《The Traveling Technomancer: A Westward LitRPG》 Prologue The Traveling Technomancer: A Westward LitRPG J.C. Chambers III Death is not the end. Owen dug into his hamburger, careful not to spill any sauce onto his lap. He stared out his van¡¯s windshield at the local bank. He was just making a quick run today to deposit a check, but he needed to finish his lunch first. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dale the county sheriff making his way up to the van. The police officer was about ten years older than Owen, making him almost thirty, but he already had a sizable paunch on show. They¡¯d been friends ever since Owen¡¯s dad had died. And though nobody could replace his old man, the local sheriff was the next best thing. ¡°Hey there, Owen,¡± said Dale, knocking on the window. ¡°Got a minute?¡± Rolling down the window, Owen said, ¡°You writing me a ticket?¡± ¡°Yeah, you got a broken rear-light-- nah, I¡¯m just screwing with you. How¡¯ve you been?¡± ¡°Same old, same old,¡± said Owen before taking another bite out of his burger. It wasn¡¯t great, but it was food. ¡°You got something you wanna talk about, or did you just come to piss against the wind?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t it be both?¡± Owen gave him a blank stare. ¡°Fine, fine. The cruiser¡¯s been giving me trouble,¡± said Dale, gesturing to his police car a few spots over in the parking lot. ¡°She ain¡¯t getting up to speed as fast as she used to.¡± ¡°Sounds like that might be the gearbox,¡± said Owen with a shrug. ¡°Bring it in to Joe¡¯s tomorrow and I¡­¡± something out of the corner of Owen¡¯s eye caught his attention. ¡°And you¡¯ll¡­¡± said Dale, raising an eyebrow. A black truck turned around the corner of the bank. It wasn¡¯t moving particularly fast, but it pulled to a stop right in front of the bank¡¯s doors. Which was strange. However, strange became downright alarming when two men with masks stepped out of the vehicle. One of the men moved to the bank door, while the other stepped toward Owen¡¯s van and raised a handgun. Oh shit. ¡°Dale, look out!¡± Owen ducked beneath the dashboard as the gunman opened fire, the gunshots cracking through the air one after the other in rapid succession. Dale screamed and dropped to the ground with a thump. ¡°Dale!¡± Owen roared. He reached over, his heart pounding in his chest, and pushed the driver door open. The last two or three shots zinged off the door frame as he leaned down to gaze on the fallen police officer. Five distinct blood stains welled from Dale¡¯s chest and abdomen, his eyes glazing blankly upward as his chest shuddered with each breath. They shot him first, Owen realized, so that he couldn¡¯t stop the robbery. Holy shit. That could have been me. Holy shit. Owen¡¯s skin went cold and clammy as he reached down from his driver seat and clasped Dale¡¯s hand. ¡°Hang in there, Dale. Don¡¯t you die on me.¡± But there was nothing he could do. Only moments later, Dale¡¯s broken chest ceased to rise and fall.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. No, no, no. Bile welled up in Owen¡¯s throat as he stared at his friend. This wasn¡¯t happening. This wasn¡¯t happening. More gunshots went off, shaking Owen back to the present. He jolted up in his seat, peering over the steering wheel. The gunman had left him and entered the bank with the other robber. And with those gunshots, who knew who else had died? Only moments later, those two same gunmen came out of the bank carrying a satchel each, no doubt loaded with cash. They got into the truck to make their escape. Owen had to do something. He couldn¡¯t just let them get away. He¡¯d never considered himself the heroic type-- crime happened every day in town, and he¡¯d always just tried to ignore it. Hell, he was probably as likely to mug a person as anyone else, if the chips got down. But they¡¯d shot Dale. Before he could talk himself out of it, Owen put the van into first gear and slammed on the gas. The car shot forward, pressing him into the seat as it accelerated. His half-eaten hamburger, long forgotten, flew up in a spray of mustard and ketchup. He kicked into second gear, gaining even more speed as he barreled toward the black truck. By the time he was near the truck, he¡¯d made it all the way to fourth gear. The bastards noticed him too late. He slammed into the driver door of the truck. His seatbelt caught him, digging into his chest, as metal and glass shattered and flew all around him. The airbag exploded in his face, knocking his head back and pressing him hard into the driver seat. For a while, he couldn¡¯t move. The impact was too jarring, too sudden. Everything hurt-- everything. But he was still alive. He hoped he couldn¡¯t say the same for the robbers. He tasted blood in his mouth as the airbag deflated. His van was a wreck, the hood crumpled and distorted in front of the shattered windshield, blocking his view of what lay beyond. Owen unbuckled his seat-belt and tried to open his door. Of course, it was stuck, warped from the crash. However, his window was cracked to hell, so he gave it a heavy elbow to shatter it open. He pulled himself out of the van through the window, cutting his hands on some bits of broken metal and shards of glass. His muscles groaned in protest, but he wasn¡¯t going to wait in the van, just in case the robbers were still able to move. He dropped down onto the pavement, landing on his hands and knees. Shattered glass and steel littered the asphalt, and he could smell oil on the air. He spat out a glob of blood and bared his teeth. The first robber was dead. His corpse hung halfway out the truck¡¯s driver window, his upper body making a strange sizzling sound on Owen¡¯s exposed engine. But the other robber? Nowhere to be seen. Owen searched about him for some kind of weapon. He wanted to hope that the other gunman had simply been thrown from the vehicle. But that was just wishful thinking. And wishful thinking resulted in getting shot. He saw a monkey wrench laying not five feet from him, thrown from the van at the moment of impact. Now that Owen thought on it, he realized his good fortune that none of his tools or materials in the van had hit him during the crash. He stumbled toward the wrench, but he¡¯d only moved a couple feet when he heard a voice growl, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you for that.¡± He whipped his head up to see the second robber limp from around the truck¡¯s other side. The man had removed his mask to reveal a bloodied, pale face. One hand clutched to his side, where he seemed to have broken ribs, while the other held the man¡¯s handgun. Owen didn¡¯t need to ask if the weapon was loaded. Adrenaline shot through him like lightning, his body aching to move. He knew that if he didn¡¯t act now, he was going to die. He leaped toward the monkey wrench, grabbed it in hand, and threw it at the robber. The moment the tool left Owen¡¯s hands, the gunman¡¯s weapon went off. Pain lanced across Owen¡¯s chest as a pool of blood blossomed over his heart. I¡¯ve been shot, he realized blankly, the thought far calmer than he would have expected. However, the wrench hit its target, cracking the robber¡¯s skull open. The bastard fell to the ground in a heap and ceased to move. That¡¯s what you get for killing Dale, Owen thought, unable to speak. He collapsed to the ground, the heat of the asphalt a welcome relief from the encroaching cold. The world began to shrink around him as darkness closed in. He fought to keep his eyes open, but the blackness came regardless. However, that was only for a moment, as the pitch darkness was replaced with a pure, bright light. On that day, Owen Westward died. But death was only the beginning of his journey. Chapter 1: Isekai Chapter 1: Isekai Owen awoke slowly. Though he wasn¡¯t in any pain, he felt strangely tired, like waking up after a long nap. The brightness of his surroundings was overwhelming, so he reached up and shielded his eyes as they adjusted to the ambient light. He appeared to be on a dirt road, sitting on his rump and propped against something hard. The road cut through a large thicket of bamboo trees, the ends of which he couldn¡¯t see. Their depths were lit by shafts of warm sunlight, which cascaded down between the thin, elongated leaves. The forest floor was a littering of detritus from the trees, with a small handful of squirrels skittering and chittering along the ground. Overhead, Owen heard the soft, repeating chirps of birds, though he did not recognize the calls. The forest had that soft, earthy smell that he¡¯d come to remember from trips to the mountains when he was a child. How had he gotten here? Owen¡¯s head tingled as he tried to remember. He¡¯d been dreaming about some kind of bank robbery before this. But what about before he¡¯d gone to sleep the night before? How had he ended up in the middle of nowhere? He turned his head slightly to get a look at what he was resting on, and sure enough, it was his 1986 Bevrolet Custom Van. Its red and white finish glimmered in the sunlight from a fresh coat of paint. He jolted in place, doing a double-take. His van wasn¡¯t supposed to look so fresh. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t take care of his car¡¯s paint job, but his van¡¯s rustic look was an intentional decision. This, however, looked like he just bought it off the lot in 2020. Except for, well, the striped white and red ambulance pattern, but even that was a beautiful sunset sheen and pearly white in the sunlight. What the hell? He squinted at the van, not believing his eyes. When¡­ when did I do this? Just how toasted was I last night that I don¡¯t remember getting a new paint job and driving out to the middle of bupkis nowhere. He tousled his hair with his hand, trying really damn hard to remember where he¡¯d been yesterday, but all he could think of was his strange dream with Dale and the bank robbery. Something about that dream had felt so real to him, and yet¡­ As he pulled his hand away from his head, he saw something gleaming on the inside of his forearm, just below the wrist. His throat tightened as he examined a brown, rhombus-shaped stone embedded into his skin, glimmering in the sunlight. With his other hand, he touched a finger to it. A translucent, near-black screen popped into existence in front of his open hand. In a shock, Owen clenched his hand shut and jerked backward, banging his head against the rim of the van. The screen disappeared. What the hell, what the hell, what the hell? Owen squeezed his eyes shut against the sharp pain in the back of his head, trying to keep his breathing under control. Don¡¯t panic. Whatever you do, don¡¯t panic. Sadly, he was panicking. Taking a deep breath, Owen forced his eyes open and stared down at the little brown gem once more. Its depths were opaque, and the skin around it was unmarred. It almost seemed like if he stuck his nail under it, he could pluck it right out of his forearm. Not that he would try that. Yet. Glancing around and seeing nobody, Owen gingerly reached out with his index finger once more and tapped on the little brown gem. Again, a translucent, dark screen popped into existence, about as wide as a smart tablet. On the surface of this screen, there was bright golden text arranged in a menu. It read:
Owen Westward
Level 1
XP: 0
MP: 0
Class: None
Stats
Skills
Owen furrowed his brow. Nothing about this made sense. His name, sure. But his level? His MP? Or his Class? A seed of suspicion sprouted inside him. Tentatively, he pressed his finger against the screen where it said Stats. Doing so, he felt just the slightest hint of a tingling sensation on his finger, but the screen moved just how he suspected it would. A second menu popped up, overlapping the first, reading:
Stat Name: Rating
Physical 14
Psyche 15
Magic 4
Magic? Magic? Next to each stat, he noticed a small little plus mark. His mind working at a mile a minute, he clicked the plus mark next to Magic. The menu expanded, revealing a small list nested under the Magic stat, which read:
Mana Capacity 0
Mana Conversion Rate 1
Mana Charge Rate 0.5/1
Magic Learning Rate 16
Mana Control 14
There it was.The Magic stat had a breakdown of its assigned value by showing more stats beneath it. Which meant¡­ which meant¡­Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Which meant way too damn much for Owen right now. He closed his fist, and the menus disappeared once more. Clenching his eyes shut, he took in several deep breaths, leaned against the van, and tried to make sense of whatever the hell was going on. He recalled his dream of the bank robbery. Had it not been a dream after all? In which case¡­ in which case¡­ Owen couldn¡¯t finish the thought, instead touching his hand to his chest, where the robber had shot him. That was real, he realized, choking. And I¡¯m... Where the hell am I? All this new information still hadn¡¯t answered his question. But, it told him something he hadn¡¯t even considered up until this point. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in Kansas anymore,¡± he whispered. His van was here though. Looking brand-new, at that. If he understood his situation correctly (and he thought he did), then why was the van here? Owen stood and approached the driver door. It looked like his van from the outside, but something felt¡­ off. It was too clean. He opened the door to find the upholstery on the seats in perfect condition. Which was wrong. Very wrong. He was a car mechanic. And he did construction. His seats always had grease and dirt on them. So he found it more than perturbing that his car seats, his van floor, and his dashboard were completely clean. There weren¡¯t even any spare screws jangling around the cupholder. But the back of his van outright horrified him. He pulled the side door open with a slam, to see only a skeleton of what used to be his vehicle. Its carpet flooring had no seats, no tools, and no amenities but for a small cot adjoined to the inside of the van. ¡°No, no, no, no!¡± he gasped. ¡°My tools. What happened to my tools? And my TV? Where¡¯s all my stuff?!¡± In his previous life (seeming that was actually what it was at this point, he deemed it appropriate to call it such), his van had been the center of his life. Sad? Perhaps. But after his dad died and he dropped out of high school, Owen used his van as his base of operations for all his work and life. He kept his tools, supplies, food, and clothes all in his van. And it was all gone. Actually, that made him wonder. He glanced down at himself, and noticed that he was wearing his construction attire-- a dark tan denim hoodie and black work trousers, along with his steel-toed boots. So, he was still in his ¡°normal¡± clothes at least. But where was the rest of his stuff? Sighing with dissatisfaction, Owen closed his van¡¯s side door. He pressed his forehead against the hot metal, groaning. What was he supposed to do? Why was he even here? Where was here? Before he could begin to answer his own questions, a strange, high-pitched shriek broke the quiet around him. He froze, his blood chilling as the cry lasted for several long, excruciating moments, sounding like nails on a chalkboard. When it at last subsided, there was silence. No birds chirping. No squirrels chittering. Just the rustling of a light wind through the trees. And, faintly heard, there were harsh cracking sounds, like those of axes on wood. And the grunts and cries of men and women. Owen whipped his head about, training his ears on the source of the noise. Nineteen years growing up in a poorer section of town had instilled in him life-saving instincts, and those instincts were telling him to get in the van and drive the hell out of there. And if he were back home, he would have done just that. But something in him said that he needed to see the source of that terrible cry. That if he saw it with his own eyes, and it were truly something otherworldly, it would confirm everything that he¡¯d gathered up until this point. He got into the van, looking for the keyhole but finding none. Of course, checking his pockets, he didn''t have his keys anyway. Instead, for the first time, he noticed a small brown gemstone identical to the one in his wrist embedded in the center of the steering wheel, where the horn would have been. A part of him knew what would happen when he touched the stone before he even did it. A little black menu popped up, with the same golden text as before. Except, this time, it read:
1986 Bevrolet Custom Van
Open Vehicle Management Menu
Well, it was obvious what the big power button in the center did. Owen briefly noted the Vehicle Management Menu option, but if what he thought was going down was actually going down, he could look at menus later. For now, he jabbed his finger into the power button UI, which glowed red when he did so. The vehicle hummed to life. But¡­ it was too quiet. Owen expected the usual low growl of his combustion engine to start vibrating the car, but it never came. The gas gauge shot up to full, but now that he was looking, Owen noticed there wasn¡¯t an engine heat gauge. Just the gas, the speed, and the RPM clock. It looked like driving an electric, but with a manual. Still, a car was a car was a car, and Owen didn¡¯t want to doddle around wondering about the internal mechanics of his strangely upgraded van. He put the car into first gear and started off in the direction where he thought he¡¯d heard the shriek come from. He followed the dirt road. It led along a shelf in the terrain, with the land on his left rising gently and that on his right falling rather steeply away. He could still drive on both terrains, but the latter direction would certainly be quite terrifying. As he was pulling forward, dirt spraying out beneath his tires, the shriek came again. It felt almost vorpal in nature, like it could cut through him if but only a little sharper. The hairs on his arms stood up as he drove. Once the sharp screech subsided, he rolled down the window and listened intently for the grunts and cries of the men and women. With how quiet the engine was, he could actually still hear them in the distance, somewhere further down the road, it sounded like. He picked up speed, pulling along the narrow road with the bamboo stalks streaming past him in a sea of green.The sound of battle-- or at least, he assumed it was battle-- grew closer, until the road curved around a bend, and the commotion came into view. Further down the right side, a great clearing had formed in the bamboo, where the ground had flattened out in a small valley. Within that clearing of broken bamboo stalks and torn leaves, there was what could only be described as a monster. It was a long, violet, sinuous, reptilian monster with wings like a dragon. Its maw was elongated, with a serpentine tongue flicking out from between razor sharp fangs. Its eyes were blackened, with no visible irises or pupils. It was prowling within a short circle on thin back legs, using its wings as makeshift front legs. Surrounding it were five people, three of which lay unmoving in the broken bamboo. The two others stood several yards away from the monster, placing the monster on Owen¡¯s left, and the people on Owen¡¯s right. Of those still standing, one was a man in gleaming metal armor, wielding a sword between his hands. Behind him stood a woman in a fitted tan tunic and brown trousers, with a long dagger in one hand. Her hair was a radiant golden color with flecks of blue scattered throughout her locks. It was tied up in a loose, low ponytail that trailed down her back, with loose bangs scattered in front of her face. But most importantly, her free hand was glowing. Before Owen could take stock of the situation any more than he had, the knight in armor charged straight for the monster with a battlecry, his sword raised and ready to swing. The monster did not move to meet him partway, but once he was close enough, it lashed out, blindingly quick. A tail that Owen hadn¡¯t noticed before flicked out from behind it, cutting through the metal armor like butter, and sending a great geyser of blood spraying into the air. For a moment, the knight stood still. Then, he crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. Oh, that¡¯s