《REINCARNATED AS A CREATED PLAYER》 Prologue "Joten I picked up the new volume of that book about the Skelton guy you like, you want me to read it to you now or after dinner?" My sister came barging in my room, as usual. She never knocks, ever. "Whenever you''re ready Sheri," I responded. I was capable of reading my own books of course, but I was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) a form of brain cancer that affects the brain stem when I was 13 years old. I have been able to function fairly well up to this point, but now my weakness made it difficult to even sit up in bed. I was withdrawn from school before I could start high school. Virtual school was recommended to me, but unless the pathway to the afterlife was a hypotenuse I didn''t want to spend my last years here learning a2+b2=c2. I''m hoping that the afterlife doesn''t require a standardized test to get in. It wasn''t safe for me to mingle in public because this tumor crushed my immune system. I could die from a cold simply by being in the presence of a carrier, as my doctor so bluntly put it. Even now my sister made sure she took a shower immediately after she came from school and donned a protective gown, hair net, a face mask, and even gloves before she barged into my room, but not for her protection, but for my own. I was sure it was all such a hassle. She was even careful to spray the new book with disinfectant before she brought it in. I didn''t see the point in doing this anymore. DIPG has a less than 1% chance of survival after five years. As a matter of fact, no one has survived it for more than five years and four months. I, now eighteen, have had this disease for five years and one month. "Hey bro, how are you feeling?" She looked at me with her ever hopeful eyes. My mother and I have all but accepted my fate, but not her she believes that I am her big brother who can do anything, so there is no way I''m not making it through this. It took a lot of energy to smile at her and move into a position where I could look her in the eyes. I peeled the sheets back revealing my frail frame. Not only wascancerkilling me, but the treatment was just as bad. My hair fell out; I couldn''t eat leading to a weight loss so severe my ribs showed through. "Come here, Sheri." I beckoned her over to me. She gingerly approached my bed and sat on the side next to me. "Listen to me; I am not long for this world. I feel the life leaving my body day by day and I am certain my time is almost here." As if someone turned the knob on a faucet, tears started streaming down her red cheeks. A strand of her hair fell thru from the front of her hair net. Sheri''s hair was jet black, but she dyed a small lock in a bright blood red, something she''d seen on one of her pop idols. My little sister was cute, but she was now sixteen and raising her hope was not something I wanted to do. "But, I don''t want you to go." She managed to mumble those words in between her tears. "No need to fret, you and mom have each other, an I''ll reincarnate in one of those fantasy worlds I love so much," I responded with a smile. I haven''t left the house in five years. I''ve read almost every light novel that hit the shelves. I was among the best players in the MMORPG Crestfallen because I had so much time on my hands. She wiped her tears and laughed casually as she opened the book she just bought and began reading to me. I really was ready to die, not because I was unhappy with life, but because my life was a burden to the people around me. My family had to sit and watch me die slowly all while knowing there was nothing they could do about it. Every phone call made my mom twinge with fear that it was the call she did not want. More than anything, she feared not being there when it mattered. I bargained with God time and time again, telling him I would not hate him for this as long as my family was home when the time came. Later that night it did. As I drew my last breath I smiled with feeling my hands being held be by the people that I loved the most. Chapter 1: The Creator and the Created Once I closed my eyes I opened them again in a great plain that was white as far as the eye could see. "Joten Caru, I have done you a grave disservice. Due to my negligence, you were given an illness that you were not meant to have, leading you and your family to unnecessary suffering. " I followed the voice up and, sitting there in a massive... glittering gold throne was a man I could only assume to be God. He was massive, the throne he was on was easily the size of my old house and he sat upon it exuding an aura of power and dominance that left me wordless. "I understand this may be a lot to take in so I will give you a moment to regain yourself." He spoke and the plain trembled with each word I knew that his voice could be heard to every corner ofthis massiverealm. I finally found the nerve to speak up after a few minutes of silence. "My cancer was a mistake?" "Indeed it was, it was a travesty created by someone serving under me in an attempt to cull the unprecedented reproduction rate of the human race. However, it is not our place to intervene in a world once it is set in motion." "A world? Is there more?" I asked. "Indeed, there area countless amount of them." Every nerve in my body was telling me I wasn''t supposed to be here. That''s when I realized, my body. It was fixed. All my hair and weight came back. I had strength in my arms and legs and that I hadn''t felt in years. I looked up to the throne once again but the brightness it exuded was like looking into the sun. All in all, I had only one question. According to his words, there was nothing he could''ve done. "Why am I here?" "I am expected to be both omnipotent and omniscient. Mistakes are not something that I can allow. Your suffering is a clear case for that, so I wish to make up for it. It seems you dreamed of having a second chance at life in a fantasy world similar to the games you play and the books you read. My head shot up again, this time willing to face the bright aura he exuded. My heart began to race with excitement at the thought. "Is that really a possibility!?" I exclaimed. My excitement was obvious. "I see that option appeals to you." "Yes, Please!" "However, you cannot go to the new world as you are. So, as anapology,I will allow you this." As his sentence trailed off, a computer appeared out of nowhere directly in front of me. " use this computer the same way you would create a character in the games you like to play. However, bear this in mind the person you are about tocreatewill become you." "This is unbelievable, this is a dream come true for me." "I will leave you to create yourself. The options here are far more in-depth than what you are accustomed to, so please take your time and review each option. There is a help option on the computer that you can ask specific questions. I have to take my leave; I will be back once you are through." Withthat,he vanished into thin air leaving me here with the computer. I sat at the desk and the screen began changing before I touched it.