《Denouncer of Fantasy》 Prologue - Concussion Denouncer of Fantasy Prologue - Concussion He didn¡¯t understand... The air was still; stagnant: a heavy quiet weighing on the world, he heart racing within his chest, straining to push himself forwards to run, heavy breathing and harsh footfalls the only things to break the silence that and the rattle of armour. The caves pressed on, cold stone walls, dark rock, deep runnels bored through the earth by running water, the remnants of a river resting beneath his feet, gravel and slabs of slate, and patches of ice frozen over, by the deep cold; frost touching the walls, and causing his breath to smoke. He took a deep breath and continued to run. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Ward wheezed his voice crackling out of his chest, stout form quavering as his eyes drifted forwards and upwards towards the figure that bore the lantern ahead, a deep ring of light falling about him, ward tarrying at its edge shattered beams of candle-light flickering off the man¡¯s polished armour, and the heavy axe waiting at his hip. ¡°Did you forget again?¡± a gentle voice whispered, carrying up from behind them, silent footsteps slowly closing in on the young man his fists clenching, causing the leather gauntlets to creak about his hands. ¡°You were talking about the Fragments same as normal and then you started scream; did you forget the screaming, you were screaming ward. And shouting it didn¡¯t make much sense, you are where you were, and you¡¯re going where you will be it¡¯s a simple as that. Are you ill; if you¡¯re ill and you die I get to keep your corpse right Ward?¡± The girl laughed, Ward slowly glancing down in her direction, small and slender and young; and with bright green eyes that seemed to fill her head glowing with an unnatural pallid light. He turned away his gaze fixing on the tunnel ahead, he didn¡¯t want to die; if he strained himself, if he pushed himself here and now he could hear them, closing in ¨C a faint keening echoing through the dark. ¡°I¡¯m... Not going to die.¡± He muttered, a wave of sweat cascading down from his forehead, eyes dull, following the flickering of the light above, a second ring of artificial dawn slowly drawing upwards resting above Dala¡¯s head, the young girl continuing to smile up at him, an honest smile, a kind one; a smile that sent a shiver through the very depths of his soul. She was fourteen; he knew that, she was fourteen, she stood barely over five-feet high; one-hundred and fifty-three centimetres, dressed in ragged robes: cut and torn stolen long, long ago. She wore her hair in a silver bob which bounced about her face as she ran, a faint tan touching on her skin, and a wide-brimmed pointed hat, a wizard¡¯s hat, made of plain leather topping her head. And above that hat rested the skull of a dragon floating in the air, as if by magic, not a large dragon but a dragon none the less; a deep green flame mixed with red, and blue and black burning within the skull. Ward swallowed hard forcing his eyes shut, he knew it all; how she had left her home, killed the mentor that had imprisoned her for so many years, had wondered homeless and hopeless; he knew her past; but he didn¡¯t understand a damn thing: she wasn¡¯t real. He reached up wiping away his sweat the young girl pouting turning away from him continuing her slow sprint through the cave system, not that he could say anything about being slow, he being tired. He felt sick, everything; everything that had just happened it made him feel sick. His head hurt to, and his heart, he didn¡¯t feel well; but he kept running. Ward glanced down towards the impossible girl jogging besides him arms folded disembodied skull floating above her shoulder like an obedient dog his stomach churning beneath him. He couldn¡¯t do it. And then his world span. Everything shift, his legs pulled out from under him as the tip of his iron-souled boot caught a small outcropping of stone sending him tumbling forwards, his body impacting hard against the stone, the jolt flying through his skeleton jarring each and every joint in his body. A mess of blurred light filling his eyes, the armoured tank grounding to a halt: Aran turning back to face him. ¡°Ward you okay?¡± The man mumbled tugging off his helmet and kneeling down beside him. Ward gave a brief nod slowly pushing himself upwards off of the floor. He really should have exercised more often; not that it mattered anymore. He fell back down a second jolt shaking his frame. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout this sir¡± Aran sigh hanging his helmet from a sash slung from his belt, before wrapping an iron clad arm about Ward, lifting him with ease from the floor before thrusting a large hand in Dala¡¯s direction, ¡°You too, unless you want Eila to and Dossan to leave us behind.¡± Dala looked at the soldiers hand for a brief moment before planting a foot on the armoured appendage and leaping atop of the man grabbing hold of his neck and slowly clambering to perch atop his shoulder the freaking flying skull following her all the way. Ward groaned as Aran rose to his feet the movement jostling him from his precarious seat slung beneath the soldiers arms, Aran quickly pushing into a swift jog moving forwards through the cave, carrying the lantern in his left hand and Ward within his right, his weapons and armour letting loose a jangling chorus to bounce about the stone passage. ¡°I feel sick.¡± Ward muttered surrendering himself to the motion of his courier as the tunnel¡¯s floor slowly began to rise turning into an upwards slope carrying them out towards the world above the dark and the damp and the cold. Dala smiled leaning over Aran¡¯s chest to lock her eyes on his own, a question slowly passing her lips. ¡°Then if you die, can I-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to die!¡± Ward cut her off before he could finish, a harsh baying cackle rising from deeper within the earth as if to mock his words, drowning their little party in silence. They were gaining on them, if he listened he could hear them approaching, the clatter of feet and weapons and armour along with the cutting yelps and shrieks that followed them announcing their advance. Ward swallowed hard, if he survived this he was going to start exercising, he¡¯d start running, he¡¯d run until he lost his gut and finally burnt out his baby fat, if he survived that was; if he survived. He shook his head, casting aside the thought, he wasn¡¯t sure what was going on but he didn¡¯t want to die; he wasn¡¯t going to die. They continued their ascent climbing up the tunnel, the stone corridor steepening and flattening out once more, several smaller corridors breaking off on occasion, not natural, carved out of the earth at random intervals, rough work simple; crude. Ward took a deep breath, glancing up at Aran the large man starting to slow, his eyes fixed ahead on a figure resolving from the shadows caught in the light of the lantern. A young woman, brown hair tied behind her head in a plat, sharp hazel eyes cutting through the gloom, dressed in a mix of leathers and tight pants, a bow strapped to her back along with a quiver of arrows at her hip beside an array of knives, daggers and dirks, a crooked grin spitting her face. ¡°Seems someone¡¯s still allergic to exercise¡± Eila laughed sauntering forwards hands planted on her hip Ward shooting a heated glare upwards in the woman¡¯s direction, Aran letting out a heavy sigh. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°How¡¯s it look ahead, any more of them?¡± The soldier questioned leaning in Eila giving the man a shrug before leaning over and grabbing the lantern from his grip. ¡°I don¡¯t know; it¡¯s not exactly my job. Maybe if you wipe our illustrious leader¡¯s nose he can tell you.¡± Ward snorted at the girl¡¯s derision as she turned slowly pushing into a run. ¡°Eila, curb your tongue!¡± A fifth voice broke out carving through the rock and causing the still air to quake, two pairs of lights appearing in the dark just beyond the lanterns reach, the heavy sound of footsteps suddenly assailing the group. ¡°You forget your¡¯ place, respect our master otherwise you challenge me and both my class and my level outstrip yours by a wide degree.¡± Dossan yelled the old man marching forwards, strong and firm, standing straight his face weathered, covered in valleys and ridges and cracks coursing along his skin carved by ages, a thin vapour of silvered hair hanging about his head, dropping down along his jaw and slipping into a pointed goatee. And despite his age, appearance be damned, despite it all his eyes shone bright, proud and youthful filled with light burning a vibrant red. Ward took a deep breath, reaching up to grasp at his temples; his head felt like it was about to explode. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡± Eila muttered folding her arms and marching ahead; ¡°how¡¯d the tunnel look anyway?¡± she questioned moving the subject on with a deft hand, Aran shaking his head and using his now free hand to pull his axe from the loop on his belt. Ward glanced briefly at the massive hunk of solid steel, quickly diverting his gaze as Dala let out an eerie laugh silencing their party. Dossan cleared his throat before making his report. ¡°The tunnel was clear; I didn¡¯t notice any signs of monsters or movement. The tunnel leads on for roughly a kilometre, after which it opens into a small woodland glade and as near as I can tell, it lies beyond the mountains.¡± Dossan replied a weary smile splitting his face, Aran letting out a brief laugh, Eila snorting in derision her arms remained folded tight atop her chest. ¡°Well let¡¯s get going before that pack of mongrels catch up with us.¡± She muttered beginning a light jog Dossan nodding in her direction before swiftly overtaking the young woman. Ward let out a groan as their lurching journey began once more, Dala grinning from her perch atop Aran¡¯s shoulder, their only source of light the burning skull of the dragon currently floating about her head. He really had no idea what was going on the young man resigning himself to his position as luggage, Aran ferrying him forwards through the darkness and the tunnels all uniform in appearance. ¡°Hey; Aran?¡± Eila called from up ahead, her lantern wavering as the young woman began to fall back settling back into a run just a few footsteps in front of the soldier easily outpacing him. ¡°You think the captain¡¯s finally snapped out of his confusion?¡± Eila glanced back in wards direction, soft brown eyes striking him hard. ¡°I don¡¯t know; Ward is the one who¡¯s in charge of that.¡± He muttered in response, hand clenching tighter about his axe, ¡°he still looks kind of sick though; so I¡¯d guess not: besides you know how he¡¯d react to this situation.¡± Eila shrugged a faint smile slowly pulling at the corners of her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know; our dear captain never was very fond of running, or jumping, or fighting; of anything except eating really. It kind of explains why he¡¯s carrying so much weight around the middle don¡¯t you think?¡± Ward looked up shooting Eila a glare, as she glanced back down at him, her eyes glinting with a sharp light. ¡°Eila what are you-¡± Aran interjected before Eila cut him off continuing her tirade. ¡°What, we all know he¡¯s been putting on the pounds lately, even after we left the village his weight only seemed to go up despite all the walking. Maybe it¡¯s his metabolism; although really, what was it his sister always used to say? Fat is fat...¡± And that was it, the confusion the stress, wave after wave of fear broiling up within his stomach; he felt sick, and angry and scared, he wanted to run and to shout and to scream. Ward swallowed hard, a gritting his teeth and slowly pushing himself forwards struggling his way out of Aran¡¯s grip, tumbling down onto the icy floor, to his knees, fists clenched tight, taking in a deep breath and rising slowly, three words shaking out, booming from his chest; ¡°I¡¯m not fat!¡± Eila grinned, stepping away from him and sauntering forwards, quickly breaking into a jog, lantern raised above her head Ward following in quick pursuit. Anger and adrenaline pushed him forwards, the baying of whatever it was that was following him, ringing in his ears, alongside the jangle of metal and claws and the gnashing of teeth, while that lantern bobbed ahead of him, always in sight, Eila laughing as she ran, skirting corners, leaping and dashing occasionally vanishing disappearing behind a bend in the rock, Ward quickly coming up again upon the sight of the lantern Aran remaining jogging behind him at a leisurely pace, Dala laughing as she watched him run. The chase continued, up winding passageways, tripping and stumbling, slipping on patches of ice, his boots catching outcroppings of rock. He followed the lamp as it dipped and it died, and its fire quavered low, and then at last it vanished. The lantern¡¯s light disappeared, as the dark walls of stone slowly grew brighter, the faintest touch of fresh air reaching down into the earth, carrying with it, the sound of trees, and flowing water, and the scent of sweet grass, of something other than dust and decay, barely noticeable over the sound of oncoming footsteps, but there all the same. And there she was standing at the entrance to the tunnel, her silhouette cast against the noon-light, a smile slowly breaking out across ward¡¯s face as he changed his course veering in the young woman¡¯s direction, Eila standing stock still as he approached prepared to blindside her. And then as if it were only natural, she moved, stepping aside avoiding the human cannonball streaking towards her sending Ward tumbling forwards into the glade, and into the light. He tumbled forwards, the world passing by him in a flash of colour, the grass and the trees, the wind and sky, the world about him shining brightly; as he fell down onto his face. Ward let out a soft groan slowly pulling himself upwards from his prone position, lifting his head; towards the wood that marked the boundary of the glade, and the row of monstrosities waiting there, claws and fur, and burning eyes, spears and swords, and hatred, allayed before him; and deep down he knew, Ward knew that this; all of it; All of it was Eila¡¯s fault... Chapter One - Impossible Circumstance Chapter One ¨C Impossible Circumstance Sunlight burnt the curtains a fan roaring in the wall above sending vibrations down into the floor, barely known or noticed, his eyes fixed somewhere else. The room was small, confined and every inch of space had been put to work. His bed, his wardrobe, his desk, his laptop his mini-fridge his shelves; loaded with his books and his games and his figurines in a haphazard mess. He lay still and silent his eyes flickering before the screen of his mobile, the device bursting with flashing light, the sounds of battle and Japanese voice actors drumming through his skull. His hands blazed across the controls, almost seeming to dance across the screen, as his fight unfolded. He took the role of strategist, controlling a force of up to six characters each with different skills and abilities and an almost infinite number of unique and often useful combinations. Of course that pitch would have described a couple hundred games, but there was a reason he loved this one, there was a reason he had been playing it for four straight years; it was good. There was little else to say about it other than that, it wasn¡¯t outstanding in any field, but game mechanics, graphics, story lines all of it was good and it blended together extremely well, and he wasn¡¯t the only one that thought that, since the apps release it had managed to maintain a high ranking in the digital game stores, never number one, but never forgotten. And all that time he had been playing. Four years; six times he¡¯d started the game, and six times he¡¯d begun it all over again, starting from scratch, running through the story and raising his level higher and faster and stronger, he was a veteran of the game, at this point it felt as natural as breathing this was his seventh play through. Of course this wasn¡¯t one of his normal, starting the game over just because he¡¯d run out of things to do, no this time there was a more important reason; Update six-point-one The Worlds Dawn ¡®the largest update since the game came out of beta¡¯. The number of available characters had more than doubled, the same went for the number of weapons, maps and side-stories, it was like the virtual world itself had exploded. Of course that was nearly nine-weeks ago. For nine weeks he¡¯d been locked in the game (having just finished secondary school with an excess of time on his hands before college) and in that time he¡¯d only managed to reach level twenty. Of course levelling hadn¡¯t been his focus, not in the slightest, his eyes were set on something far more important: he¡¯d been collecting fragments. He let out a yawn slowly rising upwards from atop the covers of his body, moving slowly his eyes still fixed on his mobile, drifting towards his desk, just a few steps to the right from the comfort of his bed dropping into the adjustable seat, moving quickly to turn the mobile off. [Relic Fragments] were the games premium currency, they could be exchanged for rare characters and weapons and tools and the easiest way to obtain them; real world purchases. It was still possible to obtain them in game, through events and quests but it was hard: almost impossible to earn enough purchase some of the truly high level items. Of course that was later in the game, when you first began the game you were guaranteed a steady supply of fragments. He smiled reaching down with all due haste to swing open the door to the little blue mini-fridge stowed away beneath his desk and grabbing a bottle of chilled water. Seven-seconds later and the bottle was empty clattering down into the rubbish bin as he threw himself back onto the bed, the sound of battle once more filling his ears. The reason he had restarted his game for the seventh time was simply to experience it all over again, everything the virtual world had to offer. And of course a large portion of the game was dedicated directly to growing stronger, it was easier to enjoy the story if he could breeze through the various challenges and in order to do that his current team wasn¡¯t going to be of very much help. A rank-C soldier, a rank-C scout, a rank-A samurai and a rank-s necromancer; with the exception of the necromancer not a single one of them was over level thirty and while yes, they made an effective team at the start of the game, they were just too weak to handle anything past the midway point. That was why he needed the Worlds Dawn beginner¡¯s bundle. The bundle would award you with a swathe of coins, items and a minimum of three characters ranking A and above, with a guarantee of at least one rank-SS character as well as a random new reliquary set. And the best part; only the new items that had just been introduced to the game were available. The game judged a character¡¯s strength based on both their rank and their levels; rank indicating raw power and levels accumulated experience, the highest rank being X and the highest level being three-hundred. That said the highest rank you could get from playing the gacha, a sort of lottery where items, tools and characters were up for grabs in exchange for premium currency, was rank-S anything above that you had to work for. To simply things the beginner¡¯s bundle was basically cheating your way through the first half of the game; of course if you did just glide through the start of the game, you would find it nearly impossible during the second half: he¡¯d learnt that the hard way. He let out a sigh shaking off the memory and refocusing himself on the game in his hands; all he needed now were five-more fragments, just five. This was the last floor of the dungeon before the mid-floor boss; it was entirely possible he could receive the required materials. Of course if he didn¡¯t that meant he¡¯d have to face the dungeon¡¯s mid-floor boss, one his characters were far from equipped to handle. They would win of course, he felt fairly sure of that, although if he just charged in there they¡¯d take quite a lot of damage... Well that would only matter if he didn¡¯t earn enough fragments in the next chest. He slammed his thumb down initiating the final phase of the battle, the screen glowing as he saw his characters move as instructed, surrounding the last remaining and delivering the final blow, the creature dissolving into a pile of dust and leaving behind an ivory chest, embellished with gold. The battle review window popped up a moment later, his attention fixed solely on the loot icon glowing just beneath the list of moves he¡¯d made. He tapped the icon a list of items appearing one by one on the screen an icon flashing into existence next to each one and... Yes! Six, fragments; he had fragments in excess; all he needed now was to purchase the bundle. A weary smile touched his lips as he closed the window down, exiting the battle menu and moving with practiced ease towards the shop, making his purchase in the blink of an eye, a ticket for the beginner¡¯s bundle gacha appearing in his inventory. He let out a weary sigh, dropping his mobile down, the device resting on his face, filling his view with pixelated light. It seems like he¡¯d done it, all his hard work was about to pay off, ha; it was worth it. And then, in the blinking of an eye, the screen went black and the world went cold. And then everything went white, and the world he knew was gone, and Ward stood somewhere else; somewhere impossible: the world of his game... He was standing in Haven¡¯s Light.