not good. Owen knew what he had to do. With the knight gone, nothing stood between the monster and the woman. Again, he¡¯d never considered himself a hero. But sometimes, you just had to act because it was right. He turned the van and took it off the road as the monster began to creep toward the golden-haired woman. As it picked up speed, so did he. His van crashed through at least a dozen bamboo stalks as it barreled down the hill. Owen clenched his teeth with each impact, his bones shaking in their frame with each bump and dip as he went, his stomach rising in his throat with each lurch of the van. The monster broke into a gallop as it came closer to the woman, its maw open wide to attack, its fangs gleaming and dripping with venom. Owen wasn¡¯t going to make it in time. The monster would reach the woman before he could reach it. Then, a bright, glowing white light erupted from the woman¡¯s hand. It was stronger than any firework Owen had ever seen, blinding him as he careened forward. The monster shrieked, and then-- Owen¡¯s van hit the monster dead on. Even through watering eyes, he could see its form pressed up against the hood of his van. Remembering keenly that its tail could cut through metal, Owen didn¡¯t bother stopping. With the monster in tow, he crashed through several more bamboo trees, one after the other, only to come to a violent stop by slamming into a large boulder sticking up out of the dirt. There were no airbags this time. Owen jerked forward, caught only by his seatbelt, the breath knocked out of him. He would have screamed if he could, as his car crumpled around the stone, the monster crushed between the two of them. Silence took the forest once more. Owen tasted iron in his mouth. Definitely blood. He was pretty sure he¡¯d bit his cheek during the crash. The monster¡¯s thick neck and maw lay lifeless across the hood of his van. Or, at least, he hoped it was lifeless. He wasn¡¯t exactly a biologist. But if he¡¯d done this to a person? They¡¯d be waking up in a new world filled with magic right now. Too bad he¡¯d wrecked his van¡­ again. Groaning, he unlatched his seat-belt and pulled himself out of the open window. The crash had been enough to warp the metal frame, but it was still large enough for him to get out. Still, everything hurt. And he found himself using his choicest swear words as he cut himself on broken glass and metal. He dropped to the dirt and stood up quickly despite his body protesting. He wasn¡¯t going to die again. Rather than inspect the monster, though, he simply scrambled away as fast as possible, until he was absolutely sure he was out of reach of that thing¡¯s tail. It was then that he noticed that the young woman was staring at him. He hadn¡¯t seen it before, but a trickle of blood went down one side of her face, where she¡¯d received a cut on the temple. Despite that, at this close of a distance, he could easily tell that she was the most beautiful woman he¡¯d ever seen. Her features were slender, with a button nose, full, pink lips, and large, ice-blue eyes. However, her most distinctive features were the bright shades of red just below each eye. Even this close, he couldn¡¯t quite tell, but they seemed to be¡­ scales? And now that he looked closer, he saw that her pupils were long and narrow, like a serpent¡¯s. Realizing that he was staring, Owen scratched his head and bashfully said, ¡°Hi.¡± Chapter 2: Azure Chapter 2: Azure Owen¡¯s words seemed to snap the woman out of her stupor. She shook her head slightly, and then turned away from him to inspect the fallen knight. She knelt over his body, and Owen heard her swear softly under her breath. As the adrenaline in Owen¡¯s body began to recede, the reality of what had just transpired sank in. There were four dead bodies on the ground. If only he¡¯d arrived sooner¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, realizing just how stupid his first interaction with the golden-haired woman really was. She didn¡¯t move from her kneeling position over her dead comrade. ¡°If I¡¯d been quicker, then maybe--¡± ¡°There is no need to be sorry,¡± she said without looking up at him. ¡°We all knew the risk when we set out.¡± She spat. ¡°Still, to nearly have a team wipe¡­¡± She stood from her kneeling position and turned to face him. ¡°Thank you for your intervention. I probably would have died had you not arrived.¡± Her face was taut with stress, but she creaked out a small smile. Despite himself, Owen let loose a large grin in response. That must have been the wrong reaction, because her smile turned into a frown. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what is that?¡± She pointed at the van. ¡°Oh, that?¡± said Owen. The monster had remained unmoving this whole time, so he guessed it was dead. ¡°That¡¯s my van. She¡¯s a beauty, ain¡¯t she?¡± The woman¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°A¡­ van?¡± The word seemed strange on her tongue. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a¡­¡± Owen stopped mid sentence. She didn¡¯t know what a van was. There were folks dressed in armor and wielding magic. He¡¯d just turned a strange dragon creature into roadkill. He needed no further evidence that, indeed, he wasn¡¯t in Kansas anymore. Whatever had happened with the bank robbery, when he died, he must have come here. To¡­ To a whole new world. The finality of that realization weighed on him like a cinder block. He¡¯d been transported to a place that was like out of a video game. There were stats, and magic, and danger. And people in danger. He squatted in place, resting his elbows on his knees as he struggled to take all of this in. Even now, he found it laughably difficult. His thoughts went to his mother, and to his siblings, who he¡¯d left behind. To Dale, who¡¯d died right before his eyes. They were all gone now. Or really, he was. He imagined the funeral. His mom would be there. Would she even be sober enough to know her own son had died? His brothers and sister would. He was all they had. And now he was gone. ¡°Hey, um, are you okay?¡± said the woman, approaching him. ¡°Just a minute,¡± said Owen, taking a deep breath. Take the craziness. Internalize it. Deal with it later. Deal with it later. Finishing his breath, he stood and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Owen, by the way.¡± She smacked her fist into her palm as a form of greeting. ¡°I am Azure. Again, thank you for saving my life.¡± Owen scratched his head a bit. ¡°Yeah, uh, no trouble.¡± He glanced back at his wrecked van. Well, maybe it was a bit of trouble. ¡°That thing¡¯s dead, right?¡± Azure barked a hoarse laugh. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what that ¡®van¡¯ is, but it hit the wyvern like a damn meteor. It¡¯s dead. Like, super dead.¡± ¡°Oh, thank goodness,¡± Owen sighed in relief. ¡°I saw what its¡­¡± he trailed off. He¡¯d been about to say that he¡¯d seen what its tail could do, but realizing that he was about to talk about Azure¡¯s dead comrade in way too light of fashion, he changed his wording to, ¡°Well, it was a pretty gnarly beast.¡± ¡°It was just a Lesser Wyvern,¡± Azure spat. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been that much trouble. But it ambushed us and killed two of our men before we¡¯d even realized it was there.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Owen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°Again, there¡¯s no need to be sorry. There¡¯s always a chance of this happening when you venture into the wilds.¡± She sounded rather calm about the whole thing, actually. ¡°Were¡­ were you close to them?¡± said Owen. Azure shook her head. ¡°No. But I know at least some of them have families back home. Guess I¡¯ll have to report this to the guild. Still,¡± she paused, circling the van to examine the dead wyvern, ¡°we got our mark, so at least the farms will be a bit safer.¡± That was a lot of information thrown at Owen in those last few lines. He tucked it all away for now in the back of his mind, and decided that it was time to inspect the damage on his poor van. He approached and stood beside Azure, still eyeing the dead wyvern warily. Its eyes were open, gazing blankly up into the sky. Its serpentine tongue hung limply out of its open maw. Owen groaned. His hood had wrapped completely around the stone. He was lucky the engine hadn¡¯t come up and crushed him through the dash. He wouldn¡¯t be able to get a good look at the full extent of the damage until he pulled the vehicle away from the stone.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. That in itself was going to a problem for obvious reasons. He was a hundred percent sure he¡¯d shattered the front axle. Beyond that, the deformed metal frame had dug into the dirt, planting the van in place. Even if the gearbox was working and he could put the car in neutral, he wouldn¡¯t be able to drag it through the dirt. Which meant he needed a tow. He wasn¡¯t even sure that was possible. ¡°So, what now?¡± he asked. ¡°Now,¡± said Azure, climbing up on the crumpled hood, careful not to cut her hands or knees, ¡°we harvest what materials we can from this wyvern and head to town.¡± ¡°What about my van?¡± Azure pulled a glass flask from a pouch at her side and popped out the cork with her teeth. She grabbed hold of the wyvern¡¯s head and pressed the open flask against the base of the creature¡¯s fangs, filling it with a violent green venom. When she was done, she restoppered the cork and hopped off the van¡¯s hood. ¡°Not much she can do about it. I don¡¯t know what a ¡®van¡¯ is, but it looks like you did a number on it.¡± Of course, she was right. Even if Owen could pull the van off the stone, it wasn¡¯t like he had a spare engine laying around. Or a spare axle. Or a spare body. Or the tools to replace any of those things, even if he had them. ¡°How far is town from here?¡± asked Owen. ¡°It¡¯s a six hour hike,¡± said Azure. She approached the fallen knight and knelt over him, fiddling with his gear. ¡°Just take the road you came off of. By the way, you look strong. You wouldn¡¯t mind carrying this guy¡¯s plate for me, would you?¡± Plate? Owen wasn¡¯t sure he understood, until he saw her loosening the straps on the dead man¡¯s armor. Oh, she means his armor plate. ¡°Should we be desecrating the dead so soon?¡± he said. ¡°We have to bring back something to show what killed him. We have to do the same for everyone who died,¡± said Azure, finally managing to unfasten the man¡¯s breastplate and pull it from him. She stood and handed it to Owen. ¡°You seem lost.¡± She pursed her lips, looking him up and down, her ice-blue eyes scanning his features. ¡°And I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen an outfit like yours.¡± Owen took the armor, staring at it blankly. It was soaked in the dead man¡¯s blood, with a great gouge carved across it, almost splitting the metal in half. The scent of iron made bile rise up in his throat. ¡°I guess you could say I¡¯m new to the area,¡± he said. He felt a bit like a child with the armor in his hands, unsure where or how to hold it. ¡°I¡¯m just getting my bearings. Um, how should I be holding this?¡± Azure shrugged, turning away from him and kneeling over yet another of her fallen comrades. She stripped his tunic from his chest, which was also soaked with blood. Owen did his best to not look closely at his corpse. As Azure placed the cloth into Owen¡¯s arms, laying it on top of the plate, Owen found himself saying, ¡°Can¡¯t we wash these or something? I don¡¯t know if I can handle all this blood.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a running stream about a hundred paces that way,¡± said Azure, pointing behind the boulder and van. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you the rest of the gear once I¡¯ve finished stripping it, and you can wash it off if you so desire.¡± Owen turned without responding and plodded off in the direction of water. With each step, the articles in his hands felt heavier and heavier, though not from their weight. By the time he found the stream, he felt like he was going to collapse. He sank to his knees in the muddy bank, letting the armor and tunic fall to stream¡¯s bed with a splash. His whole frame shook as he stared at the blood staining his hands. This was too much, too fast. Way too much. Owen plunged his hands into the cold stream water, scrubbing them together vigorously. The blood came off easily enough, but he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it still clung to the pores of his skin like a disease. ¡°Come on, Owen. Keep it together,¡± he muttered under his breath. Every inch of him screamed that this was wrong. He hadn¡¯t been there when his dad had died. And he¡¯d been too caught up with adrenaline when Dale had died for it to really sink in. But bearing the blood of literal strangers on his flesh felt insidious. A rustle in the grass behind him made him jump. He whipped his head around to see Azure kneel calmly in the mud just downstream from him, placing in the stream two more tunics. Blood spread like a cloud in the crystalline water as she picked up a rock and used it to scrub the cloth. For a moment, there was silence, but for the chirping of birds. Then, Azure broke that silence, saying, ¡°You get used to the blood eventually.¡± Owen swallowed but nodded. Finally, he reached into the water to pull up the broken plate armor with one hand. Most of the blood on it had already been washed away by the stream. With his other hand, he used the other dead man¡¯s tunic as a washcloth to wipe away the rest of the blood. Then, following Azure¡¯s example, he picked up a stone from the streambed and used it to rub the residual blood out of the cloth. ¡°I apologize if I seem callous about this whole affair,¡± said Azure. ¡°You become desensitized to these things after a while.¡± ¡°No, I understand,¡± said Owen quickly. Then, thinking on it, he added, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m a bit out of my element here.¡± ¡°I could tell.¡± ¡°Probably more than anyone else you¡¯ve interacted with.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± Despite himself, Owen grinned. Once Owen was satisfied with the state of cleanliness for the armor and cloth, they returned to the clearing. Azure had piled the bodies of the fallen onto what looked like a makeshift pyre of old bamboo leaves and stalks. ¡°We have to burn the bodies,¡± explained Azure, kneeling near the pyre. ¡°If we don¡¯t, they¡¯ll attract monsters¡­ or worse.¡± ¡°Worse than that horrifying Wyvern monster?¡± said Owen, swallowing. ¡°Far worse.¡± Azure took a deep breath and clasped her hands in a form of prayer, closing her eyes. ¡°My fallen comrades. May you find peace in the next life. May Isthu¡¯s light shine always upon you.¡± With her prayer completed, she stood back several paces from the pyre and stretched out her hand. It glowed with a soft crimson light, and with that light, she began to draw a symbol in the air. It was¡­ beautiful. A simple pictograph of fire, but outlined with circles and other symbols that Owen could not discern, but it all formed a complex pattern that, when finished, Azure pressed with the flat of her palm. The symbols disappeared, and the pyre caught aflame. Owen jumped back, surprised at the fire¡¯s sudden appearance. He knew he should have expected it, but it was still so incredible to witness what could only be called magic. ¡°That is amazing,¡± he breathed. Azure gave him a look that he couldn¡¯t read. ¡°Do you have any prayers you wish to offer for the fallen?¡± Shaking his head, Owen said, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve never been the praying type.¡± To be honest, he didn¡¯t even know what he would be praying to in this world anyway. ¡°In that case, we should be off,¡± said Azure, marching up the hill toward the road. ¡°It¡¯s only a Lightmoon tonight, but we want to be within the city gates before nightfall.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Owen, hoofing it to catch up. As he reached the road once more, he glanced back at his van, abandoned at the far end of the clearing. Quietly, he whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you soon.¡± Chapter 3: Mana Sense Chapter 3: Mana Sense Owen trudged alongside Azure, the strap from the broken armor plate already digging into his shoulder. They¡¯d been walking for about an hour now, with few to no words exchanged between them. He figured that would be for the better, since that gave him time to process everything that had happened thus far. Which was a lot. He¡¯d quickly realized that the breastplate¡¯s straps could be tied over his shoulder and across his chest, letting the armor hang off his back. Then, he just tied the tunics of the dead to the armor piece. That left his hands free and his mind focused on the path before and behind him. He still hadn¡¯t processed everything yet-- in only a few moments, he¡¯d experienced more death than every other instance of his life combined up until that point. Except for when he specifically died himself, but that was a whole different problem to wrap his head around. But processing the wyvern, the death, the mention of guilds, and the very existence of magic, he came to a very simple conclusion: he needed to learn as much as humanly possible to avoid dying again. In his previous life, he¡¯d been forced to drop out of high school at sixteen to go work at his Uncle Joe¡¯s car shop. With his dad dead, and his mom high pretty much 24/7, that had left caring for his siblings to him. That, or he¡¯d risk losing them altogether. Now that he thought on it, he grimaced. There was no way his mom would keep social services from taking them now. Hell, whenever they¡¯d come sniffing around, it had been Owen¡¯s efforts that had kept them at bay. But now? He shook the thought from his head. He needed to focus on the problems at hand, not the issues he could no longer control. He¡¯d always been good at that. Compartmentalizing his problems, tackling one at a time. Fixing what he could, and looking for solutions to what he couldn¡¯t. Even with his job at Joe¡¯s, he knew that he needed to be constantly growing. So, he¡¯d spent his nights in his van after putting his brothers and sister to bed, surfing the internet and learning everything he possibly could. While he¡¯d known a lot about cars already thanks to his dad, he taught himself construction, computer maintenance and repair, and more. He¡¯d even dabbled in programming. His plan was that once his siblings had graduated high school, he¡¯d finally go to college. Well, that wasn¡¯t happening now. But all that meant is that he needed to restructure his focus. He didn¡¯t have the internet here (or at least, he assumed he didn¡¯t), but he could still learn all there was to know as fast as possible. And the beginning of that process lay in the brown gemstone embedded in his forearm. He hadn¡¯t touched it since that first experience perusing the menus. But now that he had time, walking in relative quiet¡­ Without missing a step, he raised his left hand in front of his face and tapped on his brown stone. It read:
Owen Westward
Level 2 +
XP: 94/282
MP: 1/1
Class: None
Stats
Skills
Okay, that was interesting. He¡¯d already reached Level 2, and what¡¯s more, his XP bar was already a quarter full. But even more exciting, he had MP! It was only 1, but at least it wasn¡¯t zero anymore! He even had a little bar for it now! Surging with excitement, he tapped on the Skills option to see what it contained. A new menu popped open, reading:
Skill Name Skill Type Mana Drain
Engineering Vision Lv. 1 Continuous 0
Mana Sense Lv. 1 Continuous 1/s
He had two skills. Now that he thought on it, the skills menu had been available back when he¡¯d first entered this world. Guessing by the mana drain of the individual skills, he probably already had Engineering Vision when he was level 1. Which meant that he must have only just learned Mana Sense.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He clicked on the mana sense skill, and yet another window opened for him.
Mana Sense
Detects the mana of nearby living beings and objects.
Press Palm against Sigil to use Mana Sense.
