《Moving Fortress In Another World》


 Volume 1 - Chapter 1 - Prologue

    I didn''t want to believe it at first.


    I was minding my own business and buying some food at a local grocery store, when I heard a gunshot sound near the front entrance.


    The sound itself came out of nowhere and surprised me so badly I instinctively crouched down to the ground.


    "No one move!" I could hear a man screaming from the front and the sounds of panic began to fill the store. In the same aisle as me, a little girl and her mother were panicking.


    "Mom, what''s happening?" The little girl held her head against her mother''s leg.


    "Stay quiet, baby." The mother held her daughter close and crouched to the ground as well.


    I could see the sweat from the mother''s neck disappear into her shirt collar. It was like my senses were heightened and my heart began to pound wildly.


    More gunshots rang out from the front followed by screaming and crying. I was near the front of the aisle so I peered around the corner to get a better idea of what was going on.


    Four men in black ski masks were emptying the cash registers into large gym bags. One of the men had a young woman by the neck with a gun to her head, screaming for the manager to lead them to the safe.


    I turn around to see if the mother and daughter had quietly left the aisle. To my dismay, they were still crouching with their heads tucked between their arms.


    I motioned for them to slowly go to the back exit but they could not see my hand signals.


    The company I had worked for had given us a free self-defense course and emergency procedures so I had an idea of what to do, but I only halfheartedly participated.


    Regret is a bitter pill to swallow.


    If I survive this, I¡¯m taking a long vacation and getting out of the country for a while.


    No wait, i''ll buy as many books as I can afford and then read them all.


    Maybe i''ll put in a request to re-take that self-defense class.


    Just as I begin to distance myself from the situation, my phone *pings* with a notification for the game I had been playing.


    As I fumble quickly to pull out the phone and silence it, I begin to hear heavy footsteps heading in my direction.


    When I look up, the woman and her child are looking back at me with a face of utter terror.


    I already know exactly what they are looking at, but before I can turn around to beg for my life, I hear the hammer of the gun being pulled back.


    Next thing I know, an unknown force is pulling me forward and my face is on the floor.


    I can''t breathe.


    I can''t think.


    Another notification *pings* on my phone, but the noise seems so far away. Just like the screaming and other noises.


    Blood is getting into my left eye, dying my vision in a reddish tinge.


    My eyes are heavy, I can''t hold them open any longer.


    My mouth opens and closes, but no air is going in or escaping.


    [ Criteria has been met. Primary translocation subject now moving to secondary coordinates. ]


    [ Translocation commencing in 3. ]


    [ 2. ]


    [ 1. ]


    [ Translocation of organic materials complete. Ceasing function. ]


    --------------------


    Instead of the screams of chaos or the sounds of rescue, I hear the eerily serene sounds of birds chirping and water running.


    The difference is so large that I cannot help but shed a tear. I vaguely remember the events before I blacked out. The only conclusion I could come to was that I was dead. Therefore this must be the afterlife I thought so much about.


    After a couple seconds, I open my eyes. I seem to be on a soft feather bed, with red silk sheets and various small pillows. The initial pain in the back of my head is gone, but I instinctively checked to see if there was a wound.


    To my surprise, there was no scar or any indication that I had suffered a wound at all.


    "Master Vestilon, your pet is awake." A small voice came from the side of the bed.


    As I quickly glanced over, I saw a small girl, no more than twelve, with disheveled hair tossed to one side. She had a large grin, so much so that her eyes were partially closed. Her mouth was disproportionate to the size of her face.


    She reminded me of a certain cat from a certain movie who hung out in trees and gave bad advice. What was the name again... Calico? Chesterfield?


    In the back of my mind, I couldn''t help but feel like I was looking at something incomprehensible that happened to be made into the shape of a little girl.


    The woman named Vestilon approached my bedside, her arms folded behind her back. The sway of her white robes belied a slim figure, and her eyes were small and sharp. her mildly tussled black hair sat gently above her eyebrows.


    "You''ve had a bit of a bad day, haven''t you?" Her voice was neither high pitched nor low, and it sounded heavily distorted, like she was speaking from the other side of a door.


    The jewelry wrapped around her neck and the tiara on her head shook slightly as she sat down on a chair near the bed.


    "What is this place?" For the first time since I arrived, I spoke. My voice was shallow from dehydration and it felt like my vocal chords were tightened to the limit.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "You didn''t answer my question." The delicate smile on Vestilon''s face disappeared quickly, as if she was swapping a happy mask for an angry one.


    "Yes, I-I was a bit out of luck it seems." That face scared me more than a gun ever could, I quickly gave my answer.


    No sooner had I answered her question, the woman began smiling once more.


    "You seem to catch on quickly, or maybe you''re just a little more observant than the other humans." Vestilon gave a coy smile towards me. "You answered my question, so i''ll answer yours as a reward."


    The only thing I could do was nod my head like an idiot, afraid to anger her again. The words she spoke did not match the words that I was hearing, but I said nothing.


    "You died on earth, but your soul was originally one from the world I govern, Planeia. This usually happens when someone from my world gets summoned away from me. Maybe one of your parents or grandparents was originally from Planeia." Vestilon shrugged nonchalantly at the mind-blowing revelation.


    "Since I rarely get guests, let''s have a proper conversation before I send you off." Vestilon smiled while a teakettle appeared in her hand.


    In the time it took for me to quickly blink twice in disbelief, a table and two teacups appeared in front of the woman.


    She poured two cups of hot water with precision and grace, holding her right sleeve back in order not to disrupt the flow coming from the kettle. Her bangs wafted in front of her face, and if I hadn''t known I was talking to a goddess, I might have asked how someone could be so beautiful.


    Our conversation mostly consisted of the world I came from, what it was like and how people lived. At one point it no longer became a talk between a mortal man and a goddess, but almost felt like two old friends catching each other up on events in their lives.


    The world she governed was filled with magic, compared to earth that had none and could only focus on exploiting natural resources for ''miraculous events''. When I explained to her that we harvested the energy caused by lightning strikes or the natural flow of rivers, her facade cracked and she looked like a kid in pure awe.


    She admitted that her world was much less civilized than earth, humans were greedy even though they had an abundance of resources and special gifts received by the gods. She gave them gifts in accordance with how much they prayed to her, but they used those gifts to suppress the other races and enslave them.


    "Other races? Like elves and orcs?" I couldn''t help but get a little excited when I heard the term. The game I had been playing before had many different races and classes, which all had their own abilities.


    Truly a fantasy world.


    "Oh, so your world had different races as well?" The goddess was a bit perplexed.


    I shook my head before reaching for my phone in my pocket. It wasn''t until then that I noticed I wasn''t wearing any clothes and was completely naked under the silk sheet.


    "I want to show you what I mean, but do you have my clothes?" My face was heating up and my ears were red, but I tried to ask without sounding rude.


    "These clothes?" With the snap of her fingers, my clothes from my original world appeared in her hands.


    I fished around in my jacket for my phone, and turned it on. There was blood on the screen and the back, so I wiped it off on my old shirt. Seeing my old clothes made me miss earth a bit, and the memories of my death came back to me.


    I slowly turned the phone on, and opened up the app "Idle Fortress". It was the game that sent me the notifications during the incident.


    "This is where I learned about the different races and abilities." I motioned for the excited goddess to get closer.


    "What is this magical device!" Vestilon was so excited that she squirmed in her seat.


    "This is a phone, and it allows me to play games. The game I played was called "Idle Fortress" where you build a defensive stronghold and make twenty characters to defend against enemies. You make twenty different characters, give them equipment and set them up to do certain actions, and then you let the game do the rest. The more you play, the better the gear you can make for them. I was top twenty-five on my server, and had most of the best gear and enhancements you could get in the game." I boasted a little bit, but considering I was talking to a goddess that governs a world, I couldn''t keep up the fake bravado.


    "These twenty characters you made were absolutely obedient to you, and you did not mistreat them?" By the facial expressions of the goddess, I could tell she was completely vexed.


    "Well, yes. I had nothing to gain by getting rid of them or abandoning them. Some other players got rid of their starting characters and traded them for advanced characters later in the game but I kept my original twenty. They have been with me since the beginning." I felt a little ashamed but I didn''t want to lie to her.


    Was it so wrong to make an emotional connection to the games I played?


    "The original twenty characters were very balanced as well. Five high humans, five high elves, five elder beasts and five elder dwarves. Of course they all started as regular races but I kept giving them better gear and they eventually ascended to their final forms." I couldn''t help but smile a bit thinking about how happy I was when I got the notification that my last dwarf had ascended to an elder. I ended up drinking very heavily that night.


    I looked over to Vestilon and it looked like she was going to explode in happiness. Her hands were joined in prayer in front of her and her butt wiggled in the seat.


    "Finally, I found my champion!" Vestilon yelled and the palace walls shook.


    "I''ve decided, i''m going to send you down to Planeia, and you will show the humans the path of equality!" Vestilon nodded her head happily. "Please give me your phone, I will send you down now."


    I gave the goddess my phone, and readied myself for the transition into this new world.


    "Please take care of them for me until I return." I was feeling a bit sentimental, and shamefully requested something despite knowing my position.


    "You will take care of them yourself!" Vestilon placed her right hand on my head while her left hand held my phone. Both her hands began to glow and I was bathed in white light.


    When I woke up, I found myself in a beautiful large room. The design of the room looked incredibly similar to the one I had made for my main character in "Idle Fortress" that had taken me half a year to design.


    I rolled out of bed and noticed that I had a new set of clothes on. I was wearing a brown flowing gown like a priest or monk might wear, adorned with jewels and trinkets. The upper half had a black inlay and velvet red cuffs, and the bottom half had velvet red stripes leading down the side of the trousers. The only boots nearby were beautifully crafted leather boots that wrapped up above my shins.


