《Re:ptile》


 -Prologue-

    The End of His Life - Again


    "..." (???)


    Is this really the end?


    "----, we should go now." (???)


    "..." (???)


    I remained silent, only staring towards the large dust cloud approaching us.


    "----, are you alright?" (???)


    "...I''m sorry." (???)


    "What are you saying? The boat is about to leave." (???)


    "...This was all my fault. And I have to put a stop to this." (???)


    "...----, what about our child?" (???)


    I turned around to face my wife.


    She gently caressed her, no, our child, as tears start to streak down her face.


    "...He won''t be born without his father. I swear." (???)


    I took out a letter and handed it to my wife.


    ¡°...If I don¡¯t make it, pass it to our child.¡± (???)


    My wife said nothing.


    ¡°...Goodbye. Until we see each other again.¡± (???)


    ¡°...Until we see each other again.¡± (???)


    I turned and ran towards the oncoming monsters.


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


    The Monster War.


    A legendary fight between the monsters and humanity.


    It is said that when humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction, the war will mysteriously end.


    As he ran to meet up with the army fighting back against the monsters, he thought back on his past adventure.


    He was known as the strongest warrior for a long time, until he was defeated and a new champion took his title.


    From then on, he lived his life as an adventurer.


    He faced many challenges along the way, but he overcame them all.


    Even when the new strongest hero when rogue, he chased after and killed him, ending his reign of terror.


    With his final challenge in front of him, he swore in his heart to survive.


    Survive for the sake of his family.


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


    (???)


    ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± (???)


    Catching my breath, I used my sword to support myself.


    Everyone had been fighting for about¡­ five hours now?


    The army has taken on at least fifty to sixty percent casualties, while the monster army has taken about forty percent.


    The monsters have stopped for now, but there¡¯s no time to rest.


    I sat on the floor of the battleground.


    ¡°...¡± (???)


    I would never want my son to know the harshness of the battlefield.


    The amount of suffering it brings, the pain given, I will stop it even if it takes my life.


    A horn blows out from the base camp.


    ¡°Shit! They¡¯re coming again!¡± (???)


    I hurriedly got onto my feet and grabbed onto my sword.


    A scout riding on a horse shouts out a message I wish I didn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°The entire monster army is charging towards us! Retreat! Or none of us will make it out alive! I repeat! Retreat! Or none of us will make it out alive!¡± (Scout)


    Are you kidding me!?


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    If this army is routed, the last of humanity will perish.


    ...I can¡¯t let this happen.


    This time, I won¡¯t let things be like my last life!


    ¡°...Berserker¡¯s Cry. Light Steps.¡± (???)


    I casted some slight buff magic onto myself.


    I slowly walked towards the approaching army.


    The scout spotted me and called out to me.


    ¡°Oi! Are you insane?! Retreat now!¡± (Scout)


    I ignored him and kept walking.


    I don¡¯t want anyone to die anymore.


    ...no one will die anymore.


    ...die anymore.


    ...die.


    Die.


    I increased my pace as I lifted my sword.


    ¡°DIE!!!¡± (???)


    I charged into the approaching army, my roar spreading across the plains.


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


    I fell onto my knees.


    ¡°Shit, I might really die now¡­¡± (???)


    In my fury, I¡¯ve somehow managed to destroy twenty percent of the remaining army.


    From head to toe, I was covered in blood. Whether its mine or the monsters, I don¡¯t know.


    As the remaining monsters approached me, I suddenly remembered something.


    My last resort.


    Or so it seems.


    Dark magic is very rare and has a high chance of failure.


    During my travels, I¡¯ve picked up a Dark book and learnt the spell by accident.


    According to the book, I can use a spell from a creature of myths and legends, a monster which should never exist in this world.


    In return for using this spell, I will die.


    ...If my life can make the world a better place for my child, I will do it.


    I pushed myself up and raised my hand.


    ¡°...Oh beast of myth and legends, I ask of you. The one who seeks death and soaks everything in its path with blood, I request to use your power.¡± (???)


    My heart begins to pound wildly inside my heart.


    My mind begins to fill up with information.


    ...So I get to choose which ability to unleash.


    ¡°...Of darkness and blood, death and destruction, to trap my foes with thy darkness manifestation.¡± (???)


    Shit, I feel like my body is going to explode.


    ...This is the end!


    ¡°...DOMINION!!!¡± (???)


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


    As the soldiers retreat towards the docks, they spotted a large black mist appear in front of the monsters.


    The soldiers were frozen in shock. All they could do was stare as the monster''s¡¯ death cries could be heard.


    A few minutes later, the black mist disappeared.


    A few scouts were sent to investigate the mist.


    All they found was one man¡¯s corpse, and a field of blood.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    I hope you like this new prologue.


    The story change is going to be a bit huge because I need to give ''the main character'' a reason to do things in the next life.


    Stay tuned for more Re:ptile!


    Thanks for reading.


    Peace

 Chapter 0

    The End of the Beginning


    Damn it, I can¡¯t believe I died again.


    There were so many things I regretted, so much I still want to do¡­


    If only I was given another chance¡­


    ¡®Do you wish to live again?¡¯


    ...What the heck? Who¡¯s there?


    ¡®You do not need to know who I am. All you need to do is answer the question.¡¯


    ¡­


    Live¡­ again?


    Yes, I want to live again¡­


    ''...You seem to have masked your deepest feelings.''


    ...Masked my feelings....


    ...It''s true.


    ¡®What is your reason for living again? You must be truthful to yourself.¡¯


    ...Wrath


    I want to release my anger that I have kept hidden all this time¡­


    [You have gained the stat ¡®Rage¡¯]


    ''How do you want to release this feeling... This wrath...''


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    Cut, Slice, Kill, Destroy...


    [You have gained the ability ¡®Blade Mastery¡¯]


    [You have gained the ability ¡®Destructive Energy¡¯]


    [You have gained the abilit ¡®Killing Instinct'']


    ¡®...I shall fulfil your wish...¡¯


    My consciousness slowly faded away...


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


    Hello there! IAmTheKroc. Thanks for reading my first fiction story.


    The pace at the beginning will be slow but it will be exciting!


    More content next chapter!


    I will be posting once a week so stay tuned for more!


    P.S.  If you find any errors, or any sentences that sound wierd, please tell me in the comments so I can rectify it.


    Peace!

 Chapter 1

    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Before you start reading this chapter, I want to sincerely apologize for the short chapters I gave.


    I have a lack of time due to school and homework, but I do not take this as an excuse to not write.


    Thus, to pay back to you all, I will do an oath.


    I, Kroc, will swear from this chapter forth, that I will dedicate some of my time to write Re;ptile, for the sake of my audience who I have attracted to read my story.


    Thank you for reading my story.


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


    Start


    ¡­


    When I woke up, all I saw was darkness.


    Judging from what I can see, it seems I¡¯m in a container of some sort.


    My body feels weak¡­ and moving a muscle feels like it will take a huge effort.


    I stretched these tired muscles to warm it up. Suddenly, I sensed a presence of some sort behind me.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I croaked in the darkness. Oh, it was actually my tail.


    Wait, a tail?


    Since when did I get a tail? What the hell am I?


    ¡­


    I¡¯ll figure that out later.


    The more important thing is getting out of this ¡®container¡¯. It seems pretty fragile, so let¡¯s try ramming it¡­


    BAM


    BAM


    BAM


    CRACK


    Freedom!


    Sunlight enters through the gap I made through the ¡®container¡¯.


    I squeezed my body through the gap and escaped.


    Ah, fresh air!


    I blinked to adjust to the light and looked at my surroundings.


    It seems like I¡¯m in a swamp-like area¡­ but its so barren.


    Stone pillars , scattered around the landscape, stand erected towards the sky.


    I scuttled to the waterside nearby and looked at my reflection on the water.


    Pale green colors, rough scales, four legs, a tail¡­


    ... Crocodile? I¡¯m a crocodile?


    Then that ¡®container¡¯ was actually my shell¡­


    Well, it seems like it.


    If my previous knowledge on crocs are correct, I should have siblings.


    So where are they?


    I looked back at where I hatched from.


    Broken, scattered shells¡­


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Did something happen before I hatched?


    I scuttled back to examine the shell pieces.


    No traces of blood, or a fight¡­


    ...Did I hatch too late, and was abandoned?


    Its just like that time¡­


    Damn it, why am I tearing up? I need to snap out of it.


    I¡¯m not the guy I used to be anyways¡­


    I shook my head to clear my thoughts.


    Right now, my priority is to survive.


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


    Firstly, I need a shelter. A base of operations, where I can store my stuff and rest when necessary.


    The place I hatched from is a good place.


    It is under 2 stone pillars leaning against each other, creating alcove big enough for me.


    If needed, I can dig out more space for myself.


    I got to work by clearing out the shells of my siblings.


    I had discovered an interesting fact while cleaning.


    I can stand on two legs.


    How is it possible, I honestly cannot tell.


    Anyways, I¡¯ve managed to clear out a space big enough for me to sleep.


    I went ahead to fetch some springy grass to act as my bed.


    While gathering grass, I¡¯ve discovered my second important issue.


    Food. I need food.


    Sadly, I could not find any form of living beings near me.


    Thankfully, I found some edible moss under the pillars in my home.


    Eventually, I will need meat, but that can be put on hold for now.


    As the sun was setting, I laid out on the bank of the waterside.


    I thought back about the time I died a second time.


    The monster.


    I sighed, defeated.


    I could have killed it, if I was stronger.


    If I was stronger¡­


    I repeated this line in my mind as I fell asleep.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Thanks once more for reading my story.


    As a newbie writer, all I can hope for is for my readers to appreciate my writing.


    I''m currently learning on the coding part to box up my abilities in the next chapter, so stay tuned!


    I hope this chapter in long enough for your liking (I spent 2 hours on this chapter, and I hope to put more hours into future chapters).


    Peace!

 Chapter 2

    Leave Part 1


    The forest.


    I¡¯ve finally made it somehow.


    My quest for meat is finally coming to a close.


    Now I just need to find it¡­


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


    -2 weeks ago-


    Meat, I need meat.


    It¡¯s been 3 days, and all I¡¯ve eaten is moss. I¡¯m growing sick of it.


    I¡¯ve been scouring the swamplands, searching for signs of life, but it seems I¡¯m the only one alive here.


    I didn¡¯t want this day to come, but it has to be done.


    I need to leave.


    -6 days before leaving-


    Yesterday, I gathered some rocks.


    If I¡¯m going to travel, I need a way to defend myself.


    I will also need tools to deal with situations that might arrive.


    Using these rocks, I can grind them down into the tools I need.


    Based on my past experiences, I will need at least a week to prepare.


    Nevermind the timing, I¡¯ll need to start crafting these blades.


    Hopefully I still remembered what to do...


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


    -4 days before leaving-


    It took a while, but I¡¯ve finished making the tools.


    My inventory consists of a couple of daggers, a short sword, an axe, and some javelins.


    I made some customizations to them too.


    The daggers have been crafted with a slightly larger, flatter surface to act as a shovel as well, in case I ever need to dig.


