《The World Of Dreams Book 1: Azeroth Continent》 Chapter 1- The World Of Dreams
Zal¡¯s first thought was, am I dead? The last thing he remembers is being hit by a car. Oh, what terrible luck! Zal thought that him being named Zal was bad enough, but being hit by a car?! I mean, seriously? The chances of it happening are one in 4,092! But it seems like, he is not dead yet.
Or is it the afterlife? Zal opens his eyes to find himself in a room that seems fit for peasants. There was first piled in one conspicuous corner, while a big desk with a messy pile of books was on the other. And the bed Zal was on was right smack-dab in the middle of the chaos. But before Zal could react, a voice sounded in his ear, followed by a torrent of memories. [Subject Zal has died from an unlucky incident. Transporting him to planet #2261. Injecting consciousness into Zal from planet #2261. Automatically start with grade 1 village, grade 1 house, and a rank 1 subordinate]Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Zal found out that the Zal that he got ¡°transferred into¡±, was a lord of a village called Vassal. He was laregely hated in the village because of his perverted nature and rude and arrogant behavior. He was supposed to be married off to a girl from a prominent family and a big city, but got rejected because of his behavior, and in part because his territory was too small. Zal smacked himself in the head. How could he be so unlucky! If this was a game, his luck stat of 1 probably got transferred over. Just as he was thinking this, the voice sounded again. Just where did it come from?! Zal looked around his room wildly, but couldn¡¯t see anyone. [Subject Zal can automatically open stats window with a thought. Just think, stats window] Zal sat there dumbfoundly for a minute, before thinking stats window. Zal Level 1 Territory: Vassal Village (grade 1) Property: Shabby Shack (grade 1) Population: 30 Subordinates (1): Millard Luck: 10 Strength: 2 Charm: 1 Intelligence: 1 Money: 0 The voice sounded again. [More stats will get added as you progress in the World Of Dreams. Good luck Subject Zal!] Chapter 2- Alice Zal almost doubled over from all the messages. His head was swimming. Village grade 1??? Strength of 2?? Luck of 10? This didn¡¯t make any sense! Then he remembered. The weird voice! That¡¯s right, he could just ask the weird voice! But firstly, maybe knowing ¡°it¡¯s¡± name would be better. So he asked ¡°it¡± and this is the reply he got. [my name is Zal. I am you. You can ask me questions about the World Of Dreams and I can happily answer you!] So¡­. Zal is talking to himself?!? That¡¯s crazy! But also cool at the same time, or at least Zal thought. ¡°Zal¡± also mentioned that he can answer any question about the World Of Dreams, so Zal grilled ¡°Zal¡± on WOD (World Of Dreams for short, and what it will be called from now on). Zal learned that the strength and intelligence stat could go up to 20, and luck and charm had 10 as max. Who knew he had max luck?! Maybe it was karma. But, he also learned that the max stats represented only the max for that layer of WOD. As ¡°Zal¡± put it, once Zal cleared all 3 layers of the WOD, he would be finished. As to what that meant, Zal had no idea, but this was the only clue he¡¯d gotten till date about how to beat the WOD, so he will take this matter to heart. Zal also learned that in this weird world he was in, there were warriors and magicians. Warriors were divided into ranks based on their strength. Every 2 strength stat was a rank, and rank 10 was max. It was said that rank 10 warriors could lift mountains and punch rocks! Magicians were similarly divided into ranks based on their magic stat. Zal found out he didn¡¯t have a magic stat. His heart sunk. Did that mean he had no chance to be a magician? But this was a question for the future. Village and house grades were the same. They each went up to grade 10. Every 100% increase in the village was an upgrade in grade, and the grade of the house correlated to Zal¡¯s levels. Every 10 levels, the house will increase a grade. At level 90, his house would be max. To increase levels, you had to kill monsters and gain EXP, like any typical RPG. Aside from this information, ¡°Zal¡± refused to talk any further, and Zal would just have to find everything out on his own. As he was pondering his future while lying in bed, he realized. Maybe he should explore the village first and get to know everybody! Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Zal hurriedly got dressed and sprinted out the door. What greeted Zal was complete silence. Vassal village seemed strangely quiet. Zal was weirded out. What was going on? Vassal village was a ¡°square village¡±, in other words, it was gridlike, with the most important house in the center. This was why, when Zal came out, he could see half the village. Zal was confused. What happened to everyone? He kept wandering around the village until a fist came flying at his face. It left behind a white trail, and Zal knew it was really powerful. He sidestepped at the last moment, avoiding a potentially bruised face. He got a clear look at his aggressor. It was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair. Zal remembered her. It was Alice! The girl the previous Zal tried to rape. Zal didn¡¯t know what the previous Zal was thinking, but this girl was a Rank 6 warrior! She was deemed a prodigy. She was only 16 this year, the same age as playboy Zal. Zal only had a strength of 2, while Rank 6s had a strength of 12. They just couldn¡¯t be compared! Alice sent fist after fist as Zal tried desperately to dodge. In his last life, Zal had some experience fighting, but not much. And his meager experience was showing. Once there was an opening, Alice would jab him. And it hurt. A lot. Zal could just meekly plead for her to stop. ¡°I¡ª-I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡ª try to assault you,¡± he said weakly. And for the first time, there was a change in Alice¡¯s expression. One must know, the previous Zal was very arrogant. So why was he trying to apologize? Alice stared at Zal curiously. Zal sighed in relief. At least she had stopped trying to hit him. Now was to try to reduce the damage to his face and body as much as possible. He played his weak card. ¡°I¡¯m just a Rank 1 warrior Alice, maybe we could just talk it out.¡± He suggested. But apparently, that was the wrong reason. As Alice¡¯s gaze turned cold. She humphed and resumed punching him. ¡°Did you think about that when you tried to rape me?¡± She said, he gaze piercing cold. Zal felt cold sweat dripping down his back. Zal, oh Zal. You could have at least thought things through a bit. At this point, there were bruises all over his body, and his legs were exhausted from dodging too much. On the other hand, Alice looked full of life and looked ready to beat the cookies out of him. Zal sighed bitterly. This was the gap between Rank 1 and Rank 6. Zal basically gave up at this point. He stopped dodging and let the strikes hit him. He just stood there as blow after blow hit him. Alice was surprised. Zal was believed to be a coward, and she thought he¡¯d run away. Her lips curled up. All the better, Alice thought. This is for the village, and everyone you abandoned or treated wrongly. That¡¯s what her hits seemed to say. And Zal welcomed them all. And when he finally fell down unconscious, he had a feeling of a large burden being lifted off his back. Chapter 3- Millard the OP financial advisor! A few hours after Zal fell unconscious, a strange man entered Vassal Village. His way of dressing seemed to say one thing¡ª¡ª¡°top class!¡± So what could someone like him be doing in a small village like Vassal? That was Alice¡¯s first thought as she greeted him. ¡±How May I help sir today?¡± Alice asked as the strange man sat down in her room. ¡±I am here to look for someone.¡± He said, while taking a sip of tea that Alice prepared for him. ¡°I believe his name is Zal.¡± Alice almost fell over after she heard him. Zal, that pervert?! She couldn¡¯t believe it. She tried to keep her calm. ¡°May I know your name, sir?¡± ¡±Millard Fox.¡± Millard Said. this time, Alice actually fell over. She rolled on the ground in pain. Millard Fox! He was actually Millard Fox! He was one of the richest men on Azeroth, and he owned the largest bank, Fox Bank! So why was he here, looking for Zal? ¡±Sir, Zal is currently¡ª¡ªresting. May I know what sir is here for?¡± Asked Alice. Millard twitched his well proportioned mustache. ¡°He is my new master, and I am here to be of service to him.¡± what?!? Alice choked on the tea. Master?! How did a perverted and good-for-nothing country boy get Millard as a subordinate? She¡¯ll have to ask him later. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll see if he¡¯s up yet.