    After I was done donning my leather boots, I made my way out the large wooden door and through the hallway of the castle. The layout of the walls were exactly as I remember them from the game, built specifically to defend against other players during PVP events. The air was a little stale, but considering everything that happened it wasn''t even on my list of troublesome things to worry about.


    I made my way to the throne room, where my in-game character would sit during the PVP events.


    Wait, I just noticed.


    The robes and boots i''m wearing. It''s the exact design of the ''Robes of the Archmage Crassius'' from the game. What was the description again.


    [ Robes of the Archmage Crassius - Max Health increase - Max Mana increase - Spell Penetration - Passive: Enhance all spells by 3 levels - Active: Enhance all spells by 5 levels for 3 minutes. 24 hour cooldown. ]


    A small *ping* went off in my head, and a woman''s voice that sounded like Vestilon gave me the information I was trying to remember.


    "What was that sound." I involuntarily spoke out when I heard the response from the voice.


    *ping*


    [ This is the direct information system for those who are granted a blessing from Vestilon, the goddess of truth, knowledge, and the afterlife. General inquiries and complex questions will be answered after a moment of processing. ]


    "I suppose I shouldn''t get surprised by something like this." I murmured while opening the door to the throne room.


    As I opened the door, what awaited me was twenty people saluting the throne. Five high humans, five high elves, five elder beasts, and five elder dwarves. Each one of them exactly as I remember from the game.


    "Master Ehko. Conqueror of the Golden Sands, has arrived." A beautiful young high elf approached the stairs toward the throne as I slowly sat down.


    Esmerya, the first character you recruit in the game. An unparalleled beauty and spirit-archer that can grant agility buffs and has infinite arrows thanks to her class-race combination. She looks exactly like how I made her when I first got to edit her character details. I remember spending 3 hours just getting the small details as correct as possible.


    "Reporting to Master, you have been asleep for five hours and thirty seven minutes. We are in an unknown territory, but our stronghold has not been breached. All magical equipment is functional and all magical facilities are fully operational."


    "Uh, ahem. Right." I dumbfoundedly answer back.

 Volume 1 - Chapter 2 - Remembering the Races

    I can''t keep blanking out forever. Esmerya was watching me closely, but I¡¯m not sure what she was searching for.


    What were her personality traits again? Obedient, Adaptive, and Passionate? I remembered that the passive buffs from these traits gave her faster access to the spirit-archer class. I rub my forehead as I try to recall the exact specifics.


    "Master? Are you okay?" Esmerya looked anxious as she reached her hands out towards me.


    Should I tell them I was sent by a God to this world? Would it help them if they knew?


    "I''m fine. I think. More importantly, we need more information about the area we are in right now." I glance over to the other races in front of me. Noticing my assessing gaze, Esmerya steps back in line with the other High Elves.


    "We''re in a new land, we don''t know if we can use the magic that we have been using all this time. The local flora and fauna may be different. Our survival depends on our ability to adapt and overcome these circumstances. If we leave this place better than we found it, then that is good enough for me." I give an impassioned speech, but it does not seem to have the intended effect.


    All of their faces are distinct enough for me to not have trouble telling them apart, but they all look confused and worried about me. Perhaps if I talked more like the text dialogue from the game they wouldn''t be so worried.


    As I look over each of them, I feel like I¡¯m remembering more and more about them.


    High Humans, a strong race with the most possible combinations for classes, still considered a young race compared to the others. Known to enslave other races, and their own, for profit.


    High Elves, the most long-lived race and the most adept at utilizing the environment around them. They''re also racist towards the dwarves, something to do with dwarves looking ugly and dirty.


    Elder Beasts, a powerful clan with mixed blood. When they change from beasts to Elder Beasts they gain access to their bloodline abilities. Typically, a transformation into their ancestral lineage, but not always.


    Lastly, the Elder Dwarves, an innovative race with a deep connection to the land they inhabit. They hate the elves for being frivolous and judgmental but are typically neutral to all other races. They love to invent new and wonderous things.


    As I assess each race, an idea begins to formulate.


    "Everyone is to remain on high alert until we understand where we are and the strength of those around us. Aglas, Verdin and Lilimera: Step forward to receive your orders." As I change my speech pattern to reflect the game¡¯s dialogue, there is a collective sigh of relief.


    So, it really was the way I was talking that concerned them. I''ll have to continue talking like this and slowly integrate my own patterns of speech so they get used to it.


    "Master Ehko. I, Aglas of the Shifting Wound, swear my undying loyalty to you." The young man folds his left hand in front of his heart in salute.


    Aglas is a relatively young High Human, in the game you recruit him after he steals your weapon and gets caught by the guards trying to sell it on the black market.


    "Master Ehko, Lilimera swears her fealty to you. Please use me as you see fit." Though her speech was much more relaxed compared to Aglas, Lilimera also folds her left hand in front of her heart.


    As a High Elf, her physical features are slender and enticing and her ears are long and pointed at the top. In the game you find Lilimera hiding in an abandoned house in a town overrun by zombies.


    "Aglas, I command thee: Use your Tactician Class and Trapmaker Profession to fortify the defenses of the Moving Fortress. Lilimera, I command thee: Use your Illusionist Class to protect Aglas from any potential danger." I order them in the style of text I remember from the game.


    If I¡¯m correct, their answer should be...


    "I hear and obey." They swear in unison.


    "Master Ehko, I, Verdin of the Shifting Wound, swear my loyalty to you until my last breath." The last of the three steps forward and salutes me.


    Another High Human, Verdin was originally an assassin sent by a rival Fortress to attempt to kill the main character in the game, me. After defeating him in combat, you had a choice to cut off his head or let him go. I chose to let him go and he became my loyal servant.


    "Verdin, I command thee: Use your Assassin Class to be my shadow. Loose your poisoned dagger to strike my enemies and all who seek my ruin." I nod my head regally towards him.


    "I hear and obey." Verdin says while saluting once more.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.Then, he slipped into my shadow with the Shadow Walk Assassin skill.


    Very convenient.


    "Good. Now, I need a volunteer team of five to begin scouting and reporting. The main mission will be to get an accurate assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the local residents, whether they can be reasoned with, and if we can, to get a map of the region." I speak out our general plan, knowing that the finer details can be changed once we leave the fortress.


    Seven people stepped forward from among the seventeen remaining without assigned duties.


    I gesture to five of the seven volunteers and the other two step back into line.


    "Myla, approach." I gave a quick nod toward the High Human female who had stepped forward.


    "Thank you, Master. I swear to do your bidding until my life is complete." Myla attempts to salute, but her heavy armor makes it difficult.


    "I command thee: As the Warden Class, your job will be to protect the other four in your party from any threats while they fulfill the tasks given to them.¡±


    "I hear and obey." Myla responds.


    If they all keep talking like this, I¡¯ll never get outside. I need to hurry this along.


    "Oath, Redmane, Jastra, and Lasenya. Approach." I gesture for them to join Myla.


    After they are each done swearing their oaths to me, I give them their individual tasks.


    "Oath, I command thee: Use your Surveyor Profession to survey the lands and use your Dragon Knight Class to support the team in fulfilling their duties."


    "Redmane, I command thee: Use your Botanist Profession to determine the safe and dangerous flora in this new land and gather them for testing."


    "Jastra, I command thee: Use your Sage Class to heal and protect your allies while they accomplish the missions given to them."


    "Lasenya, I command thee: Use your Sorcerer Class to defeat those who would seek to harm your allies while they accomplish the missions given to them."


    So. Much. Talking.


    If I had been a smoker in my last life, this would probably have been the time to sneak out and relieve my frustration.


    "I hear and obey." The four say at the same time.


    "Go, accomplish the missions given to you. I look forward to your reports when you return. Take any resources you feel you need to get this done." I say this, but since they look eager to go, I¡¯m not going to command them to wait.


    The party of five leave, Aglas and Lilimera have gone to do their jobs as well. Twelve people remain. Next up we need paper in order to receive written reports. If I¡¯m not mistaken, paper making is something the Scribe Profession should have knowledge of.


    "Vilumi, come forward." I motion for the Elder Dwarf woman to come closer to my throne.


    "Master, I swear ta thee-" Vilumi begins to make a vow, but I cut her off.


    "Sorry Vilumi, that will have to wait. Do you know how to make paper and ink?" I feel bad, because she looks like she''s about to cry when I cut her off.


    "Yaa, Master. But I cannae make it without te ingredients. We got te moulds, just no fiber an wood to process. So long as we go'' certain plants, we can make ink." Her thick accent belied her small stature.


    "Very well. Vilumi, I command thee: Use your Scribe Profession to make paper with the help of the Nature Summoner, Desi-Duris."


    "Desi-Duris, I command-"


    "I got it, Mastah!"


    Desi-Duris interrupted me before I could finish issuing my command. Well, he is a child, so standing around while I talk is probably very boring for him. Never mind that everyone still present is eyeing him with anger.


    "It''s alright, as long as you understand what I want you to do. I want you to summon trees for Vilumi to make into paper." I wave my hand for him and Vilumi to know it''s okay to leave.


    Vilumi looks flustered but Desi-Duris is taking it in stride, I feel like he is going to be easy to get along with.


    Only ten people left, but I think until we get any more information it wouldn''t be smart to delegate more tasks and weaken the defense of the Fortress.


    "To you ten standing before me, I command thee: Protect the Fortress from any threat, take shifts so you do not get tired, and prioritize surviving if you cannot defeat an enemy."


    "I hear and obey." All ten spoke at the same time.


    Esmerya looks like she wants to say something, she''s fidgeting like she has to pee.


    "Esmerya, come forward. Speak what is in your heart." I''m going off script here but I don''t think anyone is going to chastise me for it.


    "Yes, Master." As she steps forward, the elven bow on her back glows a beautiful purple hue. "I wish to create a King''s Guard to protect you while you go to the outside world."


    My back is starting to hurt from this stupid throne. I can''t help but think about how uncomfortable it is.


    I stand up from the throne and step toward Esmerya. When I arrive in front of her I pat her head and look into her eyes.