Well, the explanation was a bit redundant. Though, he was curious to note that it mentioned he could detect the mana of both living beings and objects. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what that encapsulated, but it was fairly obvious how to find out. His throat tightening with giddy anticipation, Owen pressed the palm of his hand against the Mana Sense Sigil, just like how he¡¯d seen Azure do it before. He did remember that she¡¯d actually drawn her spell in the air, but otherwise, this seemed exactly the same. The moment his palm pressed against the symbol on the screen, it glowed a bright white in the air in front of him, and the rest of the menu disappeared. Only a split-second later, it too disappeared. A strange sensation coursed through Owen. It almost felt like a sense of power-- one he hadn¡¯t even known was there-- swelled from within his chest. That energy flowed from his heart and up his spine with a strong tingling sensation, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up. That energy went straight into his eyes, and the precise moment it did, Owen¡¯s world changed. The sky turned black, and the world around him filled with light. Most prominent was a great flare of bright red energy coming off of Azure. It contrasted with her golden hair with its flecks of blue, and seemed to be cut through by her ice-blue eyes. The red scales on her upper cheeks seemed to give off their own little individual puffs of red mana as well. She looked like a goddess. Then, as quickly as the vision came, it disappeared, the world returning its normal color. Owen suddenly felt queasy on his feet, and unable to keep balance, he fell to his knees, staring blankly up at Azure. He felt somehow empty, like he¡¯d been drained of all his energy. ¡°Owen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± said Azure, worry seeping into her voice. She knelt over him, her eyes wide with concern, and grabbed hold of his wrist. Absently, Owen noted that her touch was incredibly soft. She pressed his brown gemstone, and a menu popped up in front of her face. She scanned the contents of the screen, the golden text reflecting in her eyes. ¡°What the hell?¡± she breathed. ¡°How in the sweet, holy name of Isthu do you only have a mana capacity of 1?¡± ¡°You can look at my menu?¡± said Owen, only mildly surprised. ¡°Of course I can.¡± ¡°So, do you have one of these fancy gemstones too?¡± She gave him a narrow look. And after seeming to consider her response for a moment, she closed his menu and pulled up the sleeve of her tunic, revealing a corresponding stone embedded in the inside of her left forearm. Unlike his, however, her gemstone was a series of distinct smaller gems, with seven tiny crimson rhombuses surrounding a circular center like petals on a flower. ¡°Everyone has a Mana Stone in their arm,¡± she said with a furrowed brow. ¡°The fact that you don¡¯t know that¡­ Owen, did you hit your head or something before we met?¡± So, her first thought wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d come from another world, which likely meant it wasn¡¯t a common occurrence. That was good to know. Giving up on trying to maintain any semblance of dignity, Owen collapsed onto his rump. ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± said Owen, ¡°but the short version of it is that I have no clue where I am, how I obtained a-- you called it a Mana Stone, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, that. And, I¡¯ve no idea how to use magic or how it works at all.¡± Her expression became one of exasperation, her jaw hanging a little. ¡°You just tried using magic without knowing how it works?!¡± Owen felt a bit bashful, his cheeks heating a bit. ¡°That would appear to be the case.¡± Azure¡¯s look of exasperation turned into a laugh. She closed her eyes, cupping her forehead with her hand. As she did, Owen noticed that her teeth-- which were pearly white-- had oversized incisors, almost like-- Azure had fangs. Owen had no frame of reference for how ¡°normal¡± that was, but he knew one thing for certain: it looked freaking awesome! When at last her laugh subsided, Azure said, ¡°You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t kill yourself.¡± Removing her hand from her face, she looked him in the eyes and asked, ¡°What spell did you even use?¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m not so sure it was a spell per se, so much as a skill?¡± Owen said. ¡°I used Mana Sense.¡± Azure nodded. ¡°Well, at least you chose something that has only a small chance of backfiring. Did it work, at least?¡± ¡°Actually, yeah. I didn¡¯t notice much, though. It only lasted a second, but I saw-- I think it was your mana. It was this big, red cloud of energy around you. It looked¡­ amazing.¡± Owen thought he detected the slightest hint of flush in Azure¡¯s cheeks, but it blended in too well with the smattering of scales beneath her eyes. ¡°Well, It¡¯s good to hear that you were able to use it. Just be careful when casting Mana Sense. It doesn¡¯t actually show you how much mana a person has. It¡¯s more like it shows you how much mana is overflowing from their reservoir. A skilled mage can control that easily.¡± That left a question practically hanging. ¡°Can you do that?¡± said Owen. Azure shook her head. ¡°No, not yet. I¡¯m only level 5. So, I¡¯m still fresh, not unlike you.¡± Now, that actually surprised Owen. ¡°But you seemed so calm and confident earlier. I would not call that fresh.¡± ¡°I guess you really don¡¯t know anything, after all,¡± Azure chuckled. She reached to the belt at her side and procured what Owen had to guess was a waterskin. ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious that you used up all your mana. Doing that isn¡¯t exactly dangerous, but it makes you pretty weak for a while. So, drink up.¡± Owen unstoppered the waterskin and gave it a sniff. Actually, on second thought, it was actually a wineskin. ¡°Is this supposed to help me get my mana back?¡± How awesome would that be, for alcohol to restore mana? ¡°No,¡± said Azure, ¡°but it¡¯ll take the edge off.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Owen, taking a swig of the wine. ¡°Also, what¡¯s your Mana Charge Rate?¡± ¡°Uh, let me check,¡± said Owen, restoppering the wineskin, popping open his menu, and navigating to the spot under Stats. ¡°Yep, it still says 0.5/1.¡± ¡°Okay, that means you gain half a mana per hour,¡± said Azure. ¡°Shit. That means it¡¯ll take you two hours just to get back up to a single mana. We¡¯ll see where you are in half an hour.¡± ¡°Are we that pressed for time?¡± said Owen. Azure glanced up at the sky. ¡°Yeah. Night falls in about five hours. If we aren¡¯t within the city gates by then, we¡¯re going to be in a lot of danger.¡± That was right. She¡¯d mentioned the need to make it to safety before nightfall. Almost not wanting to know the answer, Owen asked, ¡°What exactly makes nighttime so dangerous?¡± Azure looked him dead in the eye and said only a single word: ¡°Demons.¡± A shiver ran up Owen¡¯s spine. They had that word back on Earth, but demons had only ever existed in stories. Hearing it now made him tense. There seemed to be so much weight in how she said it, like that single world held a thousand stories between its first and final letters. Gritting his teeth, Owen forced himself to his feet. ¡°We should be on our way, then.¡± ¡°You need rest,¡± said Azure, grabbing his arm. ¡°Will walking decrease the rate at which I regain mana?¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯ll hurt like a bitch. And you¡¯ll be feeling it for a week. It¡¯s not worth it. Just rest for a while.¡± Owen growled and plodded forward. ¡°I don¡¯t know what a demon is like, but I have absolutely no desire to find out. Set the pace. I¡¯ll keep up.¡± Chapter 4: Night Chapter 4: Night The sun hung low behind Owen as he marched along the darkened road. Five hours had nearly passed, and each time he glanced over his shoulder, the blood red sun sank ever closer to the horizon. They had passed out of the bamboo forest in which he¡¯d first found himself, following the road to where it ran alongside a wide river, which passed through a series of valleys nestled between rolling green mountains. These valleys had constituted the majority of their journey, until they rounded one mountain and found the river leading through a great, open field. There were few to no trees in this great plain of grass. But at the center of that field, with even more mountains forming a backdrop in the distance, there was a wall. It was the walled city of Ysvale, one of the few places safe from demons, Azure had told him. And now, as they neared it, the city¡¯s great wall rose up to imperious height over them, its gray stone blazing crimson in the sunset. Owen¡¯s whole body hurt, just as Azure had said it would. At first, it had been a simple discomfort and exhaustion. Now, every single muscle ached with agony. If he¡¯d been on his own, he never would have made it this far. But with Azure setting the pace, he¡¯d managed to just fight through the pain enough to keep up with her. ¡°We¡¯re nearly there,¡± said Azure, picking up her stride once more. Owen merely grunted, having lost the ability to speak over an hour ago. It was taking everything he had just to keep going, and he did not have the luxury to talk. He was pouring sweat from head to toe, his clothes soaked through. He knew for a fact that Azure was also correct in saying he¡¯d be feeling this for a week. By now, his mana had refilled. But that lack of rest was doing a number on him. Still, all the pain in the world was nothing compared to what lay waiting in the dark. He just focused on the city gate ahead. It hung open, like it was waiting to welcome him and Azure into its fond embrace. They were maybe half a mile away. So close. Not much further. It was then that Owen felt the last drop of sunlight leave his skin. Feeling suddenly clammy and cold, he dared cast a glance back at the western horizon. The sun had disappeared. A terrible chorus of high-pitched shrieks came up as if out of the ground itself. The cries carried with them malice intermingled with bloodlust in a way that shook Owen¡¯s very core. Amidst those terrible calls, he thought he could hear words, spoken in between the war cries as a strange, unintelligible, guttural language. At this point, he dared not look back again, focusing only on the burnished walls in the rapidly dying twilight. Azure broke into a run, and despite all the sense of pain coursing through him, Owen ran to match. Each step was like dragging lead, each breath like gasping in shards of glass. They were a hundred yards away when the gate began to close. It shuttered down with a loud and heavy clinking sound, the chains controlling it as ominous as the tones of a clock at midnight. ¡°Hold the gate!¡± Azure screamed as they sprinted forward. ¡°Hold the gate!¡± They were so close. Only fifty yards. But the gate had not slowed in its descent. If they would make it, it would be as close a call as Owen had ever had in his life. Including when he rammed a damn wyvern with his van. Thirty yards. Twenty. The last crack of space was rapidly shrinking. They would have to slide under the gate if they wanted to make it in time. Ten yards. Bang. The city gate slammed shut with a great crashing sound right as they reached it. ¡°No, no, no!¡± Azure said, slamming on the gate with her fists. ¡°Let us in, you bastards!¡± Owen came to a tottering stop against the hardwood. Strips of metal went all the way up the door, likely serving as a reinforcing frame. Not that he cared much. His whole body ached, he was exhausted, and they were locked out of the city. He slumped into the dirt and turned to face out from the mouth of the gate. He was so tired. Meanwhile, Azure continued her appeals to the unfeeling hunk of wood and metal now separating them from safety. Finally, she stepped away and spat on the portal. ¡°Bunch of right bastards.¡± Owen clenched his jaw. ¡°So, what now?¡± ¡°Now,¡± said Azure, pulling her fingers through her hair. ¡°Now, we hope for a miracle. Shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been much of a believer in miracles,¡± said Owen, forcing himself to stand. No matter how tired he was, the words ¡°give up,¡± were not in his vocabulary. Instead, he just compartmentalized the pain like everything else. He would deal with it later. For now¡­ ¡°Are there any structures we can take shelter in? Any places to hide, or any choke points we could use to keep the demons at bay?¡± Solemnly, Azure leaned against the corner of the gate¡¯s port, letting her hands rest on the thickset stone. ¡°They¡¯re already here, Owen.¡± Owen squinted and saw exactly what she meant. Maybe two hundred yards away from them, with eyes glowing crimson in the falling twilight, were three humanoid figures. From this far away and in the halflight, he couldn¡¯t discern any details. And yet despite that, their very presence made Owen want to scratch and claw at the gate until his very nails were raw with blood and splinters. He shook the impression away, setting his jaw. He was not going to give up. ¡°Is this all of them?¡± he asked, not taking his gaze from the center-most demon¡¯s glowing eyes. ¡°No, more are coming. Those are Sentinels. They rarely interact directly with a battle, but they cast spells to buff the weaker demons.¡± ¡°If we kill them, will the other demons disperse?¡± Azure barked a hoarse laugh, and her eyes darkened. ¡°Neither of us possess the magic necessary to destroy a Sentinel.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Already, other demons had begun to gather around the Sentinels like a host around their generals. Or like linemen around a quarterback. ¡°Probably, then? Like I said, tonight is a Lightmoon. Without the Sentinels¡¯ buffs, the moonlight will probably burn enough for them to retreat. But it rises from the East, so it has to crest over the city wall first.¡± ¡°What about that flashbang of yours?¡± ¡°Flash¡­ bang?¡± ¡°The flash of light I saw you use on the wyvern. Will it hurt them?¡± Azure nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll kill the smaller ones, even with their buffs. But I can only cast, at most, three before I tap out my mana. But it¡¯ll just irritate the Sentinels, at best. Nothing we have can kill them.¡± ¡°Not even stabbing them in the heart?¡± ¡°No. Cutting off their heads could do the trick, but my dagger won¡¯t be able to cut them clean through. By the time we saw through their neck, they¡¯ll have killed us.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Owen. There were at least forty or fifty pairs of glowing crimson eyes, though the lesser demons were all fainter than the three Sentinels. ¡°What if we slathered your dagger up with Wyvern venom, and then stabbed the bastards with it?¡± Azure¡¯s eyes went wide, and for the first time since they¡¯d found themselves stuck in this impossible situation, Owen saw the faintest hint of hope gleaming through them. ¡°That could work,¡± she said, rummaging through her pouch. ¡°That could work nicely.¡± She pulled out the flask of venom and said, ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll just let you walk up and stab them, though.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°That¡¯s where you come in. Dagger, please,¡± said Owen. When she relinquished the blade, he unstoppered the venom and poured it over the metal. ¡°Going to Riverbrook High School, you pick up two important things: how to take a hit, and how to use a shiv if you ever need it. The way I see it, this dagger is just a bigger shiv. And my ability to take a hit made me into a damn good Linebacker. Didn¡¯t matter if a lineman got between me and the quarterback. When coach called for a blitz, I was on that asshole like a dog on raw meat.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand a word of what you just said,¡± said Azure. ¡°You¡¯ve got three flashbangs loaded up. I might not look it, but I''m a pretty fast runner.¡± ¡°In your condition?¡± ¡°In any condition, dammit,¡± said Owen. ¡°When you hear a gunshot go off a block away from you, it doesn''t matter how tired you are: you book it. So, I¡¯m going to close the distance on those assholes and stab them with a good dose of poison. Your job is to keep the smaller demons from getting me first. Hold this for a second.¡± He handed the dagger back to her, along with the half-empty flask of venom. Then, he unslung the breast-plate from his back and tied its straps around his left forearm. It felt awkward as hell hanging there, but it was better than nothing. He could at least have a shield in all this madness. He took the dagger back and set his jaw, gazing out at the voluminous swarm of demons. ¡°You up for this?¡± he said, giving her a sideways glance. She cracked her knuckles, and the faintest hint of light leaped from her cheek-scales. ¡°May Isthu protect us.¡± ¡°May Isthu protect us,¡± Owen repeated under his breath. He charged out onto the open field, blood rushing through his ears as he went. Pain was forgot, exhaustion forgot. He gripped the venom-laced dagger in hand and cried out, his voice raw on the early night sky. Azure joined with a battle cry of her own, and though he couldn¡¯t see her, he knew she was right behind him. Their charge seemed to be the trigger for the demons themselves, as they let loose an unholy cacophony of shrieks and cries that carried the promise to tear him limb from limb. But he would not allow his roar to be swallowed by their horde¡¯s frenzy. He cried out all the greater, and for the briefest moment, he thought he felt power coursing through him. He met the horde of demons halfway to the Sentinels. These lesser beings were about the size of dogs, but in the shape of pale, skeletal humans crawling on all fours. Their mouths were wide-open maws of jagged teeth and rotting flesh, and their eyes were bulbous, black orbs sunken into the top of their misshapen skulls. The first one in the horde leapt for Owen¡¯s throat, its teeth vibrating in its maw as it screamed. Owen caught it on his makeshift shield and slammed it to the side, roaring as he did so. Only a split-second later, Azure¡¯s flashbang went off, carving a field of light around Owen¡¯s shadow. Nearly a dozen of the smaller demons were caught in its glow, shrieking as their pale skin burnt away to nothing. The bright white light disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving an afterimage seared into Owen¡¯s retinas. He squinted through half-blindness, charging deeper into the enemy lines. Those demons remaining did not immediately leap at him. The ones that had been too close to the blast radius of the flashbang, though not burnt to cinders, hissed violently as they stumbled back, their eyes clenched shut. She blinded them. But of course, that made sense. If it blinded him, of course it would blind demons that couldn¡¯t handle sunlight. Owen punted one of the stunned demons to the side with a swift kick, its neck snapping from the force. A few of the demons from the rearward ranks scrambled forward to meet him, leaping in unison. ¡°Hold the flash,¡± Owen cried out, hoping that Azure would hear and understand him. If she only had two more left, then they needed to save them for as long as possible. He caught one of the demons on his shield. It bit down hard on the metal, shearing it away like paper. The other one, he caught with a kick, punting it backward. Before the clingy demon could dig into his arm, Owen fell forward and dropped down onto the shield, crushing the monster with his weight. It fell limp at impact, and he rolled to the side just in time to avoid another leaping demon. He pulled up to his knees and-- Something hit Owen hard just beneath the ribs, knocking the air right out of him and sending him tumbling head over heels in the dirt. He only barely managed to keep his grip on the dagger, coming to a stop several yards from where he¡¯d started. A Sentinel loomed from where it had struck him, its burning eyes illuminating the horned goat skull that composed its head. Its body was sinews of flesh strapped over a thickset, humanoid skeleton, with a large heart visibly beating from beneath its ribs. That¡¯s what he was aiming for. The heart. The Sentinel moved like shadow itself, covering the distance between itself and Owen in an eyeblink. For the briefest moment, all Owen could see were its glowing, terrible eyes, wreathed with flame. Azure¡¯s second flashbang went off. Owen¡¯s vision filled with white, and he heard the Sentinel roar with a great, guttural cry. Taking his chance, Owen reached out with a bear hug, embracing the dread monster¡¯s skeletal, bloody frame. And then, remembering just where he''d seen the Sentinel¡¯s heart, he stabbed it through the back with the dagger. The blade slid between its ribs, and Owen felt it sink into soft flesh. The Sentinel¡¯s roar became a shrill screech as it cast Owen from itself, shoving him back into the dirt. Vision returning to him, he saw an outline of the monster¡¯s form as it crumpled in on itself, smoke and flame erupting from its bones. It exploded, sending bone shards flying in every direction. Several of those tagged Owen, stabbing into him like shrapnel. He screamed as he collapsed forward onto the dirt, tasting blood and bile both. He spat as he scrambled to his feet, ignoring his body¡¯s protests. There were two more of those Sentinel assholes trying to kill him. ¡°Owen!¡± Azure screamed. In the half-light of his vision, he saw her silhouette sprinting toward him. But behind her¡­ Two shadows. He rose up to meet her, hitting her with a shoulder tackle that took her right off her feet. They fell to the dirt together, and something heavy moved the air right above him, cutting through his jacket as it trailed behind him. He didn¡¯t need to guess what it was as he screamed, ¡°Flashbang!¡± Whatever state Azure was in after getting full-on tackled, she must have had the wherewithal to let loose her spell. The blinding white light flashed even as Owen jerked up to move on the two Sentinels. Desperate for a way to see, he dropped his shield and reached out with his hand in front of him, remembering the symbol for his Mana Sense. He funneled his mana into his hand, using his memory of first casting magic as a guide, and drew the Sigil in front of him from memory. Unable to even see it glowing, he had to hope he was painting the correct picture. Then, he planted his palm into the symbol. The mana in his hand immediately snapped away, drawing with the rest of his pool up through his body and to his eyes. This time, though, it hurt. Like, really hurt. Owen screamed as the world went black. Then, the world came alive for him once more. It was like staring through tunnel vision, his eyes burning with pain, but he could see mana once more. The two clouds of jet black mana, bursting off the Sentinels right before him, surrounded by dozens more smaller black clouds from the lesser demons. Instinct took over. Owen leaped at the closer of the two Sentinels, raised the dagger, and plunged it right into the monster¡¯s heart. At the exact moment the blade found its mark, his vision went black. He lost his grip on the dagger, falling to the dirt as the Sentinel shrieked. He heard it stumble away, its bones fissuring and popping, before it too exploded, its bone shards hitting Owen in the side. Owen tried to move, but his body wouldn¡¯t obey his commands. He was utterly spent. His eyes still burnt like he¡¯d washed them with vinegar. Something told him he hadn¡¯t quite drawn the Mana Sense sigil correctly. This must have been what Azure meant when she mentioned spells backfiring. Beyond that, he was 100% sure he¡¯d used all his mana again. And whatever a normal mana exhaustion felt like, doing it again before he¡¯d recovered must have been that much worse. He heard Azure crawl over to him, her breathing irregular. He hoped he hadn¡¯t broken her ribs when he tackled her. ¡°Owen,¡± she gasped. ¡°Get up, Owen.