¡± Said Alice, and she hurriedly walked out of the room. Millard sat in the chair in deep thought. It seemed the people of Vassal didn¡¯t have a particularly good opinion of his young master. His lips curled into a smile. *** Zal woke up feeling groggy. He groaned. Getting beat up really takes a toll on you! He sighed. At least he slightly repaired the dang arm the old Zal had done. This was going to be a long term project to win back the people¡¯s trust. And plus, where was Millard, his subordinate? He just realized this. He searched his memories of the old Zal and isn¡¯t find anyone named Millard in Vassal. Just as Zal was pondering this, the door opened and Alice walked in. Alice seemed really confused, and Zal didn¡¯t know why. ¡±Do you know someone named Millard?¡± She asked him, looking at him carefully. Zal¡¯s face lit up. Finally! Millard probably arrived in the village when he was unconscious. Such bad luck! Zal still couldn¡¯t believe his luck stat was max. ¡±Yes!¡± Said Zal excitedly. ¡°Where is he?¡± Alice sighed. ¡°In the waiting room.¡± Zal scurried out of bed. But on the way out, he tripped on a loose floorboard. Thankfully, Alice was there and she caught him. Zal muttered a quick thank you and rushed out the room. Not turning to look back at the red face of Alice. *** When Zal got to the waiting room, Millard was there and greeted him. ¡°Young Master Zal.¡± He Said while bowing. Zal laughed. ¡°Millard! Perfect timing.¡± At this moment, the ¡°Zal¡± talked to him. [Look at Millard¡¯s stats?] Zal hurriedly thought yes. Millard Fox Rarity (Rank 10)Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. OP financial advisor. Master: Zal Perks: OP salesman (all goods make 20% more money) charismatic (relationships with people +5%) Millard Fox, a financial god. Owns the biggest bank on Azeroth, Fox Bank. Extremely charismatic and smart, Millard is the best for people just starting out in life. Zal¡¯s jaws dropped. Rank 10 rarity! The highest rank! OP financial advisor! Biggest bank of Azeroth! Zal nearly danced in joy. His max luck stat was not just for show! Zal hurriedly sat down. His eyes radiated joy. ¡°Millard, can a branch of Fox Bank move into Vassal?¡± Millard looked at Zal in amusement. He saw himself when he was younger in his young master. ¡°Yes. But it¡¯ll take a few months.¡± ¡±Can I also get loaned money from the bank?¡± Zal asked. Then he realized it was a stupid question. The owner of the bank was his subordinate! If he couldn¡¯t get money, wasn¡¯t it just a scam? Millard laughed. ¡°Of course. And with zero interest young master.¡± Zal pondered for a while. How much should he get? He didn¡¯t want to be too greedy, but seeing his money stat of 0 was just too depressing. ¡°10,000!¡± Said Zal. Millard nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get right to it young master.¡± Zal nodded too, happy. ¡°Can sir stay in Vassal for a few days to advise me on economics?¡± Millard laughed. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave mister then!¡± Zal Said, and stood up and turned to leave the room. ¡°Wait!¡± Millard called out. ¡°Don¡¯t call me mister, just call me Millard.¡± Zal nodded, and left. *** A week later. Vassal Village was bustling. On the outskirts of the village, near the plains, there were a group of farmers. They were talking to Zal about the current food crisis. Millard was behind Zal. ¡±We barely harvest enough each year for our families!¡± One farmer complained. ¡°Much less for the rest of Vassal!¡± Zal stood still, thinking seriously. ¡°How much land do you own?¡± ¡°About 100 acres total!¡± Replied the same farmer. ¡°But there are just so many pests that about half of the crops die!¡± Zal frowned. Right now, dealing with pests was outside his current ability. His only asset was Millard. ¡°Can you buy 50 acres of food?¡± Zal asked, turning to Millard. Millad nodded. ¡°Easily. I can even purchase 60 if you want to stockpile some just in case.¡± ¡±good idea!¡± Said Zal. Having an OP financial was great! Zal bid the farmers goodbye, and left with Millard. ¡±your getting better.¡± Said Millard. He wasn¡¯t praising Zal on his work around Vassal. During the week, Zal had been very busy. He fixed the water shortage and food shortage. He even organized a team to go to the nearest town to buy miscellaneous supplies, now that Vassal has sufficient funds. This was all because of Millard. He loaned Zal 10,000, and the people setting up the Fox Bank branch had already arrived. When Zal walked into the village, many people greeted him with a smile. Zal smiled back. Lately his popularity had been growing, and people mostly started to forget the bad things he had done in the past. Well, except for one person. Zal bid Millard goodbye, and walked over to Alice¡¯s house. He walked in to see Alice busy in the kitchen. Alice was surprisingly a good cook. Zal just leaned on the wooden doorway, watching her work. Zal sighed. She would make a great wife. Alice turned around and saw him. ¡°Zal, what are you looking at, creep! Still have your perverted antics huh?!