    "When the time comes for me to step forward into unknown territory, I hope for you to be at my side."


    Seeing her beautiful face turn red is interesting. Maybe I should tease her some more.


    "I hear and obey." She can no longer speak loudly.


    "Let us go, I wish to see what the outside world looks like." I lead the ten who are in my throne room.


    Even though it was a poor design choice, the throne room is almost a straight passage to the inner area of the Fortress. During a fortress siege event in the game, my character was always the first to be attacked, but it also allowed me to fight directly with the enemy troops while the enemy commander couldn''t leave his throne room.


    Walking through the passages gave me more insight into the fortress than I would ever have had in the game. I could feel the cold emanating from the metal coating the walls. If I recall correctly, I chose for the walls to be coated in Mithril to protect from incendiary attacks.


    Mithril was only considered the third strongest metal in the game, but the other options cost fifty and seventy-five dollars to upgrade. Considering my previous rank, it wouldn''t surprise me if people assumed I was a pay to win player.


    The light blue shimmer on the walls are captivating, I have a hard time looking away. I''m sure the ten people following me see my actions as strange.


    Give me a break, this world is amazing!


    As I approach the large wooden doors, they react to my presence and begin to open by themselves.


    A blinding light cascades down from the skies, followed by the scent of the outdoors.


    Once my eyes finally adjust to the light, I see the ramparts of the Fortress with their glistening black-iron spikes.


    Directly to my right is the inner garden, filled with herbs and plants from Earth. Just from what I can see and recognize, there are carrots, pomegranates, apple trees and bushels of blueberries.


    To my left is the training ground which had previously been used to level up my characters during idle times. Once they hit max level, I left it as is because I didn''t really need the bazaar, which was the other option.


    From where I stand, I can see the party of five waving goodbye to me as they leave through the gates of the Fortress.


    I smile and wave back.

 Volume 1 - Chapter 3 - Priorities

    As the party of five disappeared through the closing gate, I bend down to touch the dirt on the ground.


    "M-Master!" Esmerya became flustered as she watched me grab the dirt with my bare hands.


    Does she have mysophobia? I ponder as the dirt falls slowly from my hands. It feels a bit chalky, as if the nutrients in the soil are sparse. Not an ideal area for agriculture.


    I guess spending time on my aunt''s farm wasn''t a waste after all. I stand up and walk towards the rampart. Esmerya is running after me while waving her handkerchief back and forth.


    I try jumping forward with no magical augmentation, just the strength of my own legs. As I accelerate at an unexpected pace, I accidentally hit the top of the ramparts.


    Lower levels of gravity, higher oxygen levels? Are the races in this world not affected by oxygen toxicity? Wait, it couldn''t be lower levels of gravity or else I would just be gliding around when I jump. What will this do to my muscle fiber? Do my muscles atrophy if i''m not exerting my limit every day?


    While I try to analyze one aspect of this strange new world, other strange questions pop into my head.


    Esmerya finally catches up to me while I¡¯m in thought.


    "Master, please allow me!" Esmerya speaks in a sharp tone.


    "Okay." I resign myself to whatever she intends to do.


    "Clean." Esmerya chants as numerous small bubbles begin to form from her palms.


    The sudsy bubbles gently float toward me before picking up the dirt off my clothes and body, disappearing with the dirt inside it. She passes me her handkerchief to dry my face.


    "Well, as a first test of magic, this can be considered a good result. Well done." I nod to Esmerya before climbing onto the top of the ramparts I had previously crashed into.


    I can hear her footsteps as she climbs up behind me but I can¡¯t bring myself to turn around. I don''t want to see her cute face scrunched up in anger.


    Beyond the Fortress is a massive forest. I see small birds flying about and hear numerous local insects humming nearby.


    "Talker." I call out to the Elder Beast who had followed me out of the Fortress. I watch as she approaches me, her red hair sways in the wind, her hooves bounce off the fresh soil and make a noisy clopping sound.


    "Master, the forest sings of your arrival. They are afraid." Talker advises.


    "Talker, I command thee: Use your Shaman Class to commune with the animals of this forest, find me the closest human civilization." I give her the mission.


    "I hear and obey." Talker does not hesitate to step down from the ramparts and begin her ritual by making a runic circle in the dirt.


    As she makes the runes, she is casting the spell in a language I cannot understand. Even if I exercised my brain, it is not a tongue I can comprehend.


    Her eyes cloud over until they are completely white, she sits down and her body sways back and forth as if convulsing. The local birds begin to move erratically, no longer following the optimal path that is gifted by the wind. Instead, they fly full speed in separate directions, away from the Fortress.


    The longer the spell is being cast, the more sweat begins to pour down her brow and onto her soft fur. If not for fear of interrupting the spell, I would have begun wiping her forehead with Esmerya¡¯s handkerchief.


    The other eight characters have begun their shift work, two of them begin pacing atop the ramparts of the Fortress.


    Esmerya is acting as my personal attendant, never more than a few steps behind me.


    I continue to watch Talker as she chants in her foreign shamanic language. Sometimes during the chanting, it sounds like she is pleading to a God, other times it sounds like she is bargaining with the beasts she controls.


    After half an hour, she stops chanting.


    "I have successfully completed the mission." Talker remains in her seated position, as I command Esmerya to get her some water.


    "Hold still." I command.


    As I see her close her eyes and breathe out, I wipe the sweat from her brow. The white cotton handkerchief is a stark contrast to her bristly red fur.


    "Master... Please don''t dirty your things with my sweat..." Talker continues to breathe raggedly.


    "It can be washed easily, so do not worry too much. Relax, you have done well." The praise I give her comes from my heart.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It is important to give praise when a task is completed well and constructive criticism when something is done wrong. That is just common sense when delegating tasks from a position of power.


    Esmerya has returned with a small jug of water and a cup. I hold the cup as she pours the water, then offer it to Talker.


    She takes it gladly and tilts the cup back, drinking the contents completely before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.


    "Do you feel better?" I look at Talker to make sure she is alright.


    Her black goat horns can be clearly seen despite the tufts of red hair. The hair on her arms and chest are glistening from the sweat of exhaustion.


    "I do, I am ready to deliver my report." Talker responds after a few deep breaths.


    "Whenever you are ready." I advise.


    "I have managed to locate a large human settlement roughly two hours east on foot. The birds avoid the town, as they are attacked as soon as they get near. I can only guess that meat is hard to come by in that area." Talker points in the cardinal direction while explaining what the birds had told her.


    The birds attempted to resist her control the closer they got to the settlement. This told her that the birds did not want to get close enough as to be discovered.


    "The birds heading toward the west only saw a continuation of the forest and passed by large beasts that would have loomed over the trees if they were in this area. To the south is a large body of water and some kind of non-human port city, and in the north is a series of mountains." Talker finished speaking and accepted another cup of water.


    "Alright, rest for a bit. Whenever you feel ready, come find me." I take the information given from Talker and head back into the Fortress, to the throne room.


    Esmerya follows me obediently, three steps behind and slightly to the left. I would have preferred if she stood by my side, but maybe she is just giving me some consideration.


    "Call for Stal and Necalise, and here." I give an order to Esmerya while returning her handkerchief.


    As she scurries off, I take a sideways glance over to the paintings in the throne room. Depictions of an epic war, pegasi and demons fighting against each other, a mother holding her child.


    "Vestilon." I speak the name out loud.


    *ping*


    "Analyze these paintings, determine their worth."


    [ Analyzing¡­ Current worth exceeds monetary value available in this world. ]


    "What is the currency used in this world?"


    [ Analyzing¡­ Currency used is copper, silver, black-iron and gold. Conversion of 10 to 1. The poor will trade goods instead of currency. ]


    While I was asking questions to the information system, Esmerya returned with the two people I requested an audience with.


    "Master, command us as you see fit." Esmerya, Stal and Necalise salute me.


    "Necalise, I command thee: Escort me as I head into the human settlement by using your Thorn Invoker Class to protect me." I nod toward the High Elf in beautiful crafted green and brown armor.


    "I hear and obey." She responds.


    "Stal, I command thee: Escort me as I head into the human settlement by using your High Priest Class to heal and defend me." I acknowledge the High Human in beautifully ornate robes, similar to my own.


    "I hear and obey, Master." He responds.


    "Esmerya." I lock eyes with the only other person in the room that has not been addressed.


    "Master." She bows her head and crosses her hand in front of her heart.


    "I want to take you with me to the human settlement, however doing so would leave the Fortress without a Commander. Esmerya, I command thee: Protect our home in my place, until I return. Prioritize information gathering and ensuring the safety of all our people." I understand that I am directly contradicting what I said before, but Esmerya is the only person I can trust as a Commander right now.


    Tears begin to well up in her eyes. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Her fists are clenching and unclenching, her chest rising and falling rapidly.


    "I... I hear and obey." After a few moments, she calms down and answers.


    Even if she was blinded by anger, it only takes her a few moments to realize that I am doing the right thing. Squandering our resources during this unpredictable time is the worst thing we can do.


    "Our mission is to establish ourselves as foreign mercenaries looking for work. If they have an adventurer''s guild we will inquire about sign up fees. We will return before nightfall." I give the three of them explicit mission parameters.


    As I stand to get ready to leave, Talker comes in looking recovered.


    "Master, I have come as per your earlier request." Her hooves clack against the stone floors.


    "First of all, well done on your first mission. Now, I command thee: Take some of the extra resources from our stock and establish yourself as a traveler with wares in the non-human port city. Determine if they have the same or similar reagents and establish basic prices. Try not to mention who we are or where we get the items. Take Shifter with you as a mercenary, and try not to kill anyone. If you absolutely must kill, try not to be seen." I give my final order before leaving the Fortress.


    As Talker bows and offers her fealty, I go to the back bedroom and pack a few things.


    Longsword, check. Swiftness boots, check. Temporary hair dye, check.