    The short sword is shaped similar to a katana, but is blunt on one side and sharper on the other, good for parrying, slicing, and whacking.


    The axe¡­ is a basic axe. Just smaller. I made it to gather firewood as I travel.


    The javelins is a long solid piece of stone which is sharper at the tip. Its my preferential throwing weapon as it can also act as a spear. It took up the longest to make them.


    Now with my tools created, all I need is a bag to store them.


    Thankfully, I learnt some weaving skills before.


    The reeds growing by the bank was the best material I could find.


    I had to cut it up into strips of roughly the same length and weave it into a flexible bag.


    I also weaved a sheath for my sword and another bag for my javelins.


    When I tried carrying all of the weapons, their surprising light for solid stone equipment.


    I guess this species have super strength?


    Well, it doesn¡¯t matter for now.


    Lastly, I made a tightly woven bag for storing water.


    I also scraped out and put my remaining supply of moss in it to keep it fresh.


    Better get ready to leave soon.


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


    -3 days before leaving-


    I decided to spend the rest of my time training.


    The next morning, I practiced wielding my sword as training to refresh my memory.


    The sword feels light, and every stroke I make cuts through the air like its paper.


    Since when did I become this good? I guess its because of my strength.


    I also created an exercise routine to train my stamina and endurance.


    I ran laps around the bank of the waterside, resting in it every now and then to cool off and catch my breath.


    I¡¯m also surprisingly good at swimming.


    Guess its because I¡¯m a croc.


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


    -Day of Travel- -7 days before reaching the Forest-


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Its time!


    I¡¯m finally leaving my homeland.


    I will never forget this place.


    This was where I began.


    I stared at my home for the last time and left.


    I didn¡¯t have a specific direction in mind. The waterside had a small river leading away from my home.


    I guess that¡¯s a good starting point.


    Feeling refreshed from leaving, I jogged at a steady pace along the river.


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


    -6 days before reaching the Forest-


    I¡¯ve finally met a living being.


    Well, to be precise, its actually an undead.


    It was shaped like a pig on two legs. It carried a large axe and was easily twice my size.


    The flesh hanging off its bones was so pitiful, it almost wasn¡¯t worth killing.


    I fought it anyways.


    I was getting too bored, and gaining some fighting experience isn¡¯t a bad idea either.


    The bones can be used as materials too. I can fashion some sort of shield using some reeds and the bone from the limbs.


    I drew my sword and dashed forth.


    My target was its spine.


    One deft strike was all it took, or at least it should have.


    When I ran, I knocked some stones towards the zombie, which created noise and attracted it.


    It used its huge axe to block the swing and counter-attacked, it downwards, hoping to crush my small body.


    I rolled aside, swinging my blade as I dodged.


    I managed to chip its left leg, near the knee but it wasn¡¯t enough to weaken it.


    I swiftly took out my javelin and threw it straight at its skull.


    Direct hit!


    The javelin went past the jaw and through its cranium, stunning the creature.


    Taking this chance, I ran behind the zombie and swung using the blunt side of my sword.


    The spine shattered and the zombie broke apart.


    Its been awhile since I had a good fight.


    Fighting on two legs as a croc feels weird. Maybe I should work on a four-legged stance.


    I thought about this as I collected the spoils of the battle.


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


    -5 days before reaching the Forest-


    Ugh, I don¡¯t feel well.


    Was it the zombie flesh I had eaten yesterday?


    I sweared I roasted it properly and sliced off any severely rotten parts.


    I took out my water sack to get a drink.


    Eh? Why is there no water?


    Oh crap, I forgot.


    Moss absorbs water to grow.


    Well, at least I have an increase of food¡­


    I sighed and went to the river to drink.


    Refreshing!


    Eh? Is there something in the water?


    I glanced into the water.


    ...What the hell?


    Hey guys IAmTheKroc


    This is a special release because its the start of my holiday~!


    Since its my first time writing with a timeline, there may be some inconsistencies here and there.


    Please tell me if you find any errors!


    Also, the chapter is somewhat short cause the next one is coming out about 2 days later.


    I''m still trying to learn the codes for making the boxes to list the skills, so give me a bit more time on that.


    Last but not least, if you have ANY questions regarding the storyline, feel free to ask me in the comments.


    No spoilers will be given, except for the next chapter.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace


    Edit 3/16/15: I tried editing a small bit of the text on my phone, but it screwed up the entire text. Fixed it promptly using my laptop.

 Chapter 3

    Leave Part 2


    What the hell?


    My body, it changed?


    My tail grew longer, and I seem to have more control over it.


    My scales became much harder, like some sort of natural armor.


    Well, at least I don¡¯t need armor anymore.


    I also grew bigger.


    Much bigger.


    Swimming in the river is impossible now, I guess.


    Thankfully, I can still wield my current weapons, but I probably grew a lot stronger as well, so I¡¯m really afraid I will break it in one swing.


    At least I grew claws now.


    My teeth also became a lot larger.


    Extra weapons, check.


    Hm? I sense a presence.


    I turned around to find 3 more zombies approaching me.


    Hehehe, perfect. I found a good way to test my new weapons.


    I removed my bags and gear, and crouched on all fours.


    I launched myself onto the nearest zombie, mercilessly separating its skull from the rest of its body with one powerful bite.


    The other two zombies did a coordinated attack while I was gloating, but my thick scales protected me from their assault.


    The blades also snapped of its hilt when they striked.


    Turning around to face them, I growled menacingly.


    -Killing Instinct has been activated.-


    What the-? I feel a surge of power flowing through me.


    The urge to kill¡­ I can¡¯t stop it...


    KILL, BREAK, DESTROY


    ¡­


    What¡­ what happened?


    I couldn¡¯t control my body, and blacked out.


    I got up and looked at my surroundings.


    A scene of carnage was shown before me.


    ¡­


    Did I do this..?


    All the zombies in the vicinity were wiped out.


    By me.


    ...Seriously, what am I?


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


    -2 days before reaching the Forest-


    I¡¯ve finally reached the end of the river.


    Yesterday, I¡¯ve managed to stitched together a rough leather bag using the rags from the zombies.


    The feeling from that day, I still haven¡¯t shaken it off.


    It honestly scares me, but I need to overcome it.


    Somehow¡­


    At the river¡¯s end, I found a rough path a few feet away. Seeing that I have no where else to go, I trudged on along the path.


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


    Damn it, why is this jungle so thick?


    This quest was suppose to be easy, but now I¡¯m lost.


    I should have bought a map¡­


    But it probably won¡¯t be of much help here, huh?


    ¡­


    My name is Alexia Fetora.


    I¡¯m a hunter in a village called Desca.


    Born from a poor family as the eldest, I was given the responsibility to take care of my siblings.


    Why, you ask? That¡¯s because my parents are dead.


    My father was deep in debts and ran away from home, only to be caught and killed by the debtors.


    My mother could not handle the huge burden and committed suicide.


    Enough about my background for now.


    Currently, I¡¯m on a quest to gather herbs for the local pharmacist.


    The problem is the herb I¡¯m suppose to gather is called Vikshaw, also known as the Light Flower.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    It is known to be found in the depths of the nearby jungle, surrounding a large lake.


    As it only blooms for one month a year, its commonly in high demand.


    I needed to pay off my father¡¯s debt and look after my siblings, so I took this high paying job.


    I expected this to be a breeze.


    Man, I was wrong.


    That day, my fateful encounter with that monster changed my life forever.


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


    -Arrival at the Forest-


    The forest.


    I¡¯ve finally made it somehow.


    My quest for meat is finally coming to a close.


    Now I just need to find it¡­


    But first, I need a base camp.


    ...The problem is I blindly entered the forest, so I¡¯ve gotten lost.


    Hm? I see a light in the distance.


    I took out a dagger and cut through the thick brush in front of me and pushed through.


    Woah¡­


    In front of me, there is a huge lake surrounding with flowers glowing in the dark.


    That settles it. This shall be my new base.


    I walked over to a large tree and dumped my luggage.


    I was craving for fresh meat, but I settled down to figure out the best place to gather a large amount all at once.


    The lake¡­


    Fishing!


    I can fish for meat.


    Seafood¡­ I had always loved seafood¡­


    Without hesitation I ran and dived into the water.


    SPLASH


    Oh god, its paradise!


    Fish, fish swimming everywhere!


    I swam and devoured any fish that swam past me.


    BURP


    Man, that was good!


    I floated along the surface of the water and fell asleep.


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


    Hm? Am I dreaming?


    Everything seems so blurry.


    My body feels light¡­


    Ugh! My head¡­


    No¡­ I don¡¯t want to remember¡­


    Ugh...


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


    My name is ______.


    I have just died.


    What did I do to deserve this?


    I just wanted to save her¡­


    That damn traitor, I need to tell the others.


    ...But what I want most is to live again.


    I will change the way I live¡­


    Just let me live¡­ again¡­


    I¡¯m¡­ blacking out¡­


    No¡­


    NOOOOOOOOOOOOO


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


    ¡°No!¡±


    I gasped for breath as I tried to regain my senses.


    Eh? I feel a presence.


    I turned around.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡±


    What the hell?


    Who is she?


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Thanks for reading my new chapter!


    Since its my holidays, I''ll be posting everyday till the end of the week. (If possible)


    The story is just beginning! Stay tuned!


    Comment on any mistakes or plot holes I made. I''ll be sure to correct them.


    Peace!


    Edit 3/16/15 : Changed creature to monster in Alexia''s POV because that''s what I used in future chapters.

 FAQs

    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    I''ve created this thread for the sake of self experimentation


    and for YOU to ask ME any questions about Re:ptile


    It can be about the storyline, the characters, the locations, ANYTHING


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Spoilers will be kept at a minimum though, so don''t push your luck ;)


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Chapter 4

    Meeting


    (Alexia)


    Damn it, this jungle is such a pain!


    My machete is about to snap just cutting through these thick vines.


    I was close to giving up when a dim light caught the corner of my eye.


    I push through the vines and made a discovery.


    Eh? This path seems to be new.


    Did someone get lost in the jungle too?


    But that light¡­


    Shit, did someone take the quest too?


    I¡¯ve got to hurry.


    I ran along the trampled path and pushed through the brush and arrived at my destination.


    Woah¡­


    This scene¡­ I just can¡¯t seem to describe it in words.


    The glowing flowers give the lake such a magical feeling.


    It¡¯s just, amazing.


    ¡­


    I¡¯ve got to focus.


    I just need to gather a bunch of these flowers, right?


    ¡­


    But I feel so tired¡­


    Resting here won¡¯t be such a bad idea.


    I walked towards the lakeside and sat down.


    Breathing deeply, I took the time to appreciate the sweet smell of the Vikshaw.


    Suddenly, I got the feeling that I was being watched.


    I got up and took out my machete.


    Looking around, I tried to find the source of the presence.


    ¡°Insight!¡±


    I casted a simple vision spell and glanced around again.


    As I looked into the lake, I saw it.


    AHHHHHHHHH


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


    (???)


    I stared at the screaming girl.


    A human? That means civilisation!


    But, can I speak its language. I mean, I am a different species.