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. In front of me was a simple series of questions. The first wasthe race. There was a drop down that gave me options to choose from Human, Elf, Dwarf, Beast man, Demon, Monster, Undead, Spirit, and Dragon. Each option I ran the mouse over displayed the base stats of each race, and also had a sub-race to choose from apart from human. For example, if I choose to be a beast man then another drop down box extended out for me to choose which form of beast man, whether it be aTigerman, bear man or wolfman. Similarly, the option to be an undead gave me options such as a zombie, vampire or skeleton. Each race also had its own specific lifespan. For human it was sixty-five. once you reached that age your body began the dying process. There were races like undead and spirits with no life spans of course and the heavenly dragon race which offered the highest base stats had a lifespan of ten thousand years. Ultimately I choose humans as I usually did in the games I played after an internal dilemma with that and the elven race. It took me thirty minutes to make the very first decision. I began to realize this was going to be a long process. Next was basic demographic information. Name: Joten Caru Age: 18 Height: 6''1 Weight: 205 Body type: Muscular These, of course, were not my stats from my past life except my name and age which I could choose, even having the option to start from birth. I also wasn''t like the people in the books I read about. I planned on taking full advantage of the opportunity togivento me. As I continued going down the demographic information, I began getting to prompts that made it clear this was no game. It also changed to a scale where I picked a number one thru ten. Sex Appeal: Ten Libido: Ten Base Intelligence: Ten Base Strength: Ten Base Speed: Ten Luck: Ten Dexterity: Ten Speed and Agility: Ten "What''s the difference between Base intelligence and regular intelligence?" <> ANSWER: BASE SKILLS ARE LIMITED TO THE CONFINES OF YOUR RACE. An automated voice responded to my question from the computer. he did say there was a Help function. "So basically just because I put my base strength at ten I wouldn''t be able to punch a hole in a concrete wall, I''ll just be very strong by human standards." THAT IS CORRECT. "I see." It didn''t matter, eitherway, I was maxing out all of the stats I could. After I finished, I click the next button, it brought me to a screen which allowed me to make physical alterations to the avatar displayed, or the new me. He was a strapping young man. One that would look older and more mature than he was. A head full of hair, with a lock falling down my forehead. "This is going to take some getting used to." Then as I was looking over him/me it struck me, and a smile crossed my face. I changed the wayward lock of obsidian black hair to the same bright blood redlikemy sister''s. That was the only change I really needed to make. My character was displayed complete nude. They clearly took the muscular term to heart. It wasn''t hulking by any means; the muscles I had were clearly defined. I looked like a male model, I added a couple of inches to my manhood, just as any man would do, given a chance. "Okay, on to the next page." Skillswerethe title written on the top of the next page. My Otaku heart began to race all the anime, Novels and MMO characters I have seen or created I could culminate them into one perfect being. "Is there a limit?" <> ANSWER: NO LIMIT HAS BEEN SET, HOWEVER IN ORDER TO REDUCE STRAIN ON THE NEW BODY SOME SKILLS MAY TAKE TIME TO ACTIVATE. The first part of the Skills screen was simply another one thru ten, but this screen had to do with my actual combat ability. "Are the stats listed here also limited to the confines of my race?" <> ANSWER: NO HP: 10 As I entered I began thinking to myself if these stats are not limited, how does my 10 HP compare to regular humans. <> ANSWER: THE AVERAGE HUMAN STAT IN YOUR NEW WORLD IS BETWEEN 2-3. "Wow, so you''re saying I could make myself five times stronger than the average human?" <> ANSWER: INCORRECT, THE HIGHEST RECORDED HP WAS 7 FOR A HEAVENLY DRAGON WHO WAS 20 TIMES STRONGER THAN THE HIGHEST HUMAN STAT EVER RECORDED AT 3.2. I simply could not believe what I was hearing. So a ten is almost a God likenumber. "Oh well." MP: 10 Speed: 10 Strength: 10 Defense: 10 When I got to magic the question switched to a drop down. "Now we are at the good stuff, but there are only three questions" Magic Affinity: High "That was obvious. Magic Affinity level: High Magic Specialty: All I didn''t read all the prompts under the drop down because it was in alphabetical order and all was at the very top. "Next" On the top of this page was unique skills and there was no more next buttons, it was just a done which meant this was my last page. The options here were checkboxes on the unique skills I wanted. Most were resistance and nullifications skills. Lesser Melee Nullification Pain Resistance Lesser Magic Nullification Temperature Resistance Direct Mana Manipulation Poison Nullifications Paralysis Nullification Psychic Nullification Abnormal Status Nullification Ultra-Regeneration *Note Prevents the Death of cells Foresight Advance Tamer Ultra-Perception Inventory Status check Map Appraisal Copycat Augmented Reality Display Advance Weapon skills I clicked ever one, and then there was a box that looked like a comment box. Note: You have the ability to create one skill I thought about it for a few seconds and decided to go with a skill I have seen in a first-person shooter I used to play. "Help Function." <> PLEASE NAME FUNCTION. "I could name it after my sister. Then again I don''t like the thought of having my sister in my head watching my every move. "I will name you Tasa" << ACKNOWLEGED>> The Voice changed from an automated robot to a slightly more feminine version. "Done." Once I clicked the done button the computer began glowing a golden hue that was too bright for my eyes. I covered my face until the heat dissipated. Then the computer was gone. In its place, there was a door. "This must be it my first step into the new world." When I opened it and walked through, there was the Godly figure I was speaking to standing behind a counter, however, something was a little different. This time I could see him clearly, but that wasn''t it. He was well-built, with long white hair and a white goatee to match. He had gray eyes that shined like refined platinum. "Welcome Joten, this is the armory. I have already activated the profile you created." He spoke as soon as I entered. "Did you proofread it or anything first?" "No need I set limitations on it." "Oh did you now?" I clearly remembered there was none. Also, this man in front of me didn''t; exude any of theauraethe previous man did. "Are you the same person I was speaking to earlier?" "Oh, no way buddy. the man you were speaking to earlier is the God here. I am the trusty employee whose mistake caused you despair. I was tasked with this job as a way to make amends," He responded "I see." This guy was clearly a screw-up. he didn''t set the limits on the computer he just gave me. "Now it''s time to choose your starting gear for the next world," he said as he snapped his fingers and after the room changed from a vast white plain with a counter to a fully stocked weapons store. "Okay, this is the armory. I was told specifically the world you are going to has no guns, and to limit you non-artifact weapons. You may choose a sword orstaff," He said as he pointed me to my options. I found myself gravitating to a long, curved black sword with red runes inscribed on the side. It resembled a katana but it was slightly broader. The hilt was a dragon. The blade extended from its wings, and at the bottom, it held a crimson red orb in its mouth. "Ok, the black dragon blade caught your fancy. I am not sure how that blade will work for you. It''s a wondrous blade, probably among the most powerful here. Crafted by a heaven''s smith that red orb contains more magical power than one can fathom," He stated. "May I take this blade?" I asked. "It''s technically not considered an artifact since it was crafted." "What exactly makes a weapon an artifact?" "Oh that''s easy, it''s a weapon or item that can never be reproduced," He answered. As I looked over the grandness of the blade combined with the fact that he said it was among the strongest here, I was almost certain that it was an artifact. Questioning a disciple of God is not something I would be doing. "Okay,we''ll start you with some base gear I modeled off of your video game character." "My video game character? He was in highly magic resistant adamantine silk, the only set available in the whole game." I added "Yes I''ll do that, although silk might make you a little hot, so you would need another set sooner or later. " I don''t think he understood what I just said. Even in the game, my Crestfallen character gear caused people to send numerous complaint emails to the developers as it was too overpowered. My body started glowing that golden hue again and an outfit I was very familiar with appeared on me. My black Cargo pants tucked into my leather shoes, I wore a tight fitting shirt that would hug that abs on my new body like an obsessed lover, but what was special about this set was the long, sleeveless black coat I was wearing. Again, it was a magical artifact from a video game. It allowed me to transform my outfit into anything I pictured myself wearing, including full plate armor if I