¡°Do you understand what you have done?¡± The question plunged the glade into silence spoken in a voice rough and heavy and guttural booming out, spending spittle flying through the air, the monster stepping forwards, teeth biting closed as Ward slowly pushed himself backwards slowly regaining his feet at the creatures approach. It stood nearly seven feet tall, a broad body rippling with muscles, hidden beneath a fine coat of hair, split and broken by white scars coursing across the skin. A rancid breath following each word, yellowed teeth snapping closed within a long muzzle, the head of a wolf black lips sneering, eyes burning with frantic yellow light and above its¡¯ head, floating as if in contradiction of reality, a single tab hung: [Urlius Kobold General Lv35] ¡°You break into our homes, you steal and you take and you kill. What did we do to you? We protect ourselves, defend ourselves; what makes you think we deserve this!¡± The monster barked, Ward retreating as fast as his legs could carry him until he stood beside Eila, the young woman standing still arms crossed; scowling. ¡°You said the way was clear.¡± Eila muttered glancing in Dossan¡¯s direction, the old man pulling his sword free of its¡¯ sheath. ¡°Yes I did and the glade ¡®was¡¯ clear last time I checked. The Kobolds probably had a secondary passage, they cut around us and set a trap; how¡¯s Master Ward?¡± The old man sighed, expression remaining unchanged by the rapid shift in events. Eila glaring in Ward¡¯s direction before shaking her head. ¡°He¡¯s still out of it, he always was the susceptible type; his brain¡¯s just as doughy as his body.¡± Eila humphed; glancing in his direction Ward gritting his teeth and glaring in the woman¡¯s direction. ¡°Shut the hell up, I¡¯m not that fat!¡± Ward hissed his gaze fixed on the army waiting ahead. They stood along the tree line right at the edge of the glade, an array of rusted swords and spears and axes, daggers and knives, drawn ready for battle, each dressed in cheap leather armour, and bone trinkets, standing not much above four-foot high, but they were fast and they were deadly, and they outnumbered Ward¡¯s little band, five to one; not including Urlius leading the charge, a claymore gripped tightly in a bestial fist. Ward glanced back down the way they had come, Aran slowly making his way up the tunnel, another wave of kobolds following after him, their weapons and armour catching the light of the glowing skull and sending stray beams of light up from the darkness. This didn¡¯t make sense, it just didn¡¯t he¡¯d been playing videogames, less than an hour ago he¡¯d been lying on his bed playing videogames and then what; he woke up standing in the middle of a cave, running for his life from an army of kobolds. It just didn¡¯t make sense, it was impossible; he was surrounded by fictional characters from a videogame, he wasn¡¯t mad, and it wasn¡¯t a dream; he was fairly sure on those points, so what: what was this supposed to be. ¡°Where on earth am I?¡± he muttered, a wave of nausea assailing his stomach an unexpected reply drifting out from the entrance of the tunnel. ¡°You¡¯re being silly earth isn¡¯t a place it¡¯s an element of magic¡± Dala laughed leaping from the shadows using Aran as a launch board, as the armoured soldier stepped forwards into the light., the kobolds quickly following behind cutting off their only means of escape but remaining in their place at the entrance of the tunnel.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Are you really that heartless? You come here to kill and steal and you don¡¯t care at all, you¡¯ll pay for that...¡± Urlius growled, raising up his sword, a violent roar shaking the air, causing the trees to quiver, a stiff wind blowing through as his army of kobolds took up the cry, lowering spears and hefting up blade. Eila stepping forwards expression black, the young woman taking in a deep breath, before shout out over the war cry. ¡°Aran take the rearguard and bottleneck the kobolds; keep them from surrounding us, Dala start resurrecting some reinforcements to keep that mob busy. Dossan You¡¯ll act as vanguard and keep their leader busy. I¡¯ll keep ward safe and help out where I can; understood?¡± There was a uniform nod of agreement from the surrounding party before everything went to hell. Ward stood stock still, frozen in place, a pale green glow tingeing on yellow, pulsating through the earth, spreading from Dala; the young girl having closed her eyes, her hand pressed to the soil, as slowly the earth began to rise and heave and skeletal bodies dragged themselves upwards, standing in the way of the Kobold forces. He took a deep breath turning round, his gaze drifting about the crowd, as the two sides clashed in battle; Dossan swinging his slender blade through the air; some kind of Japanese sword trailing lines of blood-red light as it flew, striking sparks of the Urlius¡¯ claymore the huge blade falling slowly gouging through the earth and splitting the air; unstoppable. All while Aran stood before the mouth of a cave, spears and swords and axes clattering off his armour eliciting flashes of blue light, the steel giant impeding their advance. All while Eila sat tight in the centre of the formation an arrow knocked to her bow, eyes darting about the field. Kobolds crumbled falling down into dust, just like in the game except this time they were gone for good, Ward swallowed hard, as he reached up grasping at his head; too much it was all too much the kobolds were closing in. It was slow, gradual they were forcing Dossan back the wall of skeletons slowly beginning crack falling apart letting the kobolds in tightening the noose already looped about their collective neck. ¡°Ward get down¡± Eila yelled, loosing an arrow in the direction of one of the incoming beasts, drawing a second in a fluid motion returning to her position eyes gazing over the field. This wasn¡¯t going to work, they were going to die. Dossan didn¡¯t stand a chance against Urlius, not alone; the old man rank-A, but his experience rested squarely on level twenty-three, against a boss-monster outweighing him in levels without support, or backup or chance of escape it was only a matter of time before he lost. Aran would probably last a little longer, he was a human tank, but taking so many hits was going to wear them out; not to mention the fact that their skeletal reinforcements were collapsing and they had what maybe a minute left maybe two; he was going to be sick. Ward shook his head, turning his gaze back upwards keeping tabs on the fight, his eyes fixing on a wooden shaft streaking towards his face. A firm hand grasped his shoulder pushing him forwards, Ward tumbling down to the earth, his gaze fixed on the kobold that had just tossed its¡¯ spear in his direction and was currently fumbling at its¡¯ belt for a knife before an arrow dropped it to the ground. ¡°I told you to get down.¡± Eila muttered, knocking another arrow and letting loose in the same instance, ¡°never would listen to others would you.¡± She smirked reaching for another arrow, Ward slowly pushing himself up from the earth, a jangle ringing in his ears. He didn¡¯t want to die. A jangle sounded in his ears, as a flurry of objects clattered down past his head, spilling down onto the grass. They were trinkets small things, pendants, charms, knives, swords, hammers, axes, toolkits, staffs, bottles and brass instruments all littered about him. They¡¯d probably fallen out of his backpack; the lock had probably come loose... He hadn¡¯t realised he was wearing a backpack. Ward blinked slowly before un-slinging the pack and planting it in front of him and grasping the top. He was right, the clasp had come loose; a small portion of the bags contents spilling out, a very small portion. Ward couldn¡¯t exactly deny or refute what was going on around him, even if he did refuse to ¡®believe¡¯ what he was seeing, but whatever this situation was, it seemed like it was based on Haven¡¯s Light, a world that acted like the videogame; which meant this backpack was his inventory. Ward scrambled grabbing the spilled items stuffing them back into the pack, the objects simply vanishing as they disappeared down the packs mouth. Ha, that was probably the reason he had been running so slow it had been the pack weighing him down, the pack that was so light he hadn¡¯t even noticed it until a moment ago... Yeah. ¡°Now is not the time to be acting like a packrat!¡± Eila screamed firing another arrow, a kobold tumbling down mere metres from their little party. Dala let out a yelp, pulling away from one of the approaching Kobolds, the young girl slashing her hand through the air sending forth a wave of purple flame, the fire striking the kobolds chest and passing by unnoticed the creature unperturbed before an mass of skeletal hands broke from the soil grasping at the flailing creatures ankles Eila sending an arrow in the prone monsters direction. Ward ignored it, reaching down into his pack, not fully aware of exactly what it was he was doing, what it was he was planning, but he moved all the same. He delved deep pushing through the mass of coins, and bones, and other oddities and curious enclosed within, until his finger tips rested on a thick metal loop, his grip tightening as he dragged it out, a heavy groan sounding out from the bag as the object was pulled free. A small sphere strapped to chain connected to an iron loop; the idiot¡¯s lantern. The lantern itself was an intricate piece of metalwork a lattice of brass shaped to look like shifting cloud, a dull grey flame burning within. He swallowed the image in his head growing clearer as he delved back into his back; Eila glancing down from above watching him work. Both hands plunged deep into the mouth of the bag he searched them out his finger tips grazing upon iron loops drawing them out, a pair of matching lanterns pulled out from the depths of the bag, one burning a soft indigo and the other a violent blue; the noxious lantern and the frozen lantern. They were part of a series of consumable items purchasable exclusively in beginner shops and when thrown would impart the corresponding debuff on any character or monster in designated area. They were indispensable resources, especially in the early stages of the game, allowing players to take out opponents many times their own level for easy levelling. Ward rose upwards climbing to his feet sealing the clasp on his bag before dragging it back onto his shoulder, gazing about the field of combat, a sudden bout of nausea shaking him down to his core, a chill creeping into his bones. What was he supposed to do now? He was supposed to throw them at the enemy and make a quick escape but that didn¡¯t mean he could. He wasn¡¯t exactly athletic. He stood at a little over five-foot-six-inches, he was overweight and athletically incapable, he couldn¡¯t hit the broad side of a barn with a bowling ball! How was he supposed to do this? He staggered back looking at the scene about him, the Kobolds had closed the net, Dossan had been forced back barely a few metres in front of Ward his long robes shredded; Urlius bleeding but unaltered in his course. Aran stood at the entrance of the cave, his armour dinged and dented Axe hanging at his side slowly fending the kobold reinforcements back, while Dala and Eila fought with what few resources they had left; Dala sending random bolts of green fire pulled from the dragon¡¯s skull into the faces of the foe, Eila quickly running out of arrows. They were going to die. Ward shook his head, hands shaking as he drew backwards bumping into Eila yelling out his commands, ¡°Retreat to the cave!¡± Ward pulled back moving slowly in the direction of the cave, his gaze fixed on the Kobolds, breaking through the final skeletons, trampling down their bones and pushing in, as Ward pulled back to the cave entrance, the others following behind him. The young man paused mere inches before banging into Aran Eila and Dala falling in either side of him Dossan standing as vanguard trading blows with the Kobold general, slowly losing ground to the beast. Ward turned down, his eyes fixed on the brass orbs clutched so tightly in his grasp, his breathing shallow as he hoisted them, his gaze going out over the field of battle. It was just a videogame that was all. If this world really were based on a videogame then it would work, all he had to do was think about where the orbs would land then throw them and they¡¯d land there, that was how it worked in Haven¡¯s light. Well at least that was how it had worked. He shook his head, fixing the three spots inside his head, it didn¡¯t need to be perfect, as long as he hit his targets then they were good. ¡°Take a deep breath and when I give the signal charge forwards; before that Aran you need to stun as many of those Kobolds as you can.¡± Ward ordered, before taking a deep breath, Aran letting out a wild yell activating one of his skills, the armoured tank radiating a fierce blue light. Ward swallowed, it was now or never. He reared back launching the first of the balls to the left, lobbing it down into the centre of their party the world seeming to flicker as the orb landed in their midst clattering about the Kobold ranks as they rushed in, before Ward bowled the second lamp forwards into the legs of the left flank; the world flickering once more, and this time the image stuck. A pale white grid superimposed itself upon the field, each square a metre in size, the map spreading to the edge of the glade, Ward rearing back, his gaze fixated on a single tile resting the Kobold generals feet, the square glowing bright orange as the young man pitched forwards, the orb flying from his grasp and colliding with the generals chest dropping to the earth and as one the lanterns detonated. Three pillars of smoke rose into the air, mixing with one another, the kobold ranks descending into a screeching, howling hell, as they scrambled to escape each beast laden with one of three debuffs, the Kobolds occupying the tunnel for the most part stunned; immobile and lying prone in the entrance. Ward dashing forward, his breath held tight as he dived through the smoke veering away leaping out of the technical fog streaking at a snail¡¯s pace in the direction of the woods. ¡°You won¡¯t get away!¡± A heavy voice roared out, several figures bursting from the pale-blue cloud rising into the air, Dossan and Eila streaking past word rushing into the woods, Aran following not long after hauling Dala along for the ride while Ward pushed on watching as his party disappeared into the forests without him, Urlius¡¯ voice chasing him as he ran. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for what you did! You¡¯ll die here, you¡¯ll die!¡± Ward paused glancing back in the direction of the Kobold General. Urlius was a mid-floor boss it wasn¡¯t exactly unexpected that the debuffs weren¡¯t having a strong effect on him; in fact they were barely slowing him down at all. The Kobold general wasn¡¯t wrong; Ward and his party had trespassed on their land they had vandalised, murdered and pillage their way through the [Kobold Kingdom]: whether they were monsters or not they weren¡¯t exactly unjustified. But he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong it was just a game ¨C or at least it used to be ¨C he didn¡¯t know anymore. Ward shook his head turning back towards the forest pausing briefly; now which way had the others run in... A roar sounded from behind, Urlius hurling his Claymore through the air, the blade driving itself into the dirt less than a metre from where Ward stood, the young man letting out a panicked scream turning from the battle field. He chose a direction and ran, deeper and deeper into the woods, into the unknown. Chapter Two - Reality Breach Chapter Two ¨C Reality Breach It hurt. His breath caught in his lungs forcing out a choking cough, a dull fire burning in his limbs as he slowed to a halt slipping sideways to prop himself against a nearby tree slowly slumping down until he rested in its¡¯ roots the sounds of the forest rattling in his ears. Ward breathed slowly, eyes watering gaze fixed on the ground beneath his feet, a grating static pulsating through his skull: he was tired. He¡¯d never felt this tired before, he couldn¡¯t move; his arms, his legs they were weight to him now; he was really tired. But slightly more pressing he was also very, very much lost... It had been maybe five minutes, possibly ten; probably ten, since his battle with the kobolds. He¡¯d ran towards the woods without a second thought and he¡¯d been running ever since: he¡¯d picked one direction and he¡¯d ran, and he¡¯d ran and he¡¯d gotten even more lost along the way. Ward let out a groan his head lolling to the side his fists clenching and unclenching trying to bring back sensation to his fingers. It didn¡¯t sit right, what had just happened, it didn¡¯t feel right; none of it did. He didn¡¯t understand what was going on; it wasn¡¯t a dream, he knew what dreaming felt like, which left two possibilities: he was mad and this was all inside his head, or he was sane and this was all outside his head; it was real. In either case it was probably a good idea not to approach the Kobolds again. The [Kobold Kingdom] was one of [Haven¡¯s Light]¡¯s smaller maps and was part of a beginners quest to quell the Kobolds numbers in other an extermination. Yeah it was probably a good idea to avoid the kobolds. In the game Dungeons were mystical places where monsters would be respawned upon death so to prevent the monsters propagating and venturing out of the tunnels the game¡¯s government asked adventurers to thin out their numbers. Of course even if they did come back from the dead, he doubted having a bunch of random strangers break into your homes and kill you was pleasant. Putting that into real world context was kind of uncomfortable. Ward laughed the world in front of him flickering. The white grid that had appeared across the ground during his fight with the kobolds and his subsequent flight through the forests vanishing before him for the briefest of instances before appearing once again. But this time it was brighter, clearer, solid; it looked real; an array of screens and windows following the grid filling the world before him. Ward sighed, glancing at mass of information resting in front of him; the left hand side had a series of bar gauges listing his health, mana and stamina as well as those of his entire party. It didn¡¯t seem like any of them were too far into the red although it did look like Dossan had taken a fair bit of damage in that last encounter. Stamina on the other hand was looking less positive. Below that was a small map, stretching roughly one-hundred squares in every direction, a mass of trees covered in contour lines revealing where the earth fell and rose, pointing out hills and valleys, small blips of light covering the wood a soft orange in colour; revealing neutral entities; wildlife, neither aggressive or friendly. And occupying the other side of his view, a list of all of the events that had just transpired, who had used what skills, how much damage they¡¯d dealt how much damage they¡¯d received: a step by step replay of the fight. It seemed like things were just getting weirder around here. Ward sighed, slowly lifting a hand reaching upwards and waving it through the image floating before him, and as his hand touched the screen he felt resistance, not a lot, just a little; almost like water it was there but not quite solid. He smiled, this; everything about it, was impossible but he couldn¡¯t deny it, it was amazing. And then it was gone. The image vanished, the right hand screen along with the white grid they just faded away; although the bars and gauges on the left hand side remained shrinking to fill only the top corner, while the map expanding, the view remaining the same but the picture slowly growing larger. Ward smiled tilting his head and reaching out his hand grazing the map as he pinched the image, the map suddenly expanding, it still only showed the same hundred squares but the overall scope of the image had doubled, and there pushing slowly through the forests a series of four small blips each a different colour; his party advancing through the woods. Ward smiled; well at least he wasn¡¯t as lost as he was before. Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a good idea to trust magical map that existed only inside his head, but it wasn¡¯t like he had too many other options. Ward laughed; that could wait for later right now he was tired, and he wanted to try messing about with his map, he was also probably a little delirious too but considering the day he¡¯d had that could be forgiven. He shook his head reaching out and attempting to drag the map into the centre of his vision the image complying with his demand. As far as maps go it was fairly simple, it had a simple scale in the bottom and depending on how far in or out you zoomed it would also show contour lines and other details like springs or ponds, and things like abandoned houses and as well as other man made constructs. The image itself was coloured an aged yellow mixed with an earthy brown, dark black slashes of ink showing the trees and the forests and the mountains the mists. The map covered a distance of; at a guess, around fifty or sixty miles, it was hard to say seeing as the maps key measured distance in leagues, each of which was near enough three and a half miles. Anything beyond that distance just showed as a sea of fog, anything past the mountains or the plains. It seemed like the forest spread downhill from the mountains roots, the woods slowly growing sparser as they reached the plains, wide fields of grass stretching out into the distance before being drowned in fog. It was strange; in haven¡¯s light the main method of navigation outside of the assorted maps was just clicking buttons selecting quests, locations and levels; he¡¯d never really seen it, the layout of the world. Four years and he¡¯d never thought about what this world would really be like, not that he¡¯d had a need to, it was just a game; or at least it had been. Ward swallowed slowly pushing himself upwards, his pack swaying behind him, as his legs trembled beneath. He needed to catch up with the others before they left him behind.
It had to be on purpose, there was no other explanation for this; she was doing it on purpose. There was no other way about this it was Eila¡¯s fault. For the past three hours he¡¯d been tracking his party down, as they made their way slowly through the underbrush, tramping across country, and each time he drew close they would veer out of his way, or beginning turning in a completely different direction. Eila was the teams scout and while Ward had known her less than a day he knew well enough that she should not be in charge of leading the party qualifications aside. And still there she was marching along, bright and happy, the others trailing behind her marching their way forwards. Eila was going to pay, he was tired, he was hungry and he¡¯d had enough of her stupid jokes; she was going to pay. Ward looked down at the sheet of paper currently clutched within his grip; a [Lightning Talisman], it would impart paralysis and lightning damage for one turn; a cheap item available in every major town and city, the only issue was you had to be next to your opponent to use it, that and it wouldn¡¯t work on any opponents with lightning resistance. Of course Eila didn¡¯t have lightning resistance. The young man shuffled about in place looking down upon his party, kneeling over a small rocky outcropping, and down a slopping hill towards them. He¡¯d had to head them off, move around their group giving Eila a wide berth and cutting them moving directly into their path. He¡¯d been waiting ever since. Now it was time to strike. Ward rose slowly to his feet shuffling forwards and marching his way down the hill, Eila spinning round, eyes wide before forcing a smile onto her face, the others noticing a fraction of a heartbeat later as Ward approached trudging down the hill to stop at the edge of the valley. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back sir¡± Dossan laughed arms folded over his chest, Aran giving a nod of agreement Dala dropping down from the man¡¯s shoulder giving him a smile before rushing in and throwing him into a hug. Ward paused, freezing up as the young girl squeezed pulling him in close, he let out a brief laugh before pulling her off Eila marching forwards. ¡°So what took you so long?¡± She questioned nose turned upwards a glimmer rising up within her eyes. ¡°I think you know the answer to that.¡± Ward sighed stepping forwards and taking hold of Eila¡¯s shoulder, the young woman glancing down in his direction, momentary confusion replaced with a touch of fright. A bright flash shocked the glade, a wave of lightning lashing out coursing over the Eila¡¯s body, as she tumbled face forwards down into the floor rocked by convulsions and arcing light. Ward sighed turning around to look at the rest of his party members staring in his direction wide eyed; ¡°Well let¡¯s get moving!¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Eila hissed from her position prone upon the floor, her eyes fixed upon him with near murderous intent; ¡°I¡¯ll get you for this you dumbass.¡± Eila groaned flipping onto her back, Ward ignoring her threat dusting his hands clean of the whole affair. ¡°Come on let¡¯s go Eila can catch up later.¡± Ward sighed marching away. ¡°Hey Ward what was that about?¡± Aran questioned leaning down over Eila his expression hidden beneath his helmet. ¡°Simple; I was trying to catch up with you, she kept moving to try and avoid me. Revenge is sweet.¡± Ward laughed giving the armoured man a wide grin, ¡°I¡¯ve had a long day, I¡¯m tired, confused and exhausted; now I¡¯d like to sleep in a normal bed if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Ward turned away continuing his march the others sharing looks of mixed exasperation before following in line after ward Dala letting out a happy grin. ¡°It seems like Ward¡¯s back to normal doesn¡¯t it; let¡¯s go!¡± she chirped rushing forwards falling in alongside the young man, Dossan and Aran following suit, the valley left quiet but for the occasional crackle of electricity. The trees grew sparser; tamed and clipped, the bushes cut down, the forest floor clear beneath them as they advanced. Ward led the march his gaze fixated on his map, glancing up on occasion to check his surroundings steering their course forwards through the woods as the sun began its¡¯ descent tingeing the sky an orange hue. It looked as if the trees themselves blazed with light. It was beautiful. But of course so was a bed, a nice warm bed, and a television, and internet access; those things were beautiful as well, but he wasn¡¯t going to be seeing them any time soon! Ward let out a faltering chuckle as he trudged forwards his gaze fixed on the world ahead. Just a few more moments; just a few more steps, Ward sighed pushing forwards stepping out between the trees, and appearing on an open plain. The world stretched before him, endlessly, cities, no skyscrapers, no high-rises, just an open plain. A sea of green grass danced within the breeze, alongside fields of wheat, and orchards and pastures, the mountains to his rear curving round towards his left disappearing beyond sight, while to his right a single dark spot rested, a small walled village resting just within sight, a small earthen road connecting it to the mountain and leading off into the distance. ¡°Ward, how much further is it?¡± Dala moaned the young girl appearing from the woods carried atop Aran¡¯s shoulders collapsed over his helmet, Dossan marching forwards to join them, the old man barely making the slightest sound. ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± He yawned jabbing a finger in the direction of the small village turning their course and veering in the direction of Burlo, a small town of roughly thirty houses at least going Ward¡¯s map, the villages name scrawled beside its¡¯ image, a pair of small orange dots resting just beyond the towns entrance. Those were probably the towns guards or at the very least Ward assumed so he also assumed that his map couldn¡¯t show him the details of the town beyond its¡¯ physical appearance seeing as no other blips were present on the map and he very much doubted someone posted guards on an empty village. Ward led the charge, marching in the direction of the village, cutting across country side at a steady pace their party mowing down a path through the grass, approaching the dark speck, waiting almost a mile away. He needed a bed, a nice warm bed, and a meal; he needed a meal as well he hadn¡¯t eaten a thing since lunch before the strange and bizarre series of events that had led him to marching a band of adventurers across a fantasy world had begun. Actually there would be food inside his pack wouldn¡¯t there, not a huge amount but enough to make a good meal at the very least, although he couldn¡¯t say for certain. When Ward got to the comfort and safety of an inn he¡¯d have to run an inventory check on all of his items, who could say what he had hidden away in there. He had been playing Havens light for nine weeks, there was an inordinate amount of items, equipment and currency all stuffed away inside that bag. It hardly weighed a thing, but he was carrying a veritable fortune up there. Ward wasn¡¯t sure how things were supposed to work in this new world but he was fairly certain leaving his pack alone was a very bad idea.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They approached slowly, coming up the road at a leisurely pace, the town slowly growing as they neared it, the wooden palisade looming upwards, as the sun began to vanish casting the plains in dusk. Burlo had seemed like a small village from the Ward¡¯s map, a collection of dinky-dink houses surrounded by a wooden fence, but standing before that fence, he was faced with a new perspective. The wall seemed almost menacing formed from wooden stakes, tree trunks sharpened and impaled in the earth providing a formidable defence, bound with rope and iron nails for security. A gap opened up in the wall on either side of the town, the dirt road cutting through the village and dividing it in two, and standing either side of this gap a guard waited. They were dressed in roughshod armour, an ugly gambeson it¡¯s colour a mix of red and brown dyed with blood and earth, thick cloth trousers covering their legs alongside iron sabatons, a pair of vambraces protecting the arm and a slightly rusty kettle helm mounted atop the head. And standing proud emblazoned on their gambeson, stitched into the padded armour; the image of a bird its¡¯ wings burning blue and trailing light, curling in on itself to form a circle. Ward swallowed hard drawing ever closer to the gate his party members seeming to stiffen at the sight of the guards, an uneasy tension touching on the wind. ¡°Oy, what the hell are you doin¡¯ ¡®ere?¡± A rough voice yelled out one of the guards stepping forwards into the middle of the road, an elderly man at least in his fifties, hair white, and eyes blue; carrying with them a dull light as the old guard hefted up a musket, levelling the barrel in Ward¡¯s direction, the old man¡¯s company starting at his sudden movement reaching down from the broadsword at his hip fumbling the weapon out of its¡¯ sheath clutching onto the weapon for dear life. Ward sighed taking in a deep breath an unnerving anxiety settling itself within his gut. He had never been social in any degree, he was seventeen years old, with no girlfriend, no friends, and he hadn¡¯t left his house in nearly ten-weeks. He was practically a shut in, and now he was supposed to negotiate his way into a medieval fantasy village with a pair of angry guards; perfect. He just needed to think of it as a game. Ward shook his head clearing away the cloying thoughts waving a hand as he moved to approach the village. But before his foot could fall, a lone voice pierced the quiet, turning all involved to look. ¡°Ward!¡± Eila screamed approaching at a sprint, ¡°you bastard, I¡¯ll get you for this; you left me there; you left me to die!¡± Ward stepped watching as the woman approached, streaking up the road at a hellish speed the young man turning to run as she began to approach. Ward kicked off running as fast as he could Eila redoubling her effort closing in even faster than before the scout reaching out, grasping for him, a wave of fear assaulting Ward a strangled cry escaping his lips as the young woman latched on. She brought her arm about his neck forcing him down the pair of them sliding forwards along the dust road Ward collapsing into the dirt as Eila rose her knees still planted on Wards back, just below his pack. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat myself again, since yer clearly stupid; who the hell are you and what in blazes are you doing here!¡± The old Guard roared marching forwards, a lot closer than he had been before, jabbing his rifle in Eila¡¯s direction the young woman turning up to face the old guard, eyes bubbling with an anger born of desperation, and exhaustion and an unsettled pain, as she leaped forwards drawing a knife from her hip. Eila pulled the old man in close stopping mere millimetres from driving a dagger into the guard¡¯s eye, her expression cold and clear as glass. ¡°I¡¯m cold, I¡¯m hungry and I¡¯m tired; today I have fought off an army of Kobold under the command of an idiot before being electrocuted and left to die in the woods; I am not in the mood for arguing with some backwater guard.¡± The Old man snorted his expression unchanged meeting Eila¡¯s provocation with gusto. ¡°That¡¯s none of my business lass, I don¡¯t care what kind of hell ya¡¯ve been through; I aint letting some psychotic bitch and her rag-tag band of misfits into this village! Now get back.¡± The old man roared using the end of his rifle to knock Eila back, Dossan, Aran and Dala finally reaching the scene, Ward pulling himself up from the ground, his body groaning as he did. ¡°Put the rifle down!¡± Dossan yelled drawing his sword from its sheath Aran unbuckling his axe and stepping forwards. ¡°Sir what are your orders?¡± all eyes turned to Ward as Dossan pushed forth the question, the musketeer interrupting before Ward could issue a command. ¡°Sir, you mean the pudgy little pack mule?¡± The old man laughed. ¡°Quit making things worse here!¡± The younger guard muttered glancing in their direction pulling on the older man¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ the truth; there¡¯s no way that lump is in charge here. He¡¯s probably a decoy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fat!¡± Ward yelled stepping forwards the guards musket swivelling in his direction. ¡°Is that so, you could have fooled Me.¡± ¡°Bite your¡¯ tongue!¡± Dossan stepped forwards swinging his sword in a wide arc knocking the old man¡¯s musket upwards, as bolt of magical energy firing into the sky, a streak of yellow light dying in the air above before a quick strike to the gut with the pommel of his sword dropped the man to the dust. Meanwhile Eila lunged forwards slamming her boot between the legs of the young guard, sheathing her knife and pulling out her bow in a single motion, drawing an arrow and training in on the prone man¡¯s throat. Ward sighed; it seemed negotiations had broken down huh. He let out a groan rubbing his face as he surveyed the scene. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± A soft voice drifted out from the entrance to the town a young woman marching forwards to meet them. Her voice carried with it command; her back straight, eyes true, bringing with her an air of battle and civility. In one hand she held a bastard sword and in the other a kite shield, a length of iron bound wood shaped like a tear-drop, the wood painted blue and printed with the same insignia which rested on the guards gambeson¡¯s except this time in white. There was just one thing he didn¡¯t get, one thing that made him want to groan in exhaustion, and it wasn¡¯t the fact that his situation had just gotten even more complicated. What he didn¡¯t get was why the guard¡¯s reinforcements was dressed up as a maid. Maybe she wasn¡¯t wearing some frilly dress, maybe she didn¡¯t have the headpiece or the broom but there she stood, blonde hair falling about her head in curls, soft green eyes like the hue of oak leafs caught in sunlight and pale skin that seemed to glow beneath the light of the rising moon. None of that could cover the fact she was dressed as a maid; a long black gown accompanied by a white apron, tied behind her in a bow, brass buttons running along the side of her dress, her clothes marked here and there with slashes of soot and dirt, while her hand, the one clutching at her sword was flecked with ink. She let out a long sigh glancing in the direction of the two fallen guards then up Ward¡¯s direction. ¡°Did you two even try to put up a decent fight?¡± She questioned looking between the young man currently curled into the foetal position screeching in a high pitched voice and the old man, pressed down against the dirt, yelling out curses and obscenities all the while. She shook her head pinching the bridge of her nose, before locking eyes with Ward any warmth or humour lost from her gaze. ¡°My name is Kaena Enlow, the old codger is Hillard and the greenhorn is Orrit, if you¡¯re here to talk let them go. Otherwise as master of the Blue-Wings Guild I promise you won¡¯t be leaving her alive.¡± Ward paused, letting out a sigh, it seemed like someone reasonable had finally arrived. Eila and Dossan glanced in Ward¡¯s direction, the young man giving them a slight nod, the two retreating to join the other three members of their party. Hillard rose swiftly to his feet his face red and teeth grit, Ward got the impression that Orrit wouldn¡¯t rising for a while at least. The old musketeer snarled heaving up his weapon locking sights on ward before a sharp clang rang out across the plain. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Kaena yelled striking the old man atop his helmet with the flat of her sword the shock causing to rifle to drop from his grip, ¡°you¡¯re drunk aren¡¯t you.¡± Kaena paused rubbing the side of her head before raising a glare in the old man¡¯s direction; ¡°that¡¯s it you¡¯re not getting paid this week. Once we¡¯re done here sober up and get back to work!¡± The woman yelled driving her foot into the old man¡¯s shins as he knelt down to grab his fallen weapon sending him promptly into the dirt. Kaena let out a haggard sigh before spinning on her heel, her dress fluttering in the still night air, the moonlight catching in her eye as she turned to face them her gaze cold and strong as iron. ¡°Now who is it that¡¯s in charge here?¡± The woman demanded slamming the points of both her sword and shield into the dirt before folding her arms waiting for their reply. Ward took a deep breath, he was the leader here, at least he was supposed to be. He was leading a party of five; a scout, a soldier, a samurai and a necromancer: and he was their captain... He couldn¡¯t feel it, he couldn¡¯t do this, not that he had much choice any more he had to do this. Ward shook his head taking in a deep breath steeling his nerves; he straightened his back rising to his full height, for whatever little it was worth, and took a half-faltering step forwards before his confidence promptly collapsed. Ward closed his eyes tight, willing himself to move, a deep seated anxiety resting itself within his bones, as the young woman turned to glare in his direction, anxiety blossoming into fear before a heavy blow knocked him forwards. Ward stumbled out of line taking the lead a heavy hand impacting his back, as he slowly pulled himself together to face the woman, sparing a momentary glance backwards in the direction of his party members. Well there was no turning back now. ¡°You¡¯re the leader?¡± Kaena questioned glaring down in Ward¡¯s direction before giving a prompt nod of her head. ¡°Very well then, explain it to me; why are you here?¡± her question rang with confidence Ward pulling up a reply as fast as he could. ¡°We¡¯re seeking shelter for the night that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Then why are you armed like you¡¯re about to enter a warzone?¡± Kaena pushed, Ward standing still scouring his head for a response, a dreary silence setting on the scene. ¡°We just crossed the Heldrian Mountains; it¡¯s not exactly an easy trip. So are you going to let us in or not?¡± Eila spoke up in Ward¡¯s place, Kaena quickly turning her attention to the scout. ¡°Heldrian? I¡¯m going to assume you¡¯re talking about the Ausor Mountain range¡± She paused for a brief moment glancing first towards their little band and then back towards the mountains crowning the horizon. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m willing to believe that but that doesn¡¯t explain what you¡¯re doing here.¡± ¡°That is simple; our Master requested we join him and so we did¡± Dossan answered a note of challenge ringing in his tone. ¡°And who is your¡¯ master, who told you to come here?¡± Kaena returned pleasantly, a warm smile on her face one that failed to reach her eyes, her stony gaze passing them by lingering on each of them, meeting their eyes; and that was when Ward noticed. She wasn¡¯t looking at him, she was looking through him; he was used to that, it was a familiar sensation but this time he didn¡¯t know why but it hurt. A caustic pain rising slowly from his gut to cloy his head, his teeth grit, a flame roaring to life within his eyes; he¡¯d had enough; of this world, of his old world and of those eyes. ¡°I did¡± Ward called out drawing the woman¡¯s attention back in his direction Kaena looking him over once again before giving him a slight nod. ¡°We¡¯re from a little village in the Heldrian Mountains; we left our homes roughly six months ago and have been travelling ever since. The man in the armour is named Aran, our soldier, the woman carrying the bow is Eila, our scout, and the man in the robes is Dossan, our Samurai. My name is Ereward Garr and I am the party¡¯s strategist the young girl is Dala a necromancer from a nearby village who joined us along the way after being ostracised from her own home. I asked them to follow me and they agreed; my goal is to become an adventurer and see this world beyond the mountains.¡± Ward intoned, lifting most of the details from the games lore and the story that had taken place thus far. Kaena watching him as he spoke before giving a little shake of the head followed by a smile; not a kind smile or a happy smile but an honest one. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± The maid sighed shaking her head pulling her sword from the earth returning it to its scabbard ¡°I mean a village up there in the mountains able to train a soldier, a scout and a samurai, preposterous.¡± Kaena let slip a laugh slamming her arms down onto her hips. ¡°And what was it you called yourself; a strategist? Well either it¡¯s an entirely new Class or you¡¯re insane. I won¡¯t ask you explain everything about yourselves, lots of people around here have something they want to keep hidden, but since you¡¯re not spies I¡¯m happy.¡± She clapped ward on the shoulder before turning around and marching through the village entrance. ¡°Welcome to Burlo, and if you really do want to become adventurers I think I can help you.¡± Chapter Three - Homeward Chapter Three ¨C Homeward ¡°Behold the Blue-Wings Adventurer guild!¡± Kaena declared swivelling on the spot turning around to face them arms thrown wide, a certain glee resting in her gaze. ¡°I am the assistant guild master of this establishment and am happy to be of service¡± The maid performed a curtsy Eila letting loose a snort as she stomped into the room. ¡°You said you were the guild master a moment ago.¡± ¡°Of course I did, a guild master for this area has to be at least rank-A. Although out guild leader is rank-S, it¡¯s kind of a necessity when living so close to the mountains, of course you¡¯d know all about that seeing as you crossed said mountains to get here.¡± Kaena gave the scout a smirk before moving towards a counter at the far end of the room. ¡°This is the main lobby and over there is the mess hall, beneath us we have the basement which is mainly just storage while upstairs we have the dorm rooms as well as both my and the Guild master¡¯s offices.¡± She explained Ward casting his gaze about the room. It was average he supposed. It kind of reminded him of a medieval inn, or maybe a pub; the lobby as a small area with wooden floorboards a set of stairs resting to the right hand side of the room and a desk taking up the other side. The majority of the space had been filled with small round tables with the exception of a cork message board waiting on wall tacked with pictures and posters and what looked like quests. It was exactly like he¡¯d been expecting, somewhere warm and comfortable, not quite cosy and a little barren. The Mess hall however carried a more military vibe, several long tables running the length of the room; with a single window looking into what Ward supposed was the kitchen. The entire area had been sunk slightly into the floor; the wooden boards giving way to a cobblestone floor a single fireplace resting in the corner of the room. The buildings walls made from quarried stone, the mason work rising upwards for three stories. Ward hadn¡¯t seen much of the town but he was fairly certain, even if the Guild wasn¡¯t the largest building in town it was the tallest. ¡°We can get you registered down here tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll prepare the paper work, after that all you¡¯ll need is the guild masters acceptance and you¡¯re an official adventurer. But for now I¡¯ll take you up to your rooms.¡± Kaena gestured for them to follow as she made her way in the direction of the stairs. Ward followed after, all he wanted was a bed, a nice warm bed where he could lie down and sleep to his heart¡¯s content, where hopefully he¡¯d wake up the next morning this entire debacle no more than a passing dream. He could hope; at the very least he could hope. ¡°Currently there are two dorm rooms available, one of the women one for the men. Eila and Dala can take the near room on the right while Dossan and... Aran was it? You can have the near room on the left.¡± ¡°And where will I be going?¡± Ward questioned coming out onto the landing of the second floor a long wooden corridor with a total of six doors spaced at regular intervals along the room, the hall itself lit by a single lantern resting in the corner of the guild, a small shuttered window looking out into the street beyond. ¡°You can choose between the basement or the library.¡± Kaena shot him a smile Ward standing still for a long moment his party members flushing past him heading in the direction of their respective rooms Eila shooting him a wide grin. Maybe he¡¯d misheard something. ¡°I¡¯ll be sleeping in the basement?¡± He questioned Kaena maintain that gleeful smile as she stepped past him taking a step down the stairs. ¡°That or the library; no more than two people in a room I¡¯m afraid, it¡¯d be a little cramped don¡¯t you think. I¡¯ll bring you a sleeping bag if you¡¯d like. So which will it be library or basement?¡± The maid tilted her head to the side in question, Ward feeling his final thread of hope drawing taught and snapping, and just like that he was in free fall. ¡°I¡¯ll take the library.¡± ¡°Good, in that case it¡¯s the far room on the left. I¡¯ll be back up with a sleeping bag in five minutes. Good evening Ward.¡± Kaena gave a slight bow of her head before turning around disappearing down the stairs. So that was it... Fate was cruel, or maybe that was just Kaena. Ward let out a weary groan his body slumping forwards as he trudged his way in the direction of the appointed door. Today had been a disaster, it didn¡¯t feel like a day, it felt like an entire week had passed; one week of his life down the drain. Ward pushed the door aside stumbling into the library, a wall of darkness greeting him as he stepped into the room. The library was a small square space, and frankly the term ¡®library¡¯ itself was probably a misnomer, study would have probably fit better. A small desk sat at the window of the room a rusty iron lantern resting on the wood, a small quill and inkpot sitting right besides. And as for books a pair of shelves took up the left hand side of the room, although only a half of the first shelf had been filled and that mainly with a mix of trinkets and tokens; only four or five books present at all. Ward let out a sigh, there were probably more books in his backpack then there were throughout Burlo the surrounding countryside included. Ward reached back un slinging his backpack and bowling it forwards to rest right beside the desk, before closing the door behind him plunging the room into near absolute dark. Pale streamers of light remained cast by the moonlight falling through the gaps within the shutter, Ward letting out a gentle sigh, marching forwards to stand beside the desk pushing the chair back and falling down. Today had been exhausting; emotionally, physically, mentally exhausting. He wanted to go home; he wanted his bed and his computer and his mobile... Although thinking about it; wasn¡¯t this what he¡¯d always wanted? He wanted to live in a fantasy world; he wanted to live in a videogame world... Wasn¡¯t this what he¡¯d wished for, an escape; and there really was no better escape than this. He might not be complaining if he had a bunch of cheat like skills and abilities, but no what did he have; eighty kilos of fat and bag of magical trinkets. He wouldn¡¯t have complained so much if he¡¯d had one of his old teams either; a real team. Not this ragtag bunch nobodies, they were randomly selected starting characters, their ranks and their levels both were too low: there was no chance he¡¯d be stepping into a high level dungeon for months, maybe years. Damn it... That wasn¡¯t fair. This world wasn¡¯t a game; he didn¡¯t need to go diving into dungeons anymore, he just; he needed to survive for now. He could deal with everything else later. This wasn¡¯t a videogame and his party members weren¡¯t characters they were people; if their hit points reached zero they¡¯d die, and if they died he¡¯d be left alone again. Ward swallowed hard, pressing his forehead against the deck, a violent headache assaulting him, a deep pain racking his body; stealing the breath from out of his lungs. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot¡± He muttered throwing his head back glancing upwards towards the shuttered window, gingerly reaching out tugging at the shutters turning them to reveal the town below. It was small and ugly and somehow warm: the streets were lined with little earthen abodes, each was but a single room, loaded with beds and tables and chairs, enough for a whole family. The Village had a total of thirty-eight buildings, thirty two of those simple houses, a fire burning in the grate the smoke rising out of a small hole placed within the roof, the other five had more specialised purposes. The guild building, the town hall, the butchers, the blacksmiths and the watchtower, he could see them on his map, a little name present besides each building, and if he looked out there into the moonlit streets he could see them, well he could see the butchers and the watchtower at least. The butchers rested on the other side of the road from the guild building its¡¯ walls the same as any other house except for the wooden supports and coat of white wash, the building having a secondary room to act as storefront, slate covering the roof instead of thatch. The Watchtower on the other hand was good solid stone, it only stood two-stories high, but it was wide and well fortified, arrow slits pointing out in every direction, a flame burning atop the tower shinning out to the world. Ward heaved out a sigh shaking his head. He was tired and he needed rest, this was an irrational situation, there was no point in applying rationality to the world about him. This wasn¡¯t a game anymore true, but that didn¡¯t mean that all of the old game mechanics were going to work just like they used to; this wasn¡¯t some kind of fantasy: it wasn¡¯t a fairytale. Okay that was enough with the inner monologue, he needed some light. Ward reached forwards grasping the small iron lamp resting atop the desk turning the device over with the pale light of the moon above. The lamp was a simple device made from a mass of metal and glass a nozzle sitting inside the glass case rusted over just like everything else. Ward sighed turning the little device upside down running his hand over the bottom of the machine, his finger dropping down into a little dent on the base. He blinked turning the bottom of the lamp towards the window, a small alcove appearing on the lamp base, an emblem etched there at the bottom of the machine; an emblem he was familiar with. Ward reached down twisting the clasp on his bag lifting up the lid and plunging his hand downwards into the bag and as if by magic amid the odds and ends something smooth and warm appeared in his hand Ward finishing it out and slamming it down on the table. He should probably stop using that phrase, ¡®as if by magic¡¯; after all it wasn¡¯t ¡®as if¡¯ anymore it was actually magic. He let out a weary laugh at the thought turning the gem over in his palm. A Fire shard, typically it was used as an evolutionary material for equipment, a small stone about the size of a marble, no larger than an eye, It gave off a soft orange light, warm to the touch a small speech bubble floating above the little stone a black trail of ink leading off towards the stone.