¡± She shook him, trying to make him move. Owen tried to tell her he couldn¡¯t get up, but even his lips were stuck shut, his jaw taut and clenched. Slowly, the darkness receded from his vision, revealing only Azure¡¯s draconic, ice-blue eyes, wide with terror. Run, he tried to tell her. Get away. A deep, horrendous voice spoke, ¡°You two have caused me much suffering.¡± It was the Sentinel. Run! Owen practically screamed at Azure. He tried to move, if only if he could signal for her to go! His vision expanded even more as Azure turned in place, kneeling, with the dagger raised at the looming Sentinel. ¡°You shall not touch him,¡± she snarled. The demon lashed out with its hand, snatching Azure by the throat and lifting her off the ground. The dagger slid limply from her grasp, clunking hilt-first onto the dirt. ¡°You shall face a fate worse than death for your obstinance,¡± the Sentinel seethed, its voice coursing through Owen like a dread poison. It reached out with a finger and drew a long cut down Azure¡¯s face. She screamed in a way Owen had never heard a person scream before. It rattled his bones worse than any demon cry, it made every single inch of his body want to act, to move. It didn¡¯t matter the cost, it didn¡¯t matter the pain. I have to save her. And then, it was like a dam broke. Energy, and pain with it, came crashing through Owen like a coursing tide. Every single inch of his body was in an indescribable agony, blood blossoming from his very skin. And yet, he could move. He grasped hold of the dagger in his hand and threw himself at the Sentinel. Its hand moved like lightning, catching him by the throat as its head snapped around to stare him down. ¡°You should not be able to move.¡± Its arm was so long that Owen¡¯s blade wouldn¡¯t even graze its ribs if he swung it. Out of the corner of his eye, Owen saw Azure¡¯s hand move. He recognized the pattern, and despite the blood bubbling from between his lips, he grinned. Azure cast her flashbang. The light erupted in front of the Sentinel¡¯s face like a bomb, and it shrieked. Its claw tightened around Owen¡¯s throat, but Owen smashed the hilt of the blade down on its elbow, shattering it. Then, through the white, blinding light, Owen wrapped himself around the monster¡¯s ribs, staggered it backward, and drove the dagger through its back and into its heart. Chapter 5: Moonlight Chapter 5: Moonlight The moon was beautiful. It hung in the sky above Owen¡¯s head, so large he thought he could reach out and touch it. Its surface was pale and white, shining brighter than the moon ever did back on Earth. Of course, his body was broken and he felt half-dead, so the simple act of lifting up his arms to touch the Lightmoon seemed impossible. He and Azure lay in the center of the dirt road, surrounded by demon corpses and pools of blood. To be honest, part of him wondered how he hadn¡¯t passed out from blood loss, but he was also honestly too tired to care. After he¡¯d killed the third Sentinel, the minor demons around them had fled. It turns out that the moon had risen during their battle, and Owen hadn¡¯t even noticed. But true to Azure¡¯s prediction, it had driven away the horde. Which was really fortunate, because while Owen didn¡¯t know where that last burst of power had come from, it had left him wrecked. So, for now, he would stare up at the glistening white orb of light and be grateful for its presence. ¡°Owen?¡¯ said Azure, her voice soft on the night air. ¡°Can you move yet?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± said Owen without looking at her. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She chuckled, but cut her laugh short as she gasped with a bit of pain. ¡°Ow, that smarts.¡± ¡°Sorry I broke your ribs earlier.¡± ¡°I think you just bruised them, but owwww regardless. You don¡¯t look that big, but damn if you aren¡¯t made of stone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty tough yourself,¡± said Owen with a weak grin. ¡°I¡¯ve put full-grown men out of commission with that tackle.¡± He paused for a moment, before adding, ¡°So, something¡¯s been bothering me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yeah. You told me you only had three flashbangs. But at the end there, you were able to manage a fourth. What happened?¡± Azure was silent for a moment. Crickets sang from the nearby field, and a fresh wind brought on it the scent of grass, flowers, and dew-- a nice change from the smell of blood that had been ever present thus far. ¡°I think I leveled up during the fight,¡± said Azure finally. ¡°I actually burned through all of my mana with that third Flash spell. But when you level up, you get a little bit of extra mana back, and I think that¡¯s why the last Flash didn¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡°It could have killed you?¡± said Owen. ¡°Yeah. Using a spell when you¡¯re at zero mana is incredibly dangerous. Might work, but afterward, your body won¡¯t. Usually, your heart stops. I just feel like shit instead.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Owen quietly. Given the desperation of the situation, he could understand the need to do that. It did make him wonder what had gone on with his own body, though. ¡°I guess you won¡¯t know for sure until you open your stat menu?¡± ¡°Yeah. And if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯ve been able to move my arms for a while now. But you don¡¯t usually open your menu in front of other people. Don¡¯t want them reading it over your shoulder and all. But given that you¡¯ve already saved my life multiple times now-- Eh, to hell with it. I want to know.¡± Out of the corner of his eye, Owen saw the golden text appear over Azure. ¡°Yep,¡± she said. ¡°Just peaked up into level six. Damn, that was cutting it close.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Owen found himself laughing. ¡°Talk about dramatic timing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± said Azure. ¡°What the hell happened with you? I thought you were dead.¡± Her voice took on a tender tinge as she spoke. He remembered her passion in defending him from the final Sentinel only hours earlier. ¡°Well,¡± said Owen sheepishly. ¡°Your flashbangs blinded me, so I used Mana Sense to figure out where the Sentinels were. Uh¡­ I think I drew the sigil wrong though, because it backfired a bit. And on top of that, I used up all my mana again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fair,¡± Azure said. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you only have a single damn mana. Regardless, how did you get up after that? You were gone, as far as I could tell.¡± ¡°I¡­I actually don¡¯t know. Maybe I leveled up too?¡± Azure seemed thoughtful for a second. ¡°Actually, I might have some idea of what happened. Can you pull up your menu?¡± Owen tried to move his arms. ¡°Nope.¡± With a huff, Azure began crawling toward him from his right side. ¡°You have piqued my interest, so now I must know.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want you looking at my stats?¡± She froze in place. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t care,¡± Owen said quickly. ¡°Just, you seem so forward about it.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± She made it to his side and stretched over his body for his left arm. Unable to completely reach, she scooted herself up onto his chest before she clutched his forearm and pressed on his Mana Stone.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Holy shit,¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± said Owen, unable to see the screen. ¡°A few things,¡± she said. ¡°In order of escalation: first, you did level up too. You¡¯re almost level 4 already. Also, you now have three mana types: Lightning, Metal, and Wind. Though, each of them only has a mana pool of 1. Still, that¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Is it rare to have three mana types?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only met a handful of people with more than one, and I¡¯ve only ever heard of people with three. All of them are supposed to be monstrously powerful.¡± Owen choked a laugh. ¡°What kind of cruel joke is that? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m useless.¡± She pinched his side, but joke¡¯s on her. He could barely feel his side anyway. ¡°You are literally the only person I know stupid enough to take on three Sentinels at level two, as well as the only person I¡¯ve ever even heard of to survive such an encounter. Useless is not how I would describe you.¡± Owen swallowed. He wasn¡¯t sure how to react to praise that, while admittedly backhanded, was also unabashedly glowing. ¡°I¡¯m not done, either, so listen,¡± said Azure. ¡°This is the most important part, and it probably explains why you have the three mana types now. It¡¯s also what I suspected: you have a new class.¡± ¡°I do?¡± said Owen. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Technomancer.¡± That sounded cool. ¡°But what does that even mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± said Azure. ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard of this class before. But just a guess, I think it means that you do magic through technology. Like with that strange van thing of yours.¡± That made a lot of sense, actually. And it helped explain why Owen¡¯s car had been transported to this world with him. If he was going to do technomancy, then it probably helped to have a piece of technology with him that he knew like the back of his hand. ¡°Hold on, there¡¯s more,¡± said Azure. ¡°I opened your class window, and it has a class Art listed under it. It¡¯s called Second Wind. And-- wait, is your van Soulbonded to you?!¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Owen wasn¡¯t sure what that meant. ¡°I mean, it has a Mana Stone in the steering wheel.¡± ¡°Are you stupid?! Why the hell are you leaving a Soulbonded object in the middle of the damn woods?¡± Azure said. She immediately winced, clutching at her ribs. ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t yell at you. But you really don¡¯t know anything. When you have a matching Mana Stone in an object, it means it¡¯s Soulbonded to you. It¡¯s extremely rare. Like¡­ There hasn¡¯t been a Soulbonded object in at least a century. Nobody knows how to make them.¡± ¡°What can a Soulbonded object do, exactly?¡± said Owen. ¡°No idea. The Soulbonding ends when the person an object is bonded to dies. But in your case, your Art-- Second Wind-- says that you can draw mana from your Soulbonded object. Doing so over a long distance will put you in a lot of pain, but any extra mana you draw can be converted into vitality.¡± ¡°Vitality?¡± ¡°It gives you strength. You must have used it instinctively, and that¡¯s why you could move all of a sudden. It was a part of gaining your Technomancy class.¡± Owen swallowed. That explained how he survived, then: the Second Wind Art. That also explained why it hurt so damn much at the time. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I have a class before then, if I was Soulbonded to my van?¡± ¡°You only gain your class once you hit level three,¡± said Azure, plopping her head down on his chest and closing his menu. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m too tired to move now. I hope you don¡¯t mind if I lie here for a bit.¡± ¡°I will never complain about a beautiful woman lying on my chest.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m moving.¡± ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s fine, really. The copious amount of blood ruins the moment, anyway.¡± Azure stayed put, so Owen guessed that she agreed. That, or she really was that tired. Either way, he wasn¡¯t lying. It was really hard to feel any semblance of romance when you were lying in a drying pool of your own blood. Gingerly, Azure turned on her side to face away from him and gaze up at the moon. ¡°When I left Ysvale yesterday morning, I never could have guessed all the things that would happen. It¡¯s mind-boggling.¡± ¡°Trust me,¡± said Owen. ¡°My day yesterday started with me in a very different place, too.¡± Azure was silent for a while, before finally saying, ¡°Do you think it may have been fate that we met?¡± Owen gazed up at the glistening white moon. The Lightmoon, she called it. He¡¯d experienced its protecting nature firsthand, and yet he felt something more. It almost felt like there was something sentient there, watching over him and guiding him. Why had he first awoken in the bamboo forest of all places, if not so that he could meet Azure? ¡°Perhaps,¡± he admitted. ¡°Though I couldn''t tell you why.¡± ¡°I at least know I¡¯m grateful for it,¡± said Azure. ¡°If not for you, I¡¯d be dead.¡± ¡°Conversely, I¡¯d be dead without you as well,¡± said Owen matter-of-factly. ¡°I never would have made it to the city, nor would I have survived those demons, if not for your help. Actually, I¡¯d probably be dead in a ditch up in the mountains, trying to figure out why mana drain was wrecking my body.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess,¡± said Azure. She seemed contemplative, pausing for several long moments. Finally, she said, ¡°I have things I need to do. Promises I need to keep. People I need to find. And if you aren¡¯t going anywhere, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d mind having you assist me. I¡¯ll help you with things you need too, and I¡¯ll help you gain your bearings so you aren¡¯t completely lost. So, I¡¯ll gain something, and you¡¯ll gain something.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to join your party?¡± said Owen. ¡°Only if you want to,¡± Azure said quickly. Heat blossomed from her cheek through Owen¡¯s shirt. Was she blushing? ¡°I¡¯ve only ever done temporary parties before. But it would be nice to have someone I could rely on and work alongside.¡± Owen grinned toothily. ¡°That sounds like a great idea, Azure. It¡¯ll be good to have somebody show me the ropes.¡± She nodded, but said no more. ¡°Azure?¡± said Owen. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What class do you have?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m a fire mage.¡± So, a fire mage and a technomancer. That seemed like a pretty decent mix. Owen wondered who else he would meet, and what else he would experience. His journey in this new world had only just begun, but so much had already happened. His first order of business would be getting his van back, that was for sure. But before that, and after, who knew? In any case... ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what comes next,¡± Owen whispered. Chapter 6: Compensation Chapter 6: Compensation Owen awoke to soft voices. ¡°Damn,¡± said one voice, a deep, gruff tone. ¡°Poor bastards didn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°At least they put up a good fight,¡± said another, younger voice. ¡°Look at all the dead demons around them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a damn shame,¡± said the first voice, his boots crunching on the dirt as he came closer. Wait, are they talking about me? ¡°My momma says it¡¯s better to die in somebody¡¯s arms, at least,¡± said the younger voice. ¡°She says it¡¯ll help you stay together in the afterlife.¡± The older man snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s just get these fools to a grave before something foul grabs them.¡± Yep, they are definitely talking about me. All of Owen¡¯s body hurt like a sonofabitch. The sunlight burned through his eyelids in a manner befitting the worst hellfire. And every little sound made his head pound. But bright side, as he cracked open his sleep-crusted eyes, he realized that Azure still lay her head on his chest, her arms draped across his body as she slept, her face angled away from the rising sun. Even though Owen felt like he¡¯d been hit by a truck, he found that at least now, he could move. He shoved Azure awake, and she snapped up in a startle. ¡°Holy shit!¡± the younger man screamed. ¡°They¡¯re alive!¡± Azure glanced between Owen and the voice¡¯s direction before narrowing her eyes. ¡°Of course we are, no thanks to you assholes.¡± Owen forced himself to sit up and turn in place to finally get a look at the two newcomers. Their bodies certainly seemed to match their voices. One was a portly, mustached fellow with a tight-wound tunic wrapped about his girthy frame, while the other was a scrawny, lanky fellow without a lick of hair on his chin. His tunic was large and billowy on him, reminding Owen of teenagers who would get a suit tailored with a bit too much growth expected in the coming years. The pair both wore clubs at their side. And both had startled, pale expressions plastered across their faces. ¡°Who are they supposed to be?¡± Owen asked Azure. ¡°They¡¯re the damn gate guards. They shut the doors on us when we were running in yesterday.¡± Oh. So that was them. Owen immediately felt his blood begin to boil. He tried to leap to his feet, but found the action beyond the measure of his abilities at the moment. Instead, he staggered up, clenching his fists in a mixture of pain, anger, and exhaustion. The skinny guard¡¯s pale face turned outright ghostly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t our decision, I swear! The order came down from the Gate Captain.¡± Owen shared a glance with Azure. ¡°Bring us to the Gate Captain,¡± said Azure, catching his glance. ¡°And bring us some food and water, dammit.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± said the fatter guard, leading them to the now-open gate. It was yet early morning, with much of the fields before the wall still drenched in shadow and mist. However, sunlight beamed through the open port like a pillar of fire, or the very gates of heaven itself. The warmth was bliss on Owen¡¯s skin as he hobbled through the thick ramparts. They came out the other side to see a wide dirt road leading straight on from the gate. There were a few small houses made from wood-- bamboo it looked like-- built on small trails that came off from the main road, but the inner bounds of Ysvale were mostly hidden by a gently rising hill, which rose up its fullness of height about a hundred yards ahead. The great stone walls continued in either direction for miles, curving around in a large circle, visible even from a fairly long distance. And directly adjacent to the gate, attached like a blemish to the thick stoneset walls, was a three story building constructed of brick with a thatched roof. A few other cudgel-wielding guards sat on barrels next to the open doorway, with smoking pipes wedged between their lips. One of them was in the process of lighting his pipe when he noticed Owen and Azure. His jaw fell open and he dropped his pipe, seemingly without even realizing it. The others noticed soon after, alternately choking on pipe smoke or the pipe itself as they drew in sharp, shocked gasps. To a degree, Owen thought he understood their reactions. Azure looked like a blood-stained, walking corpse, and he imagined that he didn¡¯t look any better. He glanced down at his chest. His jacket and shirt flaked bits of blood with every step. Yep. Definitely giving off The Walking Dead vibes. ¡°They want to see the Captain,¡± said the fat guard who¡¯d led them here. One of the guards held up an unsure thumb, pointing inside the building. Owen guessed it was the barracks. ¡°He¡¯s in his quarters, I think. Probably doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s a right shame, ain¡¯t it?¡± said Owen. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to inconvenience the bastard who locked us out of the gate at night.¡± The man who spoke swallowed and didn¡¯t object any further, so Owen and Azure entered the barracks with the fat guard now trailing behind them. The room was larger than it looked from the outside, forming a sort of gathering area of wooden tables and benches, with a window to what Owen guessed was a kitchen in the back. A simple staircase led them up the backside of the room to the second floor, where they found a few bunks arranged in rows around the outer walls, with a small table in the center covered in some kind of playing cards that Owen didn¡¯t recognize. Up a third set of stairs they went, where they were met with a single door that partitioned off most of the final floor. Owen tried the door, but it was locked. He rapped on it loudly, but no answer came. Then he banged on it with his fist, making the door shake in place. And even then, nobody answered.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Figures,¡± he growled. ¡°It¡¯s like Mathers said,¡± said the fat guard, now appearing visibly nervous, ¡°the Captain probably isn¡¯t expecting visitors. If you keep going, you might upset him.¡± ¡°Do you have a lockpick on you?¡± Owen asked Azure. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve never been good at that kind of stuff,¡± she said. Well, that was something Owen would need to get. He¡¯d always kept a spare lock kit in his van back home. He wasn¡¯t the kind of person to go sneaking around, but if he needed to get to an asshole, he didn¡¯t want something stupid like a lock to get in the way. ¡°I could blast it open?¡± said Azure helpfully, fire dancing on the tips of her fingers. Owen grinned. ¡°I-I-I can¡¯t let you do that,¡± the fat guard stuttered, putting his hand on his club. Owen gave him a look, one he¡¯d practiced over the years for moments like this, that made the guard pale in his boots. The overweight man stumbled back and immediately ran down the steps, calling for the other guards. ¡°It¡¯s now or never,¡± Owen said. ¡°My pleasure,¡± said Azure. She placed her hand over the keyhole for the lock and traced a new mana sigil with her fingers. When it was completed, she activated it with the palm of her hand. A split-second later, a hand-sized blast of fire ripped out of her hand, smashing straight through the lock and ripping it out of the door. This time, Owen heard a muffled voice crying out on the other side, along with the sound of splashing water. So, the asshole was taking a bath. All the better. Owen kicked open the door. The Captain¡¯s quarters were quite spacious compared to the guard barracks below. A large desk stood front and center in the room, covered with paper and ink wells. The bed was behind the desk, and to the side, there was a doorway to a separate room. And standing in that doorway was a mostly naked, middle-aged fat man. Sopping wet and still covered with suds, he only covered his extremities with a loose towel. His face was bright red, likely from a mixture of heat and rage. ¡°Who the hell are you to be barging into my quarters?¡± he bellowed. He must not have initially noticed the zombie-like qualities on Owen and Azure, because immediately after speaking, the color drained right from his face and he cowered backward, crying out, ¡°Demons in the barracks! Oh goddess, save me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± said Owen. ¡°You hold the door,¡± said Azure. ¡°I¡¯m going to get compensated for the hell we went through last night.¡± Owen nodded, knocking over the desk and sliding it in front of the door. It wasn¡¯t terribly heavy, but it gave him something to prop against. Then again, if it were heavy, then he wouldn¡¯t have been able move it anyway. His whole body still hurt like a bastard, and it was only rage that gave him the energy to carry on. The first of the footsteps reached the upper floor as a few guards tried to unsuccessfully open the door. Owen leaned against the desk, holding it in place, while Azure yelled at the Guard Captain, ¡°Hey asshole! Do I look familiar?!