¡± She looked angry, but Zal knew she want that angry. Lately, after Zal visited her house everyday, she seemed to become friendlier to him. Zal didn¡¯t know whether this was because he was nicer to her, or if she developed feelings for him. Zal scoffed at the second one. Such a crazy woman, why would she like him? Too be honest, Zal had a crush on her. And practically every other male in Vassal. Every time she moved it was graceful, and plus, she was a genius. She was already a Rank 6 warrior. That was one step away from being an advanced warrior! Zal had learned about the warrior ranks over the days he was in town. Ranks 1 to 3 was beginner, and 90% of the population in Azeroth was a beginner warrior. 4 to 6 was intermediate. About 10% of talented people would be in this rank. But 7 to 9 was the real deal. Advanced warrior were really rare, and only took up 9% of the populations. To step into the advanced realm not only required talent, but hard work. Word around Vassal was Alice was really close to stepping into the advanced realm, and all she needed was some real combat experience. As for top ranked warriors of rank 10, they were as scarce as water in the desert. People said rank 10 warriors were only a step away from Baron rank, the next supposed rank. Barons didn¡¯t exist on Azeroth. Or do they say. Zal¡¯s goal was to reach Baron rank. ¡°Do you want to go hunting with me?¡± Zal asked out if the blue. He knew Alice was only a step away from rank 7. Alice looked at Zal. After a moment of silence she agreed. ¡°But you have to take care of yourself! Don¡¯t expect me to save a petty rank 1 warrior every time your in trouble.¡± Zal nodded. ¡°Arcane fields?¡± Arcane fields was the nearest hunting ground to Vassal, and the monsters there were pretty low level. Except there were some boss monsters at Rank 6. But there were no advanced rank monsters. People said that if a monster reached rank 7, they would be intelligent. Zal had never met one, so he wouldn¡¯t know. Alice nodded. ¡°Scared? It¡¯s probably your first time facing rank 3s and up.¡± She smirked. Zal laughed. ¡°Nope, since I¡¯m with you.¡± Alice¡¯s face turned red, and she ran over and slammed the door in Zal¡¯s face. Zal slyly grinned as he walked back to his house. Chapter 4- Arcane Fields Hunting Fox Bank Headquarters. A day after Zal¡¯s transmigration. Millard sat in a desk in a meeting room. The most important members of Fox Bank were all there. ¡°May I know what sir has called us here for?¡± Asked a major shareholder. Everyone else nodded. This was the first time all the important people of Fox Bank were gathered in one place. They all wondered what was going on that was this important. They were all important people outside of Fox Bank too, and they created a tiny slot in their packed schedule to attend this meeting. Millard coughed. ¡°There is going to be a very important change implemented today in Fox Bank.¡± All the people were shocked. They had all known Millard for a decent period of time, and even selling half the bank couldn¡¯t be considered ¡°important¡± to Millard. That just made them more curious. What was going on? ¡°We are adding a major branch in Vassal. This will also become our main branch in the future.¡± Millard said. Uproar. Vassal? Many of them had never heard of Vassal. Was it this important that Millard was even transferring the main branch there? Many of the shareholders frowned. They could tell the Bank was moving to an unknown location, and they didn¡¯t want to risk their investments. ¡±I¡¯m withdrawing my share from Fox Bank.¡± Announced a shareholder. Silence. Then one by one, shareholders began withdrawing from Fox Bank. Millard watched the scene and sighed. He had a feeling this was going to happen. If he was a shareholder he would have done the same thing. By now, almost half of the shareholders withdrew. ¡°Anymore?¡± Millard Said, his piercing gaze sweeping over the shareholders left. The shareholders left couldn¡¯t help but feel a shiver down their back. This was Millard Fox, pronounced genius in finance and owner of the largest bank on Azeroth. They all sighed, and shook their heads. They had confidence in Millard, as they had seen all the miracles he had produced. Millard nodded his head, satisfied. ¡°Start construction at Vassal immediately!