《[NaNoWriMo] Masqueraider of Dofus: Incarnam》


 Chapter 1: Proving His Worth

    *FWOOOSSHH!*


    A bright light shone and a whirling portal opened as a young man of about 18 years of age stepped through. The young man was skinny with wild, blood red hair and black eyes. His beige colored skin showed that the young man spent an adequate amount of time out in the sun. The young man wore a white clown-like mask with a red pointy nose and red decorations below the eyes. He wore a black tunic with gold linings and a black and gold trousers held up by a golden rope-like belt with two white skulls dangling by his right hip. He wore black leggings and black socks, and walked in golden brown sandals. If people didn''t know any better, they would have assumed he was a traveling street performer.


    The young man was known as Kryse Shadowclaw, fifth son of Aladen Shadowclaw the Head of the Shadowclaw family. Because Kryse was born as the fifth son, there wasn''t any inheritance left to give. So, Kryse decided to travel the world in search of his own way of living and obtain his own living expenses. During his travels, he received news that the world of Dofus was in danger and help was sorely needed everywhere, especially in the vast continent of Amakna. So, Kryse decided to enlist himself. Now people may wonder what this young man could offer to the table...well, what they didn''t know was that Kryse was a Masqueraider warrior. He has the ability to draw power from the masks he wore in order to provide a range of fighting styles. Anyways, once Kryse had enlisted, he was directed to Incarnam, a bright and bustling village.


    Upon arriving, he gazed around and took in the wondrous and peaceful landscapes. Suddenly, an eagle beastman wearing green and black leather armor with brown gauntlets and brown leg guards approached him.


    "Hello, I presume you are Kryse? My name is Apro Simate. Thanks for coming in our time of need. I welcome you to Incarnam."


    "Thanks." Kryse replied.


    "Come, follow me. We must make haste to the village." Apro motioned as he left the summoning portal. Kryse nodded in understanding before following after him.


    Along the way, they chanced upon a monster known as the Incarnam Scarecrow. This monster wasn''t strong at all...just a level 1. Apro asked Kryse if he would be able to defeat it. He said he wanted to see if Kryse had the capabilities Incarnam was in dire need of. Kryse smirked and assured Apro that this was an easy task. He then charged forward towards the monster. Fortunately, the Incarnam Scarecrow did not notice Kryse until the young Masqueraider was right in front of him. Taking advantage of the surprise, Kryse threw a punch at the monster. As expected of a weak monster, the single punch from Kryse knocked the monster flying...it seemed like one more punch from Kryse and the monster would be defeated. As Kryse lunge forward for another punch, the scarecrow spun around, dodging the attack and followed with a counterattack of its own. The weak monster could not faze Kryse one bit. Kryse charged in with another punch, however, the monster leaped back just in time to lessen the damage done. Deciding it was time to end it, Kryse pulled out his Martelo mask and put it on. As the power flowed into him, Kryse jumped towards the Incarnam Scarecrow and executed a front-flip heel-kick combo into the monster. This move was subtly named as Martelo after the mask that was worn and had the special abilities of stealing health from a target and preventing the target''s ability to dodge effectively. With this strong attack, the monster collapsed into a heap of rubble.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Seeing Kryse defeat the monster, Apro clapped his hands in admiration. "An excellent battle. At least I know you can defeat low-leveled monsters. But, how well can you fare against a more formidable opponent? You see that monster over there? Show me you can defeat it."


    "Hmm...that one? Very well."


    "Here, take this shield and sword. It may prove to be useful."


    Kryse grabbed the items Apro provided him with and rushed towards the new enemy. As he approached the monster, he saw that it was a Lupus Minimus - a golden brown furred werewolf. However, this monster was alert and quick to see the approaching young Masqueraider. Kryse stopped his charge and approached the monster cautiously. He put on his Coward mask which increased his ability to dodge but prevented him from using any weapons. He knew it would be stupid of him to rush in recklessly...especially against a stronger enemy. As Kryse edged towards the monster, he was caught off guard when the werewolf rushed in and slashed at him with its claws.


    However, it was fortunate that Kryse had decided to wear the Coward mask before going into battle. With a sidestep, Kryse dodged the werewolf''s attack. Next, Kryse threw in an attack of his own. The punch landed squarely on the werewolf''s cheek, knocking it down. The werewolf scrambled to its feet and attacked. This time, it was able to hurt Kryse. The slash, though shallow, wounded Kryse and left him bleeding. The young Masqueraider decided it was time to end it. He switched his Coward mask with his Martelo mask and heel-kicked the werewolf. With Martelo''s special ability activated, Kryse was able to regenerate some of his lost health and the slash wound closed. The young Masqueraider did not give the werewolf any time to regroup as he switched his mask once again with his Reinforcement mask. This mask allowed him to both deal damage to the target and knock it back. Using the Reinforcement skill, Kryse kicked the werewolf and knocked it back, killing it.


    When Kryse approached Apro after his victory, Apro replied. "Wonderful, you''re definitely ready to help Incarnam."


    "That''s right. Now, no time to lose, let''s go."


    With that, Kryse and Apro hurried towards Incarnam. There were a few more Incarnam Scarecrows and Lupus Minimus along the way but nothing Kryse couldn''t handle. Like how he defeated the two types of monsters earlier, Kryse fought and won against the other monsters. After an hour of traveling and battling, the duo finally arrived at Incarnam.


    "I can only guide you here. I need to head back and wait for the other recruits. I''ll see you later then. If you have any questions, ask around." Apro explained as he bid the young Masqueraider farewell.


    "Okay. Bye."

 Chapter 2: Adventure

    Once Kryse watched Apro fly away, he turned around and headed towards the village in Incarnam. At some distance away from the village, he was greeted by another eagle beastman who introduced himself as Master Yakasi. Like Master Apro Simate, Master Yakasi was also wearing a green and black leather armor with brown gauntlets and brown leg guards. Master Yakasi looked at Kryse up and down before smiling.


    "Welcome to Incarnam! I see you are a young adventurer. Care to listen to some of my advice?"


    "Sure." Kryse agreed after pondering for a few seconds. The master before him was a veteran who fought many wars and experienced many adventures. Advice from such a strong figure would prove useful for him later on.


    "The writings that you find in the books and in the ruins are not only sources of wisdom and knowledge, but also packed with information about adventure! Isn''t that what you are looking for?"


    "Yes, you''re right."


    "However, young Dairdre Aming of the Sadidas and old man Lykhen Zisurvivor of the Enutrofs both have different views on what adventure meant. Why don''t you go visit them and find out more?"


    "Okay. Where are they at?"


    "You can find Dairdre and old man Lykhen a few miles from here. They should be enjoying the warmth of the sun. Come back here after you talk to them, okay?"


    "Alright." Kryse replied as he accepted Yakasi''s advice.


    Kryse started heading towards the direction Master Yakasi pointed. After half an hour or so, Kryse could see two figures wandering about in the distance. Hurrying on, Kryse approached the first person...it was an old man with a hunched back and thick bushy white beard. He wore a straw hat over his head to cover his head from the sun and a brown skirt that was native to his country. This must be Lykhen Zisurvivor.


    As Kryse neared the old man, Lykhen looked up and beckoned him over. "Well, well...another young soul looking for adventure on Incarnum?"


    "Yes I am. What are you doing here?" Kryse asked.


    "I''m resting my tired old bones. I may look like this but you wouldn''t believe all the exciting adventures I''ve had back when I was in my youth. Hunting Gobballs, tracking Bworks, I traveled across the many continents and sailed the numerous seas. I had even survived a dose of Maloria - a disease transmitted by monsters known as Moskitoes that can be found in the tropical regions. I''ve even challenged the evil Dark Vlad and...."


    "And what did you gain from these adventures? Please enlighten this young rookie."


    "I discovered a Dofus shining like a thousand fires and nestled deep in the darkest depths of a dungeon in the wilderness!"


    "A Dofus?"


    "Yes, you heard me right! A Dofus! One of those magical talismans - a real source of power! I couldn''t take my eyes off that glowing source of power and you know we Enutrofs love our treasure. However...some goddamn bastards *COUGH!* *COUGH!* *ahem*...where was I? Ah yes, some adventurers snatched it from under my nose. I had missed the opportunity of my lifetime." Lykhen sighed as he reminisced his past.


    "That was unfortunate. I''m sorry."


    "Don''t be. The past is in the past. Sometimes you''ll have terrible times and sometimes you''ll have great times. It''s all part of adventuring...all part of life. I have no regrets. All the long days and nights I spent looking for that legendary Dofus gave me the chance to meet some incredible and marvelous creatures that I did not know existed in this world. I was able to travel and discover exotic lands and meet my most trusted brothers in arms. I hoped that you too will enjoy your adventures as I did exploring this world."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Thanks. Enjoy your peace."


    After talking with Lykhen, Kryse now felt like he had a better understanding of what adventuring really meant. He felt content with what the old Enutrof had said but he was curious as to what the young Sadida could offer. Kryse walked over to Dairdre and greeted her.


    "Hi." Kryse waved as he observed the person in front of him. Dairdre Aming was a young girl maybe two years younger than him. She had grass green hair and bark brown skin. She wore some bark-like clothing and a straw hat to keep the sun away.


    "Hello! Are you looking for adventure as well?" Dairdre asked.


    "Yes, that''s right. How did you know?"


    "More and more adventurers pass through Incarnam every day before heading mainland to the country of Amakna."


    "I was thinking of heading there myself."


    "Things are so new over there. It''s wild and exciting! They say if you''re smart and brave, you can make a lot of money adventuring over there. I don''t know if I''ve got either but hopefully someday I might, right?"


    "Yea, well, you know what they say - fortune favors the brave. Maybe you should try your luck and go adventuring as well. Who knows, maybe you''ll succeed and have fun doing it."


    "Thanks for the advice. Wow, you sound like a veteran. Where did you hear all that from?"


    "From old man Lykhen over there." Kryse replied as he pointed towards where the Enutrof was sitting.


    "Hmm...I''ll go talk with him later then. For now, I gotta go sleep. It''s a custom of our god Sadida. He always said that one should rest as much as they think." Dairdre yawned as she propped herself onto the ground.


    "Well, enjoy your rest. Bye." Kryse replied as he waved goodbye and then hurried back to where Master Yakasi was standing and talking to another recruit.


    When Master Yakasi saw Kryse approach, he smiled and asked. "Have you finished speaking with Dairdre and Lykhen?"


    "Yes."


    "Good. They have shown you two ways of adventuring and there are many more ways out there as well. All you got to do is find them yourself. You can follow their ways or you can discover your own way of adventuring. It''s all up to you."


    Kryse nodded as Master Yakasi continued. "Take this book. It contains precious information about this world and the god you worships. In addition to that, it also contains notable adventurers who came before you."


    "Thanks, I''ll be sure to use it."


    "I have other books which you might find helpful. I can give them to you...for a fee of course. But let''s talk about why you''re here. As you may know, the world is in peril. Monsters have appeared increasingly as if the dark forces are preparing for war or something. The only way to defeat them for good is to find Dofus. I''m assuming you will also be looking for Dofus. Do you want to learn more about it?"


    "Yes."


    "Good."


    Then, Master Yakasi proceeded to explain what Dofus was and the wondrous effects of the power. After explaining about Dofus and its uses, Master Yakasi continued to explain about a very well-known legend that had recently been proven to have some truth in it, which could explain the unrest that the dark forces were causing. The legend was known as the Legend of Rykke Errel. This legend was about the friendship between a fearless Iop Rykke Errel and a mighty dragon Bolgrot. However, one day, Bolgrot got jealous of Rykke''s bethrothed and killed her. Then, the dragon proceeded to rampage nearby cities in a fit of jealous rage. The two old friends confronted each other and Bolgrot died. Many people were curious as to why Bolgrot became jealous. But a few wisemen soon discovered the cause. Bolgrot was male...but he had six genuine dragon eggs in his entrails! The wisemen determined that whoever held all six dragon eggs in their possession could obtain enough power that may be considered to be equal to the power of the gods. They decided to hide these eggs from the rest of the world in order to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.


    After finishing learning about the existence of Dofus and the tragic circumstances that revolved around it, Master Yakasi told Kryse to stay at Incarnam for a few days and help out with the village''s problems. The place was a beautiful island in the skies and relatively peaceful compared to the battles in the mainland.


    "Okay. Do you have any advice on who I should talk to next?" Kryse asked as he prepared to leave.


    "Hmm...the members of the Nhin family are some of the most famous and influential residents of Incarnam. Why don''t you go become acquainted with them?"

 Chapter 3: The Two Nhins

    Walking into the village of Incarnam, Kryse asked around for where he could meet a member of the Nhin family. A helpful eagle beastman pointed towards a nearby tree and told young Kryse that he could find Struk''tohr Nhin relaxing under the shade. Kryse thanked the eagle beastman and hurried over. As Kryse approached the Enutrof, he heard Struk''tohr mutter under his breath.


    "I sure do miss wearing my uniform. What fun I had while roaming around aimlessly in the continents with my best buds.... But it seemed I''m too old for that now." The Enutrof sighed. He then looked up and saw Kryse come over, "Oh? Do you need something, young adventurer?"


    "Hello, my name is Kryse Shadowclaw. Master Yakasi sent me." Kryse introduced. He looked at the Enutrof standing before him. The old man, like all Enutrofs, was dwarfish in size. He had a long scruffy white beard and wore a gold and brown, patched up jumpsuit with purple leggings. He wore a brown knapsack and what looks to be a dead bird-like cap on his head.


    "Ah, so that old featherbrain sent you? Is it to become acquainted with my Nhin family? Well, no matter. We Enutrofs welcome new friends. Anyways, welcome to Incarnam. As you may know, I''m Struk''tohr Nhin, a veteran of more than a thousand battles. Not to boast, but I was known as the great destroyer of monsters. If you want to train for battle or adventure, just come and see me. You''re not going to get a better trainer elsewhere. So, how about it? I''ve got some free time, want to take some advice and train with me for a bit? I''ll warn you ahead of time though...my training can be tough and you might even receive some wounds."


    "Sure, I could use the help to toughen me up." Kryse nodded.


    "Wonderful, I see that you are an adventurer who won''t back down from only a few bruises! However, before we get too deep into this subject, you should know what you''re up against. My training will definitely be tough and you might even suffer from a few injuries. If you don''t heal them, those injuries could prove fatal and you would surely die. If you want to heal those injuries and stay in shape, there''s nothing better than a quick dip in the Fountain of Youth. Known as Incarnam''s celestial water, this fountain''s water has curative powers. It can heal the wounds of adventurers...as well as soften rough skin. Go and see young Danaida of the Cra about that. She can tell you more about the Fountain of Youth. You can find her at the Celestial Temple"


    "Okay." Kryse replied as he thanked the Enutrof for the information. Then, he proceeded to head towards the Celestial Temple.


    After a while, Kryse saw a fountain a few blocks away from him. As he approached the fountain, he noticed a group of people were already bathing in the fountain. At a few feet away from the fountain, there stood a young girl of Cra descent. She was a rather tall girl wearing a white and brown skirt. Her long golden hair tied back and she carried a large barrel of water over her shoulders. This must be Daniada. Kryse approached her and told her that Struk''tohr Nhin sent him to her to ask for more information on the Fountain of Youth.


    "Ah, so it was old Nhin who sent you eh? Did that Enutrof took you under his wing? Or...*hehe*...under his beard?" Daniada giggled.


    "Yes, he offered to help me train and I accepted. Is he any good?"


    "Definitely! He used to train new Kerub militia recruits back in the olden days and you know how powerful Kerub warriors are. I think taking you under his wing had left him feeling a bit nostalgic about his past."


    "I see. That''s good to know. Struk''tohr told me to ask you about the Fountain of Youth if I needed more information. What can you tell me about it?"


    "The water from the Fountain of Youth is capable of miracles...so to speak. It can heal both surface wounds and serious injuries alike. But, the only downfall of this wondrous healing water is that it won''t work on experienced adventurers...nor will it resurrect the dead...unlike the legendary bard Jon Lemon, who - according to the legends - was able to resurrect the dead. Perhaps you have heard of Jon Lemon in your travels or maybe in the books you have read?"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Seeing Kryse shook his head, Daniada decided not to continue the topic, "Okay, anyways, there are two fountains in Incarnam. The first is right here in the Celestial Temple where those adventurers are bathing in. The second one...however, is near the cemetery...don''t ask me why it was built there. Anyways, if you head towards the fountain by the cemetery, be careful. There has been a lot of Chafers over there recently and they would attack any living beings who cross their paths without any hesitation."


    "Okay. Thanks for the advice. It seems that I will have to go to the second one though, this fountain is already packed."


    "Yea, well good luck."


    "Thanks."


    The two waved goodbye to each other and Kryse started heading back to the village. Upon entering the village once again, he saw Struk''tohr conversing with another Enutrof. This new Enutrof was fairly young with long scruffy black hair and wore a black knapsack. He had similar clothing to Struk''tohr except for the color differences. While Struk''tohr had on gold and brown colored clothing, this new Enutrof had on red and black clothing with brown leggings. He wore a red cap with a white circle in the middle.


    When Struk''tohr saw Kryse, he motioned the young Masqueraider over. "Kryse, this is a member of my family - Tellih''Gent Nhin. Tellih''Gent, this is the one I talked to you about earlier - Kryse Shadowclaw."


    "Hello." Kryse greeted.


    "Hey, there! I''m glad to see a new face. Struk''tohr told me about you. Let me formally introduce myself...my name is Tellih''Gent Nhin. That''s not considered as a very popular name around here, but I can tell you, I once met a Sadida with the same name. We didn''t talk much but anyone could see he was a rather nice person." The young Enutrof replied.


    Seeing the young Masqueraider listen intently, Tellih''Gent smiled and continued. "Ahh! I knew you would be interested in this story of mine. Let''s start from the beginning. Many years ago, while I was out exploring the Pandawaiian badlands, I suddenly started to cough. I couldn''t stop and I even thought I might have caught something while exploring...but then...."


    As Tellih''Gent dragged on, Kryse tried to stifle a yawn. Embarrassed, he scratched his head and looked at the Enutrof. Surprisingly, the young Enutrof did not seem to be affected. Instead, he continued talking, "You seem tired, maybe you should go get some sleep. Haha, you sure you''re not a Sadida? Strange, you don''t look like one. Anyways, I''ll continue with my story if you really want me to. So, anyways, where was I...ah yes, after all this, I finally made it to the grocery store.... I''ll tell you this, negotiating and bargaining at a shop...especially a grocery store....can be very intense.... And then I decided to change my clothes to what you see here...and then I found out that some princess in some faraway land suddenly had problems with her plumbing and.... My, look at me here, talking and talking on and on and yet I haven''t even ask about you."


    "Haha, young Tellih''Gent here loves to tell stories. I hoped you didn''t mind him at all, young Masqueraider." Struk''tohr laughed as he stroked his beard.


    "No, not at all." Kryse shook his head but deep down, he nearly pulled his hair off from boredom.


    "Haha, I see. So, you got anything you want to ask, just ask away?" Tellih''Gent replied. He seemed rather pleased to know that Kryse did not find his stories boring.


    "Ah, yes, I was wondering if you have any work or problems I can help you take care of."


    "Work? I don''t think I have anything of that sort. Oh, yes...I think I actually do have one. You see, my aunt Babblera needs some strong people to help out from time to time. Do you think you can help her out?"


    "I''ll see what I can do."


    "Now, this is a warning. My aunt can be considered a little too chatty sometimes. Every time I visit her, she just won''t stop talking...even I find that annoying."


    Kryse grimaced when he heard that piece of advice. He had already considered Tellih''Gent to be the most chattiest person he had ever met, but to think there was someone chattier? Would he risk taking up this quest and meet his aunt? Should he reject this offer....


    Tellih''Gent saw that Kryse seemed to hesitate in taking up the request, so he assured the young Masqueraider that it wasn''t a big deal and no harm was done. He understood Kryse''s hesitation. After all, even to him, there was nothing worse than people who do nothing but talk all day.


    When Kryse asked him if he had another errand the young Masqueraider could do, Tellih''Gent mused a bit before snapping his fingers, "I don''t know of any more errands for you to help with...but my cousin Postor Nhin might have some. Go and talk with him. He may or may not have an errand you could do but it''s worth a shot to try."


    Kryse nodded as he waved the two Enutrofs and headed deeper into the village.

 Chapter 4: Some Battles

    Walking east towards the first building that came in Kryse''s line of sight, he saw an Enutrof standing next to the doorway of the building. The Enutrof had a long scruffy white beard and wore a golden brown rimmed spectacles. He wore the usual Enutrof outfit but the colors were blue with yellow linings and yellow leggings. Like all Enutrofs, he carried a knapsack where he probably stored his valuables. The old man had on a blue pointed hat with some kind of weird red ribbons dangling on the rim of the hat.


    When Kryse approached the shop, the old Enutrof smiled and greeted. "Hello, can I help you?"


    "Hi, are you by any chance Postor Nhin?" Kryse asked.


    "Yes. I am indeed Postor Nhin. What can I do for you today?"


    "Tellih''Gent told me that you may have a job for me to do."


    "That youngling told you that? Hmmm...I may have a little mission for you after all...of course, that''s if you are up to it."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll do my best to finish the job."


    "Okay, that''s good. How about helping me deliver a few things?"


    "Alright. What am I delivering?"


    "This."


    "What is this?"


    "This here is a recipe that I acquired some time ago. I need you to take it to my client Babblera - she''s the aunt of Tellih''Gent, I''m sure you may have heard of her from him. She''ll pay you when she gets it."


    "Okay, got it." Kryse nodded as he accepted the quest. He grabbed the recipe from Postor and stored it into his bag. He grimaced a bit as he was accepting the job. It seemed like he would be going to see Babblera after all. With a sigh, he headed southeast towards the Way of Souls where he was told he could find Babblera.


    As he rushed towards the direction, a sudden movement jumped in his path. It was a monster...a Young Black Gobbly. Thankfully, the monster was only a level one. Though the sudden appearance of this monster surprised Kryse for a moment, he was able to regain his senses and charged towards the monster. Pulling out his Martelo mask, he attacked the Young Black Gobbly, instantly killing it. As he turned around, another Young Black Gobbly appeared and attempted to ram into his back. It was a good thing for young Kryse to bend down when he saw some herbs on the ground and luckily avoid the ram attack. Seeing the monster fly past him, Kryse grunted in disdain and took out his sword. With three slashes, he killed the weak little monster not even giving it a chance to counterattack. Kryse checked his surroundings and once he made sure that there would be no more surprises waiting for him, the young Masqueraider continued his errand.


    As he made his way deeper into the village, he noticed that the buildings were spread out from each other by a lot. And in between each buildings were a group of monsters. Though these monsters were low-leveled and generally harmless, they were still monsters. Kryse did not know why the village would let monsters roam the area between their buildings so freely. Maybe, it was because each of the villagers were seasoned warriors from the past and such low-leveled creatures had posed no threat to them and their way of life. Anyways, throughout the run, Kryse found and fought with a variety of monsters from Young Arachnees to Immature Orange Larvas to Young White Gobblies to more Young Black Gobblies.


    "Hmm...all these monsters...seems like a perfect way for me to level up as well as gaining some valuable experience." Kryse muttered as he attacked a Young Arachnee.


    Kryse rushed towards the Young Arachnee and cast Martelo at the monster. This monster did not die instantly like with the Young Black Goobly...after all, the Young Arachnee was a level 4 monster. After two Martelo kicks, Kryse was able to kill the young creature. Then, he moved on towards an Immature Orange Larva. This monster was of a higher level than the previous two monster types with a level of 8. With five Martelo kicks, Kryse was able to defeat the monster. After defeating these monsters, Kryse prepared to leave the area. He was just about to depart from the location when a level 5 Immature Orange Larva, a level 5 Young Arachnee, and a level 4 Young Arachnee ambushed and ganged up on him.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Now this is a challenge." Kryse muttered as he drew his weapon and prepared for battle.


    The two Young Arachnee monsters approached the young Masqueraider at breathtaking speed. Seeing the charging monsters, Kryse switched his Martelo mask with his Coward mask and charged in to meet his opponents. The Young Arachnees attacked Kryse but, due to the Dodge boost from the Coward mask, only one of them got a hit in. While the other one missed, Kryse switched back to Martelo and kicked both monsters in the head. Dazed, the monsters tried to regain their senses but was met with another Martelo kick. As the Young Arachnees laid on the ground defeated and dying, the slow Immature Orange Larva joined the fray. Kryse switched his Martelo mask again but this time with his Reinforcement mask. With a swift swiping attack, he knocked the Immature Orange Larva back a couple of feet. Then, Kryse lunged forward and drew his sword. With a few slashes, the orange monster was finally dead. After defeating the three monsters, Kryse continued on. Gaining experience from killing monsters was fine and all...but he still had a job to finish.


    After a running a few more miles while defeating more monsters, Kryse finally came across a bridge. As he was about to cross the bridge, a female Pandawa called out to him. "Hey fellow adventurer. What''s your name?"


    Kryse looked at the female Pandawa and retorted. "Isn''t it polite for you to give your name first?"


    "Ah, is it? Sorry, sorry. My name is Naiz Keeholder. What''s yours?"


    "It''s Kryse Shadowclaw. What can I do for you?" Kryse introduced as he observed the Pandawa in front of him. This female Pandawa was a panda beastman with a surprisingly slender figure. She wore a brightly colored hat dyed in red, yellow, and green. She had on a cultural Pandawa outfit that was also red, yellow, and green. She wore sandals and carried a bag over her shoulders. By her side was a young sheep-like monster with a bell attached to its collar.


    "I can see that from the way you move and fight, you must have a successful future. Hear me out! If you can defeat my pet''s father...well, it''s not really his biological father but rather his adoptive father but you know what I mean. Anyways, if you can defeat the big and angry-looking creature over there, I''ll give you this key. How about it? It''s a good deal right?"


    "What''s the key for?"


    "It''s the key to the Snoowolf Dungeon - a place rumored to have lots of treasure in it."


    "Haha, then why don''t you keep the key to yourself? Why give it to me? I bet that angry creature isn''t even your pet''s father. You just can''t get past him am I right?"


    "That...are you going or not? If you don''t want this key, I''ll just give it to the next adventurer that walks by."


    "Okay, okay. Don''t need to be angry. I accept."


    "Great! The monster is over there." Naiz clapped her hand as she pointed towards the far distance.


    Kryse looked towards the direction Naiz was pointing at. Initially, he could not see anything but after walking around a bit, he saw the monster. Hiding behind some trees was a large monster...it was a Small Gobball War Chief! Kryse grimaced a bit before putting on his Martelo mask. Thankfully, a Small Gobball War Chief was considered to be a very slow monster. Kryse charged in front of the monster to get its attention. Then, he waited. After a while, the lumbering beast finally arrived within the range of Kryse''s Martelo attack. With a swift kick, he downed the large monster.


    The Small Gobball War Chief shook himself to rid his head of the ringing headache and throbbing pain. Then, as if his anger rose to another level, the monster rushed forward and rammed his horns into the young Masqueraider. Luckily, Kryse had switched his mask to the Coward mask beforehand and he was able to dodge the attack. Then, Kryse switched to the Reinforcement mask and swiped at the Small Gobball War Chief, sending him flying back. Every time the Small Gobball War Chief approached Kryse, the young Masqueraider would attack with his Reinforcement skill and knocked the monster back. After a couple of times, Kryse had whittled the Small Gobball War Chief''s health down to a small amount. He, then, decided to end it. He switched back to his Martelo mask and heavily kicked the monster. With a deep groan of pain, the Small Gobball War Chief collapsed. Once Kryse finished beating the Small Gobball War Chief, he walked back to the female Pandawa who was gaping with awe and admiration.


    "Heeeeyyy, didn''t I say you would go far in your career as a successful adventurer? Now, listen closely...here is the dungeon key I promised. If you were to lose this dungeon key...not like I''m saying you would and it''s best if you didn''t lose it...but if you were to ever lose this key...or if you want to visit the dungeon again...yea, I forgot to mention that the key is only usable for one time at the dungeon. Anyways, if you were to lose the dungeon key or want to go back to the dungeon for another look, you can find these keys in the nearby monsters if you spent some time and tried looking for them."


    "Really? How do the monsters have the keys to the dungeon?"


    "How, you ask? Well, the monsters around these parts love eating adventurers...and some of those adventurers so happened to have the dungeon keys on them before they were devoured. So if you ever need another key, all you gotta do is kill as many monsters as you can until you find one. Don''t worry, you''ll eventually find one, that I can guarantee. Got it?"


    "Yes."


    "Good, now go become famous. I''m rooting for you."


    "Thanks."

 Chapter 5: Lore of Dofus

    After parting with Naiz Keeholder, the young Masqueraider continued with his errands. As he crossed the bridge, he noticed a cemetery in the far south. Wasn''t the second Fountain of Youth said to be found somewhere around there? Kryse decided he would check the place out for a while before delivering the recipe to Babblera. Kryse left the original path and headed towards the cemetery. As he neared the location, he saw a small fountain in the distance. Was this the second Fountain of Youth? Strange...he had thought it would be another large fountain, big enough to bathe in...but the fountain before him was basically a statue of a goddess with a basin of water. The water magically refilled every so often so it was near impossible for the fountain to be depleted. Obviously, from the looks of it, the fountain was used for drinking purposes. After checking around his surroundings in case a Chafer suddenly sprouted out from under him and attack him, he took a sip of the water. Miraculously, his fatigue was washed away and his bruises and scratches were all healed up. Kryse nodded in satisfaction and decided to head back to his errands.


    Along the way, he came across another building. Kryse curiously peered through the cracks of the doorway and saw a lot of books. This must be either a bookstore or a library of some sort. As Kryse cautiously entered the building, an glasses wearing eagle beastman appeared and greeted him.


    "Welcome to the Koobs Library! We have all kinds of books ranging from romance to adventure to even history." The eagle beastman introduced, "Oh, where are my manners, my name is Kreole...Master Kreole if you will."


    "Hello Master Kreole, my name is Kryse Shadowclaw. You said you had books on history...do you have any on Dofus?"