needed it. "See you look great! Am I a genius or what?" he sang his own praises. "Thank you for your help is there anything else?" Well, unfortunately, we cannot give you items from your new world. I am unable to do anything more than what I''ve done. So in terms of funds, you will have to raise your own." "I do not expect that to be an issue. Can you put me in a city?" "I cannot open a heaven''s gate with one mile of an intelligent being, but I will do what I can." "Thank you for all your help." Another door of light opened up behind me and I quickly stepped through it. I felt like I had stolen something with everything I had just gotten away with. I wanted to leave as soon as possible. Hopefully, I would not be on the receiving end of some divine retribution. chapter one Once I stepped thru the door I stepped on lush green grass as far as the eye could see. The wind was gentle, blowing, causing the grass to dance back and forth. The air smelled pleasant, showing a distinguishable lack of burning fossil fuel and pollution. The sun was high in the sky and the grass was still moist, assuming this world doesn¡¯t have sprinklers and this was actually dew it was still very early in the morning. I haven¡¯t been outside in years and now I was outside in a world I always dreamed of, my heart quivered with excitement. There was no sign of any form of intelligent life within my line of sight, which due to my foresight skill was pretty far; I would say I could see anything within a mile clearly. ¡°So much for putting me near a city. Tasa can you point me in the right direction.¡± << Request Received>> Activating Map A map of the area was suddenly displayed in my head. It was vivid and I felt as if I was reading a map laid out in front of me. I tried to reach out in front of me just to have my hand phase through. ¡°There¡¯s a small village about five miles east of me, but there is a large city fifteen miles west. That complicates thing a little. Tasa Recommendation¡± << Request Received>> Answer: I recommend going to the small village prior as you have no form of identification or funds necessary to pay entrance to a large city. ¡°Good point, also can you please stop being so formal and systematic, it makes me feel a little weird.¡± << Request Received>> ¡°Normally when you find yourself lost in the wilderness the 1st thing you should do is secure water and shelter, but I don¡¯t even own a canteen to carry the water in. I should just hurry to that village. I also need to verify my strength.¡± So I proceeded east to the small village, which according to my map was Poten Village. I carried myself at a brisk pace my energy and excitement level was thru the roof. I was walking on a dirt path that resembled a camping trail. It was very well maintained free of weeds and debris. It was as wide as a two-lane road and could easily manage multiple carriages. Along my walk, I did some practice punches, like a boxer to feel my new body out. I was impressed, to say the least; my stamina was leaps and bound more impressive. The old me would exert himself and become short of breath just trying to sit up in bed. After thirty mins of walking and imaginary combat, I didn¡¯t come across any monsters or any creature bigger than a rabbit. I stopped in front of a large boulder I found serval feet off the path sitting on the plain. The boulder was about the size of an SUV, so I decided to use it to test my abilities. ¡°Tasa how do I use magic.¡± ¡°You currently do not know any magic spells thus you are unable to use it.¡± Her tone change, she no longer sounded robotic at all but came off like a teacher. ¡°Can you teach me spells?¡± ¡°No, spells may be acquired thru a scroll, a grimoire, or from a mage teacher.¡± ¡°Well, that just made its way to the top of my to-do list. Very well I will try my new sword.¡± Who would want to come to a fantasy world and not be able to use magic? That¡¯s like a blind man being stuck in a library. I stood facing the boulder; my advance weapon skill was obviously helping me here. I got in my stance widening my base. Everything was coming to me instinctually I have never held a sword in my hand, but my body was reacting off muscle memory as if it knew exactly what to do. It was as easy as holding a pen and writing a sentence. I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the sword, I felt the intense jolt of energy shooting up my arm. I couldn¡¯t let it go; my hand was not reacting to my instructions. ¡°You feel you are worthy of wielding me.¡± the voice spoke directly into my mind, it took a few seconds to click that this was the voice of my sword. ¡°Is my sword talking to me?¡± I responded. ¡°Not exactly talking, but communicating with you yes. I am an advanced spirit weapon As I attempt to sync my magic with you I am determining your worth. If I determine you to be unfit to wield me I will snuff out your life right here and now. Like all the others before you.¡± The pain in right arm grew intense and brought me to my knees. I felt my conscious fading away as the edge of my sight grew black, No matter how much strength I put into my hand I was unable to let this sword go. ¡°Ahhhhhh!!¡± I screamed unable to bear it anymore. I fell to my knees Red lines of light began climbing the veins in my arm up to my body. My heart began palpitation and my body temperature was rising as my blood began to boil. I did not know what was going on or why it was going on, but I did know that if I don¡¯t fight here my life will come to an end before it ever got started. ¡°I refuse to die here,¡± I resolved. I found the strength in my legs to climb back on to my feet. ¡°I see. This is interesting; I¡¯ve never had anything like you try to wield me before. I will grant you approval to use me.¡± Thing? The red line slowly began to fade. I was finally able to release the hilt and it fell face blade first into the ground splitting it smoothly as it stood in front of me. I gripped my wrist trying hoping it would help with the burning pain in my hand which was now emitting dark steam. ¡°T-Tasa.¡± I needed to know what the hell just happened. I have a pain resistance skill and ultra-regenerative skill, but it didn¡¯t seem to be working. ¡°Pain Resistance still active and Ultra-regeneration and in progress, Level of the spirit in the blade exceeded to level of the skills you used.¡± ¡°What Spirit is that?¡± ¡°Unknown¡± ¡°What? How is that possible? Am I able to use it? Was the binding a success?¡± ¡°I am not Omniscience; I am able to provide knowledge that is known. The binding was a success the blade is now usable.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I see I get it now, although I felt there was some sarcasm in her tone, I declared it to be my imagination. Tasa is like a search engine in a way. She¡¯s able to tell me anything that is known. Similar to how you can try and use a search engine to find out what life after death is like; however you would not be able to get a factual answer because that knowledge is unknown. I stared at the hilt of the blade, thinking about trying it again or leaving that dangerous thing where it is. ¡°As if I¡¯d leave a weapon from heavens armory.¡± I fired up my resolve and gripped the blade again, though a lot more timidly than my first go round. I pulled it out of the ground verifying there were no repercussions. Holding it felt strangely comfortable. I stood in front of the boulder again ready to do some practice swings; I wasn¡¯t planning on trying to hit the boulder because I didn¡¯t want to chip the blade. I did a simple overhead downward slash at the boulder. I didn¡¯t use a lot of power as it was only a practice swing, however not only did the boulder split in two so did the ground it was on. ¡°This sword is incredible.