《The Man and His Pup (On Hold)》 Chapter 0: The Beginning ¡°So¡­.What¡¯s all this?¡± Looking around there¡¯s nothing in sight, not like a room but just nothingness. Not even an echo. ¡°It¡¯s what you want it to be, right now you don¡¯t know what to think, so it¡¯s a clean slate.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Struggling to hold back a jump I turn around in a circle looking everywhere for the disembodied voice. ¡°Over here son, take a seat.¡± As I turn I finally see a man and two chairs in a space I was sure was empty when I spun around. I calm myself for a second before I slowly walk towards the unknown man. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m not one to be on edge about.¡± Possibly noticing my second of hesitation as I sit down ¡°Tea, coffee, or water?¡± He gesture to a table between the chairs. That wasn¡¯t there when I first looked. ¡°Um¡­ Water please.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you have questions¡­¡± He reaches down and pours two glasses of water. ¡°And to be completely honest some, or even most, of them I might not be able to answer, but trust I will do my best.¡± Reaching out he hands me a glass. ¡°Okay¡­Then I guess I¡¯ll start with who are you¡­¡± taking a sip I observe the man and his movements. He¡¯s not old but not young, but he gives off an air of age. ¡°I¡¯ve been known by a few names, I¡¯m not too particular on one over the other. In the end they are nothing more than just that, a name. But for the time being I guess you can call me Milas.¡± ¡°Milas¡­..okay. So where are we, you said before it is what I want it to be but what do you mean by that.¡± The man¡­Milas¡­ chuckles a little as he sips his water. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that, even with how long I¡¯ve been around. Even I can¡¯t discern the origins of this place. Some speculated that this is where it all began. Some see it as a type of purgatory before the decide what to do after.¡± He sips again and exhales slowly. Purgatory¡­.wait, does that mean¡­ ¡°You didn¡¯t die. If that¡¯s what¡¯s going through your mind. From what I¡¯ve seen since Ive been here in this space, you were chosen to come here.¡± He continues to drink casually all the while I¡¯ve all but forgotten I even had a cup myself. ¡°What do you mean I was chosen, any why?¡± Confused I places my cup back on the table and turned towards Milas. Shaking his head he smiles softly. ¡°That I can¡¯t answer either. I¡¯ve seen many types come through, be it great men and women or the worst of murderers and war mongerers. Those from all walks are chosen to come here for one reason or another. I know not why you¡¯re here but I know I¡¯m here to help guide you to what¡¯s next.¡± ¡°What¡¯s next¡­?¡± ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Milas waves his hand in front of the two of us and a ripple appears. Slowly opening to about the size of a front windshield of a car what appears to be stars and space appear. ¡°You¡¯re an educated young man, so I assume you know the general idea of how your world and universe was created. Right?¡± ¡°Kind of? I mean were taught in school about the big bang but people still doubt it¡­¡± Getting even more confused I get lost still staring at the small dots in the spacy void. *Snap* A single snap echo¡¯s throughout the area and an explosion appears in the void in front of them. ¡°Sh**!¡± Falling back into the chair I watch as all the small dots get consumed by the fireball. ¡°Congratulations, you just witnessed the creation of a universe.¡± Smiling Milas sits back and crossed his legs.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Wait¡­so you¡¯re telling me that just¡­.¡± Laughing ¡°No I¡¯ve just watched this a few too many times I¡¯ve gotten the snap timed perfectly, I don¡¯t have the power to create a universe myself. I guess you can say this is a recording of the Naru Universe. The thing is, each and every universe is special, like how your world science was fact and magic is fantasy, there are worlds where that fantasy is reality. The monsters and beast from story time are real. Even those novels you read, the ones you think are fiction¡­even those can be real. It¡¯s all a matter of just finding that universe. ¡± I just have to find it¡­.in all honesty, though I¡¯m keeping a calm outside my inner nerd if freaking out about the possibility to live the life of an adventurer or dungeon diver. Like the books or comics, I just have to find the right universe. ¡°Wait, you said you don¡¯t have the power to make a universe, but does that mean you can send me to one of those universes where all that is real..?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± He leans over and casually pours another glass of water. ¡°It¡¯s as I¡¯ve said before, this space is nothing more than a halfway point, in between your past and you¡¯re future. What happens here in this moment will determine what will happen when we¡¯re done with our talk.¡± I stay silent for a bit thinking over the conversation from beginning to now and even about what could have lead up to this point. He himself was nothing special, only 25 so I¡¯ve barely even lived a life back home. I¡¯ve done nothing major aside from completing my 4 years of mandatory service and fighting in the pointless war that was going on back there. No family, or girlfriend¡­.getting depressed thinking back on it I laugh and shake my head. ¡°So, are you ready to move on to your future?¡± Milas stands up and looks down at me still with a smile and calming eyes, like the eyes of a teacher whose student is moving on to the next grade. I¡¯ve got nothing to lose leaving my old home, so I sand with him ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it. I want to move on.¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± Milas waves his hand and everything around them disappears leaving them standing again in the nothingness. ¡°The world I¡¯ll be sending you to is called Remis, It¡¯s a world of magic, dungeons, demons and monsters. But you¡¯ll be fine ill help guide you. For the most part at least.¡± Smiling even more so he starts to walk off slowly fading as if turning to glass. ¡°Where are you going? Wait!¡± I try to run to catch up but my limbs get heavy and my vision starts to go black. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­.i can¡¯t¡­i... [Name?] ¡°What?¡± [Name: What] [Confirm? Yes/No¡­] ¡°No!¡± What¡¯s going on here, is this like some game or something, character customization? [Name?] ¡°Thomas Allen¡± let¡¯s see what happens when I use my real name... [Name: Thomas Allen] [Confirm? Yes/No¡­] ¡°Yes.¡± [Name Confirmed] [Sex: Male/Female] ¡°Male¡± [Age?] ¡°24¡± ¡®It really is a character creation¡­.i wonder if I choose my job and skills to¡­¡¯ I laugh a little bit waiting for the next question to come but it doesn¡¯t, instead a simple message appears in front of me. [System: Welcome Mr. Allen, to Remis. You will soon be placed randomly in the world. Good luck.] ¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯ A little disappointed I was about to voice my dissatisfaction with the lack of details, but once again my vision goes black. A few seconds later I start to get feeling back in my body and my eyes start to clear up again. Laying down I feel the usual feeling of grass on the bare skin of my arms and the gentle blow of wind across my face. ¡°If I could not have that happen again that would be appreciated¡± I mutter to myself as I slowly prop myself up to take a look around. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that Thomas, I tried to make it a smooth transition but it has been a few hundred years since I¡¯ve don¡¯t it.¡± Again Milas voice was herd where his body was nowhere to be found. ¡°Where are you now?¡± I observe my surroundings not really looking for him but absorbing the beauty of the scenery around me. Sitting up I realize I¡¯m in an open field of grass that seems to go on for quite a while before it comes to a forest in the distance. Watching the wind blow waves in the rolling grass was calming, it helped ease myself a bit. ¡°I¡¯m back in the space, I can¡¯t leave yet until it¡¯s the proper time, but I can talk to you and help out when you need. You just have to think my name and I¡¯ll answer. And don¡¯t worry no one else can hear me, just you.¡± I swear I can hear his smile in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired after using my powers after such a long time so I¡¯ll keep this quick before I sleep for a bit. I made it so that it¡¯s like those games and novels you read so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to survive until you get to civilization, just think it and a menu will appear in your vision. Neat huh!? I also gave you a few skills and gear to help get you started so you¡¯re not completely defenseless out here.¡± His voice gets a bit faded with the last sentence. ¡°I have to go now, I¡¯ll be able to talk to you again in about a week, survive until then okay? Have fun Thomas.¡± ¡®What¡­.¡± And Like that he¡¯s gone¡­.and I¡¯m here¡­.alone¡­. I hang my head a little bit and laugh. ¡°What have I gotten myself into¡± I mutter as I stand up. ¡°He said it¡¯s like a game so, let¡¯s have fun like it is one.¡± I begin walking towards the forest in the distance. Lets experiment then. Info. I think to myself since its like a game I must have a stats panel and inventory right? Almost as soon as I finish thinking it, a screen about the size of a piece of paper appears in front of me with some words on it. Name: Thomas Allen Age: 24 Title: -none- Job: -none- Chapter 1: The Pup I take a second to study the display in front of me. Letting out a soft sight I wave my hand through to dismiss the projection like display and continue walking mindlessly towards the forest, hoping maybe I could find someone who could help me not be so lost. ¡°No stats, No levels, nor skills or talents¡­..Milas really left me hanging dry here didn¡¯t he?¡± I figure there¡¯s no use in complaining and decide to just enjoy the change in scenery and have a pleasant walk. I¡¯m not from a large city by any means but just being out here with nothing but nature is a nice change of pace. I end up zoning out and getting absorbed in the scenery not noticing I was coming up on a hump on the ground or a small creature moving in the grass behind me. Due to my lack of situational awareness I end up tripping over the lump in front of me and eat dirt. ¡°What the..?¡± I cough out the dirt in my mouth and roll over to take a look at the cause of my unsightly situation. Angry at first I soon feel bad since the thing that caused the fall was in much worse shape than I was. ¡°Poor animal¡­¡± The creature in front of me is about the size of a dire wolf from the old days back on earth only the paws are the size of my face and it has fang protruding down and reaching past the bottom of its chin. It¡¯s obvious that the best in front has just recently lost a fight due to its singed fur and half of its right front paw is missing. Concerned about the animal I reach forward to see if it¡¯s still breathing and alive, but before I could tough a single hair I hear a small bark from the grass across from me and I get charged at and pounced on by a little ball of fluff, not much bigger than month old child. Continuing to stand on my chest the little pup growls at me while staring at me with his bright green eyes. Luckily for me he¡¯s still young enough to where his claws haven¡¯t fully grown in and his fangs barely go past his lips. I notice while observing him there¡¯s wet streaks beneath his eyes and he¡¯s trembling slightly, all the while still protecting what I¡¯m assuming now to be his mother. ¡°It¡¯s okay little guy, I¡¯m not going to hurt your momma.¡± I lay back and put my hands flat while smiling gently at him to try and ease him and show I¡¯m not a threat or danger to him or his injured mother. It appears to work since not long after he gets off me and goes back to his mother¡¯s body, nuzzling her head trying to get a response from her. I feel my heart ache a little bit as I sit up again and watch from a distance. I can hear small whimpers as the pup sits down looking at his mother.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I''m sorry little buddy.¡± Slowly I reach out and gently pet the little pup, not really knowing what to do at the moment. I decide he just needs a second and to be with someone who could be considered a friend at the moment. [System: Title acquired ¨C Friend of the Black-Star Wolf] Black-star wolf huh, I guess little buddy really is a wolf creature. But I don¡¯t see any star on him? Because I stopped petting him so suddenly he turns and looks at me curious as to why. I smile at him and dismiss the notification after making sure the title is active. ¡°Friend of a wolf pup huh?¡± I scratch between his ears gently. ¡°I can live with that.¡± The pup closes his eyes in kind of a look of comfort when I scratch him so I keep doing it for a little bit while I look once again at the mother. I can¡¯t just leave her here. I look back at the pup who¡¯s moved closer to be for more pets and scratches. And I defiantly can¡¯t leave this little guy alone. He¡¯ll end up dead within a week if I do. Getting the feeling as if someone is watching me I take a look around but I don¡¯t see anything or any movement in the grass, but as I come back to the mother I notice her eyes are open and aimed directly at me. I don¡¯t know how long she¡¯s been watching but she¡¯s not showing any signs of being hostile or on edge because of me being here or petting her pup. But I can tell just the effort of keeping her eyes open pain her, she won¡¯t last long. ¡°Don¡¯t worry momma bird. Your pups in safe hands, I won¡¯t let anything bad happen to him. You can rest easy and leave him to me.¡± I tell these words to her softly as I move the pup beside his mother¡¯s body so he can be with her for the last moments. Not wanting to intrude on them I give them space and slowly start to dig a shallow grave with my hands. Luckily for me the ground here is soft enough I won¡¯t need any tools if it¡¯s just the surface layer. ¡°Arwooo...¡± Hearing the little pups howl I turn around to catch the mothers last look. Seeming to use the last of her strength she moves her head just a bit, in a kind of nod towards my direction and closes her eyes with a final exhale of breath. The pup howls once more and lowers his head. I reach out and softly give the pup a pat on the head. ¡°You¡¯ll be okay little buddy, I¡¯ll take care of ya.¡± I decide to give him a bit more time before I move the mother¡¯s body to the shallow grave. He may be a animal but they still need time to mourn their losses. After a little bit he nudges my thigh with his nose and looks at me. ¡°You ready boy?¡± The pup looks at me then the grave and moves to the side, as if he already knows what going to happen and agrees to it. ¡°Smart pup. I¡¯ll be gentle with her.