    As I rummage through the backpack of materials, I confirm everything I may need in order to escape from a bad situation.


    I hear a soft knock at the door.


    "Come in." I command while turning my gaze to the door.


    The door slowly opens and Esmerya stands at the entrance looking downcast.


    "I will say it as many times as I have to later, but I am sorry. I need someone who can adapt to any situation while I am gone and I trust you to do what you must to protect our people and the fortress." I turn away and continue checking the content of my bags.


    Even my eyes are getting a bit red.


    The soft clicking of her leather boots hitting the stone floor resonate throughout the empty chamber.


    I hold my breath as she approaches me.


    Before I know it, long slender arms which were made for archery wrap around my chest. Slightly after, two soft mounds of flesh press into my back.


    I still can¡¯t take a breath.


    "I... I know I shouldn''t. You''re Master and i¡¯m just... Me." Esmerya is stifling her crying.


    "You have been with me since the beginning, and if I am lucky, you will be beside me until the end. Who else can I trust to protect us while I am gone?" My voice begins to strain at the end as I finally take a deep breath.


    "I will. I''ll make sure everyone comes home safe, and they deliver their reports, and we have food and clothing. I''ll make sure this is a place you can trust in, so you don''t get distracted in battle. Just promise me you''ll come back." Esmerya''s voice is now a soft whisper.


    "I promise. I also promise that we will go on an adventure another time, just the two of us." I make another promise I¡¯m not sure if I can keep.


    "Good, now... Don''t turn around yet." Esmerya speaks softly.


    She releases me from her embrace and I can hear the soft clacking of her leather boots once more.


    The door quietly opens and closes.


    I turn back and look in the direction she disappeared and I wonder to myself what expressions flitted across her face during that exchange.

 Volume 1 - Chapter 4 - Forest Folk

    *unedited*


    "Necalise, confirm direction." I command.


    We have already begun our travels and there are no landmarks or easily definable areas to retrace our steps if something happens. Necalise being a High Elf that originally lived in the woods until her village was burned down by bandits is the perfect follower for this mission.


    "Forest Guide." Necalise chants the name of the second tier support spell.


    The Forest Guide spell is defined in the game as manifesting a physical link to a creature of the forest, providing temporary support and guidance to the user. It can also deflect low tier mind control and confusion spells.


    A small green faerie wearing a sparkling dress appears as the spell is completed. A green dot appears on the map splayed out in my hands, close to our own green dots.


    "Show us to the human settlement." Necalise commands the faerie.


    The green faerie giggles and flutters ahead of us, pointing in the direction we were originally walking toward.


    Despite the typical limited duration of first and second tier spells, a medium level caster can increase the duration of the spell so that it can be of use during long journeys.


    "How convenient." I whisper gently as the faerie beckons for us to follow it.


    The fresh air is a brilliant contrast to the stale air I used to breathe on my world. The open forest, with it''s warm canopy of green foliage, left me with a feeling of belonging.


    As my mind starts to wander, I check the watch that I equipped for this mission. We have only been walking for ten minutes, so I suspected that soon we would face our first opponent.


    Right on time.


    Just as I begin to think about when we would meet our first enemy, a red dot shows up on the map in my hands. Based on the size of the red dot, we are going to run into a creature that easily dwarfs the typical human.


    "Potential enemy, take defensive positions." I command my followers, but they must have already felt the movements of the enemy.


    Unfortunately my senses aren''t that good. Or maybe they are and I just wasn''t paying attention?


    I find myself thinking unnecessary thoughts the closer we get to the red dot. Finally, after getting in range to see it, there''s... Nothing?


    "Stal, report." I ask the High Priest who was at my side looking contemplative to confirm that there was nothing in front of us.


    "Master, what thing is best at hiding in a forest?" Stal responded.


    Ah, I forgot. His backstory was that he was cursed to only speak in riddles by an evil sorcerer. That''s going to get old very quickly.


    "A tree. Or more precisely, a Treant." Necalise responded before I got a chance to figure the puzzle out.


    If I remember my folklore correctly, Treants are protectors of forests and are typically neutral to all parties that aren''t close to nature.


    "Very well, see if you can establish contact without a fight. If it is intelligent we may be able to get information out of it." I command Necalise to go forward.


    The Thorn Invoker class takes over as she approaches the Treant, a green shield made from leaves enlarges on her forearm and a polished looking wooden spear falls from a nearby tree, right into her grasp.


    Now that we''re closer, I can clearly tell that there is a Treant, despite it attempting to hide among the regular trees. The color of it''s bark is slightly more brown, and it''s hollow black eyes have green irises.


    The green faerie flies around Necalise''s head, giggling while she awaits further commands.


    Necalise stops ten feet from the Treant and looks it dead in the eyes.


    "Reveal yourself." Necalise''s tone is forceful and oppressive, like she was staring down an insect who got in her way.


    "That won''t work!" The green faerie spoke. "You have to speak in the Language of the Forest!"


    Forest Guide never spoke when it was cast in game. Curious.


    Necalise seems unfazed by this new development, and instead commands the green faerie.


    "Interpret for me then."


    "Gladly." The green faerie is unfazed by the tone used towards her and nods, before speaking in an unknown tongue.


    The language of the forest at first seems long and complicated but there is alot of repetition.


    [ Analyzing... Would you like to learn passive skill (Language of the Forest) ]You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    I confirm mentally instead of speaking, so as to not alarm Stal who is standing beside me.


    [ Stat requirement met. Confirmed. Unlocked passive skill (Language of the Forest) ]


    As though to confirm the skill works, I can immediately understand the conversation between the faerie and the Treant.


    During the time I was getting the passive skill, the Treant has uprooted itself from the ground and taken a defensive stance against Necalise.


    Necalise is still standing there and waiting for the response from the green faerie.


    Figures.


    The green faerie is not actually translating what Necalise has said to the Treant, but is instead badmouthing us while having a conversation with it.


    "Anyways, can you please just answer their dumb questions so they can leave the forest and hopefully never return?" The green faerie has her hands on her hips as if she is berating the Treant.


    "Fine, I will answer question. Then they leave." The Treant responds while snarling.


    The mouth of the Treant looks just like stitched together bark grinding against each other. Similar to a badly rendered CGI mouth being worked like a puppet.


    "I will take over from here." I step forward and speak in the same tongue as the Treant and faerie. I also motion for Necalise to fall back.


    Necalise steps back and places herself beside Stal with a slight look of remorse.


    The faerie looks ghastly pale as she quickly cowers behind the back of Necalise.


    "Speak." The Treant groans.


    "What is the name of this forest." I respond.


    "Anth''allithath." The Treant responds.


    Looks like the skill does not translate names very well.


    Seeing the confusion on my face, the Treant attempts to use the common tongue.


    "Great Forest of Demise." The Treant shakily speaks out.


    "Why give it such a scary name?" I respond in forest speak.


    "To make Humans and Orcs fear entering it. Many things reside in forest can easily kill Humans. You should not be here." The Treant returns to speaking in Forest speak and is now making some threatening gestures towards me.


    Curious. It seems to think i''m a normal Human. Does it not know how to sense magical power or innate strength?


    "You think I am a normal Human, then what about the Elf over there?" I attempt to probe the distinguishing power of the Treant.


    "Elves are good, she is welcome. If you are not Human, then what are you?" The Treant bends forward as if to inspect me closer.


    Necalise still has her spear drawn and is about to charge forward but I motion for her to stay where she is.


    "You are Human, but not Human? Such strength. I have lived a thousand years, only seen something like this a few times. Each time someone like you comes, many things change." The Treant has backed off and sat down against a tree larger than itself.


    "Faerie." A single word spoken by me to signal the faerie over.


    Her wings beating slowly as if she had been caught stealing.


    "I- I didn''t know!" She begins to cry before I can even explain what I want from her. "I''m sowwy!"


    Her tears are small and dissipate before they even reach the forest floor. She can no longer speak coherently, and has begun to ramble on with her apology.


    This somehow reminds me of my nephew who cried when he got caught lying.


    Normally you''d take a hard stance and teach them that lying is wrong, but I simply do not have the time. If the mission is going to continue at this pace, we''ll end up not meeting the deadline I set.


    "Don''t worry about it. I want you to continue leading us to the Human settlement." I try to encourage the faerie.


    "Eh- Ah... I overheard your conversation with the Treant. Why would you wanna go to the Human village if you''re not Human?" The faerie finally stops crying and asks me a question.


    "I am a Human, but not Human like them. Even if I try to explain, it would be difficult. Will you still guide us?" I act sympathetic towards the sniffling faerie.


    As if now perked up, her wings open wide and she eagerly points in the direction we were headed.


    "I won''t let you down!" The green faerie yells in the common tongue.


    "Treant, take care of yourself. I will be seeing you soon enough." I respond in forest speech.


    "Be safe. Remember, these Humans are not to be trusted." The Treant stays seated, but waves it''s branches up and down as we begin to leave.


    "Master, forgive my uselessness." Necalise grasps my cloak with her right hand, her face filled with contrition.


    "Think nothing of it. We will face many tests in this new world, this is just the beginning." I try to sound like dialogue from the old game.


    Despite my saying so, she still remains deep in thought.


    We continue on for another hour until the green faerie stops.


    "Over here! There are goodies here!" The green faerie is pointing toward a peculiar rock formation.


    The vein of ore was visually striking, looking like a mix of blue and black against the grey of the other rocks.


    I''m not entirely sure, but the colors are almost a perfect match to the in-game design.


    "Is that... Mithril?" I look to Stal for confirmation.


    "Examination." Stal casts a first tier spell meant to determine the usefulness of an object. "Confirmed. 91% miscellaneous, 7% iron, 2% mithril."


    Normally the Examination spell would not tell us if it was mithril, but casting it from such a high level ensures success on the first try.


    "Recommended course of action?" I ask.


    "Sunder will provide highest amount of raw materials- ." Stal replies.


    Suddenly Necalise perks up and charges toward the vein of mithril.