¡± ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°Really?¡± she said, and though Owen couldn¡¯t see it, he heard her break something fragile. ¡°Because your boys downstairs told me that you ordered them to shut the gate as we were running in.¡± Owen glanced back to see the Captain¡¯s eyes bug open. ¡°You? You were those pair of stragglers last night?! You survived?!¡± ¡°Surprising, ain¡¯t it?¡± Azure snapped, grabbing the Captain by the hair and dragging him to the floor of the main office. ¡°Yep, we¡¯re alive and kicking, no thanks to your incompetent ass.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you expected,¡± said the Captain. ¡°Night was falling. You could have been demons.¡± ¡°Your watcher could see us from a mile out!¡± Azure said. ¡°You saw us travel under daylight! You were just being a cowardly, lazy bastard.¡± Now realizing that the people attacking him were, in fact, people, some of the red anger swelled up the Captain¡¯s face again. ¡°I was just doing my duty, you bitch.¡± Azure shared a glance with Owen. ¡°Did you hear him just call me a bitch?¡± ¡°I sure did,¡± said Owen, grunting as he held the door shut again. The guards had started to break the door down itself, using some sort of battering ram on the other side. Admittedly, he hadn¡¯t thought this through. He wasn¡¯t sure what would happen when the guards broke in, but something told him he was going to end up behind bars¡­ Or dead. Admittedly, the fact that he had the possibility of dying twice in two days was outweighed by the idea of going to jail for the first time. Regardless, Azure seemed to be in control of the situation, if not her temper. She kicked the Captain beneath the ribs and said, ¡°Call me a bitch again. I dare you.¡± He spat on her boots. ¡°When my guards get in here, I¡¯ll see you hanged. Attacking a Gate Captain? You must be insane.¡± Ah. So, they were going to die. Azure leaned in close to the Captain with a wide grin plastered across her face. ¡°You might be a Gate Captain, but I¡¯m a Diver. And you interfered with Guild business last night. If I wanted to, I could see you hung from those same gallows.¡± From a pocket, she retrieved some sort of metal crest and held it close for the bastard to see. Owen was pretty sure that, at that very moment, the Captain pissed himself. He stared at the crest, stunned for a moment, his breathing increasing in pace and frenzy. Whatever a Diver was, the title held a lot of weight. At that exact moment, the guards managed to bust through the door. Owen stepped away from the desk, letting the first of them come through, club in hand. The man swung wildly at Owen, missing, and Owen clocked him upside the head. It hurt like a bitch-- stinging his already tenderized hands-- but instinct was instinct, and even half-dead, Owen wasn¡¯t going to be punked out by some idiot with a wooden stick. ¡°Stop!¡± the Captain screamed. ¡°Stand down, stand down!¡± A second guard had already stepped over the unconscious first guard, his club similarly raised. He stopped short of swinging, eyes flicking between Owen and the Captain, before gently lowering the club down to his side. The guard Captain had ¡°assumed the position¡±, kneeling and groveling desperately before Azure. ¡°Please, this doesn¡¯t have to reach the Guild, does it? Just name your price, and I can make it happen.¡± Azure pressed her boot to the man¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m so glad we could bring you to reason,¡± she said, her voice quivering with malice. Ah, so she had a plan the whole time. Sighing with relief, Owen sank to the floor as his exhaustion caught up with him again. When the hell was he going to get a break? ¡°First thing,¡± said Azure, pointing down at the Captain¡¯s prostrate form. ¡°You will provide my companion and me with food. And none of that crappy gruel you force feed your men. We want real food with meat. And while we consume our fill, you will arrange for a carriage to transport us to the Guild Hall. Additionally, you will arrange for and pay a healer to meet us there to tend to our wounds.¡± The cowardly man glanced up briefly, his eyes bulging with disbelief. ¡°A healer? You can¡¯t be serious? Just a single visit with one of them costs more than I make in a year.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯d better figure out which strings to pull, or find some heirlooms to sell,¡± said Azure mercilessly. ¡°It will take us months to recover from these injuries on our own, and that¡¯s simply unacceptable.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± the man looked like he might protest further, but he paled beneath Azure¡¯s gaze. ¡°I understand,¡± he said, lowering his head once more. ¡°Glad we understand one another,¡± said Azure, finally stepping away from him and plopping down next to Owen, leaning against the desk. She¡¯d made a good show of it, but she was definitely tired too. ¡°Oh, and one more thing,¡± said Owen, picking up a wood chip from the floor. He threw it at the fat bastard, hitting him upside the head. ¡°Put some clothes on. Your saggy moobs are literally the last things I want to see today, demons included.¡± Chapter 7: Ysvale Chapter 7: Ysvale It was about midday when the carriage arrived. It was, well, exactly what Owen would have expected from something built in the 1700¡¯s. It was an unfinished wood frame with large wagon wheels, drawn by a single horse with a coachman at the head. The carriage itself was enclosed, with open windows giving view of its interior. Owen sat patiently on a barrel in front of the guard barracks. There was a small training field to the side of the building, where most of the guards had gone for what looked like basic calisthenics. The poor fat guard who had first discovered them, however, had been assigned as Owen and Azure¡¯s escort, and now helped Owen to his feet while Azure opened the coach door and entered. The inside of the carriage was rather cramped, feeling smaller on the inside than it looked on the outside, forcing Owen and Azure to squish in next to one another. Owen wasn¡¯t sure if this was standard fare, or if the Bastard Captain (as he was now calling him in his mind) had simply hired the cheapest carriage he could find. But once the pair of them were settled in, Azure waved the fat guard goodbye, leaned over Owen, and closed the carriage door with a click. With a word from the fat guard, the coach began to pull forward with a slow, steady clop. ¡°Guess the Bastard Captain isn¡¯t seeing us off?¡± said Owen. Azure snorted. ¡°No. He¡¯s probably curled up in a ball, praying to the gods that I don¡¯t report him to the Guild.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± said Owen as they pulled onto the main road and began climbing the hill, ¡°you¡¯ve mentioned the Guild three times, now. What exactly are they a Guild of?¡± Azure gave him a look like he was stupid, but it only lasted a fraction of a moment before she shook her head and chuckled, the scales on her cheeks glowing softly as she did. ¡°I keep forgetting that you know literally nothing. You¡¯re as clueless as a child.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to lay it on so thick,¡± said Owen, scratching his head. He let his arm rest on the carriage¡¯s window frame so that it wouldn¡¯t get stuck between him and the door. There really was no spare room in here. He was acutely aware of the fact that he and Azure were stuck so close together. After their confrontation with the Bastard Captain, he and Azure had been treated to separate baths at a bathhouse, which had been conveniently located at one of those buildings which branched off the main road. Surprisingly, they¡¯d had running hot water, and Owen had allowed himself to soak in the water for a solid hour before finally getting out. His clothes had been ruined, so he¡¯d been given linen undergarments, a tunic, and a pair of trousers with a rope belt. It felt¡­ strange to wear, to say the least. The tunic almost felt like he was wearing a dress, but there was nothing for it. He hoped tunics weren¡¯t the only thing to wear in this strange new world. But the point was, Azure smelled very strongly of some kind of flower now, and Owen was reminded once more just how pretty she was. Her ice-blue eyes were almost luminant in the shadow of the carriage, contrasting vibrantly with the crimson scales which brushed her cheeks. And she must have had a change of clothes in her satchel, because she wore the same clothing as yesterday, but clean. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± said Azure with a grin. ¡°But to answer your question, the Guild rules over Ysvale. They are responsible for maintaining order and safety in the city. And most importantly, they keep the demonic armies at bay within Ysvale¡¯s Dungeon.¡± Owen frowned. ¡°A¡­ dungeon?¡± Something about that seemed familiar, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. Had he seen an anime with something similar? He¡¯d been more a gamer than an anime fan, but he thought he remembered Joe¡¯s kid watching something like that on the shop TV. ¡°It¡¯s easier to show you than to tell you,¡± said Azure. ¡°It should actually be visible now. Take a look ahead of the carriage.¡± His curiosity piqued, Owen leaned out of the carriage window, pulling himself up to greater height by gripping the carriage roof. And what he saw made him gasp. They crested over the hill to see a great, golden-white tower looming into the sky, taller than any skyscraper, or even any mountain. It rose up into a great, spire-like peak, obscured by the sky itself. Its base was a great, pearly white fortress, with stripes of gold varnishing the walls and parapets. It was glorious, unlike anything Owen had ever seen or even imagined in his life. Surrounding the castle was a large, sprawling city, with the tightly packed buildings rising up in height like a hill around the castle, but not even reaching half of the castle wall¡¯s height. Eight wide roads cut rigid, straight lines from the castle center like a star, with bands of smaller roads between them forming a sort of spider-web. Circumnavigating the castle itself was the widest road of all, visible even from here and preventing the rest of the city from encroaching on the grand building¡¯s walls. To call it breathtaking was an understatement. It was moving in ways that Owen didn¡¯t know architecture could be. He traced his eyes up to the spire¡¯s point, and he realized that despite increasing its narrowness, he saw no end to its heights. Azure moved over to his window, sliding between him and the front window frame to get a look at the city herself. ¡°Welcome to Ysvale,¡± she said.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This is unreal,¡± said Owen, not taking his eyes from the view. He noticed that, despite the city¡¯s size, there was still a sizeable portion of rolling plains and forest surrounding it, and far in the distance, partially hidden by the tower¡¯s impressive size, he could see the ridge of the Ysvale Wall as it completed its circuit on the other side of all this. ¡°I grew up here,¡± said Azure, ¡°and I still get chills when I see the Tower of Esthelenean, gleaming white like a spear of gold and silver. It is the crowning jewel of Ysvale, older than the city itself, a gift from the gods. But beneath it, burrowing deep into the bowels of the world itself, is the Dungeon Ordimus.¡± ¡°Or¡­ Di¡­ Mus¡­¡± Owen didn¡¯t even bother trying to say the name she¡¯d called the tower. But Ordimus. That, he could say. He frowned, returning to his seat in the carriage. ¡°If I understand what you mean by Dungeon, you mean more along the lines of Theseus and the Minotaur than a place for prisoners.¡± Azure gave him a confused look as she settled back into her seat. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about anybody named Theseus, but I think you got the idea. I¡¯m surprised you even knew what a minotaur was, given your ignorance of just about everything else.¡± Owen gave her a wry smile. ¡°I guess I¡¯m full of surprises.¡± ¡°You baffle me. But in any case, yeah, you¡¯re right. Ordimus is not the kind of place you keep prisoners. It¡¯s laughably dangerous and filled with powerful demons and monsters. But its entrance is at the bottom of Castle Esthelenean and is sealed by powerful magic. Divers go through that entrance to kill demons and prevent them from breaking the seal.¡± ¡°That sounds intense,¡± said Owen, remembering their scuffle with demons at the Ysvale Gate. ¡°What we fought last night--¡± ¡°Were lesser demons, all of them. Even the Sentinels are weaklings compared to what you can find in Ordimus,¡± said Azure, her face darkening. Owen swallowed. ¡°Not exactly what I was going to ask, though that¡¯s good to know. What I meant to ask was if those demons from last night had somehow escaped Ordimus?¡± Azure shook her head. ¡°Ordimus is just one dungeon. It¡¯s the largest one for a thousand miles or more, perhaps the largest of them all, but there are countless smaller dungeons scattered throughout the world. The demons from last night came from one of those dungeons. I¡¯m assuming you don¡¯t know this because you don¡¯t seem to know anything, but the main difference between monsters and demons is that monsters can travel during the day. That, and demons seem to be naturally more malicious and violent than monsters.¡± ¡°That explains why you were fighting the Wyvern during the day,¡± said Owen quietly. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really thought about that distinction, but now that you mention it, it makes sense.¡± ¡°Well, you might be ignorant, but you pick up quickly,¡± said Azure. ¡°Anyway, the smaller the dungeon, the smaller the demons you¡¯ll find. Occasionally, a larger dungeon will pop up in the world, and the Guild will send a taskforce to seal it. But really, there are just too many dungeons to seal them all, which is why it¡¯s dangerous to be outside of Ysvale¡¯s walls at night.¡± ¡°That all makes sense,¡± said Owen. Azure let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Because I¡¯ve never had to explain all this before. It¡¯s just something you usually know.¡± ¡°So, what now?¡± said Owen. ¡°Now, we go get healed,¡± said Azure. ¡°And we report to the Guild what happened. While Divers usually, well, dive into dungeons, we also get called to deal with errant monsters that have been wreaking havoc on farmlands or smaller outposts.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re one of those Divers? One of the people who goes into those hellholes?¡± Azure nodded, seeming a little self-satisfied as she sank a bit into her seat to relax. ¡°And that seems to make you pretty important.¡± ¡°Well, not that important,¡± she shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just a Copper Rank Diver.¡± Owen furrowed his brow. Something didn¡¯t seem to be adding up. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure how this works, but if you¡¯re a ¡®Copper Rank Diver¡¯ wouldn¡¯t you have a Copper Crest? Yours looked¡­ not copper.¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± said Azure. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. We had a light mage in our party yesterday who was a Silver Rank Diver. He was qualified to lead raids on medium-sized dungeons and to seal small dungeons by himself. Hell, he could even join as a junior party member into Ordimus. But that damn Wyvern got him in the ambush. Even ¡®weaker¡¯ monsters can get you by surprise.¡± ¡°So, the Silver Crest you used to browbeat the Bastard Captain?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t rate that,¡± said Azure, eyeing him as if to see how he¡¯d react. ¡°I pulled it off of the light mage¡¯s body yesterday.¡± Owen pursed his lips, nodding. ¡°Makes sense. I assume that Copper rankings don¡¯t quite merit the same reaction as Silver?¡± Azure snorted. ¡°I¡¯m one step above an initiate. He probably couldn¡¯t have gotten me hanged, but I would¡¯ve been fined pretty steep for what we pulled at the gate barracks. But as a Silver Rank Diver? I really could have had him hanged for locking us out like that. Of course, it¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t think too hard about it, since a Silver Rank Diver wouldn¡¯t have had a problem handling a few Sentinels and their Slugs.¡± ¡°Are you worried that he might figure out your lie?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Azure, shaking her head. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t want to risk actually pissing off a Silver. He likely hopes that this is the last he hears from us, and if he¡¯s smart, this will be the last we hear from him.¡± With a grin, Owen said, ¡°And hopefully, if this ever does come back to bite you, you¡¯ll be closer to that Silver rank than not.¡± ¡°Yep. Oh, speaking of growing, you should probably look at your stats now. You might not have another chance for a while when we disembark.¡± That made sense. After getting cleaned up, Owen and Azure had been treated to a mix of seared pork, curry, and rice in the barracks common hall. If Owen was being honest, it was some of the best damn curry he¡¯d ever had. But more to the point, he¡¯d tried opening his stat menu while they¡¯d eaten, only for Azure to slap his hand down at the time. ¡°You don¡¯t want to just let people see your stats,¡± she¡¯d said. But now that it was just her, and given that she¡¯d seen his updated stat menu even before he had, there probably wasn¡¯t a better time. To a point, he even figured it might just be better to have her there anyway, so she could explain some of the craziness inside the menus. So, he pulled up his left forearm and tapped the Mana Stone. Time to see what he could do. Chapter 8: The Wall of Esthelenean Chapter 8: The Wall of Esthelenean
Owen Westward
Class: Technomancer
Level 3
479/519
1/1
1/1
1/1
Stats
Spells
Owen stared for several long moments at the word Technomancer. Something about seeing it now, where he¡¯d previously had no class at all, was oddly thrilling. On top of that, he¡¯d gained a whole level, was nearly to the next one, and had three fresh types of mana. A part of him wondered what kind of mana he¡¯d been using before, but he quickly brushed the question aside. Start with what I can see just in these menus. Worry about what I don¡¯t know after I¡¯ve processed this info. He started by clicking on his Technomancer class.
Technomancer
Class Level 1
Class Arts
Second Wind Pull Mana from an object Soulbonded to the user. Extra mana is converted into vitality. Warning: increased distance from Soulbonded object will cause pain for user.
Well, it was just like how Azure had explained it. He could pull Mana from his Soulbonded object, which was likely his van. That would actually make sense. If a car was going to have any kind of mana, it would be Metal and Electricity. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how Wind played into it, though. The AC, maybe? Or maybe the airbag? Or perhaps the exhaust? Now that he thought on it, he didn¡¯t actually notice an exhaust pipe when he examined the van. Did it even run on gas? Too many questions, he told himself. Stow them away. Figure it out when you get your van back. More importantly, it didn¡¯t say how to activate the Art. Just what it did. Well, it wasn¡¯t like he could use it any time soon. He wasn¡¯t sure, but part of him guessed that if he used this skill from too far away, it would kill him. It certainly felt like it last night. ¡°Um¡­¡± he said without thinking. ¡°What is it?¡± said Azure. ¡°How do I close the top menu without closing the whole thing?¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± she said, reaching onto the screen and simply swiping the Class menu away like a tablet. ¡°Oh, that was surprisingly simple,¡± said Owen. Now, it was time to look at the next most interesting thing: Spells.
Spells
Spell Name Spell Type Mana Drain
Engineering Vision Lv. 1 Continuous 0
Mana Sense Lv. 1 Continuous 1/s
Lightning Touch Lv 1 Instant Electric: 1
Metal Inscribe Lv 1 Continuous Metal: 1/s
Wind Cut Lv 1 Instant Wind: 1
¡°Huh,¡± said Azure. ¡°What? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Why does Engineering Vision cost you zero mana?¡± ¡°No clue,¡± said Owen, ¡°but I¡¯ve at least had it since level 2, though I haven¡¯t actually looked at it yet.¡± Without waiting for permission, Azure clicked on the Engineering Vision skill. ¡°Let¡¯s see what it says, then.¡±
Engineering Vision
Innate SkillUnauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
¡°Innate¡­ Skill,¡± Owen read. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means that you developed this spell as a natural part of your biology. It¡¯s just¡­ always on.¡± Azure pursed her lips. ¡°You must be pretty good at building things, then.¡± Owen scratched his head, a bit bashful. ¡°A little, I guess. Where I¡¯m from, I¡¯m just a novice.¡± ¡°Where are you from, exactly?¡± said Azure. She tried to sound nonchalant in so doing, but her eyes were fixed on Owen¡¯s face, reading him. Well, Owen was never a terribly good liar. ¡°Really, really, really, far away,¡± he said. ¡°Like, farther than you¡¯ve ever been.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Azure, not digging any deeper. Owen knew it sounded like he was dodging the question, but it was more that he didn¡¯t know how to explain it simply. How do you say, ¡°I actually came from another world entirely,¡± in simple terms? Wait-- ¡°Well, let¡¯s look at your other spells,¡± said Azure, interrupting Owen¡¯s train of thought as she swiped Engineering Vision away. ¡°Right,¡± said Owen, picking Lightning Touch next. He could figure out how to mention where he was from later. For now...
Lightning Touch
Channels Lightning Mana into the user''s right index finger. Upon contact with a surface, that Mana becomes Static Electricity and shocks whatever is touched.
Press Palm against Sigil to use Lightning Touch.
That was pretty straightforward. Though, Owen frowned. How much electricity did 1 mana convert to? Was it just a simple, ¡°I rubbed my feet on the carpet too long,¡± kind of shock, or was it more like getting hit by lightning? Given that it was Lightning Touch Level 1, he figured it was the former, not the latter. Owen swiped away the Lightning Touch menu and quickly went through the Metal Inscribe and Wind Cut menus.
Metal Inscribe
Channels Metal Mana into the user¡¯s right index finger. Upon contact with a metal surface, that mana is used to carve a small path in the metal¡¯s surface.
Press Palm against Sigil to use Metal Inscribe.
Wind Cut
Channels Wind Mana into the user¡¯s right hand. User may focus to hold Mana into their hand. Upon release, the Wind mana is converted into a lash of concentrated air.
Press Palm against Sigil to use Wind Cut.
¡°Based on your experience, about how strong is a level one Wind Cut?¡± said Owen. ¡°Kind of like a paper cut?¡± said Azure, shrugging. ¡°I¡¯m not a Wind Mage, so I¡¯m not sure.¡± Owen frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound terribly useful.¡± ¡°Just wait until you level up some more,¡± Azure said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories of Wind Mages cutting mountains in half.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ epic,¡± said Owen. ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°What about you? You¡¯re a Fire Mage, right? I¡¯ve seen you use your Flashbang, and I¡¯ve seen you do that little fire blast on the door lock. That¡¯s at least two spells, plus the spell you used to burn the bodies. What else can you do?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯ll have to watch and find out, won¡¯t you?¡± said Azure with a smirk. ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s look at my stats, then.¡± Owen swiped away the Wind Cut menu and pulled up his stats.