¡± It only takes a moment to move the body to the grave and before I cover her with the dirt the pup comes over to take one last look at his mother. He uses a paw to push a small pile of dirt in the grave as a final goodbye. After he moves to the side I finish filling the grave forming it to a neat oval of raised dirt. It''s not a deep one but it¡¯ll have to do for what I have, and it¡¯s getting dark so I can¡¯t spend much more time here. I need to find people¡­or at least a place to sleep for the night. While still in thought I start to stand up and stretch, I¡¯ve been crouched and sitting for a little while now so I''m a bit stiff. Thinking It''s about time to move I go to get the pup and start walking, but the moment I turn towards him he¡¯s up and poised to attack facing the grass patch across the grave from us. Chapter 2: Encounter Looking in the direction the pup was facing I realize what¡¯s got him so riled up. Emerging from the grass, seven shadows, all walking low and slow begin to encircle me the pup and the grave. Feeling overpowered the pup retreats to between my feet, tail tucked ears down softly whimpering. I can¡¯t blame ya little guy, I wanna do the same right now. I try to keep a brave face and slowly turn to try and keep eyes on all the shadows as they finish the circle and then I realize what they were. Each of the seven wolves looked similar in appearance to the mother I just buried, aside from being a little smaller. They continue to approach until out of nowhere a single voice is herd. ¡°Hold your ground.¡± The voice was quiet but loud at the same time, and had enough power to it that even though I wasn¡¯t moving, I also wanted to stop. I start to turn to look at where the voice came from, the pup beat me and began to bark. ¡°Grrrr¡­Arf, arf¡­.arf arf¡± While the pup¡¯s giving it to the person vocally I get a look at the guy. T¡­.tall¡­ He had to be over six foot. Standing there looking at the grave solemnly as if he knew the one buried there. Unkempt gray hair down to the middle of his back, wearing a simple grey cloak with a single black star n his right shoulder and a couple simple gold rings, he continued to stand quiet for a few seconds more. All the while the pup was still going at him from between my feet. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Again the force behind his words was incredible, but it felt more directed this time towards me and the pup. i stagger a bit just from the shock alone. Once I collect myself I look back at the pup whose gone quiet, just to find he¡¯s passed out. ¡°He¡¯s a brave little pup¡­..but stupid. One should know when they are about to enter a fight they cannot win.¡± The stranger looks at the pup with sad eyes. ¡°He¡¯s young you shouldn¡¯t be so quick to¡­.¡± I attempt to defend the pup and his actions but the stranger raises his hand to stop me from continuing. ¡°In this world, there are not many people who would show compassion to a dying beast. Much less decide to take on the burden of caring for their young, yet you are different.¡± He take a second to look up from the pup at me and into my eyes. Deep green eyes that seem as if they are looking at more than just my physical body, but something deeper. ¡°Not only do you take responsibility for her young and defend him when you had no reason or duty to do so, but you gave her peace in her final moments.¡± His eyes move to the grave, over which a pale blue haze begins to form and condense into a spectral form of the mother. She slowly walks up to the unconscious pup and gently press lays her head against his for a second. She then looks up at me, then my hanging hand, softly nudging it with her nose. Slightly confused I raise my had to be level with her face. ¡°I could hear the mother¡¯s cries for help, and even though I came as fast as I can I was too late. Through the entire ordeal I could hear her, but they weren¡¯t cries for herself. They were cries for help to protect her pup. Even in the end when she was at her last breaths, she still cried for her pups¡¯ protection. That is until you came across her dying body.¡± The mother gives the back of my hand a soft lick. I don¡¯t notice much until the spot she licked started burning.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°GAH!!!¡± I fall to one knee, griping my hand tight until it seemed like I was cutting off circulation. All the while the stranger walks closer to me and places a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Endure it, in the end if you can¡¯t deal with this minuscule amount of pain then how could you be qualified to care for one of my kin.¡± Slowly the pain in my hand started to fade and move up to my wrist. Taking a look I notice the shape of a crescent moon with a single black star forming on my wrist, no bigger than a standard wrist watch. ¡°You answered this mothers cries for help, when even I was too late. You¡¯ve shown care and compassion to beast that most would try to kill on the spot and you protected a pup that¡¯s not your own. All with no thought of yourself or looking for benefit. I, Titum, Leader of the Black-Star clan, and companion of Rasha, and father to the pup there before you. I grant you the crest of the Black-Star, our strength and powers are yours, and I give our protection for these plains and forest of which I rule over. Do with these as you see fit, and teach the pup well. When you come across another of the Six Great Clans, mention my name and they will show the due respect and cooperation.¡± After he finished his speech, the spectral mother beside me gave a single long howl. Soon followed by the other five wolves around me, and then nearby and in the distance I can hear countless howls throughout the plains and forest around me. Standing and turning around to look, I notice the number of wolves behind me has increased to an uncountable number. I do not know your intentions in this world Mr. Allen, but do well to know and remember. There are many conflicts and infighting between the humans and other races in this world. What you choose to do is not for me to judge, but I will be keeping eyes on you and my child. Raise her well, raise her strong, and raise her to be a leader who will one day take my place as the lead. Speaking into my mind, Titum said his final message before disappearing into the grass back in his animal form, quickly followed by the rest until only me, the pup, and the mother remained. Giving the pup one last lick she looked at me and slowly nodded and walked back to her grave. Treat her well, and raise her kind. If you head to the east you should come across some human adventurers. I hope they treat you well. Saying her last words the mother laid over her grave and the spectral form slowly started to disperse. Most of her went back to the grave, after which grass quickly grew over and a single white tulip rose out of the ground above her. Feeling another tingling sensation on my wrist. Looking down I notice some of the mist started circling around and began to get absorbed by the Black-Star Crest, but there was also some around the pup around the spot where the mother licked causing the pup to wince a little in pain in its unconscious state. I pick up the pup to try and comfort it as I begin to walk away from the setting sun. If this world works anything like my last then the sun still sets in the west, so if I go opposite of that I should run into the others the mother mentioned. Not too long after I started walking the pup began to wake up, but still exhausted from the encounter there was no struggle because of me carrying it. I began to go over the encounter in my head once more when one thing kept popping up at the end. Both the mother and Titum kept calling the pup a she, I guess I never really checked before I did i? Well not like I had a chance really. But just to make sure. I stop walking for a second to turn the pup over and look at its underbelly, still groggy there was no resistance and the pup calmly rolled. Huh, so you are a girl aren¡¯t-cha? Well now that I know what you are¡­what am I going to call you? I can¡¯t keep calling you pup now can i. Smiling to myself I roll her back upright in my arms and continue walking. I¡¯ll think of one later, for now let¡¯s just relax and walk for a bit. Chapter 3: Too Late "Oof!'' Feeling the breath get forced out of me my eyes shot open and i woke up in a panic. I try to get up thinking there was danger but i couldn¡¯t budge an inch. Looking at my chest i find the cause of my immobile status was due to a big ball of fluff sitting on my chest looking at me with a satisfied expression on its face. "Don¡¯t do that girl. You''ll break me!" I laugh a bit seeing Luna''s happy face and ruffle her fur playfully before i move her to the side off my chest. It''s been a couple days since the event and we were making way towards a small village in hopes of getting in contact with other humans. After walking for a couple of hours from the grave site in the direction the mother sent us we came across the adventurers party... or what was left of it that is. Luna found them first while she was scouting ahead and expending some of her pent up energy that she gained from her forced nap during the event. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2 Days Ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Come on girl don¡¯t go too far ahead. I don¡¯t want you to end up falling in a hole and disappearing." I yell after the pup who disappeared completely in a patch of wild grass. Who in response pokes her head back out of the patch holding yet another dead snake in her mouth happily. After looking at me from the patch of grass, she jumps out and trots over to me with her ''trophy'' dragging behind her. I can¡¯t count the amount of small animals and reptiles that she''s ''hunted'' and killed in the short 2 hours since she''s woken up. I was a little shocked when i noticed her physically growing while I was carrying her after the event and she continued to grow until she got to the size of a fully grown beagle. I was getting a little concerned that if she kept growing i wouldn¡¯t be able to carry her anymore and would have to wait until she woke up. Then i noticed the mark from her mother was glowing and slowly shrinking in relation to her growth. In the end the mark faded completely, her growth stopped and she started to wake up. "Good hunt again girl?" I ruffle the fur on the top of her head as she drops the snake and gives a little happy yip. Looking closely I watch as she sits there by the snake, watching as a little blue mist goes from the snake corpse to the pup and get absorbed. Since she doesn¡¯t respond to the mist i don¡¯t do anything more than watch then i start to put the snake in a hole and bury it. Can¡¯t just leave corpses everywhere we go or it might get some un-wanted attention from a creature bigger than the both of us. Thinking it¡¯s a game the pup kept taking the snake away as i was trying to bury it that then led to a game of tug-of-war for the dead snake. A bit morbid but it got a laugh out of me when i looked at her trying her best to keep it away with a serious playful look on her face. In the end i won the game, burying the snake and we moved on before she could dig it up like she did the last one. We rinse and repeat this game for a few more minutes enjoying the peacefulness and not really thinking about too much. I go to throw a stick that the she brought me, but mid draw i stop causing the once happy wagging tail on the pup to stop and she tilted her head in confusion. In the distance I can faintly see a single thin pillar of smoke, it wasent big so the first thing that came to my mind, a campfire! After a second she sniffs the air and bolts in the direction of the smoke pillar, quickly leaving my sight. "Wait! Don''t get to far away from me!" Yalling i chase after her towards the smoke. My heart beat slowly increasing at the thought of finally being able to talk to and see another human. It didnt take long to catch up to the pup and we slowed down as we came up to the campsite. It was just a standard camp, three small tents, a campfire with a cooking pot hanging over it and a couple logs around it for either firewood or seats. The fire was nothing but embers and smoke at this point and there wasent a soul in sight. Did we miss them? But if they left why would they leave their tents and cooking pot?Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. While in thought we start to walk forward slowly, the pup taking the lead. "Stay close girl, and stay alert. We don¡¯t want to get in a situation due to us being too carefree right now." I give the pup a quick order while still keeping my eyes up and scanning the area around us. Getting to the center im able to look in one of the tents with its flap open, I move a little closer and peek in, seeing a pair of shoes right at the entrance my hard sped up a little more. "Hey! Can you hear me? Sorry to bother you but I¡¯m a little lost and could use some directions." I wait a second but i get no response from the person, i start to move forward to shake the boot thinking he¡¯s just asleep but then i hear the pup bark behind me. "What''s up girl? You got something?" I instantly pull away and turn towards her. Not sure what to expect i kept my guard up, trying to stay ready for anything. I guess those years of mandatory service did leave me with something good rather than just how to kill. Looking at the pup I notice she¡¯s dropped something in front of her that looked like a large rock and was pawing at it like it was a toy. As I look closer at it I start to make out individual fingers and realize that¡¯s no rock, it was a prettified hand broken off a body. Shit! I rush back to the tent I was at and rip the blanket off the person hoping I was wrong, but I wasn¡¯t that lucky. Under the blanket was another petrified corpse, looked to be a young female adventurer sleeping peacefully with no knowledge of anything wrong. It didn¡¯t take long to search the rest of the campsite and find two more corpses not too far apart. One was in the other tent, like the first asleep, but the last seemed like he realized something was wrong and attempted to run away. Petrifying in the process and shattering as he fell to the ground, and was missing what I assumed to be the hand the pup found. I take a couple of minutes to gather anything useful from the camp and erect a simple Shrine for the fallen, just the sword stuck in the ground tip down with a pair of shoes at Its base and a leather helm resting atop the handle. It¡¯s similar to the ones I¡¯ve made for my friends back home, not religious in meaning but still gives respect and condolences to the dead. I''m sorry, I¡¯ll be sure to let someone know where you all are. In one of the tents I find the adventurers registration, a map and compass, and some gear including a dagger and some field rations that I decide to take for my own protection and survival. I know nothing about sword fighting fundamentals or archery so those are useless to me at the moment, but I still remember some of my training with the bayonet and my CQC so I¡¯ll just have to rely on that for the time being. I strap on a leather chest peace and arm guards along with the dagger to the small of my back and take a look at the compass and map. It''s not a high quality map but it at least shows me general information. ¡°Taking what Titum said, it¡¯s safe to assume I''m currently around here in the Farun Plains¡­.¡± Taking a look around I locate the forest in the distance and look at the compass. ¡°¡­Forest to the North North-East¡­Alright Girl, let¡¯s go. We need to start going North-West if we want to get to this village.¡± After I finish my planning I gather the supplies take a bearing and start hiking it towards the village. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2 Days Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Humming to myself and watching the grass piles shuffle ahead of me as Luna plays and chases small bugs, chomping at the air. She¡¯s grown again to about the size of a young adult Labrador, with silver grey fur growing on her chest in the shape of a crescent moon, hence the name Luna. Since the campsite we haven¡¯t come across anyone else but we have come across other larger creatures. Mostly just the usual wolves, foxes and small rodents, but the moment they looked at me and saw the crest on my wrist they lowered their head and turned away. I was confused at first but I remembered Titum¡¯s words and didn¡¯t give it much thought after a bit. [I grant you the crest of the Black-Star, our strength and powers are yours, and I give our protection for these plains and forest of which I rule over. Do with these as you see fit, and teach the pup well.] What did he mean by ¡®our strength and powers¡¯ though? While walking I decided to experiment a bit. I did notice that I was faster than before and got tired slower, which explained why when I chased after Luna my breathing didn¡¯t get heavy or burdened and my vision was clearly better then before. I picked up a rock and threw it towards the forest that was an easy 100 meters away. Not thinking much of it when I threw I decided to put all of my strength into it and lobbed it hard and a few seconds later I could hear, deep inside the forest not just at the start, a loud sound followed quickly by a mass of birds scattering from maybe another 200 meters inside the forest. ¡­¡­.whoops, I¡¯d better reel it in a bit and not hit someone seriously then. Luna poked her head up above the grass and watched the birds flying away with wanting eyes. ¡±No girl, you¡¯re not chasing them.¡± I laugh and scratch her head softly. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I can see a little smoke in the distance. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s a better result than last time.¡± Chapter 4: People ¡°Quick, we need more arrows on the southern gate!¡± ¡°Healers! We have wounded over here!¡± ¡°Get that wall reinforced immediately! If that thing comes again with its pack were done for!¡± Beside me in the tree line I can hear Luna getting antsy. ¡°Hold still girl we can¡¯t just appear out of nowhere right now. They are too on edge. We need to be tactful.¡± She lets out a soft whine but calms her tail for the time being. I''m sorry girl, but if we appear right now they might mistake you for an enemy and attack. I ruffle Luna¡¯s fur and look back at the village. We¡¯re currently in the forest tree line out of eye sight for a normal person, but thanks to the blessing from Titum I''m able to see that far with no issue. The village is just a small little hunting village, a few buildings here and there with a simple wooden wall encompassing the majority of it. At the moment the village has been under attack by a giant golden bristle boar about the size of a minivan, who in itself would already be difficult to stop, but with each wave it brings smaller boars that it gathers from the forest. So far from what I¡¯ve seen there¡¯s been no death on the village side, but that are getting worn out fast. ¡°BLACK BRISTLE BOAR SIGHTED! SOUTH SOUTH-EAST, COMING FROM THE FOREST! FIFTEEN IN SIGHT AND RISING!¡± I can heat the alarm bell sound in the village as the people re-man their position on and around the gate in preparation for the attack. If it¡¯s only fifteen to twenty Black-Bristle Boars then they can handle it, it¡¯s just when the Golden-Bristle Boss comes out that they start to get over run. So far they have been able to defend against the Boss because of a three man combo including a heavily armored tank holding the boar back while a ranger fires arrows at its joints and a mage in the back who¡¯s constantly healing the tank. Though after the last wave the tank took a hit on the side from a smaller boar while he was holding off the Boss, so he seems to be out of commission right now. The ranger has reverted to using his dual daggers due to his arrow supply being depleted, and the mage is out of mana and recuperating behind the wall. This wave is going to finish them if I don¡¯t do anything. Luna feels me start to tense up and starts to get excited, wagging her tail once again. ¡°Alright girl, lets help them out, but stay near me got it?¡± Luna lets out a soft bark in acknowledgement and we began to move forward in the tree line. As we get closer I can hear the ranger giving out commands to the various groups. ¡°Once they start to charge, stab the spears end into the ground and let the boars own momentum push themselves into the blade. They can¡¯t turn on a dime in mid-charge so as long as you brace properly the spear should pierce its tough hide. Archers and mages, aim for the joints and eyes. If we can immobilize and blind them then we can kill them with less resistance. Once you begin close combat, two men will take the agro from the boar in front while the other gets behind. When you strike with your sword go with the bristle not against. Those bristle are almost as strong as a dragon-newts hind end so you have to use its natural weak spots if you want a successful strike. When the Golden-Bristle arrives, do not engage him, I¡¯ll take him myself and hold him off until my team is finished recuperating. Are you ready? PREPAIR FOR COMBAT!¡± The villagers roar in response and prepare for the fight. They aren¡¯t trained soldiers but they seem to have had their fair share of fights, not one of them wavered or backed away. The rogue is also a competent leader, being able to calmly strategize and keep the men confident in their abilities. I want to get to know him better after this, if he survives. While they were getting ready for the fight, Luna and I repositioned ourselves across the plains to a pond about fifty meters away from the gate and we waited for the right moment to appear. ¡°SQUEEEEEEEEE!¡± ¡°HERE THEY COME, THE GOLDEN-BRISTLES EMERGED FROM THE FOREST AND IS LEADING THE CHARGE! BRACE YOURSELVES!¡± The boar hoard is about 150 meters away from the gate and 200 meters from myself. Seeing the giant golden boar charging even gave me chills for a bit and I gripped down on the ground in anticipation of the upcoming fight. At 50 meters away the men began to stab the end of their spears into the ground like they were told and prepared themselves. 25 meters. Some men begin to show some worry and start visibly shaking, or it was the thundering hooves from the boar hoard just shaking the ground? 10 meters. One kid locked his knees and passed out, causing two mages to have to drag him back inside the gate quickly. 5 meters. The first archer released an arrow than landed perfectly striking the first boar in the eye. Causing him to stumble over and got trampled by his own hoard. Impact. The sound or wood snapping and the board impaled squealing in pain as they blead out, filled the air. Not a second later though the Golden boss arrived with the main group and the close combat began.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. In three man groups the villagers were able to hold back the Black-Bristle boars with relative ease, all the while the ranger dodged the Golden boars charge by rolling to the side. As he rolled he used his daggers to slice at the boars¡¯ legs causing him to squeal and topple over. Not a moment later the boar righted himself and turned away from the gate and aimed at the ranger, fire could be seen burning in its little beady eyes. Charging once again, the ranger was too slow to dodge this time and got caught by one of the tusk, resulting in him being thrown over the battle and against the closed gate bleeding heavily from the abdomen. Seeing their leader get tossed aside like a ragdoll the men began to fall back in fear. ¡°Alright Luna, It''s our turn.¡± I pat her head and grab a small rock about the size of grape and launch it at the Golden boar. Hearing a satisfying smack as it made contact and caused the boar to turn 90 degrees, it gave us enough time to close the gap and reach the hoard. ¡°Luna, go for the small guys, I have the pig!¡± The moment I finish my command Luna practically disappears and I can hear the squealing for more boars dying faster than before. The golden boar, enraged by being hit with the rock begins to charge at me. Getting the timing perfect I dodge right as we were about to collide. Moving to the right i stab the dagger into the soft meaty muscle on the boars¡¯ side above his front legs, and using the movement of the charge I drag the blade down the length of the boar causing a large gash appear and spray blood on the grassy plain. Stumbling to a stop and bleeding heavily the boar slowly turns around to face me as I grab a broken spear off the ground. The villagers, who at first was in shock by the sudden help, reorganized themselves and once again began to take down the smaller boars allowing Luna to come to my side. ¡°You need a bath girl.¡± I look over and laugh at Luna who¡¯s currently covered in boar blood but still smiling happily with a bright glow in her eyes. ¡°Lets¡¯ end this fast. When it charges, I''m going to make that pig topple over. Then I want you to rip its throat out. Got it?¡± She gave an affirmative bark just as the boar began its charge and we ran towards it, a game of deadly chicken. Once again as we were about to collide I slide to the side, but rather than the dagger I stab the broken spear under the joint of the boars front leg causing it to topple once over itself. As soon as it stooped sliding Luna was on it. Her teeth sunk down deep in its neck as she ripped out a chunk causing a geyser of blood to come out. Not even given a chance to let out a final sound the boar died. When it died a large amount of blue mist came from the corpse and split into two groups, one to me and one to Luna. As it reached me I felt as if my arm was on fire causing me to grunt in pan and grip my arm. There was also a notification the appeared but I instantly dismissed it, reading in the middle of a fight is never a good idea. After the leader died, it didn¡¯t take the villagers long to take care of the remaining boars and it didn¡¯t seem like they really needed out help anymore so I grabbed a cloth out of my bag and started to wipe the blood off myself. I attempted to clean Luna up but as soon as I started I heard footsteps¡­a lot of them. Looking up I realized that we were completely encircled by the very same villagers we just helped out and most of them in the inside ring had spear pointed at us. ¡°Umm¡­.Hey what¡¯s with the iron welcoming?¡± I keep a hand on Luna to calm her down from the battle high and to keep her from attacking the people we just saved. ¡°What are you doing bringing that beast here?!¡± A bald muscle head like guy carrying a two handed halberd stepped forward. ¡°Well this beast just saved your ass. So I¡¯d appreciate if you¡¯d back off a little, she¡¯s still hyped up from the fight and I''m trying to calm her down now.¡± I stand up to face the man while keeping a hand on Lunas head. ¡°It''s a man killing beast, it needs to die! Back away from it and let us take care of it.¡± Pointing the halberd at Luna he tries to move forward but I grab the shaft and hold him in place. ¡°I¡¯ve killed my own fair share of men and women, far more than she has. So if you want to get to her, you¡¯ll need to go through me first.¡± I tighten my grip on the halberd shaft until you can hear audible cracks from the wood. ¡°Why do you defend the beast?!¡± Veins starting to appear in his bald head, the man struggles to pull his weapon free but with no success. ¡°First off.¡± I tighten my grip again causing the shaft to shatter. ¡°She has a name, it¡¯s Luna. So you will stop calling her a beast.¡± I step forward towards him sharply, causing him to stumble backwards and trip over a dead boar and fall on his ass. ¡°Secondly, I don¡¯t think you have the right to question why I''m with her when we literally just saved you from being killed by an overgrown pig.¡± I draw my dagger and hold it in a reverse grip wile Luna shakes her head and gets ready for another fight. ¡°But that¡¯s a bea¡­..¡± ¡°ENOUGH MARCUS!¡± A loud billowing voice comes from behind the mob of villagers as the split and make a path. ¡°This man and his companion are our saviors, beast or not. Without them not only would you be dead, but your wife and newborn child as well. So I suggest you refrain from calling her a beast again if you value your life and don¡¯t want your child to grow up fatherless.¡± Walking through the path while being supported by the armored tank, the ranger scolds the bald man and controls the crowd. ¡°Arora heal.¡± The female mage comes from behind the two and cast a wide range spell over the group. Then I suddenly feel myself get a little lighter for a second as all the dirt and grime from the fight removes itself from me and all the bumps and scratches heal. Behind me I hear Luna whining because she is clan now and no longer had her battle blood. ¡°Just a quick thanks for saving us.¡± The mage walks up in front of the mob and smiles. After her the ranger and tank come up to me. ¡°I''m Aiden, this heavy metal beast of a tank is Crom, and the one who healed you is Mar¡­.¡± ¡°I''m Marylin Tross, Nice to meet you. I heard you say her name is Luna correct? Can I please pet her? Please please please? She¡¯s so adorable.¡± I look back at Luna who has completely forgotten what kind of situation we are in and is chomping at the small bugs that are flying around her and the corpse near us. I sigh and give her the okay. So much for being a fearsome beast. ¡°EEeeee, YAY!¡± Squealing louder than the boars Marylin practically throws herself at Luna and starts to scratch her all over. Confused by the suddenness, Luna sits there for a second motionless. Though it doesn¡¯t take long until she¡¯s letting herself enjoy the love from the new friend. ¡°I''m sorry, Marylin loves all kinds of bea¡­ animals.¡± Looking as is this isn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s done this the leader reaches out a hand and I take it shaking firmly. ¡°Thomas Allen, and It''s not an issue. Luna¡¯s just a giant puppy anyways so she enjoys it.¡± We both laugh for a bit and Aiden tells the crowd to disperse and begin repairs in the wall or to clean up the corpses. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the bar and get a drink, you¡¯ve got to be thirsty after that fight. I¡¯ll pay¡± Aiden offers and motions to the village. ¡°Well if you¡¯re paying I¡¯ll gladly drink!¡± Marylin pipes up while burying her face in Luna¡¯s fur. ¡°You still owe me 30 silver for the last bar, I''m not paying for you this time!¡± Chapter 5: System Starting to walk back to the village with the adventurers, I watch as the villagers begin to gather and disassemble the corpses. Getting curious I slow down to focus on the closest one and notice that the villager was pulling out a small round ball that¡¯s glowing purple softly and putting it in a bag on his hip before continuing with the meat. [Skill Aqui¡­.] I dismiss the notification so I don¡¯t get distracted and walk over someone. [You have 8 new notifications.] Later once I get a chance to relax ill read them. ¡°So... Mr. Allen...¡± ¡°Just call me Thomas, I don¡¯t like going by my last name.¡± Thank the Defense Force for that. ¡°Ah¡­well¡­ Mr.¡± ¡°Thomas, I work for a living, I''m not a Mr.¡± ¡°Sorry, Thomas¡­.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Laughing to myself a bit. ¡°I''m not trying to be rude, but what level and class are you? The way you took down that boss, your beas¡­ companion, and just your air around you. I can get a good bead on you.¡± Level? I don¡¯t remember seeing one on my stats window. Maybe something new appeared. Hmmm¡­ Notifications? [You defeated a Mutated Boss. ¡®Golden-Bristle Boar¡¯] [Level Increase +7] [All stats increased +21] [Free Stat Points earned +7] [New System Interface unlocked] [New Skills Acquired] [Companion Level Increase +5] [New Items Acquired] ¡­¡­.ummm, note to self, read notifications for now on. Let¡¯s see what I have for stats then. Status!