    "Hmm...Dofus? In fact, I believe I do not have one. However, I can narrate the important details of the creation of the Krosmoz and the history of the Age of Dofus...if you want. If you don''t have the time to listen, then you''ll have to wait till you''re in Amakna. They seemed to have a few good books involving this topic."


    "I see. Then, I would like to listen to the history."


    "Great, then come sit over here. The story is going to be long and it would be too tiresome to talk about it while standing like this, am I right?"


    "True." Kryse nodded as he found a chair to sit in. Then, Master Kreole began telling the story of how the Krosmoz was created and how the Dofus was born which lead to the Age of Dofus.


    ..........


    "Now, let''s see...where to begin.... Ah, let''s start from the beginning. It''ll be easier that way. If you have any questions, do feel free to ask."


    "Okay."


    "In the years unknown, many significant events had occurred. In the beginning, in the dawn of time, there was nothing. Then, the Great Goddess Eliatrope and the Great Dragon appeared. Having been alone in the universe for a significant number of their early lives, they began to befriend each other and they soon started to dance with each other. With each dance, their friendship for each other grew until it blossomed into love and with each dance, their love continued to deepen. Finally, the Great Goddess Eliatrope danced a dance of courtship with the Great Dragon...hehe...there''s no way it was just a dance if you know what I mean...hehe...*ahem*...anyways, moving on. Hmmm, where was I...ah yes! And through their dance, an egg was created...this egg was the entire universe...the Krosmoz. The Great Goddess Eliatrope, mother of the Eliatrope race, was the incarnation of Wakfu and the Great Dragon, father of the Eliatrope race, was the incarnation of Stasis."


    "Wakfu and Stasis? What are those?"


    "Wakfu is the energy of creation that is said to be always flowing and present in all things across the Krosmoz. Stasis, on the other hand, is the energy of destruction that opposed Wakfu and it was present in all things across the Krosmoz as well. Fun fact...did you know that if Wakfu stopped flowing, it would become Stasis. You didn''t know right?"


    "No."


    "Well, now you know hehe. Anyways, from this union, the energy of creation and the energy of destruction became forever bonded with each other." Master Kreole paused as he sipped a cup of tea before continuing.


    "At the extreme edges of the universe, Wakfu entered the dimensions through Incarnam where the souls were incarnated and Stasis entered the dimensions through Externam where the dead rests. There were other planes of existence that were created with the Krosmoz because, of obvious reasons, the Great Dragon and the Great Goddess were still dancing with each other. Anyways, in the outer region of the Krosmoz universe, there were a few layers...another plane of existence called Ingloriom and another plane of existence called Shustuft Crust. The Ingloriom plane was the residence of the first ten gods and the Shustuft Crust plane was the residence of the first ten demons."


    "The first ten gods? The first ten demons? When did they appear?"


    "The first ten gods along with the first ten demons were the first souls to incarnate into the Krosmoz. The first ten gods were Cra the Great Huntress, Ecaflip the Gamemaster, Eniripsa the Miracle Fairy, Enutrof the Flamboyant Golden Dragon, Feca the Protector, Iop the Lord of the Brave, Osamodas the Master of Beasts, Sadida the Doll Master, Sram the Lord of the Shadows, and Xelor the Guardian of the Divine Clock. They were the ten who gave new life to the World of Ten after the Eliatropes went extinct."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Who were the first ten demons?"


    "Hmm, we don''t know all ten, but we do know one of them. His name is Rushu. Drunk with power, Rushu cunningly killed the other nine first demons and became the ruler of all other demons."


    "I see, so he''s the main reason our world is facing some difficulties what with the new rise in monsters and all."


    "Yes, that''s correct."


    "How did the Eliatropes became extinct?"


    "Whoa buddy, get a hold of yourself. I''ll get to that soon. Anyways, some time later, the Great Goddess and the Great Dragon copulated with each other and the couple gave birth to the first six Eliatropes and their Dragon twins...apparently each Eliatrope would have his or her own Dragon counterpart. Now, ain''t that something?"


    "It is a bit unusual...."


    "Right? Well, the Eliatropes were busy living in their world when...now this is the first documented time in history...in the year -11000, the Mechasms arrived on the Eliatrope planet and decided to live there. The two races coexisted peacefully with each other until nearly 800 years later when something bad occurred."


    "Mechasms? Who are they?"


    "The Mechasms were a mechanical race. Not much was know about them except that they declared a war against the Eliatropes and forced them off the planet."


    "Why did they do that?"


    "This was all due to the fault of that damned Qilby - one of the First-Born Eliatropes. In the year -10201, Qilby stole the Eliacube which was the youngest Mechasm Orgonax''s heart. This action sparked the first war between the two races. After a year of battle, the surviving Eliatropes hid their children in a different dimension and the First-Born Eliatropes - also known as the council - escaped the planet via their ship Zinit. Thirty years later, the Eliatropes found a new world which they started living there in a colony of theirs called Vili. This new planet was the future World of Ten.


    In the year -10100, one of the original six Eliatropes - Yugo - was pronounced the new king of the future World of Ten. The world was at peace for a hundred years until that dreaded idiot, Qilby, decided to reactivate the Eliacube and accidentally signaled Orgonax of their location. The council found out about this and they attacked Qilby who was aided by his dragon twin - Shinonome. In the process, Qilby lost his left arm and was subsequently imprisoned by king Yugo into the White Dimension...but unfortunately, king Yugo died in the process. As Orgonax came to attack, they were fended off but there were many casualties on both sides.


    More than two thousand years had gone by and the ever dwindling Eliatrope race finally met their last days. It was at this time that one of the first ten gods, Osamodas, discovered the planet and witnessed the race''s final moments. Osamodas and the other gods began breathing life into the empty planet and thus formally named the planet as the World of Ten. New souls that incarnate in Incarnam would later populate the World of Ten. Just like you, kid. You too incarnated here because you had heard of our peril from your dimension...and we thank you for that."


    "No problem."


    "Thanks anyways. Now, in the year -211, that was a very important time. The god Sadida, your god I believe, created ten dolls to seduce the ten primordial Dragons so that they will lay egg-like relics called Dofus."


    "Like the eggs Bolgrot had in the Legend of Rykke Errel?"


    "Yes, exactly so. That occurred in the year 130. Thus, six of the ten dolls succeeded in seducing six of the ten primordial Dragons and thus six Primordial Dofus were laid...this was how the Age of the Dofus began."


    "Wait...how did we go from a negative year to a positive year? What happened there?"


    "Ah, yes...it was sometime after the birth of the six Primordial Dofus. Xelor created the first Divine Clock based off of the pulsations he had felt from the Primordial Dofus. This was the official mark of the beginning of time and it was subtly named Year 0. The time could now be measured in months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Each month had a guardian protecting it and each hour had a demon watching over it."


    "I see. So that''s what happened."


    "Now, here''s a fun fact. You may or may not know but initially, Xelor wanted to divide the year into 11 months in order for consistency and simplicity. He planned to name a Protector for each of those months and call them the Protectors of the Months. However, the demon god Rushu forced Xelor to allow a twelfth month to come into existence in the Divine Clock by scratching the Clock with his claws and he appointed his most loyal and most trusted demon Djaul as the guardian of that month. And now, with the presence of demons, Xelor hired a group of 24 Demons to keep watch of each hour and they were subtly called the Hour Demons."


    "Who were the Protector of the Months and who were the Hour Demons?"


    "The Hour Demons did not have names...but they were nicknamed after the hour they represented...so I guess...I through XXIV."


    "And as for the Protector of the Months, the original members were Solar - guard of the Order of Iop and Protector of the first Month Javian, Silvosse - the Master of Cuttings and Protector of Flovor, Menalt - founder of the Valiant Heart Order and Protector of Martello, Silouate - the Minotoror and Protector of Aperirel, Rosal - the Master of Flowers and Protector of Maysial, Sumens - Enutrof''s Supporter and Protector of Junssidor, Hecate - the Mystifier and Protector of Jullier, Pouchecot - the Fruitcake...now ain''t that a funny title...and Protector of Frauguctor, Raval - the Terrible...terrible looking face probably...and Protector of Septangel, Maimane - the Stabilizer and Protector of Octolliard, Brumaire - the Dark Bleeder...whoever made these titles suck...and Protector of Novamaire, and finally...Djaul - the Great Flounderer, Rushu''s Loyal Follower, and Protector of Descendre...whew!"


    "Wow that was a mouthful. Here, have some tea."


    "Thanks. Now these were the original protectors. However, in the year 11, Solar was killed by Djaul and the Protector of Javian was replaced by Jiva the Valiant. In addition, in the year 26, Menalt died in combat during the battle of Crimson Dawn and he was replaced Ulgrude of Thunder."


    "I see. It must have been a terrible battle to have even a few of the Protectors of the Months killed."


    "It was indeed. All that occurred more than 600 years ago. Can you imagine it?"


    "No, it''s hard to imagine."


    "Well, that wraps up for the lore of Dofus. Thank you for sitting here and listening so patiently to me talking."


    "Don''t mention it, it was interesting."


    "That''s good. Well, I''m sure you have other things to do. You should leave before the sun sets. Do come by and visit though." Master Kreole replied as he stood up and waved the young Masqueraider farewell. Kryse also stood up from his seat and bid farewell to the eagle beastman. He then set off to finish his errands.

 Chapter 6: Finishing Some Quests

    As Kryse wandered further along the path, he bumped into an Enutrof. Kryse went up to the old woman and asked if she was Babblera. The female Enutrof shook her head and told the young Masqueraider that Babblera went home. When Kryse asked her where Babblera''s home was, she pointed out that Babblera''s home was northwest from here. A distance north of old Postor Nhin''s shop. Kryse frowned...it seemed he had traveled the wrong way! Kryse thanked the old Enutrof and he hurriedly turned around. He picked up his pace and ran north. After an hour or so of running, Kryse arrived at a large building. By the building was a cart filled to the brim with some merchandise and covered with a red blanket so that Kryse was not able to see the contents of the merchandise. Beside the cart was a male Enutrof. He wore a cracked straw hat held together by two pieces of tape and a brown knapsack. He had on the usual Enutrof outfit but black with brown linings and yellow leggings. The old man looked rather young and had a long flamboyant purplish-pink scruffy beard.


    As Kryse approached him and introduced himself, the Enutrof responded, "Hello and welcome to Incarnam. I''m called Cripeled Nhin. My boss and I were a bit busy these days, but we do take breaks every so often to talk to new adventurers. We never refuse to talk to people as we could get inspirational ideas from them. Anyways, what''s your idea of fun? Rather, what do you do for fun? And are you a member of one of our Nhin family''s council''s certified artisan guilds? What materials do you make and sell? What materials do you use?"


    "I''m not a member of any of the certified artisan guilds...in fact, I''m not an artisan either. Master Yakasi sent me to become acquainted with the various members of the village."


    "Oh? Very well, as I had said already...I am Cripeled Nhin, the oldest artisan in Incarnam. If you''re interested in the numerous jobs that were offered in this place, I can give you some advice about it as well as a recommendation so that you can get a good start. And once you become a master of your work, you will be able to help us improve our merchandise. So, how about it? What do you say?"


    "Um...okay."


    "Great! That''s perfect! Before any self-respecting artisan starts his or her work, he or she has to find good quality ingredients. Start by getting some water...we use it quite often in the workshops. As for the water...you can find some good quality water in the creeks as well as in any of the various wells in Incarnam."


    "I see."


    "Alright, make sure you visit the Incarnam Inn right here if you''re looking for a place to eat, relax, and gather some information."


    "Alright. Maybe later. Have a good day."


    Walking towards a well near the inn, Kryse was about to collect some water when he realized that there was no bucket. It seemed he had to look for one...but where can he find one? Maybe someone else will have a spare. Kryse shrugged and muttered that the profession quest would have to wait. For, now he should go visit Babblera and turn in this recipe in his bag. As he continued with his errands, he suddenly realized that he had something to talk about with Master Struk''tohr Nhin. So, he decided to change course and head west towards the entrance of the village.


    Once Kryse arrived at the entrance of the village, he greeted Struk''tohr Nhin. His training master replied with a smile, "Did you find the Fountain of Youth?"This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Yes, I had found both of them."


    "Great! That''s perfect! It seemed like you are finally ready for some exercise...hmm...let''s see, what should we do next?"


    "Wait! Before we go train, I have some errands I needed to finish."


    "Okay. No worries. Come here once you are done."


    Kryse turned around and left. A couple of meters away, by a tree, Kryse saw Master Yakasi. He walked up to the eagle beastman and told him that he had met with the members of the Nhin family.


    Master Yakasi grinned before replying, "The Nhin family seemed to have offered you help or at least given you some work to do. It''s up to you whether or not you want to accept those jobs or not. If you want, you can explore Incarnam at your own pace and enjoy the charm and peace this country has to offer. However, you need to be careful. You may run into some trouble in the future and even find yourself fighting with stronger monsters...I heard it happened often. This could cause you problems."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "You could die from the battles...but don''t worry, you won''t be really dead since you have an immortal soul. Each time you die, you would be magically transported and incarnated back at a Celestial Temple. If you have any more questions related to this topic, you should go and speak with Brett Ernal...he''s a bit of an expert in these matters."


    "Okay. I''ll go see him as soon as I finish my errands."


    Kryse bid Master Yakasi goodbye before heading north to where Babblera''s house was supposedly found. After a few minutes, a monster jumped in his way. It was a Piwi. Kryse raised his shield up and looked at the low-leveled monster cautiously. But the monster did not try to attack him. Instead, it was chirping, "Piwi piwi piwi?"


    Kryse looked at the Piwi and piwied as well. After a short exchange of piwis, the monster ran away happily. A nearby beastman approached him and told him that he just accepted a quest from the little monster. Well, damn.... Kryse asked the beastman what kind of quest he had accepted, and the beastman grinned. He told Kryse that the Piwi wanted him to obtain six Wheat and six Flax Flowers and bring the items to it. Kryse nodded in understanding as he thanked the beastman and continued north. After a short while, he saw a building in the distance. An old female Enutrof was standing near the doorway watering her garden. The Enutrof had her grayed hair tied up in a bun and wore a knapsack of the same color of her hair. She wore a lily pad-like hat with orange spots on it and she carried a toad-skinned shield. She wore an orange and purple outfit with yellow linings. Unlike the male Enutrofs who went barefoot, she wore a pair of wooden sandal clogs.


    "Hey, excuse me, are you Babblera by any chance?"


    "Huh? Ah...yes I am. What do you need dear?"


    "I''m here to give you this recipe from Postor Nhin."


    "Why thank you my dear! I had all the ingredients prepared but all I was missing was this pancake recipe. This is going to make a lot of people very happy very soon. Here, have a spoonful of this homemade jam I''m going to serve with my pancakes. Let me know what you think of the taste."


    Kryse took the spoon and ate the spoonful of jam. As he savored the taste, Babblera asked, "Good right?"


    "Ugh...it has all the taste of a rancid Troll''s unwashed toe and none of the taste of sweet jam....ugh!" Kryse grimaced as he vomited a little bit of his breakfast.


    " Sooo, isn''t it delicious? I''ve been tearing at my hair trying to get this unique taste. I''ve spent more months than I could count trying. Perhaps I should tell Fattumy about this and have him sell it at his tavern, what do you think?"


    "Ugh...I don''t think the customers would be...uh...worthy of such an...unique jam." Kryse replied as he forcefully swallowed the vomit in his mouth.


    "Hmmm...you may be right dear. Maybe I''ll just save my cooking masterpieces for my grandchildren and the rest of the Nhin family. Anyways, here''s you payment. Thanks again for the delivery. Do come by again and try some of my other masterpieces."


    Kryse took the items and left with a smile on his face. Once he was out of sight, Kryse''s face turned green again and he collapsed onto the ground and vomited to his heart''s content...or rather to his stomach''s content.

 Chapter 7: Training with Struktohr Nhin

    After finishing Postor Nhin''s errand, Kryse decided to find Master Struk''tohr Nhin and start that training session he was offered. Kryse hurried towards the entrance of the village. Upon seeing the old Enutrof, Kryse waved at him to get his attention.


    "I''ve come for the training." Kryse replied as he approached Struk''tohr Nhin. The old man had just finished introducing himself and giving some valuable advice to a young Ecaflip.


    "Hoho, I had heard that sane Masqueraider warriors were getting more and more difficult to find these days, but it seemed I have one standing right in front of me...isn''t that something? However, we''ll soon put an end to that...only a crazy Masqueraider is a good Masqueraider. I have a little crazy and tough training mission for you. You ready?"


    "What is this training mission about?


    "It''s not too difficult, I assure you. There are a few parts to this training. For the first part, all you have to do is to get rid of all the parasitic monsters in the region. Be careful though, some of these monsters may appear to be peaceful, but they are still considered harmful to the village. You''ll understand why once you see them. I''ve made a few notes and tips of what you needed to do on these papers. You can add it in your questbook. Now, go hunt and wipe those parasitic creatures out. Less chatting and more actions. Let your weapons do the talking."


    "Okay."


    Kryse took the hunting-training mission from Struk''tohr Nhin and looked over the notes the old Enutrof had written.


    The surrounding areas are filled with a large number of parasitic monsters. These low-leveled creatures are in need of some...population control...or, in other words, kill some of those beasts you see wandering around in the proximity.


    First Training Mission - Kill 1 Young White Gobbly.


    One Young White Gobbly eh? Kryse mused on this easy quest. During his travels while completing some errands, he had found and defeated a group of black and white Gobblies. So, to him, this mission was rather easy to finish. After searching for a few minutes, he came across a couple of Young White Gobblies grazing near the edge of the village. Now, although the training mission asked him to kill one Young White Gobbly, Kryse believed that there was no harm in fighting a couple...in addition, the level of the battle will increase and then, it would prove to be a good challenge for him.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    So, he approached the monsters, making sure his presence was noticed by them. Once the monsters saw him, they...they actually ignored him. They continued to graze the grass...the flowers...the farmer''s vegetable garden...now he knew why those sheep-looking monsters were such hateful creatures. Kryse did not wait for the peaceful looking monsters to make the first move. He drew out the sword he was given at the beginning and charged forward to the first monster. With a slash, he did a substantial amount of damage to the parasitic creature. The Young White Gobbly squealed in pain as it skidded on the floor a few feet away. The other monsters barked in anger before charging towards the young Masqueraider.


    Kryse dodged the tackle attack from one of the charging monsters but he was hit by another monster''s tackle. It felt like these monsters had coordinated their attacks. Kryse grimaced in pain as a bruise developed on his side. He reached into his bag and pulled out the Martelo mask. Wearing it on, he felt a surge of power rising from in him. With a front flip, Kryse heel-kicked three of the Young White Gobblies, that surrounded him, at a time. One of the Young White Gobblies squealed before it died. Seeing their comrade die, a few of the monsters cowardly ran away in terror. Not sure about whether the Young White Gobblies were too stupid or too courageous, but two of the parasitic monsters stayed behind. They grunted in disdain before lunging towards Kryse.


    Kryse dodged the attacks by jumping backwards, gaining some distance between him and the two Young White Gobblies. As the monsters land and missed their attacks, Kryse lunged forward with his sword drawn and slashed at the two Young White Gobblies. Before the two monsters could recover from the young Masqueraider''s attack, Kryse heel-kicked the two and killed them. After beating the Young White Gobblies, Kryse patted himself and checked his wounds. Luckily, Kryse only had a few bruises and scrapes...no broken bones thankfully. Kryse, having finished checking himself, headed back to Master Struk''tohr Nhin.


    "Well done. You''ve completed this mission with flying colors. Those Young White Gobblies didn''t stand a chance against you. You should continue with your training battles and real battles like this. Something tells me that, at this rate, you''ll go far in life." Struk''tohr Nhin clapped in admiration when Kryse came back from the training mission and reported his victory to the old Enutrof.


    "Thanks for the encouragement." Kryse replied embarrassingly as he scratched his head.


    "You seemed to be able to cope pretty well with the battles that you have seen and done. I think you''re ready to meet a friend of mine who will help you change your outlook of this world...or, if not, at least he''ll give you a headache. Well...that is also depending on how open-minded you are as well. Anyways, why don''t you go find and talk to Djaycy Awooare? He''s a rather famous Iop in this world and he has a lot of battle experience he could impart to you. He''s not far from here so you''ll be able to find him quickly."


    "Okay, I''ll go immediately."

 Chapter 8: Djaycys Training

    Kryse Shadowclaw bid farewell to his master Struk''tohr Nhin before he went to meet with the famous Iop, Djaycy Awooare. He walked a few miles north until he arrived at the Pastures - the part of Incarnam that always had lush green grasslands. This place was a treasure trove for herbivore monsters. In the distance, a lone building stood proud even though the passing of time had not done it justice. The building was a weapon shop with a table full of weapons and shields displayed out for the public view. Next to the worn out building was an Iop of average height with orange spiky hair and a brown pointed hat. He wore the standard Iop warrior uniform but instead of red and white, the uniform was of red and beige color. Standing next to him was a short and mysterious looking person. The person wore a blue hooded cloak that covered most of his face with white fur around the neck. Two white antenna-like feathers stuck at the top of the hood. The only visible features were the person''s long nose and piercing eyes. As Djaycy conversed with this mysterious figure, he noticed Kryse approaching in the distance. He nodded towards the young Masqueraider and asked him if he needed something.


    "Master Struk''tohr sent me to meet with you for some advice for my training." Kryse replied.


    "That old man finally took on a disciple?" The mysterious figure questioned.


    Kryse turned to look at the short hooded person curiously. He was just about to ask who the mysterious figure was when Djaycy introduced the person to him. "This here is the famous Joris Jurgen - Guardian of the Ivory and Ebony Dofus. We were just discussing some important business...not something a rookie adventurer like you would need to know. And you are...say what was your name again?"


    "My name is Kryse Shadowclaw."


    "Shadowclaw eh? Last I recall, that was a small family of Masqueraiders who worship Sadida."


    "Yes we follow his Lordship, Sadida."


    "I thought so. Anyways, you said that old Enutrof sent you? Hmm, so that means you have passed his first test of his tough training. Great! You seem to be on the right track. Well, for your next part of the training...I would need a symbol...made out of cloth that is. Got it?"


    "Uh...what exactly do you need? I don''t understand."


    "You know! A symbol! For a flag. Now a symbol can''t be a flag and a flag can''t be a flag without a symbol. Do you get what I''m trying to say? No? What I mean is, you need something to sew this symbol onto the flag...you need something to sew the symbol onto...now do you understand?"


    "Uh...."


    "You must pardon Djaycy here. He may be a great warrior, but he''s not much of a talker. What Djaycy meant to say is that he wants you to go get some materials to make the flag...preferably wool." Joris explained.


    "Thanks Joris. Now do you understand?" Djaycy thanked Joris gratefully before directing his question to Kryse.


    "Oh...yes I do."


    "Good, then go get some. The beasts you should attack are those Gobballs grazing around in the Pastures. They''re stronger than the low-leveled monsters you''ve been dealing with so far so be careful not to be ganged up on."


    After Kryse accepted the next part of his training, he bid the two farewell and searched the vicinity for some Gobballs. Why Gobballs? Well, they''re basically ball-like creatures with horns and a big clump of wool. Kryse searched around Djaycy''s building for a while until he found a Little Gobball. Kryse charged towards the monster and attacked. Not giving the creature any time to realize what was going on, Kryse switched on the Martelo mask and heel-kicked the Little Gobball, knocking him down. The Little Gobball was fairly tough as it stood back up as quickly as it fell and managed to launch a counterattack. The little bastard rammed its horns into Kryse stomach, knocking the air out of him. He would have had a severe injury to the stomach had it not been for his quick reflexes in bringing the shield in his left hand up and protecting his stomach. Even so, Kryse gasped for a while and tried to regain his breath. He was amazed at how much strength the Little Gobball could deal and he silently vowed not to be hit by the attack again. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he finally regained his composure. He rolled to his left to dodge another incoming tackle and switched his Martelo mask with his Reinforcement mask. With a swipe, he knocked the Little Gobball back a couple of feet, stunning it. Kryse switched to his Bling mask and immediately teleported towards the stunned Little Gobball. With a swing of his sword, Kryse killed the monster. He, then, shaved the wool off of the monster''s body.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Is this enough? Hmm...just to be safe, let me take the wool from at least three more Gobballs." Kryse muttered as he pocketed the wool into his bag.


    Kryse searched around the area for a few more minutes before moving farther away from the weapon shop. As he searched for more Gobballs to kill and take their wool, Djaycy and Joris were busy conversing with each other. There seemed to be some really important and terrible news Joris was telling Djaycy as the Iop furrowed his brows and a dark and unsightly expression appeared on his face.


    Joris slipped a peek at Kryse while he was battling the Little Gobball and commented, "That young Masqueraider...Kryse Shadowclaw was it? He seemed to be a pretty skilled fighter."


    "Huh? Yea, he''s not bad for a Masqueraider. Too sane though in my opinion."


    "Haha, insane Masqueraiders are the best allies...but sometimes a little sanity would be nice as well."


    "True. So, why bring him up? Don''t tell me you want to recruit him? He''s just a rookie. He won''t survive against the demon forces."


    "I''m interested in this adventurer. He may prove to be useful. Maybe not now, but in the future, he will be a valuable asset in our expedition."


    "Hmm...if you say so. Fine, I and my friends will try to train him as much as possible and prepare him for the expedition. Well, that is if he''s interested in going."


    "Why don''t we ask him now? Look here he comes. My, that was quick for a mission given by the great Djaycy."


    "Hmph! That was just a training exercise...child''s play."


    Kryse, having defeated three more Little Gobballs and acquired three more pieces of wool, returned to turn in the items to Djaycy. Kryse handed over the wool and replied, "Here''s the wool you needed."


    "You had successfully brought some wool back to me and doesn''t it seem like you''ve brought back victory. That is because this wool is victory, get it? But even though I get the wool, the victory is yours to keep. Wool, well, the wool can be seen as victory but it doesn''t contain victory, know what I mean? It''s different. It''s you that keeps the victory, you know? Even if I get to keep the wool. See?" Djaycy tried to explain.


    "Um...."


    "What the Iop is trying to say is that by defeating the Gobballs and obtaining the wool, you''ve essentially obtained victory. Victory is a sensation...a feeling and not something materialistic like the wool. The wool was an item acquired through victory and may be considered as part of victory, but it is not victory itself. So, even if you lose the items or sold it, you still get to keep that sensation of victory." Joris interjected as he provided a better explanation to the young Masqueraider.


    "Oh, I see. Thank you for your explanation. Thank you Djaycy for your advice."


    "No problem. It''s good that you understand. Now, there''s something I want to ask you."


    "Sure, what is it?"


    "Joris here is putting on an expedition sometime in the future and he wants you to be a part of it. The journey will be hard and it may even involve traveling to another dimension. Do you think you will be able to do it?"


    "What''s the expedition for?"


    "That...." Djaycy looked at Joris who nodded his head as if to give permission for Djaycy to continue speaking, "Joris had found news that a true Dofus - the Zircon Dofus had been sent through space and time to another dimension far away from the Krosmoz. We need to go and retrieve the lost Dofus as soon as possible or the Demon God Rushu will get his hands on it. Both Rushu and I do not know where exactly the Dofus is located at but in a couple of months...maybe a year or so, we''ll get the results. At that time, I need to gather a group of talented individuals from each race and send them to find and bring back the Zircon Dofus. You can bet that Rushu will send his own team of demons after it as well so this task will be dangeous. Are you interested?"


    "Definitely. I''ll train as much as possible and gain as much experience and knowledge from the masters of Incarnam."


    "That''s what I liked to hear. Well, time is of the essence, I''ll be going. I need to send these news to the others. Farewell and I hope we meet again." Joris replied as he waved farewell.


    As he left, Kryse looked the Iop and asked, "Who was that guy? How does he have so much influence for such an young age?"


    "Do you want to know?"


    "Yes please."


    "Well, it all started when...."

 Chapter 9: The Story of Joris Jurgen

    "Hmm...it''s best if I started from the beginning after all Joris''s life is short...I mean he''s very young compared to the others." Djaycy replied as he motioned Kryse to sit down at a table with him. Seeing Kryse take a seat, the Iop began the tale, "Now in the beginning, six dragons - children of Osamodas''s Dragons were seduced by dolls created by Sadida. And from those unnatural unions, six dragon eggs were produced. These dragon eggs were known as Dofus and the dragon eggs of the six dragons were known as the Six Primordial Dofus. They were Emerald Dofus, Turquoise Dofus, Crimson Dofus, Ochre Dofus, Ivory Dofus, and Ebony Dofus. Each of the Six Primordial Dofus contained a dragon soul.


    The Emerald Dofus contained Aerafal the Dragon of Air, the Turquoise Dofus contained Aguabrial the Dragon of Water, the Crimson Dofus contained Ignemikhal the Dragon of Fire, the Ochre Dofus contained Terrakourial the Dragon of Earth, the Ivory Dofus contained Dardondakal the Dragon of White or Holy Magic, and the Ebony Dofus conatined Grougalorasalar the Dragon of Black or Dark Magic. Each Dofus offers unlimited power to anyone who knew how to use it. The Six Primordial Dofus were exceptionally powerful compared to the other true Dofus that came from other dragons and for centuries, people have battled each other in merciless feuds and wars for possession of these six Dofus...cities such as Bonta and Brakmar. Bonta was a city of white magic and one of the many cities that worshiped the six gods of white magic while Brakmar was a demonic city under the control of Rushu."


    "Wait, six gods? I thought there were twelve?"


    "There were twelve...it''s just that six of the twelve gods practiced white magic while the other six practiced black magic and Bonta was one of the many cities who worshiped the six gods that practiced white magic."


    "Ah."


    "And so, within Bonta and Brakmar, each held a Dofus and each housed a Huppermage who swore to protect the Dofus and represent the city. Now, Huppermages were a group of magic users who served no god and preferred to serve under what was known as the Krosmic Balance. Don''t ask me what that is since I don''t have a single clue. In the past, the Huppermages had proclaimed themselves as the guardians¡­the Keepers of the Dofus. So, the Huppermage of Bonta was called Jahash Jurgen ¨C Guardian of Bonta and Keeper of the Ivory Dofus. As for the Huppermage of Brakmar, she was called Julith ¨C the Butcher of Brakmar and Keeper of the Ebony Dofus. The Ivory Dofus and the Ebony Dofus, both containing infinite power, were objects of desire. Blinded with greed and the desire for power, Julith gathered the demon forces of Brakmar and marched towards Bonta in an attempt to lay waste to the city and capture the Ivory Dofus for her own use.¡±


    ¡°Okay, how does this tell me anything about Joris Jurgen? Wait¡­Jurgen¡­Jahash¡¯s little brother?¡± Kryse asked as he tried unsuccessfully to form an initial relationship between Joris Jurgen and Jahash Jurgen.


