Eve''s face her words provoked. Though the younger woman was rather quick to school her expression. While she wanted to forge some strong relationship with Rex, his bloodlust alone proving his immense might, she had not considered such an approach at all.


    "Can I assume that you are still willing to listen to some of our requests in the future?"


    "My party will consider at least some of them, yes. Only after we return of course. " Rex confirmed, though leaving himself plenty of space to refuse whatever came his way, should he find none of offered jobs, or their rewards, satisfactory.


    "Do note I refuse to deal with anyone but you. Use it as a shield if need be. I assume peak A rank party''s cooperation should carry quite the political weight" Rex added and seeing her nod seriously, trew a small item her way. "I bet those that have their spies watching over you must have started their own schemes, what with you getting in the way of their plans. Wear it at all times." Rex continued, gesturing towards the amulet Eve was now looking at "should you be in danger, think of breaking it and squeeze. A desperate call for help while doing so would be even better."


    Understanding the rather precious nature of the gift, she bowed to Rex, thanking for it and immediately wore the amulet. "Just so you know, it will also allow me to seek you out once we return and I am willing to look at the jobs you need doing, or if I want to try out those dungeons you mentioned. Anything else you wanted to talk about? I think our preparations are about done."


    "Nothing comes to mind right now. I thank you for your time." Evelysandra thanked once more and bowed, then along with her two trusty aides left the ship.


    "Think she is in actual danger?" Danica asked, finding the younger woman rather decent, not wanting her to experience undue hardships.


    "Yes and no. Physical danger? Not realy. Political backstabs and attempts to marry her off to god knows where, highly likely. No bottom tier noble could have the recourses to have spies of such high caliber, nor could they organize a response team to get rid of the loose ends so fast, ensuring their own involvement remains hidden. Such power would no doubt find her current actions crossing a certain line, calling for a response. And such a power would very likely have enough sway and favours to call in to make their schemes succeed. With an A ranked party only dealing through Evelysandra, a particularly powerful one with non vampire blood mage at that, even if said deals were to happen in the future, would serve as an insane level shield, rising her value in the eyes of her own family immensely. And then there is the gift I gave her to consider. She is a smart enough girl to know to parade it around, serving as an extra layer of protection. It shows an A ranker has taken a liking to her. And even the royals know how arrogant we are."


    "Our power does give us that right." Danica agreed with a simple nod, then, remembering something she asked "Wanna hear about a couple of dungeons we could jump in when in our lands?"


    "Do tell." Rex replied, an obvious eagerness in his voice.


    "There are a couple of them, spread across the great plains that are accessible for anyone willing to try, placed on neutral lands where large markets are formed." Danica started, sharing in quite the detail whatever she knew about the places. She went on and on, even as the ship slowly departed, continuing her explanation. A couple hours later, when there was nothing but wilderness in sight, she finished with a question. "So, which of the dungeons would you like to explore?"


    "Once we are there and every other task is completed, why dont you choose?"


    "You sure? No takebacks later."


    "Yes" Rex smiled "I am sure."


    ----------------------


    Since their path led them upstream, it did take them considerably longer to reach their destination, some sort of an engine, as primitive as it was, using monster cores as the source of energy, propelling them forward, Rex had quite the time to kill. As such, he decided on tasks he could focus on, creating a sort of a training regiment for both himself and Danica. He started with understanding Danica''s full strengths and weaknesses, and once he had formulated a proper way to help her advance as well, he did precisely that.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Danica was, for all intent and purposes, a melee fighter. As an A ranker, she naturally had some aptitude with mana control, using it similarly to the way Rex used sometimes, enforcing and enhancing his body with a constant stream of mana. She was not much of a mage material though, her control, finesse and mana pool relatively small. Luckily, it was never too late to fix either of the issues, and as such, Rex spent an entire day assisting and engraving similar runic network onto her as he had himself. He had rune marked their own room beforehand, ensuring none of her grunts and screams would escape it. She herself was warned several times of the pain she would experience, though that did not stop her from going through with it regardless. If there was a way to help her grow stronger, she would gladly take it. Rex did cuddle her for a few hours afterwards, her body exhausted and stiff, some phantom pain jolting her every now and then for the rest of the night of the procedure, eventually herstate returning to normal.


    The next day Rex taught Danica the proper way to utilize said network, both exhausting her mana pool, ensuring it grew, even if little by little, while strengthening her body at the same time. She was also informed of the side effects of utilizing the technique, since she would be left exhausted and without mana, leaving her vulnerable. Danica did joke that he was lying to her. How could she ever be vulnerable, with him and Snek nearby, earning a solid laughter from Rex, though nevertheless receiving her promise to be careful and only use it when in the correct locations and such..


    Rex obviously told her about Snek as well. They would travel together after all, and the surprise at its appearance could lead to unexpected and undesired results. Much to Rex''s pleasure, she took quite the liking to the small form of the snake, the reptile blooded monster finding her sleeves, when she wore corresponding clothing, to be just as nice to sleep in as Rex''s. And, with Rex and Snek watching over her, she could go wild with exhausting her mana, slowly growing stronger during their trip.


    And since Danica could simply sit as she operated her body''s rune network, Rex used the time to refine his own control and precision over his blood chains. The number and length of which had grown since he had slaughtered the A ranked buss tarantulas. Since he could freely manipulate the thickness, colour and shape, as well as rigidness, he used them as fishing lines, forming hard and tough hooks at the ends, placing juicy meat bait on them and fishing, catching quite a few fishes along the way, ensuring they would have fresh meal with tasty fish all the time. The sailors who had glared at Rex, doubly so when they learned Danica had become his woman, quickly learned to respect, or fear the man. His rather impressive skill with those strange, almost alive, fishing lines, as well as the near reverent attitude towards him from the teenagers worked wonders. The way he effortlessly beat up the dumbest and most agrieged of them, who had gone out of their way to find trouble, all also did its part.


    Of course, the few weeks of travel and their relatively busy schedules did not stop Rex and Danica from enjoying each others bodies either, Danica messing with her niece as well. With plenty of naughty promises, she managed to get Rex on board, annoying Reika some nights, only to earn an earful from the younger woman. As Danica explained, both Reika and her mother, the younger one no doubt taking after Danica''s sister, had teased her quite a few times regarding her own inability to find a proper partner within both their tribe or those nearby, so it was only fair for her to now have her own little revenge. Unfortunately for Igdan, he did suffer as a result, Reika either complaining or commenting on his single status as a result, since Danica was no longer appropriate target and she herself was quite annoyed. The wolfkin man only helplessly shrugged, not taking any of this to heart. He was well used to Danica''s brand of humor, earning some extra respect from Rex. As such, he also offered his brother in law some help in training, having been informed early on that Igdan would not join as a member of the party Rex and Danica were forming. One of the siblings leaving was fine, but Igdan wanted to stay with the tribe, noting there was a lass he wanted to pursue as well, though that was information he shared with Rex alone, least even more teasing and relentless questioning followed. And with Danica in good hands, Igdan could go on with his own plans without a worry.


    As the ship continued on its way, the scenery on both shores changes. From being mostly enveloped in large expanses of grasslands, fertile fields fit for growing all manner of plants and trees, extremely suitable for human agricultural life, it slowly was hidden within large forests. enormous trees casting quite the shade on their ship, making it somewhat gloomy. And with the more and more untamed land around them, the river itself was becoming similar as well. The monsters considering said river as their territory and kingdom followed along with the ship, making it much more fun for Rex to cast his fishing lines, resulting in quite the number of predatorial monsters that went after one, or sometimes multiple of his baits being hooked and consecutively finished off. And while said monsters could be a problem for some of the lesser ships, with said monsters barely reaching B rank, they were of no issue for their transport since there were a few B rankers among the crew itself as well.


    The large forest soon ended, giving way to more expanses of lush grass, with animal subspecies in shapes and forms Rex had not yet seen. Deer, the size of elephants, with what looked like a small brush, growing in place of horns, some rather tasty looking berries growing on them. Some felines, with fur similar to fire, moving as if having a mind of its own, irregardless of the direction the wind was blowing. Birds, in sizes from ones that could hide inside ones palms, to ones with five to even nine meter long wingspans, easily capable of grabbing and carrying away even adult humans.


    The scenery changed again, to one of a forest, then back to that of grasslands, until finally, in one of said grasslands, they slowed down, a wall of black stone appearing in their sights. A port was build close to it, though outside of the walled settlement itself. It was well secured regardless, having it''s own wall around it, though separate from the other wall.


    "Home sweet home." Spoke Igdan, having come up some time ago, his gaze locked on the black wall, a slight smile on his face. Danica just hummed a bit from her own position, sitting right next to Rex, exhausting her mana reserves as she worked on her physical development, strengthening her body. She had gotten quite comfortable with the practice, allowing her mind to wander, resulting in her ability to join such simple conversations.


    "And don''t be afraid to beat up the fools who think they are more worthy of me. The word should have reached the place, but you never know how many idiots actually live within a cities walls at any given time."


    "I will do just that then. Thanks."


    "Huahhh." sighed and groaned Igdan. "What have I done to deserve this."


    As they docked, Rex had the time to take note of the location, as well as the rest of the ships currently moored. Now there were five in total, the other four looking quite similar to the one he had taken to reach this place. He noted that there were no large group awaiting for them, only a few carriages, pulled by oxen sized wolfs. ''How does that work?'' Rex wondered, his eyes darting between the pack animals harnessed to the carts and the wolfkin, their ears standing straight, twitching every now and then.


    "Dont. Just dont ask." Igdan spoke, noticing Rex gaze moving between the two objects of his interest, namely the pack wolves and the wolfkin ears. There was something there, something rather embarrassing and messed up. He could not be the only one who would have though of it, right?


    "But..."


    "No. Just. DO NOT ASK." Igdan replied, almost spelling it out.


    "Fine, but I will learn of it eventually regardless. And you know what will happen then." Rex replied, shrugging, but a clear promise of a certain number of jokes launched Igdans way an unspoken promise.


    The two carriages were large enough for the group that had boarded back in Ravenhold fort, and once boarded, they departed towards the city, leaving the sailors to deal with the ship, something they had numerous times and so would not take them too much time either. As the carriages approached the gate, it slowly rose up, chains creaking and complaining about the heavy load they had to hold as the massive door was slowly opened, and once they were inside, with a similar creaking, they were shut close once again.


    Just a few minutes later, they had reached another building, this one felt like an inn of sorts, as far as Rex could figure out, could have been a hospital of sorts for all he knew. The few people in white clothing walking around, reminding him of modern day doctors only enforcing said belief. It was here that the teenagers and the traumatized women were offloaded, leaving only Rex, Danica, Igdan and Reika inside one of them, moments later continuing on their way, Swei waving her hand, as they departed, having once again thanked Rex for his part in their rescue and return home.

 Chapter 56. Trouble seeks the strong.

    As they disembarked the carriage, Rex observed the house in front of them. Built from dark red wood, with nice and large windows decorating each of the buildings walls and a rather large garden around it, filled with medicinal herbs and all manner of edible plants, it felt as if they stepped inside the territory of some sort of an alchemist, his prized and valuable herbs growing in plain sight, yet untouched by greedy hands in fear of the man''s retaliation.


    "It is a nice garden." Rex said as they closed in on the entrance of the relatively large, two story building, his eyes moving from tree to tree. Apples, pears and plums hand in their branches, indicating a rather bountiful season.


    "Mom''s particularly proud of it." Danica replied, a light smile on her face.


    "Is she perhaps and alchemist?" Rex asked, noticing a few herbs he was sure could be used wit hgreat effect in some of the alchemical recipes he knew and had adopted to this world.


    "Herbalist. She does not mess around with those alchemical transmutations and stuff others do. She focuses on healing tonics and other natural extracts." Igdan chimed in, the group having reached the door. With a couple of knocks, he opened the door, exclaiming in a loud voice. "Mom, pops. We are back!" And moments later, he was damn near knocked down, as another, blonde blur shot out of the door, tackling Reika and hugging her. Unlike reika though, this blond hair was of the same tone as Igdan and Danica, marking the woman as their sister. With tears streaming down the older woman''s face, a while later she finally released her daughter from the tight hug, getting them both back to feet and quickly and almost frantically examining the youngest wolfkin present.


    The immediate response to her hug was a promising start, and now that she examined her daughter closer, she could finally sigh a breath of relief. No visible wounds or signs of torture, though she would not know more until her sweet girl would speak of it more, no doubt something she would do reluctantly.


    "Calm down Astrid." in light, gentle voice spoke Danica, her hand landing on her sisters shoulder with comforting squeeze. "She is fine. Some light bruises here and there, but nothing worse. Wirsha was not so lucky though. She might never be the same. Not after what she went through." Danica added, clear bitterness and helplessness in her voice.


    "What of the ones responsible?" Astrid asked, her voice slightly trembling, but slowly calming down.


    "Most of the ones taking part in the kidnapping- dead. And they suffered appropriately too." Igdan added.


    "And what of the ones organizing? We all know a mission of such scale cannot be formed without appropriate funding and connections."


    "Pride and politics of another nation got in the way, though the bait is out there, and they will bite. And once that happens, a monster will be released upon them, much like it was with their subordinates. And unlike this time, it will not let go of it''s quarry." Rex spoke for the first time, earning the full attention of Astrid.


    "I suppose you are Rex? The one who helped my siblings?" she asked, evaluating him with a careful and skeptic gaze, her hands still wrapped around her daughter in a hug.


    "Among other things." Rex replied. Whether Danica''s family knew of their relationship, or not, was not something he cared. She was his, no matter what. Nor was it his job to break it in case they did not know. He would learn of the state of things soon enough. It was now that another two people walked out from the home. A couple of wolfkin. A man and a woman, their age in the latter forties to early fifties, judging by human standards. Though from what Rex knew, they were closer to hundred, and something. Wolfkin aged differently from humans after all. They reached adulthood in a similar time frame but then, their aging slowed down considerably, allowing them to live for hundreds of years. From what danica had told them, in some of the larger tribes, there were some individuals nearing the age of eight or nine hundred years.


    The two, blonde woman and gray haired man, calmly walked over to the mother daughter pair, enveloping them in another layer of hugs, light smile and relieved expressions on their faces. "You are home dear. It is all right." they whispered in light tones, creating a rather warm atmosphere in the harden. It was a short while after that they ended the hug, both turning towards Rex and their two children, the mother extending her arms, beckoning her two children to embrace her. Something the duo did as well, happy to be home. As the other hug was happening, the father of the family bowed his head towards Rex.


    "We thank you for your assistance in the matter. If there is anything you wish to ask, name it and we will do whatever we can do satisfy your desire."


    "Its all good. I already have everything I was promised." Rex smiled lightly, not mentioning what he supposed the parents were not yet aware of. Not that Reika was willing to let all that teasing abd messing with her Danica had pulled of on the ship.


    "Gran, he is Danica''s mate!" she damn near yelled, resulting in three pairs of near bulging eyes. "She relentlessly teased me all the way back here. Scold her!"


    It was at this point that Danica slipped out of the hug, very expertly so, and just in a blink of an eye, her hands had grabbed one of Rex''s, trapping it between her bountiful breasts.


    "Whos the rapidly aging poor and alone sister now?" she asked, a large, shit eating grin on her face, clearly both a long planned revenge move, as well as a way to elicit some laughs and lighten the mood. They had returned, and with mostly good news too, thus laughter was actually not only allowed, but recommended.


    What followed was a few minutes of silence, the audacity the youngest of the three siblings had, had clearly caught the rest of her family off guard, Igdan being the only exception, since he had been there all along, witnessing it happen in real time, as well as having spent the most time with Danica, what with the two being the only A rankers in their family. Though he chose to remain quiet, trying his best to stifle his laughter. Whether he wanted to laugh about the action of Danica herself, or the reaction he suspected was going to follow, nobody but him knew.


    Rex had to say, they took it better than the initial reaction promised, the older couple inspecting him with a much more thorough gaze. In the ned, they simply nodded and smiled lightly towards him, finding the current him, along with whatever they had heard so far, a decent choice for Danica.


    "Come on in. We just finished making supper. There is plenty for all to enjoy. Tell us all about your journey." The father of the family spoke, ushering them all inside, holding Rex behind with himself just slightly.


    "What do you think of my daughter?" he asked in a hushed voice, and Rex, without the slightest embarrassment or worry replied, in a similarly quiet voice, showing the older man some respect. He was the reason Danica was as she was, at least partially.


    "A damn fine woman and first wife."


    "First wife eh?" Danicas father replied in a question.


    "Precisely." was all Rex replied, moving ahead of the older man, his stance clear as day.


    "Ha." the old man chuckled, having seen the absolute confidence in the other man. And he was damn sure it was not the cockiness of a young and hopeful man. No, what he felt was the confidence of a seasoned warrior, gazing over the approaching horde of mindless beasts, predicting both his sides and the enemies movements, down to a T, like he could see the future. The man himself was not desiring for more women, possibly even Danica was not something he actively strived for, and yet, here he was, with her by his side now, just like other beauties would come to stand by his side.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "A monster indeed." he whispered, remembering the information that had reached their house about the mercenary traveling with their children.


    And as the family sat around the dinner table, listening to Igdan, Danica or even Reika talking about what happened during their trip, blissfully unaware of a trouble brewing, a group of three hundred strong, unwanted and unwelcomed guests, closed in on the city gate, banners of a remote and rather notorious tribe held high as they approached.


    Rex fit in quite well with the family, the wolfkin having quite the appetite, following the example set by every member of this family, as well as a few encouraging nudges from both Danica and Igdan. Even Reika added a comment that he should not hold back, as healthy appetite was considered a sign of both health and strength. Danica was twice as proud of herself at this moment, the runework inscribed throughout her body, used to temper it and make it stronger, also came with the side effect of enlarging one''s need to ingest food, as evidenced by Rex''s own large necessity for food. And since the family was expecting their arrival somewhat soon, there had been quite a bit of food prepared.


    As for the stories themselves, Rex kept mostly quiet, letting the family members talk, spending most of the time actively eating and sometimes simply nodding his head, agreeing with whatever was said, should his insight was asked. He did say the same regarding the death of the actual kidnappers, noting they had one rather unpleasant experience a day or two before their execution, adding that details for such a craft are best left for other places, not the dining table.


    With the dinner finished, nearly an hour later, everyone retired to their respective beds, Rex and Danica obviously disappearing in her room. Yet, as if oten happens, good things get interrupted. And so, as the couple had just barely fallen in the bed, a rather loud sound of a bell resounded throughout the city, causing an annoyed and angry growl, followed by a rather sharp expression taking hold of Danica''s face. That was until just moments later she gazed at her, and a rather savage grin replaced that previous expression of hers.


    "Tell me, dear husband." she asked with a sultry voice "Would you be willing to help your dear and beautiful wife protect her home from some rather bad, bad men?"


    "Well..." Rex drew his words, as his hands were being rather dishonest, continuing to explore Danica''s curves. "That depends. Will I be rewarded for my valiant efforts." he asked as a similar grin spread on his face.


    "Anything you want." came the reply as Danica whispered in his ear.


    "Well then, consider it done, whatever needs doing."


    A pleased growl escaped her lips as she drew Rex in one final, deep kiss that lasted for almost a minute. Then, the two left their room, moments later joining Igdan, Astrid and their parents- Torun and Ingela, who were waiting the duo downstairs by the doors.


    "They have come, have they not? The Weeping Legion." Danica asked, the same predatory smile on her face that had appeared just moments ago.


    "It seems so indeed. I would have to ask mother to be sure, she had experienced it once before, but you should know it. She did often retold the story, warning and educating us after all." replied Ingela. She, just like Torun had none of Danica''s excitement, grave faces one and all. And Danica was properly scolded as well, this was not some picnic or entertainment to get excited about. This was a grave matter where some of their most promising talents could be taken. Danica in return just grinned, her gaze locking on Rex as she spoke.


    "But mother, we have Rex. What faces do you think we will see as he humiliates them, one and all?"


    "He might be strong, true, but the Weeping Legion has never been weak." Torun warned, earning a question from Rex.


    "Care to explain this Weeping Legion to me?"


    "Right, of course." reacted Ingela, slightly coughing as if to prepare to retell old and venerated story. "Long time ago, some even say that is was at the same time as our ancestors began settling these lands, a very powerful wolfkin by the name of Ozurr came up with this idea, to form a group of mercenaries, who would delve and live inside a dungeon. With his own might and charisma, he drew more and more people to his side, and once his force was large enough, he would bring them along to do just as he had promised. The dungeon chosen was a harsh place, testing the limits and might of the would be Weeping Legion day after day. And while their effort was successful, establishing their city, their loses, both of personnel and recourses were large. It was then that Ozurr came up with the current system. He would take a couple hundred of his finest warriors and ride from tribe to tribe, demanding tribute in both flesh and goods. They would use some sort of magical art, finding the most promising women who could strengthen their bloodlines, allowing for more and more powerfull next generations to be born. Though to be somewhat fair to the people he would effectively rob of their potential, at least in his own mind, he gave them a chance to fight for their people.Some, rare few geniuses managed to free their tribes from the tribute, the threat of the entire legion coming down on them too high, most didn''t, forced to pay the demanded tribute in fear of full blown retaliation from the legion. And so, once the need arises, the descendant of Ozurr repeat the same action their descendant started, taking a few hundred of their finest warriors and riding from tribe to tribe, demanding tribute."


    "And with Danica''s potential, they would no doubt desire her, is that about right?" Rex asked, his eyes slightly closing.


    "I believe so."


    "Then why did you ask those questions to me before?" Rex''s gaze turned towards his woman "You should know by now I am a greedy and extremely possessive man. The mere mention of such a heresy will earn their place on the pointy of of my sword, chain or flaming pyre."


    "I know, but don''t you think it would be fun to do the reverse? Demand a tribute from them, lest you go after their little venture. Sure,they have grown stronger due to their practices, but one''s talent is not tied to bloodline, not directly at least. Why else would they still repeat their expeditions? Still looking for new blood and ways to grow stronger even after thousands of years of the practice? How good can they truly be when standing against you?"


    "That does sound like poetic justice indeed." Rex suddenly grinned, evil thoughts crossing his mind. Danica was one hell of a schemer as well it seemed, or her nose for treasures and adventure was just that good.


    "Sigh. Regardless, every B rank or higher individual must converge at the colosseum, built in every tribes city for precisely such cases, not that we don''t use the place for all manner of tournament as well, but I digress." In an exhausted manner said Torun, already feeling a headache coming. That daughter of his had always been unruly, but it seems that finding a man with a heart similar to hers had only encouraged her more, not mellowed her out. "Stay here and watch over Reika." he then turned to Astrid "as C ranked adventurer, you are not required to come, and your daughter needs you by her side right now."


    With that said, the group of five, left, their destination the aforementioned colosseum. They reached it a few minutes later, each and every member of this group at least B rank or higher. With the size of their group, they were led to the first floor of the stands, the closest to the arena in the middle, where a large group of few hundred men stood, even larger group of women and pack animals could be seen further back, leading inside a tunnel that lead towards another gate out of the city. That gate was reinforced many times over, and was built for the exact purpose of allowing the Weeping legion to arrive as they did.


    At the front of the foreign group stood a pair of wolfking men. One old and wizened, the other much younger, in this thirties or forties, though there was quite the resemblance between them, most likely father and son, or something similar. As they stood there, exchanging words with each other as more and more people arrived, Rex also was observing the force in the arena. And his mana pulses gave him quite a deep understanding. Annoying, yes, but impossible to overcome? Not a chance in hell. The question would be just how much devastation he would bring the the building, and indeed the city itself, should he go all out against the entirety of the enemy group. The women further back were also unlikely to join the fight, no doubt collected from cities along the way before they reached this place.


    Soon, a chime resounded throughout the building, silencing the conversations and bringing the full attention towards the center. Once the arena was entirely silent, the older of the duo from the legion walked a few steps forward, almost grinning with glee.


    "The time has come and gone, and the Legion once again calls for its rightful tribute." The tapped the staff he was holding, making a light ''thud'' sound, the few baubles at the top trembling due to motion, creating a light sound and flashing a bright light. Then, moments later, dozen or so lights shot from said baubles, finding their way towards women gathered in the spectator stands, like light bulbs lighting above their heads. And, the moment one stopped above Danica, it shone particularly bright, and with a ''poof'' extinguished, courtesy of Rex brand, destroying the attempt to mark his woman with such low level skill. His eyes narrowing at the audacity, he placed a quick peck on Danica''s lips as he jumped over the railing, landing in the arena just moments later, cold and particularly thick killing intent radiating from him in waves, wiping the lecherous expressions from the father son duo who had locked their eyes on Danica the moment their light tried to mark her.

 Chapter 57. Every dragon protects their hoard. Yes, that includes the princesses they kidnaped.

    Rex was rightfully angry. Not only had these fools had lecherous inents towards his woman, even worse, they had the audacity to try and mark her soul. It did not matter they had no idea what they were doing and how crude and pathetic that attempt was. Rex was sure the mark failed more than nine hundred ninety nine times out of a thousand, serving as nothing more but light show to illuminate pretty and capable women, but the times it worked said womens souls would be marked, making them almost slaves to the casters every wish. Such modifications should never be performed by amateurs like the ones before him.


    And with a careful sweep of his mana, infused with just the tiniest wisp of soul power, her observed the women behind the warriors of the Weeping Legion, finding a couple unlucky ones who had actually suffered precisely such an outcome, their souls marked and suppressed, becoming little more than dolls in the hands of their new masters. making a note to himself to erase those marks, allowing for the souls of said girls to be free as they had been before, he continued his way forward, closer and closer to the members of the legion.


    "Now now, young one." in a mirthful voice chuckled the older man, clearly the leader of the guests, "It is not yet time for challengers to try and show their valor in their attempts to earn exemptions." he continued, his gaze only for a second shifting to Rex, then returning back to Danica, greed filling his eyes and heart " And you should know there are times it is better to back down." he added suddenly, cold sweat forming on his forehead, finally sensing the cold, extremely powerful killing intent coming from the approaching young man.


    "Two." Rex cold and almost demonic voice filled the arena, sending chills down the spines of most present, though working entirely different for Danica. "Thats how many mistakes you made. Three actually, if we count you appearing while I am still here. You lusted after my woman, and tried to mark her soul. That alone is enough for me to act." His hands rose, pointing towards the two leaders, father and son. "You two will die, and then I will be paid tribute to spare the rest of you. And this abomination of soul arts will never be used again. Otherwise, I WILL END YOUR ENTIRE LEGION." the last sentence he spoke, he infused a bit of soul power in the words, resulting in a feeling of a the weight of the world, pressing on everyone''s shoulders, as if their souls had been forced into a promise, one where it should be broken, the caster would know immediately. And it was precisely as it felt. While it did nothing to ones soul, it left a mark that would break, should the condition be fulfilled. And the condition was either using the aforementioned skill the leader had just used, or witnessing it being used.


    "What arrogance!" snarled the leaders son, having snapped out of the stupor Rex had induced. "I will show you your place. and then, I will enjoy taking your woman in front of your eyes, as you helplessly watch." he then laughed, drawing his two handed weapon , a grin, as unsure as it looked, plastered on the mans face. Whether he was trying to bullshit himself into believing his statement, or exude false bravery, Rex did not know, nor did he care, his task clear. Death for those heretical fools, and then he would see as things develop.


    No one, and Rex meant that, was allowed to harm his treasures. He was a dragon at heart- greedy, extremely possessive and quite willing to make examples of fools who coveted his treasure hoard. And right now, there were two of such fools, eyed by a few hundred of their followers. And as such, Rex focused his mind, continuing his advance towards the youngest of the two leaders.


    The man in question took a stance, the cold killing intent coming from Rex, coupled with the previous feeling of his spirit being almost crushed, making him somewhat unsteady. He had gone through countless hard battles within the dungeon their legion resided, and yet, not once had he left the danger he could sense coming from the approaching human. All he could sense was death approaching, without the slightest path out alive. Gritting his teeth, he prepared for whatever was coming, only to hear his father''s'' incantation, moments later a ball of scorching fire was lobbed in Rex''s direction, resulting in a fiery explosion, engulfing the area the dangerous individual was just moments ago.


    As fast as the fire appeared, it died out, revealing a blood red, moving ball of chain, like a spinning ball of yarn in the place where the man had stood just moments ago. Then, it quickly disappeared, returning to the man, like it had never eve nbeen there.


    "Play with the old fool while I take down that worm." the man spoke in a cold tone, a small snake leaving his sleeve, moments later growing in size as it darted towards the older mage. And in just moments, the older man was beset by almost ten meter long, blood red snake, its powerful strikes forcing the older man to dodge and roll away in panic, his staff left behind as he tried to avoid the incoming strikes.


    "Not coming?"the man asked, his tone cold and almost mocking, causing even more cold shivers run down the younger leaders spine. Then, just a moment later, the man was in front of him, a one handed sword in his right hand, high above his head, as it came crashing down, just slow enough to give the wolfkin time to move his own two hander to block the incoming strike. Something he realized was a mistake. As the swords clashed, wolfkin was pressed to his knees, the two swords crashing down with immense power. His opponent was many times stronger, and he not managed to shift the blade to the side, he was sure his shoulder would have a deep gash, formed by his own sword. As it stood now, he groaned as a powerful blast rocketed said shoulder, the result of his lacking strength.


    Then, with just a blink, the terrifying man had lifted his sword once again, repeating the same strike. This time however, the wolfkin did not have the time to react, the blood red blade mercilessly crashing against his own sword, pressed against his hurting shoulder. A painful yelp escaped his lips as he sensed his shoulder blade giving out, shattering with a loud crunch under the immense pressure. He was not given much of a respite, as just moments later, he could feel four, sharp object penetrate through his abdomen, lifting him in the air.


    Like powerful, enraged snakes, four, blood red chains had pierced him, now lifting him in the air. The pain was dulling his senses, forcing him in and out of consciousness. He was bleeding out fast, death was imminent and near, though not quite fast enough not to notice the miserable fate his father had in store, the older man still struggling and avoiding the monstrously sized snake that came out from nowhere. And with him out of commision, bleeding out like some game hanged from a post, the monster in the form of a man joined in, small, red coloured needles flying with incredible speed and causing his father to cry out in pain.


    ''Is this how it must have felt, facing against Ozarr? Helplessly awaiting whatever he decided would be your fate?'' he thought, his mind slowly going blank, until finally, there was nothing else. The son of the Weeping Legions commander had perished, soon followed by the man himself as well. Unlike his son, the older man had sinned against his treasures with much greater magnitude, as such, Rex was much more merciless when dealing with the old man. The blood needles he peppered the man with were primed with blood burning poison, resulting in agonizing, burning like feeling as they pierced the older man''s skin. It was here that the rest of the Weeping Legion present realised just how much of a monster they had encountered, many even wishing they could go back to simply bleeding away in their dungeon raids. Rex seemed so much more terrifying to them than large groups of monsters. There at least, should they have to fall, their deaths would be relatively quickly. every monster doing their best to end their lives. Here however, seeing the agonizing expressions on their powerful leader, they were not so sure death would come for them soon enough, were they to come in the monsters sight. And that cold, death promising aura that radiated from him? Even the bravest among them could not even move.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Ten minutes later, their leader finally collapsed, a blood red sword slowly pushed through his chest, piercing his heart and ending his misery. Though that too was not the absolute end, as within seconds, his old corpse dried up, leaving nothing buts eemingly skin and bones behind. The very few of them who had some knowledge of monsters foreign to their own dungeon, having heard tales from some of the claimed women, a single word passed through their minds, an image of a monster standing in the middle of endless corpses, a sea of blood at its command. It was no human in front of them. What they witnessed, was the power only a true vampire could unleash.


    And the clerics and holy casters that they had? Well, those were never the bravest of combatants to begin with, each and every one trembling in their boots.


    "Anyone else got some designs on my treasures?" Rex spoke, his voice now slightly less threatening, the chill and guaranteed death receding from his tone with each word spoken, as if claiming the lives of the two main offenders had somewhat calmed the bloodthirsty side of the ancient monster whose cave they had walked into, proclaiming whatever lay inside as theirs for the taking. And with not a single one of the remaining warriors courageous, or in this case stupid enough to actually dispute his claim. And with the silence now permeating the arena, a thud of someone landing resounded, earning the gazes of everyone else present. As such, Danica was now the center of attention as she skipped over to the side of Rex, even as Snek shrunk in size, regaining its previous pocket size and disappearing inside his Danica''s sleeve. Standing next to Rex, she grinned savagely towards the Weeping Legion, not even slightest feelings of guilt or pity directed towards them as she spoke.


    "As the tribute, we expect all the women you have collected so far, as well as your immediate return back to your legion, to warn them of what would happen should you go around forcibly demanding our people like you have so far. And the few women that are among your warriors? We will take them as well." She added, her gaze almost predatory as she noticed five or so women among the few hundred large group, each and every one B ranker at the least. "Go on. you can try and challenge Rex if you don''t like it. What? No takers?" she almost laughed at the stunned and muted audience, continuing with the same spirit. "No? Then I suggest you leave now, while my man here is still willing to simply let you go."


    With her words, empowered by the recent display of Rex''s prowess, as well as his intimidating stature, the few hundred large, unwelcomed guest group left, disappearing even faster than arriving, leaving all the collected tribute behind as well. leaving mostly indifferent Rex, a still grinning Danica and a large number of women, all staring towards them for obvious reasons. They were waiting to hear what was to be their fate, now that they apparently had a new, particularly strong and dangerous master. Their new, monstrously strong master did not speak though, leaving all the talking to his woman, the one for whom he apparently went all berserk, scaring the fear of all manner of creatures in the warriors surrounding them moments before. Now though, Danica speaks, her voice loud and clear.


    "Everyone collected during this expedition are free to return back home. We shall not keep you. As for you little group" she glanced at the warrior women left behind, a moment of thoughtful silence followed, before she continued "You will live and work as part of our family. Got any complaints?" and withe the deafening silence, she grinned "Thought not." With the verdict spoken, and after a short while the first of the just freed women came over, thanking and speaking praises to both Rex and Danica, promising to never forget their kindness and that they only needed to send a messenger over, asking for help and their families, possibly even clans, where daughters or sometimes wives of leaders had been demanded, would answer the call. The part of honour debts were recorded by the people of the city leadership, Rex, Danica and her family along with the legions women having left almost immediately as the freed women began their reactions and responses, only leaving behind a friendly suggestion to not try and abuse the already exhausted women. And with the slight warning, they would all leave with most of the material tribute returned, some of it exchanged for pack animals or other essential things the women would need to return to their homes.


    As Danica alongside Rex and her family crossed the small gate leading back inside their home, Astrid and Reika rushed to meet them, questioning gazes trailing towards the new and unfamiliar faces that followed along, their own questioning gazes moving all around, inspecting their surroundings. And seeing the unasked question, both Danica and Ingela proceeded to explain the events taking place at the colosseum, two incredulous gazes locking on Rex, though he paid little mind to the extra attention. He had more important things to consider, namely the fun he and Danica would get to later, her promise still fresh in his mind.


    "What would you have us do?" asked one of the women, demanded by Danica. And, since that was indeed her idea, she also spoke, receiving the gesture from Rex, wordlessly telling her ''You came up with it. You deal with it.'' And so she did, explaining the few rules they would have to abide by. All in all, they would, as previousl ystated, become part of their family, helping Torun, Ingela, Astrid or Igdan with whatever tasks were necessary, or they could also form a party and explore dungeons on their own, returning here as if it was their home. The one thing Danica categorically forbade them though, was returning to the Weeping Legion, since they would slowly wither and die out, unless of course there was smart enough leaders among the remaining ones to figure out a new way to entice new blood to join them willingly.


    "If we are asked so little, why would you demand us then?" one of the warrior women asked, earning a grin from Danica, before she retired to their room with Rex, leaving the rest of the logistics to solve to her parents and siblings. "Because I wanted the rest of your old group to experience what it feels like to be powerless to do anything as a part of their community was forcibly taken, and you to understand it as well, though from a different point of view."


    With that, she basically dragged Rex away, having said her part and now leaving triumphantly. Not that Rex minded at all. He had done his part and honestly did not care for what was about to be decided on the first floor. He was far more interested in the extremely syched and happy Danica, who would, undoubtedly reward him aplenty for his magnificent performance. And reward him she did, earning an earful from her parents and siblings come next morning, some of them half asleep, since for a part of their night some couple was ding their best to ensure they would not get any sleep either.


    That aside, the morning was rather calm, the only change from the day before was the number of people at the table, the new family members sitting obediently and eating quietly. For them, not much had changed, only the company they would spend their time alongside, and even that was of little importance. There were dungeons aplenty to delve, even if they would never travel to the one Weeping Legion inhabited. And with this soul crushing defeat, said group might as well soon disband, unless, just as predicted, some particularly capable strategist emerges among their lines, learning of a way to lure new members towards their cause, not that there was much of one. All they did was survive and live inside a dungeon, a rather harsh and unforgiving one, making even day to day lives rough and unpleasant. And as proven last night, they were not even attaining much more power than adventurers living their own regular lives, even if Rex was an abnormality. They have had to leave some towns alone, those having their own geniuses who earned their homes the same exemptions. None quite as dangerous and terrifying as Rex though. The leader of Weeping Legion and his son were so much more powerful than the rest of them, and they rarely, if ever took part in the trials.


    With the immediate threat resolved alongside the extra issue of Danica''s worries, the duo could calmly leave the family on their own, and as such, under the encouraging glances from Danica, Rex asked about the gigantic swallows Danica had mention. As such, half of the morning was spent as the elder couple shared whatever knowledge they had regarding the subject, sending the duo of towards the next person who could impart even more knowledge regarding the matter. Thanks to Rex actions the day before, there were countless rumors within the city, and the couple could easily attain whatever information they seeked, the elders happily sharing it as thanks for Rex''s actions. And with plenty of knowledge attained, they returned home late in the evening, and after a decent sleep, departed the next morning, their destination somewhat determined.

 Chapter 58. Sometimes, you just lose.

    Since the money used all over the world was pretty much the same, adventurer guild being the main reason for said development, it was easy for Rex to buy whatever supplies he needed to stock up on before their departure, done at the same time as they traveled from one elder to another to attain the information needed about the swallows. The guild had their own branches in every nation, every large and medium city of said countries, all connected through a special sort of artifact, storing the information from all issued adventurer cards in a central data bank that could be accessed from any of their branch guild buildings, resulting in one large, interconnected web of information transfer. It was precisely why high ranking adventurers could travel between countries without much restrictions. On the contrary, nations would often encourage such adventurers to visit their lands since even a single A ranker could result in a surge of rare materials in the local markets, all a result of them delving the deeper parts of dungeons and as a result returning and selling whatever they attain in said delves. And such surges meant more tax money, as well as other benefits, resulting in the current system.


    Rex and Danica did visit the adventurers guild in the city as well, only quickly glancing over whatever quests were available. Not that they would take on any, their plan having been already finalized. They did have a reason for visiting though, well, maybee two actual reasons. As the duo reached the counter, a middle aged wolfking lady turned her attention to them, smiling amiably and lightly bowing to them.


    "Greetings sir. Allow me to express my thanks as a denizen of this city for what you did yesterday." she bowed, and with that out of the way, he continued as usual. "How may we help you today?"


    "Two things, actually. First, I was wondering if I could upgrade my adventurer''s rank. If possible, I would like to do that. And the second, independently of the first is that I would like to create a formal party." Rex explained as he placed his adventurers ID on the counter. Carefully taking the ID, the attendant placed it on the reader, looked at the stats and sighed.


    "It is indeed woefully out of date. At the very least regarding your actual rank. Allow me to summon the branch guild master and we will have it sorted. And while I cannot promise we can guarantee peak A rank evaluation, it should be closer to the appropriate rank that you should be at."


    "No problem, we can wait." Rex replied calmly, gesturing for Danica to follow him as they walked aside to relax in some of the empty chairs as the attendant rushed to the guild master. They did not have to wait for long as just a few minutes later, the attendant returned, asking Rex to follow her, guiding the duo upstairs towards the guild masters office. They were received warmly, the guild master, an elderly man in surprisingly good and muscular form, expressing his own thanks for what Rex had done in the arena. With that done though, he got straight to the heart of the matter, explaining how they indeed did not have the authority to assign anything above initial A rank. Not that Rex cared all that much. Besides the rights to brag, there was little use for the upper A ranked adventurers evaluation. Only in the central continent would there be dangerous enough quests issued to the guild where upper of peak A ranked adventurers only would be asked for. Nor would Rex consider such jobs to begin with, for behind each and every one of them, a powerful and arrogant noble family stood, always looking to expand their holding or power. Rex liked to be his own man. Doing a job for someone was fine. He could decide the pace and manner in which he completed said job after all. The aforementioned one though? They would mostly be raids aimed at particularly dangerous and lucrative dungeons, said to contain treasures beyond one''s imagining, though with dangers of equal level as well. Obviously, since Rex had not witnessed said things himself, he could only listen to old stories about such things, spread among countless adventurers, dreaming of bright and heroic future.


    With the first task resolved, Rex''s adventurer rank quickly upgraded to A minus, the same as Danicas, they proceeded to resolve his second need as well. Forming of a party. There was another form to fill out, stating the name of the party, the overall goals and some other information, like recruitment requirements, if said party was willing to list itself as an open one, allowing new members to join, should they show interest and reach a certain threshold, and a few others, like affiliation to job class or some other info.


    As decided beforehand together with Danica, Rex named his party ''Endless Journey''. That was their goal after all. To experience what this world had to offer by exploring it and enjoying whatever adventures and events they encounter. He left requirements empty, stating it was a closed party, and the goal was simple- exploring the world and dungeon diving. And while the goal could be left unnamed, since Rex had no plans on accepting anyone who he, Danica and whoever else would join their party down the line did not all accept, the attendant advised against it, suggesting they should write down some sort of general goal they might have. There were nations with rather strict border controls, who would have access to the records of adventurer guild, and a stated general goal could sometimes serve as the deciding factor in gaining entry in said nations. She did not that due to the power both Rex and Danica possessed, such a case might not actually happen, but the possibility, as small as it was, did exist.


    A few minutes more later, Rex, and consequently Danica''s, adventurer ID''s now shared a party affiliation. The two founders of Endless Journey were marked as just that, a small extra letters ''FM'', standing for founding member, encapsulated right after the actual name of the party. And with their reasons for being in the adventurer guild finished, they departed. And while they were suggested to take a quest or two, Rex politely refused, noting they had a rather important quest of their own to resolve first, making it quite inconvenient to split their focus. He did add that they will consider it once they return though, earning a smile and another polite bow from the attendant as they left.


    And then, with everything sorted, mounting two, horse sized wolves, they departed the city, its tall, black wall slowly shrinking as their distance grew and grew. They had quite the distance to cover, as such, with Rex''s newfound fame they had acquired rather strong and tough wolves, allowing them to ride for almost an entire day, only stopping once before the nightfall, to feed and to water their mounts. At night, the mounts and the couple could rest, Snek serving as their nights watch. And in such a manner, a couple days went by, without any notable incidents. THe two wolves they rode were enough of a detriment to dissuade most lesser predators and monsters like goblins from even approaching them, let alone actually ambushing.


    On the third day though, they encountered something unexpected. As they rode, Rex noticed something in the distance and he quickly steered his wolf towards the commotion. Danicas mount following him along closely. As they approached, they saw a small group of wolfkin, three men and seven women, struggling to fend off a group of Borks, two to two and a half meter tall, fat looking humanoid monsters that originated from pigs. They sure as hell looked the part. Pig heads, big, lardy bodies covered in primitive and badly crafted metallic armour. The wolfkin men were struggling. The tree men did their very best to keep the pigs away from the women, who were clearly not at all accustomed to combat, their somewhat frilly dresses and fair skin serving as obvious clues.


    The moment Danica noticed it all, she spurred her own mount, damn near flying towards the desperate wolfkin group, moments later flying through the air as she had leapt off of her mount, sending the Borks closest to the girls flying, all while her mount had already jumped on another Bork and was bussy tearing its throat out. Rex arrived just moments later, jumping off of his own mount, his blood chains coming to life moments later, winding and whirling, creating a complex arena, separating the wolfkin group from the borks, while assisting Danica as he controlled the battlefield. There were more and more Borks arriving ever moment, coming from the forest further ahead. And yet, no matter how many came, Danica dealt with them all, a couple of Borks at a time, courtesy of Rex''s control and woven corridors. Not that the Borks did not try to swarm Danica, trying their damn best to cut through the chain that made up the ever growing walls, though failing miserably. As the duo fought, each in their own way, with Danica slaughtering Bork after Bork, her fists covered in battle gauntlets, spikes extended on her knuckles, expretly puncturing the Bork throats as she danced among them, Rex''s chains not only limiting the number of Borks she had to deal with at a time, but also actively interfering with their actual movements, tripping them, causing their weapons to get stuck and so on and so forth. Rex realised that if he were to have a party, he had to adapt his fighting style to accommodate. HE could perform any role but the healer in a party, but why not lean in his blood magic and serve as the control that was needed? They could go without actual tanks, so long as Rex kept up, ensuring his skill set grew and was optimal for the task he had decided to fulfill.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    And, as Danica rampaged, killing Bork after Bork and Rex controlled the entire encounter, killing Borks as well, having modified one of his chains to serve as a dangerous saw wire, dismembering orcs as they came, the group of wolfkin, walled off from the rest of the action, were all on their buts, jaws hanging, and stared at the absolute monster slaughter that happened before their eyes. Rex had quite the few chains at his disposal at this point, though not quite to the point where he could construct entire, fully formed walls for an entire labyrinth, as such, the walls he had formed, were more of a fence, with large enough eyes in the net that everything he and Danica did was visible to their spectators. Were Borks not pure melee infantry, having absolutely no skill whatsoever with ranged weaponry, Rex might have to worry about peoples safety, but as it stood now, he could continue as he had so far.


    It took another ten minutes of Borks dying in droves that the monsters realized the futility of their approach, and they ran away, all that were still capable of doing so, screaming and oinking. The smarter ones had done so long ago, yet such individuals were rare among this particular monster type.


    "Phew!" exclaimed Danica, her gaze overlooking the result of their efforts. Large piles of dead Borks were scattered all around, their wolves, soaked in Bork blood, were now having their fill, tearing out chunks of flesh where it was not covered in their primitive armour and happily devouring it. Borks were quite tasty, just like proper pork, so it was no wonder that after such hard work, the two predators were more than willing to stuff their stomachs with the prey they had hunted.


    As Rex withdrew his chains, absorbing blood in copious amounts, expanding and strengthening his arsenal, one of the tree wolfkin males got out of his awe and stupor, damn near jumping in front of them and planting his face in the ground, prostrating himself before the pair of adventurers.


    "Please, honorable warriors, save our village. The horde attacked it, we barely escaped, not able to reach the walls in time. It might still be not too late."


    "Lead the way then. DONT DAWDLE!" Danica exclaimed, hoping they could help. The wolfkin jumped up to his feet, dashing towards the village with Danica right in his tracks.


    "Snek, watch over the rest of them and feel free to feast at the same time." Rex said loud enough that the remaining wolfkin heard him, moments later a large, blood red snake was in front of them, happily devouring the fallen Borks. With that covered, Rex turned and dashed after the two. catching up but a few moments later.


    Reaching a small hilltop, nearly six hundred meters away from the battlefield, the wolfkin, heaving heavily, lifted his finger in one direction, smoke rising in the distance.


    "Ehhh-heeee." he wheezed "There. Ehhhh- heeeee. I cant. Ehhhhhh- heeeee." he struggled, though that was all that needed to be said, Danica and Rex shooting forward, towards the pillar of smoke, a few kilometers away. For them, the remaining distance was nothing to write home about, so they reached it in but a few minutes, sprinting with speeds far beyond human limits, only to come upon whatever was left of a ruined, half burned down village.


    Fresh stains of blood could be seen near everywhere, the people had been fighting to the very end. Their wall, built from wooden poles, had been obviously broken through in several places, which were bereft of any poles by now, the rest of the wall slowly burning away. Among the stains of blood, some lone fingers could be seen, either cut off with the primitive and crude weapons or chewed off, not quite fitting in the Borks mouth.


    Danica grimaced at the sight, cursing, sadness in her face apparent, alongside anger and rage. Such things happened. The more wild the location someone decided to settle, the larger the chance of a monster horde, migrating and passing by, to decide to feast on said settlers.


    "Fucking Monsters!" Danica cursed as Rex pulled her closer, trying to calm her down.


    "We cant be there to save everyone. If you need to think of something, think of the ones we saved, not the ones who we were not even aware of. It will eat you from inside." he whispered as he hugged her, using mana pulses in a large radius to sense any lingering Borks, or anything else for that matter that could be in need of quick culling. As his pulses ended, he could determine no hostiles within a range of a kilometer, though just as he was done scanning the area, he was pinged by Snek, their soul connection doing its job. "Snek says we have company, though I dont know the nature of them. Lets head back." Rex spoke, guiding Danica back towards the survivors. They could do nothing for the ones lost, but they could help out the ones still alive.


    As they returned, they came upon a rather interesting sight. The group of the wolfkin they rescued, wrapped around by Snek, like chickens in a fence, as the bloody snake stared and hissed towards a new group of wolfkin, some fifty in total, all clad in leather and, or metal armour, some of them on horses or wolves. Their own wolves were still devouring Borks, finding the standoff not something that they should care about, so long as they are left alone.


    The new group wolfkin were extremely veary, the large bloody snake entrapping some of their kin keeping them on the edge. The fact that the two new arrivals, even if one of them was another of their kin, who seemed entirely nonplussed with the presence of the monster, even as they could not even determine its might, did not bode well at all.


    "State your identities!" half barked one of the men, sitting on a white horse, his armor more decorated than others "You are trespassing on our land!" he added, on of his hands on the blades hilt at his hip.


    Rex glanced around, looking at the corpses upon corpses of Borks all around them, as he replied "Am I the only one who sees the state of this place? It would be smarter if you used some of that brain that''s supposed to be in your head. You come upon a veritable field of slaughter, notice a group of mostly unbloodied wolfkin, in what I would classify as a living, breathing gigantic snake formed fence, in the middle of said field of slaughter. And when what seems to be people of the same affiliation as the snake appear, you have the audacity to take a confrontational tone? If I did not know better, I would assume you are seeking death. So, I will be generous. Try again." his tone was calm and collected, though the eyes were sharp and aware, making the commander pause, take in the surroundings once more, before he actually used his brain.


    "M-my apologies. A horde of Borks had been noticed recently. We were dispatched to lure them a way and distract them. What happened here, and what of the village close by?" his tone now was polite, so Rex saw no issues with replying, even as Snek shrunk down in size and disappeared in Danica''s sleeve, off to have a solid nap, his stomach filled with plenty of Bork meat and blood while Danica waited for Rex to speak.