    ¡°Hey, can you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh!? Y-You can talk?!¡±


    Thank god it can understand me.


    ¡°Yes, I can talk.¡± I growled in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°W-What are you? Oh wait, I can check its stats. Scan!¡±


    I stared at it, confused.


    Check my stats? How?


    ¡°Nameless?! How can that be¡­ and health is over 5 000?!¡±


    ...Only 5 000? That¡¯s sad.


    ¡°T-this is ridiculous¡­ I can¡¯t fight such a monster! Even though it¡¯s not even at boss level¡­¡±


    ...Fight me? Looking at her frail body, I don¡¯t think she would last even a second.


    And not even at boss level? I feel insulted.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ve just arrived here. Where is this place? Is there a town nearby?¡±


    The girl stared at me with a shocked expression.


    ¡°W-Why do you want to know? Are you going to raid my village?¡±


    What the hell is wrong with this girl¡¯s mind¡­


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to steal from your village. Just tell me where it is. I have no intention of harming anyone.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    This girl¡­ What a pain¡­


    Well, no matter many lives I go through, gaining trust will always be an important rule to me.


    ¡°If you want me to prove it, duck now.¡±


    The girl stared at me again, but she followed my instructions.


    I launched myself from the water towards the beast.


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


    (Alexia)


    All I could do was stare.


    What else can I do?


    The monster can talk!


    When he told me to duck, I was really confused, but my body followed anyways.


    A shadow flashed past me.


    A loud shriek echoed in the forest.


    I turned around. What I saw stunned me.


    The lake monster was battling a gigantic moth.


    ¡°A-A boss monster!?¡±


    Shit, I forgot.


    The reward was incredibly high not because this place was hard to find, but because of this moth.


    It was reported that it killed any trespassers that enters the forest.


    When the monster launched off the water, it rammed into the moth¡¯s body, causing it to fall to the ground.


    It then proceeded to claw away at its tough body, scraping off the moth¡¯s tough scales like scraping scales of a fish.


    The moth screeched is pain.


    It then flapped its wings in an attempt to blow the monster away.


    The monster grunted and used its claws to stab into the scraped areas of the moth.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The moth screamed and stop flapping its wings.


    Suddenly, the monster gave a huge roar.


    It lifted the moth and split it apart in one swift motion.


    ¡°I-Impossible¡­¡± I stuttered out in fright.


    The monster turned around to face me.


    ¡°Now will you trust me?¡±


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


    (???)


    I¡¯ve finally managed to convince the girl that I¡¯m trustworthy.


    ¡°So, what is your name? Did you use some sort of concealment technique to hide it?¡± The girl stopped stuttering, but she doesn¡¯t raise her head to look at me.


    Name huh¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t have one.¡±


    She gave me that stare again. Man, that look gives me the chills.


    ¡°...nameless creatures¡­¡± The girl starts muttering to herself.


    ...This is getting nowhere.


    ¡°Let me ask you something then. What¡¯s your name? Why are you here?¡±


    The girl was startled by my question. Man, she needs to pay attention.


    ¡°...My name is Alexia Fetora, from the village of Desca. I¡¯m here on a quest to gather Vikshaw for the pharmacist.¡±


    Hm¡­ Interesting.


    So quests exist here as well.


    ¡°Fair enough. Then lets gather this Vikshaw and return to the village.¡±


    The girl- I mean Alexia nodded and started gathering the light flowers. So those flowers are called Vikshaw, huh.


    I followed suit and grabbed a handful of Vikshaw, tugging it out of the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡± Alexia screams at me.


    I looked at her, puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m gathering Vikshaw.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how you gather it! You must do it gently, otherwise the Vikshaw will lose its glow!¡±


    Hm? Really?


    I looked at the Vikshaw in my hand. The Vikshaw was dull in color.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡±


    I went to the tree with my pile of stuff and gathered them.


    When I returned, Alexia had her bags and arms filled with Vikshaw.


    When she noticed me arriving, she meekly called out to me.


    ¡°Um, could you help me carry these?¡±


    I sighed and passed her a spare bag.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


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


    (Alexia)


    By dusk, we made it back to Desca.


    The monster started feeling nervous. I could tell because its tail started twitching.


    ¡°Hey, are you nervous?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey. Heeeey.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Heehee. His tail twitched again.


    This is fun.


    As we past through the town gates, the monster¡¯s stomach grumbles.


    All the villagers who were finishing up work turned their heads towards the sound.


    ¡°AHHHHH!! THERE¡¯S A BEAST IN THE VILLAGE!¡±


    One lady screamed out.


    The village erupted into a flurry of panicking residents, all running back into their homes.


    The monster cleared his throat and called out to them.


    ¡°Uh, hello? I know I might be carnivorous, but I don¡¯t eat humans. Really.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your diet is the problem here¡­¡±


    I responded as I see Celeste, my village¡¯s seer-in-training, running towards us.


    ¡°Celeste? Why is she here?¡±


    I wondered out loud.


    ¡°Who? That girl running over?¡±


    The monster shrugged.


    Celeste got closer and stopped in front of us, panting heavily.


    ¡°Celeste, why are you coming here?¡±


    I asked inquisitively.


    As she tried to catch her breath, she pointed at the monster and announced a shocking piece of news.


    ¡°You! You are the one who will change the world!¡±


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Hope you enjoy this chapter like the others.


    The fight scene with the moth might not be the best, but I will try to improve on future battles.


    This chapter''s ending might also be confusing, but all will be clearer next chapter.


    As usual, if you spot any loopholes or find any sentences that sound weird, tell me in the comments.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Chapter 5

    Fate


    (???)


    ¡°You! You are the one who will change the world!¡±


    Huh?


    Why is this girl pointing at me?


    Me? Change the world?


    What nonsense.


    ¡°Little girl, I think you got the wrong perso- I mean monster.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m certain. The gods have shown me a monster that looks exactly like you. They do not lie.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What? Save the world?


    That¡¯s too much bullshit for one day.


    ¡°Hey, Celeste. Are you sure you¡¯re correct? Maybe its actually someone else, instead of this guy. Just look at him. I don¡¯t see hero potential here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I know Alexia is trying to change the girl¡¯s mind, but does she have to frame it that way?


    I still have pride¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s not destined to be a hero.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Not destined to be a hero? Then I¡¯m a villain?


    ...Sounds fun.


    ¡°Are you trying to say this monster will be a villain instead?¡±


    ¡°No! I-I meant he isn¡¯t a hero, but he isn¡¯t a villain either...¡±


    The girl blushed as she tried to correct herself.


    ¡°So I¡¯m some sort of bystander¡­?¡±


    I injected a suggestion into the conversation.


    ¡°Not really. You will play a major role in future events.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Man this is really confusing.


    ¡°Lets not stand around the gates anymore. We need to shut it before the monsters come.¡±


    Hm? Monsters?


    ¡°Do monsters try to invade the village?¡±


    I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Especially the goblins. They arrive from the nearby mountains beside the jungle come down every night to raid us.¡±


    The girl replied.


    ¡­


    Heheh¡­ I have an idea to gain the trust of these folks.


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


    (???)


    -The next morning-


    Mmm¡­ Roasted goblins taste quite nice.


    -Yesterday-


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the guard for tonight.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    And so I began my night watch.


    -Later that night-


    Man, this is getting boring.


    Nothing¡¯s coming and I don¡¯t smell a trace of meat anywhere, except in the village.


    Sniff, sniff.


    ...Mmm. Meat¡­


    The smell is faint though and its coming from the village.


    I look into the village and saw Alexia walking towards me carrying something.


    ¡°Hey, uh, you¡¯ve probably haven¡¯t eaten yet. So I¡¯ve made something for you.¡±


    ¡°...Thanks.¡±


    The bowl didn¡¯t have much in it. Just a piece of bread and meat stew.


    Sadly, the stew didn¡¯t have a lot of meat.


    I ate the bread in one bite, the soup in one gulp.


    When I returned the bowl to Alexia, she had a surprised look on her face.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing,,,¡±


    Her face was pointed downwards as she walked back to her home at a fast pace.


    What was that about?


    Well, it''s none of my business.


    -A few hours later-


    Ugh, I¡¯m about to sleep¡­


    When are these pesky goblins coming? I¡¯m so bored and hungry¡­


    SNIFF


    Eh? What¡¯s this strange scent in the air¡­


    ...Smoke?


    I got up and searched for the scent. It led me to the edge of the forest.


    Eh? Noise¡­ movement, who could they be?


    Getting on my fours, I crawled across the jungle floor and hid in a large shrub.


    Goblins¡­ So there they were¡­


    It seems that the source of the smoke was from their campfire.


    By the looks of their equipment, it seems their planning to siege the village.


    Let¡¯s stop them before they get any further.


    In front of the shrub I¡¯m hiding is a lone goblin.


    Its probably a guard because of its leather armor and horribly crafted spear.


    ¡°Meat¡­¡±


    I launched my jaws and clamped them onto the goblin¡¯s neck, killing it instantly.


    I dragged it into the shrub and tucked in


    Meat¡­ Delicious meat¡­


    ...


    Whew, I sure made a bloody mess of things.


    Mhm?


    The goblins are packing up.


    They must be going to attack the village now.


    ...I got distracted.


    Better make this quick.


    ...Ugh, I feel that power wants to be released again¡­


    Should I¡­


    ...No. I don¡¯t want to cause another carnage.


    Shit, I can¡¯t control it¡­


    -Killer Instinct has been activated-


    MEAT, KILL, EAT


    My vision fades out...


    NO!


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


    (Alexia)


    ¡°No!¡±


    I gasped for breath as I woke up from my nightmare.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sis, did you have another nightmare again?¡±


    My youngest brother, Timo, yawned and got up.


    ¡°Its okay Timo. I¡¯m fine. Go back to sleep¡±


    I ruffled Timo¡¯s hair.


    ¡­


    Damn debt collectors.


    Every month they come up to me and force me to pay up my father¡¯s debt.


    They threaten to take me or my younger sister to pay off the debts by selling our bodies.


    Of course, I had no intention of doing so.


    I will protect the remainder of my family, no matter what.


    I managed to make a deal with them. I had to pay one-tenth of my father¡¯s debt every month¡­ or else.


    I had to work my bones off, every single day just to gather money to pay those assholes.


    Then, one day, came a job offer from the pharmacist.


    I took it without complaint. I had no other choice.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    With the money I will gain after the quest, I can finally pay off those debt collectors. My family will be free.


    I¡¯ll do anything for my family.


    ROAR


    What the hell was that!?


    I took my bow, quiver and machete and ran out.


    I told the residents that the monster was going to take watch tonight so the night patrol can be put off duty.


    Though it seems like some ¡®brave souls¡¯ decided to camp out at the town square in case the monster goes on a rampage.


    As I ran towards the town gate, the ¡®brave souls¡¯ seems to have just woken up and are scrambling to put on their gear.


    Better get all the help I can get.


    ¡°Oi, hurry up! I¡¯ll go scout so get yourselves organised!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, yes Leader!¡±


    ¡­


    Anyways I ran ahead to locate the source of the sounds.