Name: Thomas Allen
Age: 24 Level: 17
Title: Friend of the Black-Star Wolf Class: -None-
HP: 8,250/8,250 MP: 7,100 (+1,000)
Strength: 61 (+88) Intelligence: 61 (+58)
Agility: 61 (+89) Perception: 61 (+70)
Luck: 10 (+22) Free Points: 7
Skills: Dodge (Lv. 2) Short Weapons Mastery (Lv. 5) Throwing (Lv. 3) Sneak (LV. 5) Threat Perception (Lv. 8) Conditioning (LV. 7) Leadership (Lv. 10) Trainer (Lv. 5) Intimidation (Lv. 1) Innate Skills: [Can¡¯t Be Leveled] Coordination (+3 Intelligence) Camping (+2 Intelligence, +2 Perception, +1 Luck) Hunting (+5 Perception, +3 Agility) Interrogation (+8 intelligence) Execution (+5 Strength) Assassination (+6 Agility, +5 Luck) Restraining (+3 Strength) Marksmanship (+8 Perception) Room Clearing (+5 Intelligence, +5 Perception, +3 Luck)If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Siege Tactics (+5 Intelligence, +5 Strength) Governing (+10 Intelligence) Language Comprehension (+10 Intelligence) Base Defense/Improvement (+10 Strength, +5 Intelligence, +3 Luck)
Titles/Blessings Inventory Map
Titles:
Friend of the Black-Star Wolf -Encounters with any Black-Star Wolf or lesser wolf will be non-hostile. -Growth of any Black-Star Wolf companions abilities and levels increased by 2x
Blessings:
Blessing of the Centrial King -Titum Black-Star gifted you with his blessing. Carrying the blessing all Black-Star wolves will treat you as one of their own and will aid if available. +1,000 MP, +75 Strength, +80 Agility, +10 Luck, Intelligence, +50 Perception
Uhhh¡­.i don¡¯t know what is normal for stats, but I''m sure those skills are NOT normal. If raising my level by 7 gets me 21 points, then that¡¯s a three point gain per level, with an additional point to put wherever. Let¡¯s check the rest later, for now I better answer him honestly. ¡°I''m level 17, no class though.¡± ¡°Level 17 with no job?!¡± Aiden looks at me with a surprised and confused look. ¡°Especially with the way you handled yourself there¡¯s no way you¡¯re classless. Didn¡¯t you go to the Association when you reached level 10?¡± Starting to get a bit on edge I hesitate to answer, hoping not to mess up anymore and say something else wrong. ¡°Um... No I¡¯ve never been to the association. I¡¯ve never thought about it.¡± Looking suspicious Aiden stops and looks me up and down. ¡°You don¡¯t look local, or like you¡¯re from the capital. Just where are you from?¡± ¡°Pretty far away, I honestly don¡¯t know why I''m here or how I ended up here¡­ i just woke up and bam I was in the plains to the south-east.¡± Deciding not to lie I give him the watered down explanation. ¡°Do you have your ID? Or an adventurers tag?¡± ¡°No¡­in all honesty why I''m here is a long story, but I¡¯d rather tell it out of the public ear. Is there anywhere we can go and not be overheard?¡± ¡°The village chiefs war room. There are engravings in the foundation with formations to prevent eavesdropping. But for us to bring a person we just met that we know nothing of, it¡¯s not likely the chief will allow it.¡± Luna comes up and starts nudging my arm causing the leather armguard to move up and reveal the Black-Star Crest. ¡°Stop girl no playing right now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that? A tattoo?¡± Marylin caught a glimpse of the crest and became curious also trying to ask to defuse the tense situation. ¡°It''s just a mark.¡± I remove the armguard and show them the crest not thinking much of it, but to my surprise Aiden gets a serious look on his face. ¡°Marylin, go tell the Chief were going to need a meeting with him in the war room immediately. Let him know about Mr. Allen and hell understand. Mr. Allen, please follow me to the gatehouse so we can get you some identification.¡± Having a complete change in personality and posture Aiden began to walk to a building inside the wall without another word while Marylin, looking confused and concerned, runs off towards the village center using some magic to accelerate herself. I look to Crom for any explanation and he just shrugs his shoulders just as lost as I am. Scratching his head slightly he begins to walk after Aiden and motions for me to follow after. Hoping there would be answers if I do, I scratch Luna between her ears and we follow slightly behind. Getting closer I can see the wall and defenses are a bit more sturdy than just the couple of sticks and planks I thought it was. The Pillars are thicker than three phone poles put together and the wood planking in between is radiating with magic from the formations carved into it. The formations are faint but I can see them clearly, most likely due to my perception level. ¡°Don¡¯t touch ¡®em, ma pops helped make those barriers 60 years ago. I¡¯ll be damned if a foreigner is the cause of them failing because he couldn¡¯t keep his hands to himself.¡± A grouchy old man yelled from atop the walls down at me. He was fit and looked as if he could solo one of those Black-Bristle boars himself. That is if he didn¡¯t have that missing right arm. ¡°I''m sorry sir, I was just observing the formations. I¡¯ll leave them be¡± I apologize and run after Aiden and Crom who are waiting outside the guardhouse for me. ¡°Smart lad, hope he doesn¡¯t die too fast.¡± The old man knocks on the wood pillar by him with his good hand and spits off the side as he walks away to look for any damage from the attack. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him Mr. Allen, That¡¯s just Jacobis Thalin. His family has protected this village since its creation and they take pride in their work. He even threated to throw the Chief off the wall when he accidently dropped his knife and it stabbed into the wood a little bit.¡± Starting to smile a little again, Aiden Opened the door to the gatehouse and walked in motioning for me to follow so I do. Inside the gatehouse there¡¯s a single room with a pedestal in the center with a couple chairs and cabinets against the wall. On the pedestal a floating blue gem and a roll of paper are the only things I could see. As he grabbed a quill, ink container, and a small blade from a drawer to explain the process a little bit. ¡°On the paper, you¡¯ll first write your name and age. After that you¡¯ll place a drop of blood on top of the gem and it will do the rest.¡± Leaving it at that Aiden stood back and let me sign my name and age. C¡¯mon don¡¯t screw me over system. I put the drop of blood on the stone and immediately it started glowing brightly. In the middle of the gem I could see a black and red ball of light spinning around each other. The light slowly started to focus into two beams of light, one focusing on my heart and the other on the paper.
Name: Thomas Allen Level: 17
Affiliation: -None- Title: Friend of the Black-Star Wolf
Crime Level: -None- Class: Lesser Noble
Marriage Status: Un-Married Tames: Luna Black-Star (Lv. 30) (Black-Star Wolf)
I let out a sigh of relief after I see that it didn¡¯t show much. Though I did show some extra info that shocked me. So I''m a lesser noble huh, why do I feel like Midas had a hand in that. Glad to see I didn¡¯t get any crime level for scaring that guy earlier though. ¡°This is a Stone of Frunia, The Goddess of Truth and Justice. She granted these stones and the method to make more to the first human civilizations after she was helped by a lord at the dawn of time. It takes the truth of the heart and directly places in on the paper with magic. As you improve the paper will adjust to show your status properly. Though you do have to ability to hide information from prying eyes, you are required to show your full un censored status sheets to city lords, gate officials, and court judges if you ever get in that situation where you have to see one of them. Most times going through city gate you just have to show your name and affiliation and that is good enough for them. Returning to his usual self, Aiden walked back up to be and examined my Info. ¡°Sorry for being stiff earlier. Usually only high nobles have Blessings from one of the Six Beast Clans.¡± ¡°So since I''m just a Lesser Nobel you can risk being normal then right?¡± ¡°No, since were the only ones in here I can. Once we get outside I will go back to being stiff. No matter your class, that mark gets you the treatment of a High Noble, just shy of a king¡¯s treatment.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.im sorry, I don¡¯t mean to be a burden.¡± Aiden waves off the apology and smiles. ¡°You¡¯re good but we have a lot to talk about in the war room. Let¡¯s go.¡± With that we leave the building and begin walking to the larger building near the village center, picking up Crom and Luna who stayed outside while I was getting my ID. It was a short walk but I learned the basics of this village from Aiden and a bit of the current situation in the country. Right now I''m in Barun Village, A small hunting village also used as a forward outpost during times of war due to its relative closeness to the nation¡¯s borders. The village is 2 weeks travel away from the capital city Marnias, capital of the nation of Titual. There are three nations on the continent of Libas, Titual, Madura, and Silnad. There was a territorial war going on with Madura and Silnad that threatened to fall into Titual not too long ago, which is why the adventurers are here. They were a part of a preventive force sent by the capital in order to deter any thought of using Titual as a shortcut into the other country. Since the War was ended a few days ago, most of the preventive force already left for their hometowns, but these three stayed for a bit of drinking and got dragged into the battle earlier today just as they were about to leave. Chapter 6: The Chief The village is pretty small so it only takes a little bit to get to the chief building and the time passed even faster as we talked about current events in the kingdom. When we get close and see Marylin standing awkwardly out front waiting for up, Luna gets excited and runs up to her for more pets. She still looked worried but Luna did help calm her down a bit. ¡°Hey Aiden, the chief is waiting for up in the war room. Is¡­ is everything okay? What is so special about that mark on his wrist?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mark associated with nobility. You¡¯ll understand when we get in the war room.¡± With that he walked over to the door and put a hand on the knob. ¡°The Chief is a stubborn and strict person who is set in the old ways. You shouldn¡¯t have an issue with him but still mind your words.¡± Let¡¯s see how this goes. I don¡¯t usually feel nervous, but in a new world like this I don¡¯t really know what to expect. I ruffle Lunas fur for a sec and walk towards the door and open it. ¡°Welcome Mr. Allen.¡± On either side of the door inside there were four maids, two on either side, with their heads lowered slightly. The three adventurers walked through without even acknowledging them and continued to a table in the center of the room. At the table I could only see the back of sturdy looking man stroking his beard while looking intently at something at the table. Luna is happily sniffing the maids and looking around and I fast walk to catch up with the three. ¡°Chief, I¡¯ve brought the one Marylin informed you about.¡± With Crom and Marylin dropping to one knee and lowering their heads, Aiden remained standing with a fist over his heart and a lowered head. ¡°Humph, doesn¡¯t look like much to me. You sure this is the one who took out the golden boar?¡± ¡°Yes Chief.¡± Standing a head taller than me and twice my width the Chief came up and looked me over. He let off a strong presence and knew nothing about personal space but he didn¡¯t seem like he would hurt someone without a reason. Poking me in the chest with his index finger I was forced to take four steps back to regain my balance. Luna watching as this went down ran in between the two of us and bared her fangs at him. ¡°Down girl, don¡¯t start any fights¡­until I say so.¡± Whispering softly under my breath I put a hand on her head to calm her. Stepping towards me again the Chief went to poke me again but I caught his finger this time. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you stopped that.¡± Giving him a cold smile I tighten my grip on his finger and force it back towards him. ¡°May look like he¡¯s just a rook, but at least he has some balls.¡± The Chief turned around and sat back down at the table. ¡°Take a seat. Let¡¯s talk.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I look over at Aiden and the others to judge the situation, just in time to see Marylin smiling at me and giving me a thumbs up. ¡°Got it, come on girl.¡± Ruffling Luna¡¯s fur I take a seat across from the Chief and look at the table while Luna sits beside me, sitting just tall enough to look over the table. The table was a type of tactical map of the village and its surrounding areas. On the side there were mini figurines of different creatures that live in the forest and plains. There were also figurines of elves, dwarves and dragons. Cool maybe I¡¯ll get to meet a couple of these races while I''m here. ¡°So let¡¯s just get to the point. How did you get that crest?¡± The Chief look at me and went straight for the question. ¡°That¡¯s kind of a long story so ill just summarize a bit. Woke up in the fields to the east, ran into an injured momma wolf with this girl as a pup¡­¡± I ruffle Luna¡¯s fur. ¡°¡­The mother didn¡¯t make it. After I buried the mother a guy appeared with a pack of wolves and told me a few things and gave me the crest. That¡¯s the short sweet and simple story.¡± Hoping that would suffice I look at the group and the three adventurers all had a look of doubt on their faces while the Chief had a flat stern look. ¡°This guy, the one who gave you the crest, anything in particular about him?¡± The Chief leaned forward and cupped his hands. ¡°Hmm, he was tall, about six foot. Wore a plain grey cloak with a simple black star, on the right shoulder I think. He talked about the wolves as if he was one himself. Kind of weird guy if you ask me, but he had one hell of a presence. Just a word from him knocked Luna unconscious and put me on my knee.