    "We were passing by when I noticed them" Rex pointed towards the wolfkin group "trying their utmost best to fend off Bork attack, with more and more emerging from the forest. We interfered, the result you can see before you. The rest fled in panic. The village is gone, up in flames. Was like that by the time we arrived just a short while ago. Not a single inhabitant, or body in sight." Rex turned his head towards the rescued group once again "My condolences." he said, returning his gaze towards the group. "And then we met you. Thats it. Since this is your land, I expect you to take care of your people." Rex shared a glance with Danica, his intention clear. Though saddened, she nodded, understanding his intention. "Since the situation is resolved, we will be off." Rex spoke, whistling to their wolfs, mounting moments later and leaving the place behind, though not before using his chains to de-flesh quite a few Borks, storing that meat for later use, either dinner or feeding their mounts. And while the commander would have liked to stop them, the battlefield itself was a clear warning not to try. Rex usage of blood chains as he picked the meat off of the bones of the monsters, sending chills down the spines of the fifty something large group, just ensured the commanders smart decision making.

 Chapter 59. The forest of giants.

    The rest of the day traveling, after they had left the devastated village behind, was spent in a solemn quiet, only the sound of their mounts running along the path that was set out before them, enormous mountain range far, far off in to the distance,though seemingly small from their point of view. In reality, the seemingly endlessly upwards stretching mountain, as if claiming to have the power and determination to reach beyond heaven and proceeding to attempt just that, was unreasonably huge. Even at the distance they were from it now, they could see the origin of the River that crossed many nations along its way towards the ocean that was no doubt just as unreasonably large and awe inspiring as the mountain range in the distance. There, on the upper levels of this mind blowing, exceedingly large mountain supposedly lived the tengu, alongwith their enormous crows, looking down on the other races from high up. One day Rex would visit the place too, curious about the actual looks and might of the mystical race.


    Seeing how Danica was still in a rather sour mood, the burning village and the implications of the fate of the missing villagers clear, no Bork, not when on a feral raid at least, would have the capacity to try and take captives, the numerous blood puddles speaking of the fact. And while quite a few of said puddles no doubt belonged to other Borks, wounded or even killed by the desperate villagers, the result was the same. Danica was straight forward, keeping her heart on a sleeve, and while adventurous and somewhat wild, she was also incredibly kind in her own way and seeing such sights did a number on her. And as such, Rex called for a much earlier stop, setting up their camp a few ours before sunset, setting up their tent, putting out some more food for their mounts and then pulling Danica inside, burying her in his embrace and calming her down, telling her tales from his previous two lives, three, if he considered the cultivator memories another one. One after another, displaying the cruelty of the world, devouring the weak and the foolish on a daily basis, and tales of heroes overcoming such woes. A few hours and a decent number of tales later, Danica was fst asleep in his embrace, much calmer than before, her chest lightly rising and falling as she breathed in her sleep.


    "The world is harsh, surely, yet its splendors will never cease to amaze you. Don''t let one sad event chain you down." Rex spoke quietly, one hand gently caressing her soft hair. he had to admit, there was something to traveling with a companion, one he had quickly grown to appreciate. Sure, they could not fix the world of its countless tragedies, nor would Rex himself lose sleep over them, but there was something to lending his aid to those he could see. ''Out of sight, out of mind.'' Rex remembered the saying, once again reaffirming the wisdom in it, closing his eyes to get some rest as well.


    As it turned out, Rex was not half bad at the whole ''helping someone calm down'' thing, or so he would like to joke in his head. He was well aware that Danica would have come to the same conclusion she had, even if a little later. A bit of a talk and a good nights rest, as well as a solid breakfast, something Rex had gotten up quite early to prepare, was quite the help, with her getting back to the usual, cheer and adventurous self, looking forward to them finally reaching the great forest where the giant swallows lived. Sure, they still had almost another week to travel, but with every passing they they came closer and closer. Danica could not hide her excitement about the possibility to soar through the sky on the back of one of the creatures, smiling and giddy with laugher every time she thought about the act.


    Said week of travel, while bringing them through a couple of breathtakingly beautiful places, was otherwise rather monotone, with no other particularly notable encounter. Sure, they hunted a couple of deer along the way, mixing up their meals with another type of meat, had some fun time in a crystal clear lake they passed by, but otherwise it was mostly just the vast expanse of grasslands and patches of forest, all the way until they finally reached their destination- the forest if giants.


    The old folks they had talked to as they gathered more information about the swallows had plenty to share. Most of it though was about this place.Tales as incredible and unbelievable as Rex''s blood magic skillset was to others. Ones of beasts and birds dozen times larger than their cousins everywhere else on the continent, or at least as far as the people retelling the tales were aware off. Yes, swallows the size of a carriage, capable of carrying multiple people on their backs at the same size were not actually the pinnacle of the stories. No, that role went to all sorts of predators.


    All manner of cats, canines and some particularly disturbing recounts of squirrels, or lizards were the more impressive ones. And yet, it all ended with the same understanding and point- the forest of giants was a place of absolute beauty and awe, much to their current understanding. Giant, awe inspiring trees shot towards heaven, their enormous trunks reminding skyscrapers in a crowded city, though due to the nature of nature, there was plenty of space between each of these giants.


    One would assume the ground level should be quite barren, the enormous trees devouring every nutrient in an incredibly large area. And yet, nothing of the sort happened, smaller trees littering the lower floors of the forest. The reason for it was rather simple as well. Much like carrots in shape, though not quite in nature, these trees had a single, equally enormous root, digging straight down into the ground, going deeper and deeper as the trees grew and grew, resulting in plenty of space for other trees to find their own place to grow. As a result, even with the insanely large trees around, there was plenty of smaller ones as well. And much to the pairs surprise, the forest was still filled with ordinary creatures as well, as they saw a perfectly alive and vibrant ecosystem of flora and fauna.


    With their destination found, they sent the wolves back, well trained to find their way home and capable enough to hunt down their meals along the way. It was impressive in its own way, just how well trained the mounts of wolfkin people were, but that was something Rex could wonder, and Danica smirk in pride about, later. They had another task at hand right now after all. And with their temporary mounts out of their hands, they could proceed deeper in the forest, looking for their long term, preferably permanent, choice of mounts. Of course, even as they collected information, they were told about other birds of similar sizes as the swallows, carnivorous ones. And while the predators of the sky would be somewhat simpler to maintain, only in deed of copious amounts of meat, Rex was particularly interested in swallows due to their amazing speed. Of course, were he to encounter something like falcons, that was a whole another beast altogether. Rex was more than willing to go especially wild should such an opportunity arises. Yes, falcons would be his perfect choice, but one had to take what like gave at times, as such, he leveled his expectations, remaining calm and prepared as they traveled deeper and deeper inside the forest.


    One day passed after another, the duo moving further and further inside the forest, spending their nights high above the bound, nestling on some of the enormous branches the giant trees had, with Snek as their night''s watch every single time. It was also here that they encountered active combat quite often, some of the creatures, beasts and monsters alike, trying their luck with the tow, juicy looking, bipedal creatures, wandering through their territory seemingly without an ounce of worry.


    It was truly funny when they encountered a pack of wolves, ones that made their previous mounts look like a small cat next to a fully grown saint bernard dog. Danica had even expressed an idea of taming a couple and bringing them back to be bred at her home city, something her family could maybee become well known among not only the people of the city, but perhaps the entire tribal nation of the wolfkin. Though she was disappointed when Rex broke her small daydream, explaining the logistics and dynamics that would be necessary to keep such creatures take and obedient to their masters. As Rex explained, they could indeed get a couple of wolf females and bring them back to be raised and integrated into her family as their loyal companions, Males though, well, they would eventually be challenged for the alpha position, resulting in bloody battles and not a nice outcome. Sure, Rex could brand the first male. But what when the first pups are born? Would he have to return every time a new litter is there, branding each and every one? That was indeed not an option, leaving Danica''s initial plans not viable in the long term.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I still want one in the future." she stated, a little pouty and imploring look in her eyes. Rex simply smiled, pulled her closer and replied "Sure. You will get one in the future." earning a quick peck on his face from the woman in question as she pulled him further ahead. They had plenty still to explore, and yet to find their targets as well.


    Besides the wolfs, they had a few run ins with feral, enormous, horse sized cats, hunting in group of six to eight.The beasts, while wild and somewhat feral, were smart, since after loosing two to three of their numbers in their failed ambushes on Rex and Danica, the rest quickly escaped, allowing for the couple to collect the killed cats and proceed as they had been so far. The furs of the creatures would no doubt fetch some pretty penny in cities once they come upon any.


    And so, while advancing deeper and deeper into the seemingly endless forest, encountering more and more bizarre and powerful animals, hey spent another week, until finally, they came upon something interesting. A new sight if you will. Sure, the giant, unreasonably large and seemingly endless forest was still all around, as evidenced by certain tree top lining the horizon in whichever way they turned, but the large field of grassland that was enveloped by said eternal forest seemed almost magical. Truth be told, it very well could be, what with the notably higher mana concentration Rex sensed the moment they stepped on the grass, as if fenced off from the forest just on the other side. The difference was so notable, that even Danica, as weak of a mage as she was, could sense said mana difference, though she simply stated that it feels that a change had occurred, not entirely sure herself as to the nature of said change. Rex simply smiled, and explained in detail, not willing to keep his wonderful lady in suspense. He also noted that usually, such distinct zones had something that made them so, causing Danica''s ears to perk up, a sly smile crawling on her face.


    "Do I smell treasure?" she looked at Rex as as she excitedly bit her lip, causing Rex to wonder, was she really a wolfkin? As far as he could tell, she acted like a curious cat, most of the time at the very least. And so, while humoring Danica''s playful nature and desire to find out what was what, he also ''offhandedly'' mentioned his observation, just moments later having Danica on his back, her kanines chomping down on his neck, a growl coming from her as she did so. Rex just laughed, his hands up in the air as he surrendered, noting that it was nothing but stereotypes regarding the form that they shared similarities with, nothing else. Danica was her own person, and Rex appreciated her for who she was, even if they had been traveling together for a relatively short time. Apparently Rex said the correct words, as Danica''s chomp on his shoulder stopped, followed by a single lick in the same place as she let go and returned to her place by his side, a playful smile still on her lips, though there was a tinge of happiness and content as well, mixed in that playful smile of hers.


    Then, Rex changed his demeanor to a rather serious one, using mana pulses every few seconds as they closed in on the center of the grassland, once they were closer to the center, after they had spent another hour walking. And he could sense something, though he was quite surprised that while not actually an animal of any sort, he could tell that much at least, something in the very center of this field was somehow messing with his mana pulses, sending back distorted signals, obscuring the area it protected. And when laced with a sliver of his soul power, it came back even more distorted, causing even Rex to develop a rather strong desire to figure out what was happening here. This was the first time, since forever really, that Rex had encountered anything like this, and so, while cautious, he was getting more and more intrigued.


    Soon enough, Rex sensed the first few creatures he would have to keep an eye out for, everything else so far had been all manner of small critters and rodents, nothing of the gigantic series so far. And then, they finally noticed a pond of sorts, a rather small island in the very center of it, and there, he could see a rather odd looking tree, no lighter than two meters. It might just as well be considered a bush of sorts. And yet, there it was sticking out like a sore thumb. Unlike the normal trees, or their gigantic variants, most of which were things like maples, oaks, birches, fir trees or some magical variant of their species, as far as Rex would classify them, the bush he saw was truly different. It was something akin to a bush of roses, though the plant, or tree, Rex was not entirely sure, itself seemed out of place. Its trunk, was formed from separate yet intertwined stalks, winding in circles around one another, reminding one of the DNA spiral. The branches were of the same manner, two separate stalks, at the same height, growing from each of the base trunk, entwining one again and just a bit further up, yet another, and then another and another such branch formed. And there were more then a dozen such trunks coming out from the ground, branching and entwining as they grew.


    And yet, while seemingly separate plants at the ground level, they all came together at around the height of a meter, forming some sort of a cradle, or a nest, and branching away once again further up, creating something akin to a canopy above said nest. It was this plant, that Rex could sense was the origin of the disturbance, a rather odd energy emanating from it. And as the pair reached lake, Rex realized what he saw, or precisely, the value for him of what he saw. He was also aware of the two predators circling high above in the sky, though just barely, the two birds just within his mana pulse range.


    He grabbed Danica''s hand, earning her attention, whispering very quietly about his discovery, warning her of the danger looming in the sky, and his own readiness to intercept whatever he could sense the moment they descended. He also asked her not to take action just yet. The birds might be just what they were here for. With Danica aware and on board, Rex carefully kneeled before the lake, testing the water itself with various methods, figuring out whether the water itself was an actual danger to either him or Danica. After a thorough inspection, and even a slight taste test, once every other test was exhausted, he determined that the water was fine, even better than that. It had a mild, restorative quality to it, no doubt the result of the plant that grew on the island in the middle. But the restorative quality was not one of ordinary means. It healed ones spirit, namely soul, so for Rex, it was a treasure of immense value. And so, he was even more curious about the plant on the small island. What could it have in that cradle? Could there be a fruit of the tree? He was aware of plenty legendary herbs he had read in some books about, both in his cultivators memories and when he slid by the library during his stay in the capital, whose fruits had even greater, magical properties that the plant itself had on its surroundings. If such a fruit was here, he could recover this soul fragment of his to an incredible levels, opening a whole array of opportunities and possibilities, starting from his combat style, allowing him to much more easily control even more chains at the same time, as well as elevating his awareness to unconceivable levels, ever closer to the ones he has when his soul is complete. He would learn of it soon enough.


    The pond itself was shallow, no deeper than reaching Rex waist, and so, his attention still divided between the happenings above them, his mana pulses becoming even more frequent and at the same time he was also well aware of what was happening in front of him. And Danica? Danica was keeping her attention on the land around them, keeping an eye on any possible creatures sneaking up on them from behind.

 Chapter 60. The deal.

    With careful, calculated rhythm, Rex placed one of his feet in the ankle deep water and as he was about to proceed with the next one, he sensed immediate reaction. Not from the plant ahead of him, not from some well hidden, even for his mana pulses, monster leaping out to ambush him from either the lake or somewhere behind them, but from the birds circling high into the sky. The near nonstop mana sonar he deployed instantly picked up on the two, diving forms on birds, aimed directly towards him. With a quick reaction, yet just barely so, Rex jumped back, well away from his previous position, pulling Danica with hims as he dis so and at the same time shooting out his chains towards the places he an Danica were at just moments ago.


    And as he did so, one after another, two, extremely fast shadows damn near collided with their previous locations, extremely sharp claws swiping at their supposed bodies, only to find purchase wit hempty air and moments later getting wrapped in numerous chains, forcing them to the ground. And yet, extremely powerful, large wings began a rather frantic and angry flapping, trying to get back into the air, and yet, teh chains were extremely tough and fast, wrapping more and more around the to birds, eventually reaching their wings and restricting them entirely. Still, with a notable cloud of dust, the pair of humans, or more precisely the human and wolfkin pair, had to wait for a few minutes to see what they were actually dealing with, though with his near nonstop mana pulses Rex already had something of a suspicion, and he could not help but develop a shit eating grin as the dust settled, revealing the two gigantic birds of prey to their sights.


    Before their eyes, tightly bound, to both limit their movement and ensure they don''t harm themselves with all that trashing, on the ground laid two, majestic, almost bus sized falcons. Though unlike the white brown and black mixed colouring these birds had back in his world, these were slightly different. Their lower half was still light, colours of white and a bit of heavenly blue decorating their underbellies, ensuring they could barely, it at all, be seen from below, were their potential prey with extremely sharp eyes might sense the danger and try to see it. From above, the birds had a similar, brownish colouring with accents of green, looking much like the ground below them, providing additional camouflage against whatever mightier predator could be stalking the clouds even above them.


    Sensing their struggle, Rex called forth more and more of his chains, locking down the two birds entirely, leaving them nice and wrapped up. With the main danger out of the way, he returned to his previous activity, slowly moving towards the small island in the center of the pond. Even as he stepped on the land, nothing else happened, the falcons apparently the last line of protection, and so, with cautions steps Rex reached the bush with the cradled nest.


    The nest was not empty. No. There, in the very center of it sat a rather small bird, no larger than a chicken. Its body, like that of a hummingbird, with a large tail of a peacock and a few, long and bright feathers coming from its head, reaching all the way to its tail. Its feathers were in all the colours of rainbow, slightly shimmering as it just barely moved, unwilling to leave its current location, even in the face of a possible danger such as Rex, for he was a danger, should be at the very least.


    As Rex observed the bird, the nest and the plant said nest was formed in, he used more of his soul power to examine things. His mana sonar not complicated enough for his needs. And as he did so, the bird remained in its place, its beady eyes, as if filled with intellect, locked on Rex. Some ten minutes passed as he comprehended what was happening, not all that much of his attention on the bird itself, until finally, he smiled lightly and bitterly.


    "Damn. Thats just sad." Rex spoke, a slight disappointment in his voice and Danica quickly perceived it.


    "What''s wrong Rex?" she asked from the other side,, slight worry on her face.


    "Nothing dangerous. Do not worry." Rex replied as he looked towards her. "So?" he then looked to the bird in the nest, speaking in a much lower tone "I am loathed to stop what you are doing. Though from what it seems, I can take the water in the pond, since that is a side effect of the process and not needed for you." and as he spoke, the birds head just barely moved, nodding to Rex words.


    "I also want the two falcons. No doubt you have more, yes? Not that I need exactly these two, to be honest. All I need is a healthy pair that could propagate. Of the same species, or if you have anything that can fly faster, I would not mind that then. And in return, not only will I not interfere, I will also create a little something that will serve as an additional protection. It would seem you still need a few dozen years to hatch that fairy, no? What say you?"


    There was a moment of silence as the bird considered Rex''s words and a few minutes later, it once again lightly nodded its head, agreeing to Rex''s proposal. Its task was far too important, It could not risk interruption. It had taken centuries to reach this stage, and no other human had ever reached this deep into the forest. Had humanoids truly gotten so far that its success was now at risk, forced to come to concessions, sacrificing more and more every time another group would come? The bird asked itself, though as if its mind was read, the human before him explained that he was, indeed a rare specimen among his kind, alleviating some of the creatures fears.


    Slightly calmer, it nodded once again, allowing the human to do what''s promised as it returned to its own task, nurturing the fruit that would soon turn into a new life. Soon, the forest would have its true guardian and caretaker.


    Rex returned to Danica, crossing the pond just as slowly as he had the first time around, reaching her and smiling calmly. The two, struggling falcons had also stopped their desperate attempts to break free, now gazing towards the duo with their eyes. Even as Rex recalled his chains, freeing the falcons, he explained Danica the situation.


    "So, what is there? Is it a treasure?" Danica asked with excitement and waited for his explanation.


    "Well, in a manner of speaking. That there is a cradle of a new forest spirit. It is forming right as we speak, though no sooner than a few decades later would it emerge. It still needs time. And as such, we will leave it as is."


    "Is it valuable?" Danica asked, more out of curiosity than anything. Forest spirits were good, as rare as they were. If a forest had one, it was guaranteed to blossom and grow, ensuring every creature living there would prosper as well.


    "Very much so, yes. It could be consumed as is, resulting in quite the spiritual transformation for ordinary people. There also would be alchemists who would sell their entire families, nations even, if it meant getting their hands on something like this. Its greatest value though, is in what it represents. Should it hatch, this forest would grow even more vibrant, no doubt attracting countless people once the change becomes visible. So much so that due to the size of the forest, more than a single city would form, highly dependant on the bounty it provides."


    "I saw you talking there. What was that about?"


    "Coming to an agreement I suppose? Once I realized what it represents, I was loathed to take, as I believed would you. Though we have come so far for a reason, and I believed that our host" he gestured towards the small island "could solve our needs. As such, I offered a small service to assist in protecting this place while the new spirit is formed. In return, we get to take some of the treasures that can be found here and do not harm the developing spirit." Rex smiled as his head turned to another direction, two new arrivals approaching them, their majestic wings flapping and carrying them closer by dozens of meters every second.


    A slight way off, the two birds tilted their bodies back as they slowed down their approach, landing and displaying their form in its full grace.Twice the size of the falcons they had captured, these ones had a different colouring as well. Pitch black feathers covered their bodies, with turquoise blue eyes, glowing as their gazes locked on Rex, intelligence clearly exuding from their forms.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Magnificent." Rex smiled, though did not rush to get closer to them. "First things first I suppose. My part of the deal." Rex noted, a couple of his chains shooting out of his body, working as a sort of a giant pen, or brush, drawing on the canvas that was the earth all around the pond, creating a complex and intricate rune carvings laced with both crystalized blood and copious amounts of mana, creating solid construct on the ground. Rex was burning through his mana pool in quite the impressive rate, though with the amounts of it in the surrounding air, he had enough to absorb and maintain a steady pace. He did stop every few hours though, the constant cycle exhausting him rather notably, forcing him to take equally long, couple hour rests.


    And so, in such a manner, Rex spent another two days finishing his runic engravement, all the time making sure his creation did not interfere with what was happening in the very center of said runic engravement. As a being so with conceptual understanding of soul and blood, he could do so with relative ease, ensuring it all went according to plan. As Rex was working on his own thing, Danica mostly relaxed, or ventured in the forest, hunting some game for them to consume, keeping herself busy, or went on some light hunting alongside Snek. From what she told Rex, his pet was a damn good partner. She did not fault him for the way Snek was deployed though, since she too enjoyed the ability to spend quality nights together with Rex, either having fun or just cuddling in their sleep.


    Eventually though, at the end of the second day after Rex started to create the array, he was done. A sharp light briefly shone throughout the engraved runic array, forming multiple transparent layers that disappeared from sight just as quickly as they had appeared. Then, those from outside, would see as extremely dense fog took over the area, making whatever was inside imperceptible and hidden from one''s sight.


    Since Rex had been extremely cautious as he worked and after the tests he did, he was perfectly assured it had all gone as planned and started to collect what was agreed upon. First, he collected the crystal clear soul recovery water that filled the pond, taking up a rather large space in his storage dimension. Then, after he had drunk a solid few liters of said water, slightly empowering his soul, he proceeded to brand the two midnight falcons as he had come to call them. Due to the influence of the spirit, it was rather simple, Rex did not sense the least bit of resistance from the birds, on the contrary, they seemed to be proud to have served such an important role in ensuring the safety of the forest spirit that was to be the guardian here. With his rewards collected, Rex once again walked over to the center island of the now empty pond, explaining the nature and control over the array he had developed, placing a small tablet in front of the bird. Explaining what he had to and informing of their departure, receiving a simple nod from the spirit, Rex turned around once again and left the island, joining Danica and the two mounts of theirs.


    "Shall we return to your home town first? Or do we head out straight back to Monarchy of Sol?" he asked, more than fine with her decision.


    "So these two are our mounts then?" Danica exclaimed, sparks of excitement in her eyes as she approached one of them, pressing against its chest, exclaiming how soft and pleasant the feathers felt.


    "Yes, though we will have to ride together. It will be rather tricky to stay on top of them as they fly at high speeds. Unfortunately, your control and mana pool is not quite there yet." Rex apologetically explained. Not like they had any sort of saddle or something to ensure their ability to remain on top of the birds, aside from of course using ones mana to hold onto the birds back, or using the blood chains to ty oneself to the birds.


    "Want to name them?" Rex asked as he himself also approached the duo.


    "Can I? You sure?"


    "Mhm. Go ahead." Rex smiled as he replied, explaining which one was the male and which one female. The difference being, the male falcon had a couple of golden feathers situated above its eyes, like a brow.


    "Then lest call the male Wari and the female Sidsel." She smiled as she chose a name for each, looking towards them as she called out the names.


    "So be it then. Your names are henceforth Wari and Sidsel." Rex confirmed, the chosen words etched into the brands on the two birds souls. "Lets head out, shall we?" he lightly jumped on the males back, extending his blood chains towards Danica, and with an approving nod, he gently lifted her up, finding a good spot on Wari''s back, both for themselves and the falcon, gently nudging their mounts to depart, all while providing them with directions to fly in. He had left a few soul marks in the city Danica came from, as well as any other place he had visited, providing him with impeccable compass. Given a map, he could easily find his way anywhere, so long as he knew his current location. There was no stronger beacon than something marked with a soul imprint, especially so in a world where the concepts were barely researched and comprehended. Soul was one of the most elusive and esoteric of them all, making its methods even more pronounced and special in a world like this.


    Unlike their way towards the forest of giants, that had taken them a couple of weeks, their return was incredibly swift. Then again, it was expected. They had straight path to proceed along, the sky clear and free in every direction, their speed- many times greater than the wolves could ever hope to achieve and they had already seen most of the sights along this particular path. Sure, the view from sky was impressive, serving as quite the treat for ones eyes, observing the endless fields of grass, trees or lakes, but there was only so much of it one could appreciate. The rather chilly and fresh air, high in the skies though, that was something unique. And while normal people would find it uncomfortable, or downright painful to breathe at such heights, both Rex and Danica were no ordinary people, their bodies developed and powerful enough to appreciate their current location a great deal.


    Due to Rex properly utilizing his aura, the duo were also unaffected the the winds, allowing for uninterrupted conversation.


    "This is AWESOME!" exclaimed Danica once again, as they neared her home town. She had done so a few times already, and yet, she felt the need to repeat her statement. "I do not care. We only travel like this now.Wait, can we do it?" she stated, adding a question moments later, not entirely sure about the logistics.


    "For the most part, yes. We would have to use ships to cross the ocean if we planned to visit other continents though. I need some reference points and general understanding of the size of the ocaen Wari and Sidsel would have to cross. And then of course there is the small caveat that our party must remain relatively small. Judging by the current strain, I believe we should be limited to six, maximum eight people, no more. I would not want to overburden them."


    "Great!" Danica confirmed, enjoying both the flight as well as the pleasant feeling of Rex chest her back was pressed against. Even with all the sad things she had seen recently, referring to the destroyed village, life was incredibly fun, stoking her inner adventurer and raising her spirits.


    At the end of the day, just like in the modern world, where a few days drive with a car could be achieved with only a couple our flight, their new way of travel resulted in the same, if not even greater difference. What had been more than a weeks travel, was covered in less than a day, by the dusk their group already gliding high above Danica''s hometown.


    "You sure? It does sound a little mean." Rex questioned, an eyebrow raised as he was not entirely on board with Danica''s idea, though since he could ensure nothing bad happened, he just shrugged and followed her suggestion. As the sky grew darker and darker, they kept gliding around, theirs, and the falcons sharp eyes locked on the land below, desperately looking for either Igdan or Astrid. Rex had to note the downright terrifying mischievous smile that adorned Danica''s face. It was just about at midnight that Rex noticed one of the possible targets, as he saw igdan walk down a street towards his parents house. So, he mercilessly informed Danica, giving the woman another chance to drop her plan, though no such luck happened. And so, sending a silent plea of apology, he sent a mental command to his falcons, acting according to Danica''s plan. Sheesh. ''Igdan must have done some pretty nasty pranks in her youth'' Rex thought, as they descended with incredible speeds.


    Moments later, just before any actual danger could come to either Igdan or the falcons, they performed a sudden stop, leaning back and making a few powerful swings with their wings, creating a powerful guts of wind, knocking Igdan off of his feet and earning a loud scream, followed by uncontrolled laughter as Danica could not hold back as she saw the disheveled Igdan get back to his feet. The mans eyes were nearly popping out of his skull, initially at the incredibly majestic creatures, and after that at the sister who had deemed it appropriate to mess with him. Curse after curse escaped his throat as was dressing Danica down, the woman only grinning, not the least bit sorry by the action. Though before a crow had gathered, Rex was already on the ground, the falcons rose back into the sky, disappearing from the sight, and then Igdan was almost grabbed like a sack of potatoes and then the trio disappeared from the place, soon enough reaching their home.

 Chapter 61. The world moves on and the clowns entertain kings.

    It had been months since Light''s Oak had separated from Rex, though his existence and change he brought with him had remained clear cut and obvious. They were stronger than ever, even having advanced a rano of two during this time. Now, they were proud D rankers, capable of taking on most of the creatures in Vixieras dungeon, diving deeper and deeper as they went. The two additional new members, both women of course, had only strengthened them even further. The two Empowerment crystals were shoving their value big time, as Meru had become a stalwart defender, keeping whatever came at them at bay, and what few monsters could get past her as the rest of the girls pelted said monsters with arrows, spells or whatever else, the two new members, both front line fighters as well intercepted, ensuring their damage dealers had free reign. And when dealing with more powerful, or much larger groups, where ones stamina and limits were tested, Ria came in clutch, her healing and support spells playing pivotal role.


    And approximately a month ago their coffers had been flooded with cash, the message from Rex arrived notifying them of the influx of cash in their guild account. They could almost retire at this point, had they not acquired the new members, or if they had the slightest inclination. With unanimous agreement, they had continued to go on as they had so far, growing stronger, day bay day, even if said growth was not obvious in the short term.


    Thankfully, after the one ambush they had experienced, not a single new group had arrived, aiming to harm them in any way shape or form, so they could happily continue as they had, exploring the dungeon further and further. They even came to the agreement that once they reach the deepest level, they would move on towards the next place. They had considered multiple choices, each with its won pros and cons, though at the end settled on Solendiel. The capital of their nation. Samanta had some suspicions that Ria at the very least was seriously hoping to run into Rex as they explored the dungeon slash capital. Then again, neither she, nor any other girl, aside from the two new members, could claim otherwise, even if their reasons for the desire were different. Ria and Alurial though, well, they shared a rather similar and steamy reason, something that they got teased every now and then about.


    ------------------------------------


    It had been a rather unexpected assignment, all things considered. His master rarely sent him on such tasks, especially when it involved the exiled, failure of a son of his master. Still, the candle of unlife with said progeny''s name had died out, signifying the death of the youngster, and as such, his master had given him a task- to travel to the last place his sone drew breath and figure out what had happened and, if possible, avenge his death. And so, Barnabus had set out, the extinguished candle of unlife in his hand, always lponting him towards the place of death of the younger vampire, or mudblood as his siblings would call him. Barnabus could never quite fathom their cruelty. Were they not siblings, born of the same father? Not like any of them would inherit his place at the council table. That role was long since determined, the firstborn of his master claiming that right.


    Still, he had been given a task, and while he could wonder about countless things as he traveled, often even laughing about the foolishness of his masters children, he knew better than to express his opinion without his master''s express order. And even as he mused over many, different things, he was getting ever closer to the place of his young masters resting place. Soon enough, he reached his destination, an old and abandoned villa, no signs of a proper fight in sight. Whoever had taken down his young master was powerful, likely an entire group.


    As he moved closer and closer to the center, he sensed nothing besides some odd chill creeping up his spine, as if he was closing in on a place he should not. More and more he felt the desire to abandon his task, but his masters orders were absolute, propelling him forward regardless. Then, he reached the central room, and while there was no corpse, or even dust of said corpse remaining, Barnabus learned something. He felt if for only a split second, and yet, his blood burned even as his body shivered in absolute terror.


    As a servant, converted ages ago, he was particularly sensitive to the power of blood, something his liege wielded with great skill. And yet, the residue of the magic used here, was incomprehensible, so much so that Barnabus quickly turned one hundred eighty degrees and disappeared from the place with the greatest speed he could muster, like a desperate rabbit running from a pack of predators. And while there were no actual predators behinds him, nor was he a rabbit, the information he had to deliver was more important than the life of said rabbit. And so, he fled, he ran and ran and ran, traveling through whatever villages he ran across, sending a message from each and every one as well, lest he falls along the way. The information would reach his master. It MUST. A primordial bloodlord was walking the plane after all.


    --------------------------------------------


    As Evelysandra glanced outside the window, her thoughts wandered, thinking how it had all reached the point it had. Just a few weeks ago she had been a part of a slave trade ring dismantling. A rather large one at that. And yet, she could not smile, the actual sponsors and initiators still unknown since the captured bandit who knew anything, had been assassinated before he spilled the beans. She was of course aware that there were spies and informants among her entourage, bringing info about her movements and actions to the more powerful noble families of their nation, ensuring said families could always be ready to receive her, or whatever else they needed to know her movements for. She had used those she was aware of for her own benefit quite often, providing slightly misleading or incorrect info.


    Though she had never expected that said spies were even embedded in her closest guards, her two knights not including of course. They wore certain curse rings that ensured nothing of the kind could involve them, acquired and adorned of their own initiative. She was eternally grateful for their devotion and faith in her goals and ideals. Still, what had happened was not excusable, forcing both her, and her family members to perform a purge, removing numerous known spies and discovering new ones within their retinues, and raising the level of vetting new ones. She was not the only royal who was spied on. They all were.


    And now, she was in a rather large hall, sitting alongside a few other members of her family of similar age. Cousins, aunts, uncles and siblings alike. At the very center of their family, the king, her father, sat on a small throne, their entire group facing another, notably larger collection of nobles and their speakers. It was one of those days where numerous proposals and reports were made to the royal family and quite a few important decisions were made as well.


    So far, the event had been nothing but a waste of time, in Evelysandras honest opinion. And while she would have loved nothing more than to get out of this useless and frilly dress she was forced to wear, adorn her usual leather armour and delve the dungeon, some things were mandatory, shackles she was in due to her birthright. It was such a blessing that her father was quite doting on his children and inhabited by the very best qualities of their family traits. Strong willed, fair and wise. Willing to listen to both strategist and pauper, lest he misses an important clue or morsel of knowledge.


    As yet another noble droned on and on about their ''achievements'' and troubles, her mind drifted once again to tales and thoughts of what could have beens. She would sometimes imagine being born as a child of a couple of adventurers, taught and trained by the parents to one day set out on her very own adventures, forming her very own party and exploring the world. Other times, she imagined being the daughter of a lesser noble, dealing with all manner of challenges they faced, finding clever ways to ensure she could both find her own happiness as well as ensure the prosperity of her families holdings.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    She never did dream of being a child of commoners though. Not that she had anything against them, this group of people were the very backbone and driving force of their nation, providing the majority of food and building most, if not all houses and infrastructure. And yet, no daughter of theirs was ever truly safe, even in a nation where the common folk had it quite good. Be a girl too pretty and some noble son will no doubt eventually notice you, or a band of brigands will kidnap and have their way. Nor did the commoners had enough of an access to education or martial training. All things her family would like to change, though still not having enough proper ideas as to how to implement it or get more noble families along with their ideals.


    Evelysandra would have kept on daydreaming, were it not for the noble currently speaking mentioning her name, rightfully earning her full attention. The baron currently speaking belonged to a family on the northern border of their nation, having holdings that bordered the territory of nation of Naramika. A branch family of their ruling clan had sent a letter, expressing an interest of one of their sons, recently having come of age, in her hand. Worse still, she had heard rumours of said son. Not only was his expected potential much lower than her current strength, namely his potential of peak D, maybee barely C, against her current peak C, low B, but he also was known for being decadent and skirt chasing fool. And they had implied that she was of equal status? Now that was enraging, to say the least. Eve was sure that even one of her eyes twitched as the noble kept spouting the bullshit flowery words written in the letter, It finished with the information that an official messenger was already dispatched and should arrive soon for a proper and formal proposal. And what was even more annoying was how said noble fool then tried to prop up the proposal, explaining how it would truly benefit their nation.


    Political marriages was a thing after all. No noble family could entirely escape such arrangements, though the men had it easier. All they needed was tallent and a pretty face and they could easily get a concubine or two, or a wife in case an offer from a particularly powerful family came, while still having their access to their own sweetheart in the form of a mistress or actual concubine, no matter the class of said girl. The daughters, unless one was an A ranker, would have to settle for one man and then spend their lives with him. Unfair? Yes, but it did make sense to some degree. A single man could have multiple wives pregnant at the same time, maintaining his own ability to both fight and make decisions while furthering their family line. A woman with multiple men as her paramours could not do the same. That was just how biology worked.


    Still, her disgust was evident, she was not even remotely trying to hide it. Nor would her father even consider any of such offers, especially in her case. She had debriefed her father as soon as she returned, explaining in detail both of her encounters with Rex, as well as what she had learned. Her father had agreed that Rex was a catch, and she should focus solely on him to ensure they develop some sort of positive rapport. Even her father was sure Rex would likely outgrow their little and remote country in no time whatsoever, traveling deeper inland to challenge his own limits and as such, there was no point in trying to tie him down. They could though, and should, develop whatever friendly ties they could and Evelysandra was the perfect way to do it, having already made some inroads with Rex.


    And once the noble man finished speaking, her father did as she expected. He laughed, though there was no warmth or joy in it, and then sneered, ridiculing the offer, for not only was it an insult to her, comparing her to the waste who had expressed his desire for Eve, but a clear insult to their entire family as well, even assuming for a second he could be amiable to such a pairing. He then also added that Evelysandra would not even consider other nobles for marriage as she was too busy working to ensure the prosperity of their nation for years to come.


    Evelysandara almost laughed when she saw quite a few uncomfortable shuffles within the ranks of the nobles, no doubt a few other, similar offers in their hands, shut down even before they had spoken. Though she saw someone rise from their seat. ''One of the three pillars'' she noted, as the man wobbled to the center, beginning his speech about the need to see the larger picture, and how such statements could harm the nation. Though she did phase the words of the noble out, as she clearly heard a familiar voice in her ears.


    "I am above the capital. I need a place to land and leave my mounts for a time period while I take a look at what jobs you have for me. It feels like you are bored beyond reason so I assume you have the time. And don''t answer, just move to the place I could land, this is one way communication only."


    Interrupting the monologuing noble, Evelysandra rose to her feet, turned towards the king and spoke.


    "Father, its him. He is back. May I go out and receive him?"


    "Of course. Do you need someone sent with you? How soon could he visit my study?" the king asked, a slight smile on his face.


    "Just give me a moment father." she replied, rushing towards one of the large balcony doors, opening it wide and rushing outside, wawing her hands towards the air. Moments later, jaws dropped one after another, as on the large balcony landed a couple of incredibly large, pitch black birds that clearly exuded A rank monster aura. A calm and powerfull voice of a stranger resounding from outside.


    "I suppose you want me to have a talk with someone here? Does not look like a stable to me. By the way, you look good in that dress, even if a little odd when compared to the ussual attire."


    "My apologies, but my father would love to have a word with you." Evelysandra replied and just moments later another unrecognized voice from the outside, this time one of a woman, filled the hall with the king and the nobles.


    "Anything you have learned about the moneybags behind the slaver ring?"


    "My deepest apologies. I am still working on that."


    "Tch. Fine." the unfamiliar female clicked her tongue, clearly not happy with the results.


    "Let''s be quick about it then. I am itching to grind a bit, so lets see whats what." the male commented, as moments later the sound of heels striking the floor could be heard, a trio of people coming inside. And the nobles felt a chill, even more pronounced than what they already left, from the two monster birds. Two, A ranked bird creatures and two more A rankers and if that was not enough, as the man''s eyes went over the room, they sent an even greater chill down their spines once again. To them, Rex gave off the sense of a seasoned warrior or a professional torturer, though he was clearly a young man.


    The other newcomer, a wolfkin woman, also earned the attention of quite a few pairs of eyes, her exceptional beauty quite the contrast to the average looks of the man, though the gazes quickly dispersed as the man released an oppressive force on those who stared at her. A single ''Mine'' all that was needed for them to sweat in fear. It mattered little that they were in what could be classified as the court of the king. In nation as remote as theirs, a single A ranker held incredible amounts of prestige and weight, giving them leeways most noble could only dream of.


    As the trio approached the king, Rex gazed around a few times. The first was to warn the fools who were openly salivating over Danica, the next few times he inspected the people present, noting who had been stained either by lingering essence of blood or residue of resentment, created by souls as they reenter the cycles of reincarnation. That too was something he had always found odd. Numerous religions in his original word implied that after death ones soul went to heaven, hell or something similar and Rex found such reasoning flawed. The world was set up with the idea of constantly cycling and reusing recourses. Why would human soul be any different? No matter. He had other things to deal with now. Soon enough the trio stood before the king, and as Evelysandra proceeded to announce them, Rex noted the nobles who should be kept an eye one, the most likely to have a hand in the funding of the slave ring they took care of. There was no way Rex would leave them as they had been, in the lap of luxury and allowed to do as they pleased, consequences be damned.

 Chapter 62. Royal quests.

    Aside from noting the main probable culprits behind the slave trade he dismantled, or at the very least temporarily stopped, Rex ignored the remaining nobles. Truth be told, he ignored the remaining members of the royal family as well, not the least bit interested in dealing with the local politics any more than him accepting quests already would. As such, the only other person present in the halle he actually bothered to acknowledge was the king himself. Rex made a small, but noticeable nod towards the king before getting straight to the point of his visit.


    "Evelysandra said you will have some jobs I might be willing to take. I have some time to check and maybe accept some."


    "But of course. If you would follow me, there is a room just around the corner where we could discuss it in detail." the king then looked towards the nobles, adding. "Today''s meeting is over. We shall reconvene next month as per usual. Dismissed." With that said, he led Rex and Danica to the aforementioned room, Evelysandra obediently following along them. She too received numerous, jealous glances, though this time said glares came from her own family youth. Such was the life in the court. Greed, jealousy and envy ran rampart, even in a family as virtuous as this one.


    Short while later the four people arrived in the aforementioned room. The king sat in one of the seats, a pile of documents in front if him, as she slowly reached forward and took a part of said pile.


    "Ever since my dear Eve informed me of the details of your agreement, I had my people work to create a proper list of quests that might rouse your interest." he finished speaking as he stretched out his hand, handing over the quest pages he was holding.


    Rex took them in his hand, though before he started to leaf through them, he spoke.


    "Right. First things first." as he said so, he pulled out a condensed crystalized blood orb, reverting it to liquid state in mere moments and proceeded to craft multiple miniature, lifelike statues, all red of course, the color of blood remaining as is even with the level of control he had over it. "Write down the names of these people. They are often in the vicinity of serious bloodshed or death, possibly even the ones inflicting it."


    The king frowned as he gazed at the figures, asking "And is there any evidence of said actions?"


    "Yes and no. As you might have guessed by my current actions, I am quite proficient in blood magic, something only higher vampires are supposed to be capable off, or as far as you understand it. It is due to this particular skill that I see and sense things others could not. Blood essence for one. Undetectable traces of one''s last gasp for life, clinging to the ones who took part in extinguishing said life, slowly decaying over time. Do note that monsters or beasts do not create such phenomenon. Thus, the ones I singled out have been in the presence of someone, be it human or beast man, and snuffed out their lives themselves, or were important enough to be marked with said residue. Since there is no active war with your nobles serving in the frontlines, they either execute their super dangerous criminals themselves, or kill someone else all hush hush like. At the end of the day, I don''t much care whether you do something about them or not. Do note though that I will kill anyone foolish enough to come after me or my girl here."


    With what needs to be said out in the open, he turned his attention towards the quest pages in his hand, different monster after monster noted that was to be hunted and what kind of drop they wanted to acquire from each one, alongside the dungeons where said monsters were known to be found. All in all, Rex could not complain about the intelligence aspect of the tasks offered, nor did he felt that rewards promised for each job, each and every one noted on the page itself, were insulting either. Some he could tell would be on the lower end, while others seemed incredibly high, though each had a logical reason behind it. Of course, part of the prices came from his targets all being A ranked monsters. The other part no doubt was the rarity of the monsters themselves in their natural habitats, or more precisely the dungeon floors or biomes they lived in. And last, but not least was the rarity of the drop itself- the less likely to acquire one, the greater the promised reward.


    "Anything catch your eye?" he asked Danica, not really caring about any of it himself, but since he was no longer traveling on his own he might as well start listening and considering her, and eventually their opinions on the matter.


    "Actually" Danica smiled as she took the stack of papers from his hands, fishing out a couple of the quests he had went over and pointing to them "I think these two are going to be rather easy, though we will need to get back to my home lands for it." she smirked knowingly" I can guarantee that we have a dungeon back there with a much better spot to hunt these ''seven point vipers'' as well as the ''snake eating vulrams'' than whatever the dungeons around here provide. And unlike here, we can do both at the same time." smirking at the knowing smile blooming on Rex face she confirmed hi guess "Yep, the snake eating vulrams prey on seven point vipers there, making it for quite the perfect place. It would have been a pain to reach, were we not uniquely equipped with a rather convenient mount."


    "Anything else that caught your eye? With what you have disclosed you get to pick another one, the trid quest we can take on. That is if you want to. We will not come back before we deal with all of them, so take that into consideration as well."


    "How about this one then?" Danica asked, showing Rex another quest page "Those bullmors look mightily delicious."


    Rex took a look, humming as he did so. "Could that be because the item desired from this quest is royal beef? Though that does sound like something extra tasty. Sure thing. We will do that one as well then." With that, Rex took the three quests sheets and addressed the king who had been talking with Evelysandra, discussing some measures they would have to take to carefully investigate the nobles Rex had marked as suspicious, possibly taking part in some extremely illegal activities and deciding how to deal with those who were to be found guilty of the levied accusations.


    "I''ll take these three on. Anything else to finalize us taking them on?" Rex asked.


    "Just one moment please." The king replied, looking at the three quests and finding an exact copy of each one. Then, he placed his copies on the table, indicating for Rex to do the same. One all six were on the table, the king took out a quill, that as he explained was magical and was counterfeit proof. He then signed on each of the quests pages, asking Rex to do the same as the party leader. Then, each side took their own copy and stashed it away. There was no binding magic within it, since it only served as the proof that a private quest was issued and accepted, ensuring that even if the king suddenly decided he no longer needed the job done, it could not be canceled before both sides have met, with the additional caveat that said quests were not fulfilled when this meeting happened.


    "May ask you something?" Evelysandra asked as the duo were about to depart, earning a raised brow from both Rex and the king. Before either of them could respond though, Danica replied.


    "Go ahead."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "May I join you?"


    "Evelysandra. Don''t be rude." the king half panicked, well aware of the power difference between the two parties, not wanting to offen the A rankers in any way.


    Danica, like a mischievous cat, was right next to Rex moments later, her hands wrapped around one of his, a pleasant softness enveloping said hand. "Hooo?" she cooed "Taking my words in Ravenhold Fort to heart I see."


    "She is a bit below the power that is needed to take the mentioned monster on. What is your angle?" Rex asked, his gaze on Danica, though his tone was telling. He was just curious, no anger of direct dismissal in his voice. With a smile on her face, Danica explained her reasoning.


    "She seemed like the archer type. And since we don''t plan of on having front liners, courtesy of your chosen combat role and style, I suspect she would become capable combat asset with little training."


    "A glass cannon that I would have to ensure is never reached by the enemy. That about right?"


    "Yes. But let''s be honest. I have the strangest feeling you would be more than just fine with such an arrangement."


    "Fine. And what is the other reason?" Rex asked, a knowing look on his face. Danica just smiled at him back, replying "I will tell you one day, but not now."


    "Fine." Rex just shrugged moving his gaze over to Eve. "Well, you heard the lady." he said, leading Danica over towards the door, and once almost outside, noticing the rather gob smacked father-daughter duo added " Come along now, we have a few quests ahead of us to fulfill." That was all that was necessary to rose Eve from her stupor, the younger woman moving towards their side.


    "I expect you to follow my commands to a T during combat encounters. And feel free to share your opinions, though note that for the foreseeable future you don''t get to take part in deciding our next course of actions. If that is not acceptable, speak now."


    "N-no. That''s is perfectly reasonable. Thank you for having me." replied Eve, incredibly excited and still a bit shocked that they even agreed. As they left, they left the king alone, still staring at the back of the trio as they departed. Only when one of the knights entered and noticed his king just standing there, rushed over and asked if anything was wrong, did the king came out of it, a light smile creeping on his face.


    "No. No, on the contrary. Things seem to be looking up." the king replied, moving on to deal with other tasks he had to deal with. Rare were the days he did not curse the amount of things he had to stay on top of, lest their small nation gets devoured by a slightly bigger fish, eyeing them like a juicy piece of meat.


    ---------------------


    The trio made a small detour, reaching Evelysandras room since she had made the request as a momentary decision, thus she had not prepared beforehand. How could she have known Rex would arrive exactly today of all days. Not like she had a way to track his movements. Danica did tease Eve a bit where she could as she went through her own closet, packing some of the things she would need, starting from change of clothes and unmentionables, ending with her weapons, armor and a few other necessities, all neatly stored away in her own storage ring. She was royalty as such it was only logical she would have one.


    Once done with that, Rex and the two ladies soon returned to the balcony they had entered the building through, the two falcons still waiting for them obediently. Their fierce and dangerous looks, as well as their large frames had ensured no foolish noble had even tried approaching them.


    "Let''s head to Ravenhold Fort, where we will resupply and then head on further from there. Any objections?" Rex asked as he looked at Danica, awaiting her response.


    "Fine by me." she replied, slightly sour look on her face that had appeared as they passed through the hall where some of the nobles still lingered. As Rex noticed she wanted to talk about something, he quickly jumped upon the falcon that had carried no one on their journey here, beckoning the two girls to join him. The falcons were large enough to carry four of five people without much difficulty after all and they still did not have any sort of saddle to ensure they could ride the skies comfortably. It took a bit longer for the trio to settle in on the birds back, Rex not entirely willing to hold onto Evelysandra as he was doing with Danica who had already snuggled into his side, the previous scowl now replaced with content calm. With a single mental nudge, the falcons rose into the air, slowly flapping their powerful wings as ascended into the sky. Their speed was initially slow as they disappeared from the sights of the people back in the castle, their gazes locked on the majestic form of the two birds.


    Once Rex was sure they were out of sight, he called upon his blood chains, gently yet firmly wrapping them around Eve to ensure she was not lost the moment his falcons picked up speed. And after giving his mounts yet another mental command, setting their destination, he turned his attention to Danica, urging her to explain whatever she had on her mind ever since they had walked through the hall with nobles the second time.


    "Its somewhat difficult to put in words, truth be told." she began, thinking on how to phrase whatever was on her mind better "Ever since I was young, I have had this sixth sense when it came to people. Are they good? Bad? Treacherous? I could often feel their nature, though it had dulled somewhat over the years, demanding more and more time in someone''s presence for that same sense to kick in. It was why I was willing to risk it all when you refused Igdan''s request and had turned to leave. Sure, my desperation and desire to save the kids were the major reason I acted as I did, but I cannot deny that I felt that you would be an honorable and just man towards me. And then, after you marked me, it has gotten stronger. That sixth sense of mine even eclipsing the peak it was back when I was young. As we walked through the hall the first time, I could sense numerous presences that were so repulsive a lesser person would have vomited then and there. And when we walked back, the same feeling assaulted me, even when most of the nobles present upon our arrival had already left."


    "Can you explain about what you felt back there?" Rex asked all while he was stroking her back with one hand, calming her down. Once again, Danica sunk into contemplation, trying to figure out the best way to explain what she felt, eventually settling on a metaphor of sorts.


    "I suppose the closest comparison would be that everyone within a certain range from me has a half transparent entity above them, doing something. You for example," she looked at Rex for a moment before speaking "Have this regal looking shade sitting on a throne like chair, gazing off into the distance all while numerous apparitions of women circle you, trying to get your attention or something." She then looked towards Eve, continuing "Eve over there on the other hand has a rather fragile looking girl, dressed in a fancy dress and with shackles around her wrists, gazing out the window towards some sort of commotion in the distance."