FIRE SHARD - Quality: C
Fire shards are small stones, they carry with them the power of the element of fire, and are often used in the creation of arms and armour to impart magical properties on various different gear. They can also be used as consumable offensive items able to inflict burns on enemies as well as a power source for magical items of the fire affinity.
Ward sighed ignoring the message and popping the stone in the bottom of the lamp, the little marble fitting snugly into the base its glow slowly vanishing as Ward placed it down upon the table the light remaining dormant. Well if that was the power supply then now all he needed to do was find the switch to turn it on. Ward turned the lamp round his hand, his fingers slowly finding themselves brushing up against a small cog imbedded in the top of the lantern and making the obvious move he gave it a firm turn to the right. The Lamps nozzle made a spluttering hiss a moment later the iron case rattling before a little flame burst to life, drowning out the moonlight and suffusing the dry cold little room with warmth. ¡°Wonderful¡± Ward yawned leaning back within his chair watching as the flame bobbed before him, bright and happy. ¡°Oh you got that old thing working?¡± Ward jumped at the voice rising to his feet his chair stuttering backwards before tipping over, Kaena letting out a small chuckle as she knelt down lowering a bundle of cloth down onto the floor. ¡°Your¡¯ sleeping bag, and thank you for fixing the lamp; I¡¯m a little surprised though. Do you always carry fire shards with you?¡± Ward shrugged keeping his silence Kaena narrowing her eyes before giving him a pleasant nod and exiting the room. Ward let out a weary sigh looking down at his sleeping bag. The term comfortable didn¡¯t seem like it would fit into the current situation; his sleeping bag looked like very little more than a couple sheets of cloth sown together in a torn and patched mess of colours. Well it was still summer, all he needed was something to lie on mattress and blankets were a luxury not a necessity. It was best to focus on the positives right. Ward sighed; maybe he had something in his bag for this. Hah, not likely, of all the things the games developers could have thought of supply the players with camping gear had never been one of them after all who would need those items when they were playing from the comfort of their own home. Ward sighed; he missed his room. That said he¡¯d only had six days until he was due to go to college; part of him was kind of glad and kind of sad he was going to miss that whole experience. Ward sighed scratching the side of his head and grabbing his pack hefting it up on top of the desk before plunging his arms deep into opening has hands grasping about through the sea of unasserted items. The game had a near infinite selection of different items divided into different categories; Materials, tools, equipment, relicquaries and tokens. Materials were used primarily to upgrade equipment and there were maybe over a dozen different items at most. Tools however were slightly more interesting, they were consumable items that could imply a buff on allies debuffs on enemies or could be used to interact with the various maps in order to gather materials or perform side-quests. Equipment spoke for itself, weapons and armour as well as magical trinkets like rings and necklaces, and then there were the reliquaries. Reliquaries came in a set of three each set containing an item to boost offence, defence and health, these items were meant to be holy each giving been blessed by a god and granting a divine blessing. And last but far from least were tokens; special currencies which could be exchanged in the in game shop for various other types of items, including attempts at the games gacha. He was an idiot... How had he forgotten, all of his worries were pointless, he¡¯d been playing Haven¡¯s Light for two straight months, it wasn¡¯t like he had nothing to show for it. Ward clenched his fist tight within his bag drawing out a small blue envelope holding it high into the air in reverence. Within this envelope were over two-hundred different materials, a random assortment of equipment, one whole set of reliquaries and three new characters classed rank-A or above! The thought itself was addictive, that one possibility, the chance to receive what you desire the most. A brief almost instantaneous adrenaline rush; there was nothing quite like it: no other game had that kind of tension. Ward had played a lot of games, many of them using the same system, but there if you just pushed through with sheer numbers it was a guarantee, if you had the money to buy enough coins or diamonds or whatever currency it was they were using you were guaranteed top tier gear, items and characters: games where if the price was right you could always win. But they weren¡¯t fun, even now the chance was there, he could receive a true treasure trove of items or a pittance with a single rank-SSS hero as compensation for his effort. And while yes that did sound like a lot, a rank-SSS adventurer did sound strong, there were players who had maxed out the level and rank of every adventurer in the game, collectors and completionists who devoured any player with the slightest gap or weakness in their team. Ward had fought against them scores of times, and even with his strongest teams his success rate was barely over thirty-percent. If the day came when his ragtag band of fighters had to face opponents like those; they¡¯d lose no doubt about it, no way around, it was a fact. Ward sighed rubbing his finger against the blue envelope thumbing the white wax seal the image of a crescent moon stamped down onto the paper. It was his first time seeing a real sealed envelope; he was just supposed to break the wax wasn¡¯t he?Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Ward frowned taking a deep breath and pressing his thumb down the wax seal snapping and the slip coming free. Ward opened the sheet of paper out what looked like a small red and black ticked falling into his lap, the image of a rising sun printed on the right hand corner; Haven¡¯s Dawn Beginner¡¯s Bundle printed in white across the ticket. Ward grinned holding the ticket up to the light before lowering it gently to the table pondering his next move. That was when he noticed it, just out of the corner of his eye; the envelope in which the ticket had been sealed, a scrawling script etched in white covering the blue paper; a letter his name printed at the top alongside a message that chilled him to the bone.
Welcome Ereward Garr to the World of Errot
The time has come, the time for heroes to rise from dust and ink and paper, the time where ancient kings shall grasp rusted sword and wake them from their slumber. The time of returning, the time where once more the gods will wage a war. A great battle to decide the fate of this world. All sides stand prepared, trumpets blast and war drums beat, the game is set and the stage prepared. The Drian continent shall bare witness to a feud that has festered for centuries, the pantheons of Urote and Enia stand opposed and there people ready for the coming storm. So you have been called; for if a god is to step foot upon mortal soil so shall they to become mortal, their divinity forfeit. The gods are in need of champions and you shall command them. You warlords and generals, great tacticians of the game known as Haven¡¯s Light have been called forth bound upon your path and to your pantheons. Or have been left scattered amidst the breeze alone and unknown chained the Broken pantheons that scatter the edge of this world. Ereward Garr you are a broken champion bound to the gods Brana Renel and Alena. You carry with you their blessings in the form of your¡¯ HUD. Godspeed and good luck champion of the Heldrain Gate.
So damn tropey... Ward wasn¡¯t entirely sure exactly what he¡¯d just read but it put him ill at ease. It sounded like a scenario out of a cheap light-novel; he had been summoned to another world in order to fight some stupid war. He didn¡¯t get it; where was the joke supposed to be? And why did they have to use his full name Ereward Garr; as far as usernames go that was probably one of the dumbest which was the whole reason he preferred Ward. He shook his head he could deal with that later; first he was going to use his open his beginner¡¯s bundle and then he was going to take a nice long nap and by the time he woke up he¡¯d have forgotten that letter even existed. Ward sighed tossing the letter aside and grabbing his ticket looking over the thin sheet of paper once more unsure of exactly how he was supposed to open it. Ward paused noticing a small indentation running along the edge of the left hand side of the card cutting straight through the image of the rising sun. Maybe it was like a move tick: he was supposed to tear the end off to activate it. Ward swallowed hard; there was going to be hell to pay if he screwed this up. He took a deep breath placing the ticket down onto the desk and slowly ripping pulling tearing the piece of card apart, a clean cutting running down the side. The next moment a faint chime rang throughout the room, clear cut like the ringing of a bell, vibrating off his skin. And then the ticket itself caught fire slowly burning down into nothing crumpling into a pile of ash, the light of the lamp flickering and, as if it were caught within a fierce gust of wind, it went out. It was at that moment the thought occurred to him, just a small vague nagging idea, that maybe summoning three high ranked adventurers into an eight-by-twelve foot study was a very bad idea. Not that he had the time to regret his decision a moment later the dark room drowning in a wave of light Ward rising to his feet turning his gaze inwards towards the centre of the room greeted by a familiar sight. There upon the floor was a ring of light, a circle of white tinged blue, pulsating and expanding and spreading across the floorboards. Ward retreated pressing his back against the nearby wall, making his way slowly about the edge of the room as the circle grew, drawing incrementally closer each second, pausing briefly before continuing on its¡¯ path once again. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d seen this spectacle, but then it had just been pixels on a screen; Haven¡¯s Light¡¯s summoning circle, bringing the world of man and gods together, drawing forth heroes and weapons and reliquaries to aid the games patrons in their quests. Bands of runic symbols were drawn down onto the floor, burning themselves deep into the floorboards faint wisps of smoke rising into the air, the light growing brighter, rings forming like those within the trunk of a tree, growing outwards, further and further until they just stopped; the air still and rippling with something that could only be called magic. Ward stood still his back pressed into the wall, his gaze turned towards the door, the circle of light forcing him back into a corner of the room; he was penned in, a spectator to the event he knew was about to unfold. Within the circle a trio of smaller lights appeared expanding outwards to form circles of their own consuming all available space, each circle halting upon completion leaving the others to take up the area remaining. Several seconds later, three more rings had appeared, two smaller circles one barely a metre across the about as long as Ward was tall and the third a massive disk stretching two and a half metres plus. Ward took a deep breath his fists clenching; just a few more moments and he¡¯d know whether his gamble had been worth the price he¡¯d paid. The moments trickled by in silence, brief and simple; Ward waiting for the summoning circle to activate, waiting for his heroes to arrive and for the mess he was about to make. He did not have to wait long. The summoning circle exploded. In the blink of an eye, a wave of light exploded outwards followed by a concussive blast a wave of wind striking Ward and pressing him against the wall, his ear drums popping leaving him deafened, a beam of light firing upwards, it struck the ceiling causing the wood to bend and glow, before breaking through splinters and chunks of wood clattering down to fall about the floor the roof undergoing the same treatment a beacon of light firing upwards into the sky driving out the night and creating an artificial dawn before petering out, leaving the village of Burlo stunned into silence and Ward staring at a trio of figures left bleary and dazed staring into space. A few scant second passed, delirious and dazed the woman on the far side of the room tumbling down to the ground falling back onto her rear breaking the spell drawing Ward¡¯s eyes forwards to meet her. She was dressed in simple clothes a pair of dark red iron gauntlets covering her fists Ward placing her age somewhere between Nine-teen and Seventeen meaning she was probably just slightly older than himself. Her hair was a dusky red tied back into a long pony tail falling backwards down her back, her skin pale shaded with the slightest touch of sun her eyes a brown that neared orange her the woman wearing a simple tunic and leather trousers, the thick dark green cloth straining to contain the woman¡¯s bust. ¡°Where the hell are we, what is this place?¡± a metallic voice rang out Ward turning his attention to the second figure, a large armoured man stepping out of his circle the light the ring taking on a deep red hue before vanishing. Ward had seen every character and class within the game or he had at least before the Haven¡¯s Dawn update. All of these characters were new, but he could at least take a guess, staring upwards at the massive man. He was clad in steel standing at just over six-foot-four inches ranking just above Aran in terms of height but his body was slender and light, a sword un-haltered and clasped firmly in hand, the blade as long as Ward was tall. If he had to guess this ¡®hero¡¯ was most likely some kind of knight or a similar class, at least going by the armour and weapon, polished steel painted black, curved points turning away at the joints, the armour cut into a multitude of different segments carrying the appearance of an exoskeleton rather than any traditional kind of armour. The woman¡¯s sword was a little more rustic, a single straight blade; the point blunted into a smooth curve catching in the light. The knight leaned, hot breath spilling outwards from his helm, a pair of yellowed eyes staring outwards, his pot helmet crowned with a mass of small steel spikes a pair of straight, glossy black horns jutting out from the back seeming to bend the light about them. ¡°Tell me: what is going on here, I was at Ackeran, I was fighting at Ackeran and now I¡¯m here, what did you do to me?¡± The knight demanded leaning backwards jabbing his sword forwards Into Ward¡¯s face, a wave of liquid flames bursting outwards trickling along the blade and blasting from his gaps within his armour those yellow eyes burning brighter within the darkened helm. ¡°Feur what the hell are you doing?¡± The red haired woman cried rising to her feet as fast as she was able marching in the armoured man¡¯s direction. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get answers: maybe being magically abducted by a fat little mage was one of your life¡¯s ambitions but I want to go back!¡± The knight yelled Ward clenching his fists tighter glaring up the length of the man¡¯s blade. ¡°None of us know what¡¯s going on here; I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s not a good idea to be attacking the one person who might.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t hurt him as long as he tells me what I want to know.¡± The man yelled swiping his blade sideways scoring a deep gash along the wall just above Ward¡¯s head blackening the stone in the process. Ward let out a whimpering cry not entirely sure of exactly what kind of mess he¡¯d gotten himself into this time. ¡°Who are you, where am I and what is going on here?¡± Feur demanded swinging his sword back resting the blade against her shoulder. Ward swallowed hard, meeting the man¡¯s gaze with what little resolve he could muster. ¡°My name is Ward, and we are in the village of Burlo just beyond the Heldrian mountain range. I summoned you here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ward cast his mind back into his head attempting to draw forth an explanation that wouldn¡¯t sound like complete nonsense to these people. ¡°I cast a spell without thinking and somehow it ended up summoning you here I don¡¯t know more than that.¡± ¡°Then send me back!¡± Feur hissed a heavy tone of threat carried in his words. ¡°I don¡¯t know how!¡± Ward retorted, the man raising his sword high above his head the red haired woman letting out a wild yell. ¡°Feur stop; Garte help me out here!¡± The woman charged forwards grabbing the knight about his waist and pulling him back, his sword streaking down passing mere inches from Ward¡¯s face. The third and final figure stepped forwards raising a gigantic rifle upwards placing all three occupants of the room within her sights. Ward felt his heart flutter, and not just because his sudden glimpse at death, not because there a young girl was pointing a rifle in his direction a magic circle slowly widening in front of its¡¯ muzzle; no. She stood stoic and silent, she was dressed poorly in what amounted to a potato sack, holes and patches poking through torn and burnt here and there, her feet and legs bare, her skin pale and soft, her eyes a warm hazel, her hair a slightly darker shade of brown, exploding about behind her in a wild mop. She was young and she was slender almost malnourished, her expression blank and resting there atop her head were a pair of ears. Ears resting atop her head dark brown in colour, just like those of a dog pointing upwards the points bending down ever so slightly, an animal girl; a girl with animal ears... Well that was something to check off of his bucket list. ¡°Go on Beastling; shoot I¡¯ll take you down next!