    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m going to get to that.¡± Djaycy responded. ¡°And so, in order to defend Bonta, Jahash¡­he too gathered a holy army from the forces of Bonta and rose up to defend the city from the incoming demon forces. The battle lasted for more than sixty days and both sides were stalemated. At that time, everyone''s morale was on the low end as they could see that there was no clear sign of victory. However, on the sixty-ninth day of battle, something strange and shocking to both sides had occurred. The two Huppermages¡­Jahash and Julith¡­in the midst of battle and chaos, they fell in love with each other. Maybe it was because of love at first sight¡­maybe it was because opposites attract¡­no one knows for sure. But the fact was that the two had fallen in love with each other. Because of this, the war ended abruptly and the demon forces retreated back to Brakmar. Through the marriage of the two Huppermages, Julith and Jahash, peace was brought forth between the two cities. However¡­.¡±


    ¡°However what?¡±


    ¡°Whoa there young Masqueraider, let me take a sip of water. All this talking had made my throat dry.¡±


    ¡°Ah sorry, go ahead. I was just interested. This story is exciting. But when does Joris come in? Could he¡­could he be the child of Jahash and Julith?!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯ll know soon enough.¡± Djaycy replied after taking a swill of refreshing water from his cup.


    ¡°Oh¡­okay.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, during a year or so of peace, young Joris was born and he grew up lovingly in the arms of his father and mother. You would expect that they would live happily ever after but¡­the story does not end there. It occurred a few months after Joris was born ¨C that horrendous and tear-jerking event that happened to Joris¡¯s happy life. Someone¡­we don¡¯t know for sure who it was¡­whether it was a civilian of Bonta or a demon from Brakmar or even an outsider¡­someone did not appreciate the happy union between Jahash and Julith. That someone wanted to tear apart this loving couple. And so, that someone stole the Ebony Dofus and reactivated it. While the Ebony Dofus reactivated and started to cause destruction on the city of Bonta, Julith sensed what was occurring and flew towards the Ebony Dofus in order to appease the dragon soul within it and deactivate the Ebony Dofus. However, it seemed that was the plan all along.¡±


    ¡°What plan?¡±


    ¡°The plan¡­to frame Julith¡­to make her out to be the evil villain who, blinded by greed and desire, broke the sacred marriage contract between her and her husband in order to spread havoc onto the city of Bonta once more and steal the Ivory Dofus. She was labeled by the city of Bonta as someone who, although she told everyone that she had given up on her desire for the Ivory Dofus as she had found true love at her place with Jahash, secretly pined for the Ivory Dofus and did not truly love Jahash but was instead using him for her own greed.¡±


    ¡°That''s terrible! Then¡­what happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, Julith didn¡¯t know someone was framing her so she walked right into the trap. As she flew towards the Ebony Dofus and attempted to calm the dragon soul down, she was attacked by the holy army of Bonta. Defenseless, she was easily pierced through by the many holy attacks and she fell to the depths of the bottom of Bonta ¨C the sewers where everyone believed her to be dead. With Julith supposedly dead and out of commission, there was no one available to deactivate and control the Ebony Dofus, which reactivated itself when it lost connection with its Keeper and spun out of control as it started attacking everything in Bonta. The Ebony Dofus was reaching a breaking point where it would explode and unleash all of its built up power onto the weak city of Bonta. And so, Jahash made a life-changing decision. He handed his child, Joris, to his good friend Kerub Crepin - an Ecaflip demigod and one of the twenty-two sons of the god Ecaflip - for safekeeping and protection. Then, he brought out his Ivory Dofus and flew towards the Ebony Dofus. With a speeding charge, Jahash lifted the Ivory Dofus and smashed it into the Ebony Dofus. The collision between the two Primordial Dofus caused a massive explosion in the air. The explosion destroyed the shell of the Ebony Dofus, breaking it into pieces and causing the dragon soul Grougalorasalar to escape. Grougalorasalar had to find a vessel to reside in quickly and finally, he laid his eyes on young Joris. With a flutter, the dragon soul entered Joris¡¯s body. While the Ebony Dofus laid broken and empty, the Ivory Dofus was said to have been completely consumed and vanished from existence. As for the great Huppermage Jahash Jurgen¡­he had sacrificed his life to save Bonta."


    "That...that''s so sad."


    "Yea, well, that''s not the half of it. So, young Joris was kept away in a relatively safe place...a small city called Astrub. He was adopted as a grandson by Kerub Crepin and they lived in peace at Kerub''s Shushu house Luis that also turned into a bazaar that sold all of the treasures Kerub had acquired throughout his many adventures as well as some miscellaneous items. For ten years, Kerub had kept young Joris in the dark about who he was and who his parents were. So, young Joris would constantly fantasize about who his parents were. He even believed that his parents were some famous Gobbowl champions after all Joris was a huge fan of Gobbowl. Now Gobbowl is a type of sport that the civilians of Amakna loved to play.... Ah, sorry, I digress. Anyways, they - Joris, his adopted grandfather Kerub, his pet Pupuce, his Shushu house Luis, his maid Simone, and his Ouginak friend Lilotte lived happily in Astrub for ten years until, that is, something unprecedented occurred.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Ever since Jahash sacrificed his life to save Bonta, the city would gather each year to celebrate and give tribute to their savior. Now, ten years later in the year 400, the city of Bonta had gathered once again to celebrate the passing of their savior Jahash Jurgen - the greatest of all Huppermages. Unlike previous years, there was something different on the tenth year. On that year, a new Huppermage was elected to follow the footsteps of the previous guardian Jahash as the new guardian of the city of Bonta. She was Bakara Jurgen - sister of Jahash Jurgen and aunt of Joris Jurgen. The celebration was all good and everything was going according to plan...the ritual and celebration would have been a success if it wasn''t for the fact that Julith - long thought to be dead - came back and crashed the party. She forcibly stole back the broken Ebony Dofus and used the empty dragon shell to locate Grougalorasalar - the Ebony dragon soul."


    "What? Joris''s mother Julith was alive?! How did that happen?"


    "Yea, we all thought she was dead but apparently, when she fell to the sewers of Bonta, she was still alive even though all those attacks that pierced her should have killed her but apparently it had only weakened her. With some fortunate luck, she was able to heal her wounds and come back for revenge. Using the broken and empty Ebony Dofus shell which had a connection of some sort with the Ebony dragon soul, Julith was able to track and find the location of where the Ebony dragon soul was hiding. Joris''s aunt, Bakara, rushed to find Kerub and Joris and warn them of the incoming danger but she was too late. Before she and Kerub were able to tell Joris of the situation, Julith arrived and blasted Luis''s front door open. Bakara and Kerub both tried to attack Julith but she was stronger than before. Quickly, Bakara was defeated. Kerub called forth his ultimate armor - 1001 Claws Armor which was a golden full body armor with a spiked tail that broke into pieces before forming onto his body. Kerub reached over and grabbed his favorite weapon - a huge golden nunchuck with spiked ends. In addition to that, the old demigod Ecaflip had a special skill of breathing out fire once he took a few sips of his specially brewed alcohol."


    "And Julith got defeated right? A demigod versus a mere mortal, of course the demigod would win."


    "You forget she had the shell of the Ebony Dofus."


    "Yea, but isn''t that just a shell now? There''s no dragon soul in the Ebony Dofus so Julith wouldn''t be able to get any power boost right?"


    "The primordial energy of the Ebony Dofus had permeated into the Dofus as a whole, so even the shell had some remnants of the primordial power. Thus, even without the Ebony dragon soul, the shell still contained enough primordial energy for Julith to unleash her potential and defeat Kerub in the battle."


    "Ah, is that so...then, what happened next?"


    "Well, Kerub was defeated. He tried to block a condensed beam attack that was fired at Joris."


    "Wait, but isn''t Joris Julith''s son?"


    "Julith didn''t know that. She had assumed her son was still in Bonta. Anyways, with Kerub defeated, Julith grabbed Joris and attempted to extract the Ebony dragon soul from Joris''s body. When Julith found out that the boy in front of her was actually her long lost son, her heart faltered a bit. Now fun fact here, Joris''s eyes are actually blue but the Ebony dragon soul within him had made them black. Anyways, she continued to drain the Ebony dragon soul from Joris. But an attack from Bakara, who just gained consciousness again, distracted Julith long enough for Kerub to suddenly leap forth and grab Joris. Summoning a portal, Joris and the others jumped in. Now, this portal was known as a dimension portal and only demigods had access to it. The group transported to Ecaflip''s Dimension where Kerub breathed his last and died - his soul flew towards the Cycle of Incarnation. Before he died, Kerub told Joris about his Huppermage parents and of how the Ivory Dofus, that was supposedly destroyed, was actually still in one piece and hidden within his temple."


    "So...Kerub died? That''s so sad."


    "Well, actually, Kerub revived."


    "What? How?"


    "Kerub was an Ecaflip demigod, he was able to revive because he had nine lives. But, the downside was that he revived as a baby Ecaflip."


    "Ah...I see...at least that''s a good ending there."


    "Yea, so anyways, in Ecaflip''s Dimension, no one except the sons of Ecaflip and those who gained permission from them could enter. Thus, because of this rule, Julith was unable to follow them. In order to solve that problem, Julith went to Brakmar and found her faithful servant Atcham Crepin - brother of Kerub and also one of the twenty-two sons of Ecaflip. Atcham was of the Cat Folk and was known as the Assassin of Brakmar. He was a hairless, skinny beastman with a long skinny tail and long torn up ears. He smoked a pipe and carried two long blades. Julith gave the demigod a mission to find Joris which he agreed. Atcham tracked down Joris and his group and after a few scuffles, Atcham stopped attacking Joris after he was saved from certain death by Joris."


    "So Atcham now owes Joris a debt for saving his life eh?"


    "Yea, which he paid back later on. Anyways, I''ll get to that part soon. Hence, after searching for a while, they finally found the Ivory Dofus. It was at this time, the Ivory dragon soul appeared and tried to tempt the group and played at their innermost desires. Everyone except for Joris failed the test as they all wanted to use the Ivory Dofus for their own gain...only Joris did not. And because of that, Joris was the only one to pass the test given by the Ivory dragon soul. Thus, the Ivory Dofus chose Joris as his new Keeper. After that, Joris and his group left Ecaflip''s dimension and returned to Astrub. They quickly headed to Bonta where Joris and his friends confronted Julith."


    "Where they beat up Julith and she repented and they lived happily ever after, right?"


    "Not quite. Bakara, blinded by rage and revenge, took the Ivory Dofus from Joris and powered up. She attacked Julith with her newfound powers and almost killed Julith. They clashed until a stray attack flew towards Joris. Bakara was distracted for a second and had the Ivory Dofus stolen from her."


    "Wait! What happened to Joris? Did the stray attack get him?"


    "Yes...and no. The attack arrived at where Joris was standing but the attack itself was blocked by Atcham with his back. Atcham gave his life up to repay his debt. Of course, like Kerub, Atcham was able to revive as a baby as well. It was at this point in time when Julith finally revealed her reasons for wanting to obtain the Ivory Dofus and the Ebony Dofus - it turned out that she was framed for the activation of the Ebony Dofus years ago and that all she wanted to do was to resurrect Jahash with the power of the two Dofus. However, what she didn''t tell them was the method she was prepared to use in order to bring Jahash back. Seeing Joris and the others hesitate, Julith took the two Dofus and hurriedly left. Later, Joris and Bakara found out that in order for Julith to resurrect Jahash, she had to sacrifice a thousand lives using dark magic. This was unacceptable to Joris and he and his friends decided to set out and stop Julith once and for all.


    Joris and his friends arrived at the scene of the sacrificial ritual that was about to take place and attacked Julith. Joris retook the Ivory Dofus and they attempted to replay the scene from years ago - smashing the Ivory Dofus into the Ebony Dofus. However, one by one, Joris''s friends died until finally, only Joris was left. With one last push, he charged towards the Ebony Dofus and just as he smashed the Ivory Dofus into the Ebony Dofus, Julith stopped him. Julith grabbed the Ivory Dofus and looked at it carefully. Then, she raised her head and looked at the half-resurrected Jahash. As if some telepathic communication was taking place, Julith nodded as if to understand something. Then, she took the Ivory Dofus and, with all her might, smashed it into the Ebony Dofus. Julith died and she was finally reunited with Jahash. However, Joris was all alone. His friends...his family...everyone was dead."


    "Don''t tell me that was the end?"


    "Of course not, let me take another sip of water before I continue." Djaycy replied as he downed a cup of cool and refreshing water. "Now, as Joris wondered about what to do, he was suddenly summoned into a dimension. It was at this time we find out that Joris was bald and black."


    "Wait...bald?"


    "Yea, all of the body hair he used to half was completely eaten by his pet Pupuce - a creature known to love eating hair."


    "Haha, that''s funny...but please continue."


    "Ah, yes. And so, the dimension was created by the Ivory dragon soul and the Ebony dragon soul. The Ivory dragon soul told Joris that his parents were now reunited and happily moving on towards the Cycle of Incarnation. However, there was the situation with the numerous lives that were sacrificed. The Ivory dragon soul told Joris that he and his brother the Ebony dragon soul can save and release all of the souls that were sacrificed...but Joris had to convince the Ebony dragon soul that he was trustworthy. Joris looked at the Ebony dragon soul in the distance and approached him. The Ebony dragon soul hissed at him because ever since he was born, he was always used as an object of evil. It was so much to the point that he did not easily trust anyone anymore. Joris hugged the Ebony dragon soul and promised that no one will ever use him for evil ever again and that he will always protect them. With this promise, the Ebony dragon soul complied with Joris and the two Dofus released the souls back to the sacrificed civilians, which essentially revived everyone that had died. And so, Joris Jurgen became the Keeper of the Ivory Dofus Dardondakal and the Ebony Dofus Grougalorasalar. Joris saved the city of Bonta and became a hero. His many other adventures served to add to his legend."


    "Wow. That was a great story."


    "Yea. And this same Joris had recently discovered a new Dofus in need of some help. That''s why he needed to create a team to go on the expedition. Joris is interested in you so you better become strong quickly."


    "I will. I promised that I will not let you or Joris down."


    "Good, now then. Why don''t you go see Shaa Kwira for the next part of your training."

 Chapter 10: Unavoidable Battles

    Kryse headed east to where he could find Shaa Kwira and take up on her training mission. Along the way, he suddenly stopped...a cold sweat drop trickled down his spine. Right in front of him was a huge number of Young White and Black Gobblies. If possible, the young Masqueraider wanted to avoid such a large confrontation. He knew that if he were to fight, he won''t be fighting one or two Gobblies but more than five at a time at the very least. Shaa Kwira could be found just a few miles from here. He could try to go around, but it seemed that wasn''t a choice. On the left side was the edge of the island and on the right side, was another edge...in other words...he was fucked. A battle will be unavoidable. But hey...how hard could a bunch of weak Gobblies be?


    Kryse drew out his sword and charged in. Since the low-leveled monsters had not noticed him yet, he decided to use the element of surprise and kill a number of these Young Gobblies before they could register what was going on and retaliate. Hopefully, by that time, there will be a more manageable size left. However, Kryse had underestimated the processing abilities of the Young White and Black Gobblies. They retaliated almost immediately. Groups of five Young White and Black Gobblies flanked the young Masqueraider from the front and from behind. Kryse pulled out his Coward Mask and put it on. He could feel the power within him surging. The attacks of the low-leveled monsters began to feel slow in his eyes. He could easily dodge the incoming tackles, but his Coward mask was limited...it only allowed him to dodge what he can see...so, the things he couldn''t see...well, let''s just say he was going to ache a lot in a few hours.


    The first tackle from behind smashed into the back of his leg causing him to stumble backward. A Young White Gobbly tackled towards his head as he fell down. With a sharp twist of his body, he was able to dodge that tackle. But, he had no time to rest as an Young Black Gobbly crashed into his chest. Kryse sprawled onto the ground and coughed out some blood. Oh...this will leave a mark. Kryse remembered his master, Struk''tohr Nhin''s, advice that he should never get into a group fight situation because of the dangers of being ganged up on. Now that he had experienced the hard way first hand, he felt that he should have followed his master''s advice from the beginning and find a way around instead of being arrogant and charge through like an idiot.


    But this wasn''t the time to dwell on the past, he needed to find a way out of his predicament. Kryse unprofessionally flailed his arms and legs all around him, hoping to land a hit...which he did. One of his arms and one of his legs had managed to knock two Gobblies away. Seeing an opening, Kryse dove out of the crowd of Gobblies and scrambled to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, he switched his Coward mask with his Bling mask and equipped his sword and shield. Then, he teleported right in front of a surprised Young White Gobbly. With a swing of his sword, he one-hit killed the low-leveled monster. As the other Gobblies reacted and converged towards him, he switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and met the charge with a front flip. A flurry of heel kicks flew out and smashed onto three of the Gobblies at the front of the charge, crushing their skulls inwards and killing them instantly.


    Kryse jumped backwards, borrowing the force of the tackles of the remaining Gobblies. Although it hurts, he was able to gain some distance from the Gobblies. With a grimace, he gritted his teeth through the pain and switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask. With this mask on, he felt that his feet could move really fast...he felt air-type magic circulating at his feet. With a grin, Kryse ran to the side of the charging Gobblies. The Gobblies were able to follow Kryse''s movements...but only their heads followed. Their bodies, however, were too slow to react and they all crashed into each other. As the heap of fallen Gobblies attempted to rise up, Kryse activated his Picada skill and kicked his leg out. A piercing spear of air soared out from his kick and smashed into the pile of Gobblies. A number of Gobblies screeched in pain before they collapsed, two bloody holes forming on each of their heads and each of their backs.


    Even with all these kills, there were still about fifty Young White and Black Gobblies left. Kryse sighed...though he was getting the hang of it now, he was still aching all over from his injuries. He had bruises from the tackles, bleeding scratches and bite marks, and broken bones as well. It still would have been nice if he had played it smart from the beginning instead of foolishly charging in. He was like an Ecaflip pretending to be an Osamodas - a cat trying to be a dragon. Nevertheless, he needed to find a way out of this circumstance. Will he fight? Or will he run? No! He will fight. He must save face no matter what. After all, he must follow the Ten Commandments of the Masqueraiders. One, thou shalt mask thy true intentions. Two, thou shalt find salvation in fleeing by showing thy Cowardly face. Three, thou shalt adopt the profile of a psychopath to murder thine enemies one after the other. Four, thou shalt not fear change. Five, thou shalt extricate thyself from an embarrassing situation with a quick change of face. Six, thou shalt be two-faced to get thine own way. Seven, thou shalt never refuse an invitation to a masquerade. Eight, thou shalt wash thy faces every morning. Nine, thou shalt not hesitate to remind those around thee of thy split personality. Ten, if thou finds thyself in difficulty, thou shalt take all measures necessary to save face. If thou dost not follow these commandments, thou must wear the same mask for a month as a sign of penitence. Praise be to Sadida, the god with the crenellated mask! These ten commandments must be followed by all Masqueraiders or else they would face the penalty...and whew...that penalty was harsh. Masqueraiders love to change their masks frequently but to wear one mask for an entire month?...That was torturous. And one cannot forget to follow the penalty if one breaks a commandment...this was because Sadida is all-knowing and all-seeing. He will strike down any disobeyers.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Now that Kryse was in a difficulty, he had to take all measures necessary to save his face. And those measures were...kill them all! Kryse roared as he switched to his Reinforcement mask and lunged towards the Gobblies. With a couple of swipes, he knocked back ten Gobblies. Not giving them time to recover, Kryse lunged forward and swiped again. He repeated this attack over and over until finally...the fifty Gobblies became twenty-five Gobblies. Kryse could have used Martelo instead but that was too taxing. That''s why he had used a less tiring and less damaging move. But anyways, Martelo or Reinforcement, at least it had done the job. Kryse surveyed his surroundings. Twenty-five Gobblies left. Seeing half of their numbers dead, the Gobblies did not needlessly charge in anymore. They cautiously edged closer towards the young Masqueraider. Suddenly two Gobblies charged in, one aimed at his head and the other aimed at his legs. Playing it smart now eh? Didn''t know these creatures could think of a strategy like that...must have been instinct. Kryse jumped forward and twisted his body sideways in order to thread through the two monsters.


    Kryse switched back to the Picada mask and fired two piercing air-type spears into the two lunging Gobblies. The two Gobblies collapsed in a bloody heap. Kryse turned towards the twenty-two Gobblies and fired a couple of Picadas at the spread out crowd. Some of the attacks missed, but the ones that did hit, killed quite a few monsters. With ten Gobblies left, Kryse found that it would be too difficult to continue using Picadas especially with so much dodging space in between each Gobbly. Thus, Kryse switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask. He teleported towards the farthest monster, which was a Young Black Gobbly, and kicked the monster up. The monster flew into the air before him and Kryse swung his sword at the monster, cutting it in half. Suddenly, he heard a few swishes behind him. Kryse turned around just in time to see a Young White Gobbly fly towards his face. Kryse brought up his shield at an angle and deflected the attack. The low-leveled monster bounced off of the shield and into the air. Kryse swung his sword up and beheaded the little monster. Two down...eight more to go.


    Seeing everyone dead, the eight Gobblies turned tail and scattered. However, all that killings had sparked something in Kryse. With his bloodlust increased to a new high, Kryse did not want to let a single one of the scattered monsters go. They must die...they must all die! Kryse reached in his bag and grabbed the Reinforcement mask. Then, with the Reinforcement mask still in his left hand, he teleported in front of one of the fleeing Gobbly and switched his Bling mask with the Reinforcement mask. With a sweeping kick, Kryse knocked the terrified monster back, stunning him. Then, Kryse switched back to the Bling mask and teleported in front of another Gobbly. He switched back to the Reinforcement mask and knocked the low-leveled monster back as well. The young Masqueraider repeated these steps until all eight of the fleeing Gobblies laid stunned in a pile.


    Kryse teleported in front of the pile of eight Young White and Black Gobblies and switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks, Kryse cracked the skulls of each of the eight monsters and killed them. After defeating all of the monsters, his bloodlust finally cooled down and he was able to calm down. Straightening up, the young Masqueraider took out his sword and looted the monsters of their horns, their wool, and even their flesh...as it turned out, Gobbly meat was very delicious. Anyways, after storing a number of materials into his bag, Kryse continued towards his original mission - to find Shaa Kwira. Just as he got out of the clearing a rustling occurred behind him. Kryse turned around to see what was causing the noise and saw a giant bush moving fiercely. Kryse took out his sword and shield and looked at the rustling bush cautiously. Who was behind that bush? A monster? Or another adventurer? Suddenly....

 Chapter 11: Ambush

    Suddenly, two Large Gobballs and six red Piwis rushed out of the rustling bush and lunged towards Kryse. An ambush! Shit! Kryse hefted up his shield and blocked the tackle of one of the Large Gobballs...or at least he tried to block it that is. Kryse had underestimated the strength and power of the Large Gobball. The Large Gobball smashed through Kryse''s shield, breaking it into pieces , but it didn''t stop there. The Large Gobball continued boring through and finally it crashed into Kryse''s left arm. Kryse flew back and skidded on the ground, his left arm obviously broken with splinters of the shield embedded in it. The young Masqueraider grunted in pain as he checked his arm to see exactly how serious the injury was...yep...his arm was shattered. Not to mention it''s swelling at an incredible pace. He reached over and stingingly pulled out each of the large splinters. As for the smaller ones, well, that needed to wait until after the battle.


    Kryse scrambled to his feet just in time to dodge the second Large Gobball. He swung his sword at the big monster only to have his attack parried by the monster''s horns. Damn it! One of the red Piwis dashed towards him and kicked. Its sharp talons slashed at his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and avoided a fatal cut. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on all eight of these monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer.


    Kryse approached a stunned red Piwi and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Bling mask. Grabbing the bird monster by the feet, he teleported to a Large Gobball and smashed the Piwi into the Large Gobball. Both monsters took some damage from the collision. Kryse brought the Piwi up and smashed the Piwi down again and again. After a few more times, the monsters regained their senses. Finishing this, Kryse pierced the bruised and weak red Piwi into the Large Gobball''s horns. One down...Kryse switched back into his Reinforcement mask and swiped at the battered Large Gobball with the red Piwi still stuck on its horns, sending it flying. Then, the young Masqueraider stood there and waited for the other six monsters to converge to his position. Kryse casually switched from his Reinforcement mask to his Martelo mask and prepared a battle stance. Right as the Large Gobball approached within range, Kryse heel-kicked the lumbering monster in the head. The huge beast staggered a bit before collapsing. Though alive, the monster was panting for air and squinting in pain. Quickly Kryse used Martelo once again, landing multiple hits to the five Piwis. Then, the young Masqueraider immediately switched to his Picada mask and kicked out his leg at each of the collapsed Piwis at point blank range. With each kick, an air-type spear shot forth and pierced through each Piwi. Before long, five bloodied bodies lay on the ground, blood gushing out of each body forming a blood puddle and mixing with the other puddles of blood.


    A loud roar erupted as a Large Gobball charged towards him. Kryse switched on his Coward mask and dodged the tackle...barely. As he was about to retaliate with a kick, a thudding pain pierced his entire body. The second Large Gobball had avoided his detection and rammed into his back. With a scream, Kryse fell onto the floor. A warm, wet sensation flowed down his sides. Oh Sadida...he''s been pierced. Kryse cringed as he stood up, making sure to keep both Large Gobballs within sight. With his Coward mask on, as long as these two Large Gobballs are within his line of sight, he will be able to dodge any of their attacks. The young Masqueraider reached into his bag and grabbed his Martelo mask. He needed to finish this quickly and Martelo was his most powerful skill. As Kryse tried to move about, he winced in pain. His legs weren''t responding. He''s got to make his last stand here. It was now or never.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Come on!" Kryse roared, trying to provoke the two Large Gobballs into attacking first...and he succeeded.


    The Large Gobball on the left growled with anger and charged towards Kryse. As soon as it entered his range, Kryse unleashed a flurry of Martelo kicks. The young Masqueraider grunted with pain afterwards as he collapsed on both knees. Fortunately, the Large Gobball was dead, dents displayed all over his head. Kryse gasped for air as he eyed the other Large Gobball. He could sense its anger. With an intense roar, the Large Gobball rushed forward, horns piercing through the sunlight.


    "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Kryse cursed as he watched the fast approaching monster with horns raring and teeth baring.


    Kryse limped to the side and kicked at the Large Gobball. However, the momentum of the fierce charge pushed him off balance. As he fell to the ground, he winced again. His ribs were broken, there was a gaping wound on his back, and now he even twisted his ankle while trying to kick that monster. Is he...is he going to die? No! He can''t die just yet! But what can he do? Think Kryse! Think!...That''s it! Kryse reached into his bag and brought out his Bling mask. Just as the Large Gobball lunged towards him again, he swapped his current mask with the Bling mask and teleported behind the monster. After lashing out a swift kick, he teleported again. As the monster turned around in anger to where Kryse was supposed to be, another swift kick smashed into its back. The monster turned around again only to receive another kick. After a few kicks later, the monster learned...it learned that it shouldn''t turn around after the next kick because it believed that the young Masqueraider will appear before him. However, that was what Kryse was waiting for. Seeing the Large Gobball waiting and looking around for him to appear, the young Masqueraider switched his Bling mask with his Reinforcement mask. Slowly and carefully as to not make a sound, Kryse aimed his right foot at that Large Gobball''s ass and kicked as hard as he can.


    The pitiful Large Gobball yelped in pain before it landed on the ground stunned. With a sigh of fatigue, Kryse limped towards the collapsed monster and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. He was feeling a bit drowsy...the fight had taken a huge toll on his body. Suddenly, the Large Gobball moved. Holy Mother of Sadida! That scared the shit out of him. He immediately started stomping on the Large Gobball''s head. Whew! Is it dead? Nope it''s still moving.


    *STOMP!* *STOMP!* *STOMP!*


    After a few more stomps, the Large Gobball finally breathed its last. Kryse collapsed on the floor, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes...he just needed to sleep for a bit...just for a bit.... NO! He shouldn''t fall asleep! Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before struggling to sit up. He reached into his bag and rummaged around carefully...where did he put it? Where was that vial of water from the Fountain of Youth? Kryse had figured that it will come in handy especially when he was nowhere near the two fountains. So, Kryse had filled up five vials just in case of situations like these. Finally finding one, Kryse uncorked the vial and gulped down the refreshing liquid. A cold shudder spread throughout his body as he felt his wounds healing and his fatigue washing away.


    After a few minutes, Kryse got up. Although there were still some pain and his wound on his back still hadn''t fully healed, Kryse decided to head towards the first Fountain of Youth and take a dip in it. After all, according to master Struk''tohr Nhin, one must be healthy and prepared for the next battle. Kryse made his way towards the Fountain of Youth outside the entrance of the village. When he passed by his master, Struk''tohr Nhin waved and asked if he had accomplished his training, in which Kryse shook his head and said he was working on it. Afterwards, Kryse continued on heading towards the Fountain of Youth. Upon arrivial, he undressed and slid in to bathe. After just sitting there for a few minutes and enjoying the refreshingly warm water, his entire body healed of all of the wounds and his strength regained quickly...truly a miracle indeed. With his body rejuvenated, Kryse exited the Fountain of Youth and continued onwards to his destination. He needed to find Shaa Kwira before sunset.

 Chapter 12: Tower Training

    A few hours later, Kryse arrived at the entrance of a looming building. Standing by the entrance was Shaa Kwira, a female Sacrier with long orange hair tied in a ponytail and orange tribal tattoos all over her arms and on her face. She wore a green pointed hat that covered her eyes and a green Spring outfit.