    "We will visit this later." Rex spoke with a wide grin as he eyed Eve. "But first things first. What about those nobles that you found particularly repulsive?"


    "Yes. So, most of them were either some sort of a schemer, or the like. Distorted, ugly looking beings were trying to conceal a dagger in their hand as they stood behind some ghostly figures or trying to obviously steal something that''s not theirs. But those were not the main issue there. There were far too many nobles with grotesque and malformed monsters, either chopping someone else apart or enjoying having their way with some ghastly figure chained to a wall of a bed. And so on an so forth. I can only imagine what sort of things they do to earn such interpretation of my senses." she shuddered recalling those scenes, less so from fear or whatever, but more so from the sheer disbelief of such quantities so despicable men present at the king''s court.


    "Give me a moment." Rex spoke as he gazed at her, his gaze seemingly seeing right through her, absorbing her own gaze as if she was falling deeper and deeper into an endless pit with no beginning or end. The two stayed as they were for a few minutes, causing Eve to return to enjoying the feeling of flying through the air, her gaze moving from one scenery to the next as they flew ever onwards with high speeds.


    It was some ten minutes later that Rex finally blinked, breaking their locked gazes, a small smile creeping on his face. "Interesting indeed. It would seem that when I marked you with the blank brand, your soul was freed from some of the worlds suppression, allowing that special skill of yours to properly awaken and come to be. It is why you found it to be much stronger now that when you were a kid. Back then it was nothing more than bleeding over from you sould to your unconscious mind. Now its awake and ready to assist you since it had always been a part of you, even if suppressed."


    "Does that mean it will stay as is forever?"


    "Yes and no. How it works and expresses itself all depends on how much you will refine and work on developing it further. But you can trust your instincts, they are far sharper than most conscious minds."

 Chapter 63. Testing out the new toy.

    With their little conversation over, both Rex and Danica snuggled closer to each other, deciding to just bask in the presence of one another, though before they slid off into their own little world, he did remind Eve that what they had just discussed, as well as any other conversation to come would stay among the three of them, with a few exceptions they would agree are necessary to be forwarded to Eve''s father or whatnot. He also informed her that, while she would be accepted into their party at least temporarily, when they split apart, if it happens, she should spend some time adjusting once again. Their combat style will be like nothing she has ever seen before and thus impossible to recreate without Rex at the very least.


    About half a day later, they created a rather large commotion in Ravenhold, as the two giant falcons landed in the property that was used as a temporary base when they stormed the slaver ring. It was bought by wolfkin and was used by whatever A rankers of their race would pass through the place. As a port city on the largest river crossing at least half the continent, it was often a stop for all manner of people from everywhere on the continent and sometimes the soil here would be graced by feet of some rather exotic and distant species like for example avarra- human shaped people with bat wings and long, fluffy tail and White, pupil less eyes. They were by no means blind though, as there were rumors that their vision was not only good but particularly sharp, like that of prey birds.


    Whatever stirr their arrival created, was quickly resolved due to Eve''s presence alone. One of the rare times Rex could actually appreciate the fact he was travelling alongside a princess, though he was also well aware that while it would mostly be a boon within this nation, it would not matter at all while in others, or worse yet, would serve to invite some additional trouble. Danica alone was enough to spark some rather foolish ideas in the perverted and spoiled youngsters, just imagine then the number of young master slappings about to come their way once they leave the Kingdom of Sol. Then again, Rex would not lie to himself and pretend he was not actually slightly enthusiastic for some of those. It has been a long time indeed, the incompetent vampire fledgling did not count in his humble opinion, since he had encountered anything of the sort after all.


    Still, just as he had expected, there were no problems at all with their resupplying and acquisition of new gear for Eve. What she had was adequate, but in a rather limited quantities. They were about to depart for a rather long term monster grind and since Eve was an archer still in the early stages of forming actual mana arrows, she needed to stock up on some particularly large reserves. Rex did note that he would, however, help her out with said training, demonstrating a frightening proficiency with mana shaping, creating precisely the construct Eve had been working on, with barely any mana wastage and in perfect condition in one of the first tries he had performed once he read through the small scroll Eve had that described the technique.


    If anything, Eve''s presence saved them a bit of coin, every trader offering rather sizable discounts to one of their beloved princesses, though Rex made sure to reject all that were made regarding the items he was purchasing for either himself or Danica. They were not a part of this nation and he was loathed to incur even the slightest debt of kindness. Paranoid? Maybe just a little bit, however it would serve him well in the long term. Such a code of conduct would allow him to move along the nations unhindered, not beholden to any one place. Sure, he had already earned some friends and acquaintances and he would, as a result, purchase a property within this nation to call his home and allow said friends to seek him out at. That in turn would demand a slave, branded with his soul mark, working in each place to serve as a way to contact him immediately, should the need arise.


    He would do the same, when it came to a place he could call his own in every other nation he would grind at. With the rank that he had already, as well with his unlimited growth potential, it was only normal he would create a way for the extra wealthy to contact him in hopes of having their requests looked at and perhaps even accepted. That though, was a problem to be solved by tomorrow''s him, and so he focused back towards the task at hand.


    Yet another half a day later, as the sun was setting over the horizon, the group returned to their temporary base, tired from all the purchases needed and made. They had also made a slight detour to visit both the adventurers guild to register Eve as a temporary member of their party, as well as the coachmen guild, requesting that the world was passed along through their channels about an A ranker''s party that travelled on the backs of two giant, black coloured falcons. The gawking and panic of the local law enforcement was funny the first couple of times, though his party was well aware how quickly it would grow old and stale, becoming more of a hassle.


    And so, with their reason of arriving in Ravenhold resolved, they laid to rest, having decided to leave early in the morning. With plenty of meat provided for Wari and Sidseld, their lovely giant falcons, and with Eve shown a room she could lay to rest, the duo left Snek to take care of the night shift as per usual, they disappeared in yet another room, soundproofed by Rex beforehand to have some much needed exercise in the horizontal tango.


    The morning was rather easy for the beaming duo, though it was also rather obvious that Eve was not a morning person. Sure, she could get up nice and early, leaving the bed and darting to the door to meet her new teammates in less than a minute after they knocked, but she was also clearly half asleep for the first ten minutes or so while they moved through the city to find a proper place to have their breakfast. In the end, they settled on a small, place, their faces and forms covered by the gloomy capes and hoods. Rex was in no mood of extra attention due to Eve at this point. They needed a bit of privacy for a proper meal before they headed out to hit the first dungeon that they would reach in approximately another half a day, at least by the estimates Danica had made based on the distances they have covered so far with the help of the falcons.


    And so, without any additional annoyances, they left the city, their bellies well filled and smiles adorning their faces. The largest one of course belonged to Eve, her mind racing to all sorts of imaginary scenarios they could run into, and all sorts of ways said situations could be resolved, displaying their grit, determination and skill. The creatures they would encounter and treasures they might find along the way. This, for the time being, felt like the type of adventure she had dreamed of all her life. And to seemingly actually get the chance to also experience it? Well. there were no actual words that Eve could use to convey the feelings welling up inside of her. The only words she could even manage to scrounge up were quite, yet heartfelt. "Thank you." she whispered every few minutes, her mind as if stuck on a blissful loop.


    Navigating towards their goal was rather easy for the two falcons as Rex had served as a link, allowing Danica to convey the location as well as the things she knew regarding the path towards it. With the destination clear in mind, as well as the general path leading to it, using their own knowledge in regards to the path towards Danica''s home town, the falcons fount their target rather quickly. And while some might imply that half a day was not quickly, with the alternative being ground travel that would take weeks, Rex would entirely disagree.


    Their destination was quite the sight to behold as well. A small, rather pristine looking valley with a small, yet crystal clear river flowing through it, enveloped by numerous mountaintops, halfway up a rather large and awe inspiring mountain. Though if compared to the absolute monster of a mountain they had seen in the distance as they were heading towards the forest of giants, it seemed just barely out of its juvenile stage. Regardless, they could appreciate the sight before their eyes as they approached a small hilltop in the very center of the valley, the crystal clear river snaking its way all around it, leaving just a small stripe of land attaching said hill to the rest of the land all around it.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    There, on this small hilltop, what looked like finely chiseled gate led inside, well carved and finely crafted stairs descending down, the familiar shimmer of a dungeon gate announcing its presence just a meter down along these stairs. The gate was also large in size, easily allowing for creatures the size of Rex''s falcons to pass through, indicating just how large monsters had left this specific dungeon some time in the past.


    Soon enough the group were on the ground, the falcons rising back to the sky, allowed to hunt or do whatever for the time being. "So, anything in particular we need to know regarding the place you might have somehow forgot to tell us?" Rex asked, his tone light and relaxed, even as they approached the dungeon gate.


    "Nothing I have not mentioned already. At least as far as I can remember." Danica just shrugged, not too worried. She was strong enough to have visited this place once before and the very start was not all that dangerous, at least as far as she remembered, and they had Rex. If there was anything that could slip past his senses they were deeply fucked regardless. Her relaxed nature, as well as the knowing smile she had when she looked at Rex sent a similar vibe, something the other two members picked up quite fast Rex was similarly relaxed to begin with, but the calm and collected attitude did help Eve to reach the same state, save for the additional excitement about what was to come.


    As the walked through, the first thing that they felt was the fresh breeze of ocean, smacking them straight in the face. Danica, as someone who had been here before was already well prepared and aware. Much like Danica, Rex, who had been to the ocean before and was familiar with the particular feeling, smiled lightly, several pleasant pictures flashing in his mind as he and Danica are having a pleasant day at the beach, some of these flashes also including Eve somewhere in the background, doing her own thing.


    Evelysandra however, was slightly taken off guard, never having been in a similar situation. She quickly whipped her head to one side, then the other, taking in their surroundings, the unfamiliar salty breeze creating a unique and never before felt sensations. As she slowly looked around once she saw that neither Rex, nor Danica reacted strongly, she noticed a large, sandy shore as far as eye could see in one direction and off in the distance some sort of a forest.


    "Why is the air so different here?" she asked a few moments later, carefully breathing, lest she inhale too much of whatever it was in the air. And, noticing her cautious attitude, Rex smiled and explained.


    "That''s because we are on a beach of an ocean." As his words fell, Eve''s eyes widened with realization and as she understood, the caution went to the wind and large breaths of air were inhaled by the excited woman. There were no access to ocean for their little nation and she had only heard tales of the endlessly vast body of water surrounding the landmass they called their home continent. Giving her the space she needed to take in the new revelation, Rex switched his focus back to Danica, asking the obvious question.


    "So, where do we find our prey?"


    "We will have to move through the forest there" Danica pointed towards the forest in their vision "There is a path towards the next island there, and then the next and the next and next. We will have to spend a day at the very least traversing the islands. The good news though are that the size of them become smaller as we advance, forming some sort of a corridor with their shape, making farming the areas where our targets could be encountered a rather efficient task."


    As he listened to Danica''s explanation, Rex pulled out a flask, filled with the spirit water he acquired from the forest of giants, taking a big gulp from it, enjoying the soothing feeling of it going down and then the warmth that spread through his body, his soul fragment growing just a little bit more. He had been drinking nothing but this water, solving the greatest bottleneck he had. Then, once Danica quieted down, he spoke up.


    "But were your group anything even remotely close to what we have right now?" a knowing smirk spread across his face "Because I am almost certain it was not. Let''s head out."


    What followed was quite the sight to behold. Danica was leading the way, having passed through here before and having some level of preexisting knowledge, assisted by Rex and his regular mana pulses. Rex himself was just slightly behind Danica, keeping Eve right alongside him as they advanced forward. Whatever poor and unlucky group of monsters came into their path was mercilessly exterminated, either by Danica, ripping them to shreds in mere moments, by Rex, whose chains vibrated and tore through anything in their way, or Eve, who masterfully and precisely delivered rain of arrows, each and every one finding their targets vital points with ease. Then again, since the monsters of the dungeons started at the measly rank of C, it was entirely expected to happen as such.


    For the rest of the day, they proceeded in the same manner, barely even bothering to collect the monster cores and loot items that were left behind, only actually gathering the rare items that occasionally dropped due to the sheer amount of monsters slain. Of course, they had to take a few breaks, Eve and Danica feeling the drain on their stamina. Even as they rested, Danica could not resist the temptation to comment on Rex''s incredible stamina, questioning if he was even human at this point, only to receive a smirk and teasing remark about her being well aware of his stamina capacity. It was she who was always the one out from exhaustion and pleasure, never the other way around. That in turn earned Rex a growl and a bite on his shoulder, though he was well aware it was Danica''s way of feeling slightly embarrassed and proud at the same time.


    Due to the low level of monsters so far, Rex had yet to properly tap into his control mode, using the chains as deadly weapons while still keeping an eye on both Danica and Eve, with the latter receiving the lion''s share of his focus. Danica was the close quarters fighter, as well as notably stronger, making their current quarry barely even worthy as a warm up. Eve on the contrary, had to always be mindful of her surroundings, something she had been trained and used to so far, expecting a stray monster to get through whatever front line the party was supposed to have. That awareness and sharpness was appreciated, and Rex would make sure to maintain it as muc has possible, even if the actual reason for it would change significantly.


    If he was to describe the monsters encountered, the only way to do so was to classify this dungeon as beast paradise. All manner of monstrous beasts, ranging from wolves, deer, felines of different make, colour, and shapes as well as numerous different types of monster birds, to more exotic ones like hippos, zebras or even a rare rhino or two. All of them of course had odd colouring, extra appendages, like additional horns, plating covering their armour or extra tails, with all colours of the rainbow, one at a time or multiple even. As well as the size was notably off what a human would expect to see. There were no beasts smaller than a full grown deer, and the further they went, the larger and more powerful, as well as aggressive the monster beasts became, going so far as to sense them from hundreds of meters away and charging straight towards them.


    It was close to the evening, a cycle of life and day existing within this realm that was closely tied to the outside world, that they stopped to make a camp, having come upon a solid place for such cause. A small, slightly elevated clearing, surrounded by a bunch of large rocks, serving as the perfect place to stop and rest. They had also finally started to fight as Rex intended, his chains serving as a control tool, severely limiting the number of monsters capable of approaching Danica at the same time, all while keeping them all a distance away from Eve, providing her with plenty of cision through the frid like walls Rex was forming. The monsters had reached middle to upper B ranks by this point, warranting such a response. As such, their speed had indeed fallen, not only due to the need for more careful and meticulous advancing, but also due to the need to actually loot most of their kills. It was well worth the effort in picking it all up after all and while none of them were hurting for money, Danica liked Rex''s idea about having a house in every nation they would go through and Eve, she was simply having the time of her life, after she was done gawking at the way Rex controlled the battlefield of course.

 Chapter 64. Grind.

    Much to Danica''s expectations, the party indeed spent the time she had estimated to reach their desired location, cries of birds in the sky and a distant sound of large bodies slithering along their way could be heard even from the place they found themselves in. Much like the scenery before, the island was lush with vegetation, Large trees blotting out the sun while smaller shrubbery and plants covered the lower levels of the forest ahead of them. Still, much like with the forest of giants, though not quite so grand ins scale, the location teemed with life, and most of it was non hostile- simple birds and insects going about their way. The real danger here were the large creatures, each and every one both powerful and aggressive.


    Much like he had been doing for a while now, Rex controlled their surroundings, his focus laser sharp and his control over the blood chains and constructs he made of them impeccable. And with that aspect of their party play covered, both Eve and Danica could go wild, one getting into the thick of things, bloodthirsty smile on her lips, while the other woman was using the opportunity to practice her ability to form mana arrows, all while under the scrutinizing eye of Rex. He had promised to help her out on this regard and to do so he had to be aware of the flaws and mistakes she made during her own practice.


    With the items needed to be acquired from the two monster types- seven point vipers and snake eating vulrams- being on the rare side, the team did not expect the results to come any time soon, resolving themselves for multiple days of constant hunting. Rex also left Snek to his own devices, well aware that a night''s watch was quite mandatory at a location that they were now in and besides, the party was performing well enough at the moment, not warranting the need to disrupt the rest of their setup.


    And so, day after day went by, the party doing the same thing over and over again. They would make a full circle of the island that was the central location to spawn their targeted monsters, then, once they had done so, slaughtering all they encountered, they would path towards the next island where they would then continue their hunting while awaiting their previous location to be populated again. It was rather monotone and repetitive task, though if one looked at their expressions and overall content appearances, they would have no indication that the task they were performing was anything the like.


    And so, at the end of yet another day of the same, the party returned to their temporary camp. built in a rather well positioned location. Besides the ocean, that was very close by, only a hundred meters away or so, there was also a small spring passing by their campsite, filled with crystal clear and almost sparkling water providing them with plenty of drinkable liquid of life. It was also thanks to this spring that the girls could enjoy the fresh water of the ocean, rinsing themselves with the spring water afterwards to ensure no saltwater would hurt their precious skin.


    While the girls were enjoying a quick dip in the water, Rex prepared a simple meal from the ingredients at hand, using some of the edible ones they had acquired during their grind. Rex did test them out beforehand, understanding the nature and taste profile of each item he wanted to try and cook. It was only natural to first test the new ingredients on their own before adding them into dishes he would prepare. Since he was not aiming to create some sort of a masterpiece, deserving of a place on the tables of kings and nobility. And since his cooking skill was at the very least decent, by the time the girls came back, both after their little dip and rinsing off, their hair still wet from the earlier activity, he was also done, the simple yet filling meal ready to be consumed.


    "Pretty good actually." Danica hummed as she dug in her portion, smiling towards Rex. Eve, while also taking a bite, even she seemed a bit too cautious with her attempt, kept her opinion to herself, though she neither whinced nor spat it out. She was somewhat used to what was generally used as a quick to prepare and nutritious enough rations for adventurers needs, though her background still shone through just a bit.


    "I have had worse. My apologies." she spoke honestly after a while, Rex''s and Danica''s gazes having almost choked her, or so she herself felt at the moment. "I do not mean it as an offence or anything of the sort. A bad habit from my upbringing."


    "Don''t sweat it." Rex laughed light heartedly. "In comparison to what I have had the privilege to taste, one could indeed compare this to rather bland and unappetizing sand, or worse. But as far as commoners food, it is solid, if not in the upper end of that particular category, all while covering the basic needs of our bodies." With that said, he joined Danica in wolfing down their own portions and so did Eve. A few minutes later though, she asked another question that had been bugging her for the entire week.


    "Why do you two have such large appetites?" her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her. The amount of food the other two consumed was easily three, or even four times what she did. Don''t get her wrong, Eve was not worried about their supply stock since Rex had purchased the supplies as the party leader after explaining that their earnings would always be split in a number of party members plus one. This extra share would then be used to cover for their inn, food, equipment upkeep and other miscellaneous expenses, leaving each member to do what they please with their own, actual share of the earnings. Danica did comment that Rex was currently performing the task of at least three members- namely a couple of tanks and one supporter. And if one wanted to make a case for it, the role of a healer as well, what with him ensuring that no actual damage is delivered to the girls as they do their own job. And then there was the fact that he was also the scout, as well as tamer. The latter of course could not even be considered a single position, since his two falcons shaved off weeks of traveltime purely by existing. Even Eve, who has spent quite a bit of time among not only the noble elite of her own nation, but even among other nation dignitaries, and even she had not heard of any of them having such impressive flying mounts at their disposal. Even less so when she had seen just how obedient and well behaved the two were. It was as if they were willingly and happily doing what Rex wanted of them.


    "Because our bodies need it. Simple as that." Rex just shrugged and replied, not bothering to elaborate on the subject matter. Danica, following Rex''s lead just shrugged her shoulders and left it at that, deeming Rex''s answer all that needed to be said, and seemingly not the least bit interested in maintaining this particular subject, asked something else she wanted to know.


    "So, how are we faring so far? I know we still need that damn vulram golden feather, but how is it looking for the loot in general?"


    "Great actually." Rex replied after a quick mental check of his space storage where he had been placing the loot acquired during this particular trip "We have collected whooping ten seven point viper ruby eyes. Talk about skewed luck. And while on the subject, I would like to try something tomorrow when we encounter the next pack of vulrams. I think it could solve our current roadblock, though its not guaranteed. I would assume there to be at least some rumors about the method being a valid choice."


    "Ow? Do tell." Danicas eyes sparkled, more than eager to listen to whatever came out of that dangerous head of her lovers.


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    "Have you noticed that the vulrams have a single, golden feather at the tip of their tails? Not all of them, sure, but there have been at least one in every ten to maybee twenty birds."


    "Now that you mention it, yes. I have noticed said feather at least a few times."


    "So, much like me draining whatever blood I acquire when I wound the monsters during the herding process, with said blood remaining once its spilled and taken by me, what if we could do the same with those golden feathers? What if that is the only way to actually reliably collect them? Not like there are detailed accounts of how the people learning of the golden feather were hunting the monsters. Besides, not like trying will cost us anything but a couple extra minutes on that first time. After that we can just continue as we have so far, if the method does not word as hoped."


    With a pleased grin Danica nodded in agreement, more than happy to change their tactics if it meant a larger chance of succeeding in their current task. She would be much more happy, were they to continue to advance, her last raid here having moved just an extra island further than they had so far, showering her with new, unexplored land and new and unseen monsters to fight with. Danica was nowhere near the level of grinder like Rex, but she did enjoy fighting new and unknown opponents, be it beast or man, though she was also well aware that the latter would now forever be out of her reach, replaced by hordes of monsters. Not that she minded it all that much. What she had gained in return was more than worth the loss. Then, once the food was dealt with, the group went back to monster hunting, repeating the same route as they had for the last week, though employing the new plan Rex had proposed as soon as able.


    Turned out, Rex was right, for the most part at least. Plucking out the feather was indeed the way to acquire it, though there was a slight caveat. The feather became quite dimm few moments after it was torn out, marking it as less than optimal ingredient. Sure, it would still fetch a decent price from the alchemists, but it was nowhere near the quality that they wanted for the quest. It took them another day after a good night''s rest and some additional planning on Rex''s part, followed by another few hours, up until lunch in fact, of constant experiments with his modified techniques to eventually achieve their desired result. Rex held in his hand a pristine, shiny fold feather, seemingly alive when the slightest of breezes moved, making it saw with its direction.


    "Alrighty then!" Rex smiled, stashing away the feather as he looked towards the two women "I suggest we continue as we have until dusk, acquiring as many of these feathers as possible. We can hand in the requested one and then keep the remaining ones for a cloudy day or for negotiations with whoever we might need to engage in such an action."


    Receiving two affirmate nods, the group quickly got to their lunch, stuffing their bellies with food and then promptly returned to their task, once again using the same tactic as they had for more than a week. By the time the sun hid behind the horizon, they had managed to acquire a whooping number of twenty six golden feathers, all in pristine condition, promising a rather hefty payday once sold. Then, once back at the camp, their supper devoured and with the trio still sitting around their campfire, Eve asked another question that had been bugging her.


    "Why did you agree to my request? To allow me to tag along?" she bit her lip, slightly worried and a bit confused since the initial reasoning she assumed the duo had for accepting her seemed to be wrong as neither of the two had made any attempt to pull her into their bed at all. She was not even sure if she was relieved or pissed off about the fact, her womanly pride having received quite the slap. She was sure she was a drop dead gorgeous woman, especially in the looks department. And sure, Danica was in no way any less beautiful than her and could even be considered a greater beauty among certain group of men due to her larger assets and exotic nature as a wolfkin, but men were simple creatures as far as she had seen, and seldom would any man of true power pass up the opportunity to pull another beauty into their bed.


    "Yes. Why did we?" Rex asked, his eyes moving from Eve towards Danica, the wolfkin woman being the main, and most likely only reason she was even here among them, Eve realised. She remembered how Danica was the one who actually expressed her agreement to the request made. She did think Rex was simply keeping his own, lecherous reasons to himself back then, but now, well, she was not so sure anymore, his voice firm and filled with curiosity as he addressed the question hanging in the air. "You did say that the second reason would be disclosed when there were no other ears present."


    Danica simply shrugged, as if saying ''fine, take it then'' before replying "I did explain how my sixth sense had grown stronger. It was precisely because of how I saw her back then and have already explained. I felt she would become more and more suffocated, pressed down by the expectations and tasks she would continue to push onto herself due to her inability to delve into what she truly desired- adventuring. With us however, she could do exactly that while still fulfilling her role as a princess of her nation, strengthening the relationship with immensely powerful A ranked adventurer party." then a playful grin appeared on her face as she added, almost devouring Eve with her eyes "And she is pretty to boot."


    "Huh. Okay. That sounds acceptable alright." Rex just shrugged, his gaze returning towards Eve. "And there you have it. Satisfied?" Rex stretched as his mind was moving towards other subjects, considering how to proceed come morning, all while Danica rose up and disappeared into the tent and Snek took spot for the night''s watch. Eve, emboldened by the rather calm and relaxed atmosphere, asked another question she now had, before Rex too retired to the tent, her voice quite low, escaping Danica''s sharp ears while still reaching Rex''s.


    "And what is it that you would expect of me?"


    "Learn and grow better. That''s all for now really. What we are taking on is most likely what any other A ranked party would consider the pinnacle of what there is to fight, but we know better. For someone like me, this is just the beginning. After we have set up shop here and the few people I find myself calling friends or acquaintances are well protected and know how to contact me, we will leave and travel deeper inland, looking for more powerful and numerous monsters, new dungeons and more treasures. There is only so much variety we can find in such a small nation, all things considered."


    "And what about me? Would I be allowed to travel with you two?" Eve asked, more than just a little intrigued and hopeful.


    "That depends. If you work hard enough and we find you to be a pleasant company? I don''t see why not. For all intents and purposes, Danica already seems on your side, what with her being the main reason you are with us here and now. And all I care about is that you do not drag the team down and try to integrate. And I find the latter to be rather easy at the moment, what with only me and Danica here. Is that clear enough of an answer?"


    "Yes. Thank you!" beaming, replied Eve as a giant and heartfelt smile adorned her face. "You will not regret it!"


    "We will see. We will see indeed." Rex added, a calm and relaxed expression on his face "Im off. Get some rest, we will need to work hard come morning."


    With that said, Rex disappeared inside the tent, leaving Eve alone to her thoughts as she already could picture many different adventures they would go through, the enormous beasts and monsters they would slay and the priceless treasure they would find. Eve spent another fifteen minutes before she too calmed down and with content smile on her lips crawled inside the tent, tucked herself inside her own sleeping back, shot a glance in towards Rex and Danica, happily nuzzled in each others arms, huffed lightheartedly and went to sleep as well.


    The next morning started as expected. Rex was the first to wake up and as such he got to what he did best, at least as far as their little group was concerned- preparing a nice and proper breakfast so their track back out of the dungeon would not be nearly as annoying as it could become. Sure, they were all in quite a good mood, making such a grumpy mood quite unlikely, but Rex was well aware that he is traveling with two other people, women no less. Rex made some baked eggs along with meat skewers, roasted over the campfire. Once again nothing fancy, but it served its purpose to sate their hunger and provide plenty of energy to ensure their ability to return in a timely manner. And, as they trekked back, Rex inquired about the dungeon they would have to visit next, their royal beef awaiting their arrival.

 Chapter 65. Grind. Part 2.

    The conversation regarding their next destination did not take long, as Eve explained the general location and estimated travel time from the closest city she recognized they had passed by on their way here, namely Ravenhold fort. Though once again, due to the rather unconventional and insanely faster travel method available to them, she could not offer any precise estimations- the roads from Ravenhold to their destination often made large detours around less than hospitable and hard to traverse swamps. She even speculated that they might just reach the place in a much shorter time than what had taken them to reach here. And with that out of the way, around midday when they started to encounter the weaker monsters of around low C grade, he called for a change of pace.


    Rex had decided to use the opportunity to work one Eve and her skill set. Thus, he and Danica walked leisurely next to one another as his blood chains controlled and tore apart most of the monsters that tried to reach them. The ones he herded closer were left for Eve to kill. The difference however was in the manner in which the monsters had to be felled. Rex forgade Eve to use the normal arrows she had with her, forcing her to rely on her own mana shaping. And unlike any other group, who would find training of a similar type over the top, or plain old waste of their time, Rex had his own consideration for this way of training.


    The start for this particular training was quite shaky. While Eve could form somewhat acceptable mana arrow in the camp, with eyes closed and in full concentration, here she had none of those perfect conditions, resulting in the attempts to fail and fizzle out. After the third consecutive fail to even materialize a single arrow, Eve could only hang her head low and apologize, only to receive a light chuckle from Rex, followed with a couple of advices to raise her success rate, followed by a comment that he could help more, but in order to do so he needed to observe her more, either succeeding after implementing the changes he had already suggested, or failing more times until Rex could point out more of these mistakes.


    While initially skeptical, Eve nevertheless did as told, adjusting her technique to what Rex suggested. And while she did not succeed right away, she could clearly feel the obvious difference of ease in forming an arrow, rising bothe her confidence in her own ability to succeed as well as Rex discerning eye. And, another fifteen minutes later, after another set of adjustments later, she was capable of forming stable mana arrows. Sure, it took her solid ten seconds to do so, clearly an atrocious result for someone expected to fire an arrow every few seconds at the very slowest, but it was success nonetheless. Indicated not only by her own infectious smile as she looked towards Rex and Danica, waving the combat ready arrow towards them, but by the praise the duo gave her.


    Next, came the practical part. More practical part? Live target practice for sure. Eve was to use the arrows she made like this and dispatch the monsters still kept around by Rex, allowing the group to head further on back outside. This dungeon, just like Solendiel''s and unlike the one in Vixiera, had no portals to leave the dungeon quickly, forcing them to come and go the same way, cutting through a swarm of monsters both ways. And while going in the pest control had been a necessary step, now Rex could use the time to actually make his group stronger and help Eve, and their party in general, save on the money needed to sustain her archer style combat. And sure, they could have Eve cover her arrow costs herself, her family would no doubt provide for said expenses with smiles on their faces, writing it off as a chump change when compared to one of their own making inroads with a powerful adventurer party, but Rex refused to do so. His favours and appreciation meant something, as was not so easily earned, or even attempted to.


    And so, they moved with much lower speed, Eve taking her time to kill monster after monster, sweating as she focused on her task, forming mana arrow after mana arrow, felling monster after monster. And, with each kill, with each subsequent arrow formed and fired, sometimes followed by yet another advice from Rex, she steadily grew better and better at the task given. By the time the sun was setting, the party only reached halfway back at best, Eve had reduced her mana arrow construction time down to five seconds. Still slow? Undoubtedly, but she had achieved a stable success rate as well as doubled the speed with which she could pull the task off, receiving plenty praises from Danica, as well as a couple, light ones from Rex.


    Rex did warn her not to try and compare the two of them as he was not interested in her falling desperate at the insurmountable chasm that was between them, consoling her that Danica was in a similar boat, even if Eve was weaker than Danica as well. Eve took no real offense to the obvious fact, for it was the truth and nothing else, even if she did pout just a tiny bit at the bluntness that those words came with. What''s more, it was said precisely for Eve to understand the fact, realize the apparent gap and use it as a motivation to keep working hard and give the training her best. Not the gap between her and Rex, but the one that seperated Eve from their rank in general.


    As a result of their training regiment, mainly focused on sharpening Eve''s skills, while giving Danica plenty of time to burn her own mana reserves to fuel the runic engravements and refine her body further, strengthening herself in the process bit by bit, the day they had spent on reaching the location they farmed monsters for the changed into almost three on their way back. Though the results of said delay were far impressive in their own right. Sure, Rex and Danica had barely improved at all, though due to their already high rank and well established and set up combat styles it was to be expected. Eve on the other hand had shown plenty of growth and with plenty of practice and quite a few tips and corrections from Rex had gotten her mana arrow forming down to just a second. And as impressive as it was, Rex had already placed before her yet another task to work on, even harder and daunting than the last.


    Next, Eve would have to practice forming her arrows as she drew her bow, practicing for long and often enough to relegate the entire process to automated subconscious action, and that, that was much more difficult than it initially sounded. Not only had she multitask, drawing her bow, tracing the target and also form the arrow itself, she also might have to move, be aware of her surroundings and somehow also maintain the accuracy expected from a skilled archer. Add all that together, and she was struggling quite a bit. And on top of it all, she was made to practice in live combat, making the whole process even harder. Eve had asked why couldn''t they start with a simplified version, learned during the evenings at their camp. Rex''s reasoning was quite simple as well. While it was a valid way to learn, often being the correct way, that would not be optimal in their circumstances mainly due to the fact that he was there.


    Everyone knew that warriors and fighters would always seek ways to push themselves to and sometimes past their limits, trying to reach new heights, often resulting in them experiencing battles where a single mistake could lead to their deaths. With Rex here, they could replicate the high adrenaline inducing situations while ensuring that her her life, while balancing on the knife''s edge, could not be lost, resulting in exceptional progress speed and refinement of her combat style. With such an explanation, well anchored in logic and time tested methods, Eve could do nothing but agree and continue on, expecting the next time they would get on training, for she would have to rely on either her normal arrows during fighting with A ranked monsters or go with the version of mana arrow materialization she was capable of right now, though if she chose the latter, it would result in rather negligible damage on said monsters, her mana arrows still not strong enough to pierce such high ranking monster hides or armour. She was barely B rank right now after all, her mana capacity, control potency all on the same tier.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    And so, as soon as the group emerged from the dungeon, Rex''s falcons were already there, circling in the air, awaiting their emergence from the portal. Sure, Rex could have went in with the two as well, the entrance big enough to allow for creatures of that size, but he wanted his tow mounts to rest and recover after they had been working quite hard for some time, carrying them from one location to the next, making long flights quite often. Had he also taken them inside the dungeon, worked them there and then once outside do the same again, not only would that unnecessarily exhaust them, but also worsen their condition overall. And be what Rex may, he was not a cruel master. On the contrary, he preferred his subjects to be well looked after and cared for, like any true master would. That was the one thing he failed to understand whenever he looked at people who treated the living creatures under their care harshly, or downright cruelly. And seeing how pleased Danica was to see the two falcons, her own blank brand, place by Rex to protect her from others messing with her soul, as well as for them to be able to sense one another from distance and for the ability to wordlessly communicate with his brand- enslaved creatures, serving well as she approached the duo the moment they landed and proceeded to pet them both, her hands caressing their necks from the outer side while she herself was pressed in between two sets of incredibly fluffy torsos.


    Unlike Danica however, Eve had no such privileges. Without a brand of any kind of her own, she was regarded as nothing more than a temporary ally and thus not entitled to the same treatment as the wolfkin woman. It was also rather apparent that Eve was pouting at the fact, as when she tried to approach and do the same, two, sharp gazes locked on her immediately, forcing her to step back with slumped shoulders and puffed lips. She did not hesitate to approach Rex and complain about the fact either, having become much more familiar with him during their hunt and learning what kind of attitude and code of conduct Rex is fine with, though she had yet to test and push any boundaries, lest she sour their rather well working and pleasant current status quo.


    "How is Danica any better than I am?" she sulked next to Rex "Can you tell them to let me pet them too? They look sooo incredibly soft." she said the last sentence with dreamy, slightly glazed eyes as she was imagining herself slinking into that puffy magnificence and drifting off to sleep.


    "I could, yes. The question is why would I? Don''t get me wrong Eve. I find your company pleasant enough to continue our current joint endeavor, but Danica''s situation is special. She is a part of my family now, and as such, she has certain privileges as we responsibilities that come with the title. It is also why Wari and Sidsal are so affectionate with her. They can, for lack of a better expression, sense her intentions wholeheartedly, and as such, can let their guard down around her, going so far as to allow her quite a lot of things others could not even dream about. She is quite in love with the two as you can probably tell from looking at their interactions." as he spoke, Rex looked at the trio with content smile on his face, waiting for Danica to get enough of the fluffy treat before they mounted the falcons and were on their way.


    "So, is there no way for me to get closer to tham than what I have been, only getting to touch them while we fly?" Eve asked sadly.


    "That''s not necessarily true. Like with most other people, Danica apparently excluded" Rex spoke, adding the exclusion as he remembered Danica''s particular special skill "You just have to slowly earn their acceptance, proving time and time again that you mean them no harm and want to be friends. But of course that will take time. Take it as another test that you have been saddled with, if it eases your mind. A challenge even? Ahh, seems Danica is done as well. Let us depart then." Rex finished as he saw that Danica was also done with her fluff pillow hugging. He then walked towards the trio, adding one last question with slightly raised voice, clearly intended for Danica to hear. "Straight to the Ravenhold? Or do you wanna stop by your parents on the way back?"


    "Ravenhold. It has not been that long since we were there last time. Without magnificent creatures like Wari and Sidsal, expeditions like this once alone would take months. Lets not even mention the other part we are about to engage in." She looked fondly towards the two falcons, adding "Now that I have experienced travel like this, I dont think I could ever go back to the carts and carriages. Nu-uh. Flight is the only way from today onwards for long distance travel."


    "Well, I don''t know entirely about that. If we ever decide to visit other continents, we will have to reach them with ships. Only once I actually know the distances involved, could I consider if such journey would be safe for Wari and Sidsal." Rex replied, quickly considering the feasibility of Danica''s statement.


    "Right. Fair enough." She agreed "But that''s another topic entirely." she shrugged and indicated for Rex to move along, with her and Eve following right behind him. Just moments later, two enormous falcons flapped their wings, lifting their giant forms off the ground and under Rex''s wordless guidance, steered in the destination of Ravenhold Fort. They had a bit of time to spend, and so, carefully, not to exert himself too much, embracing Danica and holding Eve in her position with a few blood chains, he started to burn small amounts of his mana as he fueled his own body rune engravings. And noticing what Rex was doing, Danica too followed in his example, leaving clueless Eve to her own devices as she was daydreaming about one thing or another, her hands gently stroking the feathered back of the falcone they were riding, no doubt still thinking about the fluffiness of the birds soft feathered necks and chest.


    The rest of their flight was uneventful, no foolish flying monsters trying their luck with the two predators flying through the sky. And so, by the time the sun was starting to set down over the horizon, they had once again arrived in Ravenhold Fort, and thanks to the work of the Coachmen guild, there were no freaking out guards past the initial shock of seeing them appear in their range of vision. After a quick discussion once they had again landed in the place owned by the wolfkin, it was decided to rest the night here and then proceed forward next morning. It would be too hard for them to properly navigate based only on Eve''s human eyes in the dark. Unlike the locations marked by Rex that he could pick out even in a pitch black darkness, Eve was only human and was forced to depend on the relatively limited maps of their time and personal experience of traveling said roads. Add to that the fact they would be using a different route, ignoring most, if not all roads by going over them all in a mostly straight line.


    Before retiring for the night, Eve sent out her own message to prepare a report for her to read from her subordinates once the party reaches their next destination- a city by the name of Verta, located near the dungeon that was of interest to them for their next task to be completed. With all of that done, they had a nice supper in one of the nearby inn''s, slaking their thirst and silencing the growl of their empty bellies and then the trio laid to sleep, leaving the two falcons to their own feast as well as having Snek on night''s watch duty once again- Rex''s ''little'' snake having gotten used to the task.


    In the morning, after a hearty and filling meal, the trio quickly resupplied, restoring their stock as they calculated estimated time needed to finish this particular quest.


    "It should be a quick task, especially after I saw how well we dealt with the vipers and vulrams. We will not even have to drag ourselves for an entire day to reach the spot where they inhabit. The dungeon is one of the upper level ones, sporting peak C ranks and higher within its walls." explained Eve as they finalized their shopping, once again numerous eyes on their group due to the princess among their ranks. Luckily, for the opposing parties, none was foolish enough to annoy them for whatever reason or approach in order to suck up to Eve, though Rex could sense that there were quite a few people around mulling over the latter approach, settling on not risking it right now. And with their resupply done, they returned to the warehouse, mounted Wari and Sidsel and, under the guidance of Eve, departed towards Verta.

 Chapter 66. A prelude for a new adventure.

    Leaving Ravenhold Fort, the two falcons flew at relatively low altitudes, otherwise Eve could not do her job, guiding them towards Verta. She had taken the route, sure, but as she had mentioned beforehand, neither had she herself, nor anyone she knew of, taken the same path through the sky. What maps they had for the area, as well drawn as they were, proved too quickly to have quite the inaccuracies in both scale and precision. The lack of birds eyes view, as well as the general problem of survival in a middle age world, even with the addition of magic everything it brings along with it, serving as quite the hurdle in the path of cartographers and the like. And, as embarrassing as it was to admit it, Eve noted the fact that the nations further inside the continent no doubt had the same field much better developed. More power, alongside extended lifespans, gave said individuals quite a bit of free time to devote towards chosen hobbies. And mapping out their fine and beautiful nation, its vast fields, expansive forests and misty mountain ranges. From the simplest of villages to the most noxious and foul swamps, it all created the sense of adventure and excitement, something the most powerful people at the pinnacle no doubt craved, having likely reached the point they were at precisely due to said traits in the first place.


    And as they flew along a rather large swamp, the road leading to their destination skirting alongside its border, Rex noted that there were little to no farming villages along said path. There were quite a few rest areas created- clearing with simple stone walls and only a couple of exits, serving as well defendable and secure locations for a weary traveler.


    "I''m guessing there are quite the monsters living within the swamp due to the lack of villages around?" Rex asked to confirm his suspicion, momentarily receiving a nod of agreement and a short explanation regarding the issue at hand. The swamp had quite the size and along with numerous poisonous insects and other creatures finding it to be quite the pleasing home, there was a lake in the very center of it, and from there, groups of roaming monsters periodically emerged, scouring bothe the swamp itself and its surroundings. Large, near six meters long crocodile like monsters, alongside overgrown komodo dragons and even groups of naga like creatures, with the lower body of a snake with fish like scales and fins, and upper body like that of a humanoid creature, covered with crocodile like scales, head of a snapping turtle and two to six arms, holding primitive, coral origin weapons- mostly spears, though the mages or shamans, whatever they would call themselves, had staves.


    The monsters were anywhere from low C ranks to medium to high B ranks in strength, making the area too hazardous for ordinary people. It was speculated that the lake in the middle of the swamp contained a dungeon gate, covered under water, making the aquatic monsters free to reign and terrorize the surrounding lands, leaving the barren of human settlements and population. And due to the nature of the swamp, there were few adventurers interested in the location, with rarely any quests requesting anything that originated from said location. Only alchemists, assassins and very rarely healers, needed any kind of ingredients from the place, resulting in the state that was before their eyes.


    "Wait, so all we have to do is follow along this road and we will reach Verta?" Rex suddenly asked, only now realizing a rather obvious fact, his mind rather preoccupied with other subjects right now.


    "Eh? Ah, yes. That is right. Why?" Eve replied.


    "Because we will save on some time. I am a fool for not thinking of it sooner." he added as he mentally nudged their mount, wordlessy passing over the instructions, causing them to rise higher in the sky and increasing their speed.


    "Rex, I will not be able to keep track of our path at such speeds." pointed out Eve, already struggling with the task as the speed rose. Rex aura was what protected the group from both the wind and allowed them to converse normally.


    "Don''t worry about that. Since there is nothing along the way, Wari and Sidsel can do the tracking. They will slow down once we close in on the first city along this path."


    "Ow." realization bloomed on Eve''s face, causing her to exhale heavily and sit down as well. Even now, as soon as she had found a task to perform outside of combat, Rex seemingly effortlessly found a way to achieve it faster and more efficient. She was well aware there was no malice behind his actions, even more, as Rex likely could not even notice what his actions might have been construed as. The man liked his efficiency in certain aspects, and unless he was out there traveling for the explicit reason to enjoy the road, he would look for the fastest way to reach the destination, cutting down on the time spent on the way, more than eager to get to enjoy whatever action he had in mind at the other side.


    Thankfully, Eve did not have to sulk in silence for too long as Danica decided to ask a few questions about the city they were heading towards, as well whatever knowledge she could provide regarding the dungeon they would be diving as well, since all they knew was that their target monsters were not too deep inside, the dungeon being relatively high ranked one. Thus, with her mind taken of the depressing thoughts. Eve did exactly as asked and went on to explain the more important things regarding both subjects, starting with the town itself and then proceeding with the information about the dungeon.


    Verta was a relatively small city, having formed as a gathering place for adventurers near the local dungeon. Unlike Vixiera though, due to the relatively high level of the dungeon itself, it was notably less populated to the point it was hard to decide whether to call it an actual city, or simply a large sized village. It had its own stone walls surrounding it, with rather large sized three gates providing access to it. There were also plenty of shops, though most were for the purpose of buying whatever loot the adventurers would bring back from their delves, as well as a few smithies, tailors and leather working shops, providing plenty of durable and good quality gear. No true master craftsmen though. people with such skill level would move to either capital cities, enormous trade hubs or hole up somewhere away from people, making the would be customers go all the way out there to them in hopes of getting their gear crafted. The center of the city was a large building- adventurer guild''s branch that everything else was wrapped around, like circles encompassing the most important location in the very center.


    The dungeon itself was what could be described as large, endless expanses of grasslands, filled to the brim with all manner of bovine creatures and large cats that feasted on them. The one exceptional thing about the dungeon was a rather special peculiarity about the prey animals. Unlike most dungeon monsters who attacked people on sight, the ones here mostly lived their own lives, only attacking if the people went closer than some fifty meters. The predators acted like one would expect, though with savage and berserk style. As expected, they would attack on sight, all stealth and silent prowling abandoned, replaced with savage rush and unquenchable thirst for humanoid blood.


    Eve then proceeded to tell a bit more about the monster they were going to hunt, explaining in detail about the monsters parameters and any other info they had on them. Bullmors were large, muscular cow type monsters, a bone plate covering their forehead, as well as part of their backs. Instead of two horns, one on each side growing out of their temples. they had three pairs, lined along their head and the base of the neck, creating a rather fearsome and dangerous vibe. The slightly golden fur or theirs also gave them royal bearing and together with the super high quality meat that was one their uncommon drops had given the bullmors another nickname- golden bulls.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I do have to wonder." Rex spoke once Eve had stopped with her explanation "What is so important that demands the amount of meat on this quest to be gathered. It did feel like something of a rushed request."


    "Well..." Eve hesitated for a moment, exhaling a deep breath, taking another before answering. "I have two older brothers and one sister and right now, alongside two of our mothers they are out of the country, visiting the neighboring nations in what we could only call a summit of sorts. It happens every two years and the dignitaries from all the involved nations visit one country after another until a full circle is finished. Then, the talks happen where some policies get changed and whatnot. And the nation to host the final event changes every time. As it just so happens, this time it is to be our time to do so. As you might have guessed, there is always an unspoken contest among the leaders of the royal families to one up the others, making their own event the grandest, strengthening their own position within the alliance. The royal beef was just one of the ideas my family had come up with as a potential highlight of the event, though the closer it came the less likely it was to be possible. While we have A ranked adventurers in decent numbers within our territories, and that goes for all the nations that are part of the pact, we don''t have proper A ranked parties that could perform such large scale operations, securing the amount of raw meat we would need for the occasion. As you might have guessed, those of the highest rank would leave for the more developed and powerful nations closer to the center."


    "That makes more sense than I would like to admit I can understand. Heh, us men and our dick measuring contests. Though I suppose in a world where one man''s power can easily trumps that of hundreds, or even thousands, it makes even more sense. Thanks for the answer." Rex nodded with appreciation.


    "Don''t mention it. It is the least I could do." Eve smiled, their conversation coming to a stop, though not for too long, in less than another hour, the group could sense the slowing down of their flight, the scenery they pass by starting to become more and discernable, and as their gazes moved over the horizon as the falcons began their descent, they soon noticed the presence of man made structures in the distance, or more precisely what they saw was a stone wall, surrounding a settlement. And, the closer they got, the more and more they could make out of the structure surrounding the settlement as well as the larger buildings towering over others within. Soon enough Eve also confirmed that they had indeed reached Verta, a clear surprise in her voice at the relatively short amount of time they have had to fly to reach here. It just proved how winding the road here was and how actually close they were to Ravenhold fort. Yet another thing she would have to quickly write down and send to her father.


    Since the world about the travel method of Rex had been forwarded towards all settlements of the nation, courtesy of Coachmen guild, they had less and less disturbances as they approached each new location. The guards, while vigilant, did not go into full panic mode upon noticing the two, enormous birds closing in on the wall, their black frames quite the telling sign regarding the identity of the approaching entities. And, once close enough that the human frames on one of the falcon''s backs could be discerned by the guards on the walls, one among them even began to gesture towards a certain direction, apparently guiding the incoming adventurers somewhere.


    Deciding to go along with the amusing little show, Rex guided the falcons in the shown direction, soon enough noticing a rather large courtyard with a couple more guards rushing over to the middle of it, colorful flags in their hands and then promptly beginning to wave them as the falcons drew closer, clearly trying to send the message that it was there that they should land. The whole situation brought a smile to Rex''s face, reminding him of the aircraft carriers and their landing signal officers. A stray thought passed through his mind as he ordered the falcons to descend and land near the signaling men.''Did they just came up with the whole procedure or did they have some records about a similar thing?'' Regardless of the truth, not much changed for Rex, his course of action already clearly set out. The only thing he would need to figure out was how to proceed after these quests would be handed in.


    ''Hmm. I should probably check in with the Coachmen guild. Might have some interesting job ah hand there.'' he mused, considering the options ''Sure, its not like I will need their services when it comes to transportation, but the amount of information they hold is still incomprehensible. Might as well utilize that aspect of their services. Yep. Let''s do that.'' Rex came to a decision as the falcons landed. He could even see the slight fear in the eyes and postures of the previously signaling guards. Though that did make sense. Wari and Sidsal were A ranked creatures and as such, mere C ranked guards, or somewhere around there, would be nothing but light snack for the two falcons were they to decide to feast on them. Not that they would ever, unless of course attacked first.


    "Welcome sir, madam, Princess, to our humble town. We don''t have much to offer to people as incredible as you, but we will do our utmost to satisfy any of your needs. Just give the word." spoke an elder gentlemen, dressed much like a butler, if Rex had ever seen one. His voice was soft spoken and eloquent, graying hair and small moustache indicating his advanced age, though it not only did not seem to hinder the well practiced movements and the natural grace the man exuded, but even enhanced it, giving the older buttler a hint of sage like air around him, promising not only courteous and mind stimulating conversation but also wisdom in the shape and form of an advice or two, or ten.


    "Duly noted, though we will not be staying for long this time." Rex answered, his voice calm and relaxed. He had already scanned his surroundings a few times, noticing the distinct lack of spies or similar shady men around them. Whatever the angle of the local adventurer guild''s guildmaster was, the man was pulling out all stops to please their group, clearly there was something the man was aiming for, and sure enough, the butler spoke moments later to confirm Rex''s guess.


    "If it is not too much of a bother, my master, the lord of the city and guild master of the local adventurer''s guild, would like to extend an invitation to your mighty group for a dinner."


    Rex furrowed his brow for a moment, considering how to play this and as he weighted the options the two women just waited patiently for him to speak. Danica cared little for this and would default for Rex choice while Eve was waiting for Rex to ask her opinion. She remembered the words that Rex spoke back when they allowed her to join their party. She could express her opinion yes, but would not get to take part in the decision making itself. And, as she had expected, Rex addressed the two of them. "What say you girls? Is either of you interested, or just as disinclined as me?" Danica just shrugged, throwing out a simple ''meh'' as her response, clearly not inclined to what must be some posh and high society thing offered, what with the man extending said offer.