    Thats when a goblin ran my way.


    It was too close for me to shoot it, so I took my machete and stabbed it through the chest.


    ROAR


    In the jungle? Damn I really hate that place.


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


    (???)


    ¡°You...Why do you not want to release you anger¡­¡±


    You again¡­


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡­


    I will choose how to use this rage.


    It was never your choice.


    ¡°...¡±


    -You have gained the skill ¡®Emotional Control¡¯-


    ¡°I shall give you the power to control your emotions, but for now, show your anger. Destroy the goblins.¡±


    My vision returns to normal.


    Somehow, I¡¯m in the middle of the encampment.


    The goblins are pointing their weapons against me, shaking in fear.


    Lets do this then.


    Lets see, I can control my emotions huh.


    I don¡¯t know how, but lets try this.


    -Emotion Change - Anger-


    My vision turns red.


    The goblins around me now have weird black dots or lines drawn across them.


    I see one black line in the bush. Is someone there?


    Eh? Who¡¯s that?


    That seer girl? Why is she here?


    Well, I¡¯ll ignore her for now.


    The black line fades away from the girl.


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this fast. I¡¯m getting hungry.¡±


    My growl echoes throughout the encampment.


    One goblin snapped in fear and lunges towards me.


    Its aim was poor and it missed me entirely.


    I slit its throat as it passed by me and died.


    I looked around for the chieftain.


    That guy¡­ the one with metal armor.


    He¡¯s probably the one.


    The chieftain noticed me staring at him and quivered in fear. He ordered the goblins to charge at me.


    Man, I need a way to clear them all at once.


    I¡¯ll have to improvise.


    ¡°Twister!¡±


    -The ability ¡®Twister¡¯ has been recorded-


    With my arms stretched, I spun myself around as the goblins flew towards me, using my tail to balance myself.


    The goblins who ran towards me were shredded in seconds.


    The goblins who hasn¡¯t attacked me yet ran away in fear.


    Whew, all I have to do is kill the chieftain to finish my job.


    As I approached the chieftain, he cried in fear and fell on his butt.


    Using one claw, I swiftly slit its throat.


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


    (Celeste)


    ¡°H-How¡­!?¡±


    I stared at the beast with a mixture of horror and shock.


    The chosen one is this powerful?


    This is madness.


    My name is Celeste Tavie.


    I was born as the youngest child in the family.


    My father was a skirt-chaser, but was always loyal to his family.


    My mother was his second wife.


    My stepmother accepted me and my mother regardless.


    Together, my family led a happy and peaceful life.


    During my childhood, a seer arrived at my village.


    She would tell the future of all the villagers¡¯ children in exchange for a few days of stay.


    The village happily agreed.


    My parents also decided to get me and my sister¡¯s future told.


    My sister¡¯s future was a good one. She would become a great swordswoman and be respected throughout the kingdom.


    My future was to be a seer.


    When the seer found out, she tried to take me in as her apprentice.


    My parents were fine with it, but they wanted me to decide for myself.


    I accepted it.


    For the sake of my parents, for the sake of my future, I accepted it.


    During the seer¡¯s stay, she taught me about fortune-telling, and using the stars to read into someone¡¯s future.


    She taught me about the gods, and how they help guide us now and then.


    When she had to leave, she requested for me to join her.


    I agreed immediately.


    My parents did not hold me back either.


    And so, I traveled with the seer, encountering many new things on our travel.


    Until finally, we stopped at Desca village.


    The seer said she had foreseen a future where we are needed in this village. And I was the key.


    I didn¡¯t know what to expect.


    Until one day, I was practicing reading the future.


    The stars started moving, forming it into a shape.


    That shape was the monster.


    Its name.


    Ravenger.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Double post today!


    I''ve finally revealed the protagonist''s name! *wild applause*


    Next chapter might be shorter than this. (Quick warning)


    As usual, any loopholes or sentences that sounds strange, tell me in the comments.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Chapter 6

    Foresee


    (Ravenger)


    -Emotional Control Deactivated-


    My vision returns to normal.


    Phew, that¡¯s now settled.


    Now, to talk to that seer.


    ¡°Hey, girl, I know you¡¯re there.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°It¡¯s safe they¡¯re all gone.¡± (Ravenger)


    The girl slowly crawls out from under the brush.


    ¡°...I suppose I can guess, but why are you here? You obviously know its dangerous.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I-I wanted to-¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°Celeste! Why are you¡­ Oh my god¡­¡± (Alexia)


    Alexia, followed by a group of villagers wearing shabby equipment, stares at the bloodbath.


    She stares at me as I tried to act innocent.


    God, that stare¡­


    ¡°What? I did my job.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t really say anything then¡­¡± (Alexia)


    GRUMBLE


    ¡°...¡± (Everyone)


    Everyone stared at me.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...We¡¯ll settle this later. Celeste, why are you here? You have to get ready for the ceremony tomorrow.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Oh no! It completely slipped off my mind!¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...What ceremony?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Oh, its just her graduating ceremony.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...It explains nothing.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Nevermind, you¡¯ll see it later. Now that the threat of the goblins is gone, the villagers can have a piece of mind.¡± (Alexia)


    Well, I guess it really doesn¡¯t concern me at this point.


    The bunch of villagers were pointing their swords at me with shaking limbs and sweaty faces.


    ¡°...Alexia, could you tell those guys to relax? I¡¯m not gonna eat them¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    Alexia sighed loudly and led the girl and the villagers back.


    Well, I guess I should clear up these goblin corpses¡­


    Digging is a pain though.


    Maybe I should eat them. I¡¯m hungry as well.


    My cooking skills are not that good though¡­


    A roast would be the best choice.


    -A few minutes later-


    Mmm¡­ Roasted goblins taste quite nice.


    The skin is surprisingly crunchy but the flesh isn¡¯t tender enough.


    The water content is too little as well.


    I cut out the goblin¡¯s genitals. Even as a monster, I still have humane morals.


    After my meal, I went back to the village.


    When the guards at the village saw me, I can sense their fear rising.


    ¡°A-Alexia said you helped exterminate the goblins, and the residents of Desca are grateful for it¡­¡± (Guard)


    This seems to be going somewhere.


    ¡°...but we can¡¯t accept a monster wandering in our village! Sorry, but we can¡¯t let you in!¡± (Guard)


    ,,,


    Ouch.


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


    (Celeste)


    Today is the day I graduate from being a seer-in-training.


    My mentor has announced a week before that I will become an official seer today and travel out of Desca village.


    I feel slightly scared, but excited as well.


    ¡°Celeste? Celeste, are you listening?¡± (???)


    ¡°Huh? Ah! Yes, Teacher!¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°*sigh* You should be more focused. This is your graduation ceremony, you know¡­¡± (Teacher)


    ¡°Yes Teacher¡­¡± (Celeste)


    I look out at the town square and all the villagers who has gathered.


    Soon, I¡¯ll be leaving everyone on a journey.


    ¡°To commemorate the graduation of Celeste Tavie, I shall do a divine reading for her, to guide her in the future.¡± (Teacher)


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Oooh~.¡± (Villagers)


    ¡°Close your eyes, Celeste Tavie. Read and follow the path laid out for you.¡± (Teacher)


    I closed my eyes.


    The darkness suddenly turned into a bright light, blinding me.


    I covered my eyes with my hand. As the light fades out, I lower my arms.


    ¡°Wh-What is this!?¡± (Celeste)


    I see Ravenger sitting on a throne, with a very strong aura surrounding him.


    A large army tries to invade the throne room Ravenger is in.


    ¡°Monster! I shall defeat you and set the ladies free!¡± (Knight)


    Ravenger stood up and emitted a dangerous aura.


    ¡°Dominion!¡± (Ravenger)


    The army fell to their knees with their face full of sweat. Some of them even fainted from fear.


    Only the knight remained standing.


    ¡°Tsk, your skill does nothing to me, foul beast!¡± (Knight)


    Ravenger growls menacingly.


    ¡°Fool! Do you really want do die here? I did not do it!¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Stop lying! Face your sin!¡± (Knight)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    The knight slashed viciously at Ravenger.


    But he didn¡¯t bother to deflect or dodge the attack.


    As the sword makes contact with Ravenger, the sword snapped.


    ¡°Tsk, as expected of the deadliest monster to ever exist. I¡¯ll have to use this then. Summon, Excalibur!¡± (Knight)


    A sword made of pure light appears in the knight¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Take this!¡± (Knight)


    This time, Ravenger stood up and unsheathed two blades.


    ¡°If you still want to fool around, I¡¯ll just have to wake you up!¡± (Ravenger)


    Ravenger lunges at the Knight.


    The knight¡¯s blow was parried away.


    ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re strong.¡± (Knight)


    ¡°Stop with this nonsense and wake up!¡± (Ravenger)


    Ravenger kicks the knight square in the chest.


    The knight flies towards the army who¡¯s still under fear.


    His sword falls to the floor and disperses.


    ¡°S-Sir Arthar!¡± (Soldiers)


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± (Arthar)


    ¡°...Leave. Stop bothering me.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t stop here! Until I take revenge for my father!¡± (Arthar)


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, It¡¯s not me!¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Shut up!¡± (Arthar)


    Arthar got up and Excalibur appears in his hands.


    ¡°I saw it with my own eyes! I will never forgive you!¡± (Arthar)


    ¡°...What a pain. I¡¯ll have to drive you out by force.¡± (Ravenger)


    Ravenger swings his two blades around.


    ¡°Whirlwind!¡± (Ravenger)


    A large wind blows the army out of the throne room, but the knight holds his ground.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you!!!¡± (Arthar)


    ¡°...Don¡¯t make me harm you. This is my final warning.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Die!¡± (Arthar)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Arthar charged at Ravenger, with Excalibur pointed to pierce his enemy.


    Ravenger suddenly blurs out and appears in front of Arthar.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± (Arthar)


    A sword is sticking through Arthar¡¯s body.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHH-¡± (Celeste)


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Sorry for a late release. I had to do my homework so I couldn''t finish the chapter...


    The chapter is also shorter today, because of a personal dateline I set myself with.


    Hope you like this chapter, since it shows the future personality of Ravenger.


    Its like Rou in Re:Monster, but instead of Rou on the throne, its a humanoid crocodile.


    Thanks for reading. Don''t try to hard to imagine that...


    Peace!

 Chapter 7

    Name


    (Ravenger)


    ¡­


    What to do¡­


    I can¡¯t enter the village because the villagers are fearful of me.


    Well, at least not everyone is afraid of me. I can take comfort in that.


    No, I need to be mentally stronger.


    Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to face future challenges.


    I see Alexia running over from the village gates.


    ¡°Hey, monster! Follow me into the village now!¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°..?¡± (Ravenger)


    What the hell is going on? Well, staying here isn¡¯t going to answer anything.


    I got up and followed Alexia towards the village.


    An old lady stands at the village gate.


    As I walk closer to her, she smiles and greets me.


    ¡°Greetings, monster. My student Celeste has been requesting for you.¡± (???)