Stats
Stat Name Rating
Physical 14
Psyche 15
Magic 8
¡°Okay, that is surprising,¡± said Azure, pointing at his Psyche score. ¡°How the hell do you rate that when you don¡¯t know anything?¡± ¡°You keep asking me questions about my stats,¡± said Owen, ¡°when quite honestly, I don¡¯t know the answer. So, why don¡¯t we just open it and see what it says?¡± ¡°Actually, I think that might have to wait,¡± said Azure, glancing out the window on her side. Owen looked up to see the first buildings of Ysvale City passing by them. They¡¯d already made it out of the pastoral farms and woods, and they had finally reached the city proper. These buildings were larger than the ones near the gate, and they were also clumped closer together, made of a mixture of bamboo and brick, standing at four or even five stories in height and built right up to the road. The roofs were shingled, though Owen couldn''t¡¯ quite tell with what, and many of the buildings sported glass windows featuring decorative wood or metal framing. A frothing mixture of people, wagons, and horses marched along the gravel road beside them, wearing everything from the tunics Owen had already seen, to jackets and trousers, to robes and cloaks, to even metal armor and gambesons. Some of the women wore long skirts and dresses, though just as many dressed like the men. A lot of the people (maybe a tenth of them) carried weapons. Swords, bows, knives, hammers, and more. More than a handful sported strange, intricate tattoos, while others yet bore gnarly scars. And despite all that, most of them seemed¡­ beautiful. He couldn¡¯t describe it, but even the elderly had a certain regality to them. Beyond that, their hair colors were wild and varied. Owen saw blue hair, green hair, bright crimson red hair, pink hair, even multi-colored hair like Azure¡¯s. Their eyes were similar, with all manner of colors and shapes forming their irises and pupils. One man Owen saw didn¡¯t even have irises or pupils. Just all whites. And while most people had normal human-looking ears, some had pointed ears, not unlike that of an elf¡¯s. It didn¡¯t take long for the coach to come to a crawl as it navigated the city¡¯s traffic, even as the road turned from gravel to some sort of white concrete. They passed countless buildings and streets leading off this main thoroughfare, with Owen catching sight of markets, trinket shops, bakeries, butcheries, and more. The smells swirling about Owen were absolutely unreal. Sure, there was the scent of horse, and that of hay, and mud. But he also caught wafts of sweet bread, charcoal, and meat on the air. He¡¯d visited big cities before, but none of them seemed to match the sheer density Ysvale. It was absolutely wondrous. And towering over it all, as a sentinel of white and gold, stood the Spire he¡¯d seen from afar. He still couldn¡¯t say its name, but it was all the more beautiful this much closer. From this distance, the city structures concealed much of the castle itself, but even still, its bulwarks rose up over the rooftops, carved with figures of men and gods in gold, silver, jade, rubies, and more. The Tower itself was more than just a great monolith. Rather, it appeared to be an intricate series of enormous, twisting threads, forming together like hardened twine or a unicorn horn, with rings of great, alabaster balconies jutting out from it like ivory bands. If from the hill next to the gate, the Castle and Tower were breathingtaking, then at this close of a distance they were glorious. The spire shimmered in the afternoon sun, cutting through great, white, puffy clouds high in the sky and disappearing above them. As the carriage transported them closer to the city center, the roads widened and the buildings grew in height. Many of them now were built of stone, with large arches connecting the buildings over the different side-roads. That wood which was still in use was the finest Oak and Ash, carved with delicate detail and precision. Everything about this inner city construction exuded agedness. Moss grew on much of the stone, with the old oak doors into these bastions seeming as aged and worn as something out of a fairy tale. Not only did the buildings change as they neared the Castle, but the people around them changed too. Nearly all the travelers on the streets now wore either battle armor or some form of intricate robes. Owen recognized some of the metals, like the steel and silver which adorned some of the knights. Other materials, however, Owen had never seen before. Brilliant blues, deep crimsons, armors as black as night and as white as snow. Some of them even glowed. Despite himself, Owen started giving himself whiplash as he tried to take in every last person, place, and object of interest. It was all too much, too fast. And yet, he couldn¡¯t get enough of it. There was age to this place. There was mystery. And there was power. He could feel it in his bones. At last, they pulled from their thoroughfare onto the main road which circumnavigated the castle proper, giving him full view of the structure from up close. And looking upon it, Owen realized that he hadn''t seen anything yet. ¡°Stop the carriage,¡± he called to the driver, opening the door before it had even come to a halt. There was no way he could just drive past this magnificence without getting a closer look. He knew that he¡¯d probably have plenty of other opportunities to examine the castle walls, but he didn¡¯t care. This magnificent structure would not wait, and neither would he. His whole body still hurt like a bastard, compounded by sitting in a cramped carriage for over an hour, but he half-stumbled, half-walked across the road, crossing the paths of dozens of other people, horses, and more, until he came to rest at the base of the Castle Wall. What he had seen as pictographs of men and gods from a distance he now realized were so much more. Each figure was composed of hundreds if not thousands of smaller carvings, inlaid with gold and silver. They formed runic patterns and lines, connecting encrusted jewels like stars. Even the small span of wall rising up from the ground before him was an intricately carved combination of spirals, glyphs, symbols, and text, all of which was foreign to him, and yet it was also so familiar. In a very strange way, some of it reminded him of the Sigils used in casting magic, yet this was infinitely more complex. The wall¡¯s material itself, he couldn¡¯t quite place. It reminded him of alabaster, but he saw no seams for the bricks, and the towering wall structure was far too large for the material to support its own weight. He fell to his knees before the wall and brushed his hand against it, letting the texture flow under his coarsened fingertips. And he wasn¡¯t sure if he was imagining it, but he thought he could feel energy coursing beneath the stone, like blood beneath the skin. ¡°Castle Esthelenean was a gift from the gods,¡± said Azure, placing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Our scholars have studied it for centuries, and its secrets are still beyond our understanding.¡± ¡°It is beautiful,¡± said Owen. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°We should go,¡± said Azure. ¡°The coachman is growing impatient. We haven¡¯t much farther, but walking the rest of the way would be exhausting.¡± ¡°Yes, okay,¡± said Owen, slowly rising to his feet. He let his fingers linger on the stone for a moment longer, before he finally turned from it and approached the carriage once more. He felt a strange mixture of emotions, ones he¡¯d never experienced before. Awe. Admiration. Reverence. And above all, he felt something else: a ravenous hunger to understand. Chapter 9: The Guild Hall Chapter 9: The Guild Hall The remaining carriage ride was actually quite short. The coach drove along the band of road around the castle, taking a corner to end up along the building¡¯s south side. The entirety of the castle wall was the same, glorious construction of white with gold and silver gilding, with enormous arrays of symbols, Sigils, and text forming the large figures of men, gods, beasts, and more. If Owen were to guess, the wall was a solid thousand feet tall, and on the castle corner¡¯s edge was a grand, extruded statue of a woman in shining golden armor, carrying a spear. Her bare feet extended out over the street itself, barely touching the ground, like an angel deigning to reach down to the world of mortals. One foot stepped in the middle street, and the other demarcated the road¡¯s corner. As they passed under the rear foot¡¯s heel, which was so large it formed a half-arch over the road, Owen could see plainly that it was made from the finest white marble, without so much as a scuff or a crack in its smoothly carved surface. It made the craftsman in him marvel. There were no runes adorning her skin, but there was a certain majesty in the plainness, in the way the masons captured the inner curves of her soles. ¡°Everything about this place is amazing,¡± said Owen. ¡°Not everything,¡± said Azure. ¡°The castle is for more than just its beauty. It conceals and obstructs the darkness beneath it.¡± Owen nodded, reigning in his wonder. Demons lurked beneath this beautiful masterpiece, just waiting for a chance to kill everyone. Now that Owen thought on it, Ysvale¡¯s existence spoke to the level of safety provided by the Castle, as well as people¡¯s faith in its protection. If what Azure had said about Dungeon Ordimus was true, it was the functional equivalent of building a city around a nuclear reactor. Great. I¡¯m in fantasy Chernobyl, pre-explosion. Despite the general cynicism of the idea, Owen couldn¡¯t help but smile. Fantasy Chernobyl honestly sounded pretty damn epic. Eventually, they came to a stop at the mid-way point of the south wall. On Owen¡¯s left was a large pair of double doors fashioned of what looked like well-shined platinum. Though the doors themselves were dwarfed by the castle wall framing them, they stood at least thirty feet tall. Two simple glyphs were formed on the center of each door, with lines connecting them to some smaller glyph that was only a few feet off the ground and centered where the doors met. From here, Owen couldn¡¯t quite-- ¡°Owen, we¡¯re here,¡± said Azure, nudging him. ¡°Oh?¡± said Owen, glancing at her. ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized that the Guild Hall was inside the castle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± said Azure flatly. ¡°It¡¯s across the street.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Owen, stepping out of the carriage as the coachman opened the door. He leaned on the car¡¯s side as he rounded it to look at their destination. The Guild Hall honestly reminded him of an old English manor, or some kind of Victorian castle. It was wide in its construction, its flagstones were old and worn, and the higher-to-reach areas were covered with a fine coat of moss. Its windows were rows of glassed arcades, with parapets forming a hedge around the high gabled roof. If not for the literally godly castle across the road from it, the Guild Hall would have been the most breathtaking construction Owen had ever seen. It exuded age and history like a book given form in stone and wood. It had no lawn, but instead its front steps lead straight from the white paved road up to the wide open entrance. On those steps sat a man in a long white jacket, the tails of which unfurled a bit down the steps beneath him. His hair was long like a lion¡¯s mane, a brilliant orange that framed his golden eyes. He carried no weapons, but he was totally ripped, his chest bulging against his shirt beneath the jacket. As Owen and Azure hobbled toward him, he stood. The man must have been nearing seven feet in height, made only larger by his position on the steps. ¡°You two must be the folks I¡¯m supposed to be healing.¡± Azure nodded, doubling over and resting a hand against the man¡¯s chest. ¡°And you must be our healer.¡± ¡°Name¡¯s Cathan,¡± said the healer, taking hold of Owen¡¯s arm to help him and Azure up the steps. ¡°You both look like you¡¯ve been through hell. Let¡¯s get you inside, get some beer in your bellies, and I¡¯ll get you all healed up.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Owen, letting himself be led into the Guild Main Hall. Upon crossing the threshold, he was hit with the savory scent of wood, beer, and food. Dozens of tables and benches dotted both wings of the hall, while a sort of reception desk stood waiting at the center of the back. A pair of women in long skirts wearing navy blue surcoats stood behind the reception desk, talking with a group of¡­ warriors? Mages? Owen wasn¡¯t entirely sure. Some of them wore armor, and some of them wore robes. Some wore tunics, and some wore gambesons. There were plenty of others just like them throughout the hall. Men and women, large and small, carrying weapons, staves, and more. Food occupied many of the tables, as did large mugs of drink. The steady hum of conversation drifted from table to table, interspersed with laughter and bits of shouting. It reminded Owen of some kind of large camping lodge he visited once as a child. He couldn¡¯t quite figure out why, but somehow this place felt instantly familiar and welcoming. ¡°I¡¯ll just sit you right here,¡± said Cathan, gesturing to one of the open tables near the entrance.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°That¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Azure as she and Owen sat on the long bench. Owen sank against the table¡¯s edge, letting it support him as Cathan squatted in front of the both of them. ¡°So, you wanna tell me what happened to get you two in this shape?¡± Cathan said. ¡°Sentinels and Slugs,¡± said Azure. ¡°We also had an encounter with a Lesser Wyvern earlier yesterday, but that only managed to knick me, really.¡± The healer held up his hand as she spoke, drawing a Sigil in the air. Watching it from the opposite side, Owen noticed that he actually wasn¡¯t drawing the Sigil per se-- the marks were far too precise and complex for his fingers. Rather, it was like the Sigil was coming into being around where his fingers were. Once the symbol was finished, Cathan activated it, and a soft glow entered into his hand. He hovered it over Owen and Azure, tracing the outlines of their bodies like those weird wands they used at security in airports. ¡°Well, I¡¯m picking up bone fragments embedded in the pair of you, some deep cuts, some lacerations, bruising, torn muscles, and over a dozen hairline fractures each. What levels are you two again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m level six,¡± said Azure, ¡°and he¡¯s level three.¡± Cathan whistled, giving the pair of them appraising looks. ¡°You fought off Sentinels, you say?¡± ¡°Killed them, actually,¡± Owen corrected. ¡°Though we went through hell to do so.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m picking up bad signs of mana overuse in both of you,¡± said Cathan. ¡°Though, it¡¯s far worse for you.¡± He pointed at Owen. ¡°I can heal the muscle tearing and the broken bones, but you¡¯re still going to be feeling pretty dead for a while.¡± ¡°Just do it already,¡± said Azure. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± said Cathan. With his free hand, he drew another Sigil in the air, and when it was completed, that hand began to shine white. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know this, but I¡¯ll say it anyway: healing can...¡± Owen didn¡¯t hear his last words, as a terrible agony blossomed over his body, just closest to Cathan¡¯s glowing hand. Wherever Cathan moved his hand, the pain followed, rippling through Owen¡¯s skin and flesh like fire. He gasped in shock, clenching his fists and eyes shut as he tried not to cry out. Up and down his body it went. His chest, his ribs, his abdomen, his legs, his arms, even his face and his eyes. He broke into a cold sweat, gnashing his teeth against the pain, before it at last subsided. Residual bits of exhaustion lingered on Owen like an afterimage. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to see a completely different person standing in front of him. Instead of the lion-esque giant of a man, there stood a scrawny, emaciated, ginger with way too long of hair. ¡°And there you go,¡± said the man. ¡°All done.¡± Wait, that was Cathan¡¯s voice. ¡°What happened to you?¡± said Owen, his eyes going wide as he realized that the thin, lanky, emaciated man was the same as the giant who¡¯d agreed to heal them. Cathan raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean? I healed you.¡± ¡°Yeah, but--¡± ¡°Owen here seems to have a little difficulty remembering basic knowledge,¡± said Azure, placing a hand on Owen¡¯s thigh. A thigh that no longer hurt. Actually, none of Owen¡¯s body seemed to hurt, except for perhaps a certain tiredness he felt all around. He touched his sides; they were whole, while on the bench next to him sat nearly a dozen bone shards, cleaned and white as if they were sunbleached. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± said Cathan with a bark of a laugh. ¡°Well, in case you forgot, healing drains more than mana. It drains the fat and muscle of the healer. Getting through the two of you took pretty much everything I had. A small child could knock me over if they wanted. Actually, now that we¡¯re on the topic,¡± he sat down at the table just across from Owen and waved down a barmaid. ¡°Could I get a Healer¡¯s Platter?¡± ¡°Coming right up,¡± she said. ¡°Can I get you three anything to drink?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be a beer each,¡± said Cathan. Owen raised his hand to object, but the healer waved it away. ¡°It¡¯ll be my treat. Ain¡¯t often I actually get to heal people anymore.¡± ¡°Alright, dears. I¡¯ll get that out to you soon,¡± said the barmaid, taking off in the direction of other patrons. Owen pursed his lips. ¡°When you say you don¡¯t get to heal people often, then what do you do normally?¡± Chewing on the question for a bit, Cathan said, ¡°You know about the city reservoirs, right?¡± Owen shook his head. ¡°Did you get hit on the head or something?¡± ¡°Well, yes,¡± said Owen. ¡°But that¡¯s not why I don¡¯t know anything. Just, explain it to me like I¡¯m a child, preferably without the baby voices.¡± Cathan barked a laugh. ¡°Alright, then. Well, we¡¯ve got the big old Valed River that runs by Ysvale, and we¡¯ve got a canal that drains off a big portion of that water into the city. It¡¯s where we get water for drinking, bathing, cooking, and everything else. Thing is, demons like to pour poison into the water upstream. Hell, they¡¯ve even dammed the river a couple times in the past few hundred years. So, we¡¯ve got reservoirs on the river side of Ysvale filled with water, and we¡¯ve got healers working around the clock to purify that water to make it drinkable. It doesn¡¯t drain us like actual healing does, but healing you the way I just did makes my Life Mana pool really small until I bulk up again.¡± ¡°Your mana pool is at least partially tied to your physical health, especially with Life Mana,¡± said Azure. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s so expensive to get a healer. Once they¡¯ve healed you, they¡¯re useless for months.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not useless,¡± said Cathan, looking offended for but a moment, before he grinned out, ¡°I have an extra mana pool: Light.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Light Mage?¡± said Azure. ¡°Well, no,¡± said Cathan. ¡°The Life Mage College scooped me up when I was little. Diving is important and all, but we have plenty of Divers, they said. They said if I wanted to make a difference, I¡¯d be better off cleaning the water. So that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing for the past, oh, ten years.¡± He counted off the years on his fingers. ¡°And let me tell you: it¡¯s boring as stone. I¡¯m dying in place, and I¡¯m a Life Mage! So, when I had an old family friend reach out, saying there were a couple adventurers in need, I jumped at the opportunity. No more Water Purification spells for me, at least for about six months, I think.¡± ¡°What will you do, then?¡± said Owen. ¡°I want to become a Diver,¡± said Cathan. ¡°I hear amazing stories about Light Mages and Life Mages saving thousands of lives down in the Dungeons. I want to do that.¡± At this, Owen grinned. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything manlier than wanting to go on an adventure.¡± ¡°Then we are of the same mind!¡± Cathan barked. ¡°We should form a party, Owen. And you¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t believe I caught your name.¡± ¡°Azure,¡± said Azure, but her face had darkened. ¡°Sorry, but we¡¯ll have to discuss this some other time.¡± Owen followed her gaze to see that it rested on one of the women behind the reception desk. The lady was staring right at them. After a long, awkward moment, the woman left her position at the desk and walked over to their table. Her gait was graceful, but it seemed that every step carried an impending weight of dread. ¡°It¡¯s time to report for our debriefing,¡± said Azure. Chapter 10: Debriefing Chapter 10: Debriefing The Reception Lady, as Owen currently called her, flicked her gaze between the three of them, before resting a long, hard, stare on Azure. Her demeanor was composed, but the smallest hint of a frown pulled at the corners of her mouth as she analyzed the situation before her. ¡°I see this debriefing needs to happen behind closed doors,¡± said the woman finally. Azure¡¯s jaw tightened as she nodded and stood, following the woman toward a door to the right of the reception desk. Halfway to the door, she turned and gestured curtly to Owen. ¡°You should come too, since this concerns you as much as me, now.¡± With a dry swallow, Owen complied and followed them through the door into what reminded him of a medieval War Room. There were no chairs in here, just a large table in the room¡¯s center, covered with a series of paper maps. The Reception Lady closed the door with a click, rounded the table, and leaned on it to stare them both down. ¡°So,¡± she said, ¡°The Lesser Wyvern?¡± ¡°Is dead,¡± said Azure, folding her arms loosely and leaning against the wall. ¡°And your party members?¡± ¡°Also dead,¡± Azure ground out. The words hung over them like an axe, thick and heavy. ¡°I¡¯d be dead too, if not for him.¡± She jabbed a thumb at Owen. ¡°Hi,¡± said Owen, swallowing a little. ¡°I¡¯m Owen.