    "While it would usually be the correct choice to gracefully accept such an offer, the Endless Journey can, and I believe should do as they see fit. A single upper A ranker could do similar, a party with four of them? Well, I can''t even begin to guess..." Eve spoke, clearly putting herself a bit down, disregarding her status as a princess. She might as well not be one, at least when adventurers guild was concerned.


    "That answers that. We will pass on that offer." Rex spoke, though he added another sentence. "I am no member of the nobility and all that posturing and dancing around the bush bores me. Have a nice day."


    "Understood sir." the butler bowed in their direction "I will deliver the message to my master. I do apologize if you and your party have been inconvenienced in any way, shape or form. Have a good day." the butler bowed another time to the group and excused himself, leaving the trio, along with the falcons, alone, the guards already long gone, not the least bit inclined to stick around a monster who could tame other monsters, no less dangerous than itself, or so they thought.


    "So? A quick supper before we check out the town, resupply and get some rest. Then, early morning we set out and get to work. If possible, I would like to get through with the job in a day or two, though we will grind until we are done with the job and have some surplus since Danica was interested in them. If it is as tasty as the price point indicates, we might have to grind for much longer." he then glanced towards Danica, who was already imagining the promised taste of high quality beef the name of the meat implied. "I can see you drooling Danica. Wait until we get a taste first. This will only set you up for disappointment."

 Chapter 67. The tournament. Prelude.

    As agreed, the party had had a nice meal at the tavern they decided to spend the night at, and after plenty of food was consumed by Rex and Danica, the duo earning quite a few stares of disbelief at the sheer amount of food they could put away, the party retired to their rooms, to rest for the night. Rex and Danica, obviously trained before sleep. They both expended the entirety of their mana pools, either by powering their rune networks to strengthen their bodies, or in Rex case- expanding his space storage. Then, once all of that was done, they did have a little bit of fun before properly retiring for the night. Then, the next morning they had a proper breakfast and once that was dealt with, the group departed the city, the dungeon only a couple minute walk from its walls.


    They did run into the old buttler again as they were exiting the gate, the older man bowed and greeted the trio. And, unlike the last night, he was clearly given different orders, as the man went straight to the heart of the matter.


    "My master would like to know whether sir Rex has already decided to represent someone in the tournament? If not, he would like to ask for a meeting to where a quest might be issued. He promises quite the generous rewards."


    Out of the corner of his eye, Rex noticed the slight flinch Eve made at the mention of the tournament, though he was sure that without his incredibly sharp senses, both physical and ethereal, he would have missed that reaction.


    "I am still on the fence about it, besides, I still have a standing quest to be finished before anything new could be considered. If I decide it is worth my time, I will contact your master."


    "Understood sir. may fortune favours you." the old butler said as he once again bowed and excused himself, and once the butler was gone, before Eve could speak, Rex added. "As I said beforehand, this quest first, then I will listen to what you have to say."


    "Understood." Eve replied, following along with the duo.


    The dungeon gate was two, enormous oaks, tilting towards one another, joining together some sixty meters high and forming a passage where the portal block the path in between the two giant trees. Long, long time ago it had served as a landmark separating the lands of two tribes of humans, until the dungeon sprung up, causing a new conflict, resulting in the absolute extermination, or enslavement of the other one. Then, centuries later, the remaining tribe was defeated an absorbed into the kingdom of Sol. The two oaks, forming the gates had only grown larger and larger, oddly enough expanding only outwards, not reducing the size of the gate whatsoever.


    "Lets go, shall we?" Rex smiled at the two women with him and after affirmative nods, he took the lead and crossed the gate. And just in case something could go amiss, he extended two blood chains and grabbed ahold of the two women hands. While extremely rare, there were some dungeons that would spit people out at random locations, splitting up parties. This one was not like that, though there were also tales of the same happening to normal dungeons, albeit extremely rarely, so much so that many people even consider it just superstition and nothing else. Still, better safe than sorry and so, with caution he proceeded.


    Moments later, the group stood on the other side, a small elevated platform under their feet, and further out, a savanna like fields of mostly grass, with a rare tree every now and then, serving as some sort of a landmark to use for ones orientation. Even from the gate, Rex could clearly see the first few packs of bovine creatures. Much like cows in stature, the creatures were pale grey, with two sets of cow horns, growing from the same base but in both directions, forming a rather odd sight, looking much like a set of horns on both sides. Rex assumed they were extremely impractical, though since the animals were part magical, who knows what additional function said horns fulfilled. Regardless, these creatures were not what they were here for, and thus, moments later, they left the platform and advanced deeper in, following an established path towards their desired area.


    A large baobab, the only one in sight from the gate, was their guiding marker as the trio trekked through the waist high yellow-green grass. With his senses on high alert and mana scan active every now and then, alongside Danica''s sharp hearing and Eve''s archers expertise, they proceeded further in a decent pace, encountering quite a few bovine packs, though because they kept their distance, they in turn were not disturbed. And, the party also saw quite a few other, B ranked, parties, farming the animals, clearly on some meat collection quest of their own. Though the further away from the gate they moved, the less people they could find, until eventually, they ran into the first predators of the place.


    A pack of rose thorn lions blocked their path, rushing towards them as soon as they got a whiff of the trio. The animal was the size of a horse, with large, majestic, poison green and leafy mane as well as thorny vines covering its back. A few rose flowers were blooming at the base of the animals necks as well as a few flower buds closer to the animals rear, though the latter were not blooming yet. And it seemed to have particularly thick fur on its underbelly, clearly there to ensure the male does not hurt itself too much during the mating season. The females had no mane, though there was a rather more notable of rose growth on their backs, with even more thorns and flowers, most if not all- still buds.


    And as expected, unlike the herbivores, the predators were not just content with live and let live, their instincts and dungeons influence working in tandem for even greater effect, and so, the moment the party was noticed, a rather loud roar resounded, courtesy of the only male within the group, at least as far as Rex could tell, followed by the lions charging straight towards them. With practised ease, Rex called forth his chains, and with practised ease controlled them, like winding and coiling chinese dragons the chains shot forward to both accompany Danica, who was already charging forward as well, and envelop Eve in a protective chain cage, leaving plenty of room for the archer to deliver arrow after arrow from safety.


    Well aware of the people in the distance, observing the newcomer group while they themselves looted their recent kills or whatever else that required their temporary attention, Rex toned down on both the quantity and size of his chains, seriously obscuring his actual capacity in this particular subject as well as maintaining secrecy of his other skills. Though, to be fair to Rex, he rarely dipped in that particular bag of tricks lately, mostly focusing on developing his ability to protect his team and control the battlefield.


    With practiced precision, his chains seemed like coming to life, swirling and rattling as they shot forward, as if living and breathing snakes had emerged from the ground, hell bent on serving his purpose. The chains blocked, hindered and all around interfered with the incoming monsters. Some of the chains were equipped with razor sharp teeth of sorts, cutting the incoming predatorial monsters. The blood that seeped out of the wounds, be they inflicted by Rex, Danica or Eve, fell to the ground and there, like having a mind of its own, was slowly flowing to one and the same spot in the very center of the small battlefield where it would form an ever growing blood red orb.


    While notably limited in scale and scope, his actions nevertheless produced the expected result, mightily assisting his two companions do their thing. Danica, as usual, would use brute strength combined with great speed to pummel the bodies of their adversaries, tearing muscles and breaking bones. Eve too was working hard, though it could be seen that it was harder for her shots to find purchase against their current enemies, each and every arrow, while connecting with targets, left rather shallow wounds in their wake, something Rex would help remedy as soon as their were done with this pack of creatures. And, due to their combined effort, no more than a few more minutes later, the group stood before empty field, devoid of bodies and signs of a recent battle, only the drop items and pulsating, basketball sized orb floating just slightly above ground. As the girls went on to collect their drops, Rex beckoned the orb, holding it in hand just a few moments later and a few moments later more, the orb disappeared, absorbed and stashed away for a time it would be necessary and used.


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    With the current engagement over and their spoils collected, they continued on towards their destination- the large baobab in the far distance, leaving their observers behind, none willing to risk following the new group. Sure, they were well aware the numbers this group of three ran with were somewhat risky and none would ever even consider such risks themselves, but the relative ease as well as the skills displayed as the group took down the ambushing monsters painted a clear picture. They were skilled and dangerous, explaining why they were dungeon farming with the low numbers that they had, extinguishing any hothead''s plans to approach them within the dungeon with malicious intent.


    Another thirty or so minutes later, the group was notably closer to the enormous baobab they had been walking towards, avoiding most of the herbivore groups while dispatching another group of predators. Much like the first one, the second group was another pack of rose thorn lions, though slightly smaller in size, exuded more dangerous feeling, indicating the general superiority of each individual members might.


    And much like before, the group got back in formation, with Danica taking the lead once again, her desire to pummel yet another monster group apparent, Eve now following Rex''s instructions to imbue her actual arrows with mana charge, making the impact much more devastating and dangerous and Rex doing his things, the chains coming to life at his mental command, shaping the battlefield to his liking, like a puppet master pulling the strings and deciding how the show is going to go, telling a story that only he knows.


    As the monsters fell one after another, some with shattered skulls, some bleeding to death due to lost limbs or deep cuts along their sides, or due to explosions that tore half their faces off, the group was getting more and more in sync with one another. Rex served at the centerpiece of their whole strategy, enabling his two companions to attack with almost reckless abandon, disregarding their own safety for the most part. Danica exploited said advantage Rex provided, diving on any enemy that came close enough for her to reach, splattering blood and the sound of crunching bones accompanying her every advance. Eve on the other hand, maintained her position near Rex, staying in the safest place on the battlefield while raining arrows upon their enemies. Her positioning came with another boon in the form of tips and hints on how to make her current choice of attacks more efficient and deadly. What started as somewhat awkward infusion of her arrows with fire based mana, something Eve seemed to have the most affinity towards, had already become quite skillful and beautiful display of elemental archery- something Eve had always hoped to at least attain. Now, well, she might even aim for lesser mastery of the discipline. How envious would her siblings be. Eve could not contain her growing smile with each successful arrow launched.


    And then there was Rex, standing next to Eve, keeping track of her mana flow, movements and noting down any mistakes she make with her mana flow, then explaining ways of correcting said mistakes to make her more skillful and valued member of their party, all the while protecting Danica from any incoming attacks, be it from the front, or blind spots as she charged ahead and splattered their adversaries. And on top of that, he also spent time observing their surroundings, ensuring no unexpected danger catches them by surprise as well as limiting the amount of monsters that can actually reach Danica, who was their only melee fighter at the moment.


    Once the group of monsters they were engaged in battle with was wiped out, they quickly collected the loot, and moved on ahead, untill, another fifteen minutes later, they found the first pack of bullmors. A group of eight, mighty looking bovine creatures were grazing on the grass, seemingly at ease and not at al worried about any possible predator attacks. A smile bloomed on Rex''s face as he glanced at the girls one after another, speaking.


    "Well then ladies. I hope everyone is ready for some nice and productive grind session. We are going wild." Much like Rex, Danica also grinned, still not satisfied with the amount of blood she had spilled so far in this dungeon dive. It seemed that her wolf''s bloodline was quite keen on slaughter, almost reveling in the hunt itself as much as Rex did, even if for seemingly different reasons. Danica seemed to enjoy the hunt itself, while Rex grinded for the rewards like a proper ARPG junkie would. Eve just thought of the hunt as another practice session, allowing her to elevate her skill beyond what she could have ever hoped to achieve while also forming deeper bond with Rex and Danica, both things being incredibly beneficial to both her and her her nation in extension.


    "I have not forgotten about that tournament thingy mind you." Rex added before they started "I expect a long and proper explanation, for it seems you might have both a stake as well a request for me regarding the event, or am I wrong?"


    "It would be a personal request, yes. I will explain everything the moment you ask again." Eve replied, receiving a nod from Rex in return. With that out of the way, the party advanced towards the group of bullmors, their grind starting.


    ----------------------------------


    "So?" Rex asked, the trio sitting around a campfire at the base of the large baobab they had been moving towards all day long, slaughtering numerous groups of bullmors as well as quite a few packs of not only rose thorn lions but also rainbow tailed jade tigers and crying virgo hyenas. The yhad barely reached the tree with the last rays of light, the darkness of night taking over, forcing the group to make camp. There were a number of platforms made on the ginormous tree, serving as mostly safe spots to rest for the night, out of reach of most, if not all predators. Once done with their meal, they could get on one of said platforms and rest.


    "So, regarding the tournament." Eve began "As you might have guessed, it is directly related to summit that will be held in our nation this time around. As is tradition, there are quite a few events that each host nation hold, though most are boring parties and that kind of stuff for the ones attending the summit itself. Still, a few of the events are public, one of them being the grand tournament. If you ask the masses, it is made to ensure exchange of knowledge and friendly sparring between the mightiest of warriors from the participating nations. It is large and enough that sometimes members of lesser forces from inner continent visit to spectate, likely here to scout promising talents for their forces."


    "But?" Rex asked, already expecting a certain answer. Eve did not disappoint, with her answer.


    "But those in the know will tell you that some of the decisions are made based on the results of the tournament. It is, after all, a contest of power, allowing for the strongest nation to push their weight around a bit more. And the larger the disparity between the champion and the runners ups, the more they can get away with. Of course, there are lines not to be crossed, but that is hardly of any interest to you I presume."


    "Correct presumption." Rex nodded in agreement. "So, what is your stake in this all?"


    "You might not be aware, but just before your arrival in the capital city when you returned with your falcons, one of the families from the members of the summit sent out a marriage proposal, asking for my hand. Normally, I would defer to the decision of my father. Such is the fate of a princess after all. And while both father and me agree here, neither of us willing to accept the proposal due to the sheer incompetence and pathetic character of the supposed groom, I have a growing suspicion that more is going on behind closed doors."


    "The noble funding the slave ring I destroyed must be working hard to assist them, likely pooling resources and favours to draw in some proper powerhouses to get rid of you. I''m guessing their champion would perform exceptionally well and then use said leverage to strongarm that marriage to go through, getting rid of you in the process." Rex assumed.


    "I suspect so. And since no one has any proper knowledge about our current status, likely considering me as a glorified guide at best, they will most likely proceed as I you have estimated. They don''t have much other options at the given time."


    "So, your request then would be?"


    "As you have probably guessed by now.." Eve replied, her voice quieter now and a bit more timid, clearly a bit worried to ask for the favour she had yet to properly earn "I... I was hoping you would take part in the tournament as my associate, if not our royal families." Her eyes suddenly widened as if understanding something and she went into some sort of panic burst mode, words near exploding out of her mouth "It was not my intention to begin with, I really wanted to experience the life of an actual adventurer, not the usual training in dungeons I can get my father to agree. It is just that now that I have seen what you''re capable off. Well, a girl can hope, can''t she?"

 Chapter 68. The tournament. Prelude. Part 2.

    The campfire enjoyed a prolonged moment of silence, only the sounds of crickets chirping around, the crackles of the fire and an occasional cry of a night''s denizen far away from them. Rex''s mana pulse was activated every now and then, ensuring no actual nightly predator was sneaking up on them, their fire serving as both a beacon and repellant at the same time. He was properly considering whether or not he had grown fond enough of Eve to accept her request. Sure, she was a nice girl, dreaming of the life as an adventurer- something she could now enjoy, all thanks to Danica, but was he himself interested enough, or willing to join this entire event, only to be bothered with the entire scheming and stupidity he would have to deal with as a result? Inconvenience for him for a limited duration of time or the loss of a temporary traveling companion? Honestly, he was fine with either of the options. Losing Eve would have its own issues as well. He would have to find an additional new member for his party, not to mention the other ones he still had to start searching for. On the other hand, were he to assist her, he might be annoyed to the point of him going down the full on murder hobo route, something he was not too keen on just yet. And as such, he was somewhat stuck for the moment.


    Thankfully, he was not alone at this moment, his decisions now getting made with another person''s input. And as such, with the moment of silence taking over their surroundings, like an all consuming and ever expanding and dread inducing shadow, making Eve more and more nervous, her hands clenched on her knees, Danica hugged Rex from behind, her chin landing on one of his shoulders as she spoke.


    "That sounds like it could be fun. I think I would like to pound some bastard''s face in as well. Can''t keep only hunting for monsters you know?" a grin on her face as she finished.


    "Nope." Rex then spoke up, discarding his previous thoughts entirely. Eve was Danica''s choice, so he should just leave the decisions regarding the princess to her as well. That did not mean he was going to allow Danica to endanger herself though. And as such, with speed that surprised even Danica once again, he pulled the wolfkin woman in his lap, possessively hugging her.


    "Unless there are party combat where I can ensure you are not harmed, there is no way I am going to allow you to participate. And you should know that by now."


    "Well then" a mischievous smile crept on her face, as she drew out the words "I suppose you will have to do it in my stead then. No way am I going to allow anyone to lay their hands on my Eve." she spoke, her hands finding their own way back around Rex''s neck once again, as the duo enjoyed each others presence.


    "So be it." Rex agreed quite easily, stealing a few pecks from his beautiful blonde''s lips before looking towards Eve. "I assume you would not have brought the subject up any time soon, trying to first deepen our friendship and whatnot?"


    "Y-yes." Eve replied slightly worried, though upon lifting her gaze that had been lowered for quite a while and noticing the rather relaxed expression of Rex''s and the large grin on Danica''s face, she quickly steadied herself as she continued. "We still have a couple of months time before the question would have popped up and I assumed that would have been enough of a time to strengthen our bond. Do not think I requested to join because of that though. It is something I realised just when the guildmasters question about the tournament came up from the lips of that butler."


    "I believe you." Rex replied, calming the girl down "Danicas explanation of your character confirmed your words as well. Honestly, I would be fine with either of the options, at least at this point in time. Then again, it''s Danica who will make the most decisions regarding topics that are related to you Eve. Do with that knowledge what you will. It''s late. We should get some rest before we continue on with our hunt tomorrow. We have barely acquired any of the royal beef drops so far and I would like to increase our kills per hour so to speak."


    A quiet ''Thanks love'' was whispered in his ear, followed by a playful bite on his neck, the message clear, as well as a more formal and courteous words of gratitude coming from Eve as she cleaned up her own seat and did as instructed, retiring for the night on the platform the group had chosen as their resting spot for the night. And with Eve already in her designated sleeping spot, Rex sent Snek up there as well, ordering his pet to keep an eye on Eve while he and Danica worked off some pent up energy and once done and freshened up, they too joined a slightly blushing Eve, though only Rex saw the still awake princesses'' current state. And so, with Eve in her own sleeping bag just a meter or so away and Danica nuzzled in his side they drifted to sleep.


    -------------------------------


    When grinding and farming for uncommon drops, time flies by unnoticed and in just a blink of an eye, an entire month had gone by, with the trio working towards their goal every single solitary day. They Had not encountered another group of humans anywhere near their farming location, them having gone too deep for most other local parties to follow along, allowing Rex in particular to go more unrestrained. As before, they had continued with the already established pattern, becoming more and more in tune with one another and refining their teamwork, especially the mutual cooperation and understanding between Danica and Eve. By this point even Rex was enjoying Eve''s company, the young princess had shed most of her noble mannerisms and polite talk, joking around and even going along with Danica when the wolfkin woman decided to play around with Rex. He had already given up towards the possibility that Danica would not try and pull Eve into their bed any day now as well, since almost everything else the two women already did together.


    Eve had also improved by leaps and bounds, no longer needing any assistance with tips regarding her archery. She had even gotten quite along the way in using her own mana constructed arrows instead of already premade ones. Not to mention that she had grown stronger as well, so much so that Rex had expressed his guess that she could be now classified as high B rank adventurer, though Eve had said that while she has gotten much stronger, not only physically but much more so in regards to her actual combat skills, she was also acutely aware that she was nearing her own limits as well, something Danica, who had grown stronger as well, could not relate to, earning a slight pout from the human woman at that time.


    And in such a manner, the group had spent the entire month, spilling the blood of bulmors, acquiring more and more A ranked monster cores as well as other drop items, both from bulmors and the predator packs they would encounter every now and then. They had long since acquired the necessary amount of royal beef to finish the quest, but they had kept going to stash on quite a bit of reserves for their own consumption after they tried to cook one of the pieces of said meat and devouring it in mere moments. It was just that good. It reminded Rex a bit of the earth grade meat he would feast on before he reached the power levels necessary to hunt for even better ingredients. Still, for a world of this level, this was already incredible, and so, they farmed for it, a fire lit in the trios eyes as they were on the same train of thought.


    As for why they would finally leave, when they still had over a month left before the start of the tournament? The time was right, not only because they had spent appropriate time, by the general standards of the world, in finishing up their chosen quests, but also because they also had just finished a rather unique encounter, finishing their grind session with a cherry on top. With a large grin on his face, Rex held for Empowerment crystals in his palm, the two girls intently staring at the items, the two story building sized monster bulls body having scattered in mana dust moments ago.


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    This fight, while time consuming, was mostly done by Rex, a peculiar fire in his eyes and voice as he ordered the girls to stand back and watch the surroundings. And so, much like before with Light''s Oak, he was the only reason the monster was even slain. The girls knew it as well, not only because both were well aware that without Rex they couldn''t even hunt for the monster groups here, but also because they estimated that the enormous bullmor was close to peak A rank, possibly even half step S rank. That kind of a monster was not something anyone in this, or any other of the outer circle nation, could ever hope to take down. As a result, the Empowerment crystals too were rather special, radiating light and warmth like nothing Eve had seen before. She has had the honour to see a fair few similar stones in her life, but these, these were extraordinary. So much so that she had absolutely no idea how valuable they would be, were someone to actually sell them.


    With a shit eating grin on his face, Rex grabbed two of the stones and almost casually threw one towards each of the girls. "Obviously, no one is going to mention this to anyone else. That''s the hush hush bribe for you two." Once the girls had both swallowed their respective crystals and basked in their incredible effects, their attention once again on him, he continued "Also, its core is not going to go in circulation either. The same reason as before. And with that done, I do believe that it is only wise to end our little field trip. Your family no doubt will be expecting us with the good news."


    "IF they have not yet panicked and assumed that we died in the process." Danica snickered, imagining a rather panicked royal family, possibly even grieving right now the loss of one of their daughters.


    "No worries there. Each member of the royal family has a life jade within the vaults of the family, shattering upon the death of said member."


    "Let''s depart then." Danica spoke, stretching and enjoying the feeling she felt after the consumption of the crystal "I do miss a long and steaming hot bath after all this time spent here. Ordinary lake water can only do so much."


    "Mhm. I agree." as expected, Eve was besides Danica in just a few moments, and, after a few meaningful looks between the duo, she bit her lip as she glanced towards Rex "Care to join us then?" slight blush adorning her face. Rex knew better though, since he saw the stiff face Danica was putting up as well, the duo trying their best to keep the act together.


    ''Damn minxes.'' Rex sighed internally, well used to the little tricks the duo had started to play on him every now and then, though it had all been light hearted and tame up until now. ''Well, two can play this game.'' his mind continued to spin and plot, considering the best reply in mere moments from the stated question.


    "Sure thing. Lets have some fun then." came the reply, clearly knocking the wind out of the two women, Danica''s face revealing surprise and bewilderment while Eve went beet red at the mere thought, sputtering and trying to quickly find excuses and whatnot for whu it was, after all, not a good idea. Rex walked over to the duo and performed a very light, symbolic chop on each of their heads, conveying a profound message with the action, while also doing so with words, just to be sure he was understood properly.


    "Don''t threaten me with good time. I am not one of those naive and sputtering isekai mc''s who turn into blabbering fools at the sight of mere underwear or anything of the sort."


    "Isekai mc''s?" Danica questioned, not at all familiar with the term, the looks of confusion shared with Eve. How could they know? Writing was such a niche thing only enjoyed by the richest of families and what not. And what need would a world as filled with wonder and magic as this for dreams and hopes of precisely what they already had? It was better to just go out and make your own dreams into reality, or die trying, as countless people did.


    "Let''s head out." Rex added, and with those words, the party quickly returned to their temporary camp near the ginormous baobab, cleaned up the place, leaving it nice and tidy and headed out, both the baobab and a pale pillar of light in the distance their guiding ''stars'', though to be honest they only needed to note the pillar of light as it was where the portal out was located. Spending a couple of hours on their return, avoiding most of the monster packs along the way, while still having to dispatch another two rose thorn lions groups, they reached the exit.


    Due to the time they returned, more than a single adventurer party was met along the way, though none showed much interest in them, the rather meticulous way they avoided monster packs giving no reason for said parties to pay attention to them besides the basic caution regarding an unknown group, even if few in numbers, nearing them in any capacity. As Rex''s group passed these parties by, maintaining respectable distance of course, Eve expressed her own assumption regarding the lack of attention.


    "I believe they must think us remnants of a party that pushed too deep and as a result lost more than half of their numbers. That would also explain why our return is so cautioned, avoiding every monster grou pas much as possible." she whispered in low voice, only heard by Rex and Danica.


    "Works in our advantage." Rex mused in return, not changing their pace one bit. "Think the hostile nobles would still consider your relationship with my group surface level. or your father trying to hoist you upon us to gain inroads with the party?"


    "Hmm." Eve hummed for a moment, considering how to properly respond, though she had a few possible conclusions. "I would like to hear what the people of my family have gathered during this month we spent in the dungeon. While it is likely that whatever plan they might have had for me is abandoned, they might very well assume you to be nothing more than exceptional beast tamer. No offence, but you are dressing in a manner that does not scream combat class."


    "None taken, but you at least are well aware why I dress as I do, not that what others think of me matters." With another hum from Eve in agreement, the group continued as they have, a short while later leaving the dungeon.


    "Hmm, nothing beats the actual sun." Sighed Danica once they were outside as they basked in the afternoon warmth provided by the heavenly object. Rex had mentally nudged his two falcons who have had a relaxing vacation for a month, notifying them of his return and to prepare for another flight soon after.


    "I know that bath is calling for us, but first things first. Guild and only then bath. We are presentable enough for that." Rex interrupted the two women basking in the sun and with that, they did as planned.


    First, they went by the guild, turning in frankly obscene numbers of A ranked cores, earning a big payday. Then, the group went by the guildmasters office to inform him of Rex''s plans to take part in the tournament as Eve''s recommendation, or entry, however one wanted to look at it. The emphasis was on ''Eve''s'', not royal families or whatever, giving the former backed independence, protecting her from many machinations taking place in the upcoming ruler summit.


    And once done there, they all got their well deserved and earned bath, as well as a proper meal and rest, leaving the city next day, returning to the capital to hand in their quests. Thankfully, or to be precise, as planned, the group arrived in the capital city after dusk, leaving none the wiser of their return. Eve needed to go through the intelligence her family had gathered while Rex handed in the quests.


    Using Eve''s private residence as their landing spot, they silently arrived and after finding a few, trusted people, the trio once again stood in the presence of the king, Eve''s father. Though Eve herself was already busy going through a large stack of documents pertaining to her subject of interest, while Rex placed the required items, the meat not including, on the table before him. Once the kings trusted steward confirmed the authenticity of the items, Rex''s party was appropriately compensated for their time and effort put in.


    With only the meat issue remaining and after a quick exchange of the goods, the slabs of meat getting placed on a specially prepared cover to the side and quickly stored in the stewards spatial ring, Rex''s party got paid handsomely for the last quest as well, concluding their business. Thankfully, by the time all the prior and formal procedures were done, Eve was also done on her part, summarizing everything that their families spies had learned that was of importance to her party, for she did consider herself a part of it by now.

 Chapter 69. The tournament. Prelude. Part 3.

    With the quest part out of the way and her own reading also completed, Eve politely sent her fathers men outside, leaving only Rex''s party and the ruler of the nation inside the room. Once they were all alone, she asked Rex to soundproof the place as well. A few minutes later, with glowing runes on all four walls emitting faint light and and almost imperceptible hum, this sound being the proof these runes were only temporary constructs and would disappear once the mana within them ran out, Eve began her talk with what she had learned from the documents.


    "It seems that I was right about them considering you to be merely extremely capable tamer. It both works in our favour and as a slight annoyance. For one, it will be much easier to expect their next moves, what with them considering you to not be particularly great danger on your own. The tournament is one on one battles after all. On the flip end, it also means that their ''champions'' and agents might show you less respect than they should, to your annoyance and their detriment. And while it gives us quite the simple path forward, it also means we have to expect some extreme reactions the moment they realize their own fuck up regarding the matter and they scramble to salvage the situation. I believe we must make sure any friends you have made publicly to be placed under temporary protection at the very least."


    At the words Rex turned his head away from the people in the room, as if his attention was focused on someone or something else for a moment, then he returned his gaze to the people present as he replied. "That won''t be necessary. I will make sure any underhanded actions are met with extreme retaliation."


    "Please don''t go around destroying districts or streets in the wake of said underhanded tactics." immediately spoke up Eve, having seen enough of Rex''s abilities in the last month.


    "No worries, the response will be mostly ethereal anyways. Little to no property damage should be expected. At least on my part. I will be meeting up with my old party though. It seems they have arrived in the capital. Been a few months at least since I last saw them."


    "More girls?" knowingly asked Danica, a playful smirk on her face.


    "Don''t even think about it." Rex gaze bored into the wolfkin woman, who a few moments later raised her hands in surrender, brushing off his words with ''fine, fine''.


    "Father." Eve then moved her focus towards the king of the nation, her expression serious as she went on to explain quite a few things she believed will soon come to pass, many of which the king was already expecting himself. Most of the new information came in the form of Rex and his participation in the coming tournament as well as the fact that he was very likely to take it by storm. The conviction with which Eve spoke indicated quite the impression Rex and his skill had left on the princess. Once that part of her speech was done, the conversation moved to more pleasant topics, some of which could be considered classified, though since Rex and Danica simply did not care one bit about them, busy doing their own thing, apparently scheming to tear a big chunk out of the purses of the local gambling dens and their betting scene.


    "I suspect the preparations are in full swing and should be nearing the end, yes?" Eve asked.


    "Yes. The people are expected to be done within a week and a bit, what with the royal beef you have managed to procure and the first delegations should be arriving in a couple of weeks at the earliest. They have just departed the capital of Naramika."


    "Right." Rex interrupted their conversation for a moment "Before I forget, I wanted to remind you Eve and make sure your father is aware as well. I don''t plan on interacting, let alone dealing with any of the nobles."


    "Understood." The king nodded his head, just chalking Rex''s words off as one of the peculiarities of the A rankers. With that short disruption out of the way, the two relatives went back to their conversation, getting all they wanted to say out of the way before once more touching upon the issues they will have to tackle, though as they did so, there was a knock on the door, indicating the importance of the news.


    As it turned out, the royal family had just received a small list of the inner continent dignitaries coming to witness the tournament, and, there were notably more people than one would have expected. Clearly, someone was pulling strings from behind the scenes and their nation was apparently chosen as their metaphorical battle ground. Unpleasant surely, but there was nothing they could do on the matter. Unlike the outer nations like theirs, the inner circle had both nobility and sect like entities that were in control of numerous A rankers, willing to do their bidding, making the resulting conflict of their resistance a one sided massacre.


    "Sigh." Rex sighed after hearing the news, pulled out a flask and took a few long sips, enjoying the water that he acquired back in the forest of giants. Feeling the pleasant sensation of his soul fragment recovering ever so slightly more he sighed once again, this time in content before speaking, the attention of the people present on him.


    "I just can''t seem to get a break. Is it that much to ask to get to live at least a year without some dumb cunt arriving on my doorstep and try to leave a big and stinky pile of shit there." he looked at Eve for a moment before he continued "Seems like I will have to beat down on more than just some mercenary type goons your sleazy nobles can afford. No matter. Does not change what I have to do. Oh, by the way, can your residence support another party? I would like to get my friends to stay there for the duration of the tournament for the aforementioned reasons."


    "O-of course. That should not be an issue whatsoever. I have plenty of empty rooms there." Eve confirmed, a light smile on her face. "Should I procure a couple of carriages so you can go and meet them?"


    "That would help, yes."


    With that said, a word was quickly sent out to procure said carriages as the king thanked Rex for his assistance in the matter, promising quite the rewards should Rex manage to thwart the brewing conspiracies. Once the carriages were ready, Rex and Danica left the place, leaving Eve to talk with her father, the king, alone to catch up further and whatnot. She had yet to regale him with the progress she had achieved during their month long dungeon delve and anything else on the matter after all.


    With the princess left behind and under the precise guidance of Rex, in less than thirty minutes the group reached a familiar inn, at least for Rex. ''Beth''s hearth'' stood before the duo in all of it''s glory, eliciting a small smile on his face, clearly remembering some good things he had gone through.


    "Know the place?" Danica asked as she saw his face, her own interest spiking.


    "Mhm." Rex nodded "Beth''s one mean and awesome dwarven lady. Wonder how she''s been lately. Come, she serves some hearty and filling food." he added as his hand stretched ahead and pushed the doors open, revealing dimly lit hall, filled with tables and chairs around them in a rather deserted state, clearly due to the late hours they had arrived. A single, younger girl was half draped over the counter, just barely staving off the sleep that was threatening to catch her in its inescapable grasp. Thankfully for her, the light creaking of the doors and the footsteps of the arriving duo snapped the girl to attention and out of her drowsiness in mere moments, her back ramrod straight and eyes rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "W-welcome to Beth''s Hearth. How can I help you?" the girl stammered, her gaze locked on Danica''s wolf ears atop her head. Beastkin were rare around these parts, so actually encountering one was a new experience for the girl, so much so that she had failed to recognize Rex whatsoever, eliciting a light laugh from Rex as he spoke.


    "Ha ha ha. Sheesh, it''s been what, a month and something and I have already been forgotten? And after all those tips I left. I feel wounded." Rex exaggeratedly spoke, showing clear, over the top faked hurt, earning an eye roll from Danica and snapping the attention of the younger girl towards him. It was then that she also recognized Rex, her face first showing surprise and then quickly morphing to a sweet smile, two rows of teeth showing from just how wide the smile was. "Sir Rex, it is a pleasure to see you again. Should I go and wake mama Beth up? She will surely be happy to see you."


    "No need. Give a room for the night with a slightly bigger bad and I will catch her in the morning. Also, if the party ''Light''s Oak'' leave their room before I am down here, have them wait and send someone to get me. They are friends of mine I haven''t seen in a while. I would love to catch up." Rex explained as he placed a silver coin on the counter, alongside the payment for his room and his special breakfast times two Beth would always prepare for him. It was not so much about what, but how much after all.


    Pocketing the extra silver coin, the girl, still smiling, though now there was this extra shine to it, nodded her head and spoke in confirmation, giving him the key and the number of his room.


    "Nice kid." Danica spoke from besides Rex as she smiled, reaching out and ruffling the girls hair before following Rex upstairs, leaving the bar area just as silent as it was before their arrival, save for a lone younger girl who no longer seemed at all asleep. The carriages were already sent off, their decision to stay in the inn his friends were at for the night already planned out with Eve, leaving their return to her residence the next day. With that, the duo ascended the stairs and disappeared in their room emerging only in the early morning.


    With the large supply of soul recovery water he had acquired in the forest of giants more and more of his full capabilities could be unleashed, resulting in near permanently warded temporary shelters he used to spend the nights in, whether it be a rented inn room or hastily set up tent in the wilderness of a dungeon, no matter the place now, whatever happened in his room would stay there, allowing the rest of the people resting interrupted sleep and recovery.


    ------------------------


    "Hey there Beth, Long time no see!" Rex waved at the dwarven woman walking out from the back. He and Danica had woken up a short while ago and after a quicks shower they had come downstairs and found one of the largest tables to sit at while waiting for Beth to wake up and start moving around, preparing for yet another busy day. Rex was sipping on water from his canteen while Danica enjoyed a fruit juice of sorts.


    "Well, well. Look who''s decided to visit? Conscience got the better of you? Wait, do you even have one? Leaving little old me to fend for myself. " Beth replied once she realized who was acting all familiar with her, a grin creeping on her face, already planning to get even with the little brats for keeping quiet about Rex''s return. ''Those cheeky little rascals!'' She thought to herself. There was no way they had not shared the knowledge among their group. ''Probably were bribed by Rex.'' She continued in her head, well aware that few could actually bribe her little helpers, Rex being one of said few.


    "Don''t be like that Beth." Rex replied, his hands raised in a surrender. "I knew you were fine, otherwise the medallion would have been broken." he explained, causing the woman to place a hand on her chest, sensing the medallion on the chain nestled between her breasts. "Besides. You seem doing just fine." Rex added as he threw a small pouch her way. Something that the dwarven woman caught with ease. With a quick glance inside she saw quite a few gold coins among a large number of silver ones.


    "A small sign of appreciation."


    "A small indeed." Beth smirked, her gaze moving over to Danica. "A wolfkin? Don''t see them around here often. Where did you snag her?"


    "Ravenhold Fort. Name''s Danica." Danica explained herself, pointing towards Rex just a moment later. "I am his woman. The first." she added, a proud smile on her lips.


    "Ho ho ho? The first you say?" Beth smirked, looking at Rex. "So one snagged you after all?"


    "What, finally regretting not making a proper move back then?"


    "Ha! As if. She herself said- the first one. I would rather wait a few years before you mature a bit more, only then could I consider it. Maybee." Her gaze locked on his jawline and chin. "I need more than that little stubble you have there. Come back in another ten years yea?" Her laughter was clear and melodic, with a slight undertone of something rough and rugged, though still feminine and pleasant to the ear. The woman was a free spirit, something Rex could appreciate a great deal.


    "I''ll hold you to it then. In ten or so years. On another, unrelated topic, how the business treating you? Ever thought of expanding this magnificent and establishment of yours?" Rex smiled as he replied, the doors to kitchen slowly opening as a couple of the younger girl helpers brought out a few dishes of food. And even as the girls continued with their tasks, placing the plates on his table and disappearing back inside the kitchen, only to return moments later with more plates, Beth had walked over to Rex and Danica and in a slightly hushed voice spoke, audible only to their ears.


    "With my ear to the ground I have heard suspicious movements in the shadows. And I mean things far beyond anything I have ever witnessed. If you ask me, I would say to leave the capital if at all possible. My guess is that something bad will happen during the tournament, so I and the girls will be out of town for a few weeks at the very least."


    "Good that you are aware. We have learned something similar, though I have other things in mind. When are you departing?"


    "Tomorrow morning. Everyone staying has been notified an will leave during the day, some of the adventurer girls will even accompany me. Those girls are all nuggets of gold I tell you."


    "Light''s Oak among them?"


    "Oh? You know those girls? Wait, I think you have mentioned them before. Riight, the party you were with before coming to the capital! How could I forget. You have been an active youngster, haven''t you?" a grin spread across her face once more as she tried to tease Rex. "With the amount of pretty girls orbiting you, I am surprised you have only bagged one. is everything okay with your gear?"


    "If you want to find out so hard, I can show it to you in action." Rex grinned back, well aware of the joke behind those words and more than willing to just play along "We don''t have to wait those ten years if you are so interested."


    "Nu-uh. Grow a bit more first. And eat your food while its hot." She reminded Rex, since Danica was already at it, chowing down on the tastiness the girls had placed on the table and trying not to laugh, lest she loses whatever liquid she had just imbibed.


    With everything she wanted to say out in the open and one last look at Rex, accompanying it with yet another smirk, Beth disappeared in the kitchen, off to prepare for the undoubtedly busy morning to come, leaving Rex and Danica to their own devices, devouring the food that was delivered to their table. They had barely managed to finish their meal when the other target group of their interest descended from the second floor, though Rex noticed straight away that there were two unknown faces, clearly the additional front liners the group was in need of.


    The girls of Light''s Oak were all smiles, even if some of them still had half asleep expression marring their faces, happily chatting among themselves as they arrived in the dining hall. It was as soon as they descended that they heard a familiar voice, drawing the attention of the original group instantly.


    "Well, well, well. Will the table have enough seats for us all I wonder." Rex spoke, all smiles as he gave a few extra coins to the girl taking away the last few dirty dishes of theirs, one hand waving towards the Light''s Oak. His smile and friendly demeanor was instantly returned with just as much, if not twice the amount as the girls quickly approached his table.


    "Did not expect to see you here in capital so soon." he smiled as the girls took seats around the table, with the only exception of Ria who came over and hugged him tightly- the privileges of someone going on dates with Rex. Of course, while they all greeted Rex, asking him about whatever had he been doing and what''s with the rumors they had been hearing around the capital about a new A rank monster tamer. They also glanced towards Danica with obvious questions on their tongues, though not quite yet ready to ask. In the end, it was Rex himself who would speak out, as soon the asked introduction of the two new members of Light''s Oak were finalized.

 Chapter 70. The tournament begins.

    With a slight prompt from Rex, the Light''s oak''s girls, Samanta to be precise, cleared her throat audibly, silencing her fellow party members and gazed towards the two, unfamiliar girls among their ranks.


    "Sorry girls! This is Rex as you already know." she bowed her head in apology and then turned back to Rex. "Let me introduce them." her hand, with the palm facing up, gestured towards a girl with caramel toned skin, black hair and eyes. A toned and slightly muscular body spoke of a strict training regiment and discipline of the girl in question, indicating her front line duty.


    "This is Tara." Samanta spoke as the girl in question nodded towards Rex, her gaze critical as if evaluating him. Rex had the distinct feeling that back on his original world the girl would be of egyptian blood. And despite her role as a front liner, she was still quite beautiful, not a single scar marring her face.


    "And this is Zana." Samanta pointed towards the other newcomer- a brunette girl with a similar build to that of Tara. And much like her compatriot who was just introduced, she too nodded her head towards the unfamiliar duo, inspecting and evaluating them. With the introductions of their new members out of the way, the core group looked towards Rex with a clear question and Rex did not make them wait any longer.


    "This is Danica." He spoke as his hand sneaked around her waist and drew her in closer, prompting the woman to snake her arms around his torso, forming a rather tight and possessive hug, a knowing grin creeping on her face. "Due to certain circumstances she became my woman, not that I am complaining mind you. Ow, and she is A ranked adventurer by the way." That caused quite the reaction from the girls, the most apparent one coming from Ria. He then looked towards the blonde buxom beauty, whose face was forming a rather complicated expression, and added "We are still going on those dates of ours. A deal is a deal and I am not letting you go that easily."


    "B-but..." she stammered as she glanced towards Danica.


    "Girl please!" Danica sighed, understanding Ria''s worry. "There is not a single woman who could hope to handle him so there is no reason for you to be alarmed that I would form some sort of a grudge. On the contrary. If he were not so stubborn, I could have had some help already, so if anything, I hope you two get down and dirty ASAP." Then the wolf girls face changed from griining to one of a predator as she licked her upper lip. "You look especially delicious." She did not get to speak further, as a symbolic chop came down on her head, courtesy of Rex.


    "Behave." he chided the naughty beast kin, his attention returning to Ria. "And don''t take her words to heart. The last part that is, she in mischievous but a good person nonetheless. Give her time and she grows on you."


    The group chatted for a while, with Light''s Oak retelling their adventures since Rex had left for the capital, including the stories of how they came a cross their two new members and how they joined. While somewhat interesting, Rex could not, in good conscience, classify either story as a great one, though he also did not have the heart to say that to the girls, so, like a wise adult, he simply kept his mouth shut, allowing the girls to switch to the next subject to talk about while their food arrived.


    Of course, once their stories were over, they questioned Rex about his adventures and if he would be willing to share the story of how he met Danica.


    "Well, there is not much to tell, really." Rex started, thinking of the easiest way to make a TLDR. Thus, what he came up with was "Came here, listed the Empowerment crystal for the auction, delved, killed some unknown A ranked monsters, went to Ravenhold Fort, helped out Danica. Got my adventurers rank updated, again. Went to the forest of giants, got my mounts. Killed a crippled vampire and a manticore, then grinded some more A ranked monsters. Ahh, yes. And trained a princess. That''s about it."


    There was a dead silence, even a couple of forks falling to the ground as he finished talking, pulling out his adventurers card and placing it on the table, the A rank and a staggering number of A ranked monster kills earning the undivided attention of the entirety of Light''s oak. "Danica did quite a lot of the killing though."


    "Who''s fault do you think it is?" she joined in, a smile on her face, though not releasing him from her guf at all. "Without that freakishly awesome control that you provide it would be impossible. I would be overwhelmed and munched on in no time at all. I would know, I have had the chance to join my own kind to actual A ranked party delves. If given the choice, I would easily pick you over a few dozen A rankers without even giving it another thought."


    "Riight." Rex smiled, his gaze returning to the Light''s Oak''s girls. "Say, what were your plans for the coming few weeks?"


    "Hmm? The same as usual? Some delving and what not?" replied Samanta, pulled out of her daze and reaching for her dropped for in the process. "Why? I don''t think we have what it takes to get you going. Didn''t when you departed for the capital. Even more so now, as much as it pains me to admit."


    "Don''t be like that. I do consider you at least friends, Ria a bit more, no offence. I ask because it has come to my attention that some fuckery is on the horizon, likely to take place during the tournament. And since I have a task to perform that will see me join said tournament and I will be crushing my opposition, there is little doubt in my mind that someone might try and start playing dirty. As such, I was wondering if would you like to spend some time relaxing in a residence of a princess during said tournament?"


    A few glances were exchanged, mostly with the two new members, who nodded slightly. Then, Samanta spoke as she shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose we do deserve some rest. Have been pushing quite hard in the dungeon lately." A small smile crept on her face, mirrored by the rest of the original party, a warm feeling creeping in their hearts that Rex considered them important enough for such actions to be taken to ensure their safety.


    With that said, the group returns to their meak, all while Rex explains the general plan he had in mind for the rest of the day, up until they reach the residence designated as their temporary home. And a good thing that was as well, what with mama Beth skipping town for the duration of the tournament. And so, once done with their meal, the group follows Rex once they have collected all their belongings from their rooms.


    The next half a day is spent in the city proper, purchasing quite a few different things, starting from food and snacks, to new clothes and other accessories. Being the man that he was, Rex paid for some of it, his wallet loaded with money nowadays. They also went by the Coachmen guild, as Rex had a short conversation with Regal, receiving praises for the job he had completed for them while at the same time being offered another one that Rex refused, noting that he would be taking part in the coming tournament. And as expected, Regal had quite a few words of warning for him, regarding the same things he was already aware off thanks to Eve and their intelligence. Did not mean Rex failed to appreciate the gesture from Regal, promising to take some other job for them once he was done with the tournament. And with a small stack of papers, all filled with relevant information gathered by Regal''s operatives, he left, returning to the things the group was doing so far. Another hour or so later, they arrived at their destination, just mere minutes later being guided inside the walled garden and led towards the main mansion of the ''small'' property within said walls.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    There, all smiles and dressed in somewhat casual, yet still exquisite clothes, Eve was already waiting them, warmly greeting Rex''s friends and introducing herself as a member of Rex party, even if only temporary for the time being- something Danica waved off, saying that she had done quite well so far, her continues place in their party quite well established and near guaranteed- and then offhandedly mentioning that she was also a princess of the nation, though they should just treat her like an adventurer that she loved to be and that she was an archer of B rank right now, though that too would not stay the same for long. Th things and skills Rex had helped her achieve elevating her above the actual combat power she would have been capable of wielding.


    With that said, the girls then looked towards Rex, hopeful sets of gazes locked on him, forcing him to raise his hands in surrender.


    "Fine. Fine. I will see what I can do to help you improve, though I will have to disappoint you Ria." he looked towards the only woman of Light''s Oak who was more than just a friend. "Don''t have much to tell you about holy magic and stuff, though I can still help with mana manipulation." Then, a devious smirk rose on his face, asif remembering something "Though I suppose there is something I could do for you specifically. We will discuss that later, ok?" And after receiving a nod of confirmation from the smiling blonde healer, he moved on, along with the rest of the group as they entered the large villa.


    Under the directions of Eve, the girls found rooms they wished to inhabit during their stay, and once their stuff was left in the rooms, they gathered together once again and headed towards the back of the villa, where a well maintained and modern, for the times that is, training field came into their view. There, the group then got to work. First came a spar against Rex, as he used his blood chains to restrain and push the girls, including Danica and Eve who were helping Light''s oak out by temporary joining their side, to their limits, while barely forced to move or properly defend himself. It was here that Light''s Oak''s experienced just how much of a monster he really was, taking the mall on without actually breaking a sweat, all while commenting on their mistakes or incorrect techniques that were wasting way more energy than necessary.


    Such spars and training lasted for hours, until everyone, Rex excluded, was physically exhausted. Then, they would all get a quick bath, followed by a rich and filling meal, followed by skill practice where Rex would focus more on the technical side of things, explaining some techniques he could share to expand their arsenals or assisting in fine-tuning or even enhancing their current techniques. Then, after another few hours of such training, the group would have free time for a few hours to do as they wished, followed by supper and another few free hours before it was suggested to have some rest, preparing for the next day''s practice.


    It was on the second that that Ria received Rex''s special assistance, as he and Danica visited Ria''s room, explaining what he had in mind, and once Ria agreed, more than just a little excited about the prospects, Rex proceeded to engrave her body with similar runes to what he and Danica had. Ria did pout that it was quite a painful process, though after a few days of getting used to it, she almost lunged at Rex from joy, questioning where he managed to acquire such miraculous technique. Only a little later to ask if the rest of the girls could receive the same treatment- they were practically her family after all. Rex did agree somewhat, noting that it would be a slightly weaker version than hers. Ria''s class and affinity with holy magic being the reason he could make hers specifically that much stronger.


    And thus, amidst the continuous training that they did, he proceeded to do as promised, engraving a weakened version of this rune set on the rest of the girls as well. He did not forget to emphasize that they should never reveal this techniques existence to anyone, lest they want to be hunted by greedy cunts, hoping to extract the knowledge from their flesh and failing in the process. Whatever he did was something akin to a consumable potion, or like Empowerment crystal, with the caveat that the individual themselves had to put in effort to extract the value from his gift.


    It was in such a manner that the group spent their days, awaiting the start of the tournament, barely leaving the residence. Most of the shopping was done by the few servants that worked in Eve''s mansion and what little else was needed was bought by either Rex or Danica, the duo sometimes leaving for a few hours, checking on the changes in the city a and gathering information. Eve too had spent most of this time with them after her father had visited and saw the training the group was engaged in. He could barely recognize Eve herself as she skillfully shot arrow after arrow at Rex, who was attacked by a number of other girls, each and every one of them, Evelysandra including, failing to so much as leave a scratch on Rex, whose chains moved as if alive and possessing their own minds, intercepting every attack or projectile.


    ''Monster. Absolute monster.'' The king though as he witnessed it with his own eyes, a smile creeping on his face at the realization that Rex is on their side. And cold chills ran down his spine imagining a world where it was the opposite. It was after witnessing this that the king pulled Eve aside and instructed her to spend more time with Rex and his friends,emphasizing the fact the rest of the noble family would easily manage the tournament. And, as he hugged her before leaving, yet another few hopeful requests were whispered in hear ear, some of which left Eve slightly blushing.