    Stal hurriedly casts a second tier protection spell on everyone before Necalise slams the vein with her wooden spear.


    "SUNDER!" Necalise yells as the wooden spear glows a bright golden color and smashes into the mithril vein. Chunks of mithril begin to fly in all different directions.


    When the sunder martial skill completed and the smoke had settled, the rock formation is revealed to be decimated, with only a massive hole to show it had even existed before.


    As I begin to pick up the pieces of mithril, both Stal and Necalise stop me.


    "Allow us, Master." They both say in unison.


    Did you guys practice that.


    "Very well." Now that I have nothing to do, I converse with the green faerie while they pick up the scattered pieces.


    After a brief conversation, I found out that there is a faerie village not far from the Moving Fortress, located in a pocket dimension created by the Queen Faerie. The Green faerie wants to invite me as an apology for earlier.


    "Sounds like fun." I give her a warm smile as Stal and Necalise return with the mithril wrapped up in a heavy cloth.


    "Open Inventory." I cast the first tier spell and a small distortion of space appears in front of me.


    I place the mithril pieces that are wrapped in the cloth inside the storage.


    "Close inventory." I cast the closing spell and the distortion disappears.


    "Wow, you even know space magic! So interesting..." The faerie looks genuinely perplexed.


    "Let''s continue." I nod to Stal and Necalise. "Good job."


    "Thank you, Master." They both say together.


    They had to have practiced that...


    I start walking forward and they begin to match my pace.


    Necalise''s complexion looks alot better than before.


    The stress that must have been building up should have been released when she sundered the mithril vein. Her stoic demeanor is slowly returning as well.


    We are nearing the edge of the forest, the break in abundant trees can be seen even with my vision.


    "Master, we will be arriving soon." Necalise explains.


    "Be ready for anything." I casually mention to them.


    Their previously relaxed faces tense up as they look forward.


    Damn it, I said the wrong thing again.

 Volume 1 - Chapter 5 - Big Lie

    *unedited*


    "Don''t be so tense, just make sure you don''t show your skills off. We don''t know the strength of the people in this town, only that the Treant said they are weak. We must ascertain their abilities and mimic them to not stand out." I give a small reminder to the two walking beside me. "Necalise, dismiss your Thorn Invoker class skill before we enter town."


    Immediately, Necalise drops the shield and wooden spear, which seems to melt into the forest floor. The nearby trees seem to be revitalized by the action, as the leaves turn greener and the branches grow ever so slightly.


    I wonder what the regular stats of an adventurer are in this world.


    *ping*


    [ Analyzing... Question too vague, please re-define. ]


    What are the stats of someone who can fight a magical beast compared to an average human.


    [ Analyzing... B Class Adventurer stat total: Fourty. Average Human stat total: Ten. ]


    Interesting... Show me the total breakdown.


    [


    B Class Adventurer:


    Strength: 13


    Dexterity: 12


    Vitality: 10


    Mind: 5


    Average Human:


    Strength: 3


    Dexterity: 2


    Vitality: 3


    Mind: 2


    ]


    The direct information system displayed a game screen in front of me that displayed the information I was looking for.


    Ah! I just remembered something!


    "Faerie, can you see how much magical power we have?" I try to say it calmly, but it''s something that often gets overlooked in similar situations like mine.


    Or so i''ve read.


    "Now that you mention it..." The faerie makes an ''o'' shape with her hands and looks through them like binoculars.


    The moment she does so, her head slumps down and she passes out. Before she can hit the ground I catch her small body in my hands.


    "I knew it." I said with a deep sigh.


    "Master, what happened to the faerie? She''s not dead but the Forest Guide spell is in disarray right now." Necalise mentions the spell that summoned the faerie off-handedly.


    "We are giving off enough magical energy or something like that to make a faerie pass out. If someone with magical ability resided inside the village, they might already know about us." I advise Necalise and Stal.


    "What creature seeks power and then hides it?" Stal asks quizzically.


    "We are only hiding because we do not know the strength of our potential enemies." I interfere when Necalise was about to answer.


    "So what do we do now?" Necalise takes the faerie from my hands and puts it in one of her pouches.


    "There should be a spell, if I am not mistaken, for identifying magical power." I nod toward Stal.


    "Detect Magic." Both Stal and I cast the same spell at the same time.


    While i''m at it, I also cast ''False Information."


    False Information is a spell intended to display what you choose if someone attempts to identify you or your items. I chose for all three of us to have the same stats of seven except for mind which was three.


    Apparently the classes were also simply named, without much specialization. Things like Warrior, Mage, and Healer were common, whereas a Berserker would be a unique vocation.


    Stal''s invocation speed is a little faster than mine.


    Since I knew that the games magic spells worked in this world, I decided to cast the spell myself. I wasn''t sure if it was going to work at all personally, since I can only assume visualization of the spell was a component to casting. I visualized concentric rings flowing from my body outward, and when it hit anything with magical ability it would relay that information. It seems that despite it being vague, it indeed worked.


    Stal looked at me and began to breathe heavily, soon after fumbling backwards.


    ''Are you okay?" I was going to step toward Stal but Necalise stops me.


    "Give him a moment." Necalise nods gently.


    "What has no arms but grips you tight." Stal sits up and shakily pulls out a cup of water.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I look to Necalise and shake my head to indicate that I don''t know the answer.


    "Fear." Necalise answers, and Stal nods his head.


    Now I really feel bad for walking around this whole time without hiding my magical power.


    I look up and compared my magical power to his. My current power without any boosts is like a small mountain, where his would be a well built tower. No wonder the faerie passed out.


    "Verdin." I call out to the Assassin who has been hiding in my shadow since I got here.


    "Master." Verdin calls back.


    "Can you show us how to hide our magical ability. It seems to be a specialty of your class." My request to him was simple.


    "Of course, please allow me to come out." Verdin answer back.


    "I allow it." My answer is the final step for Verdin to appear from the back of my shawl.


    Now that I get a closer look at him from under the sun, his half-covered face is marked with alot of deep scars.


    "Are you ready?" Verdin calls to the three of us.


    "Yes, please begin." I advise him.


    Necalise and Stal nod their heads as well.


    Verdin takes a deep breath in, and begins to force his magical power out of his body. His magical strength is similar to what Necalise is currently displaying. It is less than Stal''s since he is basically a pure caster class. The magical energy seems to be coming out of every pore on his body.


    I get a sense of what he is trying to show me, and try to focus on sending the magical energy into every pore in my body.


    After seven attempts, I finally succeeded in having my magical energy recede into my body. Can this be considered good?


    Necalise and Stal were successful on their third and fourth try respectively. Their ability to detect and control their magical ability is naturally better than mine.


    "Thank you, Verdin. I hope your stay in my shadow is not too taxing?" I give my thanks to the man in black.


    "No, Master. It is a pleasure to serve. There is plenty of room for me as well so it is no issue." Verdin nods to Stal and Necalise, then bows deeply to me and returns into the shadow of my cloak.


    It feels like he is a company employee and i''m the boss. It''s definitely a weird feeling to be admired like that.


    "Necalise, you can de-summon the Faerie now." I tell Necalise to release the spirit contract.


    "Yes, Master." Necalise re-casts the Forest Guide spell, de-summoning the faerie.


    I have a feeling i''ll be seeing the faeries before long anyway.


    "Looks like we are ready to go. Confirm mission objective." I do a last minute check of my gear and inventory.


    "Pretend to be mercenaries, sign up with adventurer''s guild, return before nightfall." Necalise recalls the objective while counting each one on her fingers.


    "Correct, let''s go."


    The clearing to the forest was within throwing distance, so our precautions may have come to late. Still it''s better to do it now instead of regretting it later.


    We walk out of the forest and reach the smooth dirt road leading into the village. There is one carriage and three people currently waiting at the same entrance that we intend to go through.


    There seems to be only three entrances to the village, including the one we are currently on. From the road, we can clearly see the other end of the village at the end of our vision.


    The people in front of us seem to be simply dressed, the bottom of their brown trousers and foot-wraps covered in dirt. A young man, older woman, and a small child who is holding his nose closed. The stale air and smell of manure is quite heavy and coming from the carriage specifically. The barricade into the village can barely be called as such, as it is mostly made of red dirt stacked four feet high with sharpened timber sticking out.


    This was clearly only designed to keep out wild dogs and other such creatures. Against something with intelligence, this would be little more than a hindrance. The red dirt is interesting though, as the roads are clearly not of the same color. This means they may have gotten it from a nearby mine, if i''m lucky.


    A man with a thick beard and simple guard attire motions for the carriage and three people ahead of us to go through.


    The young man bows to the guard before leading the carriage donkey into the village.


    When we approach the gate, the guard''s hand goes up to stop us.


    "Identify."


    The guard doesn''t appear to be magically inclined, but he is still able to cast a rudimentary version of the spell.


    "Everyone''s clear. State your business in our village." The guard is incredibly neutral, a very practiced face.


    "We are not from around here, we are looking for an adventurer''s guild and somewhere to sell our things." I step forward and talk to the guard.


    "Both of those things are handled through the adventurer guild, unfortunately this village is too small to have one." The guard looked over all three of us again before walking over to the other guard at the entrance.


    The other guard nodded his head and straightened up from his rather sloppy posture.


    "You guys can follow me." The guard motioned for us to follow him into the village.


    As we walked, the guard asked us a question.


    "One of you can cast the spell ''False Information'', right?" The guard placed one of his hands on the back of his head as if he was relaxing.


    I see Necalise slowly take a defensive posture, and wave for her to not worry about it.


    "That is correct." I confirm what he seems to already know.


    "Between how you speak like a noble, and the spell, i''m guessing you guys are in hiding. If you can cast ''False Information'' you''re already stronger than anyone here can handle. We don''t intend to pursue the issue, so long as you don''t go causing any situation." The guard placed his other hand on the back of his head as well, stretching himself under the sun.