¡± ¡°Did he give you a name?¡± Looking more intensely at me the chief started letting out killing intent. ¡°Calm down, he said his name was Titum.¡± The moment his name left my lips the killing intent coming from the Chief intensified and he shot up out if his chair, throwing it behind him against the wall. ¡°Are you sure boy?! Think well before you answer, that is not a name you want to just throw around thoughtlessly!¡± Slamming his fist onto the desk hard enough to cause cracks to appear. ¡°I''m¡­I''m sure, his name was Titum the leader of the Black-Star Clan. He said that Luna was his child and because I came to the dying mother and gave her peace that he was bestowing upon me his clans crest.¡± Luna who stood up when the Chief did was standing by me waiting for my command to attack, taking a few steps back and getting low, prepping to have to jump on the table. ¡°Can you sit back down and calm down and tell me why you got so heated. I don¡¯t think Luna can hold herself back anymore.¡± I ask the Chief while trying to calm her Luna. ¡°Sigh¡­.Fine.¡± A maid beside the door retrieves the thrown chair and brings it to the Chief so he can sit down. ¡°I''m sorry for losing my temper. I¡¯ve been working of it for the last few years but I haven¡¯t had much of a success. As for why I got heated, Titum is a kind of local folk legend. It was recorded that he was here long before the creation of the village and even in the beginning acted as a form of protector for the new city. Occasionally when he came across one he liked of that showed great innate abilities, he would give them his crest and train them. Never ceasing to fail those given the crest went on to become the best leaders, politicians, and soldiers. But¡­about seventy years ago, right before war broke out between the countries of Madura and Silnad, he stopped showing himself and his wolves became hostile to our people. Most of the newer generation don¡¯t even know the name anymore but us old geezers still know his name and the legends of the six great clan leaders throughout the world.¡± Chapter 7: Smithy The meeting with the chief took the most part of the day. He kept poking and prodding trying to get more information about what happened before I woke up in the plains, but I kept that to myself. I don¡¯t know how they would react to me being from another world. Somehow I was able to change the topic when I mentioned the petrified adventurers. ¡°Do you mean Sera, Mortimer, and Cyrus?¡± Marylin piped up when I mentioned the location of the camp. ¡°She told me that they were headed to Ravers Peak to work on their anti-air capabilities¡­but I haven¡¯t heard anything from her since.¡± ¡°I''m not sure about that but I did retrieve these¡­¡± I brought out the registration and passed it to her. ¡°¡­that was also where I was able to get this gear, it was in one of the bags I found. I''m not sure if that¡¯s against the laws here but ill return them if there¡¯s an issue. Ill also mark on a map where their campsite is so you can go recover their bodies, if you want to.¡± Starting to cry silently Marylin was holding the registration close to her. ¡°Please do Mr. Allen, as for the gear you can keep it. It''s more use to you alive then it is the dead. Ill also grant a reward for the finding after we send a team to retrieve them.¡± The chief looked at Marylin then at myself and slid me a local map, much like the one I got from the campsite. ¡°I don¡¯t want a reward, please pass it off to the families of the dead.¡± I mark the location on his map and slide it back. ¡°Please let me go Chief, Ill retrieve them.¡± Softly Marylin speaks to the chief as she looks at the map. ¡°Alright but take Crom with you.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± With that, Marylin and Crom leave to retrieve the bodies, leaving myself in the room with Aiden and the Chief alone. ¡°Aiden, can I speak to Mr. Allen alone for a second?¡± After a moment of silence the chief speaks up. ¡°Yes Sir.¡± As Aiden stands he puts a hand on my shoulder and looks at me for a second before walking out. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Maids please leave as well.¡± ¡°Yes Sir!¡± All four maids leave in an organized line after Aiden and close the door softly. After another moment of silence the Chief stands up and pours himself a glass of water. ¡°Want one?¡± ¡°No thank you.¡± ¡°One of the boys you found was my son¡­.Cyrus¡­He was a dumb boy who thought of nothing but getting famous and fighting with hero¡¯s from the capital¡­.I told his he would get himself killed one day chasing those ridiculous dreams. Thank you for finding him and his companions.¡± The chief sat back down in from of me and got a serious expression on his face. ¡°You¡¯re welcome and I''m sorry for your loss...¡± Not knowing much else to say I give my condolences. ¡°Don¡¯t be, it¡¯s the fate of an adventurer. The thing to be worried about though is what caused their deaths. Petrification isn¡¯t a normal thing around here, maybe if we were closer to the Reaves Nesting site but that¡¯s a three week journey away from their campsite.¡± I look down at the cracked table map and find the location he was talking about. It was only a little ways to the south-east from the site but I don¡¯t know what the scale is on this map so that could be a far distance and I''m just being an idiot.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on interrogating you, you did help save the town so I guess you did earn a little lee-way. Now that you have an ID you shouldn¡¯t have any trouble getting into towns or villages. For helping save the village take these¡­¡± The chief tossed a bag on the table. ¡°¡­Inside you¡¯ll find some silver and gold coins to buy supplies, there is also a letter of introduction from me. If you take that to one of the adventurers guild branches there should be no issue with you getting an application approved. I don¡¯t know what your plans are but if you head to the capital, talk to Guild Leader Vancit. Just mention me and he should be willing to help you out in any way you need. Now please go, I want a few moment to myself.¡± ¡°Alright, and thank you for the stuff.¡± I grab the bag and walk out without argument, he seems like he¡¯d force me to take it anyways if I did argue. ¡°Hey Thomas! Is everything alright?¡± Aiden called out to me from a bench down the hall and waved. I walk over to him and take a seat beside him. ¡°Yeah, he forced me to take a reward for helping in the fight so I guess I can sleep in an actual bed tonight rather on the ground.¡± ¡°So you had no camping equipment? How long were you out there?¡± ¡°Maybe a week¡­I lost count of the days after a bit.¡± Scratching my head I laugh a bit. ¡°It didn¡¯t bother me really, my time in the defense force got me used to it.¡± ¡°Defense force? You¡¯re military?¡± Aiden looks at me questionably. Shit¡­I got slack and let that slip. ¡°Uh yeah, old history though, not the best of memories so if we could not talk about it that¡¯d be wonderful.¡± Nice save! ¡°I guess¡­.why don¡¯t we hit up John¡¯s store then, get you some gear at least and a room at the in. How much did the chief give you?¡± Obviously wanting to ask more Aiden seemed to decide to hold off and changed the topic. ¡°I didn¡¯t count actually.¡± I grab the reward bag from my side and look in curiously. When I opened the pouch I was greeted by a miniature sea of silver and gold. ¡°Holy shit man, that¡¯s a years¡¯ worth of savings for a top tier adventurer! You¡¯re gonna be set now!¡± Aiden surprised by the amount slaps me on the back and stands up. ¡°C¡¯mon we¡¯ve been sitting around for too long, let gt you some better gear! I know the Smithy here and he¡¯s top notch.¡± With that being said I was drug out of the building by Aiden followed by Luna who was thinking it was a game. We headed back in the direction towards the southern gate but turned to the right shortly before re reached it. About five minutes after following along the inside of the wall we come across a small clean smithy with two extremely dirty men hammering away on some red hot iron. Clink¡­tap tap¡­.clink¡­tap tap¡­clink¡­tap ding¡­. ¡°NOW!¡± Whack¡­Whack¡­whack¡­¡­. Watching from the sidelines, the sounds from the forging process filled the area. Going from gently tapping the metal to hitting it full force, enough to cause the iron anvil they are working on to sink down slightly into the stone foundation. It fascinated me seeing two people with such immense strength and skill. ¡°Done. Get that blade in the soak and prep some drinks, we have guest.¡± Putting the hammer away the older looking one turns towards us. ¡°So are you just going to stand there and gawk or are ya commin in!¡± He waved his hand and walked into the building. ¡°Let¡¯s go Thomas, he isn¡¯t the one you want to keep waiting.¡± We fast walk to get inside and follow the smith. Surprisingly once we got inside it was spotless, not a single speck of dirt or soot came in from the outside work area. Soft Cleanse After walking in the shop I felt the same as when Marylin used her magic on me. I look around and hear a little giggling above my head. ¡°He¡¯s a funny one, it¡¯s like he¡¯s never herd of a housekeeping farun before.¡± Sounding as if a little voice was speaking directly in my head I look up and notice a little person, maybe the size of a bat flying above me and Aiden laughing. ¡°Stop messing with him Lilac and come down from there.¡± From behind the counter the smith called out in our direction. He was also completely void of any dirt and grime from just a few seconds ago. ¡°Aye!¡± Flying down she landed by the smith and sat on the edge of the shops counter folding her wings behind her. ¡°Welcome to my smithy, what can I do for ya?¡± ¡°Morning Derge, just need some gear for my friend here. The good stuff too.¡± Slapping my back Aiden pushes me closer to the counter. ¡°Ah, who¡¯s this? Is this the rumored person who stole ya kill in the fight against the boar?¡± Derge looks me over and reaches out a hand. ¡°I''m Derge Trowl. The best smithy in the area.¡± I take the hand and shake firmly. ¡°Thomas Allen, Nice to meetcha.¡± Chapter 8: New Gear After explaining the situation to Derge he just nods his head and fiddles with a knife. ¡°So you¡¯re using a dead man¡¯s gear and weapon. It''s not ideal but it works for situations like what you were in. You came to the right place though, I can get you geared up no matter what your price range.¡± Eyeballing my gear once more Derge put down the knife. ¡°So what kind of fighter are you? I noticed during your fight you were quite handy with that run of the mill dagger. And you were fast so I''m assuming light or medium armor then? What do you say?¡± ¡°I do like short weapons, so maybe a short sword or long dagger would do, one with a little more weight than this one.¡± I put my current dagger on the counter in beside Lilac. ¡°I¡¯d also like some medium weight armor, I enjoy movement but I don¡¯t want to sacrifice too much protection for it.¡± ¡°Alright, I can make you a full set of medium armor starting at three silver for bottom line, six gold for my best. As for the dagger it¡¯ll be a specialty so the price for that will be about three gold and nine silver.¡± Lilac began flying around me with a string that had red marks on it as Derge was giving me the prices. I look over at Aiden since I don¡¯t know the norm for prices. He points to his armor and holds up 5 fingers, then points to his dagger and hold up a thumb so I''m assuming I get what he means. ¡°Sounds good, How about 5 gold for the armor, no helmet but if you have a hood that can block the rain that would be nice, and I¡¯ll pay the three gold and nine silver for the dagger. Though do you also have any throwing knives? I¡¯d like to look at them as well.¡± Thinking I did the right thing I look over at Aiden and give him a thumbs up just to realize he¡¯s staring at me with wide eyes. As he holds up a silver from his pocket and points to his armor. Oh whoops, I guess he 5 silver¡­ah well what¡¯s done is done. ¡°Ah hahah, I like you boy, here my sets of throwin knives. I only have three at the moment, from the left to the right I have, Iridum Steel: Light and fast but the most fragile of the three, Black Iron: Heavy, a little slower but sturdy and reliable, lastly we have a set of Sea Iron Daggers I was traded by some folks a while back. Being from the sea they will never rust and they have some type of obsidian in them so the blades won¡¯t need too much attention.¡± Looking at the three sets I was more sold on the last one. It had four knives to the set with one larger than the other three and the pouch looked to have been made with some type of sea creatures scales giving off a soft green hue. ¡°The prices for these three ar¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the last one.¡± Shocked by the sudden interruption, Derge takes a second to regain himself. ¡°Ah alright then, that¡¯ll be a total of twelve gold and nine silver. You can either pay up front or half now half after I''m finished re-sizing the armor.¡± After Lilac finished her measurements she fly¡¯s to the back room and brings out a piece of paper and passes it to Derge. While they look over the paper I get my money pouch out and put out the payment for the gear. ¡°Your size is just about average so I won¡¯t have to make too many adjustments to the armor, but the dagger will take at least two days to make to your request. If you sign this here it¡¯s an agreement of what you¡¯re ordering and the total price as well as the given time for completion. If not completed by then, you have a choice of either a full refund and no weapon or a partial refund with your weapon at a later time. Sound good?¡± Seems legit to me, guess I¡¯ll go with it. I sign two copies of the slip and keep one for myself as Derge counts the money and puts it in a drawn with the other slip. ¡°If you don¡¯t have a place to stay I suggest Mira¡¯s Inn back on the main road, its good food, security, and decent price.¡± Sliding the throwing knives over the counter to me he throws out the suggestion as we begin to head out. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll take a look.¡± I give a slight wave and then we walk out of the smithy. Aiden didn¡¯t say too much until we got to the inn and sat down at the bar. ¡°Missy, can I get a couple ales please? Oh, and if you have any more food some of that as well.¡± As he put down some silver on the counter Aiden calls out to a young female waitress behind the bar. ¡°And who this with you Aiden? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him around before.¡± Quickly putting a couple mugs in the bar in front of us while taking the change off the counter she looks at me then back to Aiden.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°This here is my friend Thomas, Thomas this wonderful lady if Missy.¡± ¡°My ACUTAL name is Missandra, but everyone calls me Missy. It seems after two or three ales saying a name longer than two syllables is a burden for these drunks.¡± Smiling Missy passes Aiden a plate of salted ham and potatoes, at least that¡¯s what it looks like to me. ¡°Hey Missy! We need more drinks!¡± Down the bar a group of drunks called out and started making a ruckus. ¡°If you need me just get my attention any way you can, see you later Aiden!¡± With that Missy bounced back to the other end of the bar and started serving the other. ¡°You¡¯re really not from around here are you?¡± I almost choke on my drink when Aiden ask me that out of nowhere. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Trying to play it off I let out a fake laugh and continue to drink. ¡°Well you look at almost everything around here wide eyed as if you¡¯re seeing it for the first time. You shell out twelve gold as if it¡¯s nothing when that¡¯s easily enough for a person to live comfortably for the next ten years. The way you hold yourself is that of a soldier but not stiff like the capital soldiers we have, and I notice how you¡¯re always looking for an exit and watching your back even though you¡¯re in a friendly area. That¡¯s not something normal people do. Not even most adventurers are at in guard as you are. I know you are a friend, but I feel like you wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill and it¡¯s kind of a frightening feeling.¡± Downing half of his drink on one chug Aiden looks at me. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make you an enemy, but I do want to know who I''m dealing with.¡± Sigh¡­ well I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it anyways. ¡°Hey Missy!¡± I raise a hand to get her attention. ¡°Can I get a room, one furthest in the back it possible?¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s three silvers for two days and if you pay an extra five copper you get a free breakfast in the morning!¡± ¡°Sounds good, here ya go.¡± I pass her four silvers. ¡°Keep the change, and if you can keep anyone from coming near my room for a little bit. Thanks.¡± After I pass her the money I down the rest of my drink. She leads me and Aiden to the second floor where the guest room were. ¡°Here you go! Breakfast is served until eight in the morning. Have a nice night.¡± ¡°Thank you again Missy.¡± I thank her then close and lock the door. Looking around the room it¡¯s just the basics from what I can see. A small bed with linen, medium table with a couple of chairs beside it and a simple chest with a lock on it to secure personal item throughout the night. Aiden was already sitting at the table so I took the other chair and sat across form him. ¡°Can we keep what¡¯s said here to just this room.¡± Looking at him I ask hoping to keep trouble from happening if someone else finds out. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a threat to the village or county I¡¯ll keep my lips shut, unless you say otherwise.¡± ¡°Alright, I guess I should start from the beginning. My name is Thomas Allen, but you¡¯re right, I''m not from here. I was brought to this world by someone from my world.¡± ¡°Who brought you here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, when I woke up I was in a white space with an old man named Milas. HE explained that I was picked by someone higher up than him and that I was to be sent here to live another life.¡± ¡°MILAS SENT YOU HERE!¡± jumping out of his chair Aiden yelled in surprise looking at me as if I was some holy being. ¡°Quiet down I don¡¯t want the whole village hearing you. But yes I was sent here after talking with Milas. I don¡¯t know why I was sent here or who those higher ups were, but I''m just trying to survive for the time being and have a fun time here.¡± Luna who¡¯s been feeling neglected all this time nudged my hand so I gently scratch between her ears. ¡°People don¡¯t just talk with Milas and walk away though. Throughout history there are records of him causing both good and catastrophic events to happen. One city was falling into ruin when he was rumored to have appeared, the next thing you know they dig into a mine overflowing with natural resources. Then there is a record of a man cursing the gods for something, then Milas appeared and destroyed the entire city, not even the children survived. You don¡¯t just meet him and talk, that never happens.¡± As if all his energy has been drained Aiden slumps in his chair. We are really gonna need to talk next time Milas shows himself. It doesn¡¯t take long to run Aiden through the chain of events from me appearing to now. ¡°So you not only met Milas and walked away, but you also met with Titum, got his blessing, and began traveling with his pup¡­..¡¯ Letting out another sigh, deeper than the last he slumps lower in his chair. ¡°¡­dude you are NOT normal. We need to get you back to the capital to meet with the Adventurers Association Head.¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s so special about him?¡± Curiously I lean back in my chair and relax. ¡°He kind of specializes in holy interactions. He¡¯s also been blessed by one of the gods. But you¡¯ll hear enough about him later. What did you do before you came to this world?¡± Looking at me Aiden ask what¡¯s been on his mind since I let it slip earlier. ¡°Ahh, I got drafted into the Royal Erikan Self Defense Force after I graduated school, went to advanced reconnaissance school and was attached to our countries counter terrorism and first strike squadron.¡± Resting my head on the back of the chair I decide to just let it roll out and tell him everything he wanted to know. I have no reason to hide it from him. ¡°Counter Terrorism and First Strike Squadron?¡± ¡°Yeah, when there¡¯s a terror situation going on my team was called to deal with it. When there wasn¡¯t a situation happening but we got some info telling us where some guys were who¡¯s planning to do bad we would sneak in, kill them and get out before anyone even knew what happened. Standard operation kind of stuff. After I left the CTFS I went to work for the local law enforcement in my home town and joined the K9 unit for a year but got laid off when my they downsized the force. Then I started working for my buddy who owned a construction and development company as a manager. Chapter 9: Memories ¡°Hey¡­hey Allen wake up. Ops about to begin.¡± I hear a voice softly whisper beside me while a hand shapes my soldier. ¡°I told you Aiden, call me Thomas.¡± Grunting I roll over and try to sleep some more. ¡°Sargent Allen. Get up, it¡¯s time to move.¡± This time a stricter voice came to my ears. ¡°I don¡¯t know who this Aiden guy is but you can dream about your boyfriend when were not in the middle of an operation. So get up soldier.¡± Soldier? I was just talking to Aiden in my room at the inn before I laid down to sleep. Sitting up I rub my eyes and stretch a little bit. After I finish I look around but was greeted by darkness. To my right someone throws something hard at me and it lands in my lap. ¡°Here, It''s your NVG¡¯s. Get them on and pack up, were moving in five.¡± Confused I grab the object that was in my lap and feel it. It''s my battle helmet from my time in the CTFS¡­.what¡¯s going on? I put on the helm and turn on the night vision goggles to look around. Around me are four other guys, all geared up in the usual gear for an infiltration mission. That¡¯s Private Kingston, next to him Staff Sargent Vincent and Second Lieutenant Brown, Corporal Nicholson¡­It''s the old Raptor team¡­Just what the hell is going on? ¡°Allen stop day dreaming. Gather your stuff and get over here, were going over the plan one last time before the op starts.¡± ¡°Rodger.¡± I decide to not think much for now and gather my stuff. Taking less than three minutes to get my stuff together I walk over and join the other four around an elevated rock with a map on it. On the map was a single compound and its surround area with markers placed around it indicating patrols cameras and animals. ¡°Alright this will be the last time we go over the op before its show time so shut up, listen up, and you¡¯ll live to see daylight. This compound here is owned and operated by the Peoples Liberation Force, the up and rising terror organization that¡¯s got a foot hold in this region. After last month¡¯s embassy bombing and the raid on the local government buildings that was claimed by them they have been put on our target board. We were given some Intel indicating that the leader of the PLF is in this compound as we speak. Our job, as it¡¯s always been, is to make sure they don¡¯t leave this building alive. We¡¯ve observed twelve roaming guards around the compound moving in groups of two, three on the rooftop and at least two K9s by the front and rear entrance. We¡¯re going to enter through the east side of the compound here¡­¡± Brown circles an area with a small group of buildings. ¡°¡­There¡¯s a hole in the parameter wall with a pump house, storage and small garage around it that doesn¡¯t seem too guarded so we will wait until the roaming guard passes and use that to enter.¡± ¡°Any idea on the interior layout or the forces inside the building LT?¡± Nicholson spoke up when Brown took a second to think. ¡°No, once we get in the building were running blind, but It''s not like that¡¯s It''s the first time we¡¯ve done it. The main target for this operation is the leader of the PLF Sandit Mirnad, Call sign Kingpin. His four generals have been given the call sign Pillar 1-4. There is no backup for this operation, if we fuck this up were on our own to dig ourselves out. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± A quiet but strong response followed after the quick briefing and then everyone picked up their things. I grab my weapon, a suppressed M4A1 with a simple red dot optic, and moved over to Vincent and got his attention. ¡°Hey Staff, got a sec?¡± ¡°What do you want Allen, we don¡¯t have a lot of time for idle chatter so make it quick.¡± Not even looking up from what he was doing Vincent replied blunt and straight forward. I forgot how much of an ass this guy was. ¡°Just¡­be careful on this one. I don¡¯t have a good feeling about the situation.¡± It''s like a burning hot iron jabbing in the back of my head. I feel like I¡¯ve see this whole situation before but I just can¡¯t put my finger on it. ¡°What are you a fucking fortune teller, don¡¯t worry about me. Worry more about keeping your own ass alive.¡± ¡°Geeze Staff what¡¯s up your ass? Did another girl skip out on a date before the op? What is this, four in a month?¡± Nicholson piped up and walked beside me. ¡°Good old Sargent is just expressing care for our one and only old man that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Ah shut it Corporal.¡± ¡°Thanks Nic.¡± Patting Nicholson¡¯s shoulder I go and group up with the rest of the team and we begin to make out way to the compound. Once we get to the edge of the area we stop to catch our breaths and observe the situation. ¡°Patrol just passed, we have about 10 minutes before the next one comes.¡± I take a seat beside Kingston and pass the report. ¡°Don¡¯t get too comfortable, we move in three minutes.¡± Brown whispered as he passed a canteen to me. ¡°Rodger that, when we move again watch your footing. The path is dirt so they could have places some I.E.D¡¯s in the parts they aren¡¯t patrolling. I don¡¯t want to have to tell Mary why her fianc¨¦e isn¡¯t coming home. She¡¯ll send me over the river Styx after you.¡± ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°What about you Sargent, when you gonna find yourself a girl. Being the lone bachelor of Raptor team is a cool title but It''s gotta be boring.¡± Kingston took a jab at my side and brought up the painful fact that I was indeed the only single person on the team.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Less people to worry about me, maybe after I get out ill start looking again. But for now I don¡¯t need the extra worry. Unlike you I didn¡¯t have the luxury of finding a girl right out of high school to hook up with, but that also means I don¡¯t have to clear my email every three days because someone keeps forgetting to do one thing or another back home.¡± Jabbing back I bring up the fact that multiple times a day back on base Kingston would get emails from his wife because he forgot to lock the garage so the dog got in and destroyed the trash cans or he forgot to set up the freezer so all the meat they had went bad and stunk up the entire house for a week when his wife opened It to get some steak for dinner later that day. ¡°Yeah yeah yeah, whatever.¡± Kingston took the canteen from me while laughing softly. ¡°That¡¯s enough bullshitting, were moving out.¡± Vincent stood up in the middle of us and indicated we get ready. ¡°I¡¯m on point, LT is behind me, Allen and Nicholson take our sides with Kingston watching our rear, understood? Good, let¡¯s move.¡± Taking a look around the corner Vincent indicated area clear and we move forward to the infiltration spot at the wall. Looking through we see two guards smoking by a door they have propped open with one of their guns. ¡°Allen, Nicholson take them out.¡± ¡°Rodger, I¡¯ll take the guy on the right, Nic you have the left.