    Once the king had left, Rex just shaked his head, as if disappointed in the king for speaking in such hush hush manner. "Don''t take his words seriously. There is no need to try and seduce me or get down and dirty in my bed ASAP. We are fine as is currently. Forcing whatever he wants would be inadvisable." The fact that Rex had not only heard her father''s words, but was also kind enough to repeat them loudly for the rest of the girls around to hear only caused her to blush even harder. Danica was, as expected, the main culprit in the coming teasing that Eve had to live with, though that was the worst that came of the whole situation.


    Their schedule was slightly interrupted once during the two week period before the tournament officially began. It was by the time that Eve''s mother returned from her visit to the neighbouring nations capitals. Obviously, Eve wanted Rex to meet her, and eventually, with a bit of distracting and Danica''s help, the two met. There were few words exchanged besides quick and polite greetings before the queen dragged Eve away to question the younger woman about everything she had heard rumors about and was worried of. Before leaving though, she looked at Rex one final time, smiled and asked Rex to take care of her daughter for her. Rex just shrugged in response noting that as a part of his party, she would be safe at the very least, earning a rather suspicious new smile in return.


    -------------------------------


    It was early morning, the sun had just barely appeared above the horizon greeting the people already up and about, promising yet another warm and pleasant day. Rex and the girls were all seated around a rather large dining table, stuffing their cheeks with food, little to no conversations happening as they did so. It was time for the opening ceremony of the tournament, or would be in a couple of hours, but no one, except Rex of course, wanted to be late. If he had a say on the matter, which he kind of did, but decided to just keep quiet this time, he would have just skipped the whole yapping part entirely and joined when actual combat began. He was here for that and nothing else. To hell could go all the nobles, their offspring and whatever else could be watching the tournament. Still, it was customary for all the participants to be present and since Rex was assured he would not have to speak or present himself like some sort of exhibit, he had agreed.


    After they had all filled their bellies with food, the two parties boarded a total of three carriages as Sidsel and Wari were circling high in the sky, their insanely sharp eyes catching most, if not all movement anywhere in their vicinity, at least all that could actually be seen from the sky. In less than another thirty minutes, they had reached the colosseum that was built on the main island, standing proud and inspiring passerby''s with a sense of grandeur and might. Statues of fierce warriors stood on the sides of every single entrance, their spears crossed just above the doors, their shields placed by them and their sharp gazes locked on those passing through the gate. As they walked, led by Eve, their gazes moved from wall to wall, each one painted with numerous pictures, as if telling stories of times long since past. Eve spoke at times, explaining the tales certain paintings displayed. Ones that spoke of fighters of past, earning their renown and glory in the arena here. And soon enough, the group exited on a balcony with a few, comfortable looking sofas, placed their for them.

 Chapter 71. The tournament. Preliminary stage. Part 1.

    The group gazed around, their elevated position giving them quite the point of view. Countless commoners were already sitting in the seats below, quietly chatting with one another, excited about the chance to whiteness a grand spectacle. Unlike most adventurers, who might arrive at one point or another, the common folk had been waiting for the event for quite some time, pooling money to get the chance to come and see at least some of the fights that were bound to happen. Who knew, they might even get a glimpse of some legendary warrior''s early fights.


    Next to them, on the same height were other balconies, slowly filling up with other people of renown or noble blood. Right next to their balcony on each side were Eve''s siblings and their mothers, the king having a fair few concubines. Eve though was one of the children on the queen herself, giving her quite a bit more status, multiplied many fold because of the presence of Rex and Danica, as well as Wari and Sidsal, who were circling high in the sky, out of the eyes and ears of most people present, though there were a few who had noticed them, causing them to worry.


    If they wished so, Rex and his friends could start a conversation with Eve''s siblings, though there was nothing to talk about, as such, Rex''s gaze slid over the remaining balconies, evaluating the power of those present. And unlike what he would use in the wilderness or dungeons, he employed his aura, a rather foreign concept for the people of this word, avoiding any chance his mana pulse could be detected. As far as he could tell, there were no truly dangerous opponents here, for him at least, though at the same time he could say with certainty that there was indeed quite a bit of things moving in the background. There was no way such large number of A rankers would gather for such a small, outer regions'' tournament. And with each new arrival, he grew more and more sure, the number of A ranks only increasing.


    -----------------------------------


    Among the crowd of commoners, a few cloaked individuals sat together, not a rare sight in the slightest, though if one were to remove their cloaks, blood red eyes and ashen gray, long hair would come in their sights. And unlike most other people around them, there was little to no talking among their little group, their gazes all turned towards a certain balcony- a single, average looking man, surrounded by a group of beauties, earning the entirety of their attention. Unbeknownst to everyone around them, a conversation was taking place right this instant.


    "Indeed Barnabus, I can sense the power of blood radiating from him, in no small amounts no less." spoke the eldest and most powerful of them. "It was indeed a good idea to visit the nearby villages and inquire about powerful individuals visiting around that time." he continued "Though what surprises me the most is that he is no vampire at all. What is it then that gives off such strong scent of blood? A relic perhaps?" The vampire elder mused, his thought transmitted towards his compatriots, offspring and servants to be precise.


    "Should I ''invite'' him for a talk once there is an opening?" deploying the same method, a slightly sweet, yet undeniably male voice asked, as if smacking his lips in anticipation.


    "There is no rush." The elder rejected the idea "It seems he might be taking part in this tournament of theirs. Let us wait and watch. I have a suspicion that he is more than meets the eye. Don''t forget the two falcons in the sky. Even I dont have the slightest idea what species are they and what can they do. And no doubt those are his."


    "I could always use my charms. He seems to be particularly fond of the female form after all." a giggling and sultry voice joined the conversation.


    "Your sister is right Fergus. While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I doubt that aggression in the right path here." The elder spoke again.


    "Understood father. I shall wait and let Rose act, should you deem that necessary."


    "Still what a peculiar human I must confess. In the centuries I have lived, never before have I encountered such a situation." The elder mused, quite intrigued by the discovery. What little indignation he had held over the death of his failure of a son initially, replaced by fear of a primordial, driving him to come here and secure the safety of his family, had now entirely changed into pure, unconcealed curiosity. It was then that he sensed someone approaching him discreetly, stopping before his group, extending their hand that held a piece of paper in hand.


    "For you sir. A message." the plainly dressed teenager spoke quietly, though clearly heard by the group. The elder took the paper, unfolded it and read the message. There was little written on it, but the words there caused him to quickly glance towards the man he had just looked at and as he did so, he saw the man now looking straight at him, a slight smirk on his face as he mouthed ''you know where to find me. Let''s have a nice and friendly chat sometime soon.''


    "How many people do you think is in the stadium children? Thousand? Five? No matter the number, it seems that we are just as easily seen apart by him than he is to us.Tonight we will visit the man and have a chat."


    "It must be a trap!" Fergus cautioned.


    "Unlikely. Why try to trap us when he could just as well expose us here and now, guaranteeing a worse outcome?" Rose spoke her mind, more and more intrigued by the man.


    "Does not matter. Only he can answer the questions we have no doubt accrued."


    ------------------------------------


    ''Hmm. It seems I will have some interesting company tonight.'' Rex mused as he saw the group of vampires remain in their seats instead of leaving. ''I wonder, what interesting things they will be able to tell me.'' Rex mused, his mind getting lost in the probabilities of said meeting and the general understanding he had come to regarding the rather special creatures that vampires were, until he felt a light pinch in his side- Danica calling him back to the land of the mortals. With a hand gesture, she pointed towards a certain direction of the stage in the middle where a few men had gathered, no doubt there to announce the start of the event.


    Noticing the absence of the king, he quickly lost any interest he might have had, returning to his inspection of the surroundings and the people in attendance. With his ever recovering soul fragment, he could do more and more, starting from simple observation of everything that was happening all around him in a certain, ever expanding range, to more easily commanding the concepts he had comprehended, disregarding the limits of this world.


    As he did so, he caught quite a few interesting and sometimes annoying conversation going on, none of the speakers becoming alerted to what he was doing or capable of. Numerous nobles were right before him, both from this nation and abroad, talking in hushed voices, evaluating their opposition in the tournament, including the dignitaries from inner continent, who were seated higher still, surpassing even the kings platform. Humiliating? Perhaps, but an action that was needed, lest the dignitaries in question take offence that some lesser people, peasants even, have deemed themselves equal to their noble selves. He did zero in on two conversations in particular, marking the speakers as some who''s champions he would crush most vehemently, should he encounter them in any of his fights.


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    "Look at that slut Evelysandra." spat a rather young looking, most likely in his early to mid twenties, man as he addressed the elderly man sitting to his right, their gazes locked on both Rex and Eve who was standing next to him while Danica was on his other side, one hand around her waist as he seemed rather apathetic about the whole event happening, the few men down below delivering their speech. "The way she flaunts her supposed superiority, Ha. All she did was spread her legs for an A ranker. She was supposed to be mine!" he seethed, clearly angered beyond belief. "Fuck that. I don''t care anymore, though, that beast girl is right up my alley. I want her. It will be all the sweeter to cuck that damn bastard." the young man grinned as he imagined all kinds of things he would do to soothe his hurt pride, earning a couple of sighs and head shakes. The older man, and the third person along with them, a man of a similar size as Rex, close to two meter height, yet with bulging muscles that gave him the air of a barbarian berserker, looked at the younger man with questioning eyes, as if asking ''Who are you to talk? Reach B rank at least before you brag!'', though none of it was said out loud.


    "Careful young master. Not only are we not in our home right now and no one can ever truly know if anyone is listening, but even if just a tamer, his skills are indeed formidable. We know he has two A ranked, unrecognized falcons under his control. How many others can boast such power at their fingertips."


    "Tsk." the young man clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed at the cautious words of the elder, though with the orders from his own father, there was little else he could do, lest he mess up their plan. And that was not something he could afford to do since even he would face dire consequences in such a scenario. That was something he was not at all inclined to feel on his own skin. However, a moment later, the older man spoke words that brought a smile to his face. "Though, depending on whether or not their group joins the event for the nobility afterwards, there is a way we can try and get what young master desires."


    "Hmm. I''ll leave it in your capable hands then." the young master smirked as he brought a glass of wine to his lips, a content grin on his face as he once again delved in his own imagination, planning what and how he would enjoy his prize.


    The other group consisted of a slightly larger amount of people, though it was apparent that aside from two, clothed in quite exquisite monster silk and carapace armor and garbs, the rest were there to protect and escort said duo. Similar to the previous group, the younger person of the duo, another man in his early twenties seemed to be the more important one. As he leisurely sipped on his own drink, lazily gazing around, he offhandedly addressed the other person next to him, a woman in her early forties. Despite her middle age, she was still quite the looker, with lithe body that seemed to not be exerted much, clearly some sort of a mage or priest.


    "So, what do you see?"


    "The wolfkin woman next to the.." the woman started, looking at some notes in her hand "princess of this nation radiates strength. I would bet she is at least middle A rank, possibly closer to the high class. The man next to her is somewhat of an enigma though, I would have to unleash the full extent of my abilities to pry deeper, but with those two abyss falcons circling high in the sky I dare not risk it. Then there are a few quite powerful individuals in the stands, a group of cloaked individuals, clearly here for some other reason."


    "Anything else?" he asked, his gaze moving towards Danica and Rex.


    "Nothing worth our attention. Though I suppose Dawning Sun sects members should be aware of the same. It is quite disappointing, really. Whatever A ranker''s there are, are either to old or weak. Then again, what else should we expect from the outer regions."


    "While you are correct that there are rare few individuals worth our time, nearly every generational monster comes from an outer region. And when they appear, no matter the wealth and resources that we, inner region people, can funnel in our own geniuses, they all get overshadowed by these monsters from these regions, no matter how rare they are. Funny that, don''t you think?"


    A pleasant silence took over the duo for a while, the woman contemplating his words, and the younger man simply waiting, not actually expecting her to respond. A moment later though, he asked another question. "The tamer of those abyss falcons, is the man next to the wolfkin, right?"


    "Indeed. There is no other explanation for his insanely high magical resistance, blocking out my mind magic. That would also explain why I cannot even get a read on anyone''s surface thoughts within that same platform."


    "Think we could recruit him alongside the wolfkin? It would seem the duo would come as a package. Hell, I would not mind taking in his entire harem if that gets our sect the monster tamer. When was the last time an A ranked one walked the continent?"


    "That would be Remelion the wyvern lord if I recall correctly, though he was supposed to be peak A rank, bordering S. As for the recruitment part? It is difficult to say, though I suppose it might earn us some goodwill if we expose the plot of that group over there" she subtly pointed towards the platform the duo conspiring to get their claws in Danica were "to steal the wolfkin woman from him. I believe they will try and goad him into a bet of some sorts."


    "Hmm. Contact him as soon as possible. Would not hurt to try. And make sure the Dawning Sun''s goons don''t get to him first. They have sent that slut Pyra after all."


    "Understood. Any orders regarding our fighters, should they encounter the tamer in their mathes?"


    "Don''t try and cripple him. An honourable battle to test his skills."


    "It will be done." the woman replied, already getting to the fulfillment of her tasks.


    ----------------------


    ''Interesting.'' Rex mused as his focus returned to his own surroundings, another pinch in his side calling him back. Oh sure, he could have kept attention, but all that was happening was just so damn boring. Who wants to listen to an hour long monologue of two old fogies, regaling the tale of how the event came to be? It was so much more interesting to listen in on people who believed their wards were foolproof. And while this Dawning Sun sect had similar thoughts, they could not pinpoint Rex as one of the interests for their search, lacking a mind mage of their own for the task. They were incredibly rare after all. And unlike their competitor, they seemed to have deemed this event not worthy enough of theirs time. ''Jokes on you. The presence of my abyss falcons no doubt has caused you to curse more than once in your thoughts. I bet their goons will be doing overtime to pinpoint their masters identity. Lucky for you that is information easily available around these parts. Reaching me though? That''s a whole another thing altogether.''


    "Yes?" he looked towards the pincher, his attention entirely on her. With an eye roll, Danica glanced towards Eve as if saying ''go on scaredy cat, ask away. It is only a pinch.'' Understanding the situation, Rex shifted his gaze towards Eve, even as his hand around Danica''s waist went on the offensive, exacting a proper, naughty revenge on his adventurous lady.


    "Would you please attend the gathering after this? You don''t have to socialize or whatever. Just please be there. It would help us a lot."


    The expression on his face was quite the giveaway of how unwilling he was even contemplating the idea. Luckily, Danica was on Eve''s side, adding her own two cents.


    "Yea, lets go. I felt so many hungry gazes landing one me that there must be at least a couple or retards who think they can just roll over and demand me, earning a proper beatdown from you as a result." A sultry expression took over her face as she was reminiscing, biting her lip gently with one of her kanines. "It still gives me quite the goosebumps when you destroyed those fools of the Weeping Legion for me. Pretty please? You know I will make it up to you?"


    "Haaah." Rex sighed. his naughty hand moving away from Danica''s firm cheeks. "The things I do for my women." and with another sigh he added "No socializing. Fuck that. And I will whip out Snek if they annoy me too much. A fair warning."


    "Understood. I will make sure you are not swarmed by those damn nobles of ours at the very least."


    "Keep the old farts and those hungry harpies away. Let them young fools come. I want some face slapping." Danica grinned as added.


    "You are having the time of your life, aren''t you?"


    "That''s a small price to pay for me not taking part in this, is it not?"


    "Indeed it is." Rex agreed immediately.


    "Great. What about you gals?" Danica then looked towards Light''s Oak.


    "We will pass, thank you very much. There is plenty for us to master that Rex taught us and meditation does not happen by itself." Meditation was the codename they had decided on when speaking about powering the runes engraved on their bodies, allowing for constant and limit surpassing growth, keeping it a secret from others who might be listening in. As far as the world would be concerned, Rex had got the girls on a meditation craze, calming their minds and balancing themselves in the world and whatever other bullshit the wider world believed the practice to be used for.

 Chapter 72. The tournament. Preliminary stage. Part 2.

    Thankfully, the boring speech the fogies in the center did not speak for much longer, finally asking the king as the nation to speak a few words. Unlike the previous speakers, the king had little to say, emphasizing that the tournament is meant to be a friendly competition and that it would be desirable if truly debilitating injuries could be avoided as much as possible, while also noting that accidents happen and everyone should always take care of their health first and foremost. The A ranked healers they had hired would, of course, do their utmost to ensure that as few as possible of such accidents leave permanent injuries. Then, once again, thanking all those participating and those watching, he declared that the tournament has officially started.


    There were two categories in the tournament, with one of the two, called exhibition matches happening right now. Select few members of each nation present would duel, using dulled blades, showing off whatever their origin nation had hoped to present- be it new armours, new techniques or even their new promising youngster, having just reached adulthood. Eve''s father had at one point expressed his desire to have Eve compete, though he was quite quickly shot down by Rex. Eve, while a member of the royal family was his party member, additionally, her mother had asked Rex to look after her and he would do so. As a result, Eve would not take part in some pointless fights where she could not even utilize her true skills. How could there be a proper fight for a backline archer against melee fighters? Either they would reach her and she would have serious issues defending herself, or she could take them down during the dash to close said distance. What''s worse, he was well aware that the fight would not start at the maximum distance Eve was capable of dispatching her enemies from- the arena was simply not wide enough. And, at the end of the day, Rex was fighting for her in the first place, so why would he take part(Danicas little blackmail not considering) if Eve was to fight.


    In the end, the king had to relent, one of his sons taking on the task. Son that, as Rex could see right now, was getting his ass handed to him by a rather experienced knight, pushing the young man around, eventually ending with his expected defeat. Still, the kid was not all that bad, though he lacked plenty of experience, something his opponent capitalised on resulting in the expected outcome. A few more, similar battles took place, none any more interesting than the first and Rex would have, gladly, once again zoned out, thought he was kept busy as the girls asked questions regarding the ongoing fights. Questions regarding their swords skills, their weakness and so on. And, being the nice guy that he was, combined with the puppy eyes and Danica''s encouragement, he answered what he was asked. He analyzed the sword styles used, pointing out their strong sides and glaring weaknesses of each style, commented on the fights as they went on, predicting the finishing moves with frightening accuracy for quite some time. Still, there were only so many exhibition matches even the nations were willing to display, ending the day with a rather large spectacle in the form of monster slaying.


    Previously chosen group faced off against a group of monsters, captured by even more powerful adventurers some time ago. Since the adventurers were of similar rank, the group struggled quite a bit, eventually managing to take the creature down, though they too did not come out of the encounter entirely unschated. Broken equipment, disheveled hair, plenty of bruises and cuts marring their bodies indicated a fight fought valiantly. Teh exhausted, yet triumphant expressions on their faces said it all- the won.


    With that, the opening day was finished, at least as far as the general public was concerned, the people within the balconies already well aware of the event prepared for them to mingle and whatnot. Under the guidance of Eve, with Light''s Oak leaving alongside with the commoners, disappearing in the flow of people, though still watched out for by Rex''s trusty facons, and with their connection, by Rex himself in extension. Luckily, there were no fools just yet trying their damn hardest to try and lock down some of Rex''s supposed weaknesses saving many lives with their own current inaction.


    Soon enough, Eve, Danica and Rex were in a rather large ballroom of sorts, filled with numerous tables and seats on the outer ring, with plenty of exotic and fancy snacks and drinks on said tables. Because the trio had been relatively slow to leave their own balcony, watching out for their friends, they were one of the last groups to arrive, plenty of discreet eyes turning their way. Unlike Eve, who was dressed in quite the stunning evening dress, receiving plenty of compliments from her friends in Light''s Oak, Danica and even Rex, the remaining two, while no longer wielding their usual adventurer garbs, were still clothed in simple and comfortable casual clothes Eve had exchanged a couple of words with her siblings she had the best relationship with, ensuring the message was passed on and the lower rank nobles warned off from approaching him.


    With that particular problem solved, Rex and Danica could move over to the tables with food, collecting a wide assortment of offered snacks, finding the most remote corner possible and sitting down, enjoying the high class cuisine that was before them while Eve had to go and talk with at least her mother and father, leaving Rex and Danica on their own. And, as expected, as soon as they were all alone, the first person of interest approached them- the middle aged woman that Rex had spied on during the boring ass speech.


    "Hello there." she spoke with relatively soft tone of voice and a slight smile on her face, acting like a woman who''s interest had been peaked. "I was wondering if I could borrow just a bit of your time?" she even bit her lip awkwardly, pretending to be the shy maiden who had barely gathered her courage to come and talk to him.


    "You are a good actress. I have to admit that." Rex replied, his eyes never leaving his food "But just like your eyes were on me during the introductions, so was I aware of you. I don''t appreciate people peeking at mine, or my friends secrets. And while your intentions are heard, I am already aware of what you want to bring to my attention. And would you look at that, they are already approaching. Stay and watch the spectacle that is about to happen. Oh, and you should have sent a servant to deliver your message. Your rival no doubt will pay me more attention, where they would not have for a while longer still had you yourself not approached."


    That, well that was quite a few things to process for the woman who had, up until just a few moments ago, believed to be the best informed person around, her magic had attained for her quite a few secrets, but this man, besides just being like a wall, protecting not only himself but also those around him from her probes, was also apparently equipped with his own way to gather information in real time. His value was only growing and growing by the second. And thus, she smiled lightly and moved past Rex, finding a place nearby as she had decided to taste some of the delicacies placed on the tables.


    A moment later, just how Rex had warned her, the duo she had come to warn him about approached, the younger man acting like he owned the place- a wide smirk on his face, a glass of wine half emptied in his hand and eyes locked on the wolfkin woman, almost undressing here there and then with his hungry gaze. Though before he reached the woman, he was stopped by the man accompanying her.


    "Away you go peasant. I am here to talk with that pretty thing. Shoo." the young man arrogantly spoke, only receiving a dagger of a response in return.


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    "And why would I allow a piece of shit to spoil her evening? Go annoy some of the old crones around. They will surely welcome your presence." His response left the youth standing there, stunned for a moment at the sheer level of insult, though luckily for him, the older man next to him did not lose his wits, starting his pre-prepared ramble.


    "INSOLENCE! You are in the presence of the son of lord Erbus Naramika, brother of the king of Naramika, and you will show him respect!"


    "Dragons don''t respect cockroaches, nor do they kneel for them." Rex smirked as he looked at the duo with pure ridicule and disgust, tapping a medallion around his neck, something he had actually gone to the adventurers guild for and got it made. Unlike the adventurer cards that every member received for free, the medallions had to be ordered and paid for, something he had done during last week. The letter ''A'' along with the golden color was a clear indicator that he was A ranked adventurer, making his stance clear. What''s worse, was that most people around the world would not only agree with his stance but even go so far as to laugh in the face of the two fools who could be wiped off the face of the earth at Rex''s convenience. Might makes right after all in this world first and foremost. Neither Visnuss- the young lord and son of Erebus Naramika, nor the elder alongside him, were even close to Rex''s power. The former was an average D ranker, nowhere near B rank, let alone A. And while the elder here was B ranked, he was old and had been middle of the pack in heydays at best.


    "I believe you were informed not to annoy my guests, envoys of Naramika. A rankers are rather proud and confrontational. Go where you are wanted." resounded a beautiful voice, all to familiar for Rex as Eve approached, a slight smile on her lips at the humiliation she had just witnessed Visnuss receive, for that was precisely what it was.


    "Are you happy?" Rex asked, his head slightly moved towards Eve "This is getting terribly boring. We are leaving." he added, taking another snack from the table as he turned towards Danica, extending his free hand. "Let''s go back. I have something better in mind for us to spend our evening on." and once Danica grabbed his hand, rising from hear seat and for the first time turning towards the duo of fools, she scrunched her face in clear disgust upon noticing them. Only she knew what she saw of their characters, but from the obvious expression on her face she was quite disgusted, as evident not only by the expression but the words she spoke as well.


    "Let''s. I will need copious amounts of booze to wash away this disgusting sight."


    Once again a silence pervaded the hall, most other guests now watching the interaction with undisguised glee. It was such a fun pastime to witness a drama in the court of high society. So fun indeed. Rex had brought Danica a few meters away from the whole situation, the duo near the closest of balconies, when Visnuss sneered and laughed, demanding a duel for his wounded honour, instantly naming a champion that would represent him, only to receive a loud laugh from Rex in turn, the illuminated balcony behind him suddenly growing dark as the two, pitch black Falcons landed on the large thing, both pair of eyes locked on the poor fool and his elder.


    "And how do you think you, or your champion will fare against a tamer and his beasts? Run back to your mommy and cry yourself to sleep weakling. You are not even C rank, yet you dare to bark. Fools don''t live long around these parts."


    With a scoff, Visnuss and his elder turned around and stormed away, though many did not notice the smirk on both their faces. The yhad set up a proper feud and it would not be all too strange when his champion would act with unrestrained aggression and cruelty again the tamer should they cross paths in the tournament, and with the might of their hired help, it was only a matter of time, unless the tamer was even weaker than expected and would be pushed out of the tournament by an unaffiliated party.


    Eve rushed over before Rex and Danica left, along with the middle aged woman who had tried to warn Rex, as she had moved close to Eve, as if they have had conversation for the time being.


    "They got what they desired." she spoke quietly, her words only meant for Rex''s and Danica''s ears.


    "That''s what they think, yes, but so did I." Rex smirked back, not paying any attention towards an exceptionally beautiful redhead and elderly steward, the members of the Dawning Sun sect as they stared at Rex and his two abyss falcons, alternating between the two points of interest.


    "I will go with you. I was growing bored with the party anyways." Eve quickly added, accompanying the duo outside on the balcony. "Excuse me." Rex spoke as he wrapped one hand around Danica''s waist and the other around Eve''s and, with a graceful movement he was atop one of the two birds, both beauties by his side as they left the event, resulting in countless conversations and rumors around them for the entire evening. The noble ladies had what they wanted and their imagination was running wild as they gossiped and spun tales crazier and wilder than the last.


    "Learn everything you can about him ASAP." the redhead ordered her companion, a flash of greed and desire in her eyes. "Those were abyss falcons, a pair at that. That is the beginning of a new flock right there. We must obtain them at all cost. What''s worse, those damn Frozen Moon bastards have already gotten in contact with him. And they even sent their damn Bansha here. Curses!"


    Within the few minutes that they spent reaching Eve''s mansion, the young princess was brought up to speed, both regarding Rex''s knowledge about the plot against him by Visnuss and his elder whatever, as well as the words spoken about her in particular by the same duo and the general plan he had come up with.


    "Great work back there love." Rex smiled as he kissed Danica''s head. "What was it that you saw to make you so disgusted at them?" he asked, having wondered about the topic for some time now.


    "Huh? Ahhh, the pompous turd. Actually, nothing too horrible truth be told. That dumb bastard likes to get rough with whoever he happens to get his hands on. Detestable, sure, though nothing that would cause me to react as I did back then." she then grinned, a triumphant expression on her face. "Didn''t think I could as as well as I did?"


    "Oh? Ohhhh." Rex reacted, his face adopting a similar grin to that of Danica''s "You sly minx. I have to applaud you for your performance then. Truly magnificent. You fine with us leaving that party? I did not ask properly back then after all."


    "Mhm. It was dreadfully boring. While plenty of those sleezbags were eyeing me, none had come to vie for my attention. And no, that little shit does not count. Like seriously, how come a C rank has the sheer gall to even dream of such a possibility? Grrr." Danica growled at the mere thought, clearly disgusted with the idea "And what''s worse still, he ain''t no looker either. Not that I would care now." she nuzzled into Rex side happily "I already have a prize well in my hands."


    "Now wait there a minute. Don''t twist the facts here. If I remember correctly, and I do, YOU were the prize, not the other way around." Rex replied, one eyebrow raised as he called his woman out.


    "Have you looked at what we have done the past month and a bit? Even with what you say being the truth, how can I not be the victor. I got sooo much more than I thought I ever would, even hoped for, trully."


    "To be fair to those sleazebags though," spoke up Eve as they approached her residence "They are in a similar, if not worse situation that that little shit, as you call him. Not only are you an A ranker, something that anyone looking into things for a bit would find out, but so is Rex, who currently holds the spot of your man, at least as far as they are concerned. While none of them do.What other choice but to look and dream they have? As unpleasant as it is to admit, there is a reason why the slavers could ever take root in the way they did. There are frighteningly few beastkin deciding to settle in our lands and far too many people who would jump at the opportunity to get down and dirty with them."


    "Hmmm." Rex hummed, interrupting the already ending conversation. "It seems that our guests are already waiting for our arrival." he spoke as they were above the mansion. "Do go on without me. I will go and meet them. There is so much I want to ask of them. Don''t wait for me." Rex smiled as he jumped of off the falcon, the two birds continuing with their flight, soon enough also landing near the villa, close enough that they could see Light''s Oak still practicing. With the arrival of the two girls, their practice session came to an end, numerous questions filling the air as the girls engaged in girls talk.

 Chapter 73. Late night guests.

    It would not have been hard to find the residence they were looking for based on the description alone, even for an ordinary human. Less so for a group of downright super powered creatures like the group of vampires that were on the task. As such, the moment the main event ended and the nobility, along with their target of interest, moved on to a sort of an after party, the group had moved to located the property they could meet with the intriguing human. And so, they had spent an hour or so in waiting. The older generation, like the master himself and his servant Barnabus, had no issue with the wait. After all, what was a few hours for creatures who lived for millennia.


    The younger ones, only few decades old at this point, youngsters even in human terms, were of a different opinion, clearly annoyed that noble beings like them were made to wait. And for what? To rub shoulders with some measly mortals who would perish in but a century? Truly preposterous. Though whatever indignation they felt, was quickly wiped away as they noticed the falcons close in, indicating the arrival of their target. That alone would mean little, their understanding of the magnificent creatures quite lacking due to them not being local and educated enough on the subject. The way Rex came into their view, followed by the way he controlled chains made of crystalized and super compressed blood like extensions of his body to not only disperse the momentum he was falling with by dynamically latching onto several spots on the nearby walls, but to also land perfectly, as if he was simply stepping out of a rather low carriage, accompanied by the slightest of blood lust that was released in a controlled radius. Not to intimidate though, no. This was meant as nothing more than a greeting from one natural born killer to another, even if he himself was seemingly born a human.


    "My apologies for the wait. My woman insisted on attending the drag that was the after party. You must surely understand the conundrum." Rex spoke calmly and casually, his gaze on the most powerful member of the group. "Surely due to the nature of your existence, a conversation behind closed doors would be to your liking?"


    "Indeed." replied the leader of the group and with an affirmative nod, Rex turned around and led the group inside, all the while avoiding all the normal servants of the residence like he knew precisely where each and every one of them was at any given time. The group of vampires, with their unusually high and specific life sense noticed this fact too, rousing the interest of the remaining vampires in Rex''s existence and mysterious abilities even more. ''Was he a particularly lucky mutation of a dhampir- human and vampire half breed, gaining all the strengths and none of the weaknesses, or was there something more to him, something different?'' The same thought ran through their heads as they were led through the mansion towards a rather well decorated and quite spacy room.


    A well crafted and beautifully carved table sat in the middle of the room ,surrounded by quite the number of chairs, as if awaiting them so their conversation could start. And while somewhat lacking, at least for the senses of the refined creatures that the high class vampires were, they were more than the group had expected, truth be told. Following Rex''s lead, they too sat down, finally removing the hoods their features had been hiding under.


    Four, exceptionally beautiful faces came into Rex''s view, each and every one of them ashen haired, with luscious and well maintained long hair that seemed to reach anywhere from the middle of their back to even the derriere in case of the only woman present. The two younger members seemed in their early twenties, while the man sitting in the center of their group looked to be in his late thirties. The last member looked to be older, closing in on his late fifties, though Rex had to admit that while aged, the man was still exceptionally handsome, capable of stealing hearts with ease. Though due to their race, it was pointless to guess their actual age.


    "A foolish, but important question nonetheless." Rex started the conversation, clearly in need of an answer. "Are all vampires ashen haired, or is that a clan or family thing?"


    "A family thing. One can find vampires with any hair color that can naturally occur. Why the question?" The master responded, adding a question of his own.


    "For personal reasons, a redheaded vampire with those same blood red eyes the right figure and temperament just feels like a must. No offense to either of you, for I have to admit, I am slightly jealous of your incredibly good looks." Rex replied, a ''what can you do'' shrug at the end, his average features emphasizing the point.


    "He he he." the vampire lord chuckled slightly, shaking his head at the same time. "Your wish might be a hard one to realize."


    "Which one?"


    "The red headed vampire one."


    "Don''t tell me that it is some sort of royalty thing for your kind." Rex sighed and seeing the helpless smile on the vampires face, he sighed once more, this time exasperatedly. "Well, fuck! Another time then." He then refocused his attention on the group opposite him. "The name is Rex. With whom am I speaking, and to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"


    "Ah, yes. Of course." vampire lord cleared his throat. "I am vampire lord Adrian Zosh. These are my children Fergus and Rose, and this is my personal servant Barnabus. A pleasure to meet you. Few humans come face to face with a vampire and act civilised. Most either run screaming, try to cut our heads off or instantly go for the most powerful; holy spell they have in their arsenal."


    "Seeing how unique your condition is, I find it entirely possible to reason and converse with your kind, as evident by both your ability to infiltrate this nation''s capital as well as us sitting here and now. If you don''t mind me being so blunt, what is your relationship with a vampire youngling, incredibly weak blood quite poor self control. I feel some connection here, as does Snek."


    "Ah, yes. That was the original reason as to our arrival. The unfortunate creature was my son. Due to a cruel fate he was born as he was. We tried many things to have him look past his inferiority, but he never could, eventually resulting in his exile. I still had a magic crystal that would shatter upon his death, as well as lead to the place he last drew breath. It is from there that we inquired in villages nearby regarding mighty adventurers passing through and eventually it led us here. And once here, it was difficult to ignore the calling we felt coming from your direction. may I inquire as to the reason of my wayward son''s demise?"


    "He was creating an army of ghouls, terrorizing the local villages. I was begged to solve the problem. Thus, once I dispatched said ghouls, I tracked him down and then dispatched him as well. I have to say, he was quite arrogant, with a chip on his shoulder the size of a fucking mountain and some serious racial superiority issues. And while it is unfortunate that you have lost a son, I don''t regret my actions one bit and would chose the same again and again."


    "I understand. Though I do have to ask. What exactly are you? And who is Snek? Why do we feel this inexplicable draw towards you?"


    "Right. First things first. I suppose I am something of a human. For now at least. This here is Snek." Rex raised his hand, his blood snake poking out it''s head for a moment, flicking its tongue a few times, looking incredibly cute and once again disappearing in Rex''s sleeve. "As for what draws you to me? I would say it''s your bloodline in general. Or your species. Go with whichever you prefer."


    "Could you elaborate?"


    "How should I put it?" Rex thought for a second as he spoke. "Let''s go with this I suppose." He mused for another moment, finally deciding on an analogy. "From what I can see, due to your unique mutations over thousands upon thousands of years, you have developed an uncanny affinity towards blood magic to the point of it changing you fundamentally to be aligned with the concept of blood, however miniscule said alignment is. It is why you feed on blood and can not only sustain yourselves but thrive and grow stronger, while that should not be possible. And, since my understanding and control of said concept is beyond reasonable, at least as far as you can ever hope to achieve, no insult there is intended, you are instinctively drawn towards me, like moths to the flame. Though without the guaranteed burning one you actually reach it."


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    Rex slightly smiled at the analogy he had made. "Here is another example. Have you noticed that the more powerful the target, the harder it is to affect their blood while they still draw breath?"


    "Of course. That''s something that every child knows." replied Rose.


    "And what about usurping control of someone else''s spells and blood constructs under their direct control?"


    "Not possible, again, every child knows this." Chimed in Fergus, not at all pleased that they all were treated like kids receiving a lesson, his tone indicating as such, while Adrian and Barnabus were in deep thought, trying to perceive whatever nugget of wisdom Rex was trying to present.


    "Now now children. Mind your manners, or you will get detention." Rex smirked, leaning in on their rather apparent point of conflict here, though he cared little of what the younger duo thought, for just moments later, they both suddenly, and somewhat mechanically, pushed back their chairs and fell to their knees, their palms pressed against the ground and heads slightly bowed.


    "Manners children. I don''t appreciate those scoffs you were showing." Rex spoke lightly, ignoring the kneeling duo and moving his attention towards the older two vampires who had incredulous expressions on their faces.


    "Now, would you say that vampires are weak creatures in general? How many masters of blood magic could control those two children of yours as well as I have, without any injuries to them, besides their pride of course?"


    "I-it should not be possible. They are pure bloods through and through, even if nowhere near my level of mastery." Adrian replied, both in awe, shock and fear at what it implied.


    "Now, tell me how does it feel?" Rex asked, as he clapped Adrians hands, creating applause for himself. "A strange feeling, isn''t it? Though feels natural, despite the terror it could induce, no?"


    "B-but how?" Adrian asked, his eyes looking towards Rex as if he was a LORD in flesh, as unreasonable as it felt.


    "Because you are attuned to the concept that I am quite the expert at. That attunement, while granting you plenty of power, allowing you to do with blood magic that barely any human could ever hope to achieve, is also why someone who is at the level that I am could make any of your kind into a perfect puppet of theirs."


    "Cast a simple blood spell." Rex added a moment later, the clapping already stopped and all control relinquished. Adrian did as told, creating a simple blood orb in his hands, compressing it into a projectile, ready to be unleashed at a moments notice. And, just a moment later, he could no longer sense his control over it as Rex moved it towards himself, playing with it as if his own creation.


    "Think of it as a river, always trying to flow downwards, with enough time reaching the ocean. There is a bright side in all of this for your kind though, depending on the creature that right now happen to be me. By spending time in my presence, you too will grow in your own understanding of the concept, even if very, very slowly. Though I suppose Time is something that you have plenty of."


    "And why tell us all of this?" Barnabus asked.


    "You have been civil and I was quite curious about the nature of vampires ever since I learned that your kind is the only known, natural blood magic user. And, what better way to rewards your cooperation and civility than a few answers and whatnot. If you stick around, do try to not drain any humans entirely."


    "May I ask another question?" Barnabus asked?


    "Go ahead. It is a conversation only if both sides talk."


    "What would someone of your might do in such a small, insignificant outer region nation?"


    "I came to be here. Why else? Well, I suppose I have friends here as well, that adds something."


    "Queen Lucilla would love to meet you." Adrian thought out loud, adding just a moment later "Would you be so kind as to allow my children to move?"


    "Right. They should have learned their lesson." Rex agreed, releasing his control of their bodies. "Though I would prefer that the knowledge you have acquired today remains with you for the time being."


    "Of course. Though if I may be so bold to ask, will your lordship remain here in this nation, or travel to other places, exploring the vast and wonderful world of ours?"


    "And why would you be interested?"


    "To be able to grow and develop of course! Which vampire does not dream of it?"


    "And for that you would need my presence, thus the inquiry. Hmm, logical. Though I suppose there is a solution to that as well."


    "Allow me to call for Evelysandra. She is a party member of mine and also happens to be a princess of this small nation. She should have the grasp on the local situation better than me and if what I think I could propose could be feasible, she is the person to ask."


    As soon as Rex finished his words, Snek popped out of his sleeve and slithered away, the task of finding and bringing Eve over, as well as her current location, clear. Ten or so minutes of small talk later, a knock was heard on the door, after which Eve entered, accompanied by Snek who then once again disappeared in Rex''s sleeve. Due to positioning of the door, at this moment Eve could only see Rex who was facing her and the backs of four individuals, their ashen gray hair and cloaks the only thing in her sight.


    "You wanted to talk with me?" She asked, her eyes on Rex, though she did gaze at the four guests every now and then. "I did not expect guests."


    "I believe I did tell you I would have some company today?" Rex mused. "No matter. This here is Adrian Zosh and his family members. He has expressed a desire to work for me and due to his unique circumstances I believe it to be only logical to hear your opinion."


    "It''s just a family. Why ask for my opinion?" Eve replied, confusion clear on her face, until Adrian turned his head towards her, the blood red eyes and slightly extended kanines in clear sight. As expected, the initial reaction of Eve was quite sharp, the horror stories about how bloodthirsty and monstrous vampires are doing their job, causing her to stumble back, falling on her ass. Though to her defence, she did not scream, and the first words out of her mouth were quite funny, at least for Rex.


    "R-Rex. Y-you know they are v-vampires right?"


    "Yes. I told you that your input would be necessary. As you stated, why would I ask if the family was an ordinary bunch of people? Right. And I will ask you to assist me in acquiring a mansion of my own, preferably on the outskirts of the city." The relaxed way Rex was talking about the whole issue did calm Eve down a fair bit, whatever fears she might have had, washed away by the sheer confidence of the man. She was damn sure that no matter what, as a member of his party she would be safe. As such, gathering herself up, she rose to her feet, dusted off her clothes like it was nothing, walked over and sat down right next to Rex. "W-would you be so kind as to explain the whole situation? I can''t speak on the matter without all the relevant information, now can I?"


    "Sure thing." Rex nodded, proceeding to explain. A few minutes later, Eve looked at him, summarising.


    "So let me get this straight? They want to stay near you, or in this case your residence, to be able to grow stronger? And in exchange, they would watch over your friends? And they would not experience this feeding frenzy, like ever?"


    "That sounds about right, yes."


    "Could my family request their assistance as well?"


    "Hmm, I don''t see why not, though it should be contained to this dungeon, only probably your father should be informed and a proper compensation would be a must. And of course within reason regarding the frequency of the requests." Rex thought for a moment. "By the way Adrian, I have been wondering, how do you deal with the thirst? "


    "It''s quite the process, I have to admit." Adrian replied, quite the amount of pride coming from his lips as he withdrew a flask from his space storage ring, clearly filled with blood. "To ensure that we do not succumb to feeding frenzy, we have developed a rather sophisticated system. Every few weeks, the people of the villages within our controlled territory have to give blood and since the collection is done by a well fed collector, there is no danger of them succumbing to the frenzy. Thus, we have plenty of blood in our storage rings, for when the hunger calls."


    "And how many people would you need to sustain your family, while their lives would not be endangered due to low amounts of blood?" Rex asked.


    "let me think for a moment. Me, my wife, Barnabus and three children. I suppose a hundred would be a safe bet. We could go with less, but that would make them somewhat exhausted in their day to day tasks."


    "Magnificent. Eve, my dear." Rex then turned towards Eve "And there you have it. Regarding the property then. As just explained, besides the main mansion, there should be enough room for at least a hundred servants, two hundred if possible. You know I have the funds to sustain such expenses and Adrian''s family will do that when we will be away."


    "Sigh. Sometimes you are impossible to comprehend. You know that right?" Eve grumbled, with one hand covering her eyes and massaging her temples. "I will talk with father tomorrow."


    "Right, thanks, and have a good rest. I will spend some more time with my new friends here, figuring ways to deal with that pesky holy magic issue they have." Rex replied, guiding Eve towards the door, earning yet another groan from the already mentally exhausted woman.

 Chapter 74. The tournament continues.

    After spending another few hours, examining and delving into the reasons vampires were so vulnerable to holy magic, with Rex scanning their bodies with both his mana and aura, they had come to a prototype solution. And as it turned out, the solution was quite simple as well- all they had to do was grow more knowledgeable about the concept of blood, resulting in the cleansing of their blood, erasing the corruption their mutation had brought while maintaining the advantages of it. And with their rings stuffed to the brim with blood, the group was in no immediate worry about supplies, giving Eve plenty of time to iron out the details with her father. And as such, Barnabus was given the task to return to their homeland and bring Adrian''s wife and last child here.


    "Will there be any problems with your entire family disappearing?" Rex asked as he prepared to head towards the colosseum, the second day of the tournament having arrived.


    "There shouldn''t. Plenty of families have decided to travel the world, disappearing for decades, only to return down the line, and since none of my family hold an important position. it would not raise any eyebrows."


    "Perfect. Now, since you all will be confined to this room for the time being, my apologies for that." Rex bowed his head "I believe that you would need something to busy yourselves with. As such, here you go." He spoke, pulling out a small tablet, no larger than a smartphone. It was blood red in colour, clearly crystalized blood, yet even Adrian, who was more than half a millennia old, could not hope to achieve such a feat. And, the trio of vampires in the room could clearly feel the calming effect the tablet radiated, lulling them into a state of comprehension.


    "As you can already tell, this is why you don''t have to travel with me all around. Once my own mansion will be acquired, I will create a special room there with a formation that will not only strengthen the effects of the shard, bit also prevent any snooping noses from accessing it, providing you with a sanctuary of learning of sorts."


    "Thank you sir. This is more than we could ever hope to gain." Adrian bowed, thanking Rex and receiving the shard. A lesser vampire might have contemplated the idea of running away with the shard at the first opportunity, bringing it back to their homeland, but Adrian was smarter than that. Rex could, no doubt, detonate the shard at any given time, leaving them with nothing. And when considering the details of their employment, how could he even consider running away? He and his family received everything they could ever hope for, while only having to look after an estate and the servants living within, and occasionally delving into the dungeon to farm for some materials for the ruler of the lands. It was, without a doubt, a win-win scenario for his side.


    With the tablet handed over, Rex smiled and spoke "Well then, I am off as well. Have fun." and with those words, he left the room, found Danica and headed out. Light''s Oak would not join them today, at least not in their entirety, only Alurial and Ria coming along, the rest of the group more in the mood to train and perfect the techniques Rex had taught them. Or as Veena had put it "Don''t make us watch a monster we could never hope to match up to ever. It''s better for our nerves." As for Alurial and Ria? Well, the latter was ''dating'' Rex and the formed wished she was, so it was to be expected.


    --------------------------------


    "Say Bansha. I can''t seem to understand something. Why would Rex decide to participate in the tournament himself, instead of putting up one of his tamed beasts? As far as the rules go, it seems permitted." Juan,the direct disciple of Frozen Moon sect''s elder asked, a small parchment in his hand containing the list of participants on it.


    "If I had to bet? He is much, more than meets the eye. He was already aware of the plot by that foolish due even before I warned him."


    "That part is obvious. Then again,. it makes sense, does it not? A tamer of such skill to have scouting abilities to either find the beasts and monsters he wants to tame or whatever else. Still, you reasoning is solid. Regardless, we will see soon enough."


    Even as the due spoke, the sounds of swords clashing resounded in the background, two men, clad in sweat and cuts fought with their all in the arena. It was not the first fight, but much like the ones beforehand, they could not truly draw the attention of the duo, much like the other two from their rival faction.


    "When do our fighters are expected to match?" Juan asked in a bored tone as he sipped on the vine in his hand.


    "In the finals, as agreed. Hmm, and who''s fighter would meet Rex?"


    "Theirs, in semi finals." Bansha replied, already aware of the whole bracket.


    "Tsk." Juan clicked his tongue annoyedly. "How are we to evaluate his combat strength then? No matter, it''s the abyss falcon pair and his ability as a tamer that matters. Right, and the champion of of that scheming duo?"


    "Right before his fight with Dawning sun''s champion, assuming he reaches that far." Bansha once again replied.


    "Oh, speak of the devil." a slight smile crept on Juan''s face, as the last fight had ended just moments ago and the next pair of fighters came on the stage, one of them Rex.


    ----------------------


    It had been quite boring so far, Rex could not deny it, any more than Danica could. Both had watched the fights before his turn had come up, and as Danica had put it "I have seen B ranker''s put up more of a fight. Are you sure they are A ranked?" And while he definitely shared the sentiment, as he had told her, he could understand the reasoning of the contestants. This was no do or die situation, not with their life on the line, not necessarily. If the opponent was an honorable man, they would fight until one is exhausted and in such a manner the superior fighter would be decided. Only if the opponent was hell bent on crippling or outright murdering you would one respond in kind.


    And while Rex only had one unfortunate bastard to savagely kill in the tournament, something he was ensured would have the chance of happening later on in the bracket stage, he also had to set up a stage to explain his need for servants and their blood. There was no way they could outright say that he was housing vampires and it was for their consumption that the blood was to be gathered. And as such, he had to execute his plan, the first step that would happen here.


    As he walked inside the arena, he could literally sense the power radiating from it, the sands that had been soaked with blood of countless fighters and monsters, all spilled for the amusement of the masses. He was sure that if he desired so, he could call the sands themselves to his aid, elevating his already unfair advantages to yet another level entirely. Actually, now that he thought about it, he just might for a special someone. A wicked grin spread across his face as the thought ran across his mind. Yup. Can surrender if no one can either see or hear you.


    His first opponent of the day was a mountain of a man, dwarfing his almost two meter frame by another twenty or so centimeters. Combined with the sheer amount of muscle, one could be almost allowed to compare the matchup to that of David and Goliath, had they not met Rex in person and were unaware of his two meter frame. This was, in all honesty, a matchup of giants, with one of them notably bigger than the other. The silver white beard and hair of the man were quite peculiar as well, seemingly indicating his advanced age, but judging by the man''s skin complexion, he was in his best years still. The two walked towards the center of the field, the soft upper layer of the sand, a centimeter at most in thickness, gave way to their weight, a light sound of it parting accompanying the otherwise quiet combatants.


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    Soon, the two were a couple of meters away from one another, their eyes locked. "Any words for your opponent?" asked the judge before initiating combat.


    "I will try to end it as fast as possible. My apologies brother." spoke the white haired man.


    "Likewise. I will do my utmost to not leave any permanent damage." Rex replied in just as serious of a tone.


    With that said and no other words coming from their mouths, the referee called for the start of the fight. It was then that the silver haired warrior drew his giant axe and charged at Rex, who noticed the dulled edges of the weapons blade. Appreciating the sportsmanship of his opponent, he too went along in the same manner, not drawing his blood sword, not that he would have, and depending on his blood chains to do the heavy lifting. In mere moments, his surroundings were crowded with chains the colour of blood, intercepting the charging man, quickly snaking their way around his limbs and restricting his movement more and more. In less than a minute, despite the silver haired man''s best efforts to extricate himself from the almost lifelike chains, he was well bound and immobilized, rendering him effectively defenseless and at Rex''s mercy. What others would not see the significance of was the ease with which Rex lifted the man''s axe that weighed well over couple hundred kilograms and put at the man''s neck, earning a light chuckle from the bound fighter.


    "I admit defeat." he spoke up after and once freed from the chains, back on his feet and with the axe in his hands, he looked to Rex. "Thank you for showing mercy. It was my honor of facing you in such a friendly spar. May our nations ever remain on friendly terms."


    "Well said indeed." Rex nodded his head, a slight smile on his face. It was always a pleasure to interact with such men.


    With his fight done and the result announced by the referee, he turned around and left the arena, shortly after returning to his balcony where four ladies awaited him. Eve had returned from her talk with her father, a fair few questions on her mind.


    --------------------------


    "So, have I guessed correctly that you will use the tournament to flaunt your skill in blood magic that you will then use as an excuse for why you need to collect blood from your servants?" Eve asked as soon as Rex was in his seat.