    "So that''s what it was, I see now." I relax my stiff speech patterns, since i''m not directly addressing my followers.


    "That more relaxed way of speaking will get you alot farther. Want to tell me your story?" The guard took us to the fountain in the middle of the village and placed a brown cotton blanket on the ground.


    "As long as you can keep it a secret." I nodded to him and sat down with Necalise and Stal.


    The guard nodded as we took our seats.


    [All good lies are born in a kernel of truth. Time to tell a good lie.]


    I removed the ''False Information'' spell that had been cast, but only on Necalise.


    "Please confirm." I said as I finished removing the spell.


    "Identify. Pfft-" The guard casted the Identify spell again but coughed as he sucked in air too quickly.


    [


    Name: Necalise


    Race: High Elf


    Level: 82


    Class: Thorn Invoker


    Sub-Class: Artisan


    Strength: 65


    Dexterity: 41


    Vitality: 74


    Mind: 11


    ]


    The guard held his chest as it heaved up and down. In his entire life, he had never seen such high stats.


    He continued to cough until I offered him a cup of water from the fountain.


    "Ah... Thank you. I thought I had died and gone to the afterlife." The guard''s eyes were cloudy like his reality had just been broken.


    "Just breathe." I stroke the guard''s back as he drinks the water I give him.


    "It''s real... Isn''t it."


    "Yes."


    "Hope you have a good explanation."


    "I do."


    The guard rubbed his eyes and checked the information one more time before he stopped channeling the spell.


    "Alright, i''m ready." The guard''s breathing seemed to become regular again.


    "You saw her race, you should know how rare a high elf is." I watch the guard''s expression closely.


    Take the gamble.

 Volume 1 - Chapter 6 - Unofficial Quest

    *Unedited*


    "I understand..." The guard was hesitating on how to answer.


    A high elf wasn''t just considered rare, according to most documentation the race was extinct. None of the current elf population had even seen a high elf, since the last one had died thousands of years ago.


    Now one of the strongest races with the longest life spans was right in front of his eyes, with stats comparable to the legends passed down through generations.


    "You should also know that we just came from the Great Forest of Demise." I watch his complexion as I talk to him.


    Perspiration under his chin, red cheeks, dominant hand is shaking.


    Before the guard has a chance to respond, another guardsman walks up and interrupts our conversation.


    "There you are Captain, you''re needed at the tower." The guard who ran up acknowledged his superior.


    The guard''s breathing was a little off, like he had just gone for a jog. He looked to me first, then Stal and finally Necalise. When he saw Necalise''s ears, he looked away with a glint of disdain.


    "I''ll be over once i''m done speaking with these adventurers." The guard captain responded.


    The guard bowed toward the captain and began walking away. Once he believed himself to be out of our hearing range, he muttered "dirty elves."


    All three of us heard it, but we didn''t have the desire to respond. Unfortunately the timing of the guard messed up the convincing rhythm I had going when I was talking to the Captain.


    The Captain sighed deeply and stood up from the cotton blanket, taking a handful of water from the fountain to wash his face and neck.


    "Would you care to join me?" The Captain reached out his hand to help Necalise up.


    Necalise was a bit taken aback by the gesture and looked to me for guidance.


    I chuckled and stood up on my own, with Stal and Necalise doing the same.


    The Captain scooped down and picked up the blanket, dusting it off slightly and folding it back into his pack.


    "By your lead." I look at the Captain and nod my head.


    The Captain points out to a semi-large structure roughly fifteen feet high, just inside the edge of the south and west barricades. Considering we came from the west entrance, it was a fairly short walk to get there.


    As we took a shortcut through the streets, we see the small clothes shops, food stores and inns. There is also a smithy and a weapon shop, side by side. This place seems to be well enough equipped for a small town, yet many gazes from the villagers seem worn.


    "My name is Auros, by the way." The guard Captain introduced himself abruptly as we approached the tower.


    "I am Ehko, this is Stal and you already know Necalise." I gesture toward Stal, who is currently doing a bit of bird watching as we walk. "What kind of town is this?"


    "This was originally a frontier town, during the expansion of the Scoland Empire. When the Empires resources dwindled, we kind of got left behind and had to do our best to survive." The Captain looked around and waved at the villagers.


    "Why not abandon the town?" I am a bit curious why they didn''t just abandon the town when they no longer got support from their Empire.


    "Truthfully, most of the people in this village didn''t have any other choice. The Empire gathered up anyone they deemed ''undesirable'' and pushed them to the edge of the expansion." The Captain scratched his head. "Best case scenario for the Empire was either we push into the Great Forest, or we all die and they forget we existed."


    "Yet you all survived." I can''t help but be impressed by the resiliency of this town.


    "Yet we all survived." The Captain muttered under his breath while we came up to the tower.


    After taking a moment to stretch his back, the Captain nodded to me and glanced at Necalise.


    "There are a few guards who can use the Identify basic spell. I suggest you re-cast False Information." The Captain advised.


    "False Information." I re-casted the spell, with the same parameters as was set before.


    "So you can even quick-cast such a high level spell..." The Captain muttered while watching us.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I nodded at the Captain to confirm that the spell had successfully been cast, and we went inside the tower.


    This was, to put it simply, a shoddy lookout tower. The walls were dirty, made from a mix of red dirt and clay. The windows were wooden and circular, like the tops of a barrel propped against the holes in the walls.


    The Captain had his own room, but we had to wait until he cleared the issue he had been called for.


    From over-hearing the conversation, it appears something called a ''Quill Boar'' had killed a couple new adventurers and was wreaking havoc on the crops in the nearby farms.


    When the Captain was done receiving the report, he motioned for us to come in and close the door behind us.


    "Sorry, just a bit of business." The Captain eyed the report warily.


    The Captain''s room was nice, for having no windows. Two sconces lit the walls, and stacks of paper filled his desk. It basically looked like a call center cubicle from my world.


    "Trouble in paradise?" I unconsciously remarked when I saw all the work he had yet to do.


    The Captain didn''t respond with words, but he did let out a slight chuckle. The smile on his face belied his desire to just go home and sleep.


    "May I?" I ask for the parchment with the details.


    "It''s a request to subjugate a Qui-" The Captain was going to explain, but I motioned for him to not speak.


    "Someone is listening to us." I whisper.


    If I cast Detect Magic, they''ll know we''re onto them.


    "Play it cool, don''t do anything weird." I whisper again.


    "A Quill Boar, interesting. We can definitely take this request if you want to give it to us." I put the parchment on the desk.


    "Requests are first come first serve, and whoever brings in the loot gets the reward. Sometimes we have bandits who wait outside the town for new adventurers and take their loot, but I don''t think that will be an issue for you." The Captain sighs in relief. "Can I leave this to you?"


    "Of course, this can just be considered us repaying a favor." I nod my head and open the door.


    The guards in the tower are looking at us dubiously, but I pay them no mind and walk out the door.


    "Captain, who were those people?" One of the guards works up the courage to ask.


    "Just some adventurers from out of town." The Captain replies.


    I only just closed the door. They could have waited a couple minutes before talking about me.


    I shrug my shoulders, but Stal and Necalise are still on high alert. Since they can''t track the spell without casting Detect Magic, they aren''t sure of it''s exact location.


    "Relax, the magical device is in the guard Captain''s room. They won''t be able to hear us from here." I begin walking toward the request area.


    "How did you detect the magical device without seeing the magic itself?" Necalise asks inquisitively.


    "I recognize the type of magical device. It is specifically used to relay information across a small distance." I answer.


    The device in question was a ham radio. The technology was rudimentary looking and did not seem like it would actually work, but with magic all it needed to do was act as a power source. If the magic used could hypothetically ''record'' and then ''transmit'' the information it heard, it would be easy to place this somewhere important and collect data with no worry.


    "So the culprit is in town?" Necalise responded.


    "It isn''t a guarantee that the device is working. We just have to act as if it is for the time being, until we know for sure." I advised them.


    We head out to the farm where the Quill Boar is said to be have been spotted.


    As we approach the farmstead, the farmers run toward us with an expression of relief.


    "Good day to you." I call out to them casually.


    "Good day, have you come to take down the Quill Boar?" The woman asks.


    "That''s right." I respond.


    "This way please." The farmers motion for us to enter their home.


    It''s a humble home, with a thatched roof and clay walls. The smell of urine and feces is quite strong, due to the manure used in the farm and the animals they are raising.


    The farm has cattle, pigs and chickens just like the typical farms in my old world. Really the only difference is the fruits and vegetables compared to Earth.


    They have similar looking fruits to apple and pear, yet they are not as sweet and the seeds are large.


    The only reason I can compare them is because our hosts were gracious enough to give us some food to eat.


    "Conserve your strength." They kept saying, while feeding us. At first I thought they might be trying to poison us, but I dismissed the thought when I heard about the destruction of the farm.


    Apparently the Quill Boar was not the small wild boar that I had thought, and was instead about three-hundred pounds of muscle. The reason it is named as such is because it has quills on it''s back like a porcupine, that it can point and fire them at an opponent.


    The reason it appeared at this farm specifically was due to the pigs, as it was trying to find a mate. The Quill Boar ended up wrecking the fence for the pigs and killing most of the males.


    I nod along as they explain it, to show that they actively have my attention. While they talk, I quickly look around my peripheral vision to see everything in the house.


    By the time the conversation had naturally ended, all of us in the house are alerted to the noise and stomps of something large.


    "It''s here!" Necalise is surprisingly excited as she bolts out the open door and toward the noise.


    I order Stal to protect the farmers while I follow Necalise. Normally there wouldn''t be a need to go this far to protect the farmers, but I have a feeling it will turn out alright.


    I also don''t want them to see Necalise running wild, we don''t need weird rumorsto spread.


    I can''t help but have a stray thought as we see the monster running wild at the farm.


    The beast is roughly three feet tall, with dark brown quills running up its legs and back. When it sees Necalise and I, it lowers it''s head and prepares to charge us.