¡± Feur yelled spinning about swinging his sword through the air a tongue of flame lashing out from the edge of his blade the knight letting out a fevered roar ¡°[Judgement Candle]!¡± a wave of heat exploded outwards an arcing blade of flame shooting forwards an explosion blasting out from the end of Garte¡¯s rifle the flame vanishing extinguished Feur Himself knocked backwards by a series of pale blue beams of light. The beams striking Feur alone sending him rocking backwards into the wall the impact sending a vibration through the room. Ward¡¯s vision blurring as his HUD, his head up display, faltered his battle windows appearing listing not only the health of his party members but also of the newcomers as well. Ward Groaned collapsing backwards to land his back against the door the animal girl approaching slowly her lips lifting up into a soft smile. ¡°You summoned us?¡± Garte questioned looking down to Ward pulling her rifle up holding it in her arms, the weapon seeming comically oversize a long octagonal metal barrel with an eye the size of a man¡¯s fist connected to a wooden an oversized octagonal chamber resting to the right of the stock. ¡°Yes I summoned you.¡± Ward replied his voice crackling as he spoke the young woman giving him a brief nod ¡°And this is mine?¡± Garte question tightening her grip; ¡°it¡¯s certainly not mine.¡± Ward sighed Garte shooting him a smile before stepping back. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ward shrugged unsure of exactly how he was supposed to respond to his current situation, a moment later the room suddenly plunged into the dark. The summoning circle finally vanished, the only light in the room being the pale glow of the moon streaming through the window and the gigantic hole that had been blasted through the roof moments ago. Ward sighed gazing upwards towards the stars above. The sky here was dark, darker than any sky he¡¯d seen back on earth, the stars streaking across the heavens in a multitude of lines, like waves shinning above. They weren¡¯t stars he knew but they were beautiful all the same. And then just as quickly as the light had vanished it returned, but this time instead of white it shone gold; not just one circle, but hundreds of them, covering the walls and what remained of the ceiling appearing in the air itself. Ward took a deep breath, a sense of weary acceptance filling his gut, as a chorus of chimes rang within his ears, each circle dropping out a random item before vanishing into thin air, one after another: enough weapons and items to fill half an armoury and start a small items shop on the side, slowly pilling up flooding the room like water. Ward raising his arms to cover his head odds and ends raining down upon in an endless cascade; every now and then a different coloured portal opening, sometimes blue or red or purple, dropping an item and vanishing just as quickly. He watched and waited as slowly the flow of gifts dyed down, all occupants of the room swamped in books and scrolls and tools, alongside incomplete suits of armour and weapons impaled deep within the floor, a vague sense of awe and confusion silencing the room, a heavy creaking sounding about them all. Ward had the terrible impression the floor was going to cave in; if only he¡¯d been right. The door opened, thrown aside, knocking Ward forwards casting aside the sea of items in the process. Ward Tumbled forwards colliding with Garte tipping the young girl over, a low growl sounding out from the doorway a lone figure striding in. ¡°Ten minutes ward, we leave you alone for ten minutes.¡± The young man turned pulling himself out of the debris, Eila standing above him eyes opened wide glaring down; arms crossed: a fury like no other bearing down upon him faster than he could blink. ¡°Ten minutes and you do this.¡± Ward remained silence; any semblance of sanity or normality breaking away in that moment as at last the day drew closed. Chapter Four - Something Slumbers Chapter Four ¨C Something Slumbers The morning breached over the eastern plains, the sun rising upwards over the fields of grass, and wheat; touching on houses and homes and business the dawn seeping through windows and dancing upon Burlo¡¯s walls; the world cast in burning gold. It hurt; his arms, his legs, his legs his head he ached soul deep. Orrit let out a soft groan his hands strafing downwards towards the part that hurt most of all. She¡¯d kicked him, he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong and she¡¯d kicked him, right in the vitals. Orrit rocked upwards his hair falling forwards to cover his face the young man sweeping it back a stray sunbeam striking him in the side of the face the young man wincing before slamming his shutters closed blinking his eyes hard and fast. He let out a sigh slumping back in his bed his back resting against the wall, it really was strange, he¡¯d noticed that ever since he¡¯d started working at the adventurer¡¯s guild he¡¯d started finding it easier to get to sleep despite the fact that he was relegated to using one of the most uncomfortable mattresses in human history. He sighed glancing at the old sack stuffed to bursting with hay wood shavings and who knew what else. Well he supposed it did make sense; he¡¯d never done an honest day¡¯s work in his life before joining the guild and now he was being put through hell. He¡¯d had the choice, if he¡¯d begged and pleaded, if he¡¯d begged with all of his might than maybe his father would have let him become an assistant at the family forge, he could have trained as a blacksmith. His brother was already set to inherit the place but he could have at the very least learnt the trade keeping a roof over his head and food in his belly all the while. And true that wasn¡¯t much of a life, but if he¡¯d gotten work as a farm hand during the harvest then he could have earned some money and eventually he would have been able to move to the Cardana of Greitner one of the coastal cities; they were always in need of more skilled craftsmen. Not that fantasizing over could have-beens was going to help him now. Orrit yawned throwing his legs over the side of the bed, a dull pain shooting upwards ricocheting about his rib cage before striking him hard in the small of his back. Hopefully today wouldn¡¯t be so bad; everyone was going to be busy dealing with the newcomers, well at least everyone who was left in the guild. The young man rose stumbling forwards in the direction of his cupboard giving the doors a quick yank a stiff creak sounding out as Orrit changed from one set of old worn out clothes to another. Currently his plan was to raise his rank to C and save up enough coin to move to Greitner the capital of Geinmeir. The Kingdom itself was fairly small and the same went for its¡¯ cities and towns, the capital the only exception nearly half of Geinmeir¡¯s population stuffed into its¡¯ walls a city built on sea trade. So fittingly enough there were quests for adventurers coming in from across the world, of course that was for the higher level adventurers rank-A and above. Although lots of merchant ships were in need of rank-C mercenaries willing to defend their vessels; and the pay wasn¡¯t too bad either. Well at least that was what he¡¯d heard from the guild master. Orrit smoothed down his clothes before pulling his gambeson over the top of his head, the gigantic padded shirt hitting him like a lead weight. He let out a sigh rustling about in the bottom of his cupboard pulling out piece after piece of gear and slowly securing the complicated tangle of straps before dropping his helmet down onto his head and grabbing his short-sword and slipping it into his sheath. The new adventurers would be taking the exam soon, which was probably going to be a spectacle. Going by their gear he was going to assume they were most rank-C and rank-B adventurers although you could never tell, they might just be a bunch of rank-Ds who raided some old armoury or something. Although if they¡¯d managed to cross the Ausor mountain range he doubted that. Orrit could still remember when he¡¯d taken the test; really it hadn¡¯t been anything special he was asked to prick his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto a large glass prism which somehow printed off all of his stats onto a long sheet of paper alongside a list of all his skills and abilities of which he¡¯d had none. He¡¯d been given the rank D and been ordered to start a training regime in order to improve; the same training regime that saw him handed off to that rude, overbearing sadistic drunkard. He had no clue whose idea it was but whoever had paired him up with Hillard was either incredibly cruel or incredibly stupid. Orrit shook his head grumbling slightly beneath his breath stepping forwards out of his room and onto the landing. Orrit sighed, a cool breeze wafting in, the summer finally drawing to a close and taking with it the oppressive heat. Orrit glanced upwards a small smirk turning up the corners of his lips, he wasn¡¯t sure exactly why or how someone had blasted a gigantic hole in the roof but he was certain it was going to be an interesting story. That aside he needed to get down the breakfast before rationing relegated all late comers to soup and bread or on harsher occasion¡¯s plain old hardtack. Orrit made it down as quickly as he could; most of the other adventurers were out on a large extermination quest with the guild master or sleeping in. Although in Hillard¡¯s case he was just plain old drunk. That meant Orrit was practically certain to land himself a nice warm meal. He laughed leaping down the last few stairs and turning hard making a light jog in the direction of the kitchen; grinding to a halt the smell of warm bread and butter filling his nose as he peered into the open kitchen Ameline already hard at work in front of the Cauldron. ¡°What is it today?¡± Orrit questioned pulling up a stool at the kitchen counter the young cook jumping at the sound of his voice swivelling around to shoot him a glare. ¡°I told you not to surprise me when I¡¯m cooking, do it again and you¡¯ll get a scolding; and not from me from the soup!¡± Orrit laughed as the woman snorted before shooting him a smile, ¡°but you¡¯re in luck; the last good meal of the day, today it¡¯s scrambled egg and roast potato.¡± Ameline chuckled grabbing a plate from the side and dropping it down in front of him, a wisp of steam rising up to meet him. Orrit was so glad Ameline was on the morning shift; she shared the job of guild cook with her father who always prepared dinner and it wasn¡¯t like Orrit hated the man; it was just, his daughter was a lot easier to talk to. ¡°What do you mean the last good meal; did the others already get up?¡± He questioned before stuffing a roast potato into his mouth looking up at the woman, scratching at the scattering of freckles covering her cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s their fault.¡± Orrit paused a familiar voice speaking out a dark chill rising up his spine as Kaena dropped down into a stool next to him. ¡°Amy, give me something to drink and then revoke Hillard¡¯s drinking privileges.¡± Orrit paused looking to the woman her cheeks somewhat sunken, deep circles ringing beneath her eyes as she leaned forwards slumping over the counter a weary groan leaving her lips. Orrit glanced back finally picking up on the inordinate noise being blasted out of the corner of the room. The adventurer¡¯s guild was often rowdy at the best of times, but this was something else. Eight people had commandeered a single long table. Orrit was able to pick out the strangers from last night camped there buried in deep discussion and a lot of shouting but it seemed like a trio of new personages had also entered the fray, silent for the most part interjecting here and there just as loud as the others Orrit¡¯s gaze lingering for a moment on a young woman with red long red hair tied behind her in a pony tail her shirt practically filled to bursting. ¡°There are more of them¡± Orrit muttered glancing back in Kaena¡¯s direction the vice guild master glaring back a violent anger rising up within her gaze; she didn¡¯t look all that well right now. It was probably safer to leave her alone. ¡°They also blew a hole in roof¡± She added Ameline dropping a bottle of wind and a small glass next her. ¡°So that was them¡± Orrit muttered thinking back to the gigantic whole blasting through two solid wood floors and a slate roof, ¡°they must be strong then.¡± ¡°Strong!¡± Kaena let loose a quavering laugh before pouring herself a drink and downing it in the next instant. ¡°Oh they¡¯re strong sure enough. The woman who kicked you in the balls yester day was a rank-C scout and that giant in the armour is a Rank-C Soldier¡± she grumbled before pouring herself another drink. ¡°But that old man is rank-A and a samurai to boot, same goes for the red-head although she¡¯s a brawler. And then we get to those oddballs! ¡°The little girl with the magic floating skull is a rank-S necromancer while the man in creepy suit of armour with the glowing yellow eyes is a rank-S Executioner, leaving the last of them; the beastling girl rank-SSS living artillery. A rank-SSS equipped with a unique class to boot well man power won¡¯t be a problem for us anymore.¡± Kaena laughed dropping an arm about Orrit¡¯s shoulder, the young man shrinking back. ¡°And the worse is yet to come! Their leader; the short fat one with the back pack, he¡¯s rank-F. And those three new-comers, each and every one of them; they¡¯re level one. They¡¯re useless; god¡¯s damned useless. Who in the blue hell thinks of that; a useless rank-S party, Is this some kind of joke!¡± Okay that made sense, Kaena had finally gone mad. Orrit didn¡¯t understand; an adventurer¡¯s rank decided the quests they were able to take which in turn changed how much they were able to earn. It was related directly to their abilities, while their level correlated to their skill and experience. Most ordinary people rested in rank-D while those who were frailer; scholars, craftsmen and most nobles were ranked at E. while anyone with military training and some concentrated effort could reach rank-C. Most veteran adventurers usually settled for rank-B professionals able to make a decent living without the risk of near constant death. Rank-A heroes were powerhouses on the battle field often taking difficult quests, individuals born with skill, trained from an early age and raised to fight or blessed with luck and magic. After that were the ranks-S through to SSS; the S ranks were heights most people could never achieve, and if they did it was only through rigorous mind numbing training, or an act of god. They were born with rare skills and abilities, or had come into contact with magical items, maybe even been given personal blessings by a god. Their power ranged from that of a small siege engine to an unmitigated natural disaster; they were kept on a tight leash by most nations lured in by promises of wealth and luxury or through threat and violence. They were brought out only when the country was threatened with war or under attack by similarly ranked monsters. It was cruel there was no denying that but it was done for a reason; often times the S ranks were monsters themselves. For someone to contain that kind of power, it warped you and broke you and turned you into something not entirely human. And as for anything past rank-S well they belong in legends. So why was a potential country-wide hazard being led about by rank-F adventurer. How could someone who would be barely able to survive everyday life be able to manage a horde of living-weapons? Either Kaena had finally snapped under her workload or the anthrometer; the device used to measure their ranks and levels, had broken down again. ¡°Maybe you should go lie down.¡± Ameline suggested leaning out of the kitchen window and glancing at the new band of adventurers who had just barged their way into the guild. ¡°I¡¯m not making this up, I checked the numbers; and the anthrometer is still working before you ask. We¡¯ll have to wait until Urlone gets back, the Guild master can deal with this mess. I don¡¯t know.¡± Kaena groaned a heavy red hue slowly settling itself within her cheeks. ¡°Maybe we should just kick them out, not accept them into the guild at all. But we need more people, the mountains are getting more dangerous, we lose good men every year out there, and these idiots seem like they could be useful if we trained them up a little. The issue is Ward if we do accept into the guild it would be under a provisional licence until he was able to raise his rank to D. That means he¡¯ll be in the same boat as you...¡± Kaena frowned taking a gentle sip of her win glancing up in Orrit¡¯s direction, a cold chill passing up the young man¡¯s spine as he seized his plate slowly stepping away from the counter Kaena copying his action move for move ¡°Please just let me finish my breakfast.¡± Orrit laughed the maid giving him a brazen smile ¡°You can eat while we walk.¡± ¡°Sorry Orrit, my condolences¡± Ameline sighed sending him a sad smile before turning away with a soft shake of her head. Orrit turned to run a firm hand grasping at his collar and jerking him back ¡°Okay let¡¯s get going; I just had an idea and I need someone to do the heavy lifting!¡± ¡°Someone please help me!¡± The young man pled in vain; his cries falling upon deaf ears.