    "As sharp as ever. That one of the qualities I appreciate about you Eve." Rex nodded his head. "That is indeed the plan."


    "It kinda heavily depends on others realizing what you are using and then assuming you are a vampire which in turn results in them trying to use holy attributed artifacts against you. It would obviously fail, resulting in the rumors about a non vampire blood mage becoming a hard fact. Well played indeed." Eve could do nothing but imitate applause for Rex.


    "I know, right? Praise me more." Rex replied with a grin, earning a deadpan stare from the princess. And while Eve was not the least willing to do as Rex had implied, Danica and Ria were all for it, hugging him from both sides and praising him, giggling all the while.


    "Don''t stroke his ego too much." Eve looked towards Ria most of all, as her next words explained why "It''s not you who will have to deal with the consequences of that."


    "And you will enjoy every moment of it." Ria replied, a slight smirk of her own adorning her face.


    ------------------------


    "How peculiar." Juan mused, the fight between Rex and the silver haired warrior having had just concluded. "How does he control those chains of his I wonder? Every time we see him, he reveals more and more reasons to win him over."


    As he was mulling over things, Bansha was staring at the arena, a blank look on her face. It was only a minute later that Juan too noticed it and with a gentle tug of Banshas'' sleeve, he brought the woman back to reality.


    "What got you so distracted?" he asked, quite interested in the reply, only to freeze moments later as Bansha did exactly that.


    "Those chains were blood magic."


    After a few minutes of silence, only the continuous clash of warriors and cheers of the audience as a background, did Juan asked "So he is a vampire. That would explain quite a lot, honestly. Still, as far as monster species go, they can be reasoned with, so not all is lost. The fact that he parties up with a princess is a clear indication of that."


    Unsaid was the fact of how Bansha could recognize them, with such a powerful reaction from her. If asked and close enough of a friend to her one was, they would be regaled with tales of couple missions where she had to deal with precisely vampires. And while not quite the same manner of blood magic she had experienced in her own missions, the feeling her mind magic picked up was the same, if not many times stronger, indicating just how dense the blood was.


    "That''s not it Juan." Bansha replied, still slightly shaken by the revelation "Were you not informed that the Coachmen guild had been circulating information that a non vampire blood mage was spotted in the outer regions? As well as a rumor that there are plenty obscure magic disciplines that had been neglected due to the lack of knowledge or ways to test for their affinity?"


    "I have heard of the latter, yes." Juan replied, his brow scrunched as he dug through his memory "Though I have not heard about the blood mage human." he then hummed for a moment, his gaze wandering over the interior of the colosseum, eventually returning to Bansha. "Have I told you just how amazed I am at your undying interest in the outer regions? I am sure that if not for it, you would not even be here today."


    "Erhm." awkwardly coughed Bansha, all but confirming the youngsters words. "No comment." she added a moment later, well aware of the game already being exposed.


    ------------------------------------


    Pyra was growing more and more annoyed as the events unfolded. Sure, she had quickly learned who the owner of the abyss falcons was, sure, she had learned a great deal about the man in question, as far as it was expected about someone of the outer regions, but her annoyance only grew. She had not had the chance to interact with him because that damn Juan from Frozen Moon sect had delayed her, while deviously sending his damn Bansha to make contact. Why did the elders saddled her with this old and stupid crow Anmared she would never understand. Not only was the man close to hundred years old, he was a menace to the eyes. What''s worse still, he was weaker than her. Its precisely because of this that she herself had deemed it necessary to approach this Rex fellow. unfortunately, by the time she knew who he was, lacking in visual description and all that, some backwater fools had gone and annoyed him, resulting in her interest leaving the party altogether.


    "Did you learn who is their champion?" she asked, irritation clear in her voice.


    "Yes, my lady. Unfortunately, we would not have the pleasure to crush them until semi finals. Precisely after they would fight this Rex, should he advance thus far. Though judging from his performance so far, I don''t think he will have much of a problem reaching there." Anmared replied.


    "Think anyone else picked up on him using blood magic?" she then asked."It stinks of the old crow''s style all over, though I doubt that damn crow could do the same things as this kid does. Then again, he could be decades, perhaps centuries old at this point."


    "Yes my lady. I do believe those worms that foiled your plans have an inkling. And since the last eight participants will fight tomorrow, they will have an extra evening to try and procure some additional tools to exploit said weakness."


    "Do find an opportunity to catch him. I do remember having some holy attribute protection items with me that could come in handy right now. A vampire would no doubt appreciate the gesture." she smiled as she spoke, playing with one of her locks, revealing a longer, pointed ear that was otherwise obscured by the luscious red hair- a necessary illusion. Elves and their unnaturally blonde hair were recognized quite quickly, and while it would not pose any problem for her where she discovered, humans were quite the xenophobic species. Then again, seeing how close her person of interest was with the wolfkin next to him, as well the fact that he himself was a vampire, she was far less worried of Rex learning her true identity. Who knows, he might become even more interested were he to learn said truth.


    "Do drop that an elven lady would love to have a short talk with him, should anything else fail."


    "Understood miss." replied Anmared as he turned around and left. Rex was just coming up for his last fight of the day, no doubt about to secure yet another clean victory. initially, she, much like Juan had wondered why would Rex participate himself instead of registering one of his minions. Now though, she was starting to wonder, as much as she hated to admit it, would her sect have anything to offer that would entice him. And as rare as it was, even she was familiar with the unspoken truth of the world- all true monsters to shake the world came from the outer regions, the much harsher conditions strengthening their foundations like nothing else.

 Chapter 75. The final rounds approach.

    As expected, the last fight of the day went just as the ones beforehand. Whether by accident, or by example, Rex was not quite sure yet, but each and every contestant had shown plenty of honour, both announcing their names before the fight, nodding their head in acknowledgement of the opposite fighter and wishing him luck and favour of the LORDS. Then, once caught and properly bound, with no more than a few bruises, result of their vain attempts to break out of the chains wrapped around their bodies and binding them tightly in their place on the ground, they would promptly laugh and give up, praising Rex for his peculiar way of combat as well as his warriors spirit. ''Few could remain as calm and collected as he had, avoiding any serious damage to his opposing fighter. And each and every time at that? A noteworthy trait to praise indeed'', or so had his opponents said. And Rex had responded as always, nodding towards the fighter as well, throwing away the same line he had every other time. "We had no true enmity before and you showed honour. It''s only natural." His words carrying double meaning. He would treat his opponents in the way they conducted themselves, though LORDS save you should you incur his wrath beforehand.


    As Rex was leaving the stage, he noticed someone waiting at the exit tunnel, having either slipped past the guards unnoticed, something he mightily doubted, or gotten through due to his background. The answer was obvious, since Rex was also aware of who this person was. Not the name, not really, but with whom had he arrived. The glanced towards the balcony occupied by the Dawning Sun sect and. as expected, only saw the redhead sitting there, her eyes locked on his figure. Even from here he could feel the intense gaze she was staring at him with. Was she that kind of a person? He was not sure, but he had only displayed an uncanny ability to tie people up so far. No way. Right?


    He shook his head, clearing his mind of such distracting thoughts as he walked forwards, the old man ahead of him still waiting his arrival.''Ehh. might as well deal with it I suppose.'' Rex mused, keeping his pace steady, just moments later reaching the awaiting man, more like skin and bones, but who was paying attention, right. ''Ufff. Someone should have locked him away and placed in a museum.'' Rex thought, several mean and ridiculing thoughts regarding the name of the exposition coming to his mind.


    "Magnificent indeed. Truly magnificent. In all my long years I have never seen such splendid display of blood magic. This one is honoured to meet a truly ascendant member of a noble species such as yours." he started, almost causing Rex to burst into laughter, though he managed to contain himself.


    ''Even you? Sheesh, this world is truly stuck in their ways regarding magic paths and what not. Hmm, should I use my ''meager'' knowledge and establish an academy this world had never seen before, creating such prodigies that the world''s'' leaders have to crawl their way through the largest hall to be of my academy just so their spoiled brats were accepted? Damn, that sounds like it could be fun, but not yet. Danica deserves her adventures, and honestly, so do I.'' Rex lightning thoughts worked their wonder, giving him plenty of time to mull things in what little time he had, since noticing the silence, and probably taking it as Rex not willing to converse on the topic, the old man wisely moved on, well aware of the enormous gap in their strength.


    "I have been sent here for my lady would like to exchange a few words with you. She just so happens to also have a few extra holy attribute protection items that she would love to gift you as a meeting gift of sorts."


    Rex smiled, though since he had no need of such items, he replied cordially. "I have no need for them unfortunately. We would not want to waste good artifacts I am sure."


    The old man''s eyebrows rose in surprise, though Rex assumed it was because he must have concluded that Rex was already stacked. And why wouldn''t he be. Were he a vampire lord of this skill, not only would he be near the royal court, he assumed he would already be bombarded with offers to marry one of their princesses. Adrian had even said so at one point of their conversations. A thing to consider for later. ''A thing to consider indeed.'' Rex mused about things off topic once again, having enough time to do so while the old man regathered himself ''We are talking about a proper, blood red eyed redhead here after all.'' His gaze almost unconsciously wandered towards the balcony of the Dawning Sun sect. They did have a pretty one there. Make no mistake, Rex adored his blonde beauties in the form of Danica and Ria, but as the saying, as much of a joke it was, went- If the roof is rusted, it''s no wonder that the basement is wet.


    "Perhaps I could peak your interest in a conversation with a bona fide Elf?" the old man added, speaking in slightly lowered tone of voice, immediately earning Rex attention. Rex was a man of culture and he would smite all those fools who preened about racial supremacy and whatever else nonsense of the same matter with righteous fury. As much as all sizes and shapes (within reasonable age of course) should be loved, so should one judge based on the content of one''s character, not the colour of their skin, the length of their ears, the horns or tail that they had and so on and so forth. Pursue what you want, and leave others to their devices, while the children are not touched. He was quite particular about that. It was one of the reasons why he was such a monster against the people who were taking part in the slave trade back when he rescued Danica''s tribe members. There were plenty of children, so that had set him off something fierce, and he could still feel an ember of rage even now for the nobles financing all that endeavour. ''I suppose I will ask a few questions to those two once they have passed the borders of this nation.'' Rex quickly made his plans, all the while replying to the last words he had received.


    "Actual elf you say? I would indeed love that. Lead the way."


    Rex did inform Danica through their soul bond that he would have a chat with an actual elf, the slight excitement not hidden the least bit, earning a light and teasing remark back that he better leave a bite for her too. ''Sheesh. At least now we know who is the real horndog in this house.'' Rex thought as he followed the parody of a man back to the balcony of the Dawning Sun sect.


    The first words the old man spoke as he opened the doors to the balcony and bowed to his mistress were as expected. "My lady. Sir Rex has agreed to have a chat with you, though i would suggest a change of scenery."


    "Oh? Lets return to that pretty little thing we have been provided with shall we?" she laughed lightly, rising to her feet and graciously walking forward until she was in front of Rex. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you eye to eye Rex. I have been dying to meet you for a few days already, yet the fate had been cruel indeed, always putting some unpleasant obstacles in my path. " she said, performing a slight curtsy with such grace that Rex could do nothing but give a solid ten out of ten for the performance.


    "I do suppose part of those obstacles must have been of the opposite gender no doubt. One with your beauty would surely attract far too many of them. And yes, I too look forward to our little chat."


    With that out of the way, the trio quickly left the colosseum, their joint disappearance not unnoticed by the other sect.


    "How did she got to him?" I do believe I have been quite the master puppeteer so far?" Asked Juan as he saw the scene unfolding before his very eyes.


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    "How else. First she tried to bribe Rex with holy attribute protection imbued items and when that failed, danged herself in front of him."


    "I didn''t think him so shallow as to be so easily enticed by yet another pretty thing."


    "It''s not her looks that enticed him. They offered a conversation with an elf."


    "Oh. Yea, I could see that one. That human seems to love experiencing new things, Perhaps that is the angle one should take to entice him? Do not offer position and power in a large scale organization, for he himself is no doubt geared to have it as is. A flock of abyss falcons alone guarantee that. That is a subject to think on." he added, sinking into his own thoughts as the due turned to leave the building as well. What was left unsaid though, as much as he hated to admit it, was the enormous initial difference in that particular field between the two sects. Frozen Moon was mostly dominated by humans after all. And sure, they were more than willing to deal with other species, their superiority complex beaten out of their bodies as they lived, but the allure of countless different species striving to grow stronger in a friendly competition among one another would indeed be something of a dangerous bait for a creature so seemingly keen on experiencing new things.


    ----------------------------


    Their travel time to reach the residence of the Dawning Sun sect was short. Much like with the other sect, both parties had been granted the best properties that were relatively close to the colosseum while still incredibly expansive and lavish. Then again, with similar events happening every now and then, it was to be expected that the rulers would be already well prepared for a sudden arrival of such dignified emissaries. Soon enough, Rex and Pyra were seated in a lavish study, the table before them already half covered with all kinds of beverages. As far as the world was avare, vampires did love their liquids, their taste buds quite exquisite in that regard. Rex, of course noticed the peculiarity and was not quite so keen to keep said misunderstanding around any longer, so, once they both were comfortable, Rex spoke up, reigniting the conversation after being asked if everything was to his satisfaction.


    "You have gone above and beyond to provide a warm welcome and I see that you miss seem to be quite knowledgeable regarding vampire dietary preferences. As such, I would like to fix that little misconception you have formed. I am, not a vampire."


    Pyra, who had, of course, removed the illusion she had kept up in public and was in all of her brilliant elven glory before Rex froze for just a second, processing his words. Then, as expected of her superior upbringing, quickly returned to the character she had developed. "Oh, my." she spoke, a hand covering her lips. "It seems we have commited a rather crude mistake. Allow me to apologise for it. If there is something you wish of su, please state your desire and we would be happy to fulfill it as a penance." she continued, raising to her feet and bowing towards Rex.


    ''The supposedly arrogant elves have reared one with such manners, or is it acting skills?'' Rex mused as he watched the actions of the beautiful blonde woman. ''Ah, there is the tell. Well taught and smart, but not used to being wrong.'' he noticed the miniscule blush creeping in the womans ears, no doubt result of her blood pressure rising. Both simple things for him to notice, both because his body was just that developed and his blood magic specialization.


    "Do not distress over it. To anyone who sees my actions alone that must be the logical conclusion, especially so if they are not aware of the rumors surrounding our little nation on the outskirts of the world. And take it not as an insult, for it is not meant to be one. We must all look ahead of us, not behind, if we want to safely navigate the unsure oceans that life can become."


    A short moment of silence took over the room, before Pyra sat down, much calmer and a genuine smile on her face. "I hope you would take this as a compliment, but the words you speak remind me quite a bit of my teacher. He is a vampire himself, one that has managed to reach a certain point in his life that he is strong enough to ward of any blood frenzy, yet not quite there to travel the world and grow further still."


    "Self imposed isolation it is then?" Rex asked, having learned far too much someone who was not a vampire should know, the previous night spent with Adrian and his family talking about vampires, their customs and such rearing its head already. And as expected from and elven noble, for that was what Rex assumed she was, she too picked up the range of his knowledge.


    "I can''t help myself but ask . How have you acquired as much knowledge about vampire kind as you have? I do not wish to pry in your secrets, mind you. You are free not to answer."


    "That is not much of a problem. A new friend was kind enough to share a slight morsel of the vast knowledge he harbors."


    "Would he also happen to be a vampire? For it seems you have quite the love for all races. I sense not an ounce of disgust towards those not like you. On the contrary."


    "But the world is so much more fun when you learn about it from different point of views, no? Why would I deny myself the opportunity to taste foods that wolfkin consider delicacies, or elves or other humanoid races for that matter. No eating the races themselves though."


    "What about borks then? I hear they are quite a loved food source in the outer lands, assuming one has the required might to hunt them." Pyra asked, quite interested in the conversation itself as well now, not forgetting the reason she was here. It was a rare chance to look in the minds of such exemplary creatures after all. And she could better understand the type of person Rex was, adopting her strategy on the go. She herself was A ranker as well, yet there were no illusions in her mind that she, joining forces not only with the outer academy dean but also the guards that were stationed around the property, could hope to restrain Rex for even a moment. Most likely, they all would, in short order, join each other on the floor, neatly rolled up in the chains that Rex controlled as easily as he breathed. Thus, diplomacy it was.


    "A good question. Let me answer that by a string of questions in return that will explain my way of reasoning in this particular case. Do they communicate, or act with reason? Or is it pure instinct? Can you trade with them?" Rex took a small pause, a slight smile on his face as he continued "What makes one a civilised race? If we can find common ground, come to a table and talk, reason with one another, I consider the race vetoed from dining tables. Of course, there could always be such unreasonable tragedies that might force us to forsake such principles, lest we perish ourselves. But such extreme cases are better left there unexplored."


    "And why is that?" Pyra asked.


    "Have you ever starved? To the point that you have to choose whether to kill your beloved pet of many years to feed yourself and your younger sister, else it''s the two of you who perish? If that is not gazing into the abyss, then I don''t know that is. And you know what they say about that sort of thing."


    Pyra tilted her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. "I am afraid I am not familiar with any such saying.Would you be so kind as to elaborate?"


    "If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss will also gaze into you." Rex replied. "The more you immerse yourself in something evil, corrupted, unknown even, it will change you with time."


    "Oh? And has the study and such incredible mastery of blood magic changed you?" Pyra smiled as she playfully asked.


    "Indeed it has. With every moment, that neck of yours looks more and delectable. And whispers near my ears question just how sweet would your blood taste." Rex replied, a downright predatory smile on his face as two, elongated, blood red kanines were visibly extended from his upper row of teeth. "I suppose it best we get to the heart of the matter, yes? As enlightening and fun our little conversation had been, what with me getting to chat with an elven lady and all that, I am listening."


    Pyra quickly recovered her calm, realizing Rex had played a practical joke after her own little and friendly jab, so she could not very well take offence. He was simply returning the gesture, even if said gesture had caused her, the outer sect dean and the guards in the listening distance to freeze up momentarily, their hearts skipping a beat. And so, she went into a rather concise explanation that her sect would love to offer Rex a place among their ranks where he could grow in a friendly yet competitive environment. Rex did not waste much of both their time either, politely rejecting her offer, though at the same time noting that he would not be joining the Frozen Moon sect either, if they decided to approach him, something that was only a matter of time. With that done, he returned to Eve''s villa where he was met with a laughing Danica and cursing Eve, complaining for a while about the number of panicking nobles in fear of their valuable and noble blue blood, resulting in Rex joining Danica in her hysterical laughter.

 Chapter 76. The final rounds.

    After having a quick teasing session of Eve, tag teaming the poor woman with Danica and earning a few extra insults and curses flung his way, Rex went to have a quick chat with Light''s Oak''s girls, answering any questions they might have developed during their training session. Then, after another quick chat with the temporarily shut in vampires, he retired to his room where Danica was already waiting, mischievous look on her face. A few less hours of sleep no doubt, but the result of two, pleased and relaxed A rankers in the morning was a fair price for said few lost hours of sleep.


    As Rex sat on the rather comfortable sofa, overlooking the arena, he could only applaud on the success of the event. Each and every day of the contest, as short as it had been, the stands had been filled to the brim, with not a seat in sight empty. So much so that he could have sworn he saw a few seats where large bodied men had their women on their laps. They did not take up more seats, that was true, though he supposed that they paid for two regardless, allowing for some extra coins to come in. And that was another thing. He doubted that those entry prices, especially for the final way were any cheap, making the sight before his eyes more impressive.


    As expected, a pleased and content Danica was by his side, leaning against him, a certain glint in her eyes as she watched the arena below. She cared little for the rather one sided beatdown that was happening, much like the previous fight- both had the champion of either sect as one of the participants. Only the first fight was somewhat closer, lasting for almost ten minutes, sword clashing with sword as their owners tried to overwhelm their opponent. It was not the lack of skill that eventually decided the victor of the first match though. It was the slight difference in stamina and conditioning, one of the two running out of steam first. And if that was not depressing enough, the understanding that the victor of that gruelling fight would be pitted against Frozen Moon''s champion who crushed his own opposition quickly and efficiently, surely dampened said victors heart, unless of course he naively believed to have encountered the toughest of the opponents in his quarterfinal round. No, the glint in Danica''s eyes was for a different reason. The next fight would be Rex''s against the champion of Naramika, the ones behind her tribes members kidnaping and enslavement.


    The duo had already talked it all over and planned everything accordingly. Eve would remain behind, resolving Rex''s request for a personal property where he could house the Zosh family and the servants who would be employed in the mansion while donating their blood at appropriate intervals, ensuring their health not only does not get endangered, but actually improves, providing a better ''vine'' as a result.


    "Make em feel despair!" Danica sneered almost predatorial like, slapping Rex on the ass as he stood to depart, causing him to raise an eyebrow at the act, though he simply nodded his head, a ferocious grin on his own face forming.


    "You can count on me!" and with that said, he departed, leaving Eve alone with Danica, something the wolfkin immediately exploited, using Eve as a convenient hug pillow now that her favourite one had left and neither Wari nor Sidsel could properly land on these viewing balconies. With the physical strength between the duo still quite large, as well as Eve''s half assed couple attempts to free herself failed, the result was as expected- a humming and grinning Danica with a new hug pillow.


    Rex was walking through the tunnel towards the arena once again soon enough, an announcer singing praises for both combatants as they approached the sandy arena. As each stepped inside the arena, Rex could barely keep himself together, almost falling over laughing once he saw his opponent. Oh, sure, the man was large, larger than Rex even, with muscles to boot, but that was not a reason anyone would find funny. Of course not, but the mismatched armour, talismans and other, clearly holy element enchanted paraphernalia, made the man more in tune with some circus carnival. A party goer that had gotten carried away at the very start of the event and already was halfway across the rainbow bridge in his own booze tale, no doubt chasing pretty maidens with lascivious smiles and overly exposed bodies.


    And while it looked funny as all hell, even the spectators had heard by now that what Rex used was blood magic, hence he was, no doubt, a vampire. Far too few commoners were interested enough in the stuff coachmen guild whispered about, balking it up as some mumbo jumbo talk. Thus, given the chance to see a fabled monster executed within the arena caused many to spit out even more coin than they would otherwise be willing at the rare chance to witness that. As such, eyes were taped to the arena, each and every spectator almost holding their breaths, too scared to either breath or blink, lest they miss the start of the match.


    The referee, being one of the king''s men, was aware of the actual truth, about Rex being actual human that is, thus he was not the least scared of the man approaching within the usual distance. His opponent, slightly embarrassed at his getup, though otherwise super focused was not so confident, keeping a few extra steps away. One never knew what the damn bloodsuckers had up their sleeve. And, once the referee realised that neither was going to advance further, he quickly asked for words for the opponents while distancing himself from the center himself. Oh, he was sure he was safe from Rex''s attacks, it the champion of Naramika that he was worried about.


    "Should have stayed in whatever cave you were cooped up till now, bloodsucker. You pissed off too many powerful men with your interferences. This is just them all coming back to bite you in the ass."


    As relaxed as he had seemed so far, Rex head turned towards the referee for a moment, asking the important question he had to know to execute his plan entirely. "How does one yield?"


    Confused, the referee furrowed his brow, though moment later answered, shouting the response. "One has to state ''I YIELD! or ''I SURRENDER!''."


    "Verbal yielding only?" Rex confirmed, earning a nod from the referee once again, who had gazed upwards towards the highest platforms, receiving nods of approval as well. "Good." Rex smiled at the confirmation, returning his haze towards the other champion.


    "Already scared? Ha ha ha. You are not leaving this field alive. And once im done with you, I will piss on the ashes you leave behind. Young master even promised to let me have some fun with that pet of yours once he is through! Ha ha ha ha." laughed the foolish man, almost impatient to charge ahead, though he was stupefied for just a second by Rex following words, right after the referee had declared the start of the fight.


    "Those are some weak last words." Rex said, a cold smile on his face as he lifted his right hand in front of him, palm open, almost like a talon reaching for the man''s throat in the distance. With a quick flex, the hand closed, as if crushing something within it, though nothing followed. The naramika champion ket on charging, the shield in his hand, adorned with golden wings, glowed brighter as he collided with Rex, who had once again opened his palm, stopping the charge right in its tracks, not a single whisp of smoke radiating from his body, leaving not only the audience all around in stunned silence, but the opposing fighter, and his backers on their own balcony even more so.


    And yet, years of constant battles did their own due diligence, causing the champion himself to quickly recover, darting back in several quick hops, trying his damn best to establish distance once again. Maybee a foolish choice, but he would still have much easier time dodging all those damn chains at a distance where he could see them coming well in advance. Still, his pride had been hurt and so had his confidence, causing him to cry out in anger, only to realize at that moment what Rex ment with his previous sentence. The mercenary- Raja of the endless sands, demon of thousand faces, was without his voice. No matter how hard he tried, how much mana he tried to infuse in his throat, it was all silent. Not a single syllable escaped.


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    "Noticed now, did you." Rex smiled as he slowly approached, not a single of his blood chains anywhere in sight. "Not that it matters. You are now stuck here with me, until I say otherwise. And, as much as I would like to pretend I did not hear what you say, I cannot do that. That ''pet'' as you called her, is a damn fine woman, and I would be repulsed with myself if I allowed any useless piece of shit to act as I just saw you did. The fact that you work for the dumb cunts that attacked her tribe and family only makes what I am going to do all the sweeter. Let''s enjoy this, shall we. It is the last dance you will ever have in this life after all."


    Then, like a predator, he dashed forward, startling Raja with his speed. A moment later, Rex was upon the man, his fist, once again in the form of a claw, colliding with the shining shield, red mana exploding from the collision, accompanied by the cries of metal and man. The mana explosion was bright, causing the spectators to avert their gazes momentarily, and when their gazes returned towards the stage, they saw Raja a few meters away, soundlessly wailing as he clutched his arm, large visible dent in the shield- a nasty way to break ones bone. Those that could see the back side of the shield knew better. It was not just dented beyond reason. The inner layer was exploded upon that contact, all fragments aimed towards the center. And that, unfortunately was the man''s arm. Dozens, if not hundred of near molten metal shards had eaten through his flesh, clawing away at his bone, creating incredible, mind numbing pain. Raja himself was far too occupied with the pain to notice how the very sand itself had risen behind him to stop and soften the force he was propelled away with after the explosion happened, the secondary, hidden force doing its designated job.


    Said sand pillars had already dunken back in the floor, only the two sect members noticing the action, causing both sides to reevaluate their own little petty conflict. Both direct were already formulating the reports they would give in, explaining in deep detail everything that should never be done in the man''s presence. Hell, things to consider when dealing with places he visits. There was one of the four who was outright salivating, or if used the modern terminology- weebing out at what she saw. That was, without a doubt in her mind, as Bansha''s eyes were glued to Rex, the next true monster, as always borne by the outlands. And she, she got to actually witness him in the early days of his journey. She would no doubt have many busy months to come, but right now, she was burning every single detail she could of the battle before her eyes, no, the execution, for a battle implies that both sides are fighting. This, this was as one sided as possible and Rex, well, he was not playing nice at all.


    What everyone saw was akin to a masterpiece. Every movement, every strike, every silent scream that left Rajas mouth, it was terrifying, yet captivating at the same time. Strikes to hurt, to make someone despair, yet also to remind that there is more to come, more painful the next time. Again. Again. Again and again. For five, slow and excruciating minutes the execution lasted, until finally, Rex stood in front of the broken, crippled man, his eyes as empty and indifferent as if he was looking at a patch of empty earth. "Well? Was it worth the promise to get to have a taste of my ''pet''?" his voice cold, almost as indifferent as his gaze, yet there, deep down it could be sensed- anger that anyone would even have the mere thought to denigrate Danica, let alone speak such words out loud.


    The sands rose all around him, forming a sea of featureless snakes that then promptly devoured whatever was left of the body, leaving only Rex in the arena. Unbeknownst to others, each and every accessory the poor bastard had worn with holy enchantments had been moved to the same place underground near the entrance through which Rex came in. There, in a small, formed by Rex of course, cavern of sorts, Sneck was busy showing it all down his gullet. Dead men need no treasures. Rex could put them to a much better use after all.


    The duo from Naramika had been far too scared out of their minds to even speak during the battle, only coming to some semblance of sense once Rex was gone from the arena.


    "WHAT IN THE LORD''S NAME WAS THAT?? EXPLAIN YOURSELVES?" frantically screamed Visnuss, only to be shut up mere moments later by a crystal clear voice of a young man, coming from the balcony of the Frozen moon.


    "Pipe it down peasant, will you." Juan scoffed, picking his ear with a hand as he looked at the clearly panicked fool. "Any man with ear to the ground would know that there had appeared a human blood mage in this nation just a short while ago. And what better field to play with than one soaked in blood of centuries long and constant combat. And even a fool knows not to pull on a dragon''s whisker."


    "My my Juan. Do you have the time to worry about trash? Though you are correct this time!" haughtily laughed Pyra, earning a snarky reply from the young man.


    "Look who''s talking. Your champion is facing Rex before us. Ha ha ha ha ha!" earning a sharp glare from the elven lady.


    "A perfect opportunity for a lesson of humility for my fellow disciple, no doubt. Hope your''s take their defeat with at least as much grace as ours." Pyra replied, having already sent Anmared to dress one of her personal guards in the champions armour, replacing the one who was supposed to fight. She understood better than anyone how stupid her own contemporary disciples were and since the fight was a guaranteed loss, she would take it with grace- a lesson in quick thinking and strategy Juan would learn the hard way, for Bansha was far too lost at the moment to do what true masters of espionage and intelligence gathering would do- something that came much easier for women. There is always a balance in things, for what men have in strength and determination, they often lack in subterfuge and wisdom, lessons thought to fair few powerful men far too late.


    As expected, the fight of Juan''s champion against the last semi- finalist was quick, the man still barely rested could not put up much of a fight, resulting in an early knockout. Rex was not winded at all, so his fight, much like the fights he had before was quite relaxed, with him using his blood chains to restrain his opponent, thought he did spice it up just a bit, ending the fight with a well timed blow, disarming the man without injuring him greatly and placing the sword he had just acquired against his throat, earning a yield, followed by a tired, yet thankful bow for going easy on him and the valuable experience he had earned, receiving a slight nod of approval from Rex in return.


    The finals then came in short order, with Rex as relaxed as before and Juan''s champion pumped up to high heavens. Just like any proper young champion from the inner continent, who paid little attention to their history classes, he too was too full of himself, yet since Juan was a direct disciple of one of the elders, he had to grit his teeth in silence and just nod as Juan babbled over his head. He would show the mall. He was the next hero. He would rise above them all and rule as the next sect master. Juan was only barely stronger than him, and that was with all the resources available to the disciple of an elder for fuck''s sake. So, once in the ring, much to Pyra''s joy and Juan''s mistake, Frozen Moon''s champion went for broke, Deploying his families heirloom and boosting himself as much as possible, before trying to overwhelm Rex with sheer mana amount that was now radiating from him.


    If only Juan''s champion would have silently done everything he was doing, it would still be fine, but he just had to announce that he would throunce over Rex, proving his superiority. A bad decision indeed. Even through the sounds of weapons clashing, Rex drawing a blood red sword for the first time that sent chills through the spines of the four members of the sects, Juan could hear and see Pyra laughing hysterically, rolling all around her large and cushy sofa, almost falling of a couple times, saved by a well placed staff from the champion armour wearing ''guard?'' by her side. And then, the mana explosion clashes stopped, followed by one ragged breathing. And then, it happened.


    SLAP!


    "Show some dignity man. You are older than me. Is it not embarrassing?" Rex clear voice resounded, followed by another solid slap.


    SLAP!


    And then, almost like in some old school cartoons, Rex lifted the man a bit in the air, and proceeded to slap the fool with front and back hand slaps a few dozen times. Painful- yes. Humiliating- Hell yes! permanent damage causing- not at all, unless one considered the psychological trauma. Once the punishment was dolled out, his opponent was rolled out on the sandy floor, nice and out cold. With that, Rex was pronounced the victor of the tournament, given some sort of bangle and some solid amount of coin and some sort of banket was thrown. Not that Rex was there to see it. He and Danica had things to do, what with Naramika representatives leaving the capital with haste, not even waiting for the usual after tournament pie splitting and stuff- something Eve had to attend to remind that kingdom of Sol had Rex behind them, her being the direct reminder of the fact. Their little nation would have quite a few pleasant years ahead of them. So much so that there might even be special concessions in their favour should Rex not participate in the following tournaments. Something they would be more than willing to go along with, if the price offered was juicy enough, and after his display today, the entire royal family believed it would be.

 Chapter 77. Prey.

    Visnuss Naramika, one of the sons of Naramikas king''s brother, relegated to the status of a branch family after the eldest had taken over the duties of a king, was as spoiled of a young master as they came. Since his father, in his great wisdom, or the wisdom of the current king, many would argue about that part, had given up any right to fight for the throne and had gone so far as to assist the current ruler to ascend, had earned quite the cuishy place for both himself and his family. The lands given to them to lord over were fertile and vast, filled with both beasts and people, resulting in plentiful harvests, both agricultural and bestial. Their cities flourished even without them moving a finger, bringing in plenty of coin through taxes.


    As such, ever since his birth, much like any of his sibling, Visnuss had been given anything he had ever wanted. There was nothing he could not get, with the exception of things his own siblings or parents had claimed. Slight inconvenience, but it did apply to the rest of the branch family as well. As such, they would often try to learn of what their dear family members were plotting, either to swoop in at the last second and try to steal the prize right under their noses or to move faster and present said desire on a golden platter.


    Was it any wonder then, that at some point, the game had grown slightly stale, as the family had been doing the same for years on end. Eventually, they had encountered a few slave traders passing through their lands on one of their outings. That had been quite the eye opener. So much new, unexplored toys awaited them all across the world and all they had to do was to fork up some coin. A great deal of coin admittedly, but with the large amounts they had already amassed and the plentiful amounts still coming in year after year, the price had seemed small. And besides, slavery was perfectly legal within their nation, many of the nobles having their own little slave fights for sport.


    One thing had led to another, and here they were- with Visnuss and the old coot, another noble of their nation and a fellow enthusiast of the game, on the other side of the carriage, both trembling in fear, as their ride was damn near flying along the roads, the border and their own lands the target. Were they aware that the slave traders they financed, along with numerous other nobles in who knows how many countries, used Ravenhold Fort as a transit city for the movement of the merchandise? Not really, though they had never needed to. Nor did they know, up until recently that a couple of the influential noble families of Sol were in on it, despite being well aware of the outlawed status of the practice within their nation.


    They had also been quite excited once upon a time when they heard that they would soon get their hands on some prime merchandise- young and nubile wolkin teens, plenty of girls and even a few boys for those with special interests. They had also been rightly enraged when they had learned that said shipment was stolen, all due to the interference of a couple grown up wolfkin, no doubt relatives to the merchandise, and a princess of Sol. Visnuss, being the spoiled and foolish rotten young master that he was, with the assistance and encouragement from their noble friends in Sol had agreed, gleefully, to be the spearhead, to put the foolish young woman in her place. The fact that she was a princess, and pleasing to the eye to boot, only sweetened the deal, or so he had thought.


    They had pooled quite the resources, hiring a famous mercenary to act as their champion to crush the competition and strongarm Sol to the marriage they had damn near demanded before. Where had it all gone wrong then? It started with the two sects from the inner continent arriving, having picked their tournament as a way to settle some sort of disagreement of theirs. Quickly followed by that absolute monster that killed Raja. And the way he had looked at them after the fact? It was clear that there was nothing protecting them in Solendiel. As such, using whatever little time they had, hoping that the monster would prioritize his deal, whatever it may be, with the royals of Sol, they had ran away.


    Even now, a couple of days later, both representatives of Naramika were trembling in fear, Rex''s last display of cruelty clear in their minds. ''What was that thing? Clearly it was no man! No matter what those sects said!'' the same thoughts plagued both, for there could simply be no human of such power. At least their minds could not even hope to comprehend such a notion, even more so now that that same monster in human skin might still be on their trail. And with those two, equally monstrous birds of his, there was no guarantee that he could not be upon them at any given moment.


    Panicked, trembling bodies would leave the carriage every night at one or another inn as they tried their best to sleep, often waking multiple times per night, screams of panic and cries for mercy escaping their lips. Their travel back home becoming worse and worse with each passing day, as their disrupted and terrible sleep and the nightmares were often accompanied with raunchy couples having the time of their lives just a room or two away, eating away at their spirits more and more. Not like they could afford to waste their time on relieving that damn itch either, not when they were still in the Monarchy of Sol. And so, after almost two weeks of travel at incredible speeds, using the straightest and best maintained of paths leading north, they finally reached a large canyon, stretching for as far as ones eyes could see- the Ten Thousand Falls canyon. A single, small, yet extremely walled settlement stood at the very edge of it, locking down the only bridge leading towards the other side where an enormous steppe awaited.


    ''Home. Almost!.'' both dignitaries thought with the barest of relief in their breaths, their faces damn near plastered to the window, hoping to cross the great bridge as soon as possible. And moments later, they even enthusiastically and with hope and joy, for the first time in two weeks, encouraged their coachman to speed up. A request that the man at the helm of the carriage somewhat acquiesced, increasing the pace just barely, seemingly doing as asked while ensuring that the beasts pulling them would not be inconvenienced too much. There was still quite the path ahead of them.


    --------------------------------------


    The first week of these past two had been dreadfully boring. Danica would be the first one to admit that. She could also perfectly understand the reason why they had to wait until the duo of fools had returned to their own nation, crossing the well guarded border, appearing in the logs of the guards of both sides. There was no reason to make life harder on Eve''s family because she was impatient. And for all that she loved to nap in Rex''s arms, or train with her own back pressed against his well trained chest as they both meditated and used the runes on their bodies to grow ever stronger, she was honestly still too young and hot blooded to be able to sit still for too long. Thus, when Rex had come up with a ''throwaway idea that just accidentally slipped of his tongue and should not be paid any mind to'', or so he himself had said, Danica had immediately considered how it would work and was it worth it.


    And honestly? She was having the time of her life. Not only could she sneak peaks of the duo''s misery growing every morning their carriage left yet another inn, she could also have copious amounts of quality time with Rex, even if the inns they had to stay were barely passable at times. Damn those soft beds at Eve''s place and how easy it was to get used to them- something she had already demanded Rex find a fix for going forward. She had to admit, there was some diabolical pleasure in torturing the duo with the sounds of one of their favourite past times, while they themselves could not spare the time to indulge and were already extremely stressed and paranoid. The way their faces seemed more sunken in with each passing day, their eyes shifting at the slightest of noises of birds flying past, clearly expecting Rex to appear at any moment, ready to draw them down to hell where their mercenary was already waiting. And now, their carriage had just left the Monarchy of Sol, crossing the few hundred meter long bridge to the other side, welcomed by by the Naramika guards no doubt. She herself could not see that particular thing, though thanks to the soul link with Rex, and in extension Wari and Sidsal, she could ask to gaze through either falcons eyes- something the duo were more than willing to accomodate. Yet another thing Danica could relentlessly tease Eve about, though she supposed it was about time to start actively helping that young maiden to get her desire and curiosity sated. ''Once we deal with this thing and return. Let''s do it then. Yes! Let''s do that!'' she thought and promised herself, clearing her mind moments later and delving into yet another mana burning session, waiting for the next stop of the carriage. Rex had said moments ago that they had allowed their prey to run for long enough. It was also thanks to the incredible discrepancy in the speed of the two modes of travel, as well as the fact that Rex had two abys falcons, he could appear within the eye of public every few days, proving he had not gone after the unlucky fools, while keeping eyes on them at all times, giving themselves a perfect excuse should anyone ask. The fact that both Pyra and Juan were almost tripping over themselves to offer him any assistance whatsoever, with the blonde elf barely stopping at simple hints that she too was incredibly jealous of Danica at times- to have landed such a man was indeed a blessing any pure maiden would dream of.


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    Finding a group of discontents who had turned to robing and pillaging was simple enough. Then, with a simple sword in hand and a few unlucky bastards as examples death with, Rex had acquired the ''assistance'' of a local briggands group. With just the right amount of intimidation as the stick, and a solid few valuable gems, something that could theoretically be found almost anywhere, the lack of proper geology and whatnot ensuring the lack information on the subject, as the carrot, Rex used said group of brigands to stop the carriage the next day. They had enough time to prepare after all. Even here the brigands were smart enough to not actually harm the coachmen themselves, lest some serious bounty hunters are sent after their asses, but some damn lordlings of this land? Especially when they have had to rely on what they had been to survive? Yes, they were more than happy to fuck with the lives of them. To actually get paid for it as well, properly paid at that? Who could actually refuse? So what if the guy was scary as all hell? He had done most of the killing of the guards accompanying the duo, ensuring that the brigands only had to tie down the carriage of the targets in question.


    As such, just seven or so minutes later, walking past a couple dozen dead guards, Rex was upon the coachmen carriage. In unnaturally gruff voice Rex spoke "Get your asses out here little piggies. We have to let the gentleman on his way after all." but seeing as how those two were trying to bunker themselves inside, panicking for their dear lives and hoping for a miracle, Rex sighed once before adding. "Our apologies for the slight damage to your carriage." Then, within the next minute or so, two, panicked, kicking and screaming fools were removed from the carriage, cursing them and promising endless suffering for their families and everything they loved once their attempts to buy their freedom had failed.


    "YOU WILL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS REX!!! MY FAMILY WILL COME FOR YOU! THIS IS A CLEAR DECLARATION OF WAR!" screamed Visnuss as he was tied up.


    "Oh? I already have a patsy for this?" Rex asked apparently intrigued, his hoarse voice indicating so ever slightly. "Who did you piss of so much at that tournament to run back home with your tail between your legs? There is no way you are stupid enough to offend the inner continent sects? Spill it!" the last couple words were rougher, followed by a fist in Visnuss'' gut, causing the latter to bend over said fist.


    Seeing the groaning and squirming excuse of a man before him, the hooded figure that Rex was acting as right now turned it''s sight onto the other man, earning almost a girl like squeak, promptly followed by an explanation that the poor bastard could provide.


    "A war between Sol and Naramika? Yes, I can earn with that." Rex hummed as he tied up the duo, leading them towards a small cart of his own. Once both were loaded in, he turned back towards the group of brigands who were already gathering around him. Without much words, he threw a small bag towards the leader, who opened it immediately, his eyes greedily observing the precious gems within. "As agreed. I would advise you change your stalking grounds as soon as possible. There will be tracking squads sent after them in a matter of days."


    With that said, Rex boarded the cart and moved out, riding away and leaving the brigands to their own devices. The fools would no doubt stay around for too long, no doubt getting captured and tortured until they revealed every single detail they had heard, resulting in even less suspicions going Rex way. He had enough knowledge and understanding of geology to realise that the lands of Naramika were rich in a certain precious gem, one that held quite the value, though few outsiders could get their hands on the unpolished version of it, a secret well kept by the people within. The fact that Rex had spent some extra time acquiring precisely this unpolished gem in decent quantities to pay the brigands played a large role in his deception. ONly a native of Naramika was supposed to know, removing any suspicions from Rex. There was simply no way for him to know after all.


    Ensuring that he was not followed or tracked in any way shape or form, his mana pulses constantly scanning his surroundings, he reached a rather nice and dark patch of a forest, he had come from, Wari circling high above the clouds, waiting for him. Rex killed the two mounts that pulled the cart in but a single action, their bodies dropping lifeless before him. Then, he stored both the bodies, as well as the cart in his space storage that had far more space by now than he knew what to do with, acquisition of a new and special bed for Danica not including, and called his trusty abyss falcon to descend as soon as darkness took over. Then, once he and the two unconscious bodies were safely on Wari''s back, they departed Naramika just as unnoticed as they had arrived.


    ----------------------------


    Visnuss awoke with a rather unpleasant headache throbbing in his head. It was as if he had been drinking for a few days straight. He has had worse ones, of that there was no doubt, but usually such headaches were accompanied by a rather gright light coming through a window and a rather large number of naked women all around him. And yet, there was neither the bright light, indicating that morning was upon them, nor were there plenty of naked women around him, some with quite nasty bruises of his making. No, what greeted him, alongside the rather annoying headache were the groans of an old man, a slightly dark room and the rather unpleasant feeling of chains and ropes biting into his flesh. Clearly he had been tied to a chair of some sort. Also not the first time in his life, yet again, the lack of womanly giggles and the smell of expensive alcohol reminding him that things were off.


    It took him a few more minutes to properly come to, remembering the last things that happened. It was then that he truly awoke, his eyes opening widely, head turning from side to side, clearly panicked and looking for ways to get away, or anything that could stoke his hope.


    "I am afraid your coming days are not going to be much fun." Spoke a relatively youthful and feminine voice, Visnuss head turning in the direction, catching sight of a beautiful, ashen haired woman sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, playing with a small construct in her hands. Wow. Those alluring curves. That beautiful face he could just barely make out. The woman was indeed a true beauty. Was it actually a rather elaborate ploy from one of his friends to make the whole experience a proper roller coaster? To scare the living shit out of him and then bring to utter ecstasy with such high class beauty? Damn, he would have to work hard to top such play, but for a beauty of this quality, he was sure he could think of something.


    Then, as if noticing his lustful stare and understanding the process of his thoughts, as though they were familiar with each other, the woman stopped playing with whatever small construct was in her hand. "Well then, time to see how much I have learned and just how much do you actually now. The old man has been rather talkative. Sets see how well you sing?"


    And then, whatever wild and erotical fantasies Visnuss had just cooked up in his mind vanished like darkness at the dawn, as the incredible beauty left her comfortable looking club chair and walked over, her full form getting revealed by one of the mana crystals illuminating his surroundings. The ashen haired woman was indeed as stunningly beautiful as he had expected, her youthful yet voluptuous body almost awakening his little friend from its slumber with her mere presence, yet those blood red, almost shining eyes and the elongated canines extending from her upper row of teeth sent an absolute chill won his spine. This here was an actual vampire.

 Chapter 78. A new story begins.

    In one of the conference rooms of the Solendiel castle, a rather important meeting was taking place. The king, Evelysandra, Rex, Danica and the Zosh family were all present. Barnabus had recently returned with Camelia- Adrian''s wife and their third, youngest child, who was named Decebal and was around the age of ten. Still, much as expected, there was little in the manner of childish actions the kid took, his elevated intellect as well as upbringing shone through. The kid was staying by his mother''s side, but otherwise kept quiet,allowing for adults to do their thing.


    "And that concludes the information we managed to extract from the duo." Finished Rose as she had just explained in great detail everything that had been learned from the Naramika duo.


    "Do they still draw breath?" asked the king, still worried about a potential blowback from Rex''s actions, though by now he was honestly more scared of a war with Rex than any of the nations around. The latter could be reasoned with and defeated with strategy. The former? No such luck, doubly so when he saw just how eager the two sect members had been to invite him to at least visit their main locations, enticing him with plenty of downright incredible offers. Each and every one of which was shot down, with Rex noting that he will visit if he happens to find himself in their neck of woods.


    "For now, but it does not matter. The formation I have created around that wing of the prison would allow you to make anyone disappear with no one being the wiser. As far as the world is concerned, they are both already dead and if there was any life treasures attached to them, they would indicate the last place of life of the duo back in Naramika where I flew off from. If Naramikan''s have done their due diligence, by now they are looking for traitors within their own nation- people with enough reason to get rid of that Visnuss brat and the old cunt along with him. I did set it up quite well, if I do say so myself." Rex explained, a light smile on his face. "Thanks for the hard work Rose." he then thanked the Zosh daughter for her hard work, for she had done a lion''s share of the information extraction. Turned out the girl not only had a knack for it, but loved every step of the job. The fact she was allowed to break her targets irreversibly had only gotten her blood pumping even faster.


    It brought them all at this point however. The good knews where that they finally knew the nobles of Sol in on the whole slavery ring, and not only was the king and Eve extremely repulsed and disappointed when they learned the names, but also rightfully enraged. The question now was an important one- how did they wish to deal with said nobles? Would they watch them like hawks, waiting to catch them all red handed? Or would an action be taken now, to remove the key players from the board silently, and, with the help of an enthusiastic Rose, every single drop of relevant info once again extracted, leading towards their next set of choices to be made.


    After a while of consideration, the king sighed, well aware that whatever they are dealing with is inly one of the symptoms of the whole problem. "No matter what we decide on, the organization behind the whole operation will still exist, even if we will have rooted them out of our lands for some time at least. The power and money it promises is large enough that many would be easily swayed."


    "Yes, And not only that, they are free to conduct their business in many other nations out in the open, making it impossible to take them on in a proper war of attrition. Does not mean I will just let them to act as they see fit. If anything, a proper monster after their asses should force the mto downscale and chose to limit the regions they act in. I believe that your ancestral lands are not much on slavery and stuff, correct?" Rex spoke, addressing his last question to Danica.


    "If there are any, those are extremely rare cases, like with the Weeping Legion and what not. So yes, if you go on a crusade against their organization for their illegal poaching of our people as an affiliated force, which you are through our union, the nations in which you go wild can only express their slight displeasure of your antics. Though I have a glaring suspicion there will not be many willing to offend a creature of your reputation. There will be plenty of rumors spreading now for sure about a human bloodmage in existence."


    "It will be your families job to discourage others of your kind from trying to find any residence here Adrian, at least for the time being." Rex then spoke as he looked at the Zosh family. "And in return, I believe you already have access to everything that was promised and necessary, yes." Rex then looked towards the king. "And Rose wants you to know that she is always ready to lend her skills if you need some information extracted from prisoners unwilling to speak."


    "Understood." the king replied, already well aware of the young sadistic vampire beauty and her fascination with the art of torture. "We will let you know should the need arise."


    "Of course. Don''t be shy." Rose smiled back, her gaze slightly dreamy, no doubt already cooking up some new set for information extraction.


    "Anything else that we still need to discuss, or that about covers the debriefing?" Rex asked and when no one else actually spoke he nodded and added.


    "Well that''s it for the time being then, yes? As previously mentioned, Me, Danica and Eve will head out tomorrow. I heard there is an extremely interesting place we could visit, courtesy of Pyra. If there is any sort of emergency, you know how to contact me. And remember- emergency only."


    With that out of the way, the group of people dispersed, each heading towards their own destination. As expected of course, Danica was right behind Rex, the duo spending most of their time together and rarely separate, though they would have different plans for the rest of the day. Due to the fact they were leaving, Rex spent the rest of the day with Ria, once again spoiling the blonde beauty with a specialized date, tailored towards the girls interests and desires.


    The duo visited multiple small, yet rather famous family run establishments, each and every one renowned for their incredible pastries or other kinds of sweets. And, the pair would send at least an hour in each, giving Ria plenty of time to sample everything she desired to. And once done at the first, they would leave the establishment, Rex would pick Ria in a princess cary, and with a smooth yet powerful jump stabilized and empowered by his blood chains, he would lift the duo on the back of an awaiting Sidsel. Then, off they went towards the next target.