¡± ¡°I am Kattra, Guild Stewardess and a Keeper of Guild Hall,¡± she said. ¡°Tell me, Owen, how did you kill the Lesser Wyvern?¡± ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Owen scratched his head, ¡°I hit it with my van. Really hard.¡± ¡°Your¡­ van?¡± Just like with Azure, the word van seemed difficult for Kattra to say. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a wagon,¡± said Owen, ¡°but it pulls itself. No horses necessary.¡± ¡°Intriguing,¡± said the Stewardess. ¡°Where is this van now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pinned up against the dead Wyvern,¡± said Azure, striding across the room and leaning over the table. ¡°We found the beast here,¡± she dropped the half-empty vial of venom onto a big, ink-drawn map. From just a brief glance at the paper, Owen could easily make out Ysvale as the big, circular city in the center, as well as the big river they¡¯d followed to get here. Other locations were dotted across the map, with the names written in fine cursive beside them. ¡°And it felled four members of your party before this Owen could intervene?¡± said Kattra, examining the venom briefly before pocketing it. ¡°Yes,¡± said Azure. ¡°Did you burn the bodies?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Azure. ¡°Then what articles have you brought back for the families of the departed?¡± From her satchel, Azure retrieved the Silver Crest she¡¯d shown the Bastard Captain earlier and placed it on the table. ¡°Atticus¡¯s Crest is all we could recover. We had more, but we were attacked by demons on the way back. We only narrowly escaped with our lives.¡± ¡°So it seems,¡± said Kattra, pocketing the Crest with a frown. ¡°Then I take it that the story of two stragglers being caught outside the West Gate refers to you two, then?¡± Owen¡¯s stomach twisted. Did the Stewardess know that he and Azure had assaulted the Gate Captain, then? ¡°Probably,¡± said Azure, shrugging. ¡°Though, I don¡¯t know how much of what you heard is true. Guards tend to see strange things at night.¡± ¡°They say that the pair of you slew three Sentinels with little more than a dagger. I take that to be an exaggeration?¡± said Kattra. ¡°Oh, no, that part¡¯s true,¡± said Azure. ¡°We¡¯ve got the bone shards to prove it.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Kattra, pausing for a long moment as she inspected the pair of them. ¡°Tell me, Owen, what magic do you possess?¡± ¡°Uhhhh¡­ If I remember right, I have a mana of Lightning, a mana of Metal, and a mana of Wind,¡± said Owen, counting off on his fingers. ¡°Do you mean you have a mana pool of each?¡± said Kattra, her eyes widening a little. ¡°Oh, that too, but I meant that I have one mana of each type.¡± At this, Kattra seemed both puzzled and astonished. ¡°But that can¡¯t be right. You¡­ what level are you, Owen?¡± ¡°Last I checked?¡± said Owen. ¡°Level three.¡± ¡°And the pair of you managed to fell three Sentinels on your own?¡± ¡°That appears to be the case,¡± said Owen. After a moment of consideration, Kattra retrieved a small ledger from an inner pocket of her surcoat. She flipped through a few pages before settling on one and jabbing it with her finger. ¡°Despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding its completion, we shall consider your quest successful. You shall receive the agreed cut of the reward, and the others¡¯ rewards shall be allotted to their families.¡± She tore out a page from the ledger and handed it to Azure. Then, her eyes fell on Owen. ¡°As for you¡­ You are no Guildsman. Tell me, what reward would you request for saving one of our own?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± said Owen, feeling his cheeks turn a bit red. He could do many things, but taking something from someone else, whether as a reward or elsewise, was something he¡¯d never been terribly good at. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m alive, and so is Azure, so that¡¯s eno--¡± ¡°He wants to join the Guild,¡± Azure interrupted. ¡°I do?¡± said Owen, precisely at the same moment Kattra said, ¡°He does?¡± He looked between the two for a moment, getting daggered glares from Azure and a simple raised eyebrow from Kattra, before he finally said, ¡°I¡¯d like to join the Guild, please.¡± ¡°Not an unusual request,¡± said Kattra. ¡°But what do you bring to the table?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Techomancer,¡± said Azure. ¡°His van is Soulbonded to him.¡± ¡°Now, that is intriguing,¡± said Kattra, turning several pages in her ledger and dotting her finger up and down the page. Her reaction would have been as calm as day, if not for the way her fingers twitched jerkily over the paper. ¡°But why would you leave a soulbonded object in the forest?¡± ¡°It was out of commission,¡± said Owen. ¡°And we had to return before nightfall.¡± ¡°Can you repair it?¡± ¡°With the right tools, yes,¡± said Owen. ¡°Hell, give me some duct tape and a pocket knife, and I can work miracles.¡± ¡°I take it that duct tape is some kind of tool?¡± ¡°Ah, well, yes, but it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Owen. ¡°What matters is that I know machines, and I can get that sucker working like it was brand new.¡± Kattra put her finger to her cheek, as if she were thinking. Then, coming to a decision, she touched her finger to the book once more, and then tore out the page, handing it to Owen. ¡°In that case, for your compensation, we shall create a quest for a party to retrieve your vehicle, free of charge. Additionally, we will begin the paperwork for initiating you into the Guild.¡± Cathan was waiting for them where they¡¯d left him. However, there was now a large platter of meat, bread, and fruit laid out before him, with three tall, wooden beer mugs waiting on the table. Owen settled into his place across from the wiry man, trying to get the sense of weight off his shoulders. In all, that conversation with the Stewardess had gone well. And yet¡­ ¡°You look like you could use some beer,¡± said Cathan, proffering a mug with one hand before stuffing a sausage link into his mouth with the other.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Owen waved it away. ¡°Water is fine.¡± There would be time for drinking later. Preferably something strong. But for now, he needed his wits about him. ¡°Fine choice, if I do say so myself,¡± said Cathan with a wink, extending a waterskin. ¡°After all, I¡¯m the one who cleaned it.¡± Grinning despite himself, Owen accepted the skin and took a long gulp. The water was lukewarm, but that was honestly better than if it were ice cold. He emptied the waterskin before returning it. ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan now?¡± said Cathan as Azure sat next to Owen. ¡°We were discussing forming a party?¡± ¡°Oh, about that,¡± said Owen. ¡°Azure and I have already formed a party, so she¡¯d have final say on anyone else who joins.¡± Azure sipped gently from her mug. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you actually hold up in a fight,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re going on a quest tomorrow to retrieve an object. Join us, and we¡¯ll see how you do.¡± ¡°Oooh, is it a magic object?¡± said Cathan. ¡°Something like that,¡± said Owen. ¡°It¡¯s a wagon which can propel itself,¡± said Azure. Cathan whistled. ¡°Now that sounds useful.¡± ¡°It is,¡± said Owen. ¡°I¡¯ve had it since I was fifteen, and I¡¯ve practically lived out of it since I was seventeen.¡± ¡°You lived in a wagon?¡± said Cathan, pursing his lips. ¡°Either I¡¯m misunderstanding what kind of wagon this is, or you were quite poor.¡± ¡°Well, whatever you¡¯re imagining this ¡®wagon¡¯ looks like,¡± said Owen with a wince, the comment jabbing him a bit harder than Cathan likely intended, ¡°you¡¯re probably far off the mark. As for my personal wealth or lack thereof, let¡¯s say that there are some things worth more than money.¡± Cathan seemed to recognize his faux pas. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean any disrespect, Owen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said Owen, standing. ¡°I need some air.¡± He left the table and went back out onto the main street. The Castle towered before him, taking up all of his view. But right now, Owen didn¡¯t need overwhelming. He needed solitude. He marched around the western corner of the Guild Hall, passing into an alley between it and another grand stone structure, trying to disappear into the shadows betwixt them. The path he took was fashioned of flagstone and moss, descending down a series of steps and passing through more than one bridge¡¯s underpass. The buildings around him seemed to be deserted, their entrances appearing as caved alcoves to him. With each step, memories of his family flashed before him. His father. His siblings. His mother. The drugs he¡¯d found hidden in her dresser a few weeks after his dad had died. The evenings spent tucking his little brother and sister into bed. The nights spent up studying and just praying he could keep Social Services off his mom¡¯s back just a little longer, until she could find a way to sober up. He came to an empty courtyard that was depressed between a tall hedge of buildings. A statue of a satyr stood mossed and unmoving in its center, with a ringed fountain laying drained around it. Sprigs of grass and weeds sprouted up from the courtyard¡¯s flagstone, gently pulled by a slight breeze winding the canyon-like alleys of stone. Owen sat at the rim of the ringed fountain, burying his head in his hands. He wasn¡¯t there to protect them anymore. Mason. Jesse. Mom. It would be just like losing dad again, except now there was nobody to save them. What were they going to do? His mom couldn¡¯t even pay her damn rent, let alone pay for a funeral. Gripping his temples tightly, Owen tried to get a hold on his emotions. He could feel his knuckles whiten as he squeezed, trying to force down the pain and put it somewhere he didn¡¯t have to deal with it. But try as he might, Owen couldn¡¯t stop the tears from flowing. ¡°Damn it,¡± he whispered. ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it.¡± He heard footsteps, and looked up to see Azure emerging into the courtyard from the same path he¡¯d taken. Hastily wiping his eyes, Owen said, ¡°You followed me.¡± ¡°Of course I did,¡± said Azure. ¡°Can¡¯t have you going and getting lost. Ysvale¡¯s a big place, you know.¡± Owen snorted as he dried the last of his tears. ¡°I don¡¯t get lost,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t,¡± said Azure, taking a seat beside him. Without asking, she pulled his hand into the two of hers, clasping her fingers in his. Her touch was soft, yet strong. And above all else, it was comforting. Quietly, almost as if against his will, Owen leaned his face into her shoulder and wept. His tears dried quickly, but his heart ached for a long while after. Owen didn¡¯t bother to track the time as he sat on that fountain¡¯s edge with Azure, just holding her hands. It was the first time since he was a child that he''d had anybody comfort him, and while it was a certainly strange sensation, it wasn¡¯t an unwelcome one. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said at last, turning his head so as to stare aimlessly into the darkened alcoves of the buildings around him. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± said Azure, her voice light. ¡°We¡¯re a party, remember? We have to take care of each other.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you meant it quite like this, though,¡± said Owen. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how I meant it. What matters is how I show it,¡± said Azure. ¡°I¡­ I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend to understand what you¡¯re going through,¡± said Azure, ¡°but it¡¯s obviously been tough. You don¡¯t have to bear whatever it is alone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I could explain it if I tried.¡± ¡°How will you know until you do?¡± Finally, Owen straightened up, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Overhead, the sun had hidden behind the rooftops. It would be sunset soon. Azure shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t need to know. But if you need somebody to talk to, I¡¯m here.¡± Owen considered that for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°So, what now?¡± said Owen, leaning back and cracking his knuckles. ¡°We strike out for the Western Gate before dawn,¡± said Azure. ¡°We want to leave Ysvale¡¯s limits right when the sun rises. In the meantime,¡± she motioned to the buildings around her, ¡°these were once lodging for the Guild, back when we numbered in the thousands, maybe even more. Though our numbers are a lot smaller now, the Guild still lets us use these buildings to rest.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Owen. ¡°They look creepy.¡± Azure flashed him a grin. ¡°That¡¯s the best part. Come on, I know you can feel the sense of mystery here. It makes you wonder what hidden secrets you¡¯ll find.¡± She stood and pulled him up by the hand. ¡°I¡¯ve already got a spot staked out from a couple nights ago. Come on, I¡¯ll show it to you.¡± Owen let her lead him from the courtyard and down a different path, his hand firmly clasped in hers. Her touch was so warm against the subtle, shadowed chill of the ancient steeples and abandoned grottos. Statues long faceless and featureless watched them as they passed, missing limbs and sometimes heads from their gray-green torsos. Despite his self-described impeccable sense of direction, Owen found himself losing track of their path, as they went up and down knee-high steps, through narrow corridors of stone, and across brambled courtyards. At long last, Azure guided him to the base of a towered rampart, up a long spiral staircase, and into a circular chamber at the top. The room was mostly empty, but for a pile of hay formed into a makeshift mattress on the far wall and a doorway leading outside from just beside the stairway. ¡°Come look,¡± said Azure, stepping out the door. Owen followed and was met with the most wonderful view. The tower had a balcony circling the upper chamber, with a stone balustrade on its outer limit as a guard rail. Azure leaned quietly against that rail, gazing out over much of the city. In the far distance, the crimson sun set over the mountains, its last streaks of light lingering on the upper ramparts of Ysvale. ¡°Wow,¡± said Owen, stepping beside Azure as, at last, the sun hid behind the mountains. ¡°Glad I¡¯m inside the walls this time, not out.¡± Azure chuckled. ¡°You and me both.¡± As the sun disappeared, lights began to blink into the sky. Stars, as numerous as the sands of the sea, just seemed to pop into existence, bright and vibrant against the blackened veil of night. Owen didn¡¯t recognize a single constellation in the sky, not that he¡¯d expected to. Looking up, Owen saw multiple moons, each different sizes, but all larger than Earth¡¯s moon. He counted¡­ three? That seemed about right. A yellow moon, a light blue moon, and a metallic silver moon. No, wait, there were four. Craning his head, he glanced Eastward, to where yet another moon had just begun to rise. It was dark against the night sky, almost more visible for blocking the stars than for any glow of its own. It reminded Owen, somehow, of a skull. ¡°The Dark Moon,¡± Azure said softly, catching his gaze. ¡°Not the best moon to be seen under.¡± ¡°Where is the Light Moon from last night?¡± said Owen. ¡°Won¡¯t be out again for another six days,¡± said Azure. ¡°There are seven greater moons, Owen. Each one for a Greater Mana type: Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Colorless, Light, and Dark.¡± She seemed to spit out that last word as if it left a stench in her mouth. ¡°On nights where they are in the sky, their respective manas become stronger. There¡¯s a reason we set out on the day of a Light Moon, because not only does it make Light Magic stronger, but it makes creatures of darkness weaker.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know moons worked that way,¡± said Owen. ¡°But based on the order you listed them in,¡± he counted on his fingers, ¡°tomorrow night will be a Fire Moon.¡± Azure grinned in the ample moonlight, her face crowned with streaks of yellow and blue. The scales on her cheeks glowed a little as she said, ¡°It¡¯ll definitely make dealing with any demons a lot easier.¡± A cool wind swept across them, brushing Azure¡¯s hair across her face. She laughed, gazing out into the night, a gentle quiet falling around them as Ysvale went to sleep, so silent that Owen could hear his own breath. He peered out on the stars, letting them fill his vision. Could one of those stars be his own? Or was Earth in another universe entirely, not even touching this one? ¡°I¡¯m not from here,¡± he finally said. ¡°Well, that much I gathered,¡± Azure chuckled. ¡°No, I mean, I¡¯m not from here. Not from this world.¡± Azure frowned and tilted her head, giving him a confused look. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Look up at those stars,¡± said Owen, gesturing to them. ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°They are Fractured Mana,¡± said Azure. ¡°Alone, they aren¡¯t much, but when drawn into a constellation, they can be used by seers or formed into new Mana Types. Why?¡± ¡°How high do you think you¡¯d have to go to touch them?¡± said Owen. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. Maybe to the top of Tower Esthelenean?¡± Azure said. Owen shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how high the Tower reaches, but I doubt it¡¯s far enough to reach a star. If astronomers haven¡¯t already started to realize it, they¡¯ll soon figure out that stars are much like your Sun, except that they are very, very, very far away. Farther than you could possibly imagine, burning as great, giant spheres of fire and light.¡± ¡°How do you know this?¡± said Azure. ¡°Somewhere out there is another star, probably one we can¡¯t even see from here. And around that star there circles a small, little globe of Blue and Green. There are people who live there, with technology and culture that¡¯s at once so similar to here, and yet so different. That place is called Earth. And it¡¯s my home.¡± Chapter 11: Secrets Chapter 11: Secrets Azure¡¯s face was one of deep concentration as she processed what Owen was saying. Slowly, her eyes widened, and she stared up at the stars. ¡°No way,¡± she said. ¡°Yes way,¡± said Owen, leaning on the balustrade. The stars, in their gleaming state, seemed to hold so many more mysteries for him now than they did only two days ago. ¡°But, how?¡± said Azure. ¡°Or, why? No, what was it like there, or¡­ I don¡¯t know, if what you¡¯re saying is true, it¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Owen. ¡°Then where do I even start?¡± said Azure. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t need to?¡± said Owen, shrugging. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I can explain everything anyway.¡± Azure considered that for a second. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± She leaned onto the rail next to Owen, her shoulder touching his. Under her breath, Owen heard her whisper, ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to blow your mind,¡± said Owen. ¡°In a way, yeah, I¡¯m definitely losing it a little,¡± said Azure with a chuckle. ¡°But on the other hand, it makes as much sense as anything I¡¯d thought of.¡± ¡°You were trying to figure out why I didn¡¯t know anything?¡± said Owen. ¡°Wracking my damn brains! You have no idea just how perplexing your case was to me. I thought that maybe you¡¯d had your memory wiped by some demon or a really powerful mage, or perhaps you might have been some result of necromancy. But nothing about you added up with what I knew about magic, and more than that, you had that strange van contraption. What kind of Necromancer gives his thrall a special magic wagon?¡± Owen swallowed a little. Necromancy. He hadn¡¯t even considered the concept up until now, but in a world with magic, there would certainly be people who tried to bring back the dead. Heavens knew that people on Earth had certainly tried, and they hadn¡¯t even had magic there. At least, he didn¡¯t think they did. ¡°Let me ask at least one question,¡± said Azure, breaking Owen from his chain of thought. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How did you get here?¡± Owen paused for a long moment, his gaze following the Dark Moon as it hung in the sky like a reaper. Finally, he answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just woke up, and I was here.¡± ¡°Well, what were you doing before that, then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Owen lied. ¡°Everything beforehand is a bit fuzzy.¡± If there was Necromancy in this world, then he couldn¡¯t tell Azure that he¡¯d died before he came here. For all he knew, he really could have been summoned here by some dark necromancy, being none the wiser. Owen really didn¡¯t know the bounds or limits of magic here, so he couldn¡¯t rule out that possibility, grim though it may be. He knew Azure could tell he was lying-- he¡¯d never been terribly good at the art of deception. But for whatever reason, she let the subject rest. For now, at least. Owen silently thanked her. Even without the question of necromancy, he wasn¡¯t keen on sharing that information. Not only did one¡¯s death feel deeply private, it was also fresh in his mind. ¡°We should get some sleep,¡± said Azure finally. ¡°Daybreak comes early during summer.¡± Right. They had a long day tomorrow. Hopefully, it would be a bit easier to manage than yesterday. Owen followed Azure into the tower chamber, which she illuminated with bits of flame dancing on her fingers. As Owen had seen earlier, there was a single hay mattress bundled on the far side of the room. ¡°Here,¡± said Azure as she knelt over the mattress, ¡°help me pull this apart.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± said Owen. ¡°I can sleep just fine on the floor.¡± Azure raised an eyebrow, her eyes glinting in the firelight. ¡°Stone gets pretty cold at night, even on warmer evenings like this one.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Owen, sliding to the ground a few paces from the mattress. ¡°Besides, I wouldn¡¯t sleep soundly knowing I¡¯d taken half of your mattress from you.¡± ¡°And I won¡¯t be able to sleep soundly knowing you¡¯re freezing your ass off.¡± ¡°Fine, fine,¡± said Owen. ¡°Look. Pass me a little bit of hay. I¡¯ll take off my Tunic and turn it into a mini-mattress, okay?