¡°Are you an idiot!¡± Eila yelled her palm slamming down upon the shaking the water jug as she rose her chair teetering backwards the scout jabbing a finger in Ward¡¯s direction the young man turning up with dull eyes proceeding to pop a roast potato into his open mouth. ¡°Last time I checked no.¡± The young man grumbled rubbing at his face and the dark circles resting beneath his eyes Eila biting her lip folding her and shooting him a glare ¡°Well check again, what in the hell were you thinking last night; ¡®Ugh, I¡¯m stupid and everyone¡¯s left me alone. Ooh I know I¡¯ll burn some magical runes into the floor boards and blow up the roof in the process yay!¡¯ Oh and you didn¡¯t stop there, you summoned a bunch of random strangers into your room and what? You let them join our party?¡± Ward paused at her question pinching his chin slowly bobbing his head in thought before giving him a smile. ¡°I think that about covers it yes.¡± The scout felt her guts twist beneath her a low grinding scraping out from her teeth as slammed her arms down into the table again leaning in on Ward. ¡°Please just tell me what on earth you¡¯re thinking.¡± ¡°I was just kind of surprised you know; I hadn¡¯t realised I was so hungry ¨C I didn¡¯t even notice I skipped dinner last night.¡± Eila let out a sweet sigh leaning back and falling into chair sending wards a smile, an internal scream ricocheting about her head. How the hell was he this infuriating; sure he¡¯d always been annoying but this was on another level. Ever since they left the village he¡¯d been like this and getting worse, just one smart aleck comment after another... Still she supposed it was an improvement on how he¡¯d been before. ¡°Do you want some of mine?¡± Dala questioned from her seat besides ward lifting up her plate in his direction the young man turning around with a wide grin ¡°I¡¯d love to-¡± Eila swung her foot kicking out beneath the table planting the tip of her boot into Ward¡¯s shin. The strategist grimaced slowly shaking his head ¡°I¡¯d love to but, I¡¯d rather avoid grievous bodily harm this morning.¡± Ward laughed glaring back in Eila¡¯s direction as she sent him a sweet smile Aran letting out a mild chuckle from beside her. ¡°You should eat up you need to grow.¡± Eila commented Dala turning in her direction slowly lowering her plate ¡°Ward¡¯s done all the growing he can at this point in his life; most of it sideways.¡± Eila smirked turning the tables on their young leader Ward letting loose a scowl followed by the same three words ¡°I¡¯m not fat!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this crap!¡± A heavy metallic voice cut in cleaving through the conversation and leaving the table in silence all eyes turning to the armoured man who was currently encamped at the far end of the table. Since last night Feur had refused to remove his gear or put down his weapon; his sword currently propped up against the side of the table. Feur glared outwards with a dull heat bright yellow eyes burning within his darkened helmed, his fist impacting on the table, causing the wood itself to splinter as he rose. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this damn game!¡± The man yelled grabbing his sword and unsheathing the blade jabbing it forwards aiming its blunted point towards Ward the young man pausing mid bite to glance up at his aggressor. ¡°Pig-Mage I demand you return to me my levels and take me back to the field Alkeran otherwise you and you¡¯re worthless entourage of weaklings and sycophants will die; here; today!¡± The man roared railing against the table a note desperation holding with a voice ringing out with a faint quaver. Iana rose from her seat beside the man before taking hold of him by the waist and pulling him back; ¡°Feur stop this, this isn¡¯t going to help!¡± the Red-head cried her chest pressing against the large man¡¯s armour Eila snorting in their direction fingering the hilt of one of her knives beneath the table. ¡°He can¡¯t send us back, he said so himself.¡± The woman pleaded Feur giving the woman a momentary pause out of shock before redoubling his efforts eyes fixed ahead. ¡°Do you really expect me to believe this swine-¡± ¡°No! But going back now won¡¯t help will it?¡± Iana screamed Feur beginning to weaken his assault, ¡°You just like the rest of us were summoned just moments before your death; you¡¯re alive right now because he summoned you. Your¡¯ levels are a reasonable exchange in return for that right?¡± Iana pushed the tension slowly beginning to ease up. ¡°Besides your battle probably finished a long time ago right? There¡¯s no point in rushing back now, just wait, in time you can build your¡¯ levels up once again and then you can cross the Ausor mountains and return home. Threatening Ereward isn¡¯t going to change anything, besides I think you¡¯d have a hard time getting past his guard.¡± Iana sighed pulling away dropping back into her seat gesturing towards Ward who had turned away from their little dispute Garte leaning over from besides him shovelling her supply of eggs onto his plate the beastling having traded her ragged hemp tunic for a red shirt and white pencil-skirt which Ward had been carrying in his bag for whatever reason. Ward grinned in Eila¡¯s direction before taking a big bite and stroking the beastling girl atop the head. Was she missing something here? No one liked Ward right off the bat, he was grumpy aloof and infuriating, Eila sighed; they¡¯d gotten sort of off track there for a moment. ¡°Come on Ward, this is proof enough isn¡¯t it?¡± Eila sighed gesturing towards the large armoured man as he settled back down uneasily into his chair. ¡°We have no reason to trust these people so why: why are you letting them into our team?¡± Ward let out a sigh giving Eila a noncommittal shrug. ¡°So? Maybe I don¡¯t have a reason to trust them but the same applies to everyone else at this table: there¡¯s no real reason for me to trust any of you but I still do. Call it an act of good will.¡± Ward took another bite Eila frowning turning a glare in Aran¡¯s direction, the large man pausing at her gaze spoon protruding from his mouth. ¡°Well what do you say?¡± The Soldier swallowed hard before looking about the table before giving Eila a weak smile ¡°We came all this way to find adventure didn¡¯t we and isn¡¯t part of an adventure meeting new people?¡± Right that was the kind of thing he¡¯d say. Eila grumbled to herself turning her gaze to Dala the young girl looking up at her with wide eyes; the floating skull that was always following her around resting on her lap like an old cat. Eila had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next resolving herself to push on regardless. ¡°And you?¡± Dala tilted her head at the question. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have more girls around; I like Garte: Garte is nice. I like her skeleton especially her skull, her bones are nice and strong and their shape is so smooth ¨C she¡¯s so beautiful. Garte when you die can I have your¡¯ corpse?¡± And with that the room descended into an eerie silence, half of the room drowned in complete confusion and the other in exasperation. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Iana cried recoiling from the little girl sat opposite her in horror. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°She¡¯s a fourteen-year-old necromancer,¡± Ward sighed pouring himself a drink from the water jug, ¡°Didn¡¯t you think there was going to be a story behind that?¡± Iana paused falling into silence before giving a slight nod of her head. ¡°Okay.¡± Garte muttered her voice small and weak giving the young girl a smile Eila feeling a chill creep its¡¯ way down her spine. Those two fit together a little too well for comfort in her opinion. Well there was no choice anymore, Eila turned towards the final member of their party Dossan looking up to her with a small smirk. She regretted what she was about to do not that there were any alternatives if she wanted to stop this going forwards. At least she could rely of Dossan being a bastard. ¡°Okay then old man; what do you have to say about this whole situation.¡± The Samurai finished rubbing down his blade a moment later slipping it down into its¡¯ sheath giving all assembled a smile. ¡°First of all I¡¯m not old and second we¡¯re increasing our combat potential that is something to be praised!¡± What the hell! Couldn¡¯t the old man be a bastard to someone else for a change; she knew she was his favourite target but come on. ¡°However there is something I¡¯d like to point out.¡± Dossan rose to his feet slipping his scabbard to a loop on his belt raising a time worn hand directing an accusatory finger towards the executioner sitting at the other end of the table. ¡°Feur you have gone too far; you not only insulted and threatened Master Ward¡¯s life as well as those of his companions but if I¡¯m not mistaken you made a grave error indeed.¡± The old man laughed his eyes taking on a near hellish glow, filled with fire and blood; ¡°But you also called me weak! I challenge you to a duel¡± ¡°Brilliant!¡± A Sharp voice drew attention away from Dossan¡¯s declaration a moment later all eyes turning towards the Guild¡¯s entrance Kaena standing proud within the doorway hands placed firmly on her hips the former signs of her exhaustion vanished. ¡°I have the perfect place set up follow me.¡±
¡°Are you sure you want to do this old man?¡± Feur laughed the question bellowing out from within his helm, flames spilling out from the joints of his armour, eyes opened wide to regard his opponent; stood still upon the other side of the field. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me old man...¡± And at his word¡¯s Dossan smiled. The old Samurai bowed his head drawing his sword from its sheath and pointing the blade downwards its¡¯ point trailing within the dirt. ¡°That has yet to be seen¡± Dossan looked up, towards his opponent, pushing forwards a hand Feur glaring down at the offering. ¡°Very well¡± Feur muttered reaching forwards and gripping Dossan¡¯s hand the old man giving it a firm shake. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you follow the pig-mage, but from one warrior to another I wish you the best; try not to die.¡± The man spoke his tone dull as the duo marched forwards in the direction of their arena, Orrit slowly jogging up the hill in the direction of the assembled party; Eila watching the scene in silence from the bank. They had gathered on a small grassy bank just outside Burlo¡¯s south western wall; the guilds unofficial training area a patch of ground beaten down, devoid of grass of life just a long patch of dirt and dust upon which a rough rectangle had been drawn split down the centre with two small circles resting at the far ends of each half. ¡°So what are we all doing here?¡± Eila questioned glancing up to Kaena as the vice-guild master dropped down to sit just next to her the woman staring out at the field in front of them. ¡°I actually wanted to make an announcement, but that can wait until our officiator arrives.¡± Kaena shrugged Eila casting a glare in the woman¡¯s direction; something about this maid just got under her skin. ¡°What do you mean officiator?¡± Aran questioned from behind them Dala resting peacefully atop the man¡¯s shoulders watching the two combatants take their place upon the field below. ¡°You come from a little village in the Ausor Mountain range correct?¡± Kaena questioned gesturing to their party the large man returning a brief nod. ¡°Then I guess it isn¡¯t too surprising you haven¡¯t heard of Officiators before. Basically an officiator is someone who has been given the authority to preside over formal duels; record their events and turn them in to a court. That means if someone wagers their possessions or personal right on a duel then if they lose their possessions will be the legal property of the victor. Usually the guild-master acts as officiator for things like this but he¡¯s away with most of the other guild members at the moment so we¡¯re going with our back up option.¡± Kaena said gesturing towards the towns entrance a small figure slowly sauntering forwards. ¡°Who is it?¡± Orrit sighed taking a deep breath finally settling down within the grass. ¡°What the hell are you calling me out for Kae?¡± Hillard yelled the drunkard shambling over the distant figure becoming clear, Eila letting loose a snort as he came barrelling in. He was even uglier in direct sunlight. ¡°Use my full name Hillard; we¡¯re having an official duel; you¡¯ll be presiding in your formal capacity so drop the bottle and sober up already ¨C I thought I told Ameline not to give you anymore ale last night.¡± ¡°And that you did.¡± The old man laughed lifting up his bottle, ¡°and so I did, I sobered up just long enough to remember where I¡¯d hidden my personal stash of cider and here I am.¡± Kaena let out a sigh rubbing her forehead, ¡°So there¡¯s going to be a fight huh? Let¡¯s hope this is interesting.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another reason as well; I¡¯d like you to say hello to your new apprentice.¡± Kaena chuckled jabbing a finger in Ward¡¯s, the young man sitting to Eila¡¯s right, direction the young man looking up startled turning first towards Hillard and then to Kaena the vice guild master ignoring him entirely. ¡°How much more am I going to be paid?¡± ¡°How much were you thinking?¡± ¡°Double the apprentices double the pay.¡± ¡°Hardly, I think forty is reasonable.¡± ¡°Eighty sounds better.¡± ¡°Call it sixty and you¡¯ve got a deal.¡± ¡°Fine ya cheapskate.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eila questioned looking between the two of them, the two combatants looking back in the direction of the grass bank. Kaena turned in their direction giving them a half-hearted smile; ¡°Ward is just too weak to join the guild. Most Villagers around here are ranked at D or maybe E, while Ward is-¡± ¡°I¡¯m rank-F¡± Ward stated the young man letting out a weary sigh, ¡°and I don¡¯t have a proper class either so they can¡¯t accept Me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so; but seeing as you don¡¯t have anywhere else to go the guild is willing to provide you with training until you reach rank D which is the minimum requirement for joining us as an official member.¡± Kaena offered Eila glaring at the woman from the corner of her eye; she¡¯d decided she didn¡¯t like her. With a smile Ward letting out a sigh before a small smile perked up the corners of his lips. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll accept your training; I will become an adventurer.¡± Eila paused looking between the two of them; once again she felt like she was missing something here. ¡°Hey can we start yet!¡± Dossan cried waving them down with his sword Kaena gesturing for Hillard to approach. The old man snorted un-slinging his rifle from his back and stepping forwards pointing the muzzle upwards towards the sky ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s get this sorted out.¡± Hillard groaned walking slowly forwards stopping just a few paces from the arena. ¡°For those of you dumbasses who don¡¯t know what to do; first the challenger states why he¡¯s pickin¡¯ a fight and then the challenged says why they¡¯re accepting the fight. Oh yeah and after you¡¯ve had your go make sure to place a bet, this isn¡¯t any fun unless something¡¯s on the line, oh and make sure to bow the bowing¡¯s important for some reason. We¡¯ll begin when I fire this thing.¡± Hillard stated patting his rifle before taking a swig and retreating up the hill sitting besides Kaena planting his bottle in the ground. ¡°I never would have guessed you¡¯d know combat etiquette¡± Orrit murmured a heavy swipe striking the back of the young man¡¯s head knocking Orrit forward Hillard letting out a snort. ¡°Knowing and doing are two completely different things greenhorn. Now let¡¯s talk about wagers!