    Ordinary people would have long since given up, they stomachs overstuffed with food, but due to the similar rune set Ria was now sporting, she could easily go through all those sweet stores, tasting numerous different treats, noting the ones she loved the most for future reference and just keep going, not the least bit worried about maintaining her figure, something Rex could appreciate as well. Once they were done with the last store on their list, the duo once again found themselves on the back of Sidsel as the falcon slowly flew away from the town itself, revealing to the duo quite the impressive sight- the delicate mingling of human ingenuity with the incomprehensibility of the magical and the beauty of the natural, understood or not, for as much as magical was foreign, it was undeniably natural here.


    "Wow!" Ria could barely speak at the sight, her eyes sparkling with both excitement, appreciation and even a hint of desire. Anyone capable of appreciating such beauty would no doubt have an inkling of greed, to attain some all encompassing glass and capture the sight before them, forever to be within reach to appreciate it all once again. And yet, as much as such desires would cloud one''s mind, it was also obvious that such an action was not possible. ''Then again?'' Ria suddenly mused as she looked towards Rex, a similar thought passing through her mind as she just outright asked.


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    "Rex? Could you steal this sight from the world? Could you seal it in a small glass sphere to always be within reach? So only you and your loved ones could enjoy it?"


    A slight smile crept on his face as he listened in on the question, his mind already working on the feasibility of such an act. And to his own surprise, he realized he actually could. Thought there was the catch, he supposed.


    "Theoretically? I could, yes, given enough time and the correct preparations. That much is true, but at the same time, you would be the first one to dissuade me from actually doing so, if I were to tell you the price of such an action and was actually considering of doing it."


    "And what price would that be?" Ria asked almost immediately, her curiosity getting the better of her.


    "Lives. Thousands, tens of thousands of humans, sacrificed to fuel the formations to compress it all into a small artifact. And not just their flesh either. All the souls of those sacrificed would be enslaved for as long as the artifact containing the scene itself existed, feeding on their energy."


    "T-that''s incredibly cruel. How do you even know of this?" she asked, her hand covering her mouth, the mere thought of such a price causing her to feel quite squeamish.


    "It is all thanks to my understanding of concepts. Blood, space and soul. I know things instinctually, without having ever done similar rituals because of that."


    "Promise you would not use anything like that ever!" she looked at Rex with almost pleading eyes.


    "I promise to never do anything of the sort for entertainment." Rex replied, receiving a confused look, then a question right afterwards as soon as Ria understood what his words implied.


    "Why?"


    "Because if I have to sacrifice a city, hell, a continent or worse even, of strangers, just so my family and friends are safe? I will do it without batting an eye. I will of course try to think of a way to lessen the number of sacrifices made, but there will never come a time when people precious to me will be passed up because of some strangers. That might make me a villain, sure, but I would much rather be villain or devil than a useless lover of friend. And anyone acting otherwise is simply not worthy of the close ones they are willing to sacrifice in a such a manner."


    Rex replied, slightly squeezing Ria''s hand he was holding. His worlds were clear. He liked the blonde beauty, and while they were intentionally still only dating, taking it slow as he had wanted from the get go, he was also already far too attached to Ria.


    "Sheesh. What am I to do with you then? I don''t plan on leaving my own party, and we both are well aware that both you and Danica are too much for us to handle. So?"


    "So, we just keep going as we have so far?" Rex shrugged, not quite understanding the issue at hand.


    "B-but..." Ria spoke, her cheeks blushing as she was trying to bring up the issue. She bit her lip as she squeezed back his hand.


    "D-Danica says it feels incredible. H- how am I to deal with the issue without you available? It''s not like you and Danica who are traveling together all the time. Also, you should give Alurial some of your attention. She''s like a lost puppy, chasing after you."


    "Hoooh?" Rex drew his words, almost letting go of their connected hands, pulling her on his lap, sneaking one of his hand around her, just below her sizable chest, while capturing one of her hands with is other, once again gently holding it. "Then why don''t I leave her in your capable hands for the time being?" Rex whispered in Ria''s ear.


    "Wait, what?" the woman sputtered, her face flushed in embarrassment.


    "Don''t be embarrassed. There is no way I would ever allow another man to touch my lovers. I am too greedy and possessive for that. If you Alurial however, you are free to claim her, even if only to satiate your needs while we are apart. And I will join you two whenever I am back."


    "B-but I can''t just...." she stuttered, the thought making her blush even more, though at the same time Ria could not deny that it was also incredibly exciting as well.


    "Besides, Did she herself not say she would be willing to share with you some time ago? I am sure I heard of that declaration."


    "D-dumb elf!" Ria half cursed, half praised Alurial with the curse, both impressed and exasperated with the decisiveness the half elven woman could sometimes act.


    "F-fine." she half whispered eventually, her head hung back and nestled against Rex''s broad chest. "B-but I want to....." she whispered, even barely audible for Rex "Just the two of us first........"


    and then she whispered once again a short while later "Today....". Rex presence, and in such an intimate pose to boot, had gotten her particularly hot and bothered. The countless times Danica had boasted about just how good it all felt, as well as Rex words about Alurial, had finally pushed her over the edge, her slightly wandering free hand and the gentle gyrating of her hips quite the obvious sign.


    "As you wish princess." Rex whispered in her ear, mentally nudging Sidsal to return home. He had a beautiful buxom blonde to reward and satiate. And, being the proud and greedy bastard that he was, he would ensure Ria would have an unforgettable night.


    -------------------------------


    Rex was well aware that sometime closer to morning, Danica had crawled into the bed he was sharing with Ria right now, so it did not come as a surprise at all when he woke up, a blonde beauty snuggling up to him from either side, the tantalizing and perfect shapes of their bodies almost enough to call for some extra activities early in the morning. And while he was damn well sure Danica would never pass up on the offer, loving their intimate times just as much, if not even more so than him, the sensation as was right now had it''s own unique and irresistible charm. As such, he just remained there, enjoying the warmth and light movement of the duo''s chests, a slight smile on his face.


    Danica was the first one to wake up, stretching up the hand that had been on his chest, cupping his cheek and pulling him in a deep, yet relatively light kiss.


    "Ngh." she almost purred in happiness as she pulled away from the kiss "Morning love. Had fun?" she lazily asked, her gaze moving towards Ria''s still resting form. "I see you have good taste. I have trained you well...." she giggled. It was hard to deny that both beauties were indeed quite similar. both were blonde, with notable busts and magnificent figures.


    "Ha ha ha." Rex could do nothing but chuckle in return, though he deemed it a must to correct the mistake. "I have always had a good eye for beauty. And you are well aware that I started dating Ria even before he had met. Don''t worry though. You are still my precious and I will never let you go."


    "Those are my words." Danica grinned back, returning her head to lie on his chest. "So? Will Ria now travel with us?"


    "No. She will remain with Light''s Oak. I will have more reasons to come back more often, and, as you can already sense by the connection, She will be much safer now regardless." Rex replied, earning another humm from Danica.


    "Say, how does our links compare? I mean Mine and Ria''s? I am sure I feel more than just physical attraction towards you, maybee that is even love what I feel, and I also believe that Ria most definitely loves you. So, if we both feel similar, that would mean I love you too. So. Do I love you?" she asked, a slight worry in her eyes as she once again gazed at Rex, waiting for his answer.


    "I would say yes. As far as I can feel. And with my authority on the matter, that is as definitive of an answer as you will ever get. So congratulation, oh maiden in love. Your heart has been stolen by a greedy and arrogant dragon, forever to be kept within his hoard."


    "And what will you do with the brave adventurers coming to defeat the dragon and steal his hoard?" she asked with light giggles.


    "Devour them all, leaving none to even tell the tale. What''s mine, is mine forever. I am the pinnacle of greed. Even for death and time I show no quarter. What mine is mine."


    "Ha ha ha ha. That''s the domain of LORDS. I will stay by your side and witness as we both struggle against it all." Danica smiled and giggled again, possessively clawing at his chest.


    "Not just us both. There''s three of us now. At the very least." Rex smiled back, his hand caressing Danica''s hair. "Oh, morning beautiful? Did we wake you up?" Rex asked, his gaze turning towards Ria who''s eyes slowly fluttered open.


    "Morning sister. We are going to have plenty of fun together!" Danica giggled, rolling over Rex''s chest, almost pining Ria down and quickly pecking the other blonde beauty, quickly getting up from the bed and pulling both Rex and Ria towards the bath.


    "Come, come. A nice and warm bath is exactly what you both need." she urged, her eyes darting between both bodies. One - almost perfection of female beauty, the other- well trained and sculpted body of a god, even if the face was average. It was her average after all. And the slowly sprouting beard stubble gave him that extra gruffiness. ''Nghhh. That bath will take some time.'' Danica thought as she pulled the duo behind her. ''So much to do, so much to explore. Wait for me Eve, he is starting to fall. Soon enough, you will be next!''

 Chapter 79. Trail of wind.

    "So? Does anyone want to fill me in on the place we are going to?" Eve asked, her back pressed against Rex''s and Danica''s as the duo remained in each other''s arms. The group had been on the backs of abyss falcons for a couple of days already, the constantly changing landscapes beneath them the only proper proof of the high speed they were moving ahead at. Don''t get Eve wrong. She was not worried one bit about their destination, as Rex had proved countless times he had more than enough skill and sharpness of mind to always prioritize his party members safety, but that did not mean she was not curious. There usually was little that could interest Rex, so she herself was rather intrigued regarding information that could draw his mind and interest so easily.


    "There is truly little to tell, to be honest Eve. Pyra was incredibly elated after I punished Juan''s champion for his arrogance, so, as a sign of thanks for that particular gift, she told me of a rather peculiar place in turn. As far as her sect is aware, there is a certain lake of insane proportions in the direction we are flying right now and we should reach it in another week or so if my calculations are correct. As for why I am interested in the place? If Pyra is to be believed, sometimes there can be sensed traces of a dragon around certain parts of said lake." Rex explained.


    "And why would you be interested in a dragon, pure curiosity aside?" Eve asked, already expecting there to be more than such a simple reason.


    "Is the fact that they are a walking treasure trove not enough?" Rex asked in return.


    "For you? Yes." Eve replied without missing a beat.


    "Well, I suppose you have spent enough time with us to pick up a thing or two. What I am interested is somewhat academic. Dragon language, and I mean true dragon language, is believed to have some sort of a connection to the origin of magic. Or so some of the oldest legends of the civilised races speak, courtesy of Pyra yet again. It is my hope that I could get the chance to either encounter a proper, elder dragon or one that is more than willing to chat. Dragons are also a font of knowledge after all."


    "So? You hope to find a walking, talking and fire breathing ancient library and acquire some of the knowledge stored within?"


    "Yes. That sounds about right. What? Too simple?"


    "No. But what if the dragon is hostile? What then?"


    "Hmm? Did you not hear the part where its entire body is a treasure trove? And besides, if the same dragon appears around these parts, his hoard no doubt is nearby. Every dragon has one. It''s only a matter of finding it. So, The way I see it, we either acquire one, esoteric treasure trove, or two more mundane ones, as much a dragon''s hoard and it''s body could be considered mundane."


    "But dragons are powerful, extremely so."


    "Well, I am kind of depending on it. Who knows, a dragon of the correct proportions and age might just push me to my limits. The world could no doubt use my example to evolve. She is close after all." Rex added as gazed off into nothingness.


    "What was that?"


    "Don''t mind that. Just my musings."


    With Eve''s curiosity sated for the time, the group returned to a pleasant silence, once again focusing on their own tasks- namely burning their mana to strengthen their bodies. Rex had been kind enough and brought Eve up to the same level as Light''s Oak''s girls, providing her with yet another aspect of elevated growth, something Eve was very grateful about, though she was, admittedly, still trying to figure out a way to show her gratitude. Danica had expressed her own thoughts on the matter quite directly, resulting in more than one restless night for the princess. Far too spicy ideas and fantasies now frequented Eve''s late night thoughts, consisting of Rex near exclusively. Thankfully, both Eve and Rex, though the latter had no issues plaguing his days, were busy with their own things, leaving the remaining week of travel rather boring and monotone. The group did stop to get some proper rest a couple of times, providing plenty of down time for the falcons so their speed could be maintained, reaching their destination within the estimated time.


    ----------------------------


    The first thing to come into their view was seemingly endless expanse of water, stretching out as far as eye could see, though if Pyra was to be believed, they could cross the unreasonably large lake in just a few days, the speed and reliable sense of direction of the falcons an important part of the necessary skills. Then, as they got closer and closer to the shores of the lake, the party could start to notice a rather special sight coming into their view. Akin to a frozen picture, numerous islands hung in the air around the lake, or to be more precisely, above the lake. And as they approached, they could notice the slow movement of each island, as if they were all placed on invisible frame, slowly moving the whole model as predetermined. The islands varied in both size and shape, starting from the size of small houses, barely capable of fitting a couple of people, to ones that seemed capable of supporting an entire city, should someone figure out a reliable way of toing to and from each one of them. There were also beautiful, heaven blue crystals on the bottom side of each island, giving Rex and the party a general understanding of what just might be the cause of these floating islands.


    "Think those crystals could be used to create some sort of a flying device?" asked Eve as her gaze was locked on the beautiful sight.


    "Yes and no." Rex replied, his eyes and powerful soul, though still recovering, seeing much more than the other two. "While true that the crystals are no doubt part of the equation, there is more at work here. I can sense that space laws work slightly different here than they do elsewhere, though I doubt any proper LORD or whatever else is here comprehending them or anything of the sort." he then hummed for a moment. "On an unrelated note. Do you guys want to make camp on one of the islands floating above the lake? Or would you prefer an inn in a nearby city?"


    "Did you bring that bed along as I asked? If you did, I don''t mind camping out here for a while, though at the same time the probability of our target getting slightly, very much hostile and ruining our camp as a result is quite high as well. So I suppose a room in an inn would be better." Danica spoke up, receiving a hum of agreement from Eve.


    "Yes, the probability of combat out here is high enough. Let''s rent a room in a nearby town."


    "Okey. let''s do that then." Rex nodded in agreement, not bothered all too much either way and with their shelter question solved, he mentally nudged the falcons to descend. Once low enough, he had the birds to slow down they flight speed, providing Rex with plenty of time and territory to observe. What he was looking for would escape the notice of most, if not all people, since he was looking for other, similar oddities around the area, much like the floating islands themselves. While there was no entity close to the pinnacle of this world''s concepts present, changing and modifying the world around it, there was no doubt in Rex''s mind that such a being had been here recently. And not only that, but said creature had visited the location multiple times over decades.


    Rex could feel the deviations from the normal around the lake, resulting in the floating islands. And while one might assume that the islands floating around would be under the rule of concept of space, but those better aware and present could quite accurately pinpoint the concept at fault here. Wind. Whoever had somehow manipulated the world''s concepts, was rather proficient in the concept of wind, allowing the light breezes around the lake to create a closed circulation system, moving the islands according to the preplanned system. And what was even better was the thought given to the system now in place. Not only was it self sustaining, but it also ensured that the islands would not change pace or direction, ensuring no natural accidents would occur, ensuring the continuous existence of the sky islands in question.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Upon closer inspection, Rex noticed that the larger ones had even started to develop their own little unique ecosystems with all kinds of creatures developing independently based on the unique circumstances of each of the islands in question. Just how the islands would never interact with one another''s path, so did numerous independent streams of wind created different weather for each of the islands, making them as different as one would expect continents in different weather zones to be. Some had eternal summer, with endless greenery and plants, others were quite dry, the winds taking away all excess moisture in the air, creating a desert like environment. The only thing Rex could think was quite short sighted was the size of the islands. While a rather large sized city was plenty for a large sized population of humans to live on, it was also not enough to sustain the needs for food for numbers the island could support. And as such, whatever experiment the creator of the place was doing, did not concern themselves with that aspect of thriving life. Clearly, these islands were made with a different purpose in mind.


    Spending most of the remaining day exploring and cataloguing the islands, looking for additional clues as to the actual purpose of the place, Rex barely noticed when Eve and Danica left on the back of Sidsel, leaving him and Wari to his own devices. It was only when they returned close to the dawn that he focused on the duo of women who were smiling and talking as they arrived.


    "So? Successful in the room hunt?" Rex asked as Sidsel landed on the same sky island he and Wari were on right now.


    "Mhm. Found a decent place to stay for the time being. We also heard a thing or two that you might be interested in hearing, though we will share that during supper." replied Danica, a smirk on her face.


    "Roger. Returned to drag me there then? And how''s the city? Anything interesting you did during the day?" he asked as he scribbled down a few more notes, having come to a couple of ideas as to the purpose of this whole construction. So far, it seemed like an experiment to see how far wind could manipulate the world around it and where it''s capabilities stopped. Of course, because the concept itself was involved, said line in the sand was much further than it normally would be, but Rex supposed that was the whole point. It would also explain why the creature, most likely a dragon, for he highly doubted anything else to have the raw might to pull this off, would not stay around all year round. The experiment would take years, if not decades or centuries to bear any kind of fruits, allowing for the mad scientist to start some other projects in the meantime, ensuring he could use his time efficiently.


    "Found anything particularly interesting?" questioned Eve.


    "Kind of?" Rex replied with a slight shake of his palm sideways. "I have some ideas, but until I find the home of our mad scientist I cannot be certain. It would also give me general understanding of the frequency that the dragon, most likely, visits the place to see the result of his experiment."


    "We heard rumors, tales and whatnot in the town, the elder people all too willing to spread the old legends should you just ask, but an actual dragon? What makes you think so?" Danica asked.


    "I cannot imagine any other creature capable of messing with concepts at the level that has been done here, unless of course a LORD of this world had done it, but from what I have read, they don''t actually act on this realm any more. What few legends about LORD''S I have read, they appear, perform some miracle level acts, all based on a certain concept and then disappear just as suddenly as they came. This here is something that gets upgraded and observed regularly."


    "Hmm, that does make sense, yes. The few tales of LORD''S my parents told me go similarly."


    "I do wonder though?" Rex added as he got up from his position, ready to leave for the evening "Do dragons taste good?" promptly receiving a raised eyebrow from Danica and a frown frome Eve.


    "Seriously? Already thinking of killing and cooking a creature that is feared by everybody?"


    "Had I been around for as long as dragons, people would fear me just as much, maybee more. That is hardly something to be proud about. And you can''t say you are not interested in the answer. Something I will figure out one day, though that day does not necessarily need arrive any time soon. I have plenty of time." Rex smiled as he retorted, quickly finding his place on Wari''s back, soon enough joined by Danica, her arms quickly wrapping around Rex''s waist.


    "Mhm. This is the best!" Danica exclaimed in happiness as she relaxed, Sidsal leading the way towards the small city the trio had found as their temporary residence. "I heard there is a dungeon entrance nearby. Wanna check it out once we are done with the floating islands?" she asked, nuzzled in Rex''s side.


    "Hm? Sure, if you want to. I don''t mind."


    "Perfect. Let''s do that then. Eve said she would love to as well." Danica added, her eyes closed as she relaxed while the group flew towards the small town.


    "Any problems with Wari and Sidsal?"


    "No. The relative closeness to the Dawning Sun sect''s lands, all things considered, has the people rather used to seeing all manner of magical creatures, even if the flying kind is somewhat rare. A few surprised and awed gazes in our direction was all that happened, accompanied by a quite courteous and polite people all around." explained Eve, her eyes locked on the duo, as her hand lightly and gently caressed Wari''s back. Eve had gotten much further along in her own task of earning the abyss falcon''s trust, so much so that Rex knew that she had finally earned the right to feel the softness of their breast fluff, though she herself was not quite yet aware of it. With just a single mental inquiry, he was told that they would not mind if he were to actually share that morsel of knowledge, and as such, Rex did precisely that.


    "You know Eve." he started, looking towards the young woman "I do have to commend you. Truly. Never would I have expected for you to earn their approval so fast. Sure, being in my party helped a lot. The fact that Danica likes you as much as she does did as well, the two of them sensing her liking towards you. But still. You have done a magnificent job. Congratulations."


    "I don''t quite understand Rex." Eve looked at him with slight confusion.


    "Don''t worry then. Soon enough you will understand. Just relax, we are almost there." Rex replied, the small smile remaining on his face as his gaze turned forward.


    Soon enough, the two falcons landed in a rather spacy field, a few horses resting in nearby, similarly sized paddocks. This one though was notably larger, with its own additional barn of sorts. The trio jumped off the backs of the falcons, led them inside and left a few large pieces of quality meat for them to feast upon. Sure, they might have paid for the inn to provide some food for the falcons, but Rex was worried they would not have the quality food he believed his mounts deserved. Of course, before they left, Danica had her fill of the softness of the two falcons, calling Eve over to feel the softness as well. Eve almost squealed out of excitement, almost entirely disappearing in the fluff once she was allowed to. There was something about women and cute and fluffy things, and it seemed to transcend cultures, species and even worlds. Something Rex just helplessly shrugged about and went on with his day, following after Danica to their room for the night, or several. It all would depend on the search he would conduct the next day.


    The night was calm, no fools trying their luck, either because of the two, absolutely terrifying falcons they arrived on, or because of their A rank adventurer marks hanging from their necks. Regardless, their night was calm, and the breakfast was just as uneventful, only the servant bringing their ordered food over again and again interacting with them.


    "Think Wari ate someone?" Rex asked jokingly as they were closing in on the end of their meal.


    "Would have heard shouts and cries whenever that happened." Danica denied the probability. "It probably is the A ranker marks we have been flaunting ever since arrival."


    "Makes sense yes. So, what are you girls going to do while I am having my fun back there?"


    "That is a secret." smiled Danica as she replied, her eyes mischievous as she glanced over towards Eve a few times.


    "So be it. Don''t stirr too much trouble up though, but you know the drill." Rex smiled back, paying for their meal as he rose to his feet, the breakfast done with and a large number of floating islands still waiting for him. He pecked Danica on the lips as he headed out. "You know where to find me!" he waved as he left the inn, a few gazes besides the two girls following him, their reasons still their own.

 Chapter 80. The big fish in a small pond.

    The next few days went by relatively uneventful, all things considered. Rex moved from one floating island towards the next, exploring each and every one with all the tools available in his arsenal, jotting down all sorts of notes as he did so, spending his days near the floating islands and the nights back at the inn with Danica and Eve. As he learned with each explored and marked island, the purpose of this whole project seemed to be geared towards a rather simple goal- to understand just how much could one affect the pace and way a landmass could develop by manipulating the wind currents. And while it would seemed rather obvious that wind currents were extremely important in the whole process, for a world far less developed where most intelligent beings would chalk up whatever they could not explain as the way magic worked, such scientific approach was quite outside of norms. A hypothesis was expressed by the maker of this whole project, likely as said creature got closer and closer to the limits of this worlds concepts, explaining the dragonic nature of the perpetrator, and in order to advance its own progress in the discipline, the creature then created this, returning every now and then to observe.


    ''Truly, a Newton of this world in their own sense.'' Rex mused as he flew over towards the next island on the list to explore. ''I do hope he is more than just obsessed creature, discarding everything else in order to pursue the further comprehension of the concept. That would indeed be sad.'' Rex''s thoughts went on even as he got to work once above the next floating island. There was plenty for him to observe as well, and while Rex himself was not all that interested in the concept of wind, he had an unfair advantage that was starting to manifest itself in this world more and more. As he was still drinking the soul nourishing water he acquired back in the forest of giants, his soul had been recovering more and more, providing him with ever expanding capacity for absorbing knowledge and comprehending things, among many other benefits that he had yet to capitalize on. undoubtedly, he was moving further and further out of reach of other creatures inhabiting this world, but at the same time his presence was also a boon in it''s own right. As much as he was using this relatively new world to grow, so could it grow from his presence, his soul originated from a much more developed world, the concepts radiating from his presence alone. And, this smaller and younger world was basking and growing it''s own concepts from this presence alone. It was the reason why he was not met with cataclysmic unfortunate events. Beast tides, earthquakes and other misfortunes might follow in his wake, were he inclined to harm the world as a whole. Yet, for all of his actions, not only had Rex yet to go on what could be considered a demonic rampage, leaving naught but ash and corpses behind, but he was also slowly spreading his roots, like a seed of a tree, fallen to the ground and starting to sprout.


    As Rex was doing his own thing, two, extremely beautiful and confident women were exploring the town they had decided to rest at. They had spent the few days combing through the markets, searching for anything that could spark their own interest, talking about this and that and plotting their own little games as they did so, their conversations moving from topic to topic as they went on. It was due to Danica''s lack of shame, or her pride in the things that she did with Rex that the conversation did eventually move towards the more private and spicy themes, eventually resulting in Eve asking a question that had been popping up in her mind lately as Rex had been visiting her fantasies more and more often.


    "Are you guys not worried at all?" Eve asked once they had found a nice little place to have a small snack. They were sitting in a small gazebo, the bright and scorching sun kept away by the beautifully crafted and decorated wooden ceiling.


    "Bout what?" Danica asked back as she took a few sips of a refreshingly cool drink and munched on a few snacks served along with said drink.


    "Well...." Eve slightly hesitated, before continuing. "Well, kids? You guys have been doing it quite often. Is it not only a matter of time until? Well, nature takes its course?"


    "Awwww. You are sooo cute when flustered. Ha ha ha ha." Danica laughed as she observed Eve''s slight blushing, eventually calming down to answer.


    "You have seen what Rex can do with blood that is not his own, have you not? How hard do you think it is for him to control his own body? Unless we both want it to happen, there is not chance in hell of anything sprouting in me. We can have all the fun adventuring while enjoying each other to the fullest." Danica laughed, taking a few more sips as her eyes gleamed. "I have to say, it was the greatest luck of my life encountering him when I did. Not only did he save my people, but he is also a magnificent partner. Do not worry though. I have been working hard to prepare him for you and I believe he is almost ready. Him accepting Ria fully was a step in the right direction."


    "And why do you think I want that?" Eve asked, her voice half whisper, as if afraid Rex, where ever he was right now, might overhear should she not lower her voice.


    "Come on girl! Seriously? You have been looking at him with those half lidded eyes, half filled with lust, half with desire. The only question is how much has Rex himself perceived. He finds you attractive enough, as far as I know. He also has some reasons why he does not just expand his possible harem, LORD''S know there is plenty of beauties who would jump at the opportunity. We have both seen plenty try."


    "Have you asked him about it?"


    "Once or twice. He did say something about appreciating each of the ladies he decides to actually pursue. Something about us not being simple trophies and whatnot. As far as I can tell though, not once have I felt as a trophy, a decoration making his home nicer, though I suppose that should be the result of his choices." Danica mused, seeing Rex''s point better and better as she actually thought on it. It was somewhat hard to see it from his point of view though, the people of this world finding themselves at the mercy of the strong far too often, skewing their perception of what was a good partner and how should they act. Even the wolfkin placed a large emphasis on the raw might of their partners, often relegating other, possibly productive qualities to a lesser desirability level. Though that was how world worked when the law of the jungle where might makes right is superior to anything else.


    A moment of silence permeated their gazebo as both women thought on the conversation, each having their own things to consider. The moment extended slowly, changing from seconds, to minutes until a while later both sighed at nearly the same time, having come to their own conclusions, proceeding to laugh at their synchronized sigh. Once done, both smile as they looked at each other, Eve''s words leaving her lips first.


    "He is an enigma. Whenever I think I have figured him out, he does something unexpected, flipping all but one of my conclusions on their head, making it hard to keep up."


    "I have a glaring suspicion about that one conclusion of yours." Danica smiled as she added, allowing Eve to finish her thought.


    "He does not compromise. Not when it comes to the people he cares about. And he is quite obvious about that as well."


    "Mostly." Danica added, a meaningful expression on her face. "Look at you for example. He is growing fond of you, even if he himself does not quite understand it yet. Once he does though, he will act with single minded determination and focus, doing things to ensure your safety you cannot even dream about."


    "Oh?"


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Sorry sister. There are things I cannot reveal, nor explain without his approval." Danica smiled apologetically, her mind as if wandering.


    "It''s all right. I just have to work harder." Eve added as she too took a sip from her drink. As they enjoyed their little moment, a servant approached them with a tray, some fancy looking bottle on it.


    "Honored customers." the servant girl bowed once she had reached their gazebo "The young lords over there asked to deliver this fine drink to you two." she spoke as she pointed towards another gazebo where six young men sat, their gazes locked on Danica and Eve, some clear desire and lust obvious in their gazes.


    "You can bring it back to them. We were just leaving anyway." Danica replied, not even looking towards the group. She had been aware of their gazes for a while now though she had ignored them so far. Foolish youngsters and their libido''s. "And do tell them to stay away. Our man is rather possessive. Nor would we want to be annoyed by them either. Come Eve, let''s go."


    "As you wish." the girl bowed, noticing Danica''s A ranker''s medallion around her neck. With that said and their tab paid for, Danica and Eve left the establishment, leaving the servant girl to return the offered drink unopened.


    "Who do they think they are, huh?" one of the youths sneered once the servant girl had been rudely sent away. Not even their group dared to actually hurt the employees of the place. There were plenty of rumors around the town about who owned the place and those in power were smart enough not to enrage said owners, ensuring that their offspring and their cohorts were aware as well, making the establishment in question a sort of a neutral zone.


    "Did you send one of your lackeys to tail them?" asked another youth from the group, none aware of the identities of the two beauties, having just noticed them as they had their own fun.


    "Of course, though I have never seen the two. Likely passing through."


    "Are you sure it is a good idea?" yet another of the group spoke, his voice more timid than the rest, clearly nervous about something.


    "Eh? What are you so scared about?" the leader of the group asked. "Did you not see them? It''s rare to see such beauties around here."


    "T-that''s precisely why I am worried." the timid one spoke up again. "W-what are the odds that they don''t have their own admirers already. P-perhaps even partners? The servant did say they are important people."


    "Eh? Since when is a paying customer anything but an important person? You sure your old man is as smart as your mother claims?" another laughed and joked about the timid guy.


    "Oi! That''s enough. Can''t have them go and disappear on us." The leader of the group interrupted, a smirk still on his face. "And what does it matter if they have a partner, or two already. Once we are through with them, they will be unable to think of anything but pleasure anyhows. What''s some old flame or whatever matters then? Still, I will have a few of our guys on the lookout for strong looking guys for a couple of days. Dawning Sun sect is relatively close by after all, even if those treats don''t wear their uniforms."


    "Y-yes." nodded the rest of the group, instantly agreeing with their leader. He was smart enough and always shared once he got bored, earning quite the zealous following from the rest of the group. And so, a few moments later a few more errand boys were called upon, their orders clear.


    -------------------


    "So? How goes your exploration? Learn anything of note?" asked Eve as the trio sat around a table, their ordered food arriving plate after plate, reducing the amount of empty room on it every moment. As per usual, they had ordered plenty to cover it all from one end to the other, still surprising the owner of the place with their extraordinary appetites. What was more interesting was the fat that all three of them ate similar amounts, with only Rex surpassing the other two by a rather large margin, though that was to be expected. The level of rune engraving on his body was on a whole another level.


    "Kind of?" Rex replied, pulling out another canteen filled with soul recovery water. "I have a general understanding regarding the whole floating island system as well as a relative understanding of the cycles it works through. As far as I can tell, one cycle goes for a few years and if my current calculations are correct, the dragon will not be back for another decade or so, if the rumors are to be believed regarding it''s last visit. Nothing to do about that though. Seems like we will get to play around in that dungeon of theirs sooner rather than later. Had fun in the meantime girls?"


    "We had our little fun, yes." replied Danica as she decided which dish to start with. "Some fools are snooping around, looking for trouble, but I have it all under control, though I would appreciate if you were to plant some extra safety measures on Eve." she added as she glanced at the other woman for a moment, then, trying her best puppy eyes, looked at Rex.


    "You know it does not work on me. You have much better choice of weapons to get what you want."


    "Had to try. One never knows when another weakness appears." Danica replied, a mischievous grin on her face.


    "But sure. I was considering the same for a while now. Did not find the correct reasons though." he then looked at Eve " Come to our room after dinner. I will see what we can do."


    "Mhm." Eve nodded, as they started their meal, the few fools snooping around and keeping tabs on Eve and Danica not escaping Rex sharp perception. With the gradual recovery of his soul, the entire town was under his constant surveillance, the perpetrators of this current stalking already marked and paid extra special attention. And Rex could honestly say that he was already quite willing to clean the place up. It was one thing to pick up girls with ones charisma and skill, living the life of a player, but to resort to drugs and mind break? Treating said women like toys afterwards? No. Rex had a rather peculiar moral code, some might even call him hypocritical at times and he would not even deny the accusation. He was well aware that he was slightly broken, corrupted in certain ways by the power he held in his hands, and yet, for all the corruption, he still valued people at a certain baseline. Crime fits the punishment and whatnot, unless of course said crime endangered or hurt people he cared about. In that case, well, everything was allowed.


    Spending a proper hour on their supper, the group retired to Rex''s and Danica''s room where Eve received a few extra protection layers, though she herself did not feel any different after another hour of Rex doing whatever he was doing. Though he did assure her that he had placed a few additional levels of protection on her, earning nods of approval from Danica. Once done with that, Danica pounced on Rex from behind, hugging him and playfully biting his neck, followed by a playful whisper in his ear, though loud enough for Eve to hear.


    "So? Are you perhaps finally interested in feasting on our beautiful princess? Don''t you think she has been waiting for long enough?" Her hands were already fooling around.


    "Why the rush? Is my slow pace losing her interest?" Rex grinned as he replied, leaning his head against Danica''s.


    "N-no!" Eve exclaimed, blushing right afterwards, her eyes shying away from the grinning duo as she bit her lower lip, her hands clutched together.


    "Danica has no doubt told you already, but in case she has not, and because you yourself have not actually asked me, I will be quite direct. I have made a conscious decision to limit myself to as few women as I can, spending more time with them and appreciating them more. And as much as I am aware of your growing attraction to me, I also have no desire to rush ahead. We have plenty of time ahead of us and if you need some sort of an assurance, here it is." The grin on Rex face disappeared as he adopted a serious expression, his eyes locked on Eve''s.


    "Evelysandra." he spoke "I have grown to enjoy your company. More than I might even like to admit. I have also noticed your growing affection for me and Danica. If it is your wish, not only I, but also Danica would be more than happy to welcome you as a member of our little family. Do you wish to join us?"


    The serious expression on Rex''s face, combined with the warmth coming from both his and Danica''s eyes caused an errant tear to escape on of Eve''s eyes, a pleasant warmth spreading through her chest. While not quite in the same manner, Eve had dreamed of similar scenarios, though admittedly her versions would usually end with a lot of moans and screams of pleasure.


    "Mhm." She nodded "I would love to." She did not manage to say anything else since Danica immediately pounced on the princess, using her superior speed and strength to pull her in their bed, hugging Rex from one side and Eve from the other.


    "Let''s rest and hit up the dungeon tomorrow!" Danica declared, a content smile on her face even as Eve was stealing glances of Rex, who, upon noticing, or to be more precise deciding that he had pretended not to see long enough, smirked and added his own decision.


    "I will still have you stew for a while longer. You are mine now, but some dishes have to be properly prepared for for the best experience." His eyes were gentle as he spoke, even if his grin looked downright diabolical in Eve''s eyes.


    "Mhm." Eve could do nothing else but humm in agreement. It would be have to be enough for now.

 Chapter 81. Big fish in a small pond. Part 2.

    Rex laid in the bed with beautiful lady peacefully sleeping on each of his side. Some time in the night Danica had, out of pure habit, crawled over him to get to her preferred side, her blonde locks serving as a makeshift cushion on his broad chest as she slept peacefully andas if on instinct, Eve had rolled over as well, seeking the pleasant warmth of a beloved person that was suddenly missing, yet already imprinted in her subconsciousness as pleasant and desirable. And while Rex was aware of these events as they unfolded, his mind always aware even if his body was resting, he had done nothing, just laying there and enjoying the warmth and softness he was enveloped in. Despite his slow approach, he was still a man and was more than a little happy with the current situation. Call it what you will. Pride. Vanity. Anything at all. Every man deep down has a desire to excel, to rise above others and to provide for and protect their family. And in a world of might and magic, he had acquired the tools to do just that.


    Rex also spent some of his brain power tracking the bastards who had set their eyes on Danica and Eve. He was well aware of their whole ''shtick'' and he was more than just disgusted. This was, as far as he saw, the true definition of the big fish in a small pond. Though there was a slight twist to it all, since even as the biggest bullies around, they were also aware of the behemoth that existed close by. Their little scouts ensuring that their current targets were not part of a powerful sect, out on some mission. One might wonder how had they not noticed either Rex''s abyss falcons coming and going, or the A ranker''s medallion Danica wore, but that too could be relatively easily explained should one delve into the details.


    The stables, the whole in to be precise, were located on one of the edges of the town, ensuring that a minimal number of people even saw the birds. Add to that the fact that they arrived well past dusk and left with dawn, sometimes a bit earlier and the numbers suddenly shrink near exponentially. Add to that the absolutely tight lips of the staff of the inn, none too eager to earn the young masters wrath by spreading rumors and that part of the equation is solved.


    As for Danica''s A rankers medallion? That too was rather easy to explain. First, the few people who had noticed it were mostly observant servants of a few establishments the girls had visited and such people tend to be smart as well, having learned to observe and keep quiet, whispering a word here or there when asked, earning some extra coin for their attentiveness. As for the knowledge of Danica''s A rank? Why would they speak of it? The most likely way for them to earn some solid favours or extra money was to keep their head low and listen extra carefully, offering their meager knowledge should the opportunity arises. And if some of the local tyrants kick the iron plate that two incredible beauties were, all the better for them. There was little love lost between servants or possibly slaves and the ruling lords and their offspring within the shadows.


    Since he was done with his own research, he had left himself in the hands of his girls, allowing them to decide their plans for the day. If they wanted to explore the local dungeon, he would go along with their wish. Scour the markets in search of some interesting items? He would go along with it as well. It was their sandbox for the day and he would play along as much as his own greed allowed. There were few things he would not go along with and his girls were well aware of them.


    "So? What''s the plan, if you don''t mind me asking?" Rex questioned as they all sat around a table, slowly enjoying their breakfast. They had left the inn on foot allowing the falcons to rest for a while longer and were now on their way towards one of the restaurants Eve and Danica had found and considered to be among the best places in town. Sure, it was no capital of a nation or anything that grand, but due to it''s location closer to the continents inner regions, there were still more than ten thousand people residing here, making it quite the town, ever approaching the size of a small city.


    "Breakfast. Obviously." grinned Danica as she and Eve led Rex ahead, each holding onto one of his hands. Danica was already well used to the act, her pace in near perfect rhythm with Rex''s. Eve was slightly more awkward, not quite used to such displays of affection, though more than happy to do so, the smile on her face speaking volumes. "But you will have to wait a bit for other answers for now. It is more fun that way." Danica added.


    "Alright. Though I do have another question regarding the pests that are still tailing us." Rex said, his tone of voice lowered quite a bit. "I have been tracking everything that''s been happening in this city and I have to say that the little bastards aiming for you two are quite the despicable bunch."


    "Oh? Is that jealousy I hear?" Danica teased.


    "Not quite. Possessiveness or overprotectiveness would be in my case. As for them." Rex slightly tilted his head and lifted eyebrows, the people in question already clear in Danica''s and Eve''s minds "They should be taken down for different reasons. As far as I have learned, the women they go for get drugged and mind broken while said bastards are having their way with the ladies, resulting in women barely better than mindless dolls."


    Rex explanation instantly erased the smirk on Danica''s face, quickly replaced by cold and downright murderous gaze, almost mirrored in Eve''s face as well. "How many?" Eve asked, her grip on Rex hand tightening, though she still had a long way to go to actually harm him in such a manner, even if subconsciously.


    "I doubt they keep too many girls around themselves, so it is hard to say. Would need to wait a few more hours until the working girls shifts change. I doubt they bring the broken ones out for the most busy time." Rex explained, his expression now just as serious as the girls.


    "Are you implying?"


    "Yes. I doubt they would just discard the girls they are tired off. Most likely they have been sold of to brothels and such."


    "Can you make them suffer a lot in a short period of time?" Danica asked as she was slowly oozing bloodlust.


    "Don''t worry about that. I am sure I can make them beg for the sweet sweet release of death in half an hour. My apologies for this. seems I might have spoiled the mood a bit too fast. Sorry." Rex spoke, feeling slightly guilty about the way he had killed the mood. "We were supposed to celebrate Eve''s addition to the family and I went and ruined the mood. Really, forgive me for that."


    "I-it''s ok." Eve spoke "We believed a simple lesson would be enough for the foolish guys eying and stalking us, but with the knowledge we have now, I want them punished properly. Such bastards should not be allowed to continue with the atrocities they are commiting. Come, let''s hurry up and get ready for some justice."


    "Well said Eve." Danica nodded in agreement, the two women dragging Rex ahead with elevated speed.


    "There is no point in rushing ahead." Rex pointed out. "There is nothing we can do for the girls already broken and their next targets are you two, ensuring no other girl should be in danger right now, nor have I ''seen'' them visiting any sorts of prisons where some girls are locked up. An hour or two longer with not change much. Perhaps the additional time will allow us to deal with a larger number of them. So, for the time being we might as well enjoy our morning as you lovely ladies had planned."


    "Let''s try at least." sighed Danica "There still should be some sort of punishment on you for ruining our mood though." adding as a small smile formed on her face. She was quite skilled at quickly changing gears, something Rex appreciated about his wolf girl quite a bit.


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    "I adore you." Rex said as he kissed Danica''s head, still allowing himself to be dragged towards their destination.


    A short while later the trio arrived in front of a three story building, built out of a rather odd stone blocks, each one no larger average human head, though their shapes varied a lot. Some sort of cement like, though light green in color, adhesive had been used to glue said rocks together. The light green moss colour of the adhesive, along with the desert sand yellow stones created a rather peculiar sight. The building had large windows on the first floor, revealing a cozy and inviting hall with quite a few tables, though far apart from one another to ensure no one visiting party would be inconvenienced too much by the presence of others.


    Small, yet beautiful and easy to one''s eyes, flower decors were placed on each table, permeating the room with light, yet pleasant to one''s senses aroma, promising a well spent time and a delicious meal. As the trio approached, a young lady, around twenty five or so, dressed in a rather simple, yet elegant dress came out to greet them.


    "Welcome to Radiant cauldron. Have you reserved a table?" she politely asked, a bright smile adorning her face.


    "You could say so." replied Danica as she fished out her adventurer guilds medallion. "I was told special rules apply for A rankers."


    Noticing and recognizing Danica''s medallion, the woman smiled and bowed in respect. "Yes, of course. It is indeed a policy of ours. We do have a few tables saved for precisely such occasions. Please follow me honored guests."


    "If anyone asks, pretend that we had a reservation. There is an extra reward for both you and the establishment if you play along." Rex added, momentarily flashing his own medallion as well. The girl just bowed once more as she asked them to follow her, her tone just as polite and respectful as before. Rex loved people who knew not to act haughtily when anyone could turn out to be a hidden master, just waiting for some fools to give said master a reason to go wild.


    "Of course sir. Please follow me."


    As such, the trio followed the girl towards the second floor. The attendant explained that the first floor was already booked and the second one was used for more important guests such as them as well as for reservations, if a little bit more expensive. The trio just nodded i nagreement and followed along, soon enough finding themselves in a separate room with only their table present, yet another special privilege of the second floor.


    With the trio seated, the attendant excused herself for just a moment, providing them with three sets of menus that had plenty of exotic sounding foods with short descriptions of each. Another minute later, a light knock rattled their door, followed by it''s opening and entry of another woman. This one was notably more beautiful than the first attendant, though still lacking when compared with Danica or Eve, though not by too much.


    "Greetings honored guests. My name is Miu and I am the owner of this humble establishment. I hope that whatever we are asked to provide will satisfy your refined tastes."


    "Do relax a bit lady." Rex spoke calmly. "We are most likely the least eccentric group of A rankers you will have likely met, while being one of the most eccentric at the same time. But no matter what, unless you try to poison us, there is little to nothing else that could incur our wrath. Also, as I already informed the girl welcoming us, if any of your local underground barons or their men inquire, we had a reservation sent here ahead of time."


    "May I inquire as to you business with said elements?" Miu asked timidly.


    "Cleaning up trash whose greed knows no bounds. Is there perhaps an issue you need some assistance with?" Rex replied, adding a question of his own and noticing Miu hesitating, he made an educated guess as he continued. "Though I suppose it is not something a passer by could reliably solve, is that it?" noticing the slight nod of Miu, he asked further.


    "And would a few Dawning Sun''s disciples regularly stationed in the town solve said issues?"


    "Honored guests are from Dawning Sun sect? My apologies for the lack of respect shown." she quickly spoke as she was in the motion to kneel, promptly stopped by Rex''s blood chains.


    "Relax lady. I told you so before. And while we are not actual members of Dawning Sun, Pyra, who will happily fulfil any request of mine happens to be a direct disciple of one of the inner circle elders. Heard of the girl? Elven of origin, blonde hair. Ring a bell?"


    "You have met the disciple of Bone lord?"


    "Bone lord?"


    "Yes. The elder vampire of the Dawning Sun sect. There are legends spoken of the man, though rarely shared with outsiders, Bone lord is respected and honored around these parts. A few centuries ago he stopped a rather infamous group of bandits, terrorizing these lands. Ever since he dealt with them, no other such bandit groups have roamed our fields."


    "Don''t know about the Bone lord, but Pyra did say something about her master being a vampire, yes."


    "Then if I might be so bold as to beg for the kindness offered." Miu bowed once again, explaining the issues plaguing their town and once done, she received the groups order with a confirmation that they would look into her problem. As they waited for the numerous dishes they had ordered, assuring Miu that nothing would be wasted, even inviting her to enjoy the show if she so wished, they also planned on how to solve all the issues on their lap while limiting damage to the town itself and its inhabitants, the bad guys not including of course.


    "They seem to have their fair share of problems." concluded Eve as she drank some exotic fruit juice.


    "Who doesn''t?" Rex added "To be fair, I was expecting much more than Miu revealed. The presence of the lake and those floating islands should serve as a rather powerful attraction, pulling in both the good and bad. The only thing limiting the development of the underworld here is the lack of people capable to safely travel the world. I suppose the lack of obvious treasures dangled before the hopeful also should be counted as another lackluster thing."


    The trio then enjoyed their meal once the dishes started arriving, with Miu personally serving them, explaining a thing or two regarding the dishes she noticed Danica or Eve were gushing more about. It was much harder with Rex, his expressions quite controlled and difficult to read. If not for the occasional hum of appreciation, Miu might have wondered if he enjoyed even a single dish of their superior cooking. Eventually though, a knock on the door attracted their attention, with the attendant that brought Rex and the girls here entering moments later. The young woman bowed and notified them of the group asking about them, something Rex was already aware, just as he was already aware that the people of the establishment had indeed acted as requested, though only after they had been threatened quite graphically should they not spill the info that they had kept to themselves.


    "You do have quite the staff Miu." Rex commended the woman and her people skills. "Not one of them spoke until their families were threatened with quite graphic violence and even then they revealed what was requested, though I suppose that is somewhat the girls fault here." he continued as he glanced at the young worker. "Good job there." he placed a small stack of gold coins on the table. "Your the job well done. Alright my lovelies. Guess we have to speed up and finish with our meal. Your admirers are getting impatient to meet you. Might as well play along. don''t you think?"


    A downright predatory and slightly savage grin appeared on Danica''s face as the two women nodded, any conversations and planning that they did so far taking a backseat, allowing the trio to focus on cleaning the plates, though pleased half moans escaped the girls stuffed mouths- the food was just that good. Yet another grievance both Eve and Danica added to the list that the fools stalking them had accrued during their little operation. Another thirty minutes later, they were done, leaving Miu both shocked and impressed. The trio had indeed eaten everything that was ordered, causing the woman to wonder where had they stuffed all that food. Their frames were the same as when they entered, no overstuffed bellies or anything. Though Rex was kind enough to offer her a few words of parting as he placed another stack of money to pay for the meal. "We just are special. Don''t torture yourself, searching for answers you can''t hope to find. Thank you for the meal. We will no doubt visit again before we leave."


    With that said, Rex lead his group away, once again guided by the smiling attendant girl, one of her hands feeling the gold coins she had received for her service. She was already thinking of the small gifts she would buy for her fellow workers and the things she could afford she had dreamed of, the smile on her face betraying her good mood. Once the trio had left the restaurant, they headed towards the markets, Rex sensing in real time as they were slowly surrounded by more and more fools, just begging for their deaths, until eventually, in one of the side streets they chose to walk through to reach the market area quicker, they were stopped by a group who blocked their path forward, quickly followed by another to do the same for their path back. In moments, they were trapped, a couple of smirking youths walking through the group, their eyes already undressing the two beauties next to Rex.


    "It is unwise to reject a gift offered with sincerity." spoke the young man who was flanked by a couple of others, clearly his lackeys or henchmen.

 Chapter 82. The good monster.

    Rex paid full attention to the group surrounding them, each and every one equipped with some sort of weapons, be it swords and shields or whatever else they had on them at the moment, though he also noticed the lack of actual mages present, as well as archers. Then again, such composition of the forces was more than logical. magic would create too much of a commotion and archers would find it hard to be useful in such crowded location. hitting their singular target, who just so happened to be Rex, would be nigh impossible.


    "We felt quite slighted back then. So much so that I do believe an apology of sorts is warranted." the speaker smirked as he continued. "And I am afraid words alone will no longer suffice. And if you behave well enough, I might just let your friend here go mostly unharmed."


    "Sigh." Rex sighed, shaking his head. There was only some much he was willing to listen to, his right eye almost twitching at this point. "Their goons are all close enough and I have deployed the chains. No one is getting away. Feel free to go wild, though do save the group right ahead of us for later. They are the ones marked for after school detention."


    "Affirmative!" The duo nodded as they pulled out their weapons from their space storage rings, causing quite the commotion among the ranks of their would be attackers. The mere realization that both women had space storage rings already spelled disaster, causing panic among the ranks of their opposition. Only super rich people and A ranked adventurers had something like that and either case was a cause for panic. And as the guys who had spoken just moments before realized the deep shit he was in and tried to say something, blurred image appeared before his eyes and slammed something in his face, causing blood to splatter around as the poor bastards nose was crushed with a nice and crunchy sound, flinging him against a nearby wall, resulting in a couple of thuds as he connected with the wall and then fell down, slumping like a bag of trash, unresponsive.


    Danica shook her hand, splattering the blood on her battle gauntlet from the previous hit that had sent the fool flying as she glanced around, her glare causing more than one of the poor bastards knees to shake. Then, she pounced again, sowing chaos among the numbers of the goons, knocking them unconscious one after another. As Danica was getting close and personal with the poor fools, Eve was not idling by either, her arrows incapacitating fool after fool, making the ambushers situation worse and worse. And those that attempted to flee? The poor bastards quickly ran into walls coloured in the red of ones blood, blocking their path of retreat, much like those that tried to swarm Eve or Rex, Danica being too fast and agile to attempt the same, encountered blood chains that swiped them all away. In less than fifteen minutes, the whole group of hundred or so thugs were all disarmed and incapacitated or outright killed. Numerous broken bones from Danica''s merciless strikes or people with arrows through their limbs, pinning them to either walls or pavement with plenty of blood puddles indicating just how cruel Rex? group had been. And yet, as cruel as they were, the main group of the whole bunch was in a relatively better condition, though they were still quite bruised and battered.