¡± Positioning ourselves on either side of the hole I count to three. On three both me and Nicholson fire at the same time killing both guards without giving them a chance to sound an alarm. ¡°Good shooting, move up.¡± Making sure the area is clear I dash across the yard to the bodies and scan the area making sure no one will pop up out of nowhere. One it¡¯s clear I give the signal and one after another shadows cross the opening and we stack up on either side of the door getting ready to go in. As the last person was crossing I started to think we were in the clear, but I remembered why this situation felt familiar earlier. This is just like the last mission I did with the CTFS before I get out¡­ if that¡¯s true then that means¡­SHIT ¡°Kingston stop!¡± [Click] Such a small sound was herd by all five of us. Just a small click to some, we knew that small click meant one thing. Landmine. Even in the dark I could see all color drain from Kingston¡¯s face. ¡°Sargent¡­.im sorry¡± With those final words the mine went off. Throwing pieces of him in all directions i was knocked over and shocked from the concussion of the blast. All around us alarms started to go off and lights kicked on as the guards came running to the source of the noise. ¡°Let¡¯s go Allen! We¡¯re going loud!¡± Pulling me to my feel Vincent threw a grenade in the direction where a group of guards were gathering. I go to pick up my rifle when I see a torso with a pair of tags on it thrown against the wall of the building, it was Kingston¡¯s. I snatch the tags from around the neck, or what¡¯s left of it, and shove them in my pocket. ¡°Inside now!¡± getting dragged inside the building Brown closed the door and locked it with a bar beside the door. ¡°Plans changed, everyone in this build is now a hostile, fire at will. Let¡¯s move.¡± ¡°LT, shouldn¡¯t we pull out. Were compromised, they know were here.¡± Nicholson leaning against the door with his pistol drawn. Voiced his concerns. ¡°It¡¯s too late for that now Corporal. We were too far in to just leave.¡± Brown stated the fact with a shaken voice. He¡¯s only been with up for a couple of months so he hasn¡¯t been on an actual op yet, this was his first lead and he¡¯s already lost one man. ¡°Hall ahead is clear, rooms are empty of people.¡± Vincent went and scouted ahead while we were still gathering ourselves. He¡¯s the oldest and most experienced, so it didn¡¯t take long for him to get the mission mindset back after the initial shock. ¡°Thanks Staff. Let¡¯s move forward. Remember check your corners and clear your areas we don¡¯t want any more mistakes.¡± Brown charged his rifle and started moving forward. At that moment the guard got to the door we barred shut and started trying to ram it open. ¡°We¡¯re fucked man.¡± Scared Nicholson backed away from the door keeping his pistol pointed at the center. Not being successful with opening the door a guard outside shot through the door with a shotgun creating a fist sized hole in the center of the door. ¡°NO!¡± After the sound calmed Nicholson fell to the ground. The round from the shotgun went through the thin sheet metal door and straight to his face. I pull the pin on one of my grenades and shoved it through the hole and dive away landing beside Nicholas¡¯s lifeless corpse. After the grenade goes off the noise stops on the other side of the door. I slowly get up and take Nicholas¡¯s tags as well adding them to my pocket with Kingston¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s move Allen!¡± Prompted by Vincent I get my weapon and we move forward. Clearing the rooms as we go we were able to find the stairs to the second floor. Holding up a fist Vincent stops and kneels by the door to the stairs. ¡°Voices on the other side.¡± Keeping his voice low Vincent pulls out a flashbang and motions for me to get ready. I nod my head and get on the other side of the door frame. ¡°Three¡­two¡­one¡­go.¡± Giving us a countdown Brown opens the door enough for the flashbang to go in and we wait a second for it to go off. [BANG!] ¡°MOVE!¡± Kicking open the door Brown moves out of the way as I rush in and fire at the three guys standing blinded behind the door. After those three go down Vincent and Brown follow me in and we begin moving up the stairwell. We stack up at the door on the next floor. Vincent in the front, Brown center, me behind him. Using his fingers to count down from three, Vincent opens the door and rushed out clearing to the right, Brown follows clearing the left and I follow behind supporting the both of them. ¡°Right clear.¡± ¡°Left clear.¡± ¡°All clear.¡± I tap on browns shoulder as Vincent stands and we begin to move down the hall to the right. Making out way through and clearing rooms we get to the last room on the floor. ¡°I''m down to 5 rounds for my rifle. Last mag for my pistol too.¡± Checking my gear I whisper to Vincent and Brown as they check their gear. ¡°Only have my pistol left, half mag.¡± Vincent racked his pistol and looked at the door. ¡°I only have one frag and flashbang left.¡± Dropping an empty mag on the ground Brown gripped the grenades in both hands. ¡°Alright I''m going to open the door, sir you¡¯ll thrown the flash in first, wait a second, then the frag, after they go off we go in. Allen you clear center to the left, I¡¯ll take the right. Got it?¡± ¡°Understood. Here sir take this.¡± I remove the full ma from my pistol and give it to Brown. ¡°What about you Allen? You¡¯ll only have 5 rounds left.¡± Confused Brown racks his pistol and holsters it. ¡°I still have my knife, just have to make my shots count.¡± I pull back on the charging handle on my rifle and check to make sure I was good. ¡°Alright, get in position.¡± I take my position on the right of the door while Vincent takes the left and Brown beside him. Pulling the pin on the flashbang and frag Brown nods at me and I crack open the door. The moment the door opened a single shot was fired through the crack and struck Brown in the center of his vest, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop the frag. ¡°Run Allen!¡± Vincent threw his pistol magazine to me and jumped forward landing over the grenade just before it exploded, killing him instantly. I catch the mag and slide it in my pistol as I jump to the right to get out of the kill zone. Brown started to get up using the wall as a brace but when he got up another shot was fired hitting him above the right eye, instantly dropping him back down to the ground dead. The flashbang in his hand dropped and rolled towards me and went off blinding me while I was still laying on the ground. As I slowly got my vision back I see a single person walk out of the room we were about to rush. Still stunned by the grenades I wasn¡¯t able to do anything but watch the man. Speaking softly to the point where I can¡¯t hear him he points his gun at Brown and shoots him in the head again to insure he was dead. He repeated The soft talking and shot Vincent in the head as well before walking over in front of me. ¡°Farewell and be free. May god bless your soul and lift you from this world.¡± Looking me in the eyes he aimed the pistol at my head and pulled the trigger. [Click] Chapter 10: Thief [Click] ¡°AHHH!!!¡± Waking up in a cold sweat with a scream, I bolt upright in the bed gripping the rough woolen blanket in a death grip. ¡°EEEEEKKK!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Hearing an unfamiliar squeal in the darkness of the room, I grab a knife from the sheath on the bedside table and throw it in the direction of the sound. [Thump] ¡°AAhhhh!¡± After hearing a thump I assumed the intruder was struck I jumped out of the bed and grabbed the remaining two throwing knives from the sheath and got in a defensive position while I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. ¡°Mr. Allen! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Busting open the locked door Aiden stood in the doorway in nothing but a pair of cloth pants holding his dagger in one hand with a lantern in the other. ¡°I heard you yelling and rushed over! Are you okay?!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just an intruder, far wall I think I got them with one of my knives.¡± I walk over to Aiden and take the lantern from him and move to there I heard the thump. Laying there on the floor with a throwing knife sticking out it its shoulder was a small child. It was wearing ragged cloth clothes with a torn and holy hood covering its head. ¡°Thief! What do you think you¡¯re doing in here?!I¡¯ll have your hand cut off if one item is missing from this room!¡± Rushing over Aiden grabbed the intruder by the collar of its shirt and lifted it off the ground. In the process the hood fell back revealing a couple of lumps on its head. ¡°Aiden, calm down it¡¯s only a child. No need to be so rough.¡± I light the other lanterns in the room so were no longer in the dark and I push a chair towards the child and Aiden. ¡°Sit them down in the chair, we need to remove that knife first before the questions come. I have things here, can you go bring me some herbs please?¡± Calmly I pull out a few rolls of cloth to be used as bandages and a needle and thread. ¡°A couple of cups and some cold water as well please.¡± ¡°Are you sure? It may be a child but it¡¯s still a thief.¡± Cautiously Aiden puts the child in the chair still keeping his dagger out. Adjusting his grip he causes the dagger to point in the child¡¯s direction. ¡°Eeek!¡± Letting out a small squeal the child makes itself small in the chair and attempts to hide. ¡°I believe I can handle a child Aiden. Thank you for the concern but what I need the most right now are the herbs and water.¡± Pulling a chair next to the child I observe what I can see noticing a bright blue eye peeking out at me from behind its tiny arms. ¡°Oh¡­Okay. I¡¯ll get them right away.¡± Putting away his dagger Aiden slowly walked over to the door and left, constantly looking back at the child. I noticed when he looked at it, he wasn¡¯t looking at the child itself but he was looking at the lumps on its head. Once he left I turned and looked at the bed to see Luna laying here looking at us. Not attacking the intruder or even showing a single hint of aggression towards it concerned me at first, but I decided it meant that there wasn¡¯t a reason for her to and that the child wasn¡¯t here to do me or her harm. I reach a hand out and put it on top of the child softly causing it to flinch slightly. ¡°He¡¯s gone now you can stop hiding, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Slowly the child poked its head out and looked at me. A soft face and bright eyes with tears building up, not the usual thief id run into back home. ¡°Can I take a look at your shoulder? We need to get the knife out so it doesn¡¯t get any worse than it already is.¡± The child shakes its head viciously and slides to the edge of the chair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for throwing it at you but you startled me and my instincts took over. I just want to help stop the pain, I promise.¡± Looking down the child slowly slides back to the center of the chair. ¡°Good, I promise I¡¯ll be as gentile as I can.¡± I get out of the chair and kneel on the floor in front of the child and take another look at it. The kid couldn¡¯t be more than thirteen years old, and now that I got a better look I was able to determine for sure it was a girl. She was small and frail looking but she didn¡¯t make a sound aside from when I scared her or when she was stabbed. ¡°Do you have a name?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Slowly she nodded her head. Wincing a little I looked at the knife and notices it was right beside the joint, so any movement ¡°My names Thomas, and this here¡­¡± I motion for Luna to come over here and she dose slowly wagging her tail. ¡°¡­is Luna, my partner. Can we know your name?¡± Luna walked closer to the girl causing her to flinch. The child backed up as far as she could into the chair and had a death grip on either side of the seat. Luna was calm and sniffed her softly and wiggled her nose. ¡°Luna back up a bit, you¡¯re scaring her.¡± I softly pet Lunas head while she takes a seat beside me. ¡°So you know who we are, can I at least know your name?¡± Slowly the girl relaxed her death grip on the chair and opened her mouth slightly. Nothing came out but she seemed to be thinking about what to say. ¡°¡­crisa¡­¡± Softly, barely louder than a whisper I hear her say her name. ¡°Crisa huh? That¡¯s a pretty name.¡± I smile and look at her trying to get her to relax a little. If I can at least get a minor friendship going with her hopefully she¡¯ll let me get that knife out of her shoulder. ¡°Now Crisa, I''m going to need to get that knife out of you before it leaves permanent damage okay? I won¡¯t lie, it¡¯s going to hurt but you¡¯ll feel better soon after it¡¯s out, I promise. So can I?¡± Slowly Crisa nodded her head and looked away from the knife. Lucky for her it¡¯s a straight blade and not serrated. It¡¯ll come out smooth but I just have to worry about the blood after the knife is out¡­ I grab a bundle of bandages and hold it beside the knife, ready to cover the wound as soon as the knife is out, and put on hand gently on the handle. ¡°You ready? I''m going to pull it out on the count of three okay?¡± Slightly shaking with tears in her eyes she nods her head. ¡°One...Two¡­Three!¡± ¡°AAAHHH!¡± As soon as the knife come out the blood being blocked by the blade was able to flow free. I quickly cover the wound and apply pressure. All the while Crisa sat there unmoving other than slight shakes from her silently crying. ¡°You did well. Once the bleeding slows down I''m going to stich the wound up so it can heal properly. Now, hold this bandage in place while I get everything else ready okay?¡± Holding back more tears Crisa held the bandage and I went back to the table to get the needle. As I was turning back around to go back to her there was a knock on the door and Aiden walked in carrying a bag and a try with a pitcher and cups. ¡°I''m back, i got you some basic healing herbs and the water. Are you sure you want to use these on it? It¡¯s just a thief and a criminal, it shouldn¡¯t be treated like a law abiding citizen.