    As soon as she saw Kryse approach near her vicinity, she called out, "Oh! A young valiant warrior, just what I need! Can you do me a favor? I want you to get rid of all of the terrible monsters infesting this region. I would have done it myself but, you see, I''ve got a lot of things to think about right now. You know...stuff. Loads of it."


    "Hello, are you Shaa Kwira?" Kryse asked just to be sure.


    "Uh...yes...who are you?" Shaa Kwira peered at Kryse when she heard her name. She slowly moved to a more battle-ready stance.


    "Oh, don''t misunderstand. I don''t mean any ill will. Djaycy Awooare sent me. He said you will be able to help me with my training."


    "Ah, Djaycy sent you?...I see. Why didn''t you say so before?" Shaa smiled as she loosened up. "Djaycy Awooare...now that is the real deal, a pure hard man, you know...I mean, that''s what I think anyways. Hmmm...you''re pretty well-built yourself... don''t suppose you''re looking for a little job to do by any chance? To work up a bit of a sweat that is. Just think of it as the training."


    "Sure, I''m in. What do I have to do?"


    "You seem like a brave and enthusiastic adventurer. I have always admired courageous and powerful warriors. I''m brave too by the way, though, so you should know I''m not scared of those sticky, creepy, climby, shiny, and dirty beasts I see everywhere. Ugh, if you do complete this training mission, I''ll reward the uh...ardor...you have shown for the errand...personally. Got it? Good, go on now, go show me your ardor!


    "Okay. What should I hunt? What is the quest requirements?"


    "Go kill one Immature Orange Larva, one Fearful Moskito, one Little Gobball, and one Fragile Demonic Rose. Be careful not to fight them all at once. Take on them one at a time, or you''ll suffer some dire and even embarrassing consequences."


    "Don''t worry. I know."


    "Oh, before you go, I forgot to mention it but these monsters are pretty uncommon. You may have to spend quite a while before actually finding one of them. Not to mention, each of them is very strong...or at least stronger than what you had probably experienced so far in your adventures. How about you go train a bit here at the Militia? Maybe you can gain some battle knowledge from the trainers inside."


    "Okay. I''ll do that then." Kryse bid farewell to the female Sacrier and headed towards the two-story building. Upon entering, a Kerub Captain greeted him.


    "Welcome to Militia! What can I do for you?" The Feca, with pointed ears and long tied up brown hair, replied. He wore a typical Feca warrior''s armor coupled with a captain''s cloak.


    "I''m here because I heard I can get some training or battle practice done." Kryse explained.


    "Ah! Yes, just go up the stairs to the second floor."


    "Okay, thank you."


    After climbing up the stairs to the second floor, Kryse encounters a large room with four Training Scarecrows. Standing by the scarecrows was a heavy-set Kerub Militiaman by the name of Oover. This Feca dressed in full-body armor and carried an one-sided pole axe.


    As the young Masqueraider approached the warrior, he heard the Feca grumble, "Bloody scarecrows, they never stop moving about. They know that there will be young adventurers coming in and about to practice their fighting skills. Them inexperienced bastards...*cough* *cough*...I mean inexperienced fighters can''t hurt them, so the scarecrows play hide and seek for laughs. I''d be better off with a pitchfork than this big bloody pole axe here. I''d make a fine haystack out of those bloody straw puppets."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Ahem." Kryse interrupted Kerub Militiaman Oover''s thoughts, surprising him so much he dropped his weapon.


    "Bloody hell! You scared me. What do you want?" Kerub Militiaman Oover grunted as he struggled to pick up the pole axe.


    "I''m here to practice my fighting skills."


    "Ah...you heard that eh...well, go ahead then. Try to beat them all. I don''t want to see any Training Scarecrows standing in this room."


    Kryse eyed the four Training Scarecrows in the four corners of the room. He approached one and switched on his Martelo mask. These Training Scarecrows were pretty sturdy...as strong as a level 2 monster. He wanted to know how strong his attacks were individually. With a front-flip coupled with a heel-kick, Kryse used the skill Martelo on the Training Scarecrow. With a loud thud, the Training Scarecrow collapsed into a heap of wood and straw. Satisfied with the amount of damage he did, Kryse headed to another Training Scarecrow. Taking out his Reinforcement mask, he switched it on and swiped at the Training Scarecrow. One swipe...still standing. Two swipes...still standing. Finally, after three swipes, the Training Scarecrow collapsed. Not the result he had expected, Kryse decided that he need to increase his usage of his Reinforcement skill on the monsters outside. After all, the best way to increase an attack''s power was constant usage.


    Next, he headed to another Training Scarecrow and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Picada mask. With well aimed kicks, he shot forth a number of air-type piercing attacks. After four hits, the Training Scarecrow collapsed in a pile of broken wood and torn straw. Like the Reinforcement skill, Kryse believed he needed to increase the Picada skill by using it more often against monsters. Finally, Kryse headed towards the last Training Scarecrow. This time, instead of using a skill from one of his masks, he decided to see how strong his base power was. The young Masqueraider pulled out his sword and went into a battle stance. With a strong swing, he struck the Training Scarecrow with the sword, hitting it with all his might. One hit...two hits...three hits...four hits...five hits...six hits! After six hits, he was finally able to cut down the Training Scarecrow. Not good...but not bad either. Kryse knew that he won''t have much time to train his base power so the only thing he can depend on was better weapons. But better weapons required lots of money...so Kryse made it his goal to earn a lot of money by doing errands and other jobs in order to buy a good weapon. That way, he will at least be somewhat prepared before he traveled to Amakna.


    After knocking down all four Training Scarecrows, he headed towards Kerub Militiaman Oover to report his completion. However, the Feca did not acknowledge his accomplishment.


    "What do you mean you finished it? I specifically told you that I don''t want to see those four Training Scarecrows standing in this room." Oover replied.


    "Yea, I knocked them down like you asked."


    "Then, what are those?"


    "That...those four Training Scarecrows stood up after I knocked them down! How did that happen?"


    "Oh, I forgot to mention it but these Training Scarecrows were basically magical entities possessing regular scarecrows. You got to destroy all four of them before they recover."


    "What? Mention that earlier!"


    "Well, now you know."


    "Damn Fecas!" Kryse muttered under his breath.


    "What did you say?" Oover peered over suspiciously.


    "Nothing."


    Kryse headed towards the first Training Scarecrow and took off his mask. He stored that mask into his bag and brought out two other masks - the Martelo mask and the Bling mask. Putting on the Martelo mask, he heel-kicked the Training Scarecrow and one-hit instant destroyed it. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Bling mask and quickly teleported to the next Training Scarecrow. Then, he switched his Bling mask back to his Martelo mask and heel-kicked the next Training Scarecrow. Kryse repeated this process with the third and the fourth Training Scarecrow. Finally, with all four Training Scarecrows destroyed, Kryse headed over to Kerub Militiaman Oover to report his success.


    "Eh?! You completed it? Hmph! About time...anyways, well done! At least now you know that the key to victory is speed. Wipe them all out before they have a chance to recover. Anyways, here''s the token of completion. Go and hand it to the Kerub Captain downstairs." Oover replied as he handed Kryse a brown coin-like object.


    Taking the token, Kryse headed downstairs. There, he was greeted by the Kerub Captain once more, "Hey young adventurer! How did the training go?"


    "Very good. I completed it." Kryse said as he gave the token to the Kerub Captain.


    After carefully examining and confirming the authenticity of the token, the Kerub Captain flashed a smile and replied, "Great! Good work! I''m proud of you. If you ever decide that you needed more training or if you have obtained a skill you want to try out, do come by."


    "Okay. I will. Thanks." Kryse thanked the Kerub Captain for his offer before exiting the building.

 Chapter 13: Immature Orange Larva

    Kryse headed north to where he could find some Young Orange Larvae. He assumed that in a place where there were plenty of Young Orange Larvae, a few Immature Orange Larvae should appear as well. As soon as he arrived at the place, he suddenly stopped...a cold sweat drop trickled down his spine. Right in front of him was a huge number of Young Orange Larvae. These larva monsters as their name stated were gigantic and orange. There were even three larger ones which he assumed were the Immature Orange Larvae he needed to kill in order to complete his training. If possible, the young Masqueraider wanted to avoid such a large confrontation. He knew that if he were to fight, he would have to experience a possible defeat. He did not want to have another close call like he had before he met Shaa Kwira. He could try and isolate one of the Immature Orange Larvae and teleport far away in order to deal with the monster alone without worry for external interference, but it seemed that it wasn''t a viable choice. He didn''t want to wait for so long just to kill one monster. A battle will be unavoidable. But, unlike last time, he will have to play it smart this time.


    Kryse drew out his sword and cautiously approached a nearby cluster of Young Orange Larvae. Since the low-leveled monsters had not noticed him yet, he decided to use the element of surprise and kill a number of these Young Orange Larvae before they could register what was going on and retaliate. He decided he should use a hit-and-run tactic where he charged in and kill a few before switching on his Bling mask and teleporting to a safe distance. He thought he would continue with this process until a manageable size was left. Kryse nodded in satisfaction and prepared to carry out his plan. Luckily, Kryse had overestimated the processing abilities of the Young Orange Larvae. They showed no signs of retaliation even when Kryse charged in and slashed a number of times with his sword. It was until he killed around thirty of them did these Young Orange Larvae finally decided to retaliate. Groups of ten Young Orange Larvae flanked the young Masqueraider from all sides. They converged towards the young Masqueraider and lunged at him once they were in range. Kryse pulled out his Bling Mask and put it on. He could feel the power within him surging. The attacks of the low-leveled monsters all missed as he teleported to a safe distance far away from the monsters. The Young Orange Larvae searched the area in surprise before giving up and went back to their business. Kryse smiled at the Young Orange Larvae''s future predicament. He felt that he was on a good pace and decided to continue with this method of fighting. With another teleport, he arrived somewhere near a group of Young Orange Larvae and slashed and kicked another ten Young Orange Larvae to death. Then, he dodged the attacks by teleporting back to the safe place. Kryse would continue with this process for a while until the number of enemies were reduced by about one half.


    Kryse teleported back to the location once more but this time, he switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. The Young Orange Larvae, however, were more alert now that their numbers were decreased by about half. As soon as they saw Kryse, they charged towards him and attacked. The first tackle from behind smashed into the back of his leg causing him to stumble backward. A Young Orange Larva tackled towards his head as he fell down. With a sharp twist of his body, he was able to dodge that tackle. But, he had no time to rest as another Young Orange Larva crashed into his chest. Kryse sprawled onto the ground and coughed out some spit. Ugh...the wind just got knocked out of him. Kryse remembered the advice of the Kerub Militiaman Oover from the Militia building that speed was essential in a fight, especially in a group fight situation because of the dangers of being ganged up on. Since he had previously experienced the hard way first hand, he felt that he should be able to defeat these low-leveled monsters in no time.


    But this wasn''t the time to dwell on the past, he needed to find a way to beat all of these Young Orange Larvae and win. Kryse expertly flailed his sword and kicked his legs all around him, landing quite a few hits and even one-hit instant killed a few of them as well. As the Young Orange Larvae continued to swarm towards him, one of his sword attacks and one of his kicks had managed to knock two Young Orange Larvae away. Seeing an opening, Kryse dove out of the crowd of monsters and scrambled to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, he used Martelo and heel-kicked a few of the Young Orange Larvae, knocking them senseless and causing them to block the path of the monsters behind them. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask and raised his legs in preparation. Next, he released a number of kicks right in front of him causing a plethora of air-type spears to smash into the faces of a number of surprised Young Orange Larvae. In addition, with a couple of swings of his sword, he one-hit killed a group of low-leveled monsters who were smart enough to try and pincer attack him. As the other Young Orange Larvae reacted and converged towards him, he switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask and met the charge with a teleportation to behind the monsters. Kryse switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and let loose a flurry of heel kicks, smashing into six of the Young Orange Larvae at the back of the charge, snapping their backs inwards and killing them instantly.


    Suddenly, three of the attacking Young Orange Larvae successfully tackled Kryse. The young Masqueraider jumped backwards, borrowing the force of the tackles of the three Young Orange Larvae. Although it hurts, he was able to gain some distance from the Young Orange Larvae. With a grimace, he gritted his teeth through the pain and switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask. With this mask on, he felt that his feet could move really fast...he felt air-type magic circulating at his feet. With a grin, Kryse ran to the side of the charging Young Orange Larvae. The low-leveled monsters were able to follow Kryse''s movements...but only their heads followed. Their bodies, however, were too slow to react and they all crashed into each other. As the heap of fallen Young Orange Larvae attempted to rise up, Kryse activated his Picada skill and kicked his leg out. A piercing spear of air soared out from his kick and smashed into the pile of monsters. A number of Young Orange Larvae screeched in pain before they collapsed, two bloody holes forming on each of their heads and each of their tails.


    Even with all those kills, there were still about fifty Young Orange Larvae left. Kryse sighed...at least he was getting the hang of it now. Even more fortunate, at least he wasn''t as injured as he had been a few hours ago. Although he was hurt a few times, the only problems were some aching as well as a few bruises and scratches. Thankfully, there wasn''t a lot of bleeding and no broken bones either. The results of his new method was clearly more efficient than had he just charged in and attacked. He was like an Osamodas acting like an Ecaflip - a dragon acting like a cat. Anyways, he needed to finish this and move on to fighting the Immature Orange Larvae who were sitting over there and grazing nonchalantly. Now that Kryse was in an easygoing situation, he was able to take all the necessary measures to save his face. Anyways, enough thinking...more action. Kryse roared as he switched to his Reinforcement mask and lunged towards the Young Orange Larvae. With a couple of swipes, he knocked back ten Young Orange Larvae. Not giving them time to recover, Kryse lunged forward and swiped again. He repeated this attack over and over until finally...the fifty Young Orange Larvae became twenty-five Young Orange Larvae. Kryse could have continued to use Martelo instead but that was too taxing. That''s why he had used a less tiring and less damaging move. Not to mention, he needed to use a weaker skill more often in order to increase the skill''s fighting power. Kryse surveyed his surroundings. Twenty-five Young Orange Larvae left. Seeing half of their numbers dead, the low-leveled monsters did not needlessly charge in anymore. They cautiously edged closer towards the young Masqueraider. Suddenly two Young Orange Larvae lunged forward, one aimed at his head and the other aimed at his legs. Playing it smart now eh? Didn''t know these creatures could think of a strategy like that...must have been instinct. Kryse jumped forward and twisted his body sideways in order to thread through the two monsters.


    Kryse switched back to the Picada mask and fired two piercing air-type spears into the two lunging Young Orange Larvae. The two Young Orange Larvae collapsed in a bloody heap. Kryse turned towards the twenty-two Young Orange Larvae that were left and fired a couple of Picadas at the spread out crowd. Some of the attacks missed, but the ones that did hit, killed quite a few of the monsters. With ten Young Orange Larvae left, Kryse found that it would be too difficult to continue using the Picada skill especially with so much dodging space in between each Young Orange Larva. Thus, Kryse switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask. He teleported towards the monster farthest from the other monsters and kicked the monster up. The monster flew into the air before him and Kryse swung his sword at the monster, cutting it in half. Suddenly, he heard a few swishes behind him. Kryse turned around just in time to see a Young Orange Larva fly towards his face. Kryse brought up his sword at an angle and deflected the attack. The low-leveled monster bounced off of the sword and into the air. Kryse swung his sword up and beheaded the little monster. Two down...eight more to go.


    Seeing everyone dead, the eight Young Orange Larvae turned tail and scattered. However, all that killings had sparked something in Kryse. With his bloodlust increased to a new high, Kryse did not want to let a single one of the scattered monsters go. They must die...they must all die! Kryse reached in his bag and grabbed the Reinforcement mask. Then, with the Reinforcement mask still in his left hand, he teleported in front of one of the fleeing Young Orange Larva and switched his Bling mask with the Reinforcement mask. With a sweeping kick, Kryse knocked the terrified monster back, stunning it. Then, Kryse switched back to the Bling mask and teleported in front of another Young Orange Larva. He switched back to the Reinforcement mask and knocked the low-leveled monster back as well. The young Masqueraider repeated these steps until all eight of the fleeing Young Orange Larvae laid stunned in a pile.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Kryse teleported in front of the pile of eight Young Orange Larvae and switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks, Kryse smashed the heads of each of the eight monsters and killed them. After defeating all of the Young Orange Larvae, his bloodlust finally cooled down and he was able to calm down. Straightening up, the young Masqueraider took out his sword and looted the monsters of their hide, their eyes, and even their flesh...as it turned out, Young Orange Larvae flesh had good medicinal properties to it. Anyways, after storing a number of materials into his bag, Kryse continued towards his original mission - to kill an Immature Orange Larva. What?! Where did those three Immature Orange Larvae go? Just as he was about to ponder about the new situation, a rustling occurred behind him. Kryse turned around to see what was causing the noise and saw a giant bush moving fiercely. Kryse took out his sword and shield and looked at the rustling bush cautiously. Who was behind that bush? A monster? Or another adventurer?


    Suddenly, three Immature Orange Larvae and six Young Orange Larvae rushed out of the rustling bush and lunged towards Kryse. An ambush! Those three Immature Orange Larvae even brought some reinforcements! Shit! Kryse hefted up his sword and blocked the tackle of one of the Immature Orange Larvae...or at least he tried to block it that is. Kryse had underestimated the strength and power of the Immature Orange Larva. The Immature Orange Larva smashed through Kryse''s sword, breaking it into pieces , but it didn''t stop there. The Immature Orange Larva continued boring through and finally it crashed into Kryse''s chest. Kryse flew back and skidded on the ground, his chest ached and his ribs obviously broken. The young Masqueraider grunted in pain as he checked his ribs to see exactly how serious the injury was...yep...his ribs were shattered. Not to mention they were swelling at an incredible pace. Kryse grimaced as he looked at his broken sword...guess he''ll have to make do with his masks...hopefully everything will work out fine.


    Kryse scrambled to his feet just in time to dodge the second Immature Orange Larva. He kicked out his leg at the big monster only to have his attack stopped by the monster''s tough skin. Damn it! One of the Young Orange Larvae dashed towards him and chomped. Its teeth tearing towards his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and avoided a fatal wound. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on all nine of these monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer. The method had worked before, so he assumed that it will work again.


    Kryse approached a stunned Young Orange Larva and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Bling mask. Grabbing the larva monster by the tail, he teleported to an Immature Orange Larva and smashed the Young Orange Larva into the Immature Orange Larva. Both monsters took some damage from the collision. Kryse brought the Young Orange Larva up and smashed the monster down again and again. After a few more times, the monsters regained their senses. Finishing this, Kryse placed the bruised and weak Young Orange Larva on top of the Immature Orange Larva and stomped at them fiercely and mercilessly, crushing them to pulp. Two down...Kryse switched back to his Reinforcement mask and swiped at the battered Immature Orange Larva corpse and Young Orange Larva corpse, sending them flying. Then, the young Masqueraider stood there and waited for the other seven monsters to converge to his position. Kryse casually switched from his Reinforcement mask to his Martelo mask and prepared a battle stance. Right as the Immature Orange Larva approached within range, Kryse heel-kicked the lumbering monster in the head. The huge beast staggered a bit before collapsing. Though alive, the monster was panting for air and squinting in pain. Quickly Kryse used Martelo once again, landing multiple hits to the five Young Orange Larvae. Then, the young Masqueraider immediately switched to his Picada mask and kicked out his leg at each of the collapsed Young Orange Larva at point blank range. With each kick, an air-type spear shot forth and pierced through each of the Young Orange Larvae. Before long, five bloodied bodies lay on the ground, blood gushing out of each body forming a blood puddle and mixing with the other puddles of blood.


    A loud roar erupted as an Immature Orange Larva charged towards him. Kryse switched on his Coward mask and dodged the tackle...barely. As he was about to retaliate with a kick, a thudding pain pierced his entire body. The second Immature Orange Larva had avoided his detection and rammed into his back. With a scream, Kryse fell onto the floor. An aching, bruising sensation spread to his sides. Oh Sadida...that was painful...Kryse thought his spine had almost broke. Kryse cringed as he stood up, making sure to keep both Immature Orange Larvae within sight. With his Coward mask on, as long as these two Immature Orange Larvae were within his line of sight, he would be able to dodge any of their attacks. The young Masqueraider reached into his bag and grabbed his Martelo mask. He needed to finish this quickly and Martelo was his most powerful skill. As Kryse tried to move about, he winced in pain. His legs weren''t responding. He''s got to make his last stand here. It was now or never.


    "Come on!" Kryse roared, trying to provoke the two Immature Orange Larvae into attacking first...and he succeeded.


    The Immature Orange Larva on the left growled with anger and charged towards Kryse. As soon as it entered his range, Kryse unleashed a flurry of Martelo kicks. The young Masqueraider grunted with pain afterwards as he collapsed on both knees. Fortunately, the Immature Orange Larva was dead, dents displayed all over his head. Kryse gasped for air as he eyed the other Immature Orange Larva. He could sense its anger. With an intense roar, the Immature Orange Larva rushed forward, teeth baring in the sunlight.


    "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! " Kryse cursed as he watched the fast approaching teeth-baring monster.


    Kryse limped to the side and kicked at the Immature Orange Larva. However, the momentum of the fierce charge pushed him off balance. As he fell to the ground, he winced again. His ribs were broken, there was an aching bruise on his back, and now he even twisted his ankle while trying to kick that monster. Is he...is he going to die? No! He can''t die just yet! But what can he do? Think Kryse! Think!...That''s it! He could use that method he used earlier! Kryse reached into his bag and brought out his Bling mask. Just as the Immature Orange Larva lunged towards him again, he swapped his current mask with the Bling mask and teleported behind the monster. After lashing out a swift kick, he teleported again. As the monster turned around in anger to where Kryse was supposed to be, another swift kick smashed into its back. The monster turned around again only to receive another kick. After a few kicks later, the monster learned...it learned that it shouldn''t turn around after the next kick because it believed that the young Masqueraider will appear before him. However, that was what Kryse was waiting for. Seeing the Immature Orange Larva waiting and looking around for him to appear, the young Masqueraider switched his Bling mask with his Reinforcement mask. Slowly and carefully as to not make a sound, Kryse aimed his right foot at that Immature Orange Larva''s tail and kicked as hard as he can.


    The pitiful Immature Orange Larva yelped in pain before it landed on the ground stunned. With a sigh of fatigue, Kryse limped towards the collapsed monster and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. He was feeling a bit drowsy...the fight had taken a huge toll on his body. Suddenly, the Immature Orange Larva moved. Holy Mother of Sadida! That scared the shit out of him. He immediately started stomping on the Immature Orange Larva''s head. Whew! Is it dead? Nope it''s still moving.


    *STOMP!* *STOMP!* *STOMP!*


    After a few more stomps, the Immature Orange Larva finally breathed its last. Kryse collapsed on the floor, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes...he just needed to sleep for a bit...just for a bit.... NO! He shouldn''t fall asleep! Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before struggling to sit up. He reached into his bag and rummaged around carefully...where did he put it? Where was that vial of water from the Fountain of Youth again? Finally finding one, Kryse uncorked the vial and gulped down the refreshing liquid. A cold shudder spread throughout his body as he felt his wounds healing and his fatigue washing away.


    After a few minutes, Kryse got up. Although there were still some pain and his shattered ribs still hadn''t fully healed, Kryse decided to head towards the first Fountain of Youth and take a dip in it. After all, according to master Struk''tohr Nhin, one must be healthy and prepared for the next battle. Kryse made his way towards the Fountain of Youth outside the entrance of the village. When he passed by his master, Struk''tohr Nhin waved and asked if he had accomplished his training, in which Kryse shook his head and said he was working on it. Afterwards, Kryse continued on heading towards the Fountain of Youth. Upon arrivial, he undressed and slid in to bathe. After just sitting there for a few minutes and enjoying the refreshingly warm water, his entire body healed of all of the wounds and his strength regained quickly...truly a miracle indeed. With his body rejuvenated, Kryse exited the Fountain of Youth and continued on with his training. Next monster - the Fearless Moskito!

 Chapter 14: Fearless Moskito, Little Gobball, and Fragile Demonic Rose

    Along the way, Kryse stopped by a store to purchase a new sword and a new shield. After equipping himself with his newly bought weapons, Kryse headed east to where he was told he would be able to find some Fearless Moskitoes. As soon as he arrived at the place, he suddenly stopped...a cold sweat drop trickled down his spine. Right in front of him was a Fearless Moskito, a Little Gobball, and a Fragile Demonic Rose! All three monsters were part of the required list of monsters he was supposed to kill in order to complete his training from Shaa Kwira. The Fearless Moskito was a huge and red bug-like monster about one foot long. The Little Gobball was a monster that the young Masqueraider was quite familiar with, having fought with two larger versions of it. As for the Fragile Demonic Rose, it was a blue and icy looking rose-type monster about the size of a barrel. These monsters, by themselves, were already considered a challenge...but now there they were together as a group. It was as if the god, Ecaflip, was trying to play a devious prank on him. If possible, the young Masqueraider wanted to avoid such a difficult confrontation. He knew that if he were to fight, he would have to experience a possible defeat. He did not want to have another close call like he had before with the Immature Orange Larvae and Young Orange Larvae. He could try and isolate one of the monsters, preferably the easier one - the Fearless Moskito, and teleport both him and the monster far away in order to deal with the monster alone without worry of external interference, but it seemed that it wasn''t a viable choice. He didn''t want to wait for so long just to kill one monster. Night time was fast approaching and, if he don''t act now, it will soon be too dangerous to act as high-leveled monsters come out at night. A battle will be unavoidable. But, unlike last time, he will have to play it safe this time.


    Kryse drew out his sword and equipped his shield. He cautiously approached a nearby cluster of bushes and hid in it. Since the three strong monsters had not noticed him yet, he decided to use the element of surprise and kill, if not, sufficiently damage the three monsters before they could register what was going on and retaliate. He decided he should use a hit-and-run tactic where he would charge in and attack a few times before putting on his Bling mask and teleporting to a relatively safe distance. He thought he would continue with this process until one of the monsters was killed. After formulating his plan, Kryse nodded in satisfaction and prepared to carry out the said plan. Unfortunately, Kryse had underestimated the processing abilities of the three monsters, especially the Fearless Moskito and the Little Gobball. As soon as Kryse charged in and slashed a number of times with his sword, these two monsters responded immediately with their own counterattacks. Seeing the Fearless Moskito and the Little Gobball move towards the young Masqueraider, the Fragile Demonic Rose was also able to notice Kryse and it too began to charge towards him as well.


    They converged towards the young Masqueraider and lunged at him once they were in range. Kryse pulled out his Bling Mask and put it on. He could feel the power within him surging. The attacks of the three strong monsters all missed as he teleported to a safe distance far away from the monsters. The Fearless Moskito, the Little Gobball, and the Fragile Demonic Rose all started searching the area in surprise before giving up and going back to their grazing. Kryse felt that he was on a good pace and decided to continue with this method of fighting. With another teleport, he arrived somewhere near the Fearless Moskito and slashed and kicked until it was beaten to death. Then, he teleported back to the safe place as the other two monsters pounced at the location he was at just a few seconds ago. Kryse would have continued with this process for a while, however, the Little Gobball and the Fragile Demonic Rose were on full alert now and he was unable to even approach them without getting hit.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Kryse teleported to a location a couple of feet away from the two monsters. When they saw him, they immediately rushed towards him. The young Masqueraider calmly switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and assumed a battle stance. The Little Gobball reached Kryse first and it immediately went in with a tackle towards his chest. With a sharp twist of his body, he was able to dodge that tackle. But, he had no time to rest as the Fragile Demonic Rose slapped his face and knocked him senseless to the ground. Kryse sprawled onto the ground, his head spinning as he saw a number of stars dancing around him. Ugh...his head hurts so bad. Kryse remembered the advice of the Kerub Militiaman Oover from the Militia building that speed was essential in a fight, especially in a two versus one situation because of the dangers of being overwhelmed by enemy attacks. Since he had previously experienced the hard way first hand, he felt that he should be able to defeat the two powerful monsters in no time.


    Kryse shook away his pain and hefted his sword and shield up. He expertly flailed his sword and bashed his shield all around him, landing quite a few hits on the two powerful monsters. As the Little Gobball and the Fragile Demonic Rose continued to attack him on both sides and leaving him no room to regroup, one of Kryse''s sword attacks and one of his kicks had managed to knock the Little Gobball away. Seeing an opening, Kryse dove out of the flurry of attacks from the Fragile Demonic Rose and scrambled to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, he used Martelo and heel-kicked the Little Gobball, knocking it senseless and causing it to block the path of the Fragile Demonic Rose who was trying to move towards the young Masqueraider. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask and raised his leg up in preparation. Next, he released a number of kicks right in front of him causing a plethora of air-type spears to smash into the face of the surprised Little Gobball, killing it. In addition, with a couple of swings of his sword, he was able to severely damage the Fragile Demonic Rose. Afterwards, before the monster could react, he switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask and teleported behind the Fragile Demonic Rose. Kryse switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and let loose a flurry of heel kicks, smashing into the Fragile Demonic Rose''s back and snapping its back inwards. The Fragile Demonic Rose struggled to live as it winced in pain, but Kryse did not show any thoughts of sparing the pitiful monster. With a powerful and sharp stomp, he crushed the Fragile Demonic Rose''s head, giving it a quick death.


    Exhaustion took over as Kryse fell to the floor. He laid there and rested for about half an hour before he got up. Having lessen the burden of exhaustion somewhat, the young Masqueraider checked his body for any severe injuries. When he found none, Kryse reached into his bag and pulled out a vial of the water from the Fountain of Youth. This was his third vial today and there were two more vials left...he will soon need to refill on the miraculous water. Kryse uncorked the vial and drank the potion. Quickly, his small wounds healed and his fatigue recovered. After a few minutes, Kryse decided to head to Shaa Kwira in order to complete his training mission. Upon arriving, Kryse greeted the female Sacrier. Shaa Kwira looked at him in admiration and clapped her hands with respect. It seemed she had thought it would take Kryse a bit longer to complete the mission.


    "Well done! Not bad at all...not bad at all indeed! You''re almost as brave as I am. Here''s your prize." The female Sacrier replied as she gave Kryse a piece of armor.