    ¡°...Who are you?¡± (Ravenger)


    I scratched my scaly head. Why is the girl calling for me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be disrespectful! This is our village¡¯s seer. She is renown throughout the continent.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not that well-known. Call me Teacher, monster.¡± (Teacher)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    So this is the girl¡¯s teacher? Why is she here?


    ¡°As I was saying, Celeste has been calling for you.¡± (Teacher)


    ....Why?


    -In Desca Village-


    I was led to one of the wooden houses in the village.


    ¡°Uh, monster. Could you wait outside? You¡¯re too big to enter.¡±


    ¡­


    Couldn¡¯t you be more tactful with your words¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can walk by myself.¡± (Celeste)


    The girl walks out of the house, led by Alexia.


    ¡°So, what do you want from me? (Ravenger)


    ¡°Hello, Ravenger.¡± (Celeste)


    Everyone looked at Celeste in shock.


    ¡°Who, me?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m calling your name.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°Wow, I never thought a wild monster can have a name.¡± (Alexia)


    ...My mental wounds are being rubbed with salt.


    More importantly, my name is Ravenger?


    Who gave me such a weird name?


    ¡°The gods have told me to get you to follow me on my journey.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± (Ravenger)


    I was going to train my new skills then leave, but now I have this girl tagging along?


    What a pain¡­


    ¡°I saw your future. Its not a pleasant one, and I cannot reveal it to anyone. It affects the whole continent.¡± (Celeste)


    Not this again¡­


    I¡¯m a simple creature who has some form of intellect.


    I¡¯m not going to do anything that will put me in the spotlight.


    After all, I am a reptilian monster. Who for some reason is named Ravenger.


    I guess I can accept the name¡­


    Not like I¡¯ve got anything else to name myself with.


    ¡°...So I need to follow you on your journey?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...Fine.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Really? I was not expecting a quick response¡­¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I sighed heavily.


    ¡°We leave tomorrow. Get ready.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Wait! Celeste is still recovering. Why do you want to leave so quickly?¡± (Alexia)


    Alexia, who was quietly listening, gave an alarmed expression.


    ¡°...No reason.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Then can¡¯t you let her rest for a few days?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Alexia, I¡¯m fine. Alright, Ravenger, as you say. I will prepare my belongings and meet you at the gate tomorrow.¡± (Celeste)


    I nodded firmly.


    The teacher, who had been listening the whole time, bowed to me and guided Celeste back into the house.


    Alexia gives me a furious stare.


    ¡°...If she wants to follow me, she needs to be tougher. Living life outside is tougher than living a sheltered life.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°[mumbling]...I¡¯m coming too.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°What did you say?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I said I¡¯m coming too, okay?¡± (Alexia)


    She stomps away towards her house.


    ¡°...God, even in another life I still cannot understand women.¡± (Ravenger)


    I muttered under my breathe as I proceeded to leave the village.


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


    -The Next Morning-


    I stood outside the gate, carrying my bags.


    I couldn¡¯t sleep last night, so I decided to refurbish my equipment.


    I explored the forest yesterday afternoon and found a cave filled with large crystals.


    They seemed sturdy so I used them to craft larger versions of my previous weapons.


    Thus, my inventory now consists of 2 crystal blades, a crystal axe and some crystal javelins.


    I kept my stone knives since they come in handy as throwing knives.


    By the time I finished making those weapons, the sun had started to rise.


    When I reached the village gate, I see the Teacher, the girl, Alexia, another girl and a boy. Only the Teacher wasn¡¯t wearing any travelling gear, nor carrying a bag of sorts.


    ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...No, you¡¯re too early.¡± (Ravenger)


    I looked at the boy. He looks back at me.


    I don¡¯t smell any fear from him, Instead I smell a sense of awe from him.


    The girl is hiding behind Alexia.


    ¡°And who are they?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°They are my siblings. My brother is called Timo and my sister is called Tifa.¡± (Alexia)


    I should probably introduce myself as well.


    ¡°Uh, hello there. My name is, uh, Ravenger? Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± (Ravenger)


    ...I almost forgot my given name.


    ¡°My name is Timo! Pleased to meet you!¡± (Timo)


    Well aren¡¯t you excited over this¡­


    ¡°M-My name is T-Tifa. P-Please take care of me!¡± (Tifa)


    ...I smell a strong sense of fear from her.


    ¡°Alright, all of you should take this.¡± (Teacher)


    The Teacher hands out a sack to everyone except me.


    ¡°These are rations for your travels. As for Ravenger, we do not have enough food. I do hope you will forgive me.¡± (Teacher)


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can always hunt.¡± (Raveger)


    ¡°Anyways, why do you have swords made out of Cresilight? Why do you have swords in the first place?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Why not?¡± (Ravenger)


    The Teacher clears her throat.


    ¡°Eh hem, it should be time for all of you to go now. I recommend you to head north of the village, towards a small town called Regi. Ravenger, make sure you take care of Celeste.¡± (Teacher)


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°...Sure.¡± (Ravenger)


    After saying our goodbyes to the Teacher, we set off to Regi.


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


    (Tifa)


    My name is Tifa Fetora.


    I was born as the second daughter in my family.


    My sister treated me and my younger brother very well, taking care of us when our parents died.


    I have the ability to use support magic since young. When my sister when on jobs, I kept begging her to bring me along.


    She rejected every single one of my requests, saying that I need to take care of the house and my brother.


    Now, on this journey, I can finally use my potential as a healer to everyone.


    Except for the fact that there is a monster in our party.


    My sister said he won¡¯t harm us, but I still feel scared of him.


    But, for the sake of my family, I will be braver and protect them from harm.


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


    (Timo)


    My name is Timo! I¡¯m seven years old and I¡¯m the youngest in my family.


    My sisters has been taking care of my since I was born, and I¡¯m very grateful for them.


    When my sis said that day that we are going on a journey, I was so happy!


    I had always wanted to explore the world and now my wish can be fufilled!


    When I saw Ravenger, I felt he was really cool.


    He was like a huge Reptillanoid with two swords by his belt.


    I wanted to be like him when I grow up.


    I will become like him when I grow up!


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


    (Ravenger)


    -A few hours later-


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°The Atere Forest, huh? Looks like a normal forest to me.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°It is not, Ravenger. This forest hides many secrets as an assassin clan used to live here.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°Interesting.¡± (Ravenger)


    We arrived at our first checkpoint, the Atere Forest.


    I was getting really hungry, since it was lunch time.


    ¡°Alright, we will find a clearing and rest there for the time being.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°I guess thats a feasible plan.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°So what are you waiting for? Get to scouting!¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I entered the forest.


    Clearing, huh?


    Somewhere by the water should be a good place.


    I took a whiff of the forest air.


    ¡­


    This direction should lead me to a waterfall.


    A path is conveniently made here too.


    I pushed through the greenery and a waterfall entered my view.


    Hm, this place should be sufficient.


    I returned to my party and reported my findings.


    ¡°Good work. Let¡¯s go everyone.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...I feel like I¡¯m treated as a pet¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Did you say something, Ravenger?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...Nothing.¡± (Ravenger)


    When the party arrived at the clearing, everyone stared at the beautiful rainbow made by the waterfall.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat up and rest for now.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°I shall do the cooking.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...And I¡¯m off to hunt. If anything happens, just scream loudly. I¡¯ll come running over.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°We¡¯re not kids you know¡­¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...But they are.¡± (Revenger)


    I pointed to Timo and Tifa.


    ¡°...I can protect them.¡± (Alexia)


    ...I don¡¯t trust that.


    The first time I met her, she fell down in fright.


    I faced the Timo and Tifa.


    ¡°If anything happens, call for me okay?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Okay!¡± (Timo)


    Tifa nodded shyly.


    I went back into the forest.


    Meat¡­


    Its hard to scent it out because of the strong herbs in this forest.


    Maybe I can try one of my skills.


    ¡°Emotional Change - Tension.¡±


    -Emotional Change Activated-


    My vision turns into a shade of orange-red.


    White trails can be seen all over the forest.


    Four lead back to the clearing. The rest are scattered around.


    Following one traill, I tracked down a large bear.


    Seems delicious.


    ¡°Emotional Change - Anger¡±


    My vision turns red.


    Black lines can be seen on the bear.


    Drawing my blades, I sneaked closer to get a better view.


    Eh? Someone else is here?


    A girl holding a katana, is breathing heavily, with heavy wounds over her body.


    I can¡¯t tell if she is bleeding, since my vision is blood red.


    The bear roars and slashes at the girl.


    The girl blocks with her katana and dives to the bear¡¯s side.


    The bear turned its body deftly and did a side swipe.


    The girl used her katana to block again but the force knocked her back into a tree.


    Her katana was thrown off her hand and and landed near me.


    The bear gets on its hindpaws and prepares to strike the killing blow.


    Time for me to step in.


    Pushing myself off a tree, I dived towards the bear and stabbed it with my blades.


    The bear roared and fell down due to my wieght.


    I pulled my left blade free and struck one a black spot on its head.


    The bear gave a final roar and collapsed, dead.


    I pulled out my two blades and sheathed them.


    The girl looked at me in shock and horror, with tears flowing out of her eyes.


    ¡°...Who are you?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (???)


    ...I should probably deactivate my skill first.


    -Emotional Control Deactivated-


    ¡°Ah, much better.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...?¡± (???)


    ¡°My name is Ravenger. What¡¯s yours?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (???)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    God, here we go again...


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    I feel that there are inconsistencies somewhere, but I can''t seem to find it.


    If you did find some error, please tell me in the comments!


    Thanks for supporting me on my writing!


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Chapter 8

    Assassin


    (Ravenger)


    God, what a pain.


    ¡°...I have allies nearby. They can get you patched up. Do you want to come.¡±


    The girl stays silent for a moment, then nods her head.


    ¡°Good. Pick up your weapons and follow me.¡± (Ravenger)


    The girl slowly gets up and hops over to her weapons. Seems like her leg was injured.


    Silently, I picked her up and carried her over my shoulder.


    The girl panicked. Trying to get out of my grasp, she kicked my back repeatedly.


    ¡°...Calm down.¡± (Ravenger)


    The girl continues to kick me, refusing to listen to my words.


    Sighing, I dragged the dead bear and carried the girl back to camp.


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


    ¡°What the hell?! Ravenger, have you gone insane!?¡± (Alexia)


    I returned to the clearing my party was cresting at. Seeing the battered girl laying limp on my shoulder, Alexia confronted me for an answer.


    ¡°...I found this girl fighting the bear, which is what I will eat, and I brought her here to be patched up.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Really?¡± (Alexia)


    Alexia questions me further.


    ¡°*sigh* It is. Ask the girl if you want, but she hasn¡¯t talk since I met her.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Bring her to me, Ravenger.¡± (Celeste)


    Dropping the bear, I walked over to the girl- I mean Celeste, and gently placed the girl down.


    ¡°Eh? This symbol, I know it¡­¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°What symbol?¡± (Ravenger)


    Alexia and I approached the unconscious girl.


    A symbol comprising of two crossing daggers is marked upon her shoulder.