¡± After another 30 minutes of testing it on the surroundings, I was able to say I got the hang of it. The blades magic power and my own were linked so I can control how much I want it to use. Though most of my combat with other humans would require me to use no magic power or their death would all but guaranteed. As I continued my walk to the village I was finally able to encounter some wildlife and trees began sparsely appearing on the plains. Still, nothing big appeared nor monster of any kind just Rabbits, birds, and things of the sorts. After another half an hour of walking, I found myself at the front gate. The Village was indeed small, but not tiny. From the size, I would say 100-200 villagers. It was surrounded by a log fence similar to what farmers would use to keep livestock from wandering off, but it didn¡¯t seem like it would offer any real protection. Most bandits and monster could just climb right over the top. The Village resembles a wild west town, the houses were all plank made with small porches¡¯ overall small in size about that of a studio apartment. The grass in the village was still green and looked very fertile apart from the pathways born from frequent communing. However, something was wrong. It was way too quiet and there wasn¡¯t a person in sight. I began picking up a lot of noise coming from one corner of the village and hurried over. I reached the largest building in the village it was two stories resembled an inn, but there seems to be a lot of commotion. ¡°Get out and leave me the hell alone!¡± The voice came from inside the large building and then a girl came flying thru the door. She was tossed like a rag doll right into my arms. I managed to catch her prevent her from hitting the floor. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m done with you!¡± She barked back and shot back into the building without even giving me a glance. I don¡¯t even think I existed to her. I followed her into the large building to find out it was a large saloon and almost every villager in town was in here day drinking, partying, and carrying on. I caught a few glances from some folks, but overall everyone seems to be minding their own business. A lot of the ladies though continued staring, I few even spilled their drinks. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked myself. I did manage to get the attention of the bartender who was in a new tuxedo drying a glass with a rag waiting on me to approach with a very inviting smile. The girl from earlier was arguing with a large hulking man in a corner of the room. He was massive easily at least 6¡¯7, He had a bear pelt draped over him as some form of a coat. The bear¡¯s arms extended into sleeves and he wore its head atop him as if it was a hoodie. It was very cool and I was pretty impressed. At his waist hanging from his kilt was a spiked mace, He also wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt just the straps from his black kilt. ¡°What may I do you for stranger?¡± The bartender spoke first once I reach the desk. He was still smiling. This form of hospitability wasn¡¯t common in the world I came from. ¡°Is there a charge for water?¡± I asked. ¡°O and a broke stranger at that,¡± He responded. He didn¡¯t need to put it like that. He did, however, slide me a glass of water. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the cost.¡± ¡°Thank you, kind sir. What is going on here everyone seems to be celebrating.¡± ¡°Well we are, we far exceeded the kingdoms crop requirements and all the villagers were rewarded for the surplus with extra funds and relief on this month¡¯s taxes. So everyone took the day off to celebrate. ¡°He answered. ¡°Is there any work around here I can do or a guild of any kind? I¡¯m seeking to make some money.¡± He shot me a peculiar look at my question. ¡°This is a village lad there is no guild hall here. However, that young lass over there has been searching for adventurers for a week now, but she doesn¡¯t have much to offer for what she is asking so no one has been interested in it.¡± ¡°Do you know what the entrance fee is to get into the nearest city?¡± ¡°The nearest city here is Falmouth City; the city entrance fee is one silver.¡± ¡°Thank you for the information.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, now if you excuse me I have other patrons I must attend to.¡± I turned my line of sight to find the young lady he was referring to still trying to convince the large adventurer. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I approached the girl. She turned to face me, and I was awestruck by her beauty, the dress she wore was as green as the grass on the plain, it hugged her body accentuating her voluptuous chest, she had an hourglass shape that would make any fabric that touched it look much better. Her hair was long and full down to her mid back, midnight violet matching the color of her eyes.¡± The gasp when we made eye contact but, quickly regain herself and became as abrasive as she was earlier. ¡°Is there something I can do for you?¡± she had a quizzical look on her face. ¡°Yes, the bartender told me you are looking for someone to take up a quest. My name is Joten and I would like to offer my services.¡± ¡°Yes! Are you an adventurer? What rank? Is your party here with you now?¡± Her excitement forced me to take a few steps back but to no avail. Soon she was close enough for us to breath in the same air. ¡°No, I am not an adventurer yet I was hoping to head to the guild to register.¡± ¡°Hahaha, yes please take this nobody and leave me the hell alone you.¡± The booming laugh of the massive man interrupted our conversation. The girl hung her head displease by what I told her. ¡°You really got my hopes up,¡± there was clear disappoint in her voice.¡± Her downcast expression hammered my observation home. ¡°Listen I know I am not an adventurer yet, but I am a very capable warrior. I am confident I¡¯m greater in skill than that the person your begging and frankly I need the reward.¡± ¡°Hey, listen here brat, I¡¯m a bit insulted by that last line.¡± He stood from his seat and reached for his mace. The people in the bar began taking notice to the sudden rise in hostility and the eye began to gather. ¡°Calm down, I do not want any troubles, and I don¡¯t want to interrupt these kind peoples festivities.¡± ¡°tshh it¡¯s too late for that brat.¡± He raised his mace and brought it down with immense force. CRASH! The mace made contact a few inches in front of me, where I was standing. The hit split the floorboard leaving a basketball size crater in the ground. ¡°Insolent brat, I am Barlaam the smasher, a gold rank adventurer.¡± ¡°Gold? I''m sorry I am not familiar with the ranking system here yet.¡± ¡°All you need to know is I am stronger than you!¡± Barlaam Sommers Lv 65 Job: Adventurer Physical: Lv 60 Null: Lv 5 Titles: None My appraisal skill showed me his level and information but I didn¡¯t think to check my own, so I didn¡¯t know the difference between me and him. Judging from how slow he was moving to my perception on that last attack, he would never be able to touch me. He lunged at me this time with a flurry of horizontal, diagonal, and vertical swipes. The way he handled the mace was truly masterful. He was able to get off more than twenty swings in a less than five seconds. I nimbly sidestepped and parried every attack. As fast as his assaults were to the eyes of onlookers for me he was moving in slow motion. ¡°I cannot allow you to continue causing a ruckus here, and ruining these peoples good time,¡± I casually spoke in between his assault attempts with no trouble. His swings began slowing down as his breathing grew heavier, he was exhausting himself. He took a step back and regained his composure. ¡°Are we done here?¡± ¡°We will be done when I kill you, you¡¯re a quick fucker, but let see you dodge this.¡± His body began glowing a bronze hue. ¡°Martial Arts heavy thrust!¡± I watched with more curiosity than anything, an opportunity like this won¡¯t come often. ¡°Wow are you going to show me a cool move?¡± my enthusiasm and lack of fear only angered him more. He widened his base and retracted his mace back to the side of his face. ¡°So it¡¯s a thrust attack with a mace. That¡¯s a new one I¡¯ve never seen one used like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a really dangerous technique! He will kill you get out of here now! That¡¯s how he earned the nickname the smash, he used that move and leveled an entire guild hall.¡± The girl was standing behind me yelling while a group of onlookers stood there with terror in their eyes worrying. The women were looking with concerned eyes and the men grabbed the cup with their liquor and held it close. If dodge this attack innocent civilians will be caught in its path. ¡°Here I come!