    "Do you have any other physical labor or training for me to do?" Kryse asked.


    "Hmmm, tempting...but no. You ought to go in to the Militia and see the Kerub Captain. He''ll probably have a job for a strapping young hero like you."


    "Okay. Thanks." Kryse replied as he bid Shaa Kwira farewell. Then, he walked into the two-story building where he was greeted by the friendly Kerub Captain.

 Chapter 15: Orders from the Kerub Militia

    "Hello again. I was wondering if you have any training or missions available for me to do?" Kryse asked the Kerub Captain as soon as he walked in.


    "Ahh, so nice to see you again. I''ve heard about you from Shaa Kwira. You were trained by Struk''tohr Nhin, weren''t you? A militiaman to be proud of, that fella. Back in the day, he could smash up Chafer bones with his shovel like no other."


    "He was in the militia? Can I work for the militia too? I want to follow my master''s path."


    "Well, let''s see...it looks as though you know how to handle a sword and a shield. A swashbuckler like you should be able to find missions in the area. In fact, I have a few to start with if you want."


    "Okay. Let''s do this." Kryse replied as he agreed to join the Kerub Militia.


    "First off, you can cut down the number of Larvae in this area. There seem to be more and more of these monsters appearing recently. Not to mention, they tend to reproduce very quickly."


    "Alright, no problem. How many should I kill?"


    "Go take out one Immature Orange Larva, one Immature Blue Larva, and one Immature Green Larva. Also, you should kill some of those monsters on the Mission List in order to increase your services to the Kerub militia."


    "What monsters?"


    "All kinds of Larvae both young and immature, wild flower monsters such as the Demonic Rose and the Wild Sunflower, Giant Crabs, Giant Boars, and Chafers."


    "Chafers? What are they?"


    "They''re undead monsters...skeleton-type warriors. They''re strong...but they''re fragile."


    After confirming the mission requests, Kryse headed west to where he could find some Young Larvae. He assumed that in a place where there were plenty of Young Larvae, a few Immature Larvae should appear as well. As soon as he arrived at the place, he suddenly stopped...a cold sweat drop trickled down his spine. Right in front of him was a huge number of Young and Immature Larvae of orange, blue, and green colors. If possible, the young Masqueraider wanted to avoid such a large confrontation. He knew that if he were to fight, he would have to experience a possible defeat. However, a battle will be unavoidable. The monsters necessary to complete his missions were right there...there was no way he will refuse such an opportunity.


    Kryse drew out his sword and cautiously approached a nearby cluster of Young Larvae. Since the low-leveled monsters had not noticed him yet, he decided to use the element of surprise and kill a number of these Young Larvae before they could register what was going on and retaliate. He decided he should use a hit-and-run tactic where he charged in and kill a few before switching on his Bling mask and teleporting to a safe distance. He thought he would continue with this process until a manageable size was left. Kryse nodded in satisfaction and prepared to carry out his plan. Luckily, Kryse had overestimated the processing abilities of the Young Larvae. They showed no signs of retaliation even when Kryse charged in and slashed a number of times with his sword. It was until he killed around thirty of them did these Young Larvae finally decided to retaliate. Groups of ten Young Larvae flanked the young Masqueraider from all sides. They converged towards the young Masqueraider and lunged at him once they were in range. Kryse pulled out his Bling Mask and put it on. He could feel the power within him surging. The attacks of the low-leveled monsters all missed as he teleported to a safe distance far away from the monsters. The Young Larvae searched the area in surprise before giving up and went back to their business. Kryse smiled at the Young Larvae''s future predicament. He felt that he was on a good pace and decided to continue with this method of fighting. With another teleport, he arrived somewhere near a group of Young Larvae and slashed and kicked another ten Young Larvae to death. Then, he dodged the attacks by teleporting back to the safe place. Kryse would continue with this process for a while until the number of enemies were reduced by about one half.


    Kryse teleported back to the location once more but this time, he switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. The Young Larvae, however, were more alert now that their numbers were decreased by about half. As soon as they saw Kryse, they charged towards him and attacked. The first tackle from behind smashed into the back of his leg causing him to stumble backward. A Young Larva tackled towards his head as he fell down. With a sharp twist of his body, he was able to dodge that tackle. But, he had no time to rest as another Young Larva crashed into his chest. Kryse sprawled onto the ground and coughed out some spit. Ugh...the wind just got knocked out of him. Kryse remembered the advice of the Kerub Militiaman Oover from the Militia building that speed was essential in a fight, especially in a group fight situation because of the dangers of being ganged up on. Since he had previously experienced the hard way first hand, he felt that he should be able to defeat these low-leveled monsters in no time.


    But this wasn''t the time to dwell on the past, he needed to find a way to beat all of these Young Larvae and win. Kryse expertly flailed his sword and kicked his legs all around him, landing quite a few hits and even one-hit instant killed a few of them as well. As the Young Larvae continued to swarm towards him, one of his sword attacks and one of his kicks had managed to knock two Young Larvae away. Seeing an opening, Kryse dove out of the crowd of monsters and scrambled to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, he used Martelo and heel-kicked a few of the Young Larvae, knocking them senseless and causing them to block the path of the monsters behind them. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask and raised his legs in preparation. Next, he released a number of kicks right in front of him causing a plethora of air-type spears to smash into the faces of a number of surprised Young Larvae. In addition, with a couple of swings of his sword, he one-hit killed a group of low-leveled monsters who were smart enough to try and pincer attack him. As the other Young Larvae reacted and converged towards him, he switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask and met the charge with a teleportation to behind the monsters. Kryse switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and let loose a flurry of heel kicks, smashing into six of the Young Larvae at the back of the charge, snapping their backs inwards and killing them instantly.


    Suddenly, three of the attacking Young Larvae successfully tackled Kryse. The young Masqueraider jumped backwards, borrowing the force of the tackles of the three Young Larvae. Although it hurts, he was able to gain some distance from the Young Larvae. With a grimace, he gritted his teeth through the pain and switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask. With this mask on, he felt that his feet could move really fast...he felt air-type magic circulating at his feet. With a grin, Kryse ran to the side of the charging Young Larvae. The low-leveled monsters were able to follow Kryse''s movements...but only their heads followed. Their bodies, however, were too slow to react and they all crashed into each other. As the heap of fallen Young Larvae attempted to rise up, Kryse activated his Picada skill and kicked his leg out. A piercing spear of air soared out from his kick and smashed into the pile of monsters. A number of Young Larvae screeched in pain before they collapsed, two bloody holes forming on each of their heads and each of their tails.


    Even with all those kills, there were still about fifty Young Larvae left. Kryse sighed...at least he was getting the hang of it now. Even more fortunate, at least he wasn''t as injured as he had been a few hours ago. Although he was hurt a few times, the only problems were some aching as well as a few bruises and scratches. Thankfully, there wasn''t a lot of bleeding and no broken bones either. The results of his new method was clearly more efficient than had he just charged in and attacked. He was like an Osamodas acting like an Ecaflip - a dragon acting like a cat. Anyways, he needed to finish this and move on to fighting the Immature Larvae who were sitting over there and grazing nonchalantly. Now that Kryse was in an easygoing situation, he was able to take all the necessary measures to save his face. Anyways, enough thinking...more action. Kryse roared as he switched to his Reinforcement mask and lunged towards the Young Larvae. With a couple of swipes, he knocked back ten Young Larvae. Not giving them time to recover, Kryse lunged forward and swiped again. He repeated this attack over and over until finally...the fifty Young Larvae became twenty-five Young Larvae. Kryse could have continued to use Martelo instead but that was too taxing. That''s why he had used a less tiring and less damaging move. Not to mention, he needed to use a weaker skill more often in order to increase the skill''s fighting power. Kryse surveyed his surroundings. Twenty-five Young Larvae left. Seeing half of their numbers dead, the low-leveled monsters did not needlessly charge in anymore. They cautiously edged closer towards the young Masqueraider. Suddenly two Young Larvae lunged forward, one aimed at his head and the other aimed at his legs. Playing it smart now eh? Didn''t know these creatures could think of a strategy like that...must have been instinct. Kryse jumped forward and twisted his body sideways in order to thread through the two monsters.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Kryse switched back to the Picada mask and fired two piercing air-type spears into the two lunging Young Larvae. The two Young Larvae collapsed in a bloody heap. Kryse turned towards the twenty-two Young Larvae that were left and fired a couple of Picadas at the spread out crowd. Some of the attacks missed, but the ones that did hit, killed quite a few of the monsters. With ten Young Larvae left, Kryse found that it would be too difficult to continue using the Picada skill especially with so much dodging space in between each Young Larva. Thus, Kryse switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask. He teleported towards the monster farthest from the other monsters and kicked the monster up. The monster flew into the air before him and Kryse swung his sword at the monster, cutting it in half. Suddenly, he heard a few swishes behind him. Kryse turned around just in time to see a Young Larva fly towards his face. Kryse brought up his sword at an angle and deflected the attack. The low-leveled monster bounced off of the sword and into the air. Kryse swung his sword up and beheaded the little monster. Two down...eight more to go.


    Seeing everyone dead, the eight Young Larvae turned tail and scattered. However, all that killings had sparked something in Kryse. With his bloodlust increased to a new high, Kryse did not want to let a single one of the scattered monsters go. They must die...they must all die! Kryse reached in his bag and grabbed the Reinforcement mask. Then, with the Reinforcement mask still in his left hand, he teleported in front of one of the fleeing Young Larva and switched his Bling mask with the Reinforcement mask. With a sweeping kick, Kryse knocked the terrified monster back, stunning it. Then, Kryse switched back to the Bling mask and teleported in front of another Young Larva. He switched back to the Reinforcement mask and knocked the low-leveled monster back as well. The young Masqueraider repeated these steps until all eight of the fleeing Young Larvae laid stunned in a pile.


    Kryse teleported in front of the pile of eight Young Larvae and switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks, Kryse smashed the heads of each of the eight monsters and killed them. After defeating all of the Young Larvae, his bloodlust finally cooled down and he was able to calm down. Straightening up, the young Masqueraider took out his sword and looted the monsters of their hide, their eyes, and even their flesh. Anyways, after storing a number of materials into his bag, Kryse continued towards the Kerub Captain''s training mission - to kill orange, blue, and green colored Immature Larvae.


    Suddenly, ten Immature Larvae rushed out of the rustling bush and lunged towards Kryse. An ambush! Of these ten Immature Larvae, there were five Immature Orange Larvae, three Immature Blue Larvae, and two Immature Green Larvae. Shit! Kryse hefted up his shield and blocked the tackle of one of the Immature Orange Larvae...or at least he tried to block it that is. Kryse had forgotten about the strength and power of the Immature Larvae. The Immature Orange Larva smashed through Kryse''s shield, breaking it into pieces , but it didn''t stop there. The Immature Orange Larva continued boring through and finally it crashed into Kryse''s chest. Kryse flew back and skidded on the ground, his chest ached and his ribs obviously broken. The young Masqueraider grunted in pain as he checked his ribs to see exactly how serious the injury was...yep...his ribs were shattered. Not to mention they were swelling at an incredible pace. Kryse grimaced as he looked at his broken sword...guess he''ll have to make do with his masks...hopefully everything will work out fine.


    Kryse scrambled to his feet just in time to dodge a second Immature Orange Larva. He kicked out his leg at the big monster only to have his attack stopped by the monster''s tough skin. Damn it! One of the Immature Blue Larvae dashed towards him and chomped. Its teeth tearing towards his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and avoided a fatal wound. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on all ten of these monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer. The method had worked before, so he assumed that it will work again.


    Kryse approached a stunned Immature Orange Larva and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks on the Immature Orange Larva''s body, Kryse was able to mercilessly and fiercely crush the monster to pulp. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Bling mask and teleported to another Immature Orange Larva. Switching his masks once again, Kryse put on the Martelo mask and began heel-kicking the Immature Orange Larva. After a few more heel-kicks to the Immature Orange Larva, the other monsters began to regain their senses. Finishing this, Kryse placed the bruised and weak Immature Orange Larva below him and stomped at the monster fiercely and mercilessly, crushing them to pulp. Two down...Kryse switched back to his Reinforcement mask and swiped at the two battered Immature Orange Larva corpses, sending them flying.


    Then, the young Masqueraider stood there and waited for the other eight monsters to converge to his position. Kryse casually switched from his Reinforcement mask to his Martelo mask and prepared a battle stance. Right as an Immature Green Larva approached within range, Kryse heel-kicked the lumbering monster in the head. The huge beast staggered a bit before collapsing. Though alive, the monster was panting for air and squinting in pain. Quickly Kryse used Martelo once again, landing multiple hits to the seven other Immature Larvae. Then, the young Masqueraider immediately switched to his Picada mask and kicked out his leg at each of the collapsed Immature Larvae at point blank range. With each kick, an air-type spear shot forth and pierced through each of the Immature Larvae. However, one kick wasn''t enough and so Kryse fired about ten more to each of the seven strong monsters. Before long, seven bloodied and pierced bodies lay on the ground, blood gushing out of each body forming a blood puddle and mixing with the other puddles of blood.


    A loud roar erupted as the last Immature Orange Larva charged towards him. Kryse switched on his Coward mask and dodged the tackle...barely. As he was about to retaliate with a kick, the monster suddenly twisted around and chomped on Kryse''s leg. With a scream, Kryse fell onto the floor. With a couple of kicks from his good leg, Kryse smashed the Immature Orange Larva and knocked it back a couple of feet away. An aching, stinging sensation spread throughout his left leg. Oh Sadida...that was painful. Kryse cringed as he stood up, making sure to keep the Immature Orange Larva within sight. With his Coward mask on, as long as this Immature Orange Larva was within his line of sight, he would be able to dodge any of its attacks. The young Masqueraider reached into his bag and grabbed his Martelo mask. He needed to finish this quickly and Martelo was his most powerful skill. As Kryse tried to move about, he winced in pain. His legs weren''t responding. He''s got to make his last stand here. It was now or never.


    "Come on!" Kryse roared, trying to provoke the Immature Orange Larvae into attacking first...and he succeeded.


    The Immature Orange Larva growled with anger and charged towards Kryse. As soon as it entered his range, Kryse unleashed a flurry of Martelo kicks. The young Masqueraider grunted with pain afterwards as he collapsed on both knees. Fortunately, the Immature Orange Larva was dead, dents displayed all over his head. Kryse gasped for air as he eyed larva monster corpses around him, making sure that all of the monsters were really dead. He looked around in order to make sure there were no hidden monsters in the vicinity. He did not want to be unpleasantly surprised especially at his current state.


    Kryse gingerly laid on the floor, wincing at the pain in his ribs, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes...he just needed to sleep for a bit...just for a bit.... NO! He shouldn''t fall asleep! Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before struggling to sit up. He reached into his bag and rummaged around carefully...where did he put it? Where was that vial of water from the Fountain of Youth again? Finally finding one, Kryse uncorked the vial and gulped down the refreshing liquid. A cold shudder spread throughout his body as he felt his wounds healing and his fatigue washing away.


    After a few minutes, Kryse got up. Although there were still some pain and his shattered ribs still hadn''t fully healed, Kryse decided to drink his last vial of water from the Fountain of Youth. After drinking the potion, his broken ribs were fully mended. Though it hurts still from the bruises, he was otherwise rejuvenated. Next stop - Giant Crabs, Wild Flower monsters, Giant Boars, and Chafers.

 Chapter 16: Wild Flower Monsters

    After finishing rejuvenating from the injuries he obtained from fighting the larvae monsters, Kryse headed back to the Militia to speak with the Kerub Captain and to submit his mission completion reports. Upon arrival, Kryse handed his completion reports stating that he had successfully defeated the Immature Blue Larva, the Immature Orange Larva, the Immature Orange Larva, and a number of Young Larvae as well.


    "Very good, soldier! Ready for another mission?" The Kerub Captain congratulated.


    "Yes sir I am!" Kryse replied after saluting.


    "Yes, you say? Great! I have received reports from the villagers that there are wild flowers wreaking havoc across the fields of Incarnam. We must show them who''s boss!"


    "Wild flowers? Am I going weeding?"


    "I''m not talking about gardening, kid. I''m talking about facing up to those vegetal monsters such as the Frightened Evil Dandelion, the Fragile Demonic Rose, and the Small Wild Sunflower!"


    "Oh, you mean those types of wild flowers."


    "Yes. Do you have the confidence and strength to succeed this training mission?"


    "Yes!"


    "Good! Don''t disappoint me, soldier!"


    "Yes sir!"


    Kryse saluted one more time before exiting the building. He decided to head towards northwest to where he could find some wild flower-type monsters. He assumed that in a place where there were plenty of wheat fields, a few Frightening Evil Dandelions, Fragile Demonic Roses, and Small Wild Sunflowers should appear as well. As soon as he arrived at the place, he suddenly stopped...a cold smile plastered on his face...or at least there should be if not for the mask covering his entire face. Anyways, right in front of him was exactly one Frightening Evil Dandelion, one Fragile Demonic Rose, and one Small Wild Sunflower. It''s as if Lady Luck was watching over him. Kryse knew that this was a chance he should not miss. If possible, the young Masqueraider wanted to kill all three in one confrontation. He knew that if he were to fight, he would want to fight all three of them at the same time or else at least one of them would escape once they find out that they had underestimated him and see just how strong he really was. However, a single confrontation seemed impossible. The three monsters were too far away from each other so if Kryse were to appear, at most only one monster would notice him. It seemed Kryse would need to play it smart and try to open a way for him to get noticed by all three monsters.


    Kryse drew out his sword and cautiously approached a nearby bush and observed the three monsters. Since the three strong monsters had not noticed him yet, he decided to use the element of surprise and kick and stun one of the closer monsters with his Reinforcement skill before the other monsters could register what was going on and retaliate. He decided he should use a hit-and-run tactic where he charged in and stun the monster with his Reinforcement skill before switching on his Bling mask and teleporting to a safe distance. He thought he would continue with this process until at least one of the monsters was killed. Kryse nodded in satisfaction with this plan and prepared to carry out his plan. The young Masqueraider reached into his bag and grabbed the Reinforcement mask. As he put the mask on, he charged towards the closest monster - the Frightening Evil Dandelion - and kicked the monster, sending the stunned monster flying a few feet away. Initially, the other monsters had showed no signs of retaliation even when Kryse charged in and kicked the Frightened Evil Dandelion once more. It was until after he had killed the Frightened Evil Dandelion with the third Reinforcement skill attack did the other two wild flower-type monsters finally decided to retaliate.


    The Fragile Demonic Rose and the Small Wild Sunflower flanked the young Masqueraider from his left and right sides. They converged towards the young Masqueraider and lunged at him once they were in range. Kryse pulled out his Bling Mask and put it on. He could feel the power within him surging. The attacks of the two powerful monsters both missed as he teleported to a safe distance far away from the monsters. The two wild flower-type monsters searched the area in surprise before giving up and went back to their business. Kryse smiled at the two monsters'' future predicament. He felt that he was on a good pace and decided to continue with this method of fighting. With another teleport, he arrived somewhere near the Fragile Demonic Rose and switched on his Reinforcement mask. With a few Reinforcement swipes and a few swings of his sword, he slashed and kicked at the surprised monster. Then, he dodged the retaliating attacks by teleporting back to the safe place or so he thought, but the Fragile Demonic Rose cast a strong paralyzing poison which slightly affected Kryse and causing him to stumble. As Kryse tried to get up, he was knocked to the side by a slap from the Fragile Demonic Rose. Kryse swerved his head around and dazedly saw the Small Wild Sunflower lumber towards him. He quickly switched his Reinforcement mask with his Bling mask and barely teleported away to the safe distance. He laid there for a while to rest as the poison slowly affected him. After a while, the young Masqueraider was able to build up some resistance and the effects of the poison slowed to an eventual stop.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Once he recovered, the young Masqueraider teleported back to the location once more but this time, he switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. This time, however, both monsters were alert and prepared. As soon as they saw Kryse, they charged towards him and attacked. The first tackle from the front smashed into the front of his legs causing him to stumble forward. The Small Wild Sunflower cast Bramble towards his head as he fell down. A large vine emerged from the ground and shot towards Kryse. With a sharp twist of his body, he was able to dodge that attack. But, he had no time to rest as another Bramble crashed into his chest. Kryse sprawled onto the ground and coughed out some blood. Ugh...the wind just got knocked out of him.


    Kryse panted heavily as he tried to regain some fatigue. He needed to find a way to beat these two powerful monsters and win. After catching his breath, Kryse began to expertly flail his sword and kick his legs all around him, landing quite a few hits on the two wild flower-type monsters. As the two monsters continued to swarm towards him, one of his sword attacks and one of his kicks had managed to knock the Fragile Demonic Rose away. Seeing an opening, Kryse dove out from under the two wild flower-type monsters and scrambled to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, he used Martelo and heel-kicked the Fragile Demonic Rose, knocking the monster senseless and causing it to block the path of the Small Wild Sunflower from charging towards him. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask and raised his legs in preparation. Next, he released a number of kicks right in front of him causing a plethora of air-type spears to smash into the Small Wild Sunflower. In addition, with a couple of swings of his sword, he slashed at the Fragile Demonic Rose that tried to attack him while he was focused on the Small Wild Sunflower. After a while, he jumped backwards to gain some distance between him and the two monsters in order to catch his breath. His stamina was depleting way too fast. He realized that if he did not increase his stamina soon, he will most likely meet with an unfortunate situation. Seeing the young Masqueraider retreat, the Fragile Demonic Rose and the Small Wild Sunflower charged towards him. Seeing the charge, he switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask and met the charge with a teleportation to behind the monsters. Kryse switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and let loose a flurry of heel kicks, smashing into the Fragile Demonic Rose, snapping its back inwards and killing it instantly.


    Suddenly, a vine successfully smashed into Kryse by taking advantage of his blindspot. The young Masqueraider jumped backwards, borrowing the force of the smash of the Bramble attack by the Small Wild Sunflower. Although it hurts, he was able to gain some distance from the Small Wild Sunflower. With a grimace, he gritted his teeth through the pain and switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask. With this mask on, he felt that his feet could move really fast...he felt air-type magic circulating at his feet. With a grin, Kryse ran to the side of the charging wild flower-type monster. The Small Wild Sunflower was able to follow Kryse''s movements...but only its head followed. Its body, however, was too slow to react and it tripped and crashed into the ground. As the Small Wild Sunflower attempted to rise up, Kryse activated his Picada skill and kicked his leg out. A piercing spear of air soared out from his kick and smashed into the trembling monster. The Small Wild Sunflower screeched in pain before it collapsed, two bloody holes forming on the Small Wild Sunflower''s head, one in the front and one in the back.


    Seeing the Small Wild Sunflower collapse, Kryse gasped for air as he the three wild flower-type monster corpses around him, making sure that all three of the monsters were really dead. He looked around in order to make sure there were no hidden monsters in the vicinity. He did not want to be unpleasantly surprised especially at his current state.


    Kryse gingerly laid on the floor, wincing at the pain in his ribs, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes...he just needed to sleep for a bit...just for a bit.... NO! He shouldn''t fall asleep! Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before struggling to sit up. He reached into his bag and rummaged around carefully...where did he put it? Where was that vial of water from the Fountain of Youth again? Ah! Dammit! He forgot he had already used up all of his vials. He really need to stock up more next time. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Kryse decided to head towards the Fountain of Youth to bathe and cleanse himself of his wounds and fatigue. After recovering himself to his original state, the young Masqueraider decided to head towards the Milita building to turn in his completed mission report.

 Chapter 17: Daredevil Crabs and Young Boars

    After finishing fighting the wild flower-type monsters, Kryse headed back to the Militia to speak with the Kerub Captain and to submit his mission completion reports. Upon arrival, Kryse handed his completion reports stating that he had successfully defeated the Frightened Evil Dandelion, the Fragile Demonic Rose, and the Small Wild Sunflower.


    "Very good, soldier! Ready for another mission?" The Kerub Captain congratulated.


    "Yes sir I am!" Kryse replied after saluting.


    "Yes, you say? Great! I have just received reports from the villagers that there are giant crab monsters called Daredevil Crabs nipping at the calves of young souls along the banks of the Incarnam Canals. In addition to that, I have also received reports of another problem as well. It seemed that a citizen of Incarnam had been complaining about damage done by a giant boar monster called Young Boar. I''ll leave you to deal with both of these missions. Do you understand?"


    "Yes sir I do."


    "Good! Do you have the confidence and strength to succeed this training mission?"


    "Yes!"


    "Good! Don''t disappoint me, soldier!"


    "Yes sir!"


    After confirming the mission requests, Kryse headed southeast to where he could find some Daredevil Crabs. He assumed that in a place where there were plenty water, a few giant Daredevil Crabs should appear as well. As soon as he arrived at the place, he suddenly stopped...a cold sweat drop trickled down his spine. Right in front of him was a huge number of Young Crabs. In addition to the Young Crabs, there were a few giant Daredevil Crabs wandering about as well. If possible, the young Masqueraider wanted to avoid such a large confrontation. He knew that if he were to fight, he would have to experience a possible defeat. However, a battle will be unavoidable. The monsters necessary to complete his missions were right there...there was no way he will refuse such an opportunity.


    Kryse drew out his sword and cautiously approached a nearby cluster of Young Crabs. Since the low-leveled monsters had not noticed him yet, he decided to use the element of surprise and kill a number of these Young Crabs before they could register what was going on and retaliate. He decided he should use a hit-and-run tactic where he charged in and kill a few before switching on his Bling mask and teleporting to a safe distance. He thought he would continue with this process until a manageable size was left. Kryse nodded in satisfaction and prepared to carry out his plan. Unfortunately, Kryse had underestimated the processing abilities of the Young Crabs. As soon as Kryse appeared in their vicinity, they reacted and charged towards the young Masqueraider in retaliation. Kryse parried the attacks with his sword but the attacks overwhelmed him eventually, forcing him to retreat. Groups of ten Young Crabs flanked the young Masqueraider from all sides. They converged towards the young Masqueraider and lunged at him once they were in range. Kryse pulled out his Bling Mask and put it on. He could feel the power within him surging. The attacks of the low-leveled monsters all missed as he teleported to a safe distance far away from the monsters. The Young Crabs searched the area in surprise before giving up and went back to their business. Kryse grimaced at the Young Crabs'' capabilities. He felt that he was on a terrible pace but he decided to continue with this method of fighting. With another teleport, he arrived somewhere near a group of Young Crabs and slashed and kicked. Luckily, a number of his attacks landed and ten Young Crabs were beaten to death. Then, he dodged the attacks by teleporting back to the safe place. Kryse continued with this process for a while until the number of Young Crabs were reduced by about one half.


    Kryse teleported back to the location once more but this time, he switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. The Young Crabs, however, were more alert now that their numbers were decreased by about half. As soon as they saw Kryse, they charged towards him and attacked. The first tackle from behind smashed into the back of his leg causing him to stumble backward. A Young Crab tackled towards his head as he fell down. With a sharp twist of his body, he was able to dodge that tackle. But, he had no time to rest as another Young Crab crashed into his chest. Kryse sprawled onto the ground and coughed out some spit. Ugh...the wind just got knocked out of him. Kryse remembered the advice of the Kerub Militiaman Oover from the Militia building that speed was essential in a fight, especially in a group fight situation because of the dangers of being ganged up on. Since he had previously experienced the hard way first hand, he felt that he should be able to defeat these low-leveled monsters in no time.


    But this wasn''t the time to dwell on the past, he needed to find a way to beat all of these Young Crabs and win. Kryse expertly flailed his sword and kicked his legs all around him, landing quite a few hits and even one-hit instant killed a few of them as well. As the Young Crabs continued to swarm towards him, one of his sword attacks and one of his kicks had managed to knock two Young Crabs away. Seeing an opening, Kryse dove out of the crowd of monsters and scrambled to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, he used Martelo and heel-kicked a few of the Young Crabs, knocking them senseless and causing them to block the path of the monsters behind them. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask and raised his legs in preparation. Next, he released a number of kicks right in front of him causing a plethora of air-type spears to smash into the faces of a number of surprised Young Crabs. In addition, with a couple of swings of his sword, he one-hit killed a group of low-leveled monsters who were smart enough to try and pincer attack him. As the other Young Crabs reacted and converged towards him, he switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask and met the charge with a teleportation to behind the monsters. Kryse switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and let loose a flurry of heel kicks, smashing into six of the Young Crabs at the back of the charge, snapping their shells inwards and killing them instantly.


    Suddenly, three of the attacking Young Crabs successfully tackled Kryse. The young Masqueraider jumped backwards, borrowing the force of the tackles of the three Young Crabs. Although it hurts, he was able to gain some distance from the Young Crabs. With a grimace, he gritted his teeth through the pain and switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask. With this mask on, he felt that his feet could move really fast...he felt air-type magic circulating at his feet. With a grin, Kryse ran to the side of the charging Young Crabs. The low-leveled monsters were able to follow Kryse''s movements...but only their heads followed. Their bodies, however, were too slow to react and they all crashed into each other. As the heap of fallen Young Crabs attempted to rise up, Kryse activated his Picada skill and kicked his leg out. A piercing spear of air soared out from his kick and smashed into the pile of monsters. A number of Young Crabs screeched in pain before they collapsed, two bloody holes forming on each of their heads and each of their tails.