¡± The remaining shareholders all nodded, and left. Millard watched the departing backs of the now halved Fox Bank. Yes, he did feel bitter over today¡¯s decision, but he felt it was the right one. It was only natural as it was for his young master, and he also had confidence in his young master. He was sure Vassal would soon become one of the biggest economic powerhouse cities in Azeroth. And by then the shareholders who left would come running back plus a large number more. *** Zal looked at the large field filled with beasts, and could not help but feel a shiver down his back. Alice looked at him and smirked. ¡°Scared?¡± Zal shook his head vehemently, but he knew it was just a pointless bluff. Looking at the thousands or more beasts on the field, even Rank 10s would feel shaken for a moment. ¡°..... how do we hunt?¡± Asked Zal, confused. It was open field! As long as they injured one, hundreds more would come try to trample them. Alice laughed. ¡°Look closer.¡± And Zal did. And then he realized. There were large barbed fences separating them, and there were only about 10 in each ¡°pen¡± Zal couldn¡¯t help but feel astonished. How long must have this took? Alice must have known what he was thinking. ¡°10 Rank 10s took half a year to do this.¡± She said. Zal was shocked. That was 10 Rank 10s! Then he remembered how the Arcane fields got its name. Legend had it, at the very beginning of the Azeroth continent, hundreds and thousands of beasts migrated over to the now Arcane fields. At that time, the only 10 Rank 10 warriors spent half a year to round them all up into pens. Alice then pointed to the one closest to them.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Let¡¯s kill some beasts!¡± She said cheerfully. Zal thought she sounded like a maniac. But, devoid of all logic, he followed her anyways. After they arrived at the pen, Alice turned to Zal. ¡±Since you are just a measly Rank 1, you take that one over there.¡± Alice pointed at a Rank 1 Blood cow. Blood cows were only Rank 1, but they could easily trample a Rank 2. This is because only their legs possess great strength, while everywhere else on their body is weak. ¡°While I¡¯ll take this Thunder Tiger.¡± Alice Said, pointing at what seemed to be a tiger, except there was electricity coming off its fur. There was only one word to sum it up¡ªscary. But, Thunder Tigers were only Rank 5, while Alice was a Rank 6. She should easily kill it. Alice then proceeded to herd the Thunder Tiger and Blood cow out of the pen. Then she punched the Thunder Tiger in the face. Zal was shocked. So brutal! He then looked at the Blood cow. It looked at Zal, then looked away as if Zal wasn¡¯t worth its time. That made Zal angry. Zal ran towards the Blood cow, but kept a safe distance that was beyond its leg¡¯s reach. Then he started running in circles. It may have seemed stupid, but it was the only strategy Zal could come up with. He thought that this way, the Blood cow couldn¡¯t turn its head fast enough to catch up with him. Then, the Blood cow couldn¡¯t possibly kick him. You can¡¯t kick a Target you can¡¯t see! But Zal was sorely mistaken. Right when he was about to punch its right flank, a leg came right out of nowhere and hit him in the stomach. It hurt. Zal was sent flying back 10 meters. After he skidded to a stop, he coughed out some blood. What a powerful kick! Alice laughed while Zal was in a daze. She had already killed the Thunder Tiger. ¡°Stupid pervert.¡± She said. ¡°Even thought it can¡¯t see you, it can still sense your running movement on the ground thought sound.¡± Zal smacked his forehead. He really was stupid! Why didn¡¯t he think of that? ¡±Watch how it¡¯s done.¡± Alice proclaimed as she walked over to the Blood cow. Then, before the Blood cow could react, Alice punched it in the face. As the Blood cow was sent flying, Zal couldn¡¯t help but sympathize. He remembered when he was pummeled by that move when he first met Alice after he transmigrated. Alice turned to look at Zal. But before she could speak, Zal suddenly spotted a large shadow behind her back. Zal was shocked. But before he could earn her, the shadow pounced. After it hit Alice in the head, Zal could see what it was. It had a hideous large head and an abnormally large nose. It was a creature Zal knew all too well. An ogre. But what was an ogre doing in the Arcane Fields? As far as he knew, ogres only hung around Starlight forest, which was a good 200 or 300 miles away. But Zal didn¡¯t have time to think, because the ogre turned