¡± He lunged at me putting everything behind his mace. ¡°Where I¡¯m from there¡¯s is a widely debated question; what would happen if an unstoppable force met an immovable object. Let¡¯s test it.¡± I put my arm out and caught his mace with my hand. His momentum being stopped suddenly sent a gust of wind thru the saloon. He was frozen in his tracks. ¡°I guess the immovable object would win, I could hardly call such an attempt an unstoppable force.¡± I maneuvered to his side and kicked him in the crease behind his knee. He fell to both knees and with a chop to the back of his neck, he fell unconscious into a prostrating position. ¡°This is his apology for causing such a mess during your celebration.¡± I address the crowds of onlookers. I grabbed his limped body from the waist of his kilt and effortlessly tossed him out the front door. The crowd was still stunned, and no one made a peep. ¡°I hope that demonstration showed you I¡¯m more than capable.¡± I turned to face the lady who was standing behind me with her jaw agape. She bobbed her head up and down unable to find the words to respond. Chapter one part two We found ourselves a booth in the corner of the saloon, the activity ramped back up and everyone went back to enjoying themselves. ¡°My name Demi, thank you for taking the time to listen to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem I probably need you more than you need me, so let¡¯s not dilly.¡± ¡°I highly doubt that, but very well. My home is in another village somewhere in the forest, due to reasons I cannot disclose here and now, I know we will suffer an attack from an enemy we cannot beat in three weeks¡¯ time. This enemy will also have a goblin hoard of over five hundred. My village is very small only forty-eight residents, there is no way we can survive such an onslaught.¡± I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Three weeks huh, I don¡¯t think I can help you then, I..¡± ¡°What! Why not? You clearly are adept at combat, did the details frighten you? I assure you, I will not allow you to fight alone the entire village will aide you.¡± She cut me off before I could finish my sentence and then went on a tirade. ¡°How much does this job pay?¡± Her demeanor changed she went from this lively girl to a sulking pup. ¡°One gold coin is the most my village can offer. We don¡¯t use money there, it¡¯s a wonder we even have that to offer.¡± Tasa, can you explain. One gold coin is the equivalent of one hundred dollars, one big silver coin is fifty dollars, a silver coin is ten dollars, and a copper coin is one dollar. Although rarely seen among civilians there¡¯s the large gold coin which is five hundred dollars and a platinum coin for one thousand dollars. She¡¯s not paying much for what she is asking. After a brief internal dialogue, I spoke up. ¡°Well, the amount of money isn¡¯t the primary issue. I am currently broke, I don¡¯t even own a canteen to carry water. I may be able to live off the land for a few days, but a few weeks is out the question.¡± ¡°What if I provide food and shelter?¡± ¡°Then I will accept.¡± ¡°There are more details to my request; however I cannot provide them here. I can go in full details once we return to my village.¡± ¡°When can we leave?¡± ¡°Immediately is preferable for me, but may I ask you one more question?¡± ¡°Sure, shoot.¡± ¡°The sword at your waist, you didn¡¯t draw it against your opponent, why?¡± ¡°Well, that would¡¯ve been overkill.¡± ¡°I see, let¡¯s get on with it.¡± She stood, and we proceeded to the exit. We stepped over the still unconscious body of Barlaam which was still laying outside. ¡°So how long is it going to take us to get there? Is it walking distance?¡± I asked. ¡°We can make it there before sunset.¡± After we departed from the village we headed into the forest behind the village in the opposite direction I came from, unlike the plains I crossed this place was full of wildlife. I found myself fascinated at the smallest details. The trees were tall and lush, but sunlight managed to find holes between the branches and rays of lights peaked through. If you follow the rays you would often find nice flower gardens thriving. The forest, in general, was what one would expect. Damara was kind enough to teach me about some of the animals that was I not acquainted with. Overall it was a peaceful and serene walk. After a few hours of walking hunger set in. We took a break on the bank of a small lake. I noticed she wasn¡¯t carrying any bags, so I asked her. ¡°Hey, do you have any food?¡± ¡°Hmm no, but I will be fine. The forest will provide.¡± Just like that, she held her hand out and an apple fell into her palms. ¡°wow, how?¡± She shrugged off my question with a rather cute smile. Well I guess this is a fantasy world after all. Must have something to do with magic. ¡°I am going to see if I can find a bird or rabbit or something, are you interested in anything?¡± ¡°I would recommend a rabbit, the birds here aren¡¯t very meaty, and they are very fast.¡± ¡°thanks for the suggestion, are you going to be ok here by yourself?¡± ¡°Yes, I will be fine this is my forest.¡± ¡°ok if you say so, I shouldn¡¯t be gone room long.¡± I dashed thru the forest solo using my keen senses to determine where my next meal was going to come from. I detected what felt like the presences of life very close to me after only a few minutes. I effortlessly leaped to the branch of a tall tree. I observed the quiet unmoving terrain waiting and looking for the rustle of a bush. I closed my eyes and I felt the flow of the wind. While I couldn¡¯t see them I felt them, every living thing within a half a mile. I leaped off the branch I was perched on and dashed to a specific bush. A startled white hare jumped out the bushes in an attempt to flee, however, it was well too slow. I grabbed it by both ears as it squirmed and kicked with all its might to get loose. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for this.¡± I apologized before I gripped and broke its neck. It struggling stopped and its body went limp in my hand.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. With my spoils in tow, I returned to the bank of the lake. Damara gathered fruit and was putting wood together to start a fire. She was a little startled by my sudden appearance but was relieved to see me. ¡°Wow, that was fast. You were gone for less than ten minutes, and you managed to catch a white hare.¡± ¡°Yea it was close by and it just dashed in front of me.¡± She lowered her eyes suspiciously at me before rolling her eyes and brushing the issue to the side. It was clear she knew I was lying. ¡°I¡¯m in the process of prepping a fire if you¡¯d like I can prepare it, I also gathered us some berries. ¡°That will work, to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t know how to prepare this thing over an open flame.¡± She shot a perplexing look at me, likely due to the fact that I was trying to be an adventurer that didn¡¯t know how to cook his food, it was a little odd. ¡°Joten since we are no longer in the human village I would like to give you more information on the mission.¡± ¡°Human?¡± ¡°Yes my real name is Damara; I am the first princess of the fairies. We are a very small village forty-eight including women and children, we do not have a large fighting force. I had a vision that showed a goblin army of over five hundred invading and slaughtering my people, it was terrifying. The truly terrifying thing is that goblin don¡¯t usually work together in such a large force unless they have a truly powerful leader to gather them under one rule, but even a goblin general could only manage to gather 75 at most. I fear the being leading the army is a Hobgoblin.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the significance of a hobgoblin?¡± ¡°Hobgoblin are said to be born once every few hundred years. They are incredibly powerful monsters, I honestly don¡¯t believe even a gold rank adventurer is much of a match for it.¡± She stopped speaking and a look of despair washed over her face. I watched her mumble a few words and the stack of sticks she had piled up suddenly ignited. ¡°Was that magic?¡± ¡°Oh yes it was, fairies are the race above all others when it comes to magic, however, they are physically very frail. If this goblin invasion is successful it will mean our extinction.¡± ¡°you say you¡¯re a fairy, but you have no wings.