    ¡°The Noxious!? Why is one of them here?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°The who?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°The Noxious. A notorious band of assassins. They have often been hired to kill nobles and ,at one time, a king.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Girl)


    The girl regains consciousness.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± (Celeste)


    The girl nods slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Celeste. The girl with the bow is called Alexia. Her siblings sleeping over there are Timo and Tifa. The reptilian humanoid is called Ravenger.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...¡± (Girl)


    ¡°Could you tell us name please?¡± (Celeste)


    The girl looks at us anxiously.


    I grunted impatiently.


    The girl cowers behind Celeste.


    ¡°...Sorry.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I think its better if you go somewhere else for now, Ravenger.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...Sure. I¡¯ll be eating somewhere in the forest.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Thank you.¡± (Celeste)


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


    (Celeste)


    ¡°I will treat your wounds now. It will hurt a bit, but please bear with it.¡± (Celeste)


    The assassin nods slowly.


    I took out a clean cloth and wiped the blood off her body. Then, I took out some cloth bandages and wrapped it around her wounds.


    ¡°And I¡¯m done.¡± (Celeste)


    The girl swiftly took out a small book and a small, black rod. She then scribbled something on it and showed it to me.


    [Thank you very much!]


    Alexia came over after driving Ravenger away.


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this?¡± (Alexia)


    The girl scribbled something else onto her book.


    [My name is Natashia. I am an assassin. My clan lives in the depths of this forest.]


    ¡°Really? But that doesn¡¯t explains why you are injured so severely like that. You should have someone else in your party right?¡± (Alexia)


    The girl flinched. She looked downcast for a moment, then wrote on her book.


    [...I ran away from my clan.]


    ...Ran away?


    ¡°Why would you want you run away?¡± (Celeste)


    [...I¡¯m the clan¡¯s princess. I¡¯m sick of being protected around like some precious object. So I decided to prove that I can fight just like my mother.]


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°...¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how the story goes.¡± (???)


    The assassin¡¯s face froze.


    Alexia and I turned around.


    Ravenger¡¯s bloody face burns into our brains.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH~!¡± (Everyone)


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


    (Natashia)


    I am Natashia, the 109th generation of assassins in my clan.


    Also the princess of the clan, I have been protected all my life.


    I was born a mute. This saddened my father, and it is also the reason why I have to protected.


    My father is afraid that if I got lost, I would not be able to call for help.


    My mother was the opposite. She felt that I would be able to find a way to overcome my weakness.


    My father disagreed and continued to order round-the-clock protection on my safety.


    I felt so useless, pathetic, and later on, scared.


    I felt that¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect, or lead my clan in the future.


    I felt that¡­ I needed to grow.


    Wallowing in self-pity will not lead me anywhere.


    One night, I swore to the full moon that I will grow stronger. By any means necessary, I will show my father that her daughter can defend herself.


    Thus, I began secretly leaving my home to train in the forest.


    From nature, I learnt about peace, and from the animals, I learnt ferocity.


    After months of training, I created my own style of assassination.


    ¡®Way of the Predator¡¯


    A skill that will improve my overall skills, and decreases the chance of getting caught under stealth.


    I felt really confident after learning this skill, which made me want to try hunting the rare ironwood bear.


    It has a layer of natural armor, protecting it from most blunt attacks and sword wounds.


    However, it does not include its head.


    When I found the bear, I had to wait for it to be distracted before going for a sure-kill strike to its forehead.


    As the bear lowered its head to sniff the ground, I launched my assault.


    Unknowingly to me, the bear had already picked up my scent.


    As I leaped towards the bear, it backed up and swiped at me.


    Instinctively, I drew my close-combat weapon, my katana, to block the attack.


    The bear roared menacingly, growling at me for disturbing it.


    I regained my balance and gripped my katana tightly. Feeling sweat dripped down my forehead, I wiped it, only to find that it was my own blood.


    Roaring loudly, the bear pounced onto me.


    I rolled away, barely able to escape its crushing blow.


    Lunging my katana, I attempted to stab it through its head. My aim was off and it deflected off its armor instead.


    As I got up and moved to a safer distance, I felt another presence.


    It was a dark, angry aura.


    I froze, knowing that if that creature arrived, I will be dead.


    As I was hesitating, the bear roared and swiped at me.


    I blocked the blow with my katana, but it was too strong for me. I flew backwards towards a tree, losing the grip of my katana.


    As my consciousness began to fade, I felt the dark aura move.


    I see the bear being stabbed and crushed by a monstrous figure as I¡¯m about to faint.


    The killing pressure forced me to stay awake, as I shivered non-stop.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± (Ravenger)


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Sorry for the late and short chapter.


    Reality kept me busy...


    Next week I will try to reach my goal of 3000 words!


    And I''ve almost 100 followers! Yay me! (And to all my readers!)


    Please keep supporting me! I will keep writing better chapters for you!


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace


    Edit 4/7/15 : I realized the coding was not working. Fixed it.

 Chapter 9

    Ambush


    (Natashia)


    (AHHHHHHH~!) (Natashia)


    The monster appeared behind the two girls with a blood-streaked face.


    I almost had a heart attack!


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! I was about to go wash this off!¡± (Ravenger)


    Alexia¡¯s siblings woke up from their cries.


    ¡°?¡± (Tifa)


    ¡°...What¡¯s going on?¡± (Timo)


    ¡°Uh, I better get going.¡± (Ravenger)


    The monster ran towards the waterfall.


    ¡°...Sister, are we going to continue now?¡± (Tifa)


    ¡°...*coughs* Y-Yeah. Let¡¯s pack up.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Sister, who is that girl over there?¡± (Timo)


    The little boy points in my direction.


    ¡°She¡¯s Natashia. She lives around here.¡± (Alexia)


    I wrote on my book.


    [Hello. I am Natashia.]


    ¡°Hello!¡± (Timo)


    The little boy waved at me. I waved back.


    ¡°You should return home before your parents worry about you.¡± (Celeste)


    A loud shrill echoes throughout the forest.


    Oh no¡­


    This is bad.


    Noticing my worried face, Celeste questioned me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Natashia? You look really worried.¡± (Celeste)


    I scribbled down on my book.


    [My clan found out I¡¯m missing. They are very strong-headed and will strike first and ask questions later. You have to leave now!]


    ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, Alexia, Celeste, leave first. I¡¯ll help Natashia return to her clan.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°!!!¡± (Everyone)


    ¡°Ravenger, stop appearing all of a sudden!¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°What do you mean help Natashia return to her clan?¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...Pack up and leave first. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    I crept up towards the girls from the lake.


    [My clan found out I¡¯m missing. They are very strong-headed and will strike first and ask questions later. You have to leave now!]


    ¡°...!¡± (Ravenger)


    ...Seems like this assassins clan has a large amount of pride.


    The girl wanted to prove to her clan that she was competent. If they find her wounded, they would probably lock her up.


    Just like her back then¡­


    ...I won¡¯t let this happen again.


    ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, Alexia, Celeste, leave first. I¡¯ll help Natashia return to her clan.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°!!!¡± (Everyone)


    ¡°Ravenger, stop appearing all of a sudden!¡± (Alexia)


    Hehehe¡­ This might be a bad habit.


    ¡°What do you mean help Natashia return to her clan?¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...Pack up and leave first. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°But-¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°No buts.¡± (Ravenger)


    I retorted coldly.


    ¡°...¡± (Everyone)


    ¡°...I¡¯ll finish packing up. Celeste, you get ready too.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Celeste)


    After a while the party left.


    ¡°...¡± (Natashia)


    ¡°...I heard about your clan. I¡¯ll help you to get your father to acknowledge you.¡± (Ravenger)


    [Why?]


    ¡°...You don¡¯t have to know. All you need to do is do the final blow, but don¡¯t kill me.¡± (Ravenger)


    [...I understand.]


    ¡°...Good. I¡¯ll fight against your clan, but I won¡¯t kill them. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    Glenna, I won¡¯t let you down again.


    Leading the girl into the forest, we ran through the undergrowth until we came upon a large clearing.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    They¡¯re here.


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


    (Natashia)


    I don¡¯t understand.


    Why would this monster do this?


    We¡¯ve only just met a few hours ago.


    ¡­


    The whistle.


    My clan. Their close.


    ¡°Get down and act injured.¡± (Ravenger)


    I follow his instructions and got down.


    ¡°Emotion Change - Calm¡±


    Figures leaped out from the shadows and surround the monster.


    ¡°Foul beast, how dare you kidnap our tender Princess! You shall pay for your crimes!¡± (Assassin)


    Tender? Tender!? So thats how you all see me as!?


    ...but why use the word tender?


    ¡°...Come at me.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Tsk, you can talk? Nevermind that, I¡¯ll make you take back your words!¡± (Assassin)


    The leader of the group launched a frontal attack.


    Ravenger swiftly side-stepped and swatted him like a fly.


    The assassin flew at a tree headfirst, receiving a concussion blow.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Wha- Everyone, attack!¡± (Assassin)


    ¡°Yah!!¡± (Assassins)


    ¡°Tsk, I¡¯ll have to go on the offensive.¡± (Ravenger)


    Unsheathing two crystal blades, the monster deflected frontal knife blows and used his tail to knock out one assassin at a time.


    The assassins changed tactics, using their Backstab skill to damage the monster.


    The monster grunted as multiple knives were punctured into his skin.


    ¡°Emotion Change - Irritation¡±


    The monster¡¯s evasion speed suddenly shot up.


    It detected most of the assassins¡¯ Backstab and countered with a swipe of his blade.


    (T-This is amazing!) (Natashia)


    I started to admire this monster more.


    His strokes were quick and smooth, and his reflexes were better than the assassins.


    Soon, the monster defeated the assassins.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    I got up and followed him, eager to see his next fight.


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


    (Ravenger)


    God, it stings.


    The assassins were like irritating little flies, dancing around me.


    If I didn¡¯t change emotions, I would be in deep trouble.


    Well, better get going.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    The girl quickly got up, ready to move.


    She has this weird look in her eyes¡­ and its giving me the chills.


    Girls are scary, no matter which life you live in.


    I pushed through the undergrowth, checking for the scent of any hidden assassins.


    My goal is to find the assassins¡¯ base.


    If I managed to stay alive, I will negotiate with the girl¡¯s father.


    I plan to recruit this little girl.


    I see a lot of potential in her, and it will be easier to gather information in the future.


    Since I have a really good guess that monsters are not welcomed in the city.


    ¡°Stop.¡± (Ravenger)


    Shit, there¡¯s a stronger presence here.


    ¡°You! How dare you kidnap my daughter!¡± (???)


    ...I¡¯m guessing its her dad.


    ...I can¡¯t sense anyone in the vicinity. Is this the strength of a top notch assassin?


    ¡°Ugh!¡± (Ravenger)


    What the hell!?


    I stagger from the weight of the blow.


    A man appears in front of me.


    His aura is strong¡­ Will I be able to defeat him?


    ¡°Release my daughter, you beast!¡± (???)


    I look towards the girl. She looks like she is trying to tell me something.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll be fine. Stay down.¡± (Ravenger)


    I whispered to her.


    The girl nods.


    ¡°What did you say to her!?¡± (???)