    "Necalise, don''t destroy any property." I warn her before she goes wild again.


    "Yes!" She responds enthusiastically.


    Is this really going to be okay.


    The Boar charges, but it is no match compared to Necalise when it comes to speed.


    "Identify." I cast the spell while Necalise charges in.


    [


    Boar


    Level: 12


    Strength: 4


    Dexterity: 6


    Vitality: 5


    Mind:1


    Special Abilities: Tough Hide, Charge, Quill Attack


    ]


    Reminds me of a game.


    Not like Idle Fortress, but an RPG game I used to play.


    Still, these stats are essentially double a normal human. No wonder those new adventurers got killed.


    As I think to myself, Necalise has already grabbed the Boar by the tusks and slammed it into the ground head first. The sound the Boar made as it began to twitch was horrible. In it''s death throes, the Boar fires multiple quills at Necalise.


    Necalise dodges the quills and punches down on the boar''s head, killing it instantly.


    I walk up beside Necalise, and we offer a silent prayer for the Boar.


    "Well done." I offer my gratitude to Necalise.

 Volume 1 - Chapter 7 - Talk Of The Town

    *unedited*


    "Thank you Master." Necalise looks at the Boar with it''s head half stuffed into the ground.


    "A worthy foe." I''m not sure what to say, so I offer a compliment to her opponent.


    She seems rather unfazed. Or maybe just unsatisfied with the whole fight in general.


    "Master, let''s return." Necalise picks up the Boar with ridiculous ease.


    "Necalise, right now we are comrades, not Master and follower. If someone were to overhear us, it may become inconvenient for our mission." I admonish her wording.


    "I understand, Ehk- ... Lord Ehko?" Necalise looks flustered.


    "That''s fine." I nod my head.


    We head back to the farm house, and when we get close enough, I can tell Stal is drinking tea with the two farmers.


    Since Stal himself cannot ask for tea without sounding cryptic, it must have been offered to him. All three are casually sitting down while the two farmers discuss their ideas on the proper way to make use of the Boar.


    Stal seems to just be listening and nodding along, but when I approach the house he abruptly stands at attention.


    I understand that this is all ingrained in my followers, but they could at least make it less obvious.


    Now all three of them are standing at attention when I enter the house, while the two farmers look a bit confused. I would prefer not to go too far in, since my gear is flecked in blood, but they welcome me to come inside without worry.


    "Has the Quill Boar been subjugated?" They ask excitedly, clapping their hands together.


    "Yes, and we''d like to use the meat. Would you help us to take it apart?" I ask the farmers.


    "Absolutely! We were just discussing how best to make use of the beast." The farmers gather their gear and head outside.


    I have to pretend like I didn''t already hear the conversation they had about what they would do with the beast, as it would normally be outside the range of normal human hearing.


    Stal nods his head to me, to show that there were no complications when it came to the farmers. One of the main reasons in leaving Stal behind is due to his naturally high poison resistance and his faith based ability to detect lies. Although unfortunately the ability can only be used on those who are lower level than him.


    Necalise is sitting outside covered in blood thanks to carrying the Boar from the farm to the house.


    "Well done! Even the meat has been barely damaged. One of the tusks is broken, but that is no matter." The farmers have become talkative as they prepare and wash their tools.


    They are drawing water from a well in the middle of their property, and Stal offers to do the lifting while the farmers start de-quilling the Boar.


    Once a large barrel of water is prepared, and the farmers are done with removing the quills, they wash their tools thoroughly.


    The blood of the Boar is still mostly coming out of it''s nose and mouth, so we need to drain it soon.


    Typically, one would drain the blood while the heart was still pumping, but the Boar died so quickly that it was not an option.


    The only choice we have now is to get the Boar strung up and cut apart.


    Stal and Necalise tie the back legs of the Boar and pivot it against a large tree nearby. A wooden pail is placed under the Boar as the blood comes pouring out of it''s orifices.


    Worst case scenario, the meat will go bad with that much blood still inside.


    "Stal, we need the blood to come out faster so that it doesn''t ruin the meat. You have a spell to remove the blood from a vampire''s body, do you not?" I ask Stal.


    Stal nods his head and motions for the farmers to stand back.


    "Exsanguination. " Stal casts the spell and a large flow of red begins to come out of the Boar''s mouth, nose and eyes.


    Stal motions for the blood to go into the pail that had been placed below the beast, and it flows directly into it.


    "Incredible!" One of the farmers exclaimed.


    "Why don''t you come stay on the farm with us." The other farmer is excited as well.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Stal smiles and doesn''t say anything, but with my enhanced vision I can see his cheeks have turned a slight red.


    The farmers were just going to bury the blood so that the smell wouldn''t attract more beasts, but I offer to take it. When they look away from me, I place the blood and wooden pail in my inventory.


    "Okay, let''s start taking it apart. With this much meat, we could have a nice little meal." I move toward the Boar and carefully remove the other tusk from it''s head.


    The two tusks will be used as proof of subjugation of the beast, since they are an easily defined features of the Quill Boar. The farmers have also given us their signature as proof of completion of the request they submitted. According to them, the quills and bones are a much more precious resource. As compensation for taking the Boat apart they will be given half the quills and some bones.


    I think it''s fair, but according to the farmers i''m being too generous.


    To me, it''s just worrisome to deal with the small details. I would rather just take it easy and focus on what I want to do. I think that is particularly true of all people.


    The two farmers begin to take apart the Boar, first by removing it''s crushed head and then checking the body for any further damage.


    Normally before removing the head, one would boil the skin so that they can keep it. This method also helps in removing the skin, since it becomes softer and easier to cut through. Unfortunately this Boar is too large for the barrel, so we have to skip this step.


    The farmers start removing the organs with practiced precision, taking the Boar apart like it was one of the pigs from their farm.


    I''m both fascinated and slightly disgusted...


    One of the farmers cuts upward from the sternum to the groin, which allows the other farmer to reach in and pull out the lower intestines.


    After the rest of the organs are removed, the carcass is washed thoroughly and placed into a wooden crate.


    Since the farmers were doing all the work on the Boar, Stal and Necalise decided to help out the farm by remaking the fence to the pig pen. With Necalise''s Artisan sub-class, and Stal''s Tailoring sub-class, they were able to weave a makeshift fence with no problem.


    Now that all the work had been done, we can go back to town and accept the reward for the request.


    Before we leave, however, we are stopped by the female farmer who says she needs to go to town to get more male pigs. So we accept her offer to join us and treat is as an escort quest.


    The path back to town is quiet, and we do not run into any problems. In fact it is too quiet for my liking, but I am not going to complain too much since Necalise and the girl seem to be getting along.


    Stal looks like a doting overprotective father as he watches over all three of us from the back.


    When we reach town, the guards see the farmer girl and let us in without issue. It helps that Stal is in full priestly garb yet is the one carrying the crate with the three hundred pound boar inside. The sight shocked the guards and confused them to the point that we just walked by after a couple questions.


    Now that we are in town, we have to part ways with the farmer girl. She ends up showing us both the inn to stay at and where to find the butcher in town. Since we have to return the wooden crate, we''ll be seeing her sooner or later anyway.


    Before anything, we go to the guard post and confirm with the Captain of the guard that the Quill Boar has been dealt with. Since he has seen Necalise''s stats, he had faith that we would return unharmed.


    "So, where will you be staying?" The Captain asks.


    "The Crescent inn." I advise him.


    "Okay, I will meet you there when I am done with my work here." The Captain nods his head and continues to work.


    Since there is no official adventurer guild in this village, we are given temporary guild permits and have the confirmation of our first quest magically etched on them.


    The magical signature is signed by the Captain himself, and looks particularly hard to forge.


    Now that the quest is complete, we can go and get the Boar meat cut. Stal, Necalise and I head to the butcher''s shop and make a request for them to slice up the Boar. Since it will be alot of work even with a few people doing it, we ended up offering half the quills we have as payment since we don''t have any money.


    Since they easily accepted it, I finally realize what the farmers had meant when they said I was being too generous with the quills I gave them.


    With the meat now cut up, we go to the inn and request for the chef to cook the Boar meat. Since we have so much, and it is high quality meat, the inn asks us if we can sell it to them and they will host a festival with the meat.


    We accept the deal and they give us 2 silver and 4 copper for the meat. We also get to stay one free night at the inn whenever we want. As proof, we are given a small wooden token with a crest of the inn.


    With the deal struck, we sit back and relax as the word goes out that the Crescent inn is having a celebration feast. Patrons begin entering the inn immediately, and the smell of pork and boiled vegetables fills the communal hall.


    Soon after, the inn becomes too crowded and the celebration spills into the streets, with people drinking and dancing happily. Even the off duty guards are casually drinking and getting their fill of the high quality meat we obtained.


    When the guard Captain finally arrives, most of the celebration has already died down and half the people at the bar are passed out drunk.


    "Seems like you enjoyed yourselves." The Captain slaps me on the back as he joins us at the table.


    "It was a good day. We got to meet alot of new people." I answer back.


    It''s true.


    The talk of the town ended up being how three out of town adventurers slayed a Quill Boar and that is where the meat came from. Naturally everyone wanted to confirm the story with us, and we happily talked to anyone who came up to us. This allowed us to get acquainted with the villagers immediately.


    "Will you be staying the night?" The Captain orders a couple beers and asks.


    "Afraid not. We have to return to the Great Forest. Though we will be coming back either tomorrow or the day after." I answer back.


    "Fair enough. I won''t keep ya any longer then. Just be careful and all." The Captain takes a swill of his beer and coughs. "What is this piss, give me the good stuff!"


    "See you later, Captain." I slap the Captain on the back while making sure to hold back my strength.


    All three of us leave the inn, and head out the east gate that we originally entered through.


    The sun has already begun to set, and at most we only have a couple hours of daylight left.


    "Let''s go home." I say.


    Necalise looks at me and nods her head.