¡± ¡°My people and I are forest fairies, we have no need for wings and keeping them is a constant mana drain so we lost them ages ago.¡± I could imagine what it''s like to navigate in a forest with large wings at your back. ¡°I see, so why would the goblins be doing this?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, I would assume it¡¯s for our territory. The fairy forest is protected by a sacred magic mist that keeps humans out, and goblins who are hunted by humans almost daily would probably want its protection.¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming I won¡¯t be welcomed with open arms then.¡± ¡°haha we would be lucky if they don¡¯t try to kill you on sight. I want you to be aware that I broke and I¡¯m currently breaking several taboos by doing this, but my options are limited.¡± Ehhh. Killed on sight! ¡°So how will I be able to stay in this village for three weeks?¡± ¡°I am a princess, before I am deemed guilty they must first put me on trial, and as royalty, I have the right to declare a continuance, that will delay the trial for one month time allowing me to gather evidence and or prepare, where we cannot be bothered.¡± While she was speaking her attention was on the rabbit. She began skinning it with a sharp stone, she started by creating a hole in the nape of its neck and dragged it down splinting it along its spinal cord down to its tail before peeling the skin of like a jacket, and it was very interesting, to say the least. She cleaned it in the lake, cut it in two, then stuck a stick through it and roasted it over an open flame. ¡°I would like to request a change to our agreement since new information was provided.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s only fair since I sprung this information on you so suddenly. What are your requests?¡± ¡°Well, the truth is I am not from around here. I am not sure about the way the people here work, but I am sure that one gold coin is nowhere near what this mission is actually worth. So, in addition, I would like two things Information and for you to teach me magic.¡± She looked at me with an awestruck face before she responded. ¡°What kind of information?¡± ¡°Well I was raised in a secluded forest with my grandfather up until a few days ago when he passed away I have no knowledge of the way things work here.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry for your lost, may the spirits guide his soul. I can agree to teach you what I can about this world during the three weeks we spend together, but keep in mind I¡¯m a fairy that lives in a secluded village, very similar to you. In regards to teaching you magic, well a human asking a fairy to teach them magic is like a dog asking a dolphin to teach it how to swim.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be insulted by that or not.¡± She was likely, saying she was far too advanced to be to teach me magic. She chuckled to herself before agreeing to my terms. After she finished roasting the rabbit and served it on the stick like a shish kabob. My first time eating rabbit wasn¡¯t bad, it wasn¡¯t as gamey as I was expecting. it actually had a pleasant taste it was lean, not a lot of fat on it. We had an assortment of fruit as the side dish, it wasn¡¯t a large hearty meal, but it would last us until dinner. After we ate we sat on the bank together and enjoyed each other¡¯s company before we prepared to set off. ¡°Still have a lot of time to go until we make it to your village,¡± I spoke first breaking the awkward silence that was building. ¡°We actually don¡¯t.¡± She snapped her fingers and the sky began cracking like glass. It shattered into a hundred pieces and dissipated into the air, The blue afternoon sky I was looking at was now gone. In its place was the dusk orange sky. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°As the fairy princess, I have to take necessary precaution to protect my people. I put you under an illusion spell once we left Poten village that slowed your perception of time around you, you believe we¡¯ve only traveled for a few hours, however, it¡¯s been nine. I apologize, but this was necessary.¡° ¡°I can¡¯t say I mind or have an issue, it was actually rather convenient.¡± But to exceed my magic nullification she must¡¯ve used some high-level magic. To clarify her magic was the fourth tier which is moderate level magic. However, your skills did not activate because she was deemed friendly once you accepted the quest with her. If you were to be resistant to all magic that would mean healing magic, potions, and other magic items, including your sword would also not work on you. That makes sense. ¡°So what are we waiting on?¡± I asked as I stood up getting ready to go. ¡°I would¡¯ve felt guilty if I withheld information from you after you accepted my quest. I will ask that once we enter please allow me to do the talking.¡± ¡°No problem, can we start the magic training tonight, it could prove useful in the battle.¡± She offered her hand to me, I grasped it and helped her off the floor. She was a lot lighter than I expected and I pulled her with too much force. She leaped off the ground and into my arms we stood chest to chest my arms around her waist, she was still reeling from the sudden change. Her face became as red as a tomato. She quickly regained her composure and pushed herself out of my arms. ¡°What the heck was that? I just needed you to give me a hand of the ground and you took that chance to make a move! All you men are despicable! As soon as you see a girl with a decent size chest you turn into rabid animals.¡± THUD I flicked her on the forehead. ¡°Please stop talking, you¡¯re spiraling. It was an accident you were a lot lighter than I expected, I am not interested in getting labeled as a pervert.¡± ¡°You just flicked me! I¡¯m a princess you moron! I will have you executed!¡± She was cute flustered and I caused me to crack up. ¡°You¡¯re cute when you get worked into a tizzy like this.¡± Her face flushed red all over again. ¡°Cute? Ahhhhhh! Can we please just go?¡± She stormed off and I chased after her because, to be honest, I have no idea where I am. After ten minutes of walking, we stopped in front of an arch created by two tall trees and there branches overlapping. But I could don¡¯t see anything different, the path we were on just look as if they continued through the arches. Damara, however, looked as though she needed to firm up her resolve to continue. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to let me do the talking,¡± she said casually as she proceeded. Once she crossed the under the arch she was gone. I hurried through behind her, but, once I crossed through the arch before I could take a second step. ¡°¡± The earth rose up on my left and right and closed in on me, encasing me from the neck down in a mound of clay. Someone used magic on me. To be honest, I picked it up with my perception and denoted that it wasn''t anything powerful and likely wasn''t worth worrying about. In addition, it would¡¯ve been easily avoided but, I didn¡¯t want to create further issues for Damara. Once she looked over to me and seen the situation I was in she sighed. ¡°Already huh.¡± Chapter One Part Three We were then surrounded immediately by a unit of ten fairies in armor created from tree bark. ¡°Damara, what is the meaning of this?¡± The fairy knights quickly dropped to one knee as a man with great presence walked thru the circle. He wore a very gaudy green and gold robe with a crown of vines flaunting a beautiful white gem as its centerpiece with a matching staff. He looked mature, but young light green shoulder length hair. Oberon Lv 78 Race: Forest Fairy Physical: Lv 24 Nature: Lv 54 Titles: Fairy King I didn''t completely understand what the appraisal showed me yet, but I would assume he''s pretty strong for this world standard. I''ll check my status and get more information from Tasa later. The situation at hand needed my undivided attention. ¡°Father.¡± He looked at Damara with great discontent. ¡°Damara I will only ask this one time. Why is there a human in our village? His words were practically spat at her.¡± ¡°He is here to help in the upcoming battle with the goblins, she rebutted.¡± ¡°You foolish girl! You bought a human here for your imaginary war! Your executions will be swift!