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll¡­ what?¡± ¡°Oh, for heaven¡¯s sake,¡± said Owen. He undid his belt, slipped off the tunic, and then retied the belt around his trousers. ¡°Come on, just pass me some hay,¡± he said, extending his hand. ¡°Right,¡± said Azure slowly. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she turned and pulled some hay off her mattress with one hand, being careful to not put her flaming hand near the dry straw. Scooping up the loose material in one arm, she turned and dropped it in front of Owen. ¡°That enough?¡± she said, glancing down at him. ¡°Plenty,¡± said Owen, tying the tunic¡¯s sleeves and bottom into knots before stuffing hay in through the neck, forming a rather sad-looking pillow. Still, he could rest his upper body on it and avoid most of the warmth-sapping chill from the stone. Azure was still standing over him, her eyes illuminated by the gentle glow of the scales on her cheeks. ¡°Azure?¡± said Owen. Finally, she turned away, and Owen thought he heard her whisper, ¡°Damn it all.¡± As she sat down on her partially torn mattress, Owen propped his tunic pillow up against the wall and leaned against it. The straw wasn¡¯t particularly comfortable, seeing how it poked right through the tunic and itched Owen¡¯s back, but he¡¯d certainly slept on worse before. He was certainly exhausted enough to fall right asleep, but before he closed his eyes, he thought of a question. ¡°So, Azure, if you don¡¯t mind my asking, why did you become a Diver? Ysvale is a pretty big city, so doubtless you could find work elsewhere.¡± She closed her eyes and lay down on her mattress. ¡°I¡¯m searching for someone,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe someday, I¡¯ll tell you who.¡± Owen grinned a bit. Something about his relationship with Azure seemed a bit lopsided, now that he thought on it. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have his own secrets-- it was obvious from their earlier conversation that he did-- but she¡¯d certainly been the more reticent of the two in their discussions.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But, she¡¯d at least told him something. She was looking for someone. Who, though? And why? Well, I won¡¯t get any information by prying. For now, let¡¯s get some shut-eye. We have a long day tomorrow. With that, Owen closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. Owen walked alongside a yoked pair of oxen, his right hand on the left-most ox¡¯s sturdy neck, while he tried to scratch the hay chaff off his own back with his left. He¡¯d grown used to the smell of ox pretty quick, and now used the beast as a form of support. They¡¯d been traveling for a few hours now, taking the road back to where his van lay waiting (at least, he hoped). Flies and gnats buzzed irritatingly around the bovines, who swatted the insects with their tails as they plodded along. The beasts pulled a single axle behind them with a small metal hitch, on which they would hopefully be able to hook up the van. If Owen remembered right, the rear axle on his car was still intact, which meant that they probably didn¡¯t need a full wagon or pallet to carry it on. Hopefully. Otherwise, he¡¯d just wasted everyone¡¯s day. The road through the bamboo trees was a bit steeper than he remembered, perhaps because he hadn¡¯t been utterly exhausted or escorting oxen at the time. This last leg to his car had been more difficult than he cared to admit. Hopefully, they were almost there. Out of the shadows of the treeline, a hooded figure appeared. She was perhaps five feet tall, maybe a little taller. It was difficult to tell, as Owen was pretty sure she was trying to make herself appear smaller than she was. She carried a bow on her back and a pair of daggers on a belt at her waist. Even in the early afternoon light, she kept her face concealed in the shadows of her cloak. She¡¯d said her name was Eolyn, and that was it. ¡°The¡­ van¡­ isn¡¯t far off,¡± she said. Rather than stumble over the word van, she¡¯d been deliberate and slow in saying it. Not bad. ¡°The Wyvern has been mostly consumed, though.¡± Owen shared a glance with Azure, who walked beside him on the road. ¡°Makes sense,¡± said Azure. ¡°Plenty of scavengers are going to eat what¡¯s available. Including dead Wyvern.¡± Cathan groaned from the other side of the oxen yoke. ¡°I thought I¡¯d actually get to see a Wyvern up close.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same if it¡¯s already dead, is it?¡± said Owen. ¡°Ha! Perhaps, but a dead Wyvern is a Wyvern still. And more than that, it¡¯s one that won¡¯t try to kill me.¡± They rounded a verdant hillside and came upon the fresh clearing formed in the battle with the monster. And sure enough, at the bottom of the hill¡¯s slope, Owen¡¯s van rested in more or less the same condition as it had been before. Owen took off at a run, half-sliding down the hill through the fallen bamboo leaves and picking his way over the crushed stalks. ¡°Owen, slow down!¡± Azure called after him. ¡°There could be traps!¡± There could be what-now? Too late. Owen stepped through a particularly deep pile of leaves and heard a rapid zipping sound. Oh shit. Something tightened around Owen¡¯s leg like a vice, and his stomach caught in his throat as he was lifted high into the air. He came to a stop maybe fifteen feet off the ground, swaying back and forth while his ankle ached in protest. Did¡­ I just get snared like a rabbit? Owen would¡¯ve been a bit embarrassed if he wasn¡¯t so dumbfounded. ¡°Did a demon do this?¡± he called down. ¡°Could¡¯ve been goblins instead,¡± said Azure, trotting beneath him and cupping her hand over her eyes. ¡°That looks like quite the drop.¡± Eolyn moved nimbly beneath him as well, examining some apparatus on the ground. ¡°Definitely goblins,¡± she spat. ¡°Dumbass.¡± Owen would¡¯ve been offended if he wasn¡¯t so sheepish. He glanced up to see the rope tightened quite nicely around his ankle. ¡°It was quite considerate of them to not spear me through the leg, at least.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t want you to bleed out,¡± said Eolyn without looking up. ¡°A dead catch is one that can¡¯t fend off scavengers.¡± Oh. That was a comforting thought. But it seemed that Eolyn wasn¡¯t done with her explanation. ¡°They put you up just high enough to break your ankles if you fall. That way, they can hunt you down and drag you back to a cave or a dungeon and cook you for eating.¡± Owen swallowed. ¡°You could have just left it at the whole not bleeding out part.¡± Eolyn glanced up at him, and beneath her cowl¡¯s shade, he thought he saw the faintest hint of a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll check around for and disarm any other traps,¡± she called up to the team of oxen. ¡°The path to this idiot is safe, at least. Try cutting him down while I look.¡± She flitted off to examine the rest of the woods, leaving Azure looking up at him. ¡°I could burn the rope,¡± she said helpfully. ¡°As fun as that would be, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m quite nimble enough for that. I¡¯d break my damn neck,¡± said Owen with a frown. Cathan gently slid into view. ¡°No worries, Owen,¡± he boomed. ¡°I¡¯ll just catch you.¡± Owen wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. The man was literally a walking pile of skin and bone. ¡°You¡¯re not as big as you usually are,¡± said Azure, tapping Cathan on the shoulder. ¡°Owen would crush you.¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± said Cathan bashfully. ¡°Sorry, scratch that idea.¡± ¡°Ah, no worries,¡± said Owen. ¡°Anyone else have any bright ideas?¡± For their journey, they¡¯d enlisted an armored warrior with way too big of a sword strapped to his back. Owen had never heard the man speak, nor had he seen his face. But when they¡¯d gone to prepare for the journey that day, they¡¯d found that the Stewardess¡¯s call for Divers had gained his attention. After him, they had the ox-driver, who was necessary for moving and caring for the beasts. Neither of them offered any advice as they passed under Owen. Which was fair. He¡¯d gotten himself into this mess. Now, it was up to him to get out of it. If he couldn¡¯t get cut down, then he¡¯d just have to climb down. Owen shifted his body weight, using his core to begin to swing back and forth on the rope. The ground swayed dizzyingly beneath him as distant bamboo stalks moved closer, then farther, than closer again. He gained speed with each stroke of the pendulum until, at last, he began to move within arm¡¯s reach of a stalk. He grasped outward, wrapping his arms around the stalk and holding tightly to it. Once Owen was sure he had a firm grip on the tree, he called out, ¡°Okay! Burn the line!¡± ¡°Gotcha!¡± Azure called back. Only a moment later, Owen heard the tell-tale crackling of fire on rope. Then, he heard a snap, and his legs dropped beneath him. Letting out a cry of alarm, he clung to the bamboo stalk for dear life, his abs aching as he pulled his legs in to grip the wood. The bamboo swayed dangerously above the ground before coming to a sort of rest. ¡°Phew, that was only a little terrifying.¡± He slid down the rest of the way, the wood chafing the inside of his thighs as he went. When he reached the dirt, Owen let himself collapse to his rump as Azure came running up to him. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± she asked. ¡°Only my pride,¡± said Owen, letting her help him up. ¡°The way to the van is safe now,¡± said Eolyn, appearing once again as if out of nowhere. ¡°How do you do that?¡± said Owen. ¡°How do I do what?¡± said Eolyn, again letting a small smirk appear beneath her cowl. She knew. She was just toying with him. They approached the van together, where the warrior stood watchfully while the ox-driver tied some ropes between the ox yoke and the back undercarriage of Owen¡¯s van. Meanwhile, Cathan had rounded the vehicle to try to get a look at the Wyvern¡¯s remains. Sure enough, most of the monster was gone, but for a narrow stump of flesh and bone that barely poked up past the van¡¯s crushed hood. As Owen reached the rear of the vehicle, he drew his fingers along it, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving you earlier. I hope you don¡¯t hold it against me.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized your van was sentient,¡± said Azure. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not,¡± said Owen with a bit of a sheepish grin. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ well, you know.¡± ¡°I get it,¡± said Azure. ¡°No need to explain.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Owen. He wandered slowly up the van, feeling its contortions and warping as he went. He¡¯d definitely wrecked his poor little car. Still, it wasn¡¯t something he couldn¡¯t fix, given enough time. Except for one problem. He came to the driver window and peered inside. ¡°Oh no,¡± he said. ¡°What is it?¡± said Cathan, glancing at him through the passenger window. ¡°My steering wheel is gone.¡± And with it, so was the Mana Stone. Chapter 12: The Coming Storm Chapter 12: The Coming Storm A low, rumbling peal of thunder rolled through the forest, shaking the bamboo stalks in a cacophony of rattling wood and leaves, before descending into a dark crescendo that rattled Owen¡¯s bones. Wind whipped up about him, a quiet tease of the powerful gusts that the thunder promised were coming. ¡°Steering wheel?¡± said Cathan, a mixture of perplexion and alarm working its way across his well-defined jaw. ¡°It¡¯s how I control the van,¡± said Owen. ¡°But that¡¯s not the real problem. I can always replace a steering wheel.¡± He turned to Azure. ¡°Just how valuable is a Mana Stone again?¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me--¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± She chewed her jaw for a moment before gesturing to Eolyn. ¡°Can you track which way the goblins went?¡± ¡°Not after a thunderstorm, no.¡± said the hooded girl. ¡°Can you pick up the trail now, though?¡± said Azure, the impatience waxing in her voice. ¡°We need to focus on finding shelter,¡± said Cathan, rounding the van. ¡°Owen¡¯s steering circle can wait.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about the steering wheel,¡± said Owen. ¡°It has a Mana Stone embedded in it.¡± ¡°That mana stone is what makes the Van soul-bonded to Owen,¡± said Azure. ¡°Without it, he can¡¯t use any of the magic his van provides him.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s definitely a problem,¡± said Cathan. He turned to Eolyn. ¡°Yes, you should probably find it, then.¡± Owen couldn¡¯t actually see the girl¡¯s features, but he could practically hear her roll her eyes beneath her hood. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for it,¡± said Eolyn, disappearing into the woods. ¡°In the meantime,¡± said Owen, ¡°let¡¯s get the van hooked up to the hitch.¡± ¡°What about finding shelter?¡± said Cathan. ¡°What about it?¡± answered Azure. ¡°We¡¯re sitting on the bank of a riverbed. Once that storm hits, we¡¯ll be underwater. Let¡¯s get the oxen and the van up to the road before that happens, then we¡¯ll worry about shelter.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Owen, not waiting for a response. He glanced at the ox-driver. ¡°You got it hooked up for moving?¡± ¡°Kind of,¡± said the man, a stumpish fellow with an eyepatch. ¡°Can¡¯t do much until we separate it from that there rock, now can we? So, let¡¯s start with that.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Owen. ¡°You need us to help pull the van?¡± ¡°Just make sure it doesn¡¯t get caught on anything.¡± The ox-driver got to work prodding the oxen back up the hill, standing on a pair of footholds on either side of the hitch like some sort of slow-trodding chariot. Slowly but surely, the van began to separate itself from cracked stone, leaving deep gouges in the dirt where bits of metal stuck into the ground. ¡°Hold!¡± Owen called to the ox-driver, even as another gust of wind rippled through the bamboo forest, knocking them together to create long, empty wooden tones. ¡°Cathan and Mr. Metal Armor Guy whose name I don¡¯t know! Try bending the metal pieces to not gouge into the ground.¡± A moment after he finished speaking, thunder cracked the sky once more, shaking him down to his core. The bits of window glass scattered across the forest floor jumped in place like a bunch of beans in a pan. Cathan and the armored man immediately set about to wrenching the metal bits out of the ground. Most of it was just the van¡¯s outer body, but the front axle had snapped and dug into the dirt, as had certain elements of the chassis.Rather than try to bend the hardened steel into place, Owen had them dig out paths in the dirt so that the oxen could keep pulling. Even as they did so, Owen couldn¡¯t help but think his metal mana would be perfect for a situation like this. But given how little he had, he probably couldn¡¯t do anything of use. Instead, Owen took this opportunity to examine the remains of the wyvern. It gave off a rank odor now that it was no longer held in place by the van, with all of its upper body completely gone. Its legs and lower body, crushed though they were, had remained attached, as had its tail. That tail was a long, sinuous, almost whip-like apparatus, only forming a bone-edged blade at the very end. The natural weapon actually reminded Owen of some kind of long shiv, the blade itself about as long as his hand. ¡°Hey, Azure,¡± he said. ¡°Help me cut this off.¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°Why the hell do you want that?¡± she said with a disgusted look. ¡°I don¡¯t have a weapon,¡± said Owen. ¡°And I saw this cut through metal. I figure, if we have to kill some goblins, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to have some something I could stab them with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually a good idea,¡± said Azure, leaning down and sawing through the wyvern¡¯s tail with her dagger. She handed him the slightly bloodied end of the tail-blade. ¡°But how do you plan to hold it?¡± Owen considered that for a moment. The base of the weapon seemed a bit duller than the tip as it was enveloped by the blue-scaled sheathe of skin around the bone. He couldn¡¯t make a full handle for the blade, as it didn¡¯t really have a tang. But maybe¡­ He grabbed a fractured piece of bamboo and pressed it length-wise against the fleshy stub. It didn¡¯t quite fit, so he threw the wood to the ground and picked up another. Once Owen decided on a satisfactory piece, he sought another, finding it a minute later. Then he used Azure¡¯s dagger to carve notches into the edges of the wood pieces, fitted them over the base of the tail-blade, and tied them in place with strips of cloth cut from the sleeves of his tunic. By the end, he had a manageable handle. It likely wouldn¡¯t hold up very well under pressure, but it would at least let him get a good stab or two into whatever attacked them. Owen had only taken a brief moment to examine his new weapon when something appeared out of the brush. At the exact moment it did, lightning flashed across the sky. Owen jumped at the sight of what, to his eyes, seemed to be a ghostly apparition. The light receded quickly, and in the normal view of day, he saw the apparition for what it really was: Eolyn. Crashing thunder followed as Owen tried to calm his nerves, and once it had passed, Eolyn spoke, ¡°I have tracked the goblins to their hole. It overflows with mana.¡± ¡°A dungeon,¡± Azure spat. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°So, does that mean it¡¯s just gone?¡± said Owen. ¡°No,¡± said Azure. ¡°It means we¡¯re going into a dungeon.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± said Eolyn precisely at the same time Owen said, ¡°That sounds really dangerous.¡± Azure glanced between the two of them. ¡°Goblins are just as scared of the lower dungeon levels as we are, so they¡¯re probably on the first level of whatever dungeon they¡¯re hiding in.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s a dungeon,¡± said Owen. ¡°I¡¯m with the dumbass on this,¡± said Eolyn. ¡°I have no intention of dying today. And you¡¯re underestimating just how vicious goblins can be.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± said Azure, her face darkening. ¡°I¡¯m acutely aware of the dangers lurking for us in a dungeon.¡± ¡°Then you know why it¡¯s a terrible idea for us to go inside one,¡± said Eolyn. ¡°We¡¯re all only Copper Ranked, Azure.¡± Technically, Owen wasn¡¯t even a full member of the Guild yet, and he was pretty sure that Cathan wasn¡¯t either, but now didn¡¯t seem like the best time to mention that. ¡°Owen¡¯s van is soulbonded to him,¡± said Azure. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a soulbonded object for the past hundred years. And it¡¯s tied to the mana stone those goblins took. Imagine what¡¯ll happen if the right demon gets ahold of it. What kind of havoc could it wreak?¡± Eolyn growled, but didn¡¯t say anything. To be frank, Owen definitely agreed with Eolyn over Azure. He couldn¡¯t guess the value of the Mana Stone in his steering wheel, but he could starkly recollect his last encounter with demons. He¡¯d been more confident today since they¡¯d come out as a party. But to go into a den of such grotesque and powerful creatures this soon sounded rather unappealing. ¡°I know what my choice would be,¡± said Cathan, who appeared to have been listening this whole time. He stepped beside Azure with his hands on his hips. ¡°We¡¯re all Divers. Let¡¯s Dive.¡± Despite himself, and against all logic, Owen found himself grinning at Cathan¡¯s words. While he certainly didn¡¯t have a death wish, there was a beautiful simplicity to Cathan¡¯s reasoning. What adventure is there without danger to go with it? On Cathan¡¯s right stood the armored warrior, his sword drawn and ready, as if that were his way of saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright, then,¡± said Owen. ¡°I¡¯m in. Let¡¯s go get my damn steering wheel.¡± Eolyn groaned. ¡°Dumbasses. Fine. Fine. I¡¯ll take you idiots to the Dungeon entrance. Just don¡¯t blame me when you all die.¡± Owen glanced at the oxen. In the time it had taken him to fashion his tail-blade and have this conversation, the others had managed to get the van turned around and its front half propped up onto the hitched axle. ¡°Will you be okay starting the journey back without us?¡± said Owen. The old man¡¯s face crinkled into a frown. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be stirring up a hornet¡¯s nest in a dungeon, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m staying around regardless. I¡¯m not going to be goblin food, rainstorm be damned.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave you to it, then,¡± said Owen. With that, he and the others took off into the increasingly darkened forest, with Eolyn leading the way. Dark, angry clouds blotted the sky as wind ripped and tore up leaves, bending the very stalks of bamboo like vaulting poles. It buffeted Owen, making the ground treacherous beneath his feet.as the first sheets of rain began to pour down. In the half-darkness of the impending storm, he almost lost sight of Eolyn more than once. Like when Azure had led him back to Ysvale yesterday, he found himself keeping pace just by matching the others. If Owen had been alone, he would have gone much, much slower. As they went, a strange sense of emotion began to wash over Owen. They traveled uphill, the trees themselves seeming to form a path for them, coalescing as canopies above their trail. A part of him almost expected to see some kind of temple waypoint along the way. The further they went, the more it felt like he could just find their destination on his own. They reached a natural clearing in the woods, the rain already soaking Owen through his tunic. And yet despite the shivering chills, when he saw the large rock monolith in the center of the glade, he felt an undeniable draw toward it. The structure was maybe twenty feet tall and utterly bare but for the cavernous opening at its base. Without anybody needing to tell him, Owen knew what it was: a dungeon. He twirled the blade in his hands and shared a look with the others. ¡°Well, shall we?¡± Azure gave him a small grin. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± And together, they struck out across the field toward the dungeon entrance.