¡± Hillard laughed turning to Kaena the vice-guild master giving the man a hard glare. ¡°Feur will win and as kindly as possible: Dossan doesn¡¯t stand a chance¡± Kaena muttered pulling out a roll of papers from her pocket. Pulling two from the pile and handing them to Hillard Eila straining to catch a glimpse. Oh; it was their stats then. After the mess the previous night and the installation of the guilds new sky light kaena had dragged them into the guild masters office; a large room containing nothing more than a desk loaded with knick-knacks and two dozen crates bags and chests piled up around the room. Following that they had been forced to smear a drop of blood onto a small crystal embedded in a glass globe the size of a baby¡¯s head. The crystal proceeded to fire a magical beam of some kind which proceeded to write their level rank and stats on a piece of paper placed on a tray connected to the globe. Modern magic truly was a sight to behold; their stats on the other hand were not, well with the exception of Dala and Garte; Dala being rank-S with forty levels under her belt and Garte being rank-SSS which more than compensated the level deficiency. Everyone had had a brief window of opportunity to view their stats before kaena had collected the sheets of paper back in and left to collapse on a bed somewhere from the stress. Eila could understand it had been a stressful day for them all. ¡°Hmm, eh; no point betting on this fight, do you think it¡¯ll be interesting though?¡± Hillard questioned looking to Kaena the woman shrugging. ¡°I¡¯d assume so, how often do you get to see a rank-A and rank-S duel?¡± ¡°What are you one about?¡± Ward questioned rising up and passing behind Eila to join in the conversation. ¡°Going by their stats it doesn¡¯t seem like Dossan stands much of a chance here; after all you should know how hard it is to close a gap in ranking being a strategist and all.¡± Kaena sighed smiling up to Ward the young man letting a broad grin split his face as he looked up the direction of the field. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure; what statuses do you use to measure someone¡¯s rank here?¡± Ward questioned leaning in to look at the Dossan and Feur¡¯s status sheets. ¡°We use strength, speed, agility, dexterity, intelligence and endurance same as everywhere else.¡± Ward¡¯s grin grew wider as he let out a low laugh rising to his meagre full height hands pressed firmly against his hips. Eila let out a sigh as her ¡®leader¡¯ jabbed a finger at the two combatants. ¡°Dossan will win this fight in four turns... so let¡¯s call that one-minute and twenty seconds give or take one or two; do not doubt my ability as a strategist; I may be utterly useless at everything else but at this I excel!¡± Eila bowed her head; why did he always have to be such a complete and ass? ¡°Oh it looks like they¡¯re about to begin!¡± The pair of combatants gave each other a firm nod Dossan rolling his shoulders before letting out a rough cough ¡°I Dossan Aryu Challenge Feur Dolmessa on grounds of insulting my master and demeaning my skill as a swordsman, my wager if; I lose I shall aid Feur Dolmessa in his return to his homeland and leave my current master.¡± Dossan cried Eila freezing at his words; that idiot was getting in over his head again and this time he was wagering himself upon his victory. Well not that it mattered much anyway. Feur stepped forwards raising his sword and taking a battle-ready stance. ¡°I Feur Dolmessa accept Dossan Aryu¡¯s challenge for the honour of the Dolmessa household. I wager my servitude to the pig-mage until I reach the rank of SS or until he releases me from his service whichever comes first.¡± Feur declared raising his sword, all eyes turning to the field. ¡°Are you sure about this, shouldn¡¯t you stop your friend from betting on a match he cannot win?¡± Kaena muttered glancing back to ward, ¡°your prediction aside I can assure you he won¡¯t win; the odds are astronomical.¡± ¡°Dossan will win; that is a certainty.¡± Ward replied folding his arms standing stoic in defiance. ¡°He¡¯s probably right.¡± Aran muttered the soldier stroking back his hair; ¡°After a while you learn to stop questioning his predictions the consequences can be dire.¡± Eila nodded in agreement Hillard raising his rifle upwards into the air and firing off a shot stamping their conversation closed and turning all eyes towards the field where the two opposing forces stood prepared to clash. And for a brief moment following the blast all was silent; just a moment, a single second of calm before all who stood in waiting bore witness to hell on earth... Well hell on Errot. ¡°[War Howl]!¡± Feur screamed stamping forwards slamming his sword down into the dirt and releasing a hellish roar, a sudden tingling passing through Eila¡¯s skin leaving her transfixed as she stared ahead eyes wide. ¡°Opening with a stun debuff, isn¡¯t that a little cheap?¡± Kaena muttered shaking her head Hillard following after, the effects of the buff beginning to wear off. ¡°That didn¡¯t last long.¡± Aran muttered clearing his head Ward letting out a snort. ¡°That¡¯s because the attack was directed forwards, it covered nearly... Eight meters forwards in a line three meters wide, and since we¡¯re outside of that range no more than a minor stun.¡± Eila ignored him keeping her gaze on the field Feur rushing forwards at a run Dossan remaining stone still, his body frozen sword clutched tight with a white knuckle grip. ¡°Sorry about this,¡± Feur muttered stepping his charge crossing the line dividing their halves sword raised up behind his shoulder; ¡°[Judgement Candle]!¡± Feur disappeared a moment later his body engulfed in flames his sword bearing down upon his the old man, a wave of flame following the arc of the slash; expanding and growing until it had become a beam of fire Dossan unmoved before the target disappearing within the flames. Ward whistled nodding his head behind Eila the scout backing her elbow into his shin eliciting a shriek. ¡°No more commentaries just watch the fight!¡± She hissed back at him turning her attention to the field. It wasn¡¯t even noon yet and she¡¯d had enough of Ward¡¯s nonsense. Before long the flame burnt low, Dossan nowhere in sight; Feur casting his gaze about the field the last remnants of his flames dying leaving the earth barren and scorched fires still clinging to the ground far off within the distance. Feur let out a sigh shoulders stopping before a horrendous ringing filled the arena Dossan stepping out of the shadows almost as if he had materialised from thin air, swinging his sword in wide arcs striking Across the armoured man¡¯s back several blows in quick succession before Feur could turn and block straining to manoeuvre within his gear. ¡°Don¡¯t look away for a moment¡± Dossan screamed a wild smile suddenly bursting out onto Dossan¡¯s the man¡¯s eyes bursting with a savage red glow, ¡°Otherwise you die!¡± Eila could practically hear the old man¡¯s teeth gnashing together as he spoke his words followed by a rattling laugh. Feur stepping back eyes wide, before raising his sword once more. ¡°[Condemnation of the Fool]!¡± Feur returned swinging his blade down driving the point deep into the already blackened soil, a cherry red light rising from the ground Dossan leaping back the earth itself turning into a sea of flames. ¡°That was fun!¡± Dossan laughed leaping forwards body pressed low against the dirt slashing outwards launching his sword forwards through the air Feur turning his sword knocking the blade upwards Dossan streaking beneath his stroke before leaping forwards planting a knee on the executioners chest and pushing down. The armoured giant tumbled to the ground Dossan pulling his wakizashi, the short-sword he kept below his katana, from his hip the blade resting just within the slit in his opponent¡¯s helm, the blade stopped mere milliseconds from impact. ¡°Sixty-nine seconds.¡± Ward reported from the sidelines; ¡°I underestimated him... Well my point still stands.¡± Oh god, he was going to do that next wasn¡¯t he? ¡°It was hard to follow exactly what was happening during that last fight, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get used to it; the play is definitely more dynamic. That means I¡¯ll have to improve my reflexes and reaction times in order to adapt to this new style of fighting; well I haven¡¯t been playing games my whole life for nothing. Not only that I¡¯ll have to learn to control this interface better, I can open windows and look at characteristics now sure but I¡¯ll need to learn to look at enemy characteristics as well if I want to strategise properly. Still that was rather impressive, the pixelated images don¡¯t hold a candle to the real thing. I could feel the heat!¡± Ward let out a laugh folding his arms and nodding his head, his lips moving faster and faster by the second as he sank them all ever deeper in a sea of endless diatribe. ¡°First I¡¯ll need to run some tests, see how the different stats function in this world and how the games old stats relate to this worlds new ones; this is going to take a lot of work but I suppose that¡¯s what makes it fun. Hey Eila can you do me a favour and run in a circle for a while-¡° Eila rose suddenly facing their captain before swiftly, and with furious intent, driving her foot upwards between ward¡¯s leg¡¯s eliciting a shrill squeak from the man as he tumbled down into the grass. ¡°Eila! Dossan yelled jogging up the hill pointing his sword, the blade still drawn, in her direction. ¡°He was starting to ramble again; I just put him out of misery.¡± Eila sighed looking back at the old man as he drew to a halt before giving her a brief nod and sheathing his weapon. ¡°Just glad you stopped him before he got any weird ideas into his head.¡± Aran muttered shaking his head while Dala nodded in agreement from above while everyone else in proximity sat stunned at the sight Hillard slowly breaking out into a bout of laughter. Eila felt a shiver run along her spine, the young scout turning around Ward lunging forwards his face red propelled by all the force his body could muster the young man clutched a scrap of paper in hand. Eila stepped aside avoiding the incoming attack and snatching the paper from Ward¡¯s grip, casting a brief glance down at the weathered scrap of paper smeared in arcing lines of ink before slamming it home on the young man¡¯s back Ward tumbling forwards rolling down the hill to rest at its¡¯ base his body lying still amidst the singed grass. ¡°What just happened?¡± Iana questioned the woman rising to her feet, Garte shooting Eila a glare before wandering off in Ward¡¯s direction, Feur marching back in their direction head hung low in defeat barely sparing a glance for his new master. ¡°After a battle goes particularly well Ward can get... overzealous.¡± Aran muttered rubbing the back of his head looking to Eila. ¡°At which point he arranges extensive training to raise our levels, and by extensive I mean plain old brutal.¡± Eila nodded looking at the gathering crowd, ¡°but you have to admit it¡¯s effective, when we our village we were only level one, now Aran¡¯s level twenty-five, Dossan¡¯s level twenty-three and I¡¯m level twenty-one. Over twenty levels in six months; it¡¯s nothing to sneeze although maybe it¡¯s not that impressive when you consider he had us fighting opponent¡¯s ten levels above us or more. Still we have a perfect record; nine dungeons entered nine dungeons cleared. Actually I suppose it¡¯s ten dungeons now, although we didn¡¯t win this latest battle; Ward got hit with the confusion debuff so we had to retreat when he started screaming and crying.¡± Eila shook her head letting out a laugh. Kaena looked between Eila and Ward for a few moments, mouth half open forehead scrunched and creased, before finally finding the words she meant to say. ¡°You¡¯re saying you¡¯ve cleared nine-dungeons; your party has, alone, cleared a total of nine dungeons.¡± Eila nodded Kaena contemplating that for a brief moment looking down to Ward ¡°is he alright?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine; I think it was just a sleep talisman he pulled from his bag. I swear that idiot has an entire armoury packed up within that bag.¡± Eila laughed rubbing at her forehead, a dull pain rocking about within her skull, the last few days they had just been too much. ¡°I mean you saw what he did to all those items he summoned last night, he just shovelled them in there without a pause as if it were completely natural. That goes beyond simple magic; it should be impossible, but there it is; that bag probably holds enough treasure to build a castle or buy an army and what does he do with it he hoards it away like some damn packrat; you should see him after battle rummaging through chest and crates it¡¯s almost funny. I suppose that¡¯s the reason we follow him.¡± Eila muttered a weak smile touching her cheeks, her face filling with a slight ruddy glow, ¡°not because he has a magic bag; but because he can make the impossible possible.¡± Eila took a deep breath clapping her hands against her cheeks and driving some feeling back into her face; there was something that needed to be said. Eila turned standing straight on facing Kaena down unsure of exactly what she would say but knowing full well the words would come. ¡°You¡¯ve probably already judged Ward as a fat, lazy, irresponsible, weakling who¡¯s of absolutely no use to your guild or yourself; and you¡¯re right. He¡¯s rude, and crass, an incorrigible know it all who can never do anything right, he¡¯s a waste of a human being, he¡¯s short and fat and he¡¯s the most obnoxious person I have ever know but I would follow him to hell. Because he¡¯s stubborn and from the right angle his stupidity his brave; he can be callous and cruel and brilliant all at the same time; he takes the smallest of chances, the most insignificant of possibilities and makes them into certainties. He talks in nonsense and riddles and acts as if he can see and understand things we mere mortals could never hope to grasp but there is no one among us who would not follow this man to the grave and beyond!¡± Eila yelled Kaena returning her gaze in calm silence a tinge of steel within her gaze Eila turning around abruptly facing her back to the woman and pointing the accusatory finger towards Iana and Feur, and by extension Garte. ¡°So until you can tell me, honestly, that if he asked you to; you would give up whatever it is that you hold most dear within this world without hesitation I will not consider you a part of this party!¡± Eila finished out of breath Dossan letting out a laugh the old man giving Eila a brief round of applause. ¡°Always so snide and stubborn, but you¡¯re the most loyal fool of all...¡± ¡°Shut it old man¡± Eila muttered gritting her teeth straining to hold back tears, ¡°now someone get me a pot of ink and a brush; Ward¡¯s gonna pay for making me say that crap.¡± Final Announcement What''s this? another announcement Argus what the hell are you doing! Answer I just finished rewriting a everything I''d written so far, the original idea was to just edit everything but I gave up that after the prologue so I just rewrote everying. A full twenty-five thousand words in the space of roughly five days, more if you include the ridiculous number of times my computer crashed deleting my work. But Argus why are you late posting all of these new chapters then? You are past your deadlineThis novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Firstly did I mention my computer crashed, second I couldn''t get a poper connection to royal road yesterday so I couldn''t post them. That still doesn''t explain why you''re putting up another announcement and not a chapter. No it doesn''t because you interupted me before I could tell you why I put up this announcement. Firstly after this there will be no more announcements, second look in the post chapter box; you see that spoiler it contains all the major changes I''ve made to the book so far. I should have a new chapter ready and waiting for you by next monday, so quit complaining - I''ve just started college and it''s stressing me out. Also I did great in my exams not to toot my own horn I hope I answered all of your'' questions