    Even with all those kills, there were still about fifty Young Crabs left. Kryse sighed...at least he was getting the hang of it now. Even more fortunate, at least he wasn''t as injured as he had been a few hours ago. Although he was hurt a few times, the only problems were some aching as well as a few bruises and scratches. Thankfully, there wasn''t a lot of bleeding and no broken bones either. The results of his new method was clearly more efficient than had he just charged in and attacked. He was like an Osamodas acting like an Ecaflip - a dragon acting like a cat. Anyways, he needed to finish this and move on to fighting the giant Daredevil Crabs who were standing over there and wandering about nonchalantly. Now that Kryse was in an easygoing situation, he was able to take all the necessary measures to save his face. Anyways, enough thinking...more action. Kryse roared as he switched to his Reinforcement mask and lunged towards the Young Crabs. With a couple of swipes, he knocked back ten Young Crabs. Not giving them time to recover, Kryse lunged forward and swiped again. He repeated this attack over and over until finally...the fifty Young Crabs became twenty-five Young Crabs. Kryse could have continued to use Martelo instead but that was too taxing. That''s why he had used a less tiring and less damaging move. Not to mention, he needed to use a weaker skill more often in order to increase the skill''s fighting power. Kryse surveyed his surroundings. Twenty-five Young Crabs left. Seeing half of their numbers dead, the low-leveled monsters did not needlessly charge in anymore. They cautiously edged closer towards the young Masqueraider. Suddenly two Young Crabs lunged forward, one aimed at his head and the other aimed at his legs. Playing it smart now eh? Didn''t know these creatures could think of a strategy like that...must have been instinct. Kryse jumped forward and twisted his body sideways in order to thread through the two monsters.


    Kryse switched back to the Picada mask and fired two piercing air-type spears into the two lunging Young Crabs. The two Young Crabs collapsed in a bloody heap. Kryse turned towards the twenty-two Young Crabs that were left and fired a couple of Picadas at the spread out crowd. Some of the attacks missed, but the ones that did hit, killed quite a few of the monsters. With ten Young Crabs left, Kryse found that it would be too difficult to continue using the Picada skill especially with so much dodging space in between each Young Crab. Thus, Kryse switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask. He teleported towards the monster farthest from the other monsters and kicked the monster up. The monster flew into the air before him and Kryse swung his sword at the monster, cutting it in half. Suddenly, he heard a few swishes behind him. Kryse turned around just in time to see a Young Crab fly towards his face. Kryse brought up his sword at an angle and deflected the attack. The low-leveled monster bounced off of the sword and into the air. Kryse swung his sword up and beheaded the little monster. Two down...eight more to go.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Seeing everyone dead, the eight Young Crabs turned tail and scattered. However, all that killings had sparked something in Kryse. With his bloodlust increased to a new high, Kryse did not want to let a single one of the scattered monsters go. They must die...they must all die! Kryse reached in his bag and grabbed the Reinforcement mask. Then, with the Reinforcement mask still in his left hand, he teleported in front of one of the fleeing Young Crab and switched his Bling mask with the Reinforcement mask. With a sweeping kick, Kryse knocked the terrified monster back, stunning it. Then, Kryse switched back to the Bling mask and teleported in front of another Young Crab. He switched back to the Reinforcement mask and knocked the low-leveled monster back as well. The young Masqueraider repeated these steps until all eight of the fleeing Young Crabs laid stunned in a pile.


    Kryse teleported in front of the pile of eight Young Crabs and switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks, Kryse smashed the heads of each of the eight monsters and killed them. After defeating all of the Young Crabs, his bloodlust finally cooled down and he was able to calm down. Straightening up, the young Masqueraider took out his sword and looted the monsters of their shells, their pincers, and even their flesh...because, well, crab meat is delicious and profitable. Anyways, after storing a number of materials into his bag, Kryse continued towards the Kerub Captain''s training mission - to kill the giant Daredevil Crabs...two of them to be exact. When he turned towards the Daredevil Crabs, he found out that they disappeared! Where did they all go? Kryse rushed towards where the Daredevil Crabs were just a few minutes ago and searched the area for clues.


    Suddenly, exactly two Daredevil Crabs rushed out of a rustling bush and lunged towards Kryse. An ambush! Shit! Kryse hefted up his sword and blocked the tackle of one of the giant Daredevil Crabs...or at least he tried to block it that is. Kryse had forgotten about the strength and power of the Daredevil Crabs. The giant Daredevil Crab smashed through Kryse''s sword block, but it didn''t stop there. The giant Daredevil Crab continued boring through and finally it crashed into Kryse''s chest. Kryse flew back and skidded on the ground, his chest ached and his ribs felt broken. The young Masqueraider grunted in pain as he checked his ribs to see exactly how serious the injury was...nope...thank Sadida...his ribs were only fractured, not shattered completely. But, even so, the ribcage area was swelling at an incredible pace. Kryse grimaced as he looked at the two giant Daredevil Crabs...hopefully everything will work out fine.


    Kryse scrambled to his feet just in time to dodge the second giant Daredevil Crab. He kicked out his leg at the big monster only to have his attack stopped by the monster''s tough exoskeleton. Damn it! One of the two Daredevil Crabs dashed towards him and attacked with its pincers. Its jagged claw tearing towards his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and avoided a fatal wound. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on both of these giant monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer. The method had worked before, so he assumed that it will work again.


    Kryse approached a stunned giant Daredevil Crab and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks on the giant Daredevil Crab''s legs, Kryse was able to mercilessly and fiercely crush two of the monster''s legs. The Daredevil Crab regained its senses and swung one of its pincers at Kryse. The young Masqueraider immediately switched his Martelo mask with his Bling mask and teleported to the other giant Daredevil Crab. Switching his masks once again, Kryse put on the Martelo mask and began heel-kicking the giant Daredevil Crab before it woke up from its stunned state. After a few more heel-kicks to the giant Daredevil Crab, Kryse was able to smash one of the Daredevil Crab''s pincers into pulp. Then, Kryse switched his Martelo mask with his Reinforcement mask and fiercely kicked the Daredevil Crab, stunning it once again.


    Then, the young Masqueraider stood there and waited for the stunned Daredevil Crab to regain its senses and charge towards him as well as for the other Daredevil Crab to limp into his attack range. As the two giant and wounded Daredevil Crabs converged to his position, Kryse casually switched from his Reinforcement mask to his Martelo mask and prepared a battle stance. Right as the charging Daredevil Crab approached within his attack range, Kryse heel-kicked the lumbering monster in the head. The huge beast staggered a bit before collapsing. Though alive, the monster was panting for air and squinting in pain. Quickly Kryse used Martelo once again, landing multiple hits to the seven other limbs of the Daredevil Crab, completely incapacitate it. Then, the young Masqueraider immediately switched to his Picada mask and kicked out his leg at the limping Daredevil Crab as it entered Kryse''s attack range. With each kick, an air-type spear shot forth and pierced through each of the other limbs of the Daredevil Crab. However, one kick per limb wasn''t enough and so Kryse fired about ten more to each of the six limbs. Before long, the Daredevil Crab collapsed onto the ground, incapacitated.


    Seeing the two incapacitated Daredevil Crabs, Kryse gingerly laid on the floor, wincing at the pain in his ribs, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes and began meditating. He needed to recover some fatigue quickly. After a while, Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before struggling to stand up. Kryse walked up to the two giant Daredevil Crabs and switched his Picada mask with his Martelo mask. With a large number of heel-kicks, he was able to crush through the hard exoskeleton of the two giant Daredevil Crabs, finally killing them.


    Kryse grabbed his sword and began chopping at the Daredevil Crabs in order to scavenge as much usable parts as he can. After an hour, he stored the parts into his storage bag and headed back. He decided to make a trip to the Fountain of Youth to take a bath before he venture northeast to kill a Young Boar.


    After the bath, the rejuvenated young Masqueraider headed northeast in hopes of finding and killing a Young Boar or two. Kryse walked and walked until finally...he reached the cornermost part of the islands. What''s going on? There should be at least one or two Young Boars in this vicinity but he hadn''t seen one at all. Could other adventurers killed them all? If that''s the case, he won''t be able to finish the training mission he was assigned. The young Masqueraider began to search the area for any signs like paw prints or droppings in hopes of finding a lead to a Young Boar. Suddenly, exactly two Young Boars rushed out of a rustling bush and lunged towards Kryse. An ambush! Shit! Kryse hefted up his sword and blocked the tackle of one of the giant Young Boars...or at least he tried to block it that is. Kryse was unaware about the strength and power of the Young Boars. He had thought they would be as weak as the other young monsters, however, it seemed this was not the case for the Young Boars. The giant Young Boar smashed through Kryse''s sword block, breaking it into pieces. Fuck! There goes another sword. At this rate, he won''t have enough money to buy anymore. The giant Young Boar continued boring through and finally it crashed into Kryse''s chest. Kryse flew back and skidded on the ground, his chest ached and his ribs felt broken. The young Masqueraider grunted in pain as he checked his ribs to see exactly how serious the injury was...nope...thank Sadida...his ribs were only fractured, not shattered completely. But, even so, the ribcage area was swelling at an incredible pace. Kryse grimaced as he looked at the two giant Young Boars...hopefully everything will work out fine.


    Kryse scrambled to his feet just in time to dodge the second giant Young Boar. He kicked out his leg at the big monster only to have his attack stopped by the monster''s tough hide. Damn it! One of the two Young Boars dashed towards him and attacked with its tusks. Its sharp tusks piercing towards his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and felt his throat...thank Sadida he avoided a fatal wound. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on both of these giant monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer. The method had worked before, so he assumed that it will work again.


    Kryse approached a stunned giant Young Boar and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks on the giant Young Boar''s legs, Kryse was able to mercilessly and fiercely crush two of the monster''s legs. The Young Boar screamed in pain as it regained its senses and swung its head at Kryse in hopes of ramming the young Masqueraider away. The young Masqueraider immediately switched his Martelo mask with his Bling mask and teleported to the other giant Young Boar. Switching his masks once again, Kryse put on the Martelo mask and began heel-kicking the giant Young Boar before it woke up from its stunned state. After a few more heel-kicks to the giant Young Boar, Kryse was able to smash one of the Young Boar''s legs into pulp, completely severing the leg from the rest of its body. Then, Kryse switched his Martelo mask with his Reinforcement mask and fiercely kicked the Young Boar away, stunning it once again.


    Then, the young Masqueraider stood there and waited for the stunned Young Boar to regain its senses and limp towards him as well as for the other Young Boar to limp towards his attack range. As the two giant and limping Young Boars converged to his position, Kryse casually switched from his Reinforcement mask to his Martelo mask and prepared a battle stance. Right as one of the limping Young Boars approached within his attack range, Kryse heel-kicked the lumbering monster in the head. The huge beast staggered a bit before collapsing. Though alive, the monster was panting for air and squealing in pain. Quickly Kryse used Martelo once again, landing multiple hits to the head and body of the Young Boar, completely flattening it into a bloody and very dead pancake. Then, the young Masqueraider immediately switched to his Picada mask and kicked out his leg at the other limping Young Boar as it entered Kryse''s attack range. With each kick, an air-type spear shot forth and pierced through each of the other limbs of the Young Boar. However, one kick per limb wasn''t enough and so Kryse fired about ten more to each of the three limbs. Before long, the Young Boar collapsed onto the ground, incapacitated.


    Seeing the incapacitated Young Boar, Kryse gingerly laid on the floor, wincing at the pain in his ribs, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes and began meditating. He needed to recover some fatigue quickly. After a while, Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before struggling to stand up. Kryse walked up to the dying giant Young Boar and switched his Picada mask with his Martelo mask. With a large number of heel-kicks, he flattened the giant Young Boar, finally killing it. After killing the last Young Boar, Kryse took out his broken sword and used the jagged part to roughly skin the Young Boars'' hides and cut off their tusks. After storing those parts, he hurried back to the Fountain of Youth to recover.

 Chapter 18: Chafers at the Cemetery

    After the young Masqueraider finished bathing in the Fountain of Youth, he headed towards the Militia building in order to turn in his completed mission report. Upon arrival, Kryse handed his completion reports stating that he had successfully defeated two giant Daredevil Crabs as well as a number of Young Crabs and two giant Young Boars.


    "Well done! You were very efficient!" The Kerub Captain praised the young Masqueraider as he looked through the mission reports.


    "Thank you sir." Kryse thanked.


    "I have another mission for you. Are you ready for it?"


    "Yes sir I am."


    "The Chafers which haunt Incarnam Cemetery have become very aggressive lately. In fact, they''re the chief cause of death for young adventurers. Go and challenge two of those skeletwerps and crush their bones to dust! Do you understand?"


    "Yes sir I do."


    "Good! Do you have the confidence and strength to succeed this training mission?"


    "Yes!"


    "Good! This is the last part of the training, don''t disappoint me soldier!"


    "Yes sir!"


    After receiving the final mission from the Kerub Captain, the young Masqueraider headed south to where the Cemetery was located at. Along the way, he heard a rustling sound in a cluster of bushes by the Canals. Could it be an ambush? Kryse drew out his newly bought sword and shield and cautiously eyed the rustling bushes. Suddenly, a voice ran out.


    "Hey! You! Can you come a bit closer?" The voice asked. reginator


    Suspicious, Kryse did not move a step closer. He looked at the bushes and asked, "Who are you?"


    "I''m no one suspicious. My name is Reginator. I need your help."


    "Is that so? What do you need?"


    "You look slightly less clumsy than the others. So you''ll help me. Of course, that''s not a question, it''s a fact."


    "Uh huh. Get to the main point or I''ll leave."


    "Okay, okay! Let me ''splain it to you. When I was taking a dip with a few of my female friends, some cheeky blighter nicked my Celestial Bearbarian Set. I couldn''t believe it! As you can see, I can''t go around in this. You have to find me something to wear so I can get out of here."


    "Hmmm...."


    "Please."


    "Fine. I''ll be back."


    "Please hurry!"


    "I know!"


    Kryse waved goodbye to Reginator and hurried towards the Cemetery. He needed to finish the training mission from the Kerub Captain. As the young Masqueraider neared the Cemetery, he noticed a hooded figure at the entrance of the Cemetery. The hooded figure noticed Kryse and waved. Upon a closer look, Kryse saw that the hooded figure was a skeleton with a halo above his head.


    "Hello, how are you doing young adventurer? My name is Brett Ernal. What''s yours?" The hooded skeleton asked.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Brett Ernal? You''re Brett Ernal?" Kryse asked in surprise.


    "I am. Have you heard of me?"


    "Master Yakasi sent me to find you. He told me you would be able to tell me what happens after death."


    "Ah, so you want to know what happens when you think it''s all over? That''s an excellent question! Hmmm...what happens when you pass away? Maybe I can satisfy your morbid curiosity...but I''ll need to give it some thought. Come back later and I''ll have the answer." Brett Ernal replied.


    Kryse nodded and gave the hooded skeleton some to think about his answer. In the meanwhile, the young Masqueraider decided to enter the Cemetery and kill two Chafers. Upon entering the Cemetery, Kryse walked and walked until finally...he reached the cornermost part of the Cemetery. He had walked across the entire Cemetery without encountering a single Chafer! What''s going on? There should be at least one or two skeletal monsters in this vicinity but he hadn''t seen one at all. Could other adventurers have killed them all? If that''s the case, he won''t be able to finish the training mission he was assigned. The young Masqueraider began to search the area for any signs like footprints in hopes of finding a lead to a Chafer. Suddenly, exactly two Chafers known as Prepubscent Chafers rushed out from behind a gravestone and lunged towards Kryse with swords slashing fiercely about. An ambush! Shit! Kryse hefted up his shield and blocked the slash of one of the Prepubscent Chafers. Kryse praised Sadida when he found out about the strength and power of the Prepubscent Chafers. He had thought they would be as strong as the other monsters he had to fight to complete his training, however, it seemed this was not the case for the Prepubscent Chafers. Or maybe he just leveled up. Either way, the young Masqueraider parried the sword attack. With a counterattack, Kryse slashed at the Prepubscent Chafer sending it retreating back a few steps. Suddenly, another sword attack raced towards Kryse''s head. He dove to the ground in order to avoid the attack.


    With a roll and a leap, the young Masqueraider scrambled to his feet. He kicked out his leg at the closest Prepubscent Chafer only to have his attack stopped by the monster''s tough shield. Damn it! One of the two Prepubscent Chafers dashed towards him and thrusted with its sword. Its sharp sword pierced towards his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and felt his throat...thank Sadida he avoided a fatal wound. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on both of these giant monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer. The method had worked before, so he assumed that it will work again.


    Kryse approached a stunned Prepubscent Chafer and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks on the Prepubscent Chafer, Kryse was able to mercilessly and fiercely crush the monster to bone dust. After killing one of the Prepubscent Chafers, the young Masqueraider immediately switched his Martelo mask with his Bling mask and teleported to the other Prepubscent Chafer. Switching his masks once again, Kryse put on the Martelo mask and began heel-kicking the Prepubscent Chafer before it woke up from its stunned state. After a few more heel-kicks to the Prepubscent Chafer, Kryse was able to smash the last enemy into bone dust.


    Seeing the crushed Prepubscent Chafers, Kryse gingerly laid on the floor, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes and began meditating. He needed to recover some fatigue quickly. After a while, Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before standing up. Kryse walked up to the two piles of bone dust and collected the bone dust. He had heard that bone dust was a good source of crafting materials and a lot of alchemists were in need of such materials. The young Masqueraider felt that he will be able to get some profit from the bone dust. After collecting all of the bone dust, Kryse headed back to Brett Ernal. Kryse hoped that, by now, the hooded skeleton would have thought of a good answer to his question. When he walked up to Brett Ernal, he waved in greeting towards the hooded skeleton.


    "Have you thought of what to say yet?" Kryse asked.


    "Hello my friend...I''ve thought about it and it''s your lucky day!" Brett Ernal replied with a satisfied grin.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Roll up, roll up.... I''m offering you the one-time chance of a lifetime...but, let''s not dwell on life.... I''m talking about the other side, the dark side of the moon, the third side of the coin.... How about it? Trust me, everything''s under control!"


    "Um...you sure about that?"


    "Yes. Trust me."


    "Okay. Fine. Let''s get this over with."


    "Now, don''t be afraid, it''s good preparation for the future. Okay, relax...I''m going to cast a spell on you which will only work on someone who gives their consent. You do give your consent, don''t you?


    "Yes, I''m giving my consent for the experience."


    "Good. Here we go."


    With the spell cast, Kryse felt his eyes blur. Darkness fell upon him...and he died.

 Chapter 19: Death and Job Profession

    Nnnhhghh! Kryse suddenly opened his eyes. He scanned his surroundings trying to find out where exactly he was. Where am I? What happened?


    The young Masqueraider rubbed his temples while he tried to think about what was going on. He remembered doing some quests assigned by the Kerub Captain...something about killing some Chafers at the Cemetery. What happened next? Kryse concentrated on the back part of his memory until he found out what he had done next. While he headed towards the Cemetery, he saw a figure...a hooded skeleton...Brett Ernal! This guy offered him...death! This Brett Ernal offered him the experience of death and what comes after death. That means...what or rather where he was now...was after death.


    The young Masqueraider looked around, trying to find a way out. Hmmm? Is that...light? Kryse cautiously walked towards the light source. As he neared the light, he noticed that it was a doorway. Kryse steeled his nerves and rushed forward. With a burst, he barreled through the doorway and...huh?


    The sun...the clouds...he''s outside.... The young Masqueraider looked around him. He recognized this place...this was the Cemetery! Kryse saw an Iop adventurer up ahead. He hurried towards the young Iop, wanting to ask her some questions...but the young Masqueraider was ignored. Or rather...the Iop adventurer did not see him at all. Kryse reached over to grab a hold of the young adventurer but...his hand slipped through. What''s going on?! What''s up with his hand? Why''s it so...transparent!?


    Then, logic hit him. He was dead...so obviously he''s a ghost right now. What should he do? Hmm? What was that? Is someone calling him? He looked around and saw Brett Ernal! He can see me? Kryse floated towards the hooded skeleton. He had many questions to ask Brett Ernal.


    As he neared the hooded skeleton, Kryse called out. "You can see me?"


    "Of course! I''m an undead aren''t I?" Brett Ernal chuckled.


    "Ah...yes...yes you are. I had forgotten about that."


    "Anyways, you seem to have a lot of questions. I believe I already know the answers to them. As a spirit form, you can travel to places with many monsters and they won''t attack you. You could take advantage of this situation and scout places you would have a hard time accessing when alive. However, the disadvantages of it is that you can''t touch or hold objects. And, although monsters cannot see you, people cannot see you either."


    "How do I resurrect?"


    "Go to the Phoenix Rock. Due to its high spiritual aura, the Phoenix Rock is the only object you can touch. Upon touching it, you will obtain a portion of the neverending spiritual aura and resurrects. Make sure you understand that once you resurrect, only your health recovers. However, your energy does not so I advise you not to fight monsters immediately after resurrecting."


    "Okay. Where can I find Phoenix Rock?"


    "All spirits are inherently attracted to it. You''ll be able to sense it if you focus hard enough. Now, you should go. If you spend too long as a spirit, you may lose yourself."


    "Okay." Kryse replied as he closed his eyes and tried to sense the Phoenix Rock.


    After a few seconds, he could feel a tingling sensation drawing him west. Kryse followed this warm sensation blindly as if in a trance...until he suddenly snapped awake. He looked around. This was not the Cemetery anymore...where was he? Suddenly, from his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of brightness. He turned his head towards the bright source and saw a glowing statue of a Phoenix. This was Phoenix Rock! The young Masqueraider placed his hand slowly on the Phoenix Rock. He felt a surge of spiritual poewr flow from the rock to his spirit. Life essence attract and condensed to where his spirit was until after a few minutes, he felt...his physical body. Kryse looked at himself after the process came to a halt! He was resurrected! Truly a miracle. Kryse hurried back to the Cemetery to describe what had happened with him to the hooded skeleton.


    "See? That wasn''t so dangerous in the end, was it? To congratulate you for your courage and your curiosity, I''m going to give you this.I'' sure it will come in handy. But you''re weak now. Run to Fattumy and buy me a beer. If you don''t know who Fattumy is, he is the owner of the Tavern. In exchange, I''ll give you back all the energy you''ve lost."


    "Fine."


    After bidding farewell to the alcoholic Chafer, the young Masqueraider hurried northwest towards the tavern. Upon arriving, he recalled a small quest he was supposed to do. He had to get a few buckets of water for Cripeled Nhin to use for his crafting. He remembered that he just received some buckets earlier after completing a quest so the young Masqueraider hurried towards the well by the tavern and drew some refreshing well water. Then, he carried the buckets towards the Enutrof standing by his merchandise.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Sorry I''m late. Here''s the buckets of water you requested." Kryse replied as he handed the buckets of water to Cripeled Nhin.


    "Thank you! You can put them down just here. Perhaps you found the task a little banal, but supplies are at the heart of an artisan''s work. After all, no resources meant no results."


    "That''s true. So, about this profession you speak of...?"


    "If you wan to become a harvester, speak to Foreman Ikure. He''s standing over there by the entrance of the tavern. He''ll be able to teach you the basics of the farmer, the fisherman, the alchemmist, and the lumberjack professions. After you gain some basic knowledge of the four basic professions, come back to see me and I''ll give you something to do."


    "Okay." Kryse replied as he walked towards Forman Ikure.


    Foreman Ikure was a bulky middle-aged Iop with thick dark orange moustache and sideburns. Old age had hit him pretty bad as he lost much of his hair and from what Kryse had heard - Iop warriors take pride in their rich and lush hair. Like all warriors, Foreman Ikure carried a sword.


    "Did my boss send you? He''s a bit stressed out but nice enough. What can I do for you?" Foreman Ikure asked as he saw the young Masqueraider approach him.


    "I heard Master Cripeled Nhin say I can get some basic know-how about the four basic professions - harvester, lumberjack, fisherman, and alchemist."


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, you''ve come to the right person. I show all our employees the basics. There''s a lot to be done on this farm. Tell me, what are you interested in?"


    Hmmm, I still have that quest for that piwi...maybe I should choose the farmer profession. Kryse mused as he wondered about the professions.


    Finally, after a few minutes, he decided on the profession to choose, "I''m interested in becoming a farmer."


    "Each society is reliant on a good basic agricultural system, and the farmers are responsible for looking after it." Foreman Ikure replied as he nodded in approval of the young Masqueraider''s decision. He continued, "Planting, harvesting, maintenance, and many other tasks all lie in the the farmers'' hands. Farming is a noble profession, which consists of both providing food for many people and looking after the earth. I''ll start by teaching you how to harvest cereals...do you want to learn?"


    "Yes I want to learn."


    And so, Foreman Ikure taught Kryse the basic knowledge of farming and harvesting cereals. After the lesson, the Iop told Kryse to go look for the boss Cripeled Nhin and see if he has any work for him to do. Before Kryse left, the young Masqueraider asked if Foreman Ikure knew anything about where he could get clothes for Reginator.


    "Oh? What happened to Reginator?" Foreman Ikure asked curiously.


    "He lost his clothes while bathing in the Canals." Kryse replied as he explained Reginator''s problem.


    "Hmph! That''s what happens when you go parading aorund in front of lassies! I can''t do anything about the set, but I can see very well that it''s out of the question for Incarnam to become a nudist camp. Hmm, for the clothes, I''d like you to find me the leaves of a Fragile Demonic Rose since the field roses'' leaves are a bit too fragile to use to make clothes for Reginator. Um...also, while you''re at it, go and visit Telma Faker and swap a Green Piwi feather for a vine string."


    "Leaves of Fragile Demonic Rose and...vine string. Is that it? Okay, I got it."


    After confirming the necessary materials, the young Masqueraider entered the Tavern. He walked up to the barkeeper - a large and fat dirty middle-aged Rogue with dark blue hair and white eyes.


    "I''d like to buy a beer." Kryse replied as he placed some Kamas on the counter.


    "A beer? Aren''t you too young to drink beer? Hmmm...you took Brett up on his offer of a chance of a lifetime, then?" The Rogue called Fattumy asked.


    "How did you know?"


    "Haha, it''s written all over your face. I know he wouldn''t dare come here and buy it himself. He''s run up a huge tab with me. Anyway, I don''t sell it anymore. I can sell you a glass of lemonade instead, for the modest sum of two Kamas that is. Brett should be happy enough with that, it''s got a sour wormy taste to it."


    "Um...sure, I''ll buy a glass." Kryse replied after some thought.


    After buying the lemonade, Kryse bid Fattumy farewell and exited the Tavern. He immediately headed back to the Cemetery once more. Upon arrival, he handed the glass of lemonade to Brett Ernal.


    "Lemonade?! Hmm....ok, give it here...." The hooded skeleton replied as he took a sip of the lemonade. "Hmm, it''s not bad, cold and bitter, with a little aftertaste of an open grave. Now I can concentrate fully on your case. Get ready, you''re about to get your strength back."


    Brett Ernal cast a few spells on Kryse, completely restoring his lost strength. After he finished, he gave a small warning, "Be careful when you''re in Amakna, you need to take a break at the inns once in a while and keep an eye out for potions to get your energy back."


    "Okay." Kryse replied.


    After the young Masqueraider finished completing the task that Brett Ernal gave him in order for him to get back his lost energy and regain his strength, he decided to head towards the Militia building in order to turn in his completed mission report. Upon arrival, Kryse handed his completion reports stating that he had successfully defeated two Prepubscent Chafers.


    "Well done! You''d make a fine Kerub! Do you want to enroll in the Elite services? We may have a position for you."


    "No, maybe next time."


    No? It''s a real shame. Ah well, let''s have a look at my reports. I may have another mission for you. Hmmm...it seems that''s it for missions now. You should come back later."


    "Alright."


    "Anyways, you''ve helped the militia enormously. Your service can be considered as complete now. Take these Kamas as a reward. You can go back and see Struk''tohr Nhin now, and tell him that you''ve proven yourself worthy of him, an ex-Kerub! May the winds of Incarnam blow dust into your enemies'' eyes!"


    "Thank you."


    "Oh, by the way, here''s a key to the Incarnam Dungeon. You''re now strong enough to try to enter it. I''ll show you where it is on the map but be careful. You''ll have more luck if you can get some help."


    "Okay, I got it." Kryse replied after the Kerub Captain handed him the dungeon key and showed the location of the dungeon to him on his map. Kryse decided to leave the Militia building and head towards Master Struk''tohr Nhin.

 Chapter 20: Finishing Some Side Quests

    "Master Struk''tohr Nhin! I''ve finished my training with the Kerubs." Kryse exclaimed as he waved towards his master.


    "So, how was it? Did you slaughter huge herds of beasts all thirsty for young blood? Did you quaff lemonade, clinking glasses with your comrades in arms? Did you suck up to the captain hoho?"


    "I''ve defeated many monsters such as Immature Larvae, Fragile Demonic Roses, Small Wild Sunflowers, Young Boars, Giant Daredevil Crabs, Frightened Evil Dandelions, and Chafers. I''ve talked with the hooded skeleton Brett Ernal about the matters of death and what comes after. I''ve even chosen a profession - farming."


    "Ah, if only I could re-enlist.... But no, young''uns are the way forward. Now that I know you''re a perfect fit to be a militiaman, I have a special mission for you. One of my ex-students has gotten a little headstrong, and I''d like for you to go teach him a lesson. Tone down his arrogance if you will. His name is Samash Nehofitt and you can find him at the northeast side of the island."


    "Alright master, I''ll go instill some reality to Samash Nehofitt." Kryse nodded as he bid farewell to his master Struk''tohr Nhin. Then, the young Masqueraider headed towards Master Yakasi who was standing by a tree not far from where Kryse was. Kryse walked up to Master Yakasi and explained about his encounter with Brett Ernal.


    "If you had agreed to take part in one of Brett''s experiments, you now know the risks an adventurer has to take in life. You will run into a fair few fights over the course of your long quest to find the Dofus! The twelve gods will be witnesses to your victories and your defeats.... There''s no doubt they will be paying close attention to your destiny. Perhaps you''d like to learn more about these divine entities?


    "Sure."


    "The gods were once in Incarnam. They left behind traces of their passage, relics which bear witness to their glory and their power. Explore the west of the island to discover the first of the remains, and read the stones...that is if you want to learn the stories that the disciples tell."


    "Okay."


    The young Masqueraider waved goodbye and headed northeast. After an hour of traveling, he found the Blue Piwi he took a quest from a few days ago. Kryse reached into his bag and grabbed out six Wheats and six Flax Flowers. He gave the harvested foodstuffs to the little blue monster who chirped away happily. After finishing the side quest, Kryse continued heading towards northeast. He planned to have a little chat with Samash Nehofitt about his headstrong attitude. Along the way, the young Masqueraider saw a young female Feca with three red wooden sticks pinned in her tied up hair. She wore a typical Feca outfit of blue and beige colors. By her side was a black scraggly cat...most likely her pet and companion.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Are you Telma Faker?" Kryse asked as he walked up to the Feca.