¡± ¡°I Damara princess of the fairies declare a continuance for the trial.¡± He clicked his tongue before turning his back on his daughter and proceeded to walk away. ¡°Kill the human,¡± he spoke casually as if the order he gave wasn¡¯t to end a life. The knights began chanting spells and shards of rock began rising from the ground and were aimed at my exposed head. I glanced over to her and she didn¡¯t seem worried so I set my mind at ease as I waited. I was able to tell the level of the magic was no threat to me. The shared of rocks began barreling towards me so I closed my eyes preparing for the impact, I didn''t want to get dirt in my eyes, but the hit never came. I opened my eyes to a wall of green vines raising out the ground in front. Some of the shards were lodged in the vines, but most disintegrated on impact. Then a massive green stalk emerged from the ground and rose seven feet with a rosebud on top. The petals of the beautiful red rosebud opened revealing a woman so beautiful she put the plant to shame. ¡°So you plan on executing my dear daughter Oberon?¡± she spoke while her eyes pierced the fair king. Oberon became flustered and became visibly shaken. ¡°Oh my wife Titania, No I was just being intimidating is all.¡± Titania Lv 91 Race: Forest Fairy Physical: Lv 21 Nature: Lv 70 Titles: Fairy Queen She was the most beautiful person I¡¯ve ever set my eyes upon. She stood on the rose she emerged from, her lavender hair cascaded down her back, she wore a beautiful long light green gown with decorative gold stitching. Her tiara sat upon her head with the same white jewel as King Oberon¡¯s. The rose gradually pulled back into the ground bringing Queen Titania back to ground level. The knights quickly dropped to two knees, it was clear the fairy queen held more respect than her husband. She walked gracefully to her daughter and cuffed her cheeks in both hands, and softly kissed her on the forehead. ¡°My silly daughter you had me worrying sick,¡± her voice was tantalizing any man to hear her speak would be her victim. ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother but I refuse to stand by and allow my people to become extinct because of the stubbornness of my father. ¡° ¡°You insolent brat! Oberon hearing her words lashed out, but did not dear stand between his wife and her daughter. ¡°Very well, we will gather the council and listen in detail to the vision you had my daughter.¡± ¡°Titania you mustn¡¯t be so soft, she broke the most sacred laws of the fairy people.¡± ¡°Yes I understand Oberon, but she cannot be tried for one month period in accordance to fairy law. What¡¯s the harm in listening to her speak? ¡°And what of this human?¡± Oberon glared at me with great hatred. Titania walked over to me and looked me in the eyes and gently caressed my cheek. It caused a stir among the knights and they were all ready to lop my head off. ¡°My what a beautiful young man. If I met you during my youth you......excuse me. Young warrior speaks your name for all to hear.¡± ¡°Yes Queen, My name is Joten Caru.¡± I spoke my name loudly for all hear as she requested. ¡°Oberon, there is no one in this village that has the capability of harming this boy. Please do not send any of our knights to die a frivolous death.¡± There was a collective gasp among the knights in attendance, the fairy king, and also Damara. ¡°Young Caru, demonstrate I give you permission to relieve yourself from your restraints.¡± On the queen''s word, I twisted my body and the clay that was encasing me cracked and fell to the floor. The knights, the king, and Damara looked terrified, but the queen just smiled gently. ¡°that was a fourth tier spell,¡± some of the knights murmured. ¡°By my name Titania the fairy queen I declare Joten Caru a friend of the fairies and anyone who attempts to harm the boy¡­..and lives, will have to answer to me¡± ¡°By your command,¡± The knights agreed and bowed in unison. Oberon was still standing in shock and awe when she approached him.¡± My beloved let''s go prepare. Damara, you and young Caru come to the meeting cabin in thirty minutes.¡± Then a giant rose petal opened from the ground and swallowed them before it returned into the earth.¡± Leaving us there by ourselves to deal with everything that just happened. Damara turned to me for the first time since we were here she didn¡¯t look completely confident in the turn of event. ¡°My mother protecting you with her vine wall was the last part of our arrival my vision showed to me. Everything from this point is a shot in the dark, please tread lightly.¡± ¡°So you knew all that was going to happen?¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°As I said up until my mother intervened. Anyways we should go thirty minutes isn¡¯t exactly a wealth of time.¡± "Wait I''m confused, Did you know that you were going to find me? " "What I saw was that I would request the outside help to assist in our plight and who the person was would be saved from my father''s execution by my mother. But my visions was very blurry and didn''t show who the person was." Her demeanor was different, she was nervous, scared, up to this point she exuded the utmost confidence. Well, I guess it makes sense to be confident when you know exactly what is going to happen. I put my hand on her back which and she turned her head to look at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry princess no matter what happens next I got your back, I¡¯m your comrade now,¡± I said with a gentle smile. Her cheeks began to burn red and the downcast expression she had up to now disappeared and was replaced by a soft smile. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to those words.¡± We walked side by side into the fairy village, it was a small, quiet place, and all the homes looked to be made of tree trunks with a dome roof. It looked exactly how I would expect it to look. Various flower provided lighting under the setting sun illuminating the village. We walked straight to the back of the village into one of the larger built houses in the village. We sat on a rug around a wooden table with King Oberon and Queen Titania sat at the head of the table adjacent to each other, on the side in front of Damara and I sat three elders, and on the opposite end sat a mature fairy in full plate armor made entirely of wood. King Oberon was the first to speak,¡± now Damara you have our attention, speak.¡± She glanced over to me and I gave her a nod of reassurance. ¡°Very well, my vision was a dark one; we were caught by surprise and slaughtered. By the time we realized we were under attack forty of our kind littered the ground of our village including our dear king and queen.¡± ¡°You say forty, then what of the eight unaccounted for?¡± The knight at the bottom of the table interrupted the story with a question and all the eyes gather on him. ¡°Yes, what of them,¡± one of the elders reinforced his question ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they wish they died on the battlefield with the rest of us, the eight including my little sister and seven other women became the playthings of the goblin scum.¡± Gasp and various mumbles could be heard at the sudden explicit information, even I was taken aback by the actual details. ¡°This is absurd, I¡¯m sure this is only her way of lashing out in response to her father, the second elder spoke. I had a perplexed look on my face because I wasn¡¯t aware of the reason her and her father had an issue other than her bring me here. Apparently noticing the confusion written on my face, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like she shared that detail with you did she human, the princess was supposed to be bethroed to the fairy general¡¯s son and produce an heir and then this tomfoolery began.¡± I hadn¡¯t spoken up until this point because I deemed it not to be my place, but now eyes were on me expecting a response. ¡°I was not aware of those details; however that is not something for me to be concerned with. I was bought here for a job, which I will do.¡± The fairy queen didn¡¯t seem to approve of my response and she lowered her eyes at me. Damara also didn¡¯t look to be overjoyed by my response either. ¡°Who would be leading an army of five hundred goblins? It just doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± said the fairy general. ¡°A hobgoblin,¡± Damara said those words gingerly as if she knew she would regret saying them.