    ¡°...Nothing.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Stop lying! You must have some sort of brainwashing ability¡­ I¡¯ll defeat you and set my daughter free!¡± (???)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Drawing my blades, I thrust at the girl¡¯s father.


    The man disappears before I could strike.


    ¡°Emotion Change - Fear¡±


    My senses sharpen tremendously.


    ¡°In front of me!?¡± (Ravenger)


    I received a kick to my snout and stagger backwards.


    ¡°Tsk, you can sense me? I¡¯ll have to take extra precautions against you.¡± (???)


    ¡°...I won¡¯t lose!¡± (Ravenger)


    I dived forward, hoping to give my enemy at least a scratch.


    Sadly, I missed. The man counterattacked and sliced my back.


    Flinching, I continued to bear the searing pain on my back.


    ... That¡¯s it. I won¡¯t hold back anymore.


    ¡°Emotion Change - Anger¡±


    -Do you want to activate ¡®Killing Instinct¡¯?-


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What trick do you have up your sleeves this type, monster?¡± (???)


    As my vision turns red, black lines appear in front of nothing. That must be where he is.


    Dropping my blades, I sliced at his shoulder with my claw.


    ¡°Gah! S-Shit! How did you know!?¡± (???)


    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± (Ravenger)


    Picking up my blade, I struck the man in the head with the hilt in one swift motion.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Remember this monster¡­ The leader of the clan¡­ My wife will come after you¡­ And she will retrieve our daughter back!¡± (???)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    You¡¯re not the strongest?


    Well damn.


    Hey guys IAmTheKroc


    Happy Birthday to me! You all motivate me to write and you reading my fanfic is the best present I can receive.


    Re:ptile has almost reached 1500 average views! A huge goal I never thought could be achieved.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace!!

 Chapter 10

    Mother


    (Ravenger)


    Damn, it hurts.


    I¡¯ve received too many wounds. Would I survive the fight with this girl¡¯s mother?


    Looking at the girl, she stares back at me, looking really worried.


    She quickly wrote on her book, and showed it to me.


    [Please stop, Ravenger! If you go on any further, you might die. My mother is not someone you can deal with right now!]


    ¡°Tsk, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t fall today.¡± (Ravenger)


    I wonder how much confidence I can back that statement with.


    The girl stayed silent and nodded.


    ¡°...After I¡¯ve rested a while, we¡¯ll go to your clan¡¯s hideout.¡± (Ravenger)


    The girl looked up, shocked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± (Ravenger)


    ...Not really. After fighting and receiving so many wounds, I can¡¯t remember.


    Oh right¡­ I want to recruit this girl.


    To do that¡­ I think I decided to fight¡­?


    Damn, I¡¯ll remember after I¡¯ve rested.


    (A while later)


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    [Shouldn¡¯t you rest for a bit more? You still look exhausted¡­]


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    The girl stared at me, eyes brimming with tears.


    ¡°...I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    ...Glenna¡­


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


    (Natashia)


    Why? Why do you want to fight against the Noxious Clan so badly?


    I cannot understand.


    All I can do is hope for Ravenger to survive.


    We pushed through the forest and entered a large clearing by a large hill.


    The entrance of my clan.


    I¡¯m home.


    ¡­


    I don¡¯t hear any signals. What is mother thinking?


    A presence. Mother!?


    My mother walks out of the cave entrance, wielding two daggers.


    ¡°...I assume you are the leader of the clan¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Yes. I am Natelia. Leader of the Noxious Clan, and mother of the child behind you.¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you defeated my husband. That is a very tough feat to achieve.¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°Cut the small talk. I¡¯ll state my demands now.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Oh? Let¡¯s hear them.¡± (Natelia)


    Demands? What is Ravenger planning?


    ¡°...I¡¯m hiring this girl. Natashia, was it?¡± (Ravenger)


    What!?


    ¡°Eh? Sorry, but she is not for hire.¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°...I guessed as much. I¡¯ll have to take her away by force then.¡± (Ravenger)


    My mother narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°...Can I take this as a threat, reptile?¡± (Natelia)


    Ravenger drew his blades.


    ¡°...Yes.¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    Natelia disappeared from my vision.


    ¡°Emotion Change - Anger¡±


    I have to go with my ace from the beginning, otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to keep up with her speed.


    ¡°The scouts were right. Your aura changes from time to time.¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°...So what?¡± (Ravenger)


    I growled as I looked around to find her.


    ¡°Gah!¡± (Ravenger)


    A powerful force pushed me backwards.


    ¡­


    Eh?


    I look down.


    ...A knife?


    ¡°...You are weaken by the battles before you, but thats the way we assassins fight.¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Shit, my vision is fading¡­


    I¡­ can¡¯t die¡­ like this¡­!


    -Limit Break unlocked-


    -Limit Break unleashed-


    ¡°AHHHHH¡± (Ravenger)


    So much pain-!


    ...Energy is flowing back into me.


    ¡°What!? The legendary Limit Break!? How can you use it!?¡± (Natelia)


    I slowly got up, ripping the knife out of my back.


    Natelia quickly moves away from me, holding onto her remaining dagger.


    ¡°...No holding back.¡± (Ravenger)


    -Dominion has been unlocked-


    ¡°DOMINION!¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Natelia)


    A black fog enshrouds the clearing.


    ¡°W-What the hell is this!?¡± (Natelia)


    This reptile, what the hell is he?


    ¡°...Come at me.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Natelia)


    The surrounding trees and bushes are gone.


    My traps are probably gone as well.


    Strike first to win, as they always say.


    Using Backstab, I teleported behind the reptile.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Suddenly, I was knocked away.


    Landing hard on the ground, I struggled to catch my breath.


    ¡°...Your petty tricks will not work against me now.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Natelia)


    Is the only way to fight him is to attack head on?


    ...I will have to use Soul Eater.


    ¡°Summon - Soul Eater¡±


    Two smoking daggers appear in my hands.


    The reptile charged at me, swinging his crystal blades wildy.


    Dodging the strike, I went low and struck his underbelly.


    Roaring loudly, the reptile swung his blades downwards.


    Barely, dodging it, I rolled away and slashed at his left leg.


    The reptile kicked me away and roared violently.


    At this rate, I might lose.


    For the sake of my daughter, who has suffered since young, I will win against this reptile.


    ¡°...I will never give my daughter away!¡± (Natelia)


    Using Backstab again, I teleported behind the reptile, but instead of stabbing him, I leaped off his back.


    ¡°Finisher - Swallow Dive¡±


    With my daggers held forward, I spinned and dived onto the reptile¡¯s head.


    ¡°GAH!¡± (Ravenger)


    The reptile roars again and fell to his knees.


    Panting, I confronted the reptile.


    ¡°... My daughter stays here. I will let her leave once she has learnt the ways of assassination. If you really want to hire her, come back next time.¡± (Natelia)


    The reptile stayed silent.


    ¡°Oi. Answer me.¡± (Natelia)


    I prodded the reptile.


    He fell to the ground.


    The black fog disappears.


    Looking around, I found my daughter staring at me.


    Her face was filled with hatred and anger.


    ¡°Natashia dear. I¡¯ve came to get you.¡± (Natelia)


    Natashia runs towards me.


    I open my arms, expecting to receive a hug.


    She ran past me, and towards the reptile instead.


    ¡°...¡± (Natelia)


    Dazed, I turned around.


    Natashia was crying. Crying for the reptile.


    ¡°...Natashia¡­¡± (Natelia)


    My daughter, while crying, wrote on her book.


    [WHY? WHY DID YOU KILL HIM? HE JUST WANTS TO PROTECT ME]


    ...What?


    ¡°B-But, Natashia, he wanted to take you away.¡± (Natelia)


    [SO WHAT? I WOULD HAVE LEFT WITH HIM. THE WHOLE CLAN ALWAYS TREATS ME AS SOME OBJECT. ONLY RAVENGER TREATS ME AS THE WAY I AM. AS A GIRL.]


    ¡­


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


    (Natashia)


    -Before the fight with Natelia-


    ¡°...Are you okay?¡± (Ravenger)


    I nodded.


    I¡¯m itching to ask why he is doing this, but I¡¯m too scared to ask.


    I continued to push through the forest undergrowth, as I followed Ravenger.


    Eh? I tripped on a hidden branch.


    Bracing myself for impact, I landed on something else instead.


    ¡°...Are you alright?¡± (Ravenger)


    Ravenger caught me using his tail.


    ¡°...Even though you are some Princess, I expect you to be able to take care of yourself.¡± (Ravenger)


    I was stunned for a moment.


    I never had someone talk back to me before.


    In my clan, everyone treated my words as the law, except for my parents and anything regarding my freedom.


    ¡°Look, if you are tired, we can rest for a while.¡± (Ravenger)


    I nodded, then stopped midway, and shook my head instead.


    ¡°...We¡¯ll rest for a few minutes.¡± (Ravenger)


    Feeling embarrassed, I sat down on the tree branch I almost fell off from.


    Ravenger took out a knife, and cut some vines from a nearby tree.


    ¡°Here. Tie up your hair.¡± (Ravenger)


    Immediately, I felt my head for my ribbon. but it was gone.


    Lowering my head, I took the vines and quickly tied up my hair.


    ¡°...This may be irrelevant but I prefer girls with their hair tied up.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Natashia)


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    Smiling, I got up and followed Ravenger, staying close to him.


    Hey guys. IAmTheKroc


    Sorry for the recent short chapters.


    My exams are nearing and I''m slowly losing time to do my writing...


    During my exams, I will post some trivia about the characters, since you know almost nothing about them.


    Once my exams are over, I will attempt to break the ''3000 word  in a chapter'' challenge again.


    Next time on Re:ptile


    Ravenger has died! Or has he?


    Find out next time on Re;ptile!


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Chapter 11

    Past


    (Natelia)


    I stood there, speechless.


    What did I do to make my daughter cry so badly¡­


    ¡­


    This reptile¡­


    ¡°...Natashia. He¡¯s not dead.¡± (Natelia)


    Natashia raises her head, her face streaked with tears.


    ¡°His soul is split from his body. If his spirit is strong enough, he will find his way back.¡± (Natelia)


    Natashia stares at me for a moment, sobbing. She writes on her book, her hand shaking.


    [Ravenger will return.]


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


    (Ravenger)


    Shit.


    I died, didn¡¯t I.


    ¡®No. You are not dead.¡¯


    You again. What do you want?


    ¡®If you want to revive, you will have to face your past, to move forward in the future.¡¯


    ¡­


    What do I have to do?


    ¡®You will view your past. Your first life.¡¯


    ...My first life?


    ¡®Yes. The time where you tried to find redemption from your sins. You will revisit one part of it¡¯


    ¡­


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


    (???)


    ¡°Hey ___! Hurry up!¡± (???)


    I ran with all my might, as bullets whizzed past me.


    ¡°Go go go! Don¡¯t look back! No time for regrets!¡± (???)


    ¡°This way!¡± (???)


    Gripping my rifle tightly, I dived behind a wall and tried to catch my breath.


    ¡°Shit! Those guys got us good.¡± (???)