    "Yes. You are?" Telma asked as she peered at the young Masqueraider.


    "I heard that I can trade a Green Piwi feather for a piece of vine string."


    "That''s right! Welcome. You have the feather?"


    "Yes! Here it is."


    Kryse reached into his bag and pulled out a Green Piwi feather. He handed the feather to Telma who, in return, gave a piece of vine string to him. After the trade, Kryse headed south to the Tavern. After a few minutes, he arrived at the Tavern. Kryse handed the leaves of the Fragile Demonic Rose and the vine string to Foreman Ikure who went to his workshop immediately. After a while, he comes back with a set of clothings.


    "Here''s the clothes for Reginator. Tell him not to spend so much time with those lassies. I''m not going to help him a second time." Foreman Ikure replied as he handed the set of clothings to Kryse.


    Kryse grabbed the clothes and headed towards the Canals. When the young Masqueraider arrived, he placed the new clothes on the floor next to the bush Reginator was hiding in. "Here''s your new clothes."


    "Thanks. Here''s...um...a reward I guess." Reginator replied as he handed a Daredevil Crab pincer.


    "No problem...uh...thanks."


    "Okay. You may leave. I need to get dressed."


    "Alright."


    After completing the request given to him by Reginator, the young Masqueraider decided to continue the request he obtained from his master Struk''tohr Nhin. As he traveled northeast towards his destination, he caught a glimpse of an Osamodas. The Osamodas had white messy hair and red eyes. He had an arrowheaded tail and wore the typical Osamodas outfit except instead of blue and white, the outfit was red and white. He had a gray cloak and an arrogant attitude.


    "Hey!" Kryse shouted as he got the Osamodas''s attention. "Are you Samash Nehofitt by any chance?"


    "What''s this? A little slug crawling up to talk to me? ME! Bah! I don''t have time for this loser." Samash Nehofitt sneered.


    "How impertinent! You bastard better watch your mouth! I''ll fight you!"


    "You''re lucky you''re that weak. If you touched me, I would have sent you to the soul disco for wasting my time! I only fight with experienced adventurers. Go around Incarnam a few more times and one day you might earn the right to die by my hand."


    "Sounds like someone is scared to fight me!"


    "What did you say?! I''m not scared of you!"


    "Then, I challenge you to a fight!"


    "So you''ve come to challenge me just because you can cast a spell or two eh? Hahaha."


    "Shut up you mophead!"


    "What did you call me?"


    "Mophead! Look how ugly your hair is!"


    "That''s it! Let''s fight!" Samash Nehofitt vented as he charged towards the young Masqueraider and jump-kicked.

 Chapter 21: Teaching a Lesson

    Kryse skillfully dodge the kick from Samash Nehofitt and put on his Bling mask. As the Osamodas scrambled to his feet after the miss and launched another attack, the young Masqueraider teleported to behind Samash. With a kick to his butt, Kryse sent the arrogant bastard flying head first to the ground.


    "Hmph! Is this all you can do? You are so weak that you''re unfit to be arrogant." Kryse sneered at the grounded Osamodas.


    Samash Nehofitt picked himself up and grunted, "We shall see whether I''m fit to be arrogant or not!"


    After those words came out of Samash''s mouth, he suddenly summoned a group of Small Tofus, a few Gobballs, and a few Small Wild Sunflowers. As soon as the young Masqueraider saw this spectacle, he suddenly stopped...a cold sweat drop trickled down his spine. He forgot one very important thing...Osamodas members were summoners! They were expert tamers who have animals that fight by their side! This isn''t an one-on-one fight...it''s an unfair one-versus-group fight! If possible, the young Masqueraider wanted to avoid such a large confrontation. He knew that if he were to fight, he would have to experience a possible defeat. However, a battle will be unavoidable. This was, after all, the promise he had made with his master - Master Struk''tohr Nhin. The enemy necessary to complete his mission was right there. If he ran away, won''t he become the laughingstock of all Masqueraiders...no all of the World of Twelve? Besides, there was no way he will refuse such an opportunity.


    Kryse drew out his sword and shield and cautiously approached a nearby cluster of summoned monsters. Since the low-leveled monsters were all focused on him, he knew that he could not use the element of surprise and kill a number of the monsters. So, instead, he decided to use a more straightforward method to attack them before they could retaliate. He decided he should use a hit-and-run tactic where he charged in and kill a few before switching on his Bling mask and teleporting to a safe distance. He thought he would continue with this process until a manageable size was left. Kryse knew that Osamodas summoners depend more on their monsters to fight and that they themselves were pretty weak. So, Kryse knew that he could ignore the Osamodas summoner and focus more on the summoned monsters. After careful musings, he nodded in satisfaction and prepared to carry out his plan. As soon as Kryse approached the summoned monsters'' vicinity, they reacted and charged towards the young Masqueraider in retaliation.


    Kryse parried the attacks with his sword but the attacks overwhelmed him eventually, forcing him to retreat. Groups of ten Small Tofus flanked the young Masqueraider from all sides. They converged towards the young Masqueraider and pecked at him once they were in range. Kryse pulled out his Bling Mask and put it on. He could feel the power within him surging. The attacks of the low-leveled monsters all missed as he teleported to a safe distance far away from the monsters. The Small Tofus searched the area in surprise before giving up and went back to guarding their summoner. Kryse grimaced at the Osamodas summoner''s capabilities. He felt that he was on a terrible pace but he decided to continue with this method of fighting. With another teleport, he arrived somewhere near a group of Small Wild Sunflowers and slashed and kicked. Luckily, a number of his attacks landed and ten Small Wild Sunflowers were beaten to death. Then, he dodged the attacks by teleporting back to the safe place.


    While the Small Wild Sunflowers looked around trying to find Kryse, the young Masqueraider had teleported to behind Samash Nehofitt and switched his Bling mask with his Reinforcement mask. With a kick, he knocked the unlucky Osamodas summoner onto the ground and stunned him. With the summoner out of commission for the time being, the summoned monsters would have nobody to direct them. In short, they were sitting ducks...well...more clarified as disorganized ducks. After all, chaos breeds confusion...and confusion breeds defeat. Then, with a switch, Kryse took off his Reinforcement mask and placed his Bling mask back on. Nex, Kryse teleported back to the group of Small Tofu and attacked them a few times, killing some and wounding others. The young Masqueraider teleported once more towards the Small Wild Sunflowers and attacked them a few times. Kryse continued with this process for a while until the number of Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers were reduced by about one half. Kryse ignored the couple of Gobballs as they were much stronger and thus much more difficult to fight with.


    Anyways, Kryse teleported back to the location before the stunned Osamodas once more and like last time, he switched his Bling mask with his Reinforcement mask. With a kick, he knocked the recently awaken figure once more and sending him back into a stunned state. In addition, he also kicked the five Gobballs near the summoner away as well. With the summoner and the couple of Gobballs out of the ring, the young Masqueraider calmly stood there and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. Kryse stood there patiently as he waited for the the Small Tofus and the Small Wild Sunflowers to noticed him. As soon as they saw Kryse, they charged towards him and attacked. The first tackle from behind smashed into the back of his leg causing him to stumble backward. A Small Tofu tackled towards his head as soon as he fell down. With a sharp twist of his body, he was able to dodge that tackle. But, he had no time to rest as a Small Wild Sunflower smashed a thick vine into his chest. Kryse sprawled onto the ground and coughed out some spit. Ugh...the wind just got knocked out of him.


    The young Masqueraider needed to find a way to beat all of these summoned monsters and win. Kryse expertly flailed his sword and kicked his legs all around him, landing quite a few hits on the Small Tofus and the Small Wild Sunflowers and even one-hit instant killed a few of them as well. As the Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers continued to swarm towards him, one of his sword attacks and one of his kicks had managed to knock two Small Tofus away. Seeing an opening, Kryse dove out of the crowd of monsters and scrambled to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, he used Martelo and heel-kicked a few of the Small Wild Sunflowers, knocking them senseless and causing them to block the path of the monsters behind them. Then, he switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask and raised his legs in preparation. Next, he released a number of kicks right in front of him causing a plethora of air-type spears to smash into the faces of a number of surprised Small Tofus. In addition, with a couple of swings of his sword, he one-hit killed a group of low-leveled monsters who were smart enough to try and pincer attack him. As the other Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers reacted and converged towards him, he switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask and met the charge with a teleportation to behind the monsters. Kryse switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask and let loose a flurry of heel kicks, smashing into a couple of the Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers at the back of the charge, snapping their bodies inwards and killing them instantly.


    Suddenly, three of the attacking Small Wild Sunflowers successfully smashed into Kryse with their Brambles skill. The young Masqueraider jumped backwards, borrowing the force of the vine attacks of the three Small Wild Sunflowers. Although it hurts, he was able to gain some distance from the Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers. With a grimace, he gritted his teeth through the pain and switched his Martelo mask with his Picada mask. With this mask on, he felt that his feet could move really fast...he felt air-type magic circulating at his feet. With a grin, Kryse ran to the side of the charging summoned monsters. The low-leveled monsters were able to follow Kryse''s movements...but only their heads followed. Their bodies, however, were too slow to react and they all crashed into each other. As the heap of fallen Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers attempted to rise up, Kryse activated his Picada skill and kicked his leg out. A piercing spear of air soared out from his kick and smashed into the pile of monsters. A number of Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers screeched in pain before they collapsed, two bloody holes forming on each of their bodies - one in the front and one in the back.


    Even with all those kills, there were still about fifty Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers left - around half of each. Kryse sighed...at least he was getting the hang of it now. Even more fortunate, at least he wasn''t as injured as he had been a few fights earlier. Even though he was hurt a few times, the only problems were some aching as well as a few bruises and scratches. Thankfully, there wasn''t a lot of bleeding and no broken bones either. The results of his old method of attack that he used on groups of monsters earlier was clearly very efficient. He was like an Osamodas acting like an Ecaflip - a dragon acting like a cat. Anyways, he needed to finish this and move on to fighting the Gobballs and Samash Nehofitt who were still lying on the ground over there, stunned. Now that Kryse was in an easygoing situation, he was able to take all the necessary measures to save his face. Anyways, enough thinking...more action. Kryse roared as he switched to his Reinforcement mask and lunged towards the group of Small Tofus. With a couple of swipes, he knocked back ten Small Tofus. Not giving them time to recover, Kryse lunged forward and swiped again. He repeated this attack over and over until finally...the twenty-five Small Tofus were completely destroyed. Kryse could have continued to use Martelo instead but that was too taxing. That''s why he had used a less tiring and less damaging move. Not to mention, he needed to use a weaker skill more often in order to increase the skill''s fighting power. Kryse surveyed his surroundings. Twenty-five Small Wild Sunflowers left. Seeing half of their numbers dead, the low-leveled monsters did not needlessly charge in anymore. They cautiously edged closer towards the young Masqueraider. Suddenly two Small Wild Sunflower, vines at the ready, lunged forward, one aimed at his head and the other aimed at his legs. Playing it smart now eh? Didn''t know these creatures could think of a strategy like that without their summoner''s directions...must have been instinct. Kryse jumped forward and twisted his body sideways in order to thread through the two monsters.


    Kryse switched back to the Picada mask and fired two piercing air-type spears into the two lunging Small Wild Sunflowers. The two Small Wild Sunflowers collapsed in a bloody heap. Kryse turned towards the twenty-two Small Wild Sunflowers that were left and fired a couple of Picadas at the spread out crowd. Some of the attacks missed, but the ones that did hit, killed quite a few of the monsters. With ten Small Wild Sunflowers left, Kryse found that it would be too difficult to continue using the Picada skill especially with so much dodging space in between each Small Wild Sunflower. Thus, Kryse switched his Picada mask with his Bling mask. He teleported towards the monster farthest from the other monsters and kicked the monster up. The monster flew into the air before him and Kryse swung his sword at the monster, cutting it in half. Suddenly, he heard a few swishes behind him. Kryse turned around just in time to see a Small Wild Sunflower fly towards his face. Kryse brought up his sword at an angle and deflected the attack. The low-leveled monster bounced off of the sword and into the air. Kryse swung his sword up and beheaded the little monster. Two down...eight more to go.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Seeing everyone dead, the eight Small Wild Sunflower encircled the young Masqueraider and charged...it was all or nothing. As summoned monsters, they could not retreat. They must fight and give their lives up to save or protect their master''s life. However, all that killings had sparked something in Kryse. With his bloodlust increased to a new high, Kryse did not want to let a single one of the charging monsters go. They must die...they must all die! Kryse reached in his bag and grabbed the Reinforcement mask. Then, with the Reinforcement mask still in his left hand, he teleported to the back of one of the charging Small Wild Sunflower and switched his Bling mask with the Reinforcement mask. With a sweeping kick, Kryse knocked the surprised monster forward, stunning it. Then, Kryse switched back to the Bling mask and teleported to the back of another Small Wild Sunflower. He switched back to the Reinforcement mask and knocked the low-leveled monster forward as well. The young Masqueraider repeated these steps until all eight of the charging Small Wild Sunflowers laid stunned in a pile.


    Kryse teleported in front of the pile of eight Small Wild Sunflowers and switched his Bling mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks, Kryse smashed the heads of each of the eight monsters and killed them. After defeating all of the Small Wild Sunflowers, his bloodlust finally cooled down and he was able to calm down. Straightening up, the young Masqueraider checked his surroundings one more time to make sure all of the Small Tofus and Small Wild Sunflowers were dead. And they seemed to be dead. That''s good. The young Masqueraider, after surveying his damages, turned towards the Osamodas summoner...hm? What?! Where is Samash Nehofitt?! Did he run away? Kryse rushed towards the spot where the Osamodas summoner should have been. He looked around trying to search for any traces...until he found a set of footprints. He followed the footprint until he saw Samash Nehofitt waving at him in the distance.


    "Why are you all the way over there? Did you get scared or something?" Kryse sneered as he called out to the Osamodas summoner. "Hmm? Why are you waving at me for? There''s something to my left?"


    Suddenly, five Gobballs rushed out of a rustling bush and lunged towards Kryse from the right. An ambush! Shit! Kryse had forgotten about the five Gobballs. Good thing he didn''t actually fall for the simple trick and looked right instead. Kryse hefted up his shield and blocked the tackle of one of the Gobballs...or at least he tried to block it that is. Kryse had forgotten about the strength and power of the Gobballs. The Gobball smashed through Kryse''s shield block, but it didn''t stop there. The Gobball continued boring through and finally it crashed into Kryse''s chest. Kryse flew back and skidded on the ground, his chest ached and his ribs felt broken. The young Masqueraider grunted in pain as he checked his ribs to see exactly how serious the injury was...nope...thank Sadida...his ribs were only fractured, not shattered completely. But, even so, the ribcage area was swelling at an incredible pace. Kryse grimaced as he looked at the five Gobballs...hopefully everything will work out fine.


    Kryse scrambled to his feet just in time to dodge the attack from a second Gobball. He kicked out his leg at the big monster only to have his attack stopped by the monster''s tough hide. Damn it! One of the five Gobballs dashed towards him and attacked with its horns. Its sharp horns piercing towards his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and avoided a fatal wound. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on both of these giant monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer. The method had worked before, so he assumed that it will work again.


    Kryse approached a stunned Gobball and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks on Gobball''s legs, Kryse was able to mercilessly and fiercely crush two of the monster''s legs. The Gobball regained its senses and swung its horns at Kryse. The young Masqueraider immediately switched his Martelo mask with his Bling mask and teleported to the another Gobball. Switching his masks once again, Kryse put on the Martelo mask and began heel-kicking the stunned Gobball before it woke up from its stunned state. After a few more heel-kicks to the Gobball''s head and body, Kryse was able to smash the monster into pulp, killing it. Then, Kryse switched his Martelo mask with his Reinforcement mask and fiercely kicked the Gobball corpse away.


    Next, the young Masqueraider stood there and waited for the other stunned Gobballs to regain their senses and charge towards him as well as for the other wounded Gobball to limp into his attack range. As the four Gobballs converged to his position, Kryse casually switched from his Reinforcement mask to his Martelo mask and prepared a battle stance. Right as a charging Gobball approached within his attack range, Kryse heel-kicked the lumbering monster in the head. The huge beast staggered a bit before collapsing. Though alive, the monster was panting for air and squinting in pain. Quickly Kryse used Martelo once again, landing multiple hits to the body of the downed Gobball and killing it. Then, the young Masqueraider immediately switched to his Picada mask and kicked out his leg at the limping Gobball as it entered Kryse''s attack range. With each kick, an air-type spear shot forth and pierced through the limping Gobball''s body. Finally, the Gobball collapsed onto the ground and died from the severity of the wounds.


    Seeing the two dead Gobballs, Kryse gingerly stood his ground, wincing at the pain in his ribs, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. There were two more Gobballs left. The Gobballs charged towards the young Masqueraider and lunged towards him. Kryse hefted up his shield and blocked the tackle of one of the Gobballs...or at least he tried to block it that is. Kryse was unaware that his shield was too beaten up to withstand another attack. However, it seemed this was not the case for the shield shattered immediately after the Gobball collided with the shield. Fuck! There goes another shield. The Gobball continued boring through and finally it crashed into Kryse''s chest. Kryse flew back and skidded on the ground, his chest ached and his ribs felt broken. The young Masqueraider grunted in pain as he checked his ribs to see exactly how serious the injury was...yep...damn it...his ribs were definitely shattered. Kryse grimaced as he looked at the two Gobballs...hoping that he will survive through this ordeal.


    Kryse scrambled to his feet just in time to dodge the second Gobball. He kicked out his leg at the big monster only to have his attack stopped by the monster''s tough hide. Damn it! One of the two Gobballs dashed towards him and attacked with its horns. Its sharp horns piercing towards his throat. Kryse jerked his head to the side and felt his throat...thank Sadida he avoided a fatal wound. Kryse switched to his Reinforcement mask and knocked the monsters back in order to gain some breathing room. The young Masqueraider decided that he could not take on both of these giant monsters at the same time...not to mention, he did not want to run away after suffering from such humiliation. The only thing left to do now...was to try his best to separate them - divide and conquer. The method had worked before, so he assumed that it will work again.


    Kryse approached a stunned Gobball and switched his Reinforcement mask with his Martelo mask. With a flurry of heel-kicks on the Gobball''s legs, Kryse was able to mercilessly and fiercely crush two of the monster''s legs. The Gobball screamed in pain as it regained its senses and swung its head at Kryse in hopes of ramming the young Masqueraider away. The young Masqueraider immediately switched his Martelo mask with his Bling mask and teleported to the other Gobball. Switching his masks once again, Kryse put on the Martelo mask and began heel-kicking the Gobball before it woke up from its stunned state. After a few more heel-kicks to the Gobball, Kryse was able to smash one of the Gobball''s legs into pulp, completely severing the leg from the rest of its body. Then, Kryse switched his Martelo mask with his Reinforcement mask and fiercely kicked the Gobball away, stunning it once again.


    Then, the young Masqueraider stood there and waited for the stunned Gobball to regain its senses and limp towards him as well as for the other Gobball to limp towards his attack range. As the two giant and limping Gobballs converged to his position, Kryse casually switched from his Reinforcement mask to his Martelo mask and prepared a battle stance. Right as one of the limping Gobballs approached within his attack range, Kryse heel-kicked the lumbering monster in the head. The huge beast staggered a bit before collapsing. Though alive, the monster was panting for air and squealing in pain. Quickly Kryse used Martelo once again, landing multiple hits to the head and body of the Gobball, completely flattening it into a bloody and very dead pancake. Then, the young Masqueraider immediately switched to his Picada mask and kicked out his leg at the other limping Gobball as it entered Kryse''s attack range. With each kick, an air-type spear shot forth and pierced through each of the other limbs of the Gobball. However, one kick per limb wasn''t enough and so Kryse fired about ten more to each of the three limbs. Before long, the Gobball collapsed onto the ground, incapacitated.


    Seeing the incapacitated Gobball, Kryse gingerly laid on the floor, wincing at the pain in his ribs, his eyes blurry and heavy with tiredness. Slowly, he closed his eyes and began meditating. He needed to recover some fatigue quickly. After a while, Kryse rubbed his tired eyes awake before struggling to stand up. Kryse walked up to the dying Gobball and switched his Picada mask with his Martelo mask. With a large number of heel-kicks, he flattened the Gobball, finally killing it. After killing the last Gobball, Kryse looked at the Osamodas summoner in the distance. Samash Nehofitt had collapsed onto the ground, dazed. He could not believe that Kryse was able to not only survive through the fight, but also kill off his entire summoned monsters.


    "You psychopathic Masqueraider! Why did you have to kill my summoned monsters? Why?!" Samash Nehofitt wailed as he smashed at the floor. The stress of seeing his monsters'' state overwhelmed him and caused him to faint.


    Seeing the Osamodas summoner lose his will to fight, Kryse grunted before painfully heading back and report back to Master Struk''tohr Nhin.


    Upon arrival, Kryse detailed his fight with the vain Samash Nehofitt and about how he demolished the summoned Small Tofus, Small Wild Sunflowers, and Gobballs the Osamodas summoner had used to fight against him. The young Masqueraider ended the mission report with the unconscious state of the loser.


    "Great! It''s a pity for Samash Nehofitt''s summoned monsters, but it happens. I hope you''ll be able to retain your humility and not let your victories go to your head...otherwise you''re sure to lose it like the Osamodas summoner did." Struk''tohr Nhin replied after hearing the report.


    "I will be careful about it Master Struk''tohr Nhin."


    "That''s good to hear. Anyways, you have grown strong indeed. I believe it''s now time for you to venture into the most dangerous part of Incarnam. Head to the east and look for the passage which leads to the dungeon called Dunge Onmast''her. I believe you are ready for it. It''s best to form a party and fight but you can try it out alone if you think you''re good enough. Go forth and let me hear of your success. May Enutrof be with you!"


    "Thank you master! I will not let you down."

 Chapter 22: The Relics of Setsun and the Relics of Ryzsun

    After leaving his master once more, Kryse decided to first level up his skills some more before taking on the most dangerous area of Incarnam - the dungeon Dunge Onmast''her. The best way to gain some understanding of the world and of his capabilities was to visit each of the Relics of the gods. By visiting the leftover Relics, the young Masqueraider would be able to acquire some sliver of spiritual power from each of the gods...a blessing of experience one could say. The Relics of Setsun involved the relics left by the gods and goddesses - Xelor, Iop, Sadida, Eniripsa, Osamodas, Cra, and Sacrier. The Relics of Ryzsun involved the relics left by the gods and goddesses - Enutrof, Ecaflip, Pandawa, Feca, and Sram.


    And so, the young Masqueraider headed southwest to the first Relic. As he approached the Relic, he could make out its structure. It looked like a couple of thorny vines emerging from the ground. Kryse approached the glowing stone marker next to the Relic and placed his hand on it. Immediately, the glow on the stone marker intensified and a vision invaded his mind. This stone structure was the Relic of Sadida - Sadida''s Brambles. Legends have it that the petrified brambles that grow in the area were once guilty of terrible savagery - they had torn Incarnam''s only living puppet to shreds.


    Now how did such a being like a living puppet ever see the light of day? Most stories had agreed on one particular point...and that it was the god Sadida, who had spent a particularly alcohol-fuelled evening in the company of Pandawa and Ecaflip before going to foolishly and drunkenly dance under the full moon with one of the training scarecrows at the Kerub tower known as Militia. One dance with the Doll Master had led to some unexpected effects - they said that after this taste of the joys of moving, the training scarecrow left its job as at target so it could go on long, peaceful walks through Incarnam''s fields.


    However, no matter how fluid its movements were, the puppet lacked one thing: a soul. As the years passed by, the training scarecrow became dry, hard, and breakable. Its lovable character gave way to a sorrowful and jealous bitterness. It hated anything that had a soul. And through its hate, it started hitting out at anyone and everyone, seemingly taking great delight in doing to others as they had done to it in the past.


    One night, word of the puppet''s evil doings had reached Sadida''s ears. The god Sadida did not like how he was being associated with the puppet''s evil actions and decided to intervene. He had forgone one of his daily naps just to show up and surprise the puppet as it was preparing to conduct yet another misdeed. Sadida''s punishment was brutal - the Leafy God summoned the brambles, which tore the scarecrow to shreds. The clumps of hay and scraps of material were scattered by the wind to the four corners of Incarnam. As for the wooden mask, no one knows what became of it....


    This was Sadida''s Relic! As expected of a Masqueraider...to choose Sadida''s Relic first. Kryse reached over to the relic after reading about its history and touched the Relic. A surge of power rushed into his body, purifying him and increasing his power. Kryse felt very compatible with Sadida''s power flowing through him. He was after all a worshiper of the god Sadida. Suddenly, all of his masks save the Coward mask, the Classic mask, and the Psychopath mask shattered as their individual essences flowed out and rushed into the young Masqueraider. The skills that each mask gave wasn''t lost but instead, retained in the essences that had fused with Kryse''s body. This allowed him to use his skills without physically switching his masks. The young Masqueraider clenched his fists and felt the internal power flowing within him. Kryse shivered as he thought about the power boost he would be able to obtain from the rest of the Relics.


    Next, the young Masqueraider looked at his map and noted that the next Relic was further southwest from his position. After crossing the bridge to a small island, Kryse stopped in front of a corked flask-like structure. Like the last Relic, next to the stone structure was a glowing stone marker. Kryse approached the stone maker and placed his hand on it. With a flash, more visions pervaded his mind. This stone structure was the Relic - Eniripsa''s Flask. According to the visions provided by the marker, a long time ago, when Incarnam was still considered a young dimension, Enutrof spent his days lounging on a pile of gold at the edge of the celestial archipelago. Light from the solar star above glinted off his scales and off the precious metals all around him, filling him with a sort of lazy happiness.


    On one sunny day, however, the Miser''s nap was interrupted...there was an insistent clamor sailing across the Krosmoz...prayers to be exact. However, these prayers were not directed towards Enutrof...they were calling out fervently for Eniripsa, the Divine Practitioner. Young souls in distress were begging the goddess for help. Flying to her disciples'' aid, the Miracle Fairy appeared with grace and light. At her side hung a flask filled with an elixier which shone like a thousand iridescent fireflies. The Miser''s eyes were captivated by the glow of the flask, which caused an irrepressible desire to surge within him...he must add this valuable crystalline flask to his collection of treasures!


    Enutrof began to offer a handful of gold pieces minted with his special mark in exchange for the flask, but the goddess Eniripsa refused. Enutrof offered the power to talk to stones and to understand their grainy replies, but Eniripsa still refused. Not giving up, Enutrof offered the goddess a procession of souls which would pay homage to Eniripsa until the end of time...but still no luck. Finally, Enutrof offered the goddess a river of diamonds, a mine of silver, and a mountain of rubies...but she still refused.


    Lingering on the flask that he could not obtain, the Miser lost all appetite as he pined away with longing. The Miser stopped sleeping and couldn''t think straight. He was consumed with greed, his scales grew dull, and soon he was but a shadow of his former self. But all that changed when the benevolent goddess placed the flask in the clawed hands of Enutrof. By drinking the contents of the flask, he would be able to restore himself to his former appearance and glory.


    "So that''s how it was. The gift was not the flask itself but what was in the flask. Soothing the pain that Enutrof had done onto himself was the goddess Eniripsa''s greatest gift...and there''s no price to put on such a precious treasure." Kryse muttered as he understood the meaning of the vision.


    The young Masqueraider put his hand on the stone flask and felt a healing power surge with him. This! His strength increased overall and he was even able to learn a new skill - Retention! This skill allowed him to heal himself from attacks. What a wondrous ability to gain! With a smile, Kryse headed south to the next Relic - Sacrier''s Spikes. After a few minutes of traveling, he saw three large spikes protruding from the ground. The young Masqueraider touched the glowing stone marker and peered in the memories of the Relic.


    A long, long time ago, the celestial archipelago of Incarnam was ruled by what was known as a perfect harmony. Such bliss, however, greatly annoyed the devilish creatures that haunted the infernal dimension - Shustuft Crust. The jealous and annoyed demons prepared for an invasion, hoping to create a bit of disorder in the peaceful dimension. On one quiet night, they unleashed themselves on Incarnam and started to wreak chaos everywhere. They gobbled up all of the Gobballs, pulled the girls'' hair, and stole the candy from babies'' mouths. They let off a multitude of putrid gases also known as "farts" and laughed at the hilarity of the situation. They urinated on the tavern walls and in the customers'' pints. Thousands of people suffered at the hands of the demons.


    The young souls'' cries reached the ears of the goddess Sacrier. The Scarlet Lady''s blood began to boil in anger...she ran all the way to Incarnam to allow her vengeful anger flow free against the demons. At the goddess''s will, the earth covered itself with jagged spikes and razor-sharp stones. It was as if the spine of the stone dragon who supports the archipeloago was standing on end to chase off the intruders. Soon, there was nowhere for the demons to put their feet, paws, or hooves down without feeling a thousand shots of pain. Incarnam had become just as inhospitable as the Shustuft Crust! With that acknowledgement, they decided to head home. Thanks to the goddess Sacrier''s intervention, the archipelago was once again a calm and peaceful place...but its original harmony had been lost forever. Today, some of these rocky spikes still stick up from the ground like pale thorns...silent witnesses to the great disaster that once shook the grounds in Incarnam.


    Kryse reached over and touched the tallest spike. Power surged in him and he felt the essence of Tortoruga within him increase...thus resulting in a boost in the attack power of his Tortoruga skill. Kryse grinned at his luck. He had not used his Tortoruga skill as often as he want in order to increase the power of the skill. That''s why this direct increase of his Tortoruga skill was considered as a major boon for him. He hoped that the other Relics would also increase his skill power. With high hopes, the young Masqueraider headed southeast to the next Relic. Upon arriving, he saw three stone structures in the shape of the tails of an Osamodas...could this be a relic left behind by the god Osamodas?! Kryse hurriedly place his hand on the glowing stone marker next to the stone structure and...brightness.