¡± The elder began arguing amongst themselves once again. ¡°This girl is clearly a liar and dears speak such words to avoid her duties as a princess. There is only one way she can compensate for this and it must be with her life!¡± They all said about the same thing, no one was happy to hear that there was a hobgoblin out there. ¡°Now-now-now, please tell me I did not hear an elder threaten to execute my dear daughter,¡± the temperature in the room plummeted Titania spoke for the first time since the meeting began. She still wore a gentle smile but exuded a black demonic aura. I had no idea what the hell just happened, but it was truly intense. Sweat began to gather on the forehead of the elders who recognized their mistake instantly. ¡°Oh no my queen, it was just a scare tactic please don¡¯t fret,¡± They bowed and apologized profusely.¡± It was a quite humors display. King Oberon cleared his throat to refocus the meeting and then spoke, ¡°if what you say to be the case Damara death is what awaits us either way, A hobgoblin is an insanely powerful being born once every few hundred years. I don¡¯t think that human will be of much help. Titania I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve perceived him by now, what are your thoughts?¡± ¡°Perceived?¡± I asked. ¡°My mother was gifted with the Eyes Of Thea; her eyes see the truth in things. Meaning she can see evil in the heart of others, the depth of their strength, and the truth in their lies.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why she¡¯s so supportive of me, she knows the word I speak isn¡¯t lies made up to displease the great fairy king.¡± There was a clear hint of sarcasm in her voice which irked Oberon. ¡°Well to answer my love, I cannot perceive the depth of his strength. Either its beings obscured by the sword at his waist or its more than I can fathom,¡± Titania interrupted the musings before King Oberon could reply to Damara, "but either way," she continued, "either he is insanely powerful or his sword is." ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that happening to you, but are our daughter''s words true?¡± ¡°Yes, she has told no lies, she did indeed have such a vision. Although I do not know nor can I confirm whether or not that vision is true, not even my eyes can see into the future. ¡° Various rumbles began again among the elders. ¡°If our queen cannot see it with her eyes, how can we believe that she can see it?¡± an elder asked. ¡®May I speak,¡± I spoke up again, my question was directed at King Oberon. ¡°It seems as though you¡¯ve already taken it amongst yourself to do so." ¡°I apologize for my rudeness, however, if this meeting is to determine whether something will or will not happen in the future then we are wasting our time. No matter how much time we spend in here we will not know the answer to that. My question to you Fairy King Oberon is this, which will mean a greater loss for you and your people, Preparing for an attack that never happens or not being prepared for an attack that does happen? That is the only thing that needs to be considered here." ¡°Such insolence to our king¡± ¡°I actually agree with him,¡± the stoic fairy general spoke out. ¡°We aren¡¯t mobilizing a large army; we are simply taking precautions to secure our city and our women and children. The lost that way is minimum. I humbly ask you to take that into consideration¡± King Oberon rose from his seat to make his declaration. ¡°So be it we will make the necessary preparations; we¡¯ll bring in the knights and begin making preparations, this room will now strictly be for battle operations. If you are not involved in those operations you may leave.¡± ¡°I will gather my knights and anyone who can aide in this battle.¡± The fairy general departed first to gather his men, the fairy elders follow suit. Damara and I also rose to leave. ¡°You two stay, Joten I¡¯m assuming you would play a major role if this battle was to happen and Damara you are the only one that knows what coming.¡± Damara bowed her head, ¡°Yes father as you wish.¡± After a ten minute wait, the room was filled with the knights and hunters of the village, twenty people in total. ¡°This is the fighting force we can muster.¡± ¡°This is expected general thank you, Joten what are your thoughts?¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored to be called upon King Oberon.¡± ¡°No need for the fake formalities this is a military operation now, I need your uncensored truth, let¡¯s treat it as if this battle was a certainty; at the very least this will spruce up our defenses for future conflict.¡± ¡°Very well, How many goblins can a fairy knight handle in battle?¡± my question was directed at the general. ¡°I would say ten-twenty depending on the knight¡¯s skills, I¡¯m sure even the hunters among us can handle at least five.¡± ¡°Allow me to interrupt, Joten please keep in mind that the force you see here is every able bodied man in the village. If this force is wiped out it means that extinction of my people.¡± ¡°No need to worry king, I do not plan to lose anyone in this battle.¡± My words caused a stir among the knights, it was clear everyone here came to die defending their people. ¡°Young Joten your hands will be full dealing with the Hobgoblin, we cannot depend on you fighting with us against the hoard.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fret general, When we spoke Damara wasn¡¯t one hundred percent certain that it was a hobgoblin leading the charge meaning she didn¡¯t see it in her vision. We assume it¡¯s leading because it¡¯s the only logical option.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Goblins are not known for their intelligence, and since the goblins general was not seen it''s easy to assume he leads from the back, meaning he gives orders prior for everyone to follow. ¡° ¡°Yes, that common if a general leads from the front he¡¯s a target, and if he dies in combat the battle is all but lost.¡± ¡°But the problem with this approach is that sudden changes stir the whole army because communication is slow. We assume its twenty vs five hundred, but do not forget this is your land and no one knows it better than you.¡± ¡°I see so your plan is to use the terrain to our advantage, but the forest is simply flat lands.¡± ¡°Fairy Queen Titania if my observation is correct your earth magic is the best in this village.¡± ¡°Titania is fine, and your observation is Corr¡­.¡± ¡°I refuse to put my wife on the front line,¡± Oberon interrupted which earned him the glare of his wife. ¡°King Oberon I have already told you I do not intend to lose anyone in this battle...¡± ¡°But, can you guarantee that Joten?¡± Titania grabbed him by the ear and twisted, the King Oberon winced in pain begging her to stop. ¡°I apologize for my husband¡¯s frequent interruptions. Please continue with the planning.¡± Everyone was happy to not be in Oberon¡¯s shoes. ¡°Ok well the goblins are expecting this to be a surprise attack, but we can prepare our defenses accordingly. ¡° ¡°How?¡± ¡°Damara, did your vision show which direction the goblin horde approached from?¡± A little surprise by suddenly being called to the spot light, but jumped right into the action. ¡°Yes, they approached from the east marching in three lines aimed at the top, middles and base of the village respectively.¡± ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s careless planning on their behalf because they expect a quick rout or they would try and surround the village before attacking. So in their path, we can see various traps, Pitfall, swinging log traps, and trip wire. We funnel their forces into one line and render their numbers useless.¡± ¡°I see! This is a wonderful idea it just might work we could thin out there forces severely before we even begin the battle!¡± The fairy general excitement went from cold to hot. ¡°Once they are funneled into a line we will be able to have our fun, we cannot allow them to scatter about and do as they please.¡± The meeting went on after that well into the night as we discussed the ideal places to put each specific trap. It turned out pitfall traps were new the people here, but it was an easy teaching session.