¡± ¡°Its name is Crisa, and I believe there¡¯s more to it than what we¡¯re seeing. She¡¯s also a child, we should correct and encourage growth in the young when they make mistakes rather than damn and discard them.¡± Grabbing the bag I walk over to Crisa and kneel back down. ¡°Okay, let me take a look and see how you¡¯re doing.¡± Putting my hand over hers to take control of the bandage Crisa looks at me in disbelief. ¡°Why¡­¡± Softly whispering as if she was afraid to talk. ¡°Hm?¡± Slowly removing the bandage I don¡¯t look away from the wound. ¡°Why are you taking care of me? I broke into your room and was trying to steal your stuff¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a child. You make mistakes and just need to be pointed in the right direction. If people just gave up on everyone then where is the future for this world? Alright, I''m going to start stitching now, don¡¯t move okay?¡± ¡°Un.¡± Eyes starting to tear up a little, I''m assuming from fear of the needle, Crisa makes a little noise and nods her head. I slide her torn shirt to the side of her shoulder so I can see the wound easier, it¡¯s a little baggy on her anyways so I don¡¯t have to move it much. When I do I notice some markings on her neck, it looks kind of like a tattoo but I decide it¡¯s a question for later. When the needle passes through she flinches a little but not enough to mess up the process. ¡°So why are you here Crisa? Where are your parents?¡± Trying to keep her distracted from the needle I decide to start asking questions. ¡°They¡­they¡¯re dead¡­¡± Finishing up the final stich I put the tools down and look at her. ¡°I''m sorry¡± Grabbing a few herbs out of the bag I put them in a mortar and pestle and start grinding them, adding a little water to turn it into a paste. ¡°Aiden can you please grab me a shirt her size? This one is ripped and bloody. I''m sure Missy would know where to get one.¡± ¡°But Thomas she doesn¡¯t deserve¡­¡± ¡°Aiden, please get me a shirt for her.¡± I hate to see intimidate on him but unless I did he wouldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Ah...um yeah.¡± With a cold sweat Aiden quickly ran out of the room to find missy and a shirt for Crisa. ¡°I''m sorry to ask, but can you remove your shirt so I can wrap the wound properly? ¡°Un...¡± Nodding her head Crisa began to remove her ragged shirt. While waiting I noticed the mark on her neck went all the way around her neck and had an extension that ended above her heart. She dropped her shirt on the ground beside the chair and sat back straight up. ¡°What¡¯s that tattoo around your neck?¡± Starting to rub some of the herb paste over the wound I ask about the tattoo. ¡°Slave brand, if I disobey an order it tightens around my neck, if I continue it tightens around my heart and kills me.¡± She answers softly as if she¡¯s afraid the mark will react to just the explanation. ¡°Slave marking?¡± Grabbing the bandages I begin to wrap the wound. Going over the wounded shoulder, under her arms and around her chest a few times to make sure there¡¯s a good tight wrap. ¡°Un¡­¡± Looking as if she didn¡¯t want to talk any more about it I decide to drop it for now. I reach out and pat her on the head. ¡°Were finished, how do you feel? Better?¡± ¡°Un!¡± Looking at me she starts to smile slightly. ¡°I''m glad.¡± I ruffle her hair and hit the lumps on her head by accident. ¡°Eeehh!¡± Pulling her head away from my head, Crisa covered the lumps with her hands. ¡°I''m sorry! Are you okay?¡± I gently remove her hand and look at the lumps to make sure I didn¡¯t hurt her. When I look closely I realize why she reacted the way she did. The lumps weren¡¯t lumps, they were ears. Chapter 11: Thief Association ¡°Ears?¡± Gently I slide my hand over and lift one of her hears to inspect it. For sure it¡¯s an ear, it¡¯s just folded over a little so they look like little tuffs of hair. So soft, Unconsciously i was rubbing her hear between two fingers until I heard a sound. ¡°Uunnnn¡­¡± Squirming uncomfortably in the chair Crisa¡¯s face was a little flushed and she looked at me with tears in her eyes. ¡°Ears¡­.sensitive¡­¡± Immediately letting go of her ear I back up a little. ¡°I''m sorry I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen someone with ears like that so I was curious.¡± ¡°Never seen ears?¡± Confused Crisa tilts her head to the side. ¡°Yeah, I only know people with ears on the side of their face like this.¡± I push my hair off to the side and reveal my ears to her. ¡°Beast race normally have hears here.¡± Crisa makes her ears move upright and then fold back down. ¡°Okay, do you have tails too? I didn¡¯t see yours when I was bandaging you up.¡± ¡°Normally yes, mine was removed.¡± Looking down at her lap Crisa responds softly. ¡°Removed? What do you mean? Why?¡± ¡°Master Tormu didn¡¯t like it, he told me to either hide it or he would remove it¡­.i couldn¡¯t hide my tail to his liking so he¡­.¡± Starting to cry some more I decide to stop her. ¡°It''s okay you don¡¯t need to tell me the rest¡­¡± What¡¯s with this world¡­Midas you have some explaining to do next time we talk. ¡°On another note, why are you here and what were you trying to do while I was asleep?¡± ¡°Un¡­Master Tormu told me to come here and take any valuables¡­but you scared me when you woke up¡­¡± ¡°Master Tormu again huh? So who is this Master Tormu guy?¡± Leaning forward I rest my elbows on my knees and put my chin in my hands while looking at Crisa. ¡°He¡¯s¡­.my owner¡­and¡­ a section leader for the Thief Association.¡± Gripping onto her pants Crisa refuses to look me in the eyes. ¡°Why did he send you to my room, and where is he now?¡± ¡°We followed the Preventive Force to steal from unsuspecting adventurers. He saw you leaving the smithy and your money purse as we were getting ready to leave for the capital again.¡± ¡°Where is he right now Crisa?¡± ¡°Nuh¡­ He¡¯ll cut my ears off if I tell you¡­¡± Trembling in the chair while having a death grip on the cloth of her pants Crisa refused to talk. I was about to try and get more from her when there was a short knock at the door. ¡°Thomas I''m back, I brought Missy with me and some clothes.¡± ¡°I''m coming in.¡± Not too soon after Aiden and Missy both enter the room and get a look at Crisa. Passing me the bag of clothes Aiden looks at Crisa and scowls a bit. ¡°So what are we going to do about her? She¡¯s a thief, and should be treated like one.¡± I open the bag and pull out a small green shirt and hold it up to Crisa to judge the size. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before and I¡¯ll say it again. There¡¯s more to it than what we¡¯re seeing¡­¡± I point to the slave crest around her neck and going under the bandage to her heart. ¡°¡­Do you recognize that marking and what it means?¡± Leaning closer to look Aiden¡¯s eyes widen a bit. ¡°She¡¯s a slave, ordered to come here by a man called Tormu. You recognize what would have happened if she refused don¡¯t you? Crisa can you lift your arms a bit please?¡± Trying to talk some sense into Aiden I begin to help Crisa put the new shirt on being careful to avoid putting stress on the wound. Aiden sat down on the bed speechless finally realizing that he was in the wrong.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Missy, can you watch Crisa for me for a second? I need to talk to Aiden alone.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Getting closer to Crisa, Missy holds out her hand. ¡°Hey Crisa, I''m Missy do you want to get a drink or something to eat from down below?¡± Starting to get scared again Crisa¡¯s eyes dart from Missy to me and back to Missy. ¡°It''s okay Crisa, she¡¯s a good person.¡± Putting my hand over hers, she slowly relaxed her death grip she had on her pants. ¡°I¡¯ll even leave Luna with you too to keep you safe, okay?¡± After hearing her name Luna popped her head up half awake and let out a little bark before getting up and trotting over. ¡°Un¡­¡± Crisa still look on edge but seemed to be more comfortable with knowing Luna is going to be with them so she lets out a quiet sound and slowly stands up. Taking her hand Missy leads Crisa out of the room, followed close behind by Luna. Once they were gone and the door was closed I sat down in the chair and looked at Aiden. ¡°So do you know who this Tormu is? Or the Thief Association?¡± ¡°It''s just as the name applies, a group of lowly criminals who think because they grouped together they¡¯re invincible. They began to really make an appearance a few years ago when the war was at its peak.¡± ¡°And what about this Tormu Character?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much other than what¡¯s posted on the wanted notices in the guild hall. He¡¯s a sword user in charge of a smaller sub group of the Thief Association that specializes in using slaves to do their dirty work. Last I checked he had a bounty of about 200 gold.¡± ¡°Was that bounty for dead or alive?¡± ¡°Either or, dead is easier since they won¡¯t have to deal with a court hearing honestly.¡± ¡°Who is able to claim the bounty? Is it open for anyone or do we have to go through the guild?¡± ¡°Open to the public¡­.why? You¡¯re not really¡­.Look there¡¯s a reason his bounty is 200 gold. Many people have gone after him, only to be sent back to the guild in several boxes. He¡¯s not someone just anyone can go against.¡± ¡°What will happen to the slaves under him when he dies?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­You won¡¯t listen to me will you¡­fine let¡¯s do it your way. It will be up to the lord of the area, in this case if he is in the vicinity of the village then the Chief will be the one who can either grant ownership to you, to the town and general workers, or free them. Most times they go to the town for a set amount of time then are freed if there is no issues.¡± Letting out a heavy sigh Aiden just gave up and told me everything I needed to hear. ¡°Alright. Tell the Chief for me taking down Tormu I want the slaves freed, he can keep the gold for the village if that will suffice.¡± Standing up and putting on my gear I clean the blood off the knife that I threw at Crisa and head down to the first floor to where Crisa and Missy are with Aiden in tow behind me. When I get close to the bar area I can hear soft giggling and smell delicious food coming up the stair way. ¡°Luna!!!~¡± Getting in view I see Missy chasing Luna around who had a chicken leg in her mouth. ¡°That was for Crisa, give it back!¡± Panting and out of breath Missy drops to her knees and gives up on chasing Luna. Crisa was just sitting at a table holding a cup and giggling at the scene looking more alive than before. When I came into view of the three Luna immediately ran up to me furiously wagging her tail with hopes of play time. ¡°Not this time girl, we have work to do.¡± Ruffling the fur on the top of her head I walk over to Crisa and sit down across from her. Seeming as if she could tell there was something off the stopped giggling and put the cup down. ¡°Crisa, do you enjoy working for Tormu?¡± She shakes her head no silently. ¡°Do you enjoy being here with Luna and Missy?¡± ¡°Un!¡± Nodding her head Crisa gives an audible approval. ¡°I can help you, but I''m going to need some help first. Do you understand?¡± Softening my voice I look Crisa in the eyes and hold out a hand. ¡°Help me help you, I¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t be put in any danger after tonight to the best of my abilities.¡± Hesitating Crisa looks down to her lap. She¡¯s scared, I can understand that. But I can¡¯t do anything if I don¡¯t know where to look for the guy. ¡°The moon¡­¡± Quietly, quieter than a mouse walking, she finally spoke after a second of thinking. ¡°The moon?¡± ¡°Follow the moon, you¡¯ll find his camp in the tree line. There¡¯s not many people, just a mage, an archer, and two swordsman¡­¡± Slowly she told me a little more on where to find him. Follow the moon¡­so they are along the western forest. I can handle five people as long as I have the element of surprise¡­. ¡°Okay Crisa, you don¡¯t have to say anything else. Missy can you watch over her for the night? I¡¯ll pay for her care when I get back.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll gladly watch her.¡± Smiling missy put a hand on Crisa¡¯s shoulder and squeezed softly. ¡°Aiden can you go inform the Chief of the location of Tormu and his men? Let him know not to send anyone until the morning if you haven¡¯t heard anything from me, and Luna you stay with Crisa and watch over her while I''m gone okay?¡± ¡°Wait you¡¯re not taking Luna with you? Do you think you¡¯re invincible?¡± ¡°No I''m not invincible, but I know what I''m doing. I want Crisa to be protected while I''m gone just in case someone is watching her. You can¡¯t be too careful.¡± With that I stand up and start to walk to the door, but I stop short when I feel someone tugging on the back of my shirt. I turn around to find Crisa looking at me with tears down her cheeks. ¡°Please don¡¯t die.¡± Putting a hand on top of her head and giving Crisa a soft smile I leave the building and head to the western gate. Wind feels nice, I¡¯ll need about thirty to forty five minutes for my eyes to completely adjust to the dark normally. Luckily for me it¡¯s a new moon tonight, less light to worry about. Walking fast but not running, I pass through the gate and into the fields outside the village. Since there¡¯s no lights out this far I had to slow down to let my eyes adjust some more.
It take about a half hour for me to get to the tree line of the western forest, by that time my eyes have completely readjusted to the low light so my vision wasn¡¯t impaired too much. Slowing down to a snail¡¯s pace I scan the forest looking for any sign of human life while weaving in and between the trees. After walking about a little ways into the forest I start to see a slight flickering in the distance. Watching my steps to ensure I don¡¯t step on any twigs or make any un-necessary noise, I pick up the pace until a camp was in clear view and I hide behind a tree to observe and plan by next moves.