    These three stone structures were the Relic - Osamodas''s Forked Tails. Legends has it that there was a time when an Iop dragon hunter travelled throughout Incarnam. Armed with a seven foot long sword and wearing a helmet that blocked both his view and his common sense, he claimed that he was a descendant of the late Rykke Errel even though everyone assured him that the legendary paladin died without continuing his line. The Iop dragon hunter set upon himself to eradicate anything scaly that happened to cross his path...even the Gudgeons weren''t safe from his irrational persecution.


    That being said...on one foggy night, the hunter ran into a dragon. Was it a real dragon or was it just some overgrown reptile? No one knows. The Iop stumbled across the creature when it was asleep. Following the advice from only his relative courage and illogical thought process, the Iop dragon hunter decided to slay it. But the beast woke up from its slumber and dodged the attack. Nevertheless, though the beast dodged a fatal move, the attack cut clean through its multiple forked tails. Since bad things always come in pairs, it turned out that the monster was actually a favorite pet of the god Osamodas. The angered Chief Conspirator didn''t waste any time showing up to the scene of the attack. He immediately punished the attacker, turning the Iop dragon hunter into an unfortunate and trembling larva. Then, Osamodas picked up the larva and swallowed him whole.


    Kryse shuddered at the thought and made a mental note to himself to not arrogantly and ignorantly attack dragons for fear of incurring the wrath of the god Osamodas like the Iop dragon hunter had done. After Kryse placed his hand on the stone structures, he felt a sensation to the Classic mask in his possession. The sensation helped boost the power capabilities and skills of his Classic mask. After receiving the power boost, the young Masqueraider headed northeast to the next Relic.


    After an hour of running across the celestial archipelago, Kryse arrived at the next Relic - three stone skull-like totems. He placed his hand next to the stone marker and peered into the leftover memories. This stone structure was the Relic known as Sram''s Skulls. An old tale tells the story of three brothers who were incarnated on the sacred lands of the celestial archipelago. Their souls were as black as coal, and their intentions blacker still - more like that of a Bwork''s underpants. They pilfered the young, innocent souls and filled their pockets with plunder, paying no heed to authority. The Kerubs tried to arrest them, but the three highwaymen were experts in dishonesty and disguise.


    One day, when they were prowling around in the south of Incarnam, they spotted two easy targets - an old man who was taking a rest at the edge of the Canals and a frail being who seemed to be all skin and bones and was clothed in a dark cloak. Between the two of them, there sat a chest with its lid open just enough to show that there was something golden sparkling inside. The three brothers along with their group of bandits attacked all at once, greedy and anxious to get their hands on whatever was in the chest. Unfortunately for them, their targets were none other than Sram and Enutrof, who had stopped off in Incarnam to recruit new disciples.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Needless to say, the three never-do-gooders were killed almost instantly. All of their accomplices were transformed into Chafers, as a warning to other lost souls. Sram himself placed three ghoulish stones to remind passerbys of the three highwaymen''s fate..


    Kryse placed his hand on the stone structures and felt the power of his Psychopath mask increase significantly. Then, he ran northwest to the next Relic which turned out to be Pandawa''s Tankard! Placing his hand on the stone marker next to the Relic, the young Masqueraider peered into the story of the goddess Pandawa''s tankard.


    At the Incarnam tavern, people may know that the landlord would offer a drink to any passing souls. Some clients were surprised when they discovered that the landlord doesn''t serve beer. The reason for this was simple - his barrels have been condemned to emptiness since the Bamboo Lady visited his establishment!


    On one hot summer''s day, Pandawa herself entered the pub, much to the owner''s surprise. The goddess approached the bar with an unsteady gait and ordered "beer until my thirst is quenched" while holding out an enormous tankard. Once she''d gulped down all the beer in the barrel in just a few chugs, Pandawa ordered the landlord to serve her everything he had in his cellar. Astounded by the turn of events, the owner reluctantly agreed. Once the stocks had been emptied, the goddess decided to drain the future reserves as well. She drank all the beer that was supposed to be served to his clients for the next thousand years. However, her thirst was only temporarily quenched. Pandawa burped loudly and thanked the dumbfounded inkeeper. Then, the goddess left just as she had come - zigzagging through the entrance. She left her tankard behind her...and since that day, the only drinks served in the Incarnam tavern were lemonade and Mimilk.


    So that''s why Fattumy only had lemonade.... Kryse thought. The young Masqueraider walked to the stone tankard and placed his hand on the it. He felt the power of his Coward mask increase significantly. Then, he ran to the east to visit the Relic - Enutrof''s Pick - that looked like a large and half-buried stone pick. Kryse touched the stone marker next to the Relic and watched the vision that unfolded in his mind.


    Enutrof''s Pick was a spot in Incarnam where all Enutrofs like to pray and it was sometimes dubbed the Rock of Fortune. It was here that the god with the golden scales was thought to have buried a small part of his fortune with his pick, as suggested by the presence of the divine tool. Everyone knew that the great Miser had managed to accumulate limitless wealth throughout his lifetime and a small part of that wealth would be more than enough to make any mortal rich for the rest of his or her days. The pilgrims and their talent with a pick were proof of these high hopes.


    It was said that the particularly tenacious Enutrof dug so deep into the ground, he went from one side of Incarnam to the other. Once he''d arrived at the tail of the stone dragon that held the celestial archipelago, he fell through the Krosmoz and finally landed in the World of Twelve. Once down there, he shook the dust from his beard and continued on digging. Some miners claimed that this odd character was behind all the galleries that link the mines of the world. At certain times of the year, when the ground stops cracking, one can even hear the metallic sounds of the god Enutrof''s shovel and pick rising up from the depths.


    After the vision, Kryse walked up to the stone pick and placed his hand on the Relic. He could feel the power of his Reinforcement skill increase significantly. After receiving the power, the young Masqueraider ran to the north to visit the Relic - Feca''s Staff and Shield - that looked like a large and half-buried stone staff and shield. Kryse touched the stone marker next to the Relic and watched the vision that unfolded in his mind.


    Once upon a time, there was an artist who lived in Incarnam. One day, as he was sketching the clouds around the celestial archipelago, the goddess Feca passed by. Curious, she looked over the painter''s shoulder and complimented on his work.


    "I really like your work. Could you draw me a Gobball, please? I''ll frame it and hang it above the door of my divine sheep barn." Feca asked the painter.


    Now painting animals wasn''t really the artist''s speciality since he preferred still lives and pastoral landscapes, but since he didn''t want to upset Feca, he did as she requested. The goddess studied the resulting painting carefully and told the painter that his Gobball looked very ill and that it won''t possibly survive the winter. Thus, she asked the painter to draw her another one. When the artist drew another painting of a Gobball, the fickle goddess complimented about how the picture was not of a Gobball but of a Mastogob as indicated by the huge tusks.


    Once again, the artist redrew his drawing and showed it to the goddess. But just like the others, the goddess didn''t approve of the drawing. "That one''s even older than an Enutrof. I want a Gobball with a long life ahead of him."


    Finally, the artist was nearing his patience. He scribbled one last drawing and handed it to the goddess. "That''s a box...the Gobball that you want is hiding inside it."


    Naturally, the rude artist was soon beaten up by the goddess. There were no details of what had become of the painter after the beatings but it was known that Feca was so angry that when she stormed back to Ingloriom, she had forgotten to take back the staff and shield she had placed on the ground. However, some claimed that she had set her staff and shield there intentionally as a warning to the others on the consequences of impoliteness and impatience.


    Kryse shuddered at the thought of the times he was impolite. Hopefully, he will take this vision as a lesson to not be so impolite and impatient in the future. After the vision, the young Masqueraider walked up to the Relic and placed his hand on the stone Relic feeling the power of his basic attack and blocking ability increase significantly. After the increase in power finished surging through his body, the young Masqueraider ran to the northwest to visit the Relic - Ecaflip''s Die - that looked like a large stone dice. When he approached the Relic, Kryse touched the stone marker next to the Relic and watched the vision that unfolded in his mind.


    Chance, luck, karma, or destiny - Ecaflip ruled over all these mysteries. Inside his chambers in Ingloriom, the King of Fortune spent his time on strange games, placing completely reckless bets and challenging the other gods to tournaments with lengthy, complicated rules. Legends said that one evening, when the divine nectar had been flowing freely, Ecaflip started a long game of cards with the Big Foamy Bear - the goddess Pandawa. There wasn''t just any old thing at stake...the loser would have to complete a task of the winner''s choosing. For beings with godly powers, a favor was an invaluable thing, worth far more than mere jewels or precious items. The game was nearing its end and the two adversaries were neck and neck. The last leg would decide everything.


    Once the cards had been dealt out, Ecaflip and Pandawa examined their hands, their faces remaining expressionless. Then, the goddess laid her cards out on the table, revealing three identical cards - queens. Ecaflip smoothed his whiskers, appearing to hesitate. He rolled a die, murmuring "evens I lose, odds she wins." The die rolled off the table and disappeared in the thick curls of smoke shrouding the room. Ecaflip''s face was impassive for a moment and then he announced that he had lost. He threw his cards up in the air. A five of clubs and a two of spades landed face up on the table, but the other three cards vanished. However, no one knows for sure. Did the Big Tease really lose the game that night? The only people who can answer that question were those who had found the missing cards....


    "Evens I lose...odds she wins...doesn''t that mean whether or not it''s even or odd, Pandawa still wins?" Kryse muttered as he peered at the stone Relic. "But it seemed the dice had landed on an edge so that neither even or odd was showing. This meant Ecaflip won...but why did he gave up his victory? Could it be...Ecaflip had a crush on Pandawa huhu."


    A loud thunderclap caused the grinning young Masqueraider to wipe the smile on his face off. Kryse prayed and apologized as he placed his hand on the stone dice and felt the an significant increase in his Chance and Luck. He felt that he could find himself in more favorable situations from now on. With a satisfied smile, he ran to the northwest to visit the Relic - Cra''s Api - that looked like a large and half-buried stone Api fruit with a large stone arrow protruded in it and three large stone arrows sticking out from the ground around it. Kryse neared the stone Relic and touched the stone marker next to the Relic. An intense light flashed before his eyes as a vision unfolded in his mind.


    One day, as she walked through the forest of Incarnam with a young soul, the Great Huntress heard a thunderous voice calling her name. The god Iop rose up from nowhere amidst the trees. He was on his way back from battle and seemed in a belligerent mood...as usual. He proposed a friendly fight, the winner of which would earn the unconditional devotion of the soul who was walking with the goddess. Cra had no desire at all to test her strength against this brute, whose stench of blood and sweat was unnerving to say the very least. All the same, she wasn''t one to turn down a challenge. She picked up an Api fruit which had fallen from a tree and asked Iop to put it anywhere he liked. If the goddess managed to hit the Api with an arrow, she would win the young soul''s devotion.


    However, Iop knew how accurately Cra could handle her bow. So, he decided to complicate matters a bit by placing the Api on the young soul''s head, thus testing her courage. If the arrow missed its target, the young soul would be reborn as a disciple of Iop. The bearded god took up position on a little island right at the north of Incarnam, which was where he placed the Api on the young soul''s head. When Iop notified Cra that he was ready, the eagle-eyed goddess then shot four arrows all at once, one for each of Incarnam''s winds. Naturally the goddess won as shown by the stone Relic.


    Finishing watching the vision, the young Masqueraider walked up to the Relic and placed his hand on the stone Api. He felt the surge of power and speed as his Picada skill increased significantly. Then, he ran to the east to visit the Relic - Iop''s Sword - that looked like a large and half-buried stone sword. Upon arrival, Kryse touched the stone marker next to the Relic and watched the vision that unfolded in his mind.


    Legends has it that on one dark night, as the winds of the Krosmoz blew ferociously, a horde of demons escaped from the infernal dimension to invade the celestial archipelago of Incarnam. The god Iop, who had never miss an opportunity to smash some skulls together, left his fortress in Ingloriom to put a stop to this unacceptable intrusion.


    The Lord of the Brave stood alone against the demon army. He whipped, sliced, crushed, and skewered the diabolical creatures into tiny little pieces and then smashed and bashed them into pulp, all with a disconcerting ease. The battle wasn''t fair at all! Wanting to get rid of his boredom and give his enemies at least a bit of chance, Iop threw his sword to the ground. But this action didn''t produce the desired effect - faced with such a demonstration of force, the demons fled without pausing to pick up their wounded. Iop was so disappointed that he returned to Ingloriom without even bothering to pick his sword up. The weapon remained wedged in the earth of Incarnam and has become a symbol of courage to all the wandering young souls that pass by it.


    Kryse placed his hand on the stone sword and felt the power of his Martelo skill increase significantly. Then, he ran to the southwest to visit the last Relic - Xelor''s Sandglass - that looked like a large and half-buried stone sandglass. Kryse touched the stone marker next to the Relic and watched the vision that unfolded in his mind.


    Xelor may well be the Master of Time, but that doesn''t mean he can take as much of it as he liked. That''s why he hated to waste it. So, imagine his surprise when, as a mortal, he noticed that one of his precious sandglasses was missing! One might have thought it had been borrowed, or worse...stolen by some dishonest scamp. A passing guest, perhaps? Unless it was another dodgy trick by Sram...but the truth was something else altogether. Xelor knew the real truth...he was a god after all. You see, time wasn''t just a greedy player like Enutrof, who wins all his hands the same way Ecaflip does. No, time also had a bad habit of running away from you if you don''t keep your eye on it. The Great Timekeeper searched the Krosmoz far and wide until he finally found his missing sandglass in Incarnam. He was just getting ready to go and get it when he changed his mind. He decided it might not be a bad idea to remind the young souls in Incarnam that time stopped for no man.


    After the vision, the young Masqueraider placed his hand on the stone sandglass and felt the power of his Bling skill increase significantly. Finished with all twelve relics left by the twelve gods and goddesses, Kryse headed back to talk with Master Yakasi. Upon arrival, the young Masqueraider waved towards Master Yakasi and told him that he had completed his request and looked through all twelve of the Relics.


    "Good, now you''re more acquainted with all of the divinities who rule the World of Twelve. The stories spred by the disciples of the gods and goddesses might only be fables designed to please the devout worshipers, but the legends of the World of Twelve can be considered as your best guides in your search for the Dofus. Knowing how to read between the lines will enable you to see events in a more unbiased light...and will, therefore, help you make the right choices for your own destiny." Master Yakasi replied after he found out Kryse had finished viewing the twelve Relics of Incarnam.


    "Thank you Master Yakasi for your teachings." Kryse bowed. After he had bid farewell to the eagle beastman, the young Masqueraider decided that with his new experience and boost in power, it was now time for him to take on the dungeon - Dunge Onmast''her.

 Chapter 23: Dungeon of Dunge Onmasther

    After buying a new and sturdy sword as well as a metal shield, Kryse hurried towards the dungeon. On the way, he stopped by the second Fountain of Youth and stored eleven vials of miracle water. Hopefully, eleven vials were enough for him to take on the dungeon by himself. Upon arriving at the entrance of the stairs that descended down to the dungeon below, Kryse caught a glimpse of a struggling adventurer expending all of his efforts to climb out of the dungeon.


    "Friend, are you okay?" Kryse asked the adventurer who turned out to be a Feca warrior.


    "Uugghhghh...." The Feca groaned as he collapsed onto the floor.


    Kryse hurriedly picked the Feca up and fed him a vial of miracle water. Immediately, the miracle water got to work as the wounds of the Feca warrior gradually disappeared and color soon appeared on the Feca''s pale face. When the Feca adventurer woke up, he immediately thanked the young Masqueraider for his timely help.


    "How''s the situation down there? Do you know what was the boss of the dungeon? What monster it was?" Kryse asked curiously.


    "Yes. It was tough. I should have brought more health potions." The Feca warrior grimaced. "The boss monster at the end of the dungeon was a Snoowolf - a powerful Ecaflip with berserker abilities. You need to be careful, especially of its putrid scent that could cause you to feel dizzy and lose concentration."


    "How many floors are there in Dunge Onmast''her?"


    "Huh? Dunge Onmast''her? That''s not the name of the dungeon. Dunge Onmast''her is the name of the Keeper of the dungeon, which is called Kardorim''s Crypt."


    "Is that so? Thanks for the heads up."


    "No problem. Anyways, there are four floors. The easiest monsters to fight at the first floor and it gets increasingly harder as you proceed down each floor."


    "I see. Well, enough dilly-dallying, the sooner I take on this challenge, the better."


    "Be careful."


    "Thanks, I will."


    With a goodbye, the Feca warrior left the vicinity while Kryse descended down the stairs of the dungeon. Upon arriving at the end of the long stairway, Kryse saw a figure in the distance by the gate to the first floor of the dungeon. This must be Dunge Onmast''her. As Kryse neared the figure, he was able to make out the figure''s appearance. Dunge Onmast''her was a Feca warrior with green and red clothings, a large blue strawhat, and a grayish blue cloak. He had purple hair and green eyes. As soon as the Feca warrior heard Kryse approaching, he looked up and stared at the young Masqueraider.


    "Well look what we have here? A puny little adventurer...I bet you couldn''t even imagine what''s waiting for you at the end of the passage, right?" The Feca warrior sneered.


    "Master Struk''tohr Nhin told me about this dungeon." Kryse answered much to the disappointment of the Feca warrior. It seemed as if he had wanted to explain what the dungeon had to offer to new challengers.


    "Struk''tohr Nhin had explored this place thousands of times. He knows this place like the back of his hand. However, if he thinks that any adventurer worth his salt can conquer the beast lying in wait among the lowest clouds of Incarnam, then he will be sorry."


    "Don''t worry, I''m ready for the challenge."


    "So be it. I''ll ask you again, then. Do you know what''s waiting for you at the end of the passage?"


    "Uh...glory and fortune?"


    "Well, don''t waste your energy. No matter what you say, my answers are always the same. And, as always, I''m going to have to explain what really goes on in these caverns'' deep, dark bowels. There are monsters, lots of them. But you probably guessed that. Most importantly, at the end of the gauntlet you''ll find their leader. An unscruplous beast capable of ripping even the strongest adventurers to shreds. So, that''s you warned. If you want to go on, just stand on one of the slabs and that''ll open up the passage."


    "What about treasure? Is there any good things in there?"


    "Oh, you betcha there''s some good stuff in there. You bet. Next time you see me, if there is a next time that is, I''ll be giving you a big reward for getting through the worst hellpit ever. I only give it out once though."


    "Fine. Fair enough. Let me enter! My adventure awaits!"


    "Oh, one last thing. I was here before you. So, you should know that I''ll only let you through if you have the key. If you don''t have it, try to find it on the creatures that live in Incarnam...or go and speak to Naiz Keeholder, who might agree to help you. Last I recall, she lived in the middle of the Canals."


    "Don''t worry. I have a key."


    "Great! Well, please enter here and may the gods be with you always."


    With that, Kryse handed the key over and entered the dungeon. After walking down the corridor for a few moments, the young Masqueraider arrived at the first room. At the end of the room, near the entrance to the second floor, a group of monsters clustered together and blocked the entrance. There was a Vulnerable Mush Mush - a red mushroom-type monster, a Small Tofu - a round yellow bird-type monster, a Fearful Moskito - a red and black bug-type monster with a long sucker, and a Young Arachnee - a fanged and six-legged spider-type monster. All four of these monsters could be considered low-leveled and easy to deal with.


    Kryse drew out his sword and shield and equipped his Classic mask. He approached the four monsters slowly, allowing the monsters to notice him first and charge towards him. After learning about the twelve divinities of the world and imbuing some of their powers, Kryse had become stronger...immensely stronger than what he had been before. He knew that the four monsters before him could pose no threat to him whatsoever. As the monsters charged in, Kryse began rushing in too. This sudden charge by the young Masqueraider had also surprised the charging monsters. They had not expected such a move. As they confusingly paused for a moment, that moment became a fatal moment. Taking advantage of the pause, Kryse swung his shield and bashed the small tofu back. Then, he slashed down with his sword and sliced the Vulnerable Mush Mush in half. It was a good thing he had spent some extra Kamas to buy a good sword.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    With the Vulnerable Mush Mush killed, Kryse quickly moved on towards the other three monsters. The Fearful Moskito charged in with a Bite attack only to miss as Kryse dodged the attack with a high jump. The young Masqueraider brought his foot forward as he descended and smashed a crushing kick at the Fearful Moskito. With a Martelo attack, the Fearful Moskito died, its head crushed into pulp.


    *THUD!*


    Kryse tumbled to the floor, dazed. Recovering quickly, he scrambled to his feet and scanned around to see what had smashed into him. Turned out it was the Small Tofu! It had taken advantage of Kryse attention being focused elsewhere and sneakily tackled him from behind. Cursed bugger! Although the attack didn''t do much damage, it had still hurt the young Masqueraider''s pride. With a Bling, Kryse appeared behind the surprised Small Tofu and used Martelo against the small bird.


    "Hmph! Attacking me from behind...how do you like a taste of your own medicine!" Kryse angrily snorted as his heel-kick connected and consequently killed the small bird-type monster.


    All that''s left was the Young Arachnee...but where did it go? Out of the blue, Kryse felt a weight on his back and a painful sting on his shoulders. The young Masqueraider swiped at his back and knocked something substantial away. Kryse turned around to see who it was and found a dazed Young Arachnee. Good thing Young Arachnees weren''t poisoned. But anyways, Kryse walked up to the unconscious monster and pierced it to death with his sword. Finished with the monsters of the first floor, Kryse hastily descended to the second floor.


    The second floor looked exactly like the first floor. However, the strength of the monsters were vastly different. Like the first floor, there were four monsters guarding the stairs to the third floor. However, the monsters this time were Little Gobball - a wooly, horned sheep-type monster, Fragile Demonic Rose - a red rose-type monster, Small Wild Sunflower - a sunflower-type monster, and Daredevil Crab - a greenish-blue crab-type monster. Although the overall strength of these four monsters were three...no, four times stronger than the monsters on the first floor, they were still easy to deal with.


    Wanting to end the fight quickly and save energy for the final boss, Kryse teleported in front of an unsuspecting Little Gobball and used Reinforcement on the monster. The Little Gobball flew into a wall and collapsed onto the ground, stunned. Not waiting for the monster to regain its senses, Kryse teleported to where the Little Gobball collapsed at and fiercely stabbed the monster a couple of times with his sword. Suddenly, a rustling sound could be heard from behind him. As if by instinct, Kryse turned around and brought his shield up just in time to deflect a vine attack that had emerged from the ground a few feet away. This was the Brambles skill of the Small Wild Sunflower.


    "Since you had attacked me...then it must be polite of me to return the favor." Kryse snarled as he teleported behind the Small Wild Sunflower and sliced with his sword.


    The sunflower-type monster somehow dodged the fatal attack but it was unable to react to the young Masqueraider''s next set of Martelos. Crushed to pulp, the Small Wild Sunflower met its end. As Kryse prepared to attack the Daredevil Crab to his right, he suddenly stumbled. As he steadied himself, he realized that he had been poisoned. Poison...that was the Fragile Demonic Rose''s specialty. Dammit! He knew he should have dealt with the Fragile Demonic Rose first. Kryse reached into his bag and pulled out a vial of miracle water and downed the contents. With the poison dispelled and his health recovered, Kryse teleported in front of the Fragile Demonic Rose. The surprised monster instinctively attacked with a slap but its attack was repelled. Kryse kicked forward with his Reinforcement skill and stunned the Fragile Demonic Rose. With a Picada, Kryse pierced the defenseless body of the rose-type monster, ending its life.


    Finally, there was the Daredevil Crab left. Kryse charged forward and smashed his shield into the Daredevil Crab. The force of the charge knocked the Daredevil Crab flying into the air. Without giving it a chance to fall down, the young Masqueraider teleported before the Daredevil Crab and slashed his sword upwards. The Daredevil Crab died from the slash, its tough shell cut cleanly in half. With the monsters of the second floor cleared, Kryse decided to continue forward and descend to the depths of the third floor.


    The third floor looked exactly like the first and the second floors. However, the strength of the monsters were vastly different. Like the first floor, there were four monsters guarding the stairs to the final floor. However, the monsters this time were a Young Boar - a furry brown boar with huge tusks, a Immature Orange Larva - an orange larva with fangs, a Small Gobball Warchief - a large, wooly and massive horned sheep-type monster, and Prepubscent Chafer - a skeleton-type monster. Although the overall strength of these four monsters were three...no, four times stronger than the monsters on the second floor, they were still relatively easy to deal with.


    Wanting to end the fight quickly and save energy for the final boss, Kryse teleported in front of an unsuspecting Immature Orange Larva and used Reinforcement on the monster. The Immature Orange Larva flew into a wall and collapsed onto the ground, stunned. Not waiting for the monster to regain its senses, Kryse teleported to where the Immature Orange Larva collapsed at and fiercely stabbed the monster a couple of times with his sword. Suddenly, a rustling sound could be heard from behind him. As if by instinct, Kryse turned around and brought his shield up just in time to deflect a sword attack that had appeared from his blindspot. This was the Chafer Slash skill of the Prepubscent Chafer.


    "Since you had attacked me...then it must be polite of me to return the favor." Kryse snarled as he teleported behind the Prepubscent Chafer and kicked using Martelo.


    The skeleton-type monster somehow dodged the fatal attack but it was unable to react to the young Masqueraider''s next set of Martelos. Crushed to pulp, the Prepubscent Chafer met its end. As Kryse prepared to attack the Young Boar to his right, he suddenly crashed into the floor as a piercing pain numbed his entire back. As he painfully steadied himself, he realized that he had been tackled by the Small Gobball Warchief. Kryse reached into his bag and pulled out a vial of miracle water and downed the contents. With the fatigue dispelled and his health recovered, Kryse teleported in front of the Small Gobball Warchief. The surprised monster instinctively attacked with a Gobball Bite but its attack was repelled by a smash of Kryse''s shield. Kryse kicked forward with his Reinforcement skill and stunned the Small Gobball Warchief. With a couple of Picadas, Kryse pierced the defenseless body of the Small Gobball Warchief over and over again until he ended its life.


    Finally, there was the Young Boar left. Kryse charged forward and smashed his shield into the Young Boar. The force of the charge knocked the Young Boar flying into the air. Without giving it a chance to fall down, the young Masqueraider teleported before the Young Boar and slashed his sword upwards. The Young Boar died from the slash, its tough hide cut cleanly in half. With the monsters of the third floor cleared, Kryse decided to continue forward and descend to the depths of the final and fourth floor.


    The young Masqueraider descended to the fourth and final floor where the boss monster stood waiting. As expected, the boss monster was a large Ecaflip known as the Snoowolf - a large white wolf-type monster standing on its two hindlegs. Kryse had heard of the powerful abilities of the Snoowolf from the Feca warrior earlier and decided that the best course of action was to attack continuously without giving the powerful monster a chance to retaliate. With sword and shield in his hand, Kryse teleported to behind the monster and slashed it with his sword. Before the Ecaflip could react, Kryse had teleported to another side of the monster. With another slash, he wounded the Ecaflip - further infuriating them.


    Kryse decided to fight using this method until the Snoowolf collapsed onto the ground...dead. A relatively slow and uneventful win for a boss fight, but a win was a win. After defeating the Snoowolf before it could enter its berserker rage, the young Masqueraider walked through the entrance and down the corridor towards the light. As he entered the light, he saw Dunge Onmast''her standing there as if he was waiting for the young Masqueraider.


    "Hey, you made it to the end of the dungeon. Shall I teleport you to the exit?" The Feca warrior replied as he saw Kryse walk over.


    Kryse exited the dungeon and headed back to his master - Master Struk''tohr Nhin to report of his success in defeating the dungeon. After a few minutes, he saw Master Struk''thor Nhin. He was just about to call out when he saw that the Enutrof was talking with another person. Upon a closer look, the figure was actually Joris Jurgen!

 Epilogue: Enter the Portal

    "Oh Kryse! You''re just in time." Master Struk''tohr Nhin replied as he saw the young Masqueraider approach him.


    "I completed the dungeon." Kryse replied.


    "Really? That''s good."


    "You seemed to be busy. I can come back later."


    "Oh, do stay. There''s a special quest for you. You remember Joris Jurgen right?"


    "Yes, didn''t he find the whereabouts of a Dofus or something?"


    "Yes. That''s right. Joris here has found a new Dofus called Zircon that hosts the soul of the Sky Dragon - Ciel. This Dofus was accidentally sent to another dimension after an intense struggle with the demons. The dimension was...what was it called again?"


    "The dimension is called Hakna - a world different from our own." Joris answered. He turned towards Kryse and continued, "I have almost assembled a complete team, one disciple of each of the classes, to venture to this new realm with me in search of the Dofus. All...except for one class...a Masqueraider."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "You don''t mean to say...that you want me to join?"


    "Are you willing?"


    "Alright! You can count me in."


    "That''s great! Come! The others have already gathered. They are waiting at the portal in the Celestial Temple. Let''s go!"


    Kryse followed Joris to the Celestial Temple where he met a group of young adventurers like himself. Joris introduced them as Drac the Ecaflip, Cidem the Eniripsa, Niw the Iop, Worra the Cra, Draug the Feca, Egar the Sacrier, Ladnas the Sadida, Remat the Osamodas, Samak the Enutrof, Reggad the Sram, Esuap the Xelor, Reeb the Pandawa, Feiht the Rogue, Tobor the Foggernaut, Enur the Huppermage, and Latrop the Eliotrope. Together with Kryse the Masqueraider and Joris the Keeper of the Ivory and Ebony Dofus, the team was able to be considered as complete. After the introductions had been made, Joris urged them to immediately enter the portal as they were pressed on time.


    One by one, each of the members of the newly created team entered the portal set to Hakna. The last to enter was Kryse. The young Masqueraider looked back at Incarnam one last time, reminiscing the times he had spent on the celestial archipelago and the valuable lessons and experiences he had gained. It was finally time for departure...to leave this starting point. With one last look, Kryse turned around and entered the portal.


    Onwards to a new world...and a new story.

 Afterward

    So, this ends Book 1 (Masqueraider of Dofus: Incarnam) of my hopeful trilogy. I''ve finished the NaNoWriMo requirement of at least 50k words before November ends. I plan to write Book 2 (Masqueraider of Dofus: Hakna) next year at a more slow and steady pace with better clarifications than the ramblings I had written in Book 1 and Book 3 (Masqueraider of Dofus: Zircon) sometime in the future after careful research. Look forward to it.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.