to look at him. Time froze. Should he save himself, or Alice? Zal didn¡¯t even have to think about it. He rushed towards the ogre. Zal knew the ogre was strong, as one strike of its club had wiped out a Rank 6. He definitely couldn¡¯t get hit. If he did, he would turn into minced meat. Zal¡¯s heart pounded. This was the first time he felt serious danger. The ogre was surprised. Why was the puny human running towards him? It didn¡¯t matter to the ogre. The ogre swung his huge club down. Zal desperately dodged, and the club missed by a small margin. Dirt and small rocks flew in the air as the ogre let out an angry howl. Zal took advantage of the time it took for the ogre to pick up the huge club, and rushed towards Alice. 20 meters, 10 meters, 5 meters, CLUNK! The ogres club swung down again. Zal had anticipated this, and had long curved around the area the club hit. He then picked up Alice. Zal was slightly surprised. She was really heavy! It must be the muscle mass of a Rank 6, he thought. As Zal raced towards the direction of Vassal, he wiped the sweat off his brow. He had almost died! But thankfully, it was all worth it. Zal looked at the still unconscious Alice. He smiled. He sort of felt like a hero rescuing a damsel in distress. And Zal was also a man of dignity. He didn¡¯t harbor any umpire thoughts towards Alice when she was unconscious even though when looked like an angel had descended from heaven. Zal sighed in relief as he closed in on the village. The run had taken a huge toll on him, especially because he was carrying Alice too. But when he got to the village, his breath stopped. Vassal was burning. The houses were on fire, and the villagers were desperately trying to escape. Zal then got confused. Escape from what? Then he saw them. The tall figures with green skin and large noses. Ogres! Zal¡¯s expression turned ugly. Right now, he had to guarantee Alice¡¯s safety. Zal thought of where to hide. He knew Arcane Fields was a no, and Vassal was currently under what seemed like a raider attack. The only other option was the Mountain range of Knives. Vassal was situated in a basin, with the Mountain range of Knives at their back and the Arcane fields at their front. Zal currently couldn¡¯t save the village, so he could only go to the Mountain range. For the village, Alice was their best defense. Zal cursed. The ogres must have known she was a Rank 6 and had sent a super strong ogre to knock her out. Other than her, the village had no other intermediate warriors. I¡¯ll avenge you guys, Zal thought in his heart as he ran desperately away from the burning Vassal. Chapter 5- Darkness reveals the truth After Zal thought that he had ran a good distance away, he set up a small hut with twigs. Zal found that he was in the middle of a forest right before the Mountain range of Knives. It was Twilight Forest. It wasn¡¯t particularly big, but the rising sun illuminating the trees earned it its name. As the sky slowly turned dark, Alice woke up. Zal had placed her in a makeshift bed made of leaves and sticks. Alice seemed fine, and the blow the ogre did to her didn¡¯t seem to have affected her. ¡°Where am I?¡± She asked, confused. The only thing she remembered was Zal¡¯s face of panic. Zal filled her in about the ogre and about the current situation in Vassal. He didn¡¯t mention carrying her. Alice stared at him. ¡±Thank you.¡± She said after a minute. She knew that even though Zal didn¡¯t talk about it, she probably wouldn¡¯t even be alive if he hadn¡¯t brought her away. Then she thought of the image of Zal carrying her, and her face turned red. ¡±You didn¡¯t do anything right?¡± Alice Asked. Zal sighed, and shook his head. He hated his image of a pervert. Alice nodded, and decided to trust him. Looking at Zal while the sun illuminated his face made him look like a comic book hero. Alice¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but pound. They stayed that way in silence. Zal admired the peaceful atmosphere and wished it could stay. Usually Alice would crack a joke at a time like this, but she stayed silent today. Zal had also witnessed a different part of Alice today. Even though she usually smiled and joked around a lot, it seemed she had a melancholic side as well. Zal stood up, preparing to leave. ¡±Where are you going?¡± Alice Asked. It was already dark outside, so she couldn¡¯t imagine where he would be going. ¡°Sleeping.¡± Zal replied. Alice realized. In the makeshift hut, there was only one bed. Hers. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, ¡°You can sleep with me.