    "Forest Guide." Necalise casts the support spell we used to leave the forest the first time.


    "Hello again!" The green faerie giggles and salutes towards me.


    "Sorry about last time." I nod my head towards her.


    "S''okay." The faerie flutters around while awaiting orders.


    "We''re heading home." I pull out the map with the details of our Fortress location.


    "Aye aye!" The faerie salutes again and begins to glow a bright yellow. Dust from her faerie wings fall as she fires forward.


    All three of us follow her with matching speed.

 Volume 1 - Chapter 8 - Ideals

    "Report." I''ve returned to my stoic and stiff speech thanks to being in front of my followers again.


    Their ability to tell the micro-expressions on my face is annoying.


    Ever since I returned to the Fortress, i''ve been bombarded with questions about my journey and if my party members took every precaution to ensure my safety.


    Luckily the journey back was quiet, so I had time to formulate the best answers.


    I was also lucky enough to have a nice conversation with the green faerie about the nature of magic in this world.


    When I told the green faerie that I knew the spells and intonations but not the origin of magic, she had a ghastly look on her face like I just called her favorite food garbage.


    Forgive me for not wanting to be a stereotypical otherworlder, I remember thinking.


    According to the green faerie, the nature of magic is widely considered to be the blessing of the various gods and goddesses of the world. Vestilon is one of the higher tier goddesses of this particular world.


    So long as you pray to your god, they will compensate you with mana to create special phenomena in the world. Each god has their special spells that can do some pretty amazing things.


    Vestilon already told me she is the goddess of truth, knowledge, and the afterlife thanks to the information system I was endowed with.


    There are two other primary goddesses in this world. The first is the goddess of hunting, famine and war: Archaos. The other is the goddess of light, balance and love: Vision.


    The other gods and goddesses specialize in particular fields that provide more practical benefits to believers. While Archaos is the goddess of war, there is Humas who is the minor god of dueling. You can worship the god of war or the god of dueling, but the special abilities you get are different.


    At least that is how it was explained to me by the faerie.


    She is a wonderful source of knowledge for me, since in her own words ''she has lived for many hundreds of years and has caused mischief all around this world''.


    Since she already knows I plan to visit the faerie village, we don''t need to linger around while asking questions.


    So that''s how I ended up back here.


    I''m now sitting in front of my twenty followers in the Fortress while being draped in regal clothes.


    I can only put on a half-baked smile since we returned home. All the information has been gathered and the verdict of whether we can continue to live in this forest or not is about to be revealed.


    "We can survive here without any problems." Esmerya says.


    Wait. That is too anti-climatic. At least do a dramatic reveal or something first! Maybe even a diorama or something for visual aid.


    While I am thinking to myself that it was too quickly revealed, Esmerya has already begun an impassioned speech about the viability of the forest.


    "There are three friendly races and two hostile races in the so called ''Great Forest of Demise''. They fight amongst themselves for control of certain areas but they are fledglings brawling over scraps." Esmerya seems disappointed. "None of them offered any real challenge after attacking us first."


    From what I can see, it''s just that we are incredibly high level compared to the locals.


    "They may have some higher leveled people in a more populated area. So far we have only dealt with the locals, but we must maintain vigilance." I look over my followers.


    They nod their heads in agreement. Even though Esmerya is a bit too cocky in her assessment, it is only a matter of time before she learns to be a good commander. Part of being a good commander is knowing not to underestimate potential threats, which typically goes hand in hand with losing.


    "Aglas and Lilimera, was your mission successful?" I look toward my trap-maker and my illusionist.


    "For a day of work, not bad." Lilimera stretches while responding.


    "I have upped our primary ranged attack and implemented a rotating mine structure around the perimeter of the Fortress. Tomorrow we plan to break down the unusable training grounds and make use of the land with something more practical." Aglas answers.


    "Ahem... Right." I fake cough into my hand in order to look away.


    He''s looking at me so over-zealously.


    "Of course, you have my permission to remake the training grounds." I reply.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    His smile is too bright.


    Aglas looks like a puppy who just got told he was a good boy, if he had a tail it would be wagging right now.


    The five man party has returned from their first mission as well.


    I didn''t give them a specific objective or mission, so they can come and go as they please. In that regards, the mission only ends when I say it ends.


    "How fares your task." I nod toward Oath and Redmane.


    "Most of the plants I have found show a similar composition to the ones from our previous world. I believe I can use them in the same way as before and produce similar results." Redmane shifts her body in her seat as she speaks.


    Oath looks like he''s ready to speak, but he patiently waits for Redmane to finish.


    "Master, I have surveyed the lands and found them most habitable for our kind. A balance has been carefully constructed in this ecosystem that allows the weak to band together and kill the strong." Oath bows his head cordially.


    Oath is quite a talkative fellow.


    I figured thanks to his dragon-like facial features he would be a more strong and stoic type that wouldn''t talk much.


    "Vilumi, Desi-Duris, how has your mission come along?" I gently raise my arm and point to the last two people who were given a mission by me this morning.


    After interrupting Vilumi earlier today, I feel like i''ll let her keep talking as long as she wants to make up for it.


    "Master, the papers made but they be some weird lookin'' and feelin''. Vilumi responds to my call.


    "Okay, i''ll take a look at them tomorrow." I answer.


    Looks like she doesn''t want to talk. Maybe she''s feeling down because of what I did before. I should apologize properly when I get the chance.


    "Mastah! I played with the elf villagers after I was done making big trees!" Desi-Duris races toward the throne and hands me an acorn.


    Apparently while I was gone, we had elven villagers who had felt a disturbance in the forest and checked it out for themselves. Since elves are largely a nomadic existence, they thought they had stumbled across some ancients ruins with long lost technology.


    Needless to say, we are now friendly with some of the elves and have begun trading with them. They were not here when our party returned, so I guess they must have gone back home.


    At least my followers have the common sense not to attack people who genuinely want to be friendly. However the off-handed remark about their strength is weighing in the back of my head.


    What is this itching feeling?


    I feel like if I leave that haughty disregard for other races in her, she will not turn into the commander I expect her to become. She cannot become a good leader if she does not respect the strength of an unknown opponent. I don''t want to see her fail, but without failure she will not learn.


    "Starting tomorrow morning, we will begin training every day at dawn in order to strengthen our individual techniques. For tonight however, we feast." I raise from my throne and go sit at the head of the table with my followers at my side.


    "After training, I will return to the human village at the edge of this forest with my party. Esmerya will join our group and we will begin scouting more ''civilized'' lands." I gesture to my team and take a sip of wine from my goblet.


    It''s only been a day and I already need a vacation.


    All of my stress is from leading twenty people seemingly out of nowhere. I did my best while I was working in the other world but the most amount of people I was in charge of was five or so. Even then the risk of mismanaging my talented workers at that time was awfully high.


    "Yes Master!" A chorus of voices rings out as Blacktongue and Shifter bring out our food. Blacktongue is the resident cook, and is in charge of anything to do with the kitchen. Shifter is the farmer, and has already begun planting crops and domesticating nearby animals not far from the Fortress.


    The food that is brought out is fresh meat from the kills of the party of five, and the other half is rations that the Fortress had before being ''summoned'' to this world.


    It''s something that I had not thought about but I guess I could ask now.


    "Blacktongue, how long will our rations last?" I ask as he approaches my side.


    "Roughly three months if we do nothing, six if we supplement it with fresh meat and fish from hunting." Blacktongue responds.


    Blacktongue is a chimeric Elder Beast, meaning he has a lion''s body, snake''s tail and goat''s head. His tongue is also long and black like a snake which is how he got his name in the game. His origin is being an experiment from a deranged sorcerer who was hellbent on creating the perfect monster to kill the man who scorned her.


    Never mind that the man who scorned her had already died from pox months before she finalized her creation.


    In the story at least.


    So I nod my head at Blacktongue.


    I look at the large cooked thigh meat in front of me and hesitate for a moment. Normally I wouldn''t even eat this good in my original world, but this food in front of me also includes mashed potatoes, cranberries, vegetables and a beef broth.


    Everyone waits for me to begin eating, while licking their lips in anticipation. Even Desi-Duris is waiting for me to take the first bite, but he''s shaking so much it looks like he''s going to explode.


    I cut a piece from the thigh meat and place it into my mouth. The mix of spices from our pantry that simmered with the meat caused it to be tender and succulent.


    "Very well done." I give my thanks to Blacktongue, while everyone else begins to eat messily.


    Esmerya has not left my side, from when I was on the throne to when I began sitting at the dining table. I''ve motioned for her to sit down several times but she refuses, as does Blacktongue and Shifter.


    Apparently they have appointed themselves as servants. This simply will not do.


    I will have to begin moving to have servants placed at the Fortress, so that we can have people waiting on us instead of my followers.


    I also want to see the limits of hard work and training in this world, compared to natural talent.


    After finishing the meal, I stepped outside to stretch and gather my wits.


    There are still always at least three people guarding the walls of the Fortress, making their rounds in a sequential order.


    The sounds of birds flapping their wings, the rush of water, and the chattering of insects was all captured by my superb hearing. It was not overwhelming, but instead enhanced the picturesque view of the forest as the sun had already gone down.


    "Until tomorrow." I whisper into the wind and finish my first night in this new world.


    When I return to my bed, I begin inquiring to the voice of the goddess, asking it questions about my own capabilities. I had not even bothered to check my own status, and just assumed I was a high level.


    I guess now would be a good time to check.


    As I cast the Identify spell on myself, a small stat box appears in front of me.


    [


    Name: Ehko


    Title: Conqueror of the Golden Sands


    Race: ??¡Â¦Ì¡ë?¡ì??


    Level: 95


    Class: Patriarch


    Sub-Class: Adventurer


    Strength: 85


    Dexterity: 85


    Vitality: 85


    Mind: 50


    Special Abilities: Class Change, True Vision, Unit Arrange, Blessings of the Gods, Favor of the Gods.


    ]