    The blood chain walls locking off the entirety of the side street had also been noticed by more than a few pedestrians. Coupled with the screams that came from behind the wall, some guards were already amassing near them, extremely cautious around the walls. While they were not entirely sure, the blood colored walls reminded them of plenty of the stories they had not only heard as children, but also told themselves, making their caution all the more reasonable. By the time the walls ''slithered away'', revealing a sight of a massacre, three people standing in the middle of it all, dragging several people along with them once they started moving, there was already plenty of guards gathered, though none were too eager to face the perpetrators.


    Luckily for them, the man of the trio spoke as they approached the side street''s exit. "Perfect. Just the people I was hoping to find." Rex spoke as his group approached, dragging behind him the ringleaders of the whole operation. "Do be a dear and clean up this mess. And once that is done, do send some of your colleagues to the homes of these little shits. Since they decided to kick an iron plate, might as well clean up this little pond."


    By the time Rex had finished taking, he was already in front of the nearest guards, the A ranker''s medallion straight in the face of said guards due to his larger frame. Rex had gone out of his way to fish it out and display in clear view. From what Miu had said, the guards themselves were not the problem, the darker elements of the town well aware and capable of hiding their own dealings and businesses, though someone like her was in a unique position to see it all, one way or another. In the end, the medallion was more than enough to dissuade any overly righteous or zealous fool from chasing after Rex and the girls, their superior power clearly on display.


    Taking out the rest of the trash took considerably longer though, a thorough purge of the mansions the parents lived in, in case they too were part of the underworld, demanding notably more time, though the result in the end was as expected- a proper purge of the criminal elements within the town and with Rex''s request already on it''s way to Pyra, it was only a matter of time before the city would be nice and secured. Their whole day was spent on the purge though, leaving the dungeon exploration for another time and while they had some random snack here and there, they returned to Miu''s restaurant for their supper, this time able to enjoy their meal in its entirety, once again attended by Miu personally as she thanked multiple times for the good they had done for the town.


    It was during the meal that Rex was asked a rather peculiar question by Danica and truth be told, he himself was also quite interested in the logistics and probability of said question.


    "By the way Rex." she had asked at one point during their meal, attracting the attention of both him and Eve "Have you considered the possibility of fixing those broken girls at least partially? I know you said they are broken and cannot be helped, but is that really the truth?"


    Rex sat there, slowly chewing his food as he worked the question over, considering the question he had been asked, until a few moments later he facepalmed himself. For all his intellect and processing power of his mind, along with the incredibly powerful soul of his, he was still human, at least partially. How could he have forgotten the things he could do. The latter was a rhetorical question, since it had been quite a long time he have had to use that part of his skill set. He was so focused on preventing any harm to the people dear to him he had somewhat forgotten the things he could do with ''Drain'' in the other world. Sure, his ability was notably weaker here, working as mostly a constant, yet not nearly as potent effect, but the basis was still there. Combine it with his elevated control over the concepts of blood and soul, and he might just have some tools in his arsenal.


    "Actually" Rex spoke a few moments later, his mouth now devoid of food "Now that I think on it, there might be something I could try. Though I have to note that there is no guarantee it would work. Nor do I know if those girls would even want to be brought back. I have no idea how the drugs those bastards used work, though now that I think about it, I need to check some of those broken girls out. If anything, understanding how and what broke them should be important." his mind was working overtime now, considering the possible nature of the drug. Initially, he had considered that it was a chemical reaction, haywiring their nervous system and breaking it town, drowning them with euphoria as it destroyed their minds. But honestly, it could as well be laced with magic, locking their consciousness in, forcing them to live through it all, locked in their bodies and experiencing it as they went along with whatever command they received. And that, that possibility alone truly angered Rex and though he showed little of his emotion on the surface, both Eve and Danica could sense his emotions, if only a little. Luckily, their meal was almost done by that point, allowing the group to finish up relatively soon.


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    "So? What''s the plan?" asked Eve once they had left Miu''s restaurant.


    "It is late and while I would want for us to retire and rest, I am also well aware that the night life is about to start." Rex replied.


    "Meaning that those girls will likely be called to work." Danica finished Rex thought, earning a nod of confirmation. "Well, it was my idea to begin with, so I can''t really complain, now can I?" she added, light smile on her face. "By the way, how long until those bastards are broken beyond reason and can be discarded? You know we could get some information about the places they pawned the poor girls off to. Would save us a lot of time hunting them down. Who knows, they might even have some sort of ledgers of their activities?"


    "I suppose you are right. Let''s find out, shall we?"


    "Of course I am right." Danica smirked, following along with the other two party members as they moved towards one of the mansions they had cleared out. This one was chosen due to the particularly large basement it had. Some could even call it a prison or torture chamber of sorts, what with all the cells and specially equipped rooms it had. AS they descended into said basement, wails and cries of pain could be heard as numerous people were obviously experiencing extreme torture, the handiwork of Rex. And while neither Eve nor Danica were very cruel or sadistic, the things they learned of being committed by said group had erased any scraps of sympathy they might have felt for the beasts being held here.


    "I will take care of this." Rex spoke to the two women before they reached the room with the people. "It is not a sight you need to witness. Why don''t you wait for me upstairs?"


    "A- alright." nodded Eve as she grabbed Danica''s hand and pulled her back towards the stairs leading up to ground floor, a grateful expression on her face. Sure, they had no sympathy for the bastards Rex was destroying here, but that id not mean they enjoyed the sights that they would see and Rex had noticed as much, easily deciding to take it all upon his shoulders. Though to be honest, he was long since past the stage where he considered people, most of them anyways, as anything more than simple beasts, even if slightly more intelligent than most. They were something like butterflies to him- all shapes, sizes, forms and colours that he was more than happy to just allow to fly around and live their lives for the most part, but if he happened to step on one, or catch and pluck one''s wings off as kids ones might have done with flies and mosquitos, he would lose no sleep over it. And those unlucky bastards in the next room were of the latter category. Ones he had caught and deemed tainted enough to be punished.


    As he stepped inside the room, the cries and howls of pain stopped, his small blood constructs pausing on their given task, giving the monsters in question a brief moment of respite.


    "Hmmm, Having fun I assume?" Rex spoke, his cold yet ridiculing voice causing the people to shiver in sheer terror. They have learned in the few hours locked here just how much of a demon their captor was. Many were already hoping, begging even to be killed instead of kept here, though their sore throats from all the screaming they had done prevented them from expressing said thoughts.


    "I do believe some of you might be begging for death by now. To be freed from this torment and rest. And maybe, just maybe someone among them could just earn that release. I am here to find where all the girls you broke had been shipped of to. Surely there must be a ledger or something to keep track, either of the transactions themselves or possible clients for future sales. So, anyone willing to share said info, or should I up the game a few more levels? Don''t delude yourselves thinking this is as bad as it gets, for I can make it so, so much worse." His last words, a promise not a threat, caused the poor bastards to tremble, Rex''s voice and confidence in his own words doing the job. Was it any wonder that as soon as he stopped talking, there were a few of the prisoners who groaned, trying to talk, their exhausted and sore throats not quite working as expected.


    Rex noticed them all, walking in front of each one of them, his cold and uncaring eyes looking down on them as he asked each and every one to nod if they knew something. Once he had collected the ones who wished to talk, he brought them to another room, leaving the rest where they were. As he left to deal with the ones willing to talk, he glanced at the remaining ones one last time, his gaze just as uncaring and apathetic as before. "Back to the fun then. Enjoy." he said as he left, commanding his constructs to resume their tasks, gasps and cries of pain once again resuming as he closed the door. He could see the tremble in the limbs of the ones before him as the cries resumed. ''This should be quick.'' Rex thought as he guided the few men before him to a place more quiet than here. His interrogation could not proceed smoothly with the melody of pain and suffering as the background music after all.


    Thankfully, Rex methods had been brutal enough to have the men almost trip over themselves to spill every single thing they knew about the dealings, all at the mere thought they would not have to go through that again, even when the alternative was hard slave labour or outright death. As such, in less than thirty minutes, he had all the information he needed, alongside a few actual ledgers of said dealings.


    The guards of the town had to work extra hard today. Not only did they have to clean up the mess that was left in Endless Journey''s wake, they also had to corral all the women and men who were not the main perpetrators yet were complicit in the entire criminal ring. There were plenty of those as well, including the current town mayor who was paid handsomely to turn a blind eye to all the criminal activity in the town, something Rex had not ignored. Their fate was likely to become slaves, though Rex cared little for that. Right now the trio were in the town''s red light district, cleaning up the place as well. As it turned out, there were plenty of whorehouses where the working women were treated like property, with the pimps doing their damndest to ensure quiet obedience.


    Purging those bastards and allowing the women to be their own bosses as they gathered together was a simple matter. Made safer still as the new guard captain was advised to ensure the girls could work in peace, lest Rex comes back and has to clean up again. And that, well, that was a threat, or friendly warning, that no one wanted to find out if true. Witnessing his groups actions once was more than the guards even wanted to.


    Now, the trio were in a room with almost twenty other women, all standing there like dolls, waiting on some sort of a command. Rex looked at the closest one, pointed his finger at her and ordered her alone to approach. Like a pet, obedient and well trained, she followed the command, swaying her hips as she approached, as if trying to entice him with the goods on display, though the movements were awkward, almost mechanical even. Once in front of him, she stopped, waiting for the next order.


    Rex took her palms in his own, using his mana and commanding the concepts of blood and soul as he examined the woman, body and soul to the best of his abilities. First came the feedback of his mana pulses, checking on the woman''s physical condition. It was mostly fine, though bruises of rough treatment could be detected here and there. Thankfully, the sadistic bastards were not all too keen on trying to torture dolls that could not properly respond to their cruel actions, though that only left other, less broken girls in danger. Still, small mercies for these girls where there were any.


    Next came the knowledge blood and soul concepts could extract, providing him with enough info to elicit a small smile on his face. And that was for two, different reasons. First, the drug was created with something Rex realised had an effect on soul, even if extremely negligible. he would have to learn where it comes from and how it is made. Secondly, he found out that the drugs were indeed magical in nature, putting the girls in a half sedated state initially and assaulting their minds with pleasure. It was the prolonged exposure to the drugs that put the girls souls in a half asleep state, resulting in their doll like responses.


    "Rex?" Danica asked, a slight hope on her face at his current expression.


    "I believe I can wake them up from this state of theirs. How they will go on though, that depends on each and every one of them. We can see if we can help them though."

 Chapter 83. Fate of the victims.

    Awakening the girls turned out to not be all too much work for Rex, though it was still packed quite the punch- to see the girls, one by one slowly coming by, realizing that they were no longer in a confused, daze like state, not entirely aware of their surroundings. That too was something to note. The drug, while keeping them in a doll like state, their souls half asleep, did not lock out them entirely, quite a few memories still lingering in the girls minds regarding the things they had gone through, even if feeling was more like dreams. There were a few girls who had been in this state for years, starting from their sixteens or something to their apparent mid twenties and the notable change in their bodies as they had grown, somewhat aware of whatever was happening hit all the harder. The realization that they had lost almost a decade of their lives, being a plaything of not only their captors but whoever was willing to pay the appropriate price afterwards? Now that drove them to desperate tears as they collapsed and cried. Thankfully, if it could be called that, some of the worker girls who had not been in the same situation, drugged and all, were around who served as a support of sorts, having gone through their own share of hardship until they had ended up where they were.


    Most, if not all, of the girls here were now on their own, their families either long since considered them dead of disowned for their work in brothels. There was little to no chance that any of them could regain any semblance of their previous lives, not with what they had gone through so far. Rex sat in between Danica and Eve, the two hugging him as they saw the painful sight before them, with plenty of girls crying and despairing, whatever hope for a happy life they might have had a long time ago shattered and replaced with quite the nightmare. Both girls just sat there, each considering how their own lives could have turned for the worse had Rex not appeared when he had. Danica would have lost the young ones of their tribe, likely causing her to become more and more reckless as she would spiral down until she would eventually go over the edge, dying in the process. Whether at the had or claw of a dungeon monster or some shady, yet powerful group of men did not matter. Eve meanwhile believed she would have stepped on the toes of the same nobles she did when she ran into Rex in Ravenhold Fort, even if likely a few years later. Then, a similar plot would no doubt be worked up, pawning her off to some cruel bastard that would slowly break her. Unlike them, these girls did not have their own Rex, at least not in time to save them from their grave fate.


    It lasted for almost an hour, though eventually, the cries stopped, the other red light district women helping to calm their unwilling sisters down. Sure, there was no life of a fairytale awaiting them, but they were finally free and with Rex removing all traces of the previous oppression and leadership, they had a hope of creating a future where they could have a life of their own. They might not ever get to have a normal life, with a loving husband and children brightening their days, with siblings and other family members stopping by to check on them, but they were not alone. That too was something Rex noticed. The resilience of the people pf this world. They lived harsh lives, always afraid of the strong coming and taking whatever they so wished. They would crumble and cry when their lives were destroyed, but once the tears ran out, they would stand back up, stronger than before and soldier on, crafting a new life for themselves, seeking what little hope and happiness they could still find. And the girls here, they too did the same. Once the tears were gone, they stood up, a new spark in their eyes as they thanked Rex for what he had done, bringing them back to the work of the living, for they had not lived for quite the long while.


    "Would you like to know the fates of those who harmed you?" Rex asked once they had done thanking him, his face calm and relaxed. He noticed the awkwardness of those girls, worried about actually finding out. he could tell that while they were ready to move on, they wanted to know that their abusers had not gotten off easy, that they too had suffered for what they had gone through. So, he smiled lightly as he continued. "Most of them had gone through quite the suffering for a while, my particular school of magic being quite the boon for precisely such occasions. I had been considering the way their lives would end and I suppose I wanted to allow you to choose in the end. To give you a soft of conclusion for the suffering you had gone through." Rex then explained the few methods he had in plan for to end the bastards lives, explaining in relatively great detail how painful said last moments of their lives would be. "Well?" He asked once the explanation was done "Is this good enough or would you like me to give it some more thought?"


    Nods of agreement and words like ''Let them burn!'' resounded through out the room, anger, rage and grief flashing in the eyes of the women. Anger and rage towards the assailants and grief, once again, for their lost years and opportunities, no matter how feeble they might have been. Rex just nodded in agreement, asking if they wished to witness said last moments, though also advising not to, said sight being quite graphic and disturbing. In the end, he managed to convince the girls to only confirm that their captors and torturers, alongside their accomplices, were the ones he was about to punish one last time. Thus, a short while later, the group of women were in the basement Rex''s prisoners had been kept.


    Their exhausted and miserable states did bring a smile to a number of the girls faces, several curses flung in the bastards directions. Once the women were satisfied, Rex asked them to leave the room, delivering a few last words as he extracted some last bits of information he needed regarding their supplier of said drugs. There was simply no way that someone as incompetent and stupid could be in charge of their creation. Delivering a rather swift death to another two men who had provided said needed knowledge, Rex gazed at the remaining group, his eyes cold emotionless.


    "Now then my dear guests. I suppose this is the last time I have the misfortune of addressing you, and while I could lie and say I will find no joy in what is about to happen, I don''t plan to do so. Know that I will find it quite pleasing to send each and every one of you on the next part of your eternal souls journey. I will also ensure that you all remember it deep within your souls to not repeat the same mistake. Ow, and know that most of your spouses and children who are not here will be sold off in slavery, the money for their sale being given to the women and families who suffered because of you."


    With that said, Rex snapped his fingers, lighting the blood in the prisoners veins on fire, causing soul curdling screams to erupt once again despite the exhausted and sore throats of the people affected. This fire, it burned more than just the blood, as Rex had mixed the use of both blood and soul concepts, creating a fire that would not only burn the bodies in an excruciatingly painful manner but also singe their souls just a tiny bit. Nothing too permanent, but enough to ensure the souls would instinctively shy away from drugs and their use in any malicious way. This world was still far too new to reach a state of all manner of drugs being used to improve the lives of the people on a regular basis. Alchemy did do good, but was rather fringe art currently, leaving it only for eccentric people and those with absurd amount of money and in desperate need for a solution.


    Once Rex was done, no trace of the bodies remained, only white ash in small piles in place of each of the people burned away. With that over, he asked the girls back in, every one slightly shaken from the screams alone that had reached the place they waited in. At the sight of the light trembling as the women looked around, Rex spoke "I did say that seeing it would be quite traumatic and I am sure I was correct just looking at how distraught you are after only hearing it? Though at least now I do hope that you can live on with at least the knowledge that those that hurt you and stole your peaceful, if not easy, lives were punished properly."


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    After that, the girls were led back to the ground level where Rex explained that they could take this mansion as theirs. Once the money from selling off all the others in the know and assisting with the crimes committed here and against them came in, they could live comfortably for quite some time, slowly finding a new path in life forward. Rex did note that while not the most glamourous and often the last choice as a line of work, courtesans were one of the oldest, if not actually the oldest profession known to man. There was not much thought behind the sentence as he departed, though he did hope that it would alleviate some of the self hate the girls would develop, if it was not there already. Sure, it was not their fault, but the facts were still there. They had been working in said line of work for a while and as such it was irrevocable part of their lives, no matter if one liked it or not.


    It was close to morning when Rex was done with the last bits of the issue, informing the guards about the girls and how the money about the sold slaves were to be distributed. He had also made sure to warn the new mayor of the town that there better not be any shady business on his part. Rex might just come by once he leaves at any point in time to check up on things and it was quite obvious how he dealt with people who did not act with decency and abiding by the laws set. Receiving furious nods of understanding, the mayor swore that he would ensure that no similar thing ever set root in his town, repeatedly thanking Rex for his great contribution in uprooting and exterminating not only the criminal elements but also the previous, corrupt city leader. Rex just nodded and repeated his warning, adding that he believed the new mayor had what it took to keep his promises, though also added that he would soon have the assistance of the Dawning Sun sect to make sure he achieves the promised results.


    With that done Rex found himself finally free and accompanied by his two beautiful companions and party members, once again visited Miu''s restaurant for a proper meal. As they enjoyed their meal after a job well done, Miu once again thanked Rex''s party for all the good they had done and added that she too would keep an eye on the girls they rescued and healed, speaking of just how detestable said drug was. It had been barely a day since Rex had been on the crusade, but already the news of what he had done had spread across the town, with many looking up to their party and some fearing for their own safety due to their involvement in said illegal activities. When asked if he had any plans to go after said drug, Rex smiled at Miu and asked her to keep his response to herself and then admitted that he was interested in the ingredients of said drug. While mixed as they had been, the result was something toxic and greatly disturbing, as proven by the existence of the drug, but Rex was also sure that in the correct hands and with the correct method, the same ingredients could be used to create something truly useful and beneficial, though he did not say that he would also have to find ways to limit, if not entirely remove said ingredients from the world markets, be it the ordinary ones or black markets or to ensure said beneficial concoction would not be readily available. Rex did not mind doing the occasion kind act towards the people he encountered, but he was also not in the habit of creating miracle medicines and just handing them out for free and as a being who was paving an uncharted path, he had no reason to make said path easy for others, especially so strangers and possibly even enemies.


    ------------------------


    "Sheesh. That was a disappointment if I have ever seen one!" Rex sighed as the trio stepped out of the dungeon gate, having just finished their few day dive in the local dungeon. "Now we know for sure why there are no A rankers and barely any B rankers in that town." he added, looking towards Danica.


    "In my defence you should have realised it sooner too. You know very well that I am not the brains of our party. That job is for you and Eve." Danica threw her hands in the air and shifted the blame, her eyes darting between Rex and Eve.


    "Never blamed you to begin with, just stated the obvious. And I did have a slight suspicion that the dungeon was of a lower level than what we normally grind in. The mana was just too sparse in there."


    "Why did you not say anything then?" Eve asked as she joined the conversation.


    "The biome of the place was rather intriguing. I wanted to see if there were any special plants growing inside. Not every day does one run into a dungeon in a theme of chaotic mutations. Sadly, it was a bit too low tiered. If only it was a tier or two higher, maybe I could have something truly interesting there. There surely is another place like it that does meet the necessary requirements."


    "So? What now?" Danica asked, their current plans having come to an end.


    "We relax for a day or two until the Dawning Sun''s people arrive to set up shop, receive the message Pyra wanted delivered and see from then. So I suggest a nice and long bath before a well earned meal at Miu''s place." Rex explained.


    "Oh? Is that favouritism I smell?" teased Danica, causing Eve''s eyes do lock on Rex.


    "Don''t tell me you have a place with better food in this town! Why have you not told us about it already?" Rex asked over exaggeratedly. making his sarcasm clearly felt in his tone, causing Danica to lightly hit his shoulder, grumbling something incomprehensible.


    "Besides, you have Eve to tease and play around with." Rex added, quickly like the wind appearing behind the archer and hugging her. "Just look at this beauty. Is she truly not enough for you? My, your lust and greed is even greater than mine." Rex teased as Eve almost melted in his arms. There was just something special about the man your heart yearned for hugging you with warmth and affection, doubly so when said affection, even if only in its early stages of development, could be felt through the special connection your souls had.


    "Hey! That''s playing dirty!" Danica exclaimed, moments later joining in on the small group hug, groaning in satisfaction. She had come to learn something new about herself in the last two nights they slept inside the dungeon. She loved her spot on one of Rex''s sides as they slept, her head on his chest as they napped, but sometimes, being the middle spoon, hugging Eve and being hugged by Rex in turn felt just so damn good that she already knew she would do her best to rotate the sleeping positions as needed.


    What followed was a rather long bath where the trio enjoyed the soothing and pleasant feeling hot water bath brought, as they soaked and once again enjoyed each others presence. they were not just a party after all, there were lovers, a family and spending quality time together was indeed necessary to strengthen their bonds. Once done with the bath, they had a satiating meal at Miu''s place as previously planned, followed by a short stroll through the city, buying and selling a thing or two. They had acquired a solid amount of stuff to sell off, their dungeon dive being quite bountiful even if below their average loot quality, result of the dungeon itself being of a lower tier. Eventually, the trio retired to their now shared room to rest for the night.


    The coming few days were spent in a relative rest, with them combing the markets every day in case something interesting pops up while eating their meals at Miu''s. bringing the women plenty of business, though that was not something Miu ever had to worry, her establishment booked for months ahead. Of course, as an A rank party Endless journey had an open invitation whenever they visited. Not only were they A ranked party, but the town itself was abuzz with talk about them and how they had purged the underground ruling the place and keeping a reign of terror over the local populace.


    The third day after their emergence from the local dungeon started particularly well, at least for Eve, as she woke up relatively late, pleasantly tired and wholly satisfied after her first time with Rex. And the day continued the trend when around midday a commotion stirred in the mayor''s office, as the Dawning Sun''s people had arrived. And the additional surprise reared her blonde head just then, Pyra herself having come over to have a chat with Rex, meeting them at Miu''s place, dressed in almost regal looking battle dress, reminding Rex a bit of the fantasy cultivator getups, the heraldry of her sect on full display, the colours and quality of her clothing notably different from the rest of the people accompanying her, a few dozen in total.

 Chapter 84. The monstrosity in the secret realm.

    "I never expected you to contact me so soon." smiled Pyra as she spoke, sipping from a fragrant cup of tea as only she and Rex party sat at the personal lounge provided for them.


    "Was not in plans to begin with, but since some fools decided to stir the hornet''s nest and got wiped out in the process, we reasoned why not utilise the fact your sect is basically the overlord in these parts. By the way, how did you get back so fast? I don''t remember you having flying mounts with you?"


    "Nothing quite as fancy, I assure you." Sighed Pyra. ''''It''s just that this place is out of the way, allowing me to rache home in a timely manner, and I have an entire sect of the inner continent behind me. I should be fast. It''s your mode of travel that''s just absurd."


    "I suppose there is truth to that, but tell me. What has brought you here personally? I doubt it''s just a desire to bee in my magnificent presence. Do share will you?" Rex asked as he took a sip from his own cup, the atmosphere changing immediately as Pyra''s somewhat forced smile dropped, replaced by worry and hints of fear, the elven lady not even trying to hide her distress at the moment.


    "Emanai, my sister has gone missing. We know her last known location and that she is still alive, but due to the unique circumstances we cannot send our elders to try and save her. Thus, I have come to beg of you, please help and save her. I will do anything you ask of me. Any price. Just please, save her." Each word was harder and harder for pyra to push out, though she did nonetheless, her strict training and pride pushed aside out of her concern for the safety of a very special relative.


    Rex just sighed, sensing the two sets of eyes almost burning holes in his sides, as well noticing the hung low head of Pyra as tears streamed down her face. "I am not one to do rescue and protection missions and I have noted so to both the coachmen and adventurer''s guild." Rex started, the worry and sniffles from Pyra slightly rising followed by attempts by his two lovers to pinch the ever living shit out of his sides, stopping only as he continued his response, the pinchers were aware that this was Rex''s originally planned response, the pinching having achieved nothing "But I also am in need of an elven maid, so might as well acquire one now. I am reserving the right to pick your sister though if I find her more to my liking."


    "As long as you save her and she is safe and taken care of." Pyra sniffled, replying on auto pilot as a giant relief washed over her.


    "Help her clean up and give orders to those lackerys staying here. I need her to lead us towards the destination. I will go and grab Wari and Sidsal. Will be waiting outside for you." Rex said, rising from his seat first and disappearing moments later, his two women quickly shimmying over to Pyra and calming her down, saying that there is no better candidate to ensure her sisters safe return than Rex,even if he might seem quite reluctant.


    Rex had left for a rather simple reason, and that was not the need to fetch his falcons, as the two were already aware and on their way here. No, his reason was simpler than that. We was not all that good with the soothing part, or so he himself at least believed, so why not leave the task in the hands of women? They would surely have a much better understanding and ability to help another person out. He also needed Pyra not to get attached to him too much. With Danica, Ria, Eve and Alurial, who would no doubt join his little harem, he was quite reluctant to have any other woman sneak in, not any time soon at least, his hands already full with the beauties he had ensnared. And so, he just waited outside, the two falcons landing by and startling the Dawning Sun members waiting outside.


    "Don''t shit your pants. Those two are mine!" Rex yelled, calming the startled group notably, then walking over and showing some affection towards them, as he expressed his appreciation for their presence, promising to create a nice place for them to start their own flock soon enough. ''I just need to find a decent, yet busy enough place once I have figured a proper way to develop the correct land so your flock can grow unimpeded. Then you can go at it as much as you want." Rex transferred his thoughts to the duo, earning a couple of coos of content.


    A few minutes later the trio also came out, with Pyra not seeming like she had cried at all. She quickly gave out orders for the members of her sect to establish the new outpost and the tasks they had to perform and then asked Rex to head out, fishing out a rather interesting crystal in a glass like globe pointing in a certain direction from her storage ring and explaining its function. It was, a tracking device of sorts, made to always point towards the location of Emanai, gifted to Pyra on one of her birthdays by the elder sister herself as a way to promise she could always be reached by the younger sibling.


    "Never thought I would get to use it for a purpose like this." Pyra spoke quietly as she gazed at the crystal pointing in a certain direction. ''''We just have to follow the crystal arrow, and we will reach her." Pyra added as they jumped on the back of one of the falcons. "I will explain everything I know about the place Emanai entered. You will no doubt find it helpful." She added, proceeding to tell everything her sect knew about the sealed realm they were flying towards.


    There was actually little to tell. Besides some tales about the man who had created it to serve as a testing ground for hopeful inheritors and some rules that were enforced through magical contract of sorts upon the attempt of entry, one of which was an upper limit on age of the contestants. Only those under the age of fifty could enter, automatically excluding all of the powerful elders of any organization, though Rex group were still far, far away from said threshold.


    Then there were suggestions of sorts, ways to make ones chances to progress further higher, like a weapon of choice and whatnot, though all of those were nothing more than empty words, at least for Rex. He somewhat sure he could even break through the barrier in place if he so wished, but truth be told he had no reason to do so either. With the highly limited age restrictions, he had to worry even less about some foggy sneaking in and hurting Emanai for a slight her elders had done to said foggy.


    If Rex had to complain about anything during the few day flight that they were on, tracking Emanai''s whereabouts, that would be the attention his partners paid to Pyra. Though said complaints were nothing more than self deprecating humor in his mind. He was neither that needy, nor petty, especially when the focus of Danica''s and Eve''s attention was another woman plagued by a mountain of worry. With Snek in his sleeve, he could calmly focus on his personal development, burning his mana reserves, allowing them to recover moments later, creating the ebb and flow he was so familiar by now as he expanded the currently empty space storage or switching things up and strengthening his body, though still making sure his mana tank never truly reached zero, ensuring he would be ready for unexpected situations, no matter how rare and unlikely they were.


    Then, after the third day, they reached their destination, the falcons being the first ones to notice the relatively new town, if the freshly built buildings covering a slight slope could be considered as one, with dirt roads all leading towards a rather old, even ancient looking stone gates, reminding Rex of Japanese Torii with their design even if lacking the colour associated with them. Another stone, that seemed to be the plaque with rules stood besides the gate, several people combing through the writings, no doubt seeking either some hidden clues or maybee loopholes that could be explored.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    As they approached, the people atop the falcons could also start to discern some smaller details, some of which caused Rex to smile. As it turned out, he was not the only one who had actually arrived on the back of a flying mount, what seemed like several stables of sort coming into their view. While not many, he his group noticed at least three other groups of large, flying creatures, tended by different groups, their attires and symbols too distinctly different.


    "Pyra, have a look ahead. Tell us if there are any particularly annoying groups we should avoid, or outright take out once they start their annoyance routine." Rex spoke as the falcons were slowing down to start their landing maneuvers. Choosing a relatively empty spot on the outskirts of the makeshift town, they landed, still earning quite a bit of attention as they did so, no doubt word of their majestic looking mounts will have spread across the town within the day.


    "Let''s set up camp and a small perimeter so only the dumbest of the curious groups annoy us." Rex spoke, moving to get the place ready, moments later joined by Eve and Danica.


    "But the Dawning Sun already has their camp set up, no doubt closer to the gates as well. Why not go there?" asked Pyra, confused as she flicked her eyes between the orb that had brought them here so fast and Rex''s group who were already at work.


    "Because we are helping you out to save your sister. And anything we get our grabby hands on inside will be ours," then Rex smirked, adding" your sister excluded of course, since we will have to get our grubby hands on her first to get her out after all." His little joke did it''s job, planting a small smile of Pyras face. "Once the camp and perimeter is set he will head out and while I would prefer to leave you here" Rex looked at Pyra "I need you to operate that artifact of yours and recognize your sister. And you can compare the combat styles on me and your teacher as we advance. Unfortunately, Wari and Sidsal will have to remain out here, slowing us down considerably, but it is what it is."


    Since Rex spoke as he was doing his own share of the tasks, it did not take even ten minutes for the group to finish their task, leaving a few,rather nice tents, looking quite sturdy for fabric shelter, in the location they had landed, a small fence surrounding their camp spot while also a rather large tent was placed for the two falcons to hide from the weather.


    "All is ready and set up. so we can head out." Rex commanded as they were done, giving mental commands for the falcons to stay here and rest, asking Snek to remain behind as well. Let no one say Rex did not guard his camp.


    With preparations taken care of, the group of four headed towards the stone Torii, briefly stopping by the large stone tablet on Rex''s insistence. By the time they were there and no doubt because of Pyra''s clothing, betraying her high position in Dawning Sun sect, the people blocking their path towards the tablet parted like the sea for a certain someone in earth''s myths of a certain religion. Rex spent a couple of minutes in front of the tablet, the text, though slightly paled due to age, was written in common, though there were slight deviation here and there, no doubt the result of language changing along with the people as time went on. Still, it had not changed all that much, providing Rex a generally deep understanding of said text, though as he stated before, most of it was indeed useless for his group.


    With that out of the way, their group moved on ahead, their target the Torii finally. Once in front of it, Rex stretched his arms to the sides, Danica and Eve, understanding his intention immediately, pressed in Rex''s sides, hugging him tightly, damn near glueing the,selves to Rex. The next moment, with a yelp leaving Pyras mouth as she was unceremoniously picked up in Rex''s arms, he stepped through the portal like gate, moments later coming out on the other side, the whole group still together.


    "The first rule fucked with." Rex smiled as he placed Pyra back on the ground, her face frozen in disbelief and shock.


    "H-how?"Pyra stammered, though quickly discard the initial question, her eyes once again locking on the magical tool in her hands, pointing in a certain direction, showing the way towards her sister. "Let''s hurry. Please." she asked, her tone still filled with worry, though the slightest hint of hope hitting through, even if just a little. The whole ''though shall be scattered towards random locations on the first zone'' still sitting in the back of her mind, but with her priorities straight she could ask the answer to that particular question later.


    Rex smiled reassuringly, as he spoke, the blood chains in his employ forming a small platform of sorts to stand on. Then, once the girls were also on it, he willed the rest of his chains to work, forming the rest of their temporary transportation.


    -----------------------------


    Vilko and the rest of his group had finally managed to gather, the artifact provided by their sect that allowed them to track one another performing as expected.They had to advance extremely carefully as they moved towards the center piece of their tracker set, all making sure they remained on the outskirts of the sealed realm. It had taken them almost a week , their sect being relatively close allowed them to be the first ones here, providing his group with plenty of extra time. Thus, as most other large scale sects were no doubt just barely entering, they were already gathered and ready to explore this realm, hopefully attaining plenty of rare resources and treasures.


    With the entire group together and well rested, they set their course towards the large, mountain like structure in what seemed to be the center of the zone. As they proceeded, they started to encounter all manner of beasts and eventually even monsters, the power level of the creatures encountered growing progressively stronger. They were already dealing with low to mid level B ranked creatures when they reached the foot of the mountain like structure. And while it still felt oddly unnatural, there was still surprisingly few leads to indicate it was indeed not natural. Though as they gazed towards the distance, the mountain peak in the focus of their eyes, they noticed something that finally seemed as should be.


    At the very edge of the clouds, they could barely notice the start of a staircase, indicating their next, rather obvious destination point. Whatever was hidden in this zone, was no doubt to be found up there. So, after a short rest to recover their strength, the group advanced forward, stepping on rocky land ahead and as they did so, awakened a group of monsters who had blended with rocks of the terrain rather seamlessly. The fact that their scout had not sensed this monster group was worrying, elevating the difficulty of the task at hand, but it would not hinder this group for long, or so they had thought initially.


    As they dispatched monster after monster, new ones arrived, not only replacing the ones now dead, their corpses slowly piling up, something to note for that proved they were not in a dungeon, but indeed increasing the number of creatures they had to contend with. Only by retreating away from the mountain did the numbers lessened, though they were still hard pressed to free themselves up.


    It was then that the monstrosity appeared, hulking with great speeds in their direction. A ball like object, or perhaps torso, seemed to hang in the air, numerous tentacle like legs propelling it forward, with numerous more serving as whips to trash and splatter the monsters that charged towards it into mincemeat. Every now and then, the ball like torso moved closer to the ground, a maw like mouth opening and swallowing some of the corpses in it''s path whole.


    Even worse, there was little to no sound coming from the monstrosity, it''s advance and movement eerily silent, adding yet another level of terror it exuded. If one was not vigilant, such a thing could easily sneak up from behind and devour said person whole. What sent a chill through their veins however was that a few dozen meters away from Vilko''s group, the ball like tentacle monster stopped and seemingly turned towards them, like inspecting and considering if they would be a worthy meal for the creature, all the while it''s tentacles that were used to murder monsters kept doing their job.


    Thankfully, the monster decided to leave their group alone, clearly not too interested in them, something both Vilko and his group were thankful for. Though the direction in which the monster moved afterwards caused Vilko''s group''s faces to sour. The monster advanced further towards the mountain top, leaving a veritable sea of corpses in it''s wake.


    "What do we do now?" asked one of the party members, his eyes still locked on the path of corpses ahead of them. "I doubt it would be pleased if we followed too closely behind it."


    "Let us rest for a day and see what happens. If far more monster arrive to feast on the corpses left behind, we move to another side of the mountain. Hopefully that way the number of monster will be smaller as we climb up. Might be a problem otherwise. We don''t quite have the firepower to keep going on full throttle for that long, doubly so if the rank of monsters keeps rising."

 Chapter 85. Rescue and exploration.

    It turned out that Rex had recovered more than he had initially assumed, the level of control, precision and ease with which he could pull of what he did here all the proof he needed. It was just so easy for him to move the rather enormous construct he had created, providing them with quite the speed and combat capabilities, ensuring their timely and efficient advance deeper inside the sealed realm, inching closer and closer to Emanai''s location, or so they assumed, the artifact tracking the elven sister remaining steady with its direction.


    It was halfway up the mountain, still ways away from the stairs that started just below the cloud line however, their compass started to change the direction it''s needle pointed towards, halting their advance momentarily, Pyra''s locked gaze on the artifact allowing the party to be informed immediately.


    "That would likely imply that your sister is not all the way at the top." Rex immediately concluded "Give me a few minutes to try and figure this out." he added, their ''mechanical'' mount coming apart and disappearing in just a few moments. They had apparently crossed the first section that was teeming with monsters, or maybe found one, or possibly the only, safe path towards the top, whatever the case, it did not matter all that much right now with Rex''s focus locked on the task at hand.


    A minute or so later, a powerful mana pulse exploded from his body, not only creating a visible wind around him but also causing the three women to almost jump from the action, as though they had been jumpscared right now, their gazes locking on Rex, all sharing a look of pure shock.


    "How in LORDS name did you...." gasped Pyra, having the most understanding of what they just sensed. Eve and Danica obviously sensed it too, though since they did not come from as large or history and knowledge rich background did not fully comprehend what Rex had achieved just now.


    "What was that?" shuddered Eve as she and Danica looked towards Pyra who apparently had better understanding, seeing as Rex did not seem too inclined to answer right now.


    "T-that was mana, manifesting in a damn n-near liquid state." Pyra slightly stuttered, still shaken at the fact.


    "That much we understand." Danica scoffed " Why are you so shaken?"


    "T-that.... That is S rank territory. He is a candidate to becoming a LORD." Pyra shuddered and her knees trembled, as if subconsciously feeling the urge to kneel. Little by little her mind was elevating Rex to a higher and higher position, her upbringing both back home and in the sect doing it''s job. Though as she was spiraling further and further down the rabbit hole, she was suddenly caught, saved by a rather boisterous laughter of Danica.


    "Ha ha ha ha. Stop trembling you foolish girl. A LORD candidate? How come you realize it just now? Or better yet, how come you haven''t expected that to happen eventually?"


    "W-what do you m-mean?" Pyra stuttered, still half shocked at the revelation.


    "The first time I met him he took out four A rankers with a single strike, leaving behind a cleanly cut in half building. Then, vampires came to him and damn near started worshiping him as a superior being. And the things he can do...." Danica trailed off, a dreamy expression on her face, though she quickly shook herself out of it, finishing her though "Emh. As I was saying, it was only a matter of time until he showed power of that level."


    "And to be fair, the construct that I created to get here so fast is much more advanced and complex technique than just drawing in large amounts of mana and compressing it to achieve much larger scan radius than normally possible." Rex replied, returning the focus of the three girls on himself. "I found the way. Let''s move on." he added, the construct from before forming once again. "As your master to pull something like this off and he will most likely tell you that is impossible, or something much more colorfull and obscene." Rex smirked as they were once again hidden within the construct and it began it''s advancement.


    Another twenty minutes and few hundred monsters later, they reached their current target- a rather conspicuous area with neatly carved out platform that ended with an open entrance inside a cave and a path leading both up and down the mountain at the end of the platform.


    "She is deeper inside." Rex said, but also quickly caught Pyra with one of his chains as he damn near rushed ahead. "Don''t run ahead. Who knows what kind of traps or guards there are. Do you want to end up dead before we reach your sister?" Rex lightly scolder her, sighing as he did so. he could understand Pyra''s impatience, though she should be better prepared for such high stress situations.


    As they advanced forward, descending into the cave, they were greeted by precisely cut corridors and some stone sentries every now and then, each and every one instantly destroyed by Rex.


    "The guard dogs don''t matter." He said, leading them forward in a rather fast pace, taking down safety measure after safety measure. If one did not have as sharp a vision and senses as Rex, they would assume Emanai did not fight any creatures and was taken out rather early, but Rex could see the faintest of signs of battles having occurred for quite some time, a cut here, a scratch there, each and every one in an unnatural angle or place for the precisely crafted path.


    "She reached this far on her own." Rex spoke at one moment after he had dispatched almost ten A ranked golems, piles of their bodies all around them "And instead of being killed, she was taken hostage, though I have yet to understand why." Rex frowned, as he glanced around, suddenly increasing his pace, the trio of girls even struggling to keep up. It was a few minutes of such pace and numerous shattered golems later that Rex busted through another door that had seemed like another wall, bringing them inside a relatively small, yet highly glowing room, all manner of runes laid out across the floor ahead of them.


    There, in the center of the room, on an elevated platform, elven girl with facial features and just as blonde hair as Pyra, lay unconscious, another set of glowing runes rotating around her.


    "Not happening." Rex spoke in a cold tone. the rune work around Emanai suddenly cracking and disappearing moments later. And the moment said rune work was shattered, an entity walked out of the far end of the room, previously obscured and out of vision.


    "Who dares?" a grating voice echoed throughout the room as the half stone half bone construct walked in their line of sight. A grotesque combination of someones skeletal remains half replaced with stone stood there, a number glowing gems imbedded in the stone parts.


    "Interesting rune work, though shoddy. I have to admit I was expecting better, at least after the golems you had created." Rex critiqued, already standing next to the unconscious elven woman. "It is your bad luck that you chose this girl for the procedure, even if it is heavily flawed and would result in the sme decay that borrowed body of yours is experiencing."


    "How did you? IMPOSSIBLE! WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU?" the creature started questioning somewhat worriedly, quickly changing it''s grating voice to panicked shout, taking up a defensive posture.


    "You have no doubt had the chance to study liches, or something of the sort, no other creature exists who binds their soul to external objects like that. And clearly you have not uncovered the secret properly as the shoddy imitation on display reveals. And because your soul is bleeding, metaphorically speaking, even if you yourself can''t see or feel it. Does not happen naturally. And honestly, you are getting dangerously close to a point of no return. Best to end you now, least your soul implodes on itself, unless, of course, that is the whole point, but you would not be trying to usurp Emanai''s body in that case." Rex concluded, stretching his shoulders in the process.


    "NOOO! I WILL SUCCEED! JUST NEED MORE TIME AND TEST SUBJECTS!" the creature screamed, the grating sound coming from it becoming more annoying as it moved forward, it''s stone hand rising and forming multiple fireballs in mere moments, all flung towards Rex soon after. And yet, much to the creature''s surprise, or so the girls believed, the thrown fireballs circled Rex, moments later flying back towards the creature, exploding upon contact, an angry screech coming from it as flame engulfed it''s form.


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    "WILL NOT FAIL AGAIN! TOO CLOSE TO SUCCESS!" it seethed as more fireballs formed, launched towards Rex once again, though in much greater numbers this time. And yet, much to everyone''s but Rex''s surprise, the latter being the culprit, these fireballs too all once again circled Rex and were flung back, resulting in a much larger explosion with the creature at said explosions core.


    "Will not work." Rex sighed, his eyes darting towards the unconscious Emanai at his feet "Can''t let you cook Pyra''s sister either. Time to go to sleep you old fool." Rex added, his blood chains shooting out and like a merciless monster he used said chains to tear the construct apart, wails of unwillingness and rage escaping its form as it crumbled to dust untill eventually, the room fell silent, only the breaths of Endless journey and elven sisters filling the room. Until Res spoke that is.


    "One elder sister recovered and delivered to the recipient." he looked at Pyra for a moment, his gaze then shifting between Danica and Eve. "What are you waiting for Endless journey? Time to loot this place!" he grinned and shot ahead, almost diving and going through all the cabinets that filled the rooms further walls. He was quickly followed by Danica and Eve, the two women following his example, collecting the treasures they recognized or asked for Rex input in case they noticed something they did not recognize.


    Pyra meanwhile was next to her sister, checking up on her and when Emanai did not wake up at her ministrations he looked towards Rex, but before she could ask what was plaguing her mind Rex responded, as if already expecting her gaze to fall on him.


    "Her soul is exhausted, result of both the attempted ritual and whatever she was fed beforehand. Will take a few days to recover to the point of waking. Her body is in prime condition though, so there is no problem in waiting. Have to worry if she does not wake up by then though. Call for me when something changes or the time passes. We have plenty of stuff to go through here for the time being." Rex explained as he kept on fiddling with some sort of a container in his hands, clearly more focused on whatever mechanism was keeping it locked.


    As it turned out, Rex was slightly off with his calculation. The trio spent mo more than several hours ransacking and looting the chamber they were in, leaving only empty and broken furniture and otherwise pure chaos behind them, though they had also picked the place clean, leaving only the useless and broken furniture and whatever other worthless junk was present.


    "Let''s see what we have here then." Rex spoke as he walked over to the two sisters. one still unconscious, though breathing calmly now and the other with her eyes locked on her sleeping sister. Pyra was much calmer now that the apparent danger had passed, though still worried there could arise some complication with her sisters recovery. From what she understood and knew, based on Rex''s words, whatever the creature had tried to do was somehow tryin gto either weaken or outright remove Emanai''s soul from her body so it could take over.


    Rex kneeled over Emanai, his hand stretched out and touching her forehead as he closed his eyes. he remained still for a few minutes, humming something as he stood there. Then, almost abruptly he removed his hand, a flask of water appearing in his hand, clearly pulled out of his space storage ring. He took a large sip as though nothing had happened, his eyes locked on the flask for a few moments.


    "Fine. It would be a waste to just sit here while a whole realm is out there to be explored and looted." he grunted, moving over and half lifting Emanai in his hands. Then, slowly and gently he placed the flask near her lips, pouring small amounts of the water in her mouth, flexing his might to stimulate the woman''s blood and muscles. resulting in a gulping motion, ensuring the water goes down the right hole as intended. After a few more repeats of the same, he placed Emanai back as she was before, speaking.


    "Give her a few minutes. The effect should start to show."


    And true enough, a few minutes later, Emanai stirred, groaning as she woke up, moments later getting embraced by a crying Pyra. The younger of the two elven beauties sobbed and thanked Rex as she hugged her sister, a slightly confused expression on Emanai''s fac as she woke up properly- something that took a fair few minutes to happen, though eventually she asked the important question in her mind.


    "Pyra? What is happening. Ouch, my head." she grumbled, the headache killing her. "Where are we? Did I not head out for the exploration of the sealed realm? What of the cave?"


    "You did." Rex spoke, earning Emanai''s attention through all pain assaulting her poor head as Pyra was still too busy to answer, hugging her sister and thanking her lucky stars and whatever else might be listening to her at the moment, though quietly enough for the other conversation to be possible. "Both headed out for the exploration and got inside the cave, where you got bonked on the head, or just plain old knocked out and then captured, all in order to expunge your soul from your body and have it taken over by the previous owner of this place. We saved your pretty ass. All thanks to Pyra''s request. You are welcome by the way. I would suggest you calm her down though. If she keeps going like this she might just dry up." Rex joked, earning a double poke in his ribs, though because it did not hurt, it was a gesture to convey the both Danica''s and Eve''s disapprovement of his words. "And the headache you are feeling is a side effect of the interrupted ritual. Nothing permanent and it will soon start to die down, though some after effects could remain for a couple more days. Mysteries of the soul and all."


    "Urgh. You seem to know an awful lot about the subject though." Emanai grumbled as one of her hands massaged her temples while the other was caressing Pyra''s head, calming the younger of the sisters at a visible rate.


    "i would like to move out as soon as possible by the way. This realm is large enough and no doubt still has plenty of stuff to loot, so if the two of you could collect yourselves, it would be wonderful."


    "What are you, a robber or something?" Emanai asked with another groan, receiving an answer from the blonde wolfkin woman instead.


    "He he. A robber alright. Stealing the hearts of innocent maidens left and right." She suddenly developed a rather sinister grin, adding "Don''t know if that is how you should be talking with a LORD candidate though, a bit too informal, no?"


    That seemed to disperse all pain and fogginess from Emanai, her head shooting towards Danica first, and when she saw how Danica herself was looking towards Rex, her head turned with incredible speed once again, wincing at the pain assaulting her, though soldiering through and looking at Rex. It was then that she saw Rex twirling his finger, a liquified mana matter like a small snake chasing his finger, dissipating as the twirling stopped. Emanai was frozen for a few seconds, her mind processing the implications while one of her hands was still caresing Pyra''s head, the younger elven woman finally somewhat calmed down.


    "Pyra dear? How did you manage to request the assistance of someone of this caliber?" Emanai half whispered, though her voice was loud enough for Pyra to hear.


    "Met him in a tournament in the outer region. Suggested he visit the floating isles. Met him there after returning and being sent a message by him. Asked for help because your life crystal was fluctuating and noone in the sect was willing to send a rescue party. The ysaid you are strong enough and they had no one better to send either way. The old bat was suppressed by other elders. Sniff." Pyra explained, clearly hurting at the mere memory.


    "I did say I wanted an elven maid and would choose one after we managed to save you." Rex replied, a light smile on his face as the expression changed several times on Emanai''s face, clearly guessing the implications of the precise wording. ''Will chose an elven maid once she is saved'' were the words spoken, meaning that either she, or her sister would become a maid, did it not? There were no other elven women present after all. Spoken like a true demon, preying on someones weakened state and desperation, though at the same time she could not do anything about it. Elves were particular about sticking to whatever contracts they made, be it on paper or verbal. To break them would be equivalent to shaming and humiliating ones bloodline and family.


    "Pick me then. It was I who was rescued. I should pay the price then." Emanai spoke with conviction, feeling teh headache becoming more bearable. Indeed it was as the man had spoken, the severity lessening with the passage of time.


    "What are you on about sister?" Pyra asked, confused about the ongoing conversation.


    "He said he would pick an elven maid once I was rescued, correct?"


    "Ehm... yes?"


    "I am rescued, am I not?"


    "Yes! You are!" Pyra happily exclaimed, hugging Emanai tightly.


    "So, by all rights he gets to choose his maid now, does he not? And what choice can he make with only two elven ladies present?" Emanai smiled bitterly "It''s either me or you Pyra. and I am not going to let you become a maid when there is so much potential in you. It was I who would have died if not for you so I will be the one to pay the price for my own rescue."


    "B-but!" Pyra hugged Emanai, looking towards Rex with once again teary eyes, though since she had spent notably more time with Rex than Emanai, the latter having zero understanding of the man before them, she could see the smirk on his face. It was right there for all to see, but one had to have a friendly relationship with him to recognize it.


    "Bully!" Pyra exclaimed, jumping on her feet in mere seconds, striding over to Rex and weakly pounding his chest.


    "Sorry. Sorry." Rex smiled, petting her blonde head. "Tears do not suit you. Angry pout is so much better."