¡± Zal was surprised. He turned around, but couldn¡¯t see her face as it had already disappeared within the makeshift leaf blanket. Zal laughed quietly. ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± He Said, and left the hut. *** Alice laid there in the dark of night, alone in the woods. She twisted and turned in the bed and couldn¡¯t sleep. Only one figure kept popping back into her head¡ª-Zal. She sighed. She didn¡¯t use to be such a sentimental person. She looked out the window. Alice remembered that day all those years ago. She was in a hut just like the one Zal made for her. The day was bright and children were running around the village she used to live in. Then, night came. Alice and her family were sleeping when the screams came. They were jolted awake and ran outside. If Zal was there, it would look like a dream. Because what was happening to her village was exactly like what was happening to Vassal. Ogres. Tens Of them parades around her village, destroying houses. The village went up in flames, and her house into cinders. Alice remembered that day, her parents sacrificed themselves to save her. And that night, she ran far away. Far far away. Far away to Vassal. There, her heart slowly healed with a new community. And the tragedy long ago was slowly forgotten. She acted happy everyday to hide the shadow in her heart. And today, the wound that was slowly closing got torn open again. *** Zal ran towards Vassal. He tried his best to mask his sound, and it was pretty easy considering that there was the sound of screaming coming from Vassal. Zal got close enough to see, and hid in a bush. His mission tonight was to see if the Rank 6 ogre was the leader, and monitor the situation. He would also help where he could, if he wouldn¡¯t get discovered. There was currently a large and buff ogre standing at the village center. It commanded the surrounding ogres, and laughed at the destruction. Zal felt sick. He wanted to run, run away, but he couldn¡¯t. The large and buff ogre also seemed to be the Rank 6 or higher that knocked Alice out. But considering it didn¡¯t do considerable damage to her, it was at best a Rank 7. Zal continued watching. By now, half the village was gone. Zal¡¯s heart ached. Although he wasn¡¯t here for long, it already became home in his heart. The surviving villagers were also being rounded up. Probably to be sold as slaves in the future. The ogre slave network ran through most of Azeroth, and human slaves in ogre camps were not all that uncommon.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. By now, Zal knew there was no way to save the villagers, and he could only protect Alice. Not that he would be doing the protecting. A Rank 1 protecting a Rank 6. What a joke! Zal turned to go back, but he didn¡¯t realize that as he wasn¡¯t leaving, the head ogre saw him, and sneered. A puny human was actually trying to spy on him! What a joke. The lead ogre told the other ogres to stay at Vassal, while he started following the human silently. *** Alice¡¯s eyes shot open. She felt something was wrong. She strained her ears, but couldn¡¯t hear any breathing. Her heart started beating. A Rank 6¡¯s hearing was top notch, and could hear almost anything. She was sure Zal wasn¡¯t here. But where could he have gone? Alice was sure that he wouldn¡¯t leave her. He just wasn¡¯t that kind of person. And he had been gone for almost an hour already, so he couldn¡¯t be out gathering food or materials. That left only one option. He went to the village to try to save people. Alice cursed. Stupid pervert, trying to be a hero again. She tried to shift herself out of bed, but her muscles wouldn¡¯t oblige. She was shocked. The ogres blow must have been more severe then she had thought. Alice imagined Zal getting beat into minced meat by the Rank 6 ogre, and almost cried. Now, all she could do was pray. Pray that the person she almost fell in love with comes back safely. And the time she finally got to see him is when he staggers back into the hut covered in blood. *** Zal became aware of the ogres prescience 5 minutes after he left his hiding place. Zal looked down one time to find a huge shadow behind his. He was shocked. The ogre was following him! Zal actually got discovered. He internally cursed. He was too careless. His heart started speeding up. A Rank 6 was following him! He tried desperately to think up a strategy, but no matter how hard he tried, he always drew blanks. The difference in strength between a Rank 6 and a Rank 1 was just too large. And he also knew he couldn¡¯t go to where Alice was, because that would endanger her. Zal strayed off the correct path, and ventured deeper into twilight forest. He didn¡¯t know how long he had walked, twisting and turning, but he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He whirled around to face the ogre. The ogre was surprised for a moment, before sneering. ¡±Little pest, you got away last time but can you get away now?¡± The ogre gestured to the surrounding trees. Zal¡¯s heart sunk. He realized the last time he ¡°fought¡± the ogre was in an open field. That time, there was a lot of space to dodge the ogre¡¯s club. But in a forest? Zal desperately jumped behind a tree as the club came crashing down. A crater that was 5 feet deep instantly got created. Zal shivered. Dangerous! Zal and the ogre continued playing whack-a-mole for 5 minutes. Zal felt his limbs cramp, and his head hurt after dodging for so long. As Zal got more and more tired, the ogre started getting smarter. It no longer tried to hit at Zal, but tried to hit in front of him. This made Zal waste a lot more energy. His speed slowed, and club came closer and closer to hitting. Zal knew there was no running away from this one. His vision grew sluggish as a picture of Alice grew in his line of sight. Was this paradise? The club hit him. Blood splattered his vision. Pain. Unimaginable pain. Was this the light? He felt his legs losing their strength. Before his vision faded, he thought he saw chains. Faint chains binding him to the ground. Zal almost closed his eyes. But before he did, he remembered why he was here in the first place. Who he was trying to protect. It was because of the person right in his vision. Zal¡¯s eyes slowly regrew their light, and new vigor came to his limbs. He roared. The chains binding him broke. The image of Alice faded as Zal¡¯s speed reached new heights. Zal felt invincible. He felt he could do anything. Rank 2, Rank 3. His Rank kept on rising. He kept getting faster. If Alice was there to see this scene, she would have been shocked. Rarely do people break through Ranks in battle, but when it does, it reaps unimaginable rewards. Their muscles and bones grow stronger than normal people of that Rank, and they can also fight people 1 or 2 Ranks above them. These people were rare, and there was only about one each generation. They broke through fate itself, and carved a new future. They were called Desperados. And each one of them went on to accomplish great things, as they would be invincible at Rank 10, or even Rank 9! Rank 3, Rank 4, Rank 5. His steadily climbing Rank finally stopped. But it was enough. Zal now had enough strength to fight the ogre face to face. He turned around and faced the ogre. The ogre looked back in shock. *** Millard sat in his office at the dead of night. He looked at the full moon outside. He felt a shiver. He felt things were going down tonight, and his ¡°feelings¡± never let him down once. Millard picked up the transmitter stone. Transmitter stones were what people used to communicate. They reached over long distances, and were very reliable. ¡±Send the ESS squad to Vassal.¡± Wrote Millard. *** Zal hit the ogre over and over. Although his punches didn¡¯t do much, they left a sizable dent in the ogre. Zal felt delighted. He didn¡¯t know what had happened, but he felt great. The ogre roared, and tried to hit Zal. But it was futile. It still didn¡¯t know what happened. As it smashed the puny human, the human actually survived! And got stronger too! It felt it¡¯s life waning. The ogre regretted following the human. As more wounds grew, the ogre started growing sluggish. Zal punched it in its face again and again. Soon after, there was a loud bang as the ogre fell over. it was like a scene out of a movie. A blood covered hero killing the evil ogre! It would have made a great movie, Zal thought. All of a sudden, the adrenaline faded, and Zal felt an ocean wave of fatigue hit him. But he still smiled. He was alive! And he had killed the lead ogre. He was too tired to go try and go save the village. He could barely even move his legs. Zal trudged back the way he came, and staggered into the hut he made. Before his vision faded, the last thing he saw was the face of a worried Alice. *** The rising sun welcome the trees in twilight forest. The sun slowly covered the glowing trees, and finally illuminated a group of people traveling quickly towards Vassal. The ESS squad had traveled without resting, and made record time. But was it quick enough?