    ¡°No, its that bastard Alans. Fucking traitor. Thanks to him, Howard, Ken, Rum, they all died.¡± (???)


    I coughed loudly, getting everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to regret. We need to get back to Old London and resupply. If they catch us, the lives of the others will be wasted.¡± (???)


    ¡°You¡¯re right, boss. I¡¯ll take point.¡± (???)


    ¡°Alright. Load up, its going to be a while.¡± (???)


    I swiftly reloaded my rifle and pistol. Everyone else followed suit.


    I quickly briefed my team about the path.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re heading to the old warehouse first. We¡¯re going to bait them there and lower their numbers. ____, you got the explosives?¡± (???)


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± (???)


    ¡°Boss, are we gonna ride the SUVs back to Old London?¡± (???)


    ¡°Yeah. After that, full speed ahead to our destination.¡± (???)


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go commander! Can¡¯t wait to get some coffee after this.¡± (???)


    ¡°Haha. Me too. Let¡¯s go!¡± (???)


    ¡°Yeah!¡± (Everyone)


    (A few hours later)


    After a while, my team of five made it to the warehouse.


    ¡°_____, set the explosives. The rest of you, take point. I¡¯ll check the outside.¡± (???)


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± (???)


    As my team scattered, I ran out of the warehouse only to meet gunfire.


    ¡°Shit! Everyone get down!¡± (???)


    I dived behind a tractor, peeking over the side to get a look at our enemy.


    ¡°Six coming to our flank! ____, take them down! ____, with me on point!¡± (???)


    ¡°Got it!¡± (???)


    ¡°Comin¡¯ boss!¡± (???)


    ____ and ____ quickly exited the warehouse as I gave them cover fire.


    ____ swiftly eliminated the enemy¡¯s flank team. ____ and I struggled to pick off the enemy taking cover.


    ¡°Sir, the explosives are ready!¡± (???)


    ¡°Alright! Throw a frag and we¡¯ll get back in the warehouse!¡± (???)


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± (???)


    ¡°Enemy fragout! Get away!¡± (???)


    I heard the enemy shout out a warning as we ran back in.


    ¡°Alright, everyone get to the back. We¡¯ll retrieve the SUVs and go.¡± (???)


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Got it!¡± (Everyone)


    Flipping the covers, the SUVs were revealed. Five, perfect.


    ¡°We¡¯re breaking through! Follow my lead!¡± (???)


    Hopping onto one of the SUVs, I pressed the ignition switch.


    As the enemy entered the warehouse, my team broke through a wall and drove away.


    ¡°____, activate the explosives now!¡± (???)


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± (???)


    BOOM


    ¡°Yeah! Nicely done ____!¡± (???)


    ¡°Thanks ____!¡± (???)


    Laughing loudly I shouted in the wind.


    ¡°We¡¯re aren¡¯t done yet! Keep going!¡± (???)


    Just as I thought we were going to have a swift journey back.


    ¡°Boss! They have reinforcements! RPGs!¡± (???)


    ¡°What!? Fuck! Commander, keep going!¡± (???)


    ¡°Everyone, stay focused!¡± (???)


    My team drove frantically as the enemy fired an RPG upon us.


    Shit! Its coming towards me!


    ¡°Sir! You have to live!¡± (???)


    ¡°____!? What are you doing!¡± (???)


    ¡°Goodbye sir. Thanks for having me. Its been a fun ride.¡± (???)


    ¡°___thon? JONATHON!!!¡± (???)


    Jonathon slowed down and drove behind me, receiving the RPG for me.


    NOOOOOOOOOOOO-


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


    (Ravenger)


    NOOOOOOOO-


    ¡­


    ¡®Congratulation. You have passed.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡®I will unlock some of your power. With this, you will be able to move forward.¡¯


    -Sacrifice has been unlocked-


    ¡­


    Thanks.


    ¡®Do not thank me. You have been fated to suffer through these lives.¡¯


    ...So how do I get back?


    A doorway of light appeared before me.


    ¡®You will have to go through the Citadel before you can return.¡¯


    ...Fine. Let¡¯s get this over with.


    I entered through the doorway of light.


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


    (???)


    Ahh¡­


    How long have I wandered through this place¡­


    How long have I thought about escaping¡­


    My name is is Walter, Prince of Haven.


    Due to many complicated circumstances, I¡¯ve become a ghost.


    I¡¯ve been wandering in this place known as the Citadel. This information was gratefully given to me by the one who sent me here.


    But today, something happened.


    I decided to walk around the Outer Plains to get some fresh air, if I could breathe.


    That¡¯s when a door of light appeared before me.


    I could finally escape, I thought.


    Thats until someone, no, something came out from the door.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH-!¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...Damn, who the hell is screaming?¡± (???)


    ¡°W-W-Who are you!?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...I¡¯m Ravenger. Who are you?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I-I¡¯m Walter. Prince o-of Haven.¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t sound like royalty to me.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Walter)


    Did you have to be so straightforward?!


    I already know, alright?


    ¡°Hey, you know how I can get out of here?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Huh? Its impossible to leave the Citadel.¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ...This guy. What does he plan on doing?


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    My exams start next week, so I won''t be able to write for a while.


    Next chapter will be about the Citadel and his escape. (So not spoilers)


    Sorry for this short chapter...


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Announcements

    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    So currently I won''t be able to write for a week or two because of examinations. (Wish me Luck!)


    To make up for it, I''ll reveal a project I''ve been working on.


    I''ve created another fan fiction! It''s called ''The Loner.'' Read it here: http://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/2059</a>


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Thank you to all my readers for supporting me!


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace!


    (PS: If I have any new announcements or notices, I will post them here.)

 Chapter 12 (Part 1)

    Citadel


    (Walter)


    "..." (Ravenger)


    "Uh, you did hear me, right?" (Walter)


    "..." (Ravenger)


    Oh no. I sense a large amount of trouble.


    "That Citadel. Lead me to it." (Ravenger)


    "W-What!? Are you insane? That place is filled with ridiculously strong spirits!" (Walter)


    This guy, he has to be joking, right?


    "Even better. Let''s go." (Ravenger)


    "..." (Walter)


    I guess I''ll go with the flow...


    Acting as a guide, I led Ravenger out of the Outer Plains. Along the way, we conversed a bit, about how we came here and such.


    "...So let me get this straight. You are suppose to die but you didn''t and now you are a spirit?" (Walter)


    "...That''s the story." (Ravenger)


    Soon, we left the Outer Plains.


    "Alright, now we just need to cross the River." (Walter)


    "...This place has such a bad naming sense." (Ravenger)


    "...Anyways, there''s the bridge over there. After crossing it, we''ll need to pass through the Inner Plains to reach the City." (Walter)


    "Okay. It doesn''t seem like you''ve been in the Citadel for a long time. How do you know so much?" (Ravenger)


    "I met a nice person when I came here. She helped me out when I was lost." (Walter)


    The day I arrived at the Citadel... I can never forget it.


    -A few weeks ago-


    Damn, where am I?


    That damn adviser. I''ll get my revenge.


    Picking myself up, I glanced at my new surroundings.


    "Where the heck is this place?" (Walter)


    A voice echoes from a distance.


    "This is the Citadel. A place where souls wander for eternity." (???)


    "AHH! Who''s there?" (Walter)


    "...Are guys these days that cowardly? Scared by just a voice, what is wrong with them these days..." (???)


    "..." (Walter)


    "Don''t worry, boy. Just follow the sound of my voice." (???)


    "O-Okay." (Walter)


    Following the voice''s instructions, I ended up in front of an alleyway.


    "I-Is this the correct place?" (Walter)


    "Yes. Now hurry up and get in here." (???)


    A phantom hand appears from the shadows of the alleyway.


    "AHHHH-" (Walter)


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


    (Ravenger)


    This place smells of death.


    Well, not surprising, really. This is a place for spirits after all.


    ¡°See those buildings? That¡¯s the City.¡± (Walter)


    A cluster of buildings in disrepair stand in front of me.


    ¡°So, where is this lady?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°She should been in here¡­¡± (Walter)


    We ended up in front of an alley.


    ¡°...I¡¯m too big to enter that.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Oh? I sense someone interesting.¡± (???)


    ¡°Lady!¡± (Walter)


    Huh? Where is she?


    ¡°Hey, reptile. Climb up the the building behind you and jump across.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°What?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°You heard what I said.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Lady! Are you sure?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Shut it, boy. Hurry up and get over here.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± (Walter)


    Walter ran into the alleyway.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°What are you waiting for, reptile?¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...Fine¡± (Ravenger)


    Since I didn¡¯t have my things with me, I used my claws to climb up the building, digging into its soft layers of stone.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Soon, I arrived at the top.


    As I turned to face the opposite building, I saw a hooded figure on the other side, beckoning me over.


    ¡°Hey, are you that Lady from just now?¡± (Ravenger)


    The figure sighed and moved back into the darkness.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Crouching, I pushed off against the building and leaped across to the other side.


    Skidding on the roof, I see Walter sitting on a chair with the Lady, drinking from a teacup.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally made it, reptile.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...You could have just answered my question.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I did not want to waste my breath shouting across when we could talk like this.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...True. (Ravenger)


    ¡°Sit down, Ravenger.¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Sit on the floor. I don¡¯t need you to break my furniture.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...I¡¯m fine.¡± (Ravenger)


    I remain standing, wondering when I can get out of this place.


    ¡°Anyways, from what I had heard from this boy, you want to enter the Citadel?¡± (Lady)


    ¡°Yes. From what Walter said, is it really that dangerous?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s something like a coliseum.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...An arena¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°You really want to go, Ravenger? If you die here, you die in the main realm too!¡± (Walter)


    ...Dying here¡­ Dying¡­ I¡¯m not going to die again.


    ¡°What the boy said is true. I recommend-¡± (Lady)


    I raised my hand, stopping her from saying anything else.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision. I¡¯ll escape, no matter what.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...I guess I can¡¯t change your mind. I and this boy will follow you then.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°W-What!?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...It¡¯s better if I go alone.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Shut it, reptile. I¡¯m sick of this place. I want out. And I will use you to get me out.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I looked over to Walter. His entire body is shivering, and he looks like he¡¯s about to cry.


    ¡°Fine.¡± (Ravenger)


    The Lady stands up.


    ¡°Good! Boy, follow me.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± (Walter)


    Walter quickly got up and follows the Lady as they descended into the building.


    ¡°An arena, huh? I wonder how they will set the rules¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    I went over to the building¡¯s edge and sat down, pondering on my next action.


    Suddenly, I heard a loud call.


    ¡°Reptile! Get down now! We¡¯re moving off!¡± (Lady)


    ...Why are women such a pain.


    I leaped off the building, using my claws to slow my descent, I slid down the building.


    As I neared the floor, I leapt off the building, landing in front of the duo.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Boy, lead the way.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°This way!¡± (Walter)


    Thus, we began to walk towards the Citadel.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    EXAMS ARE OVER!!! *pops party streamers*


    Anyways, this will be Part 1 of my 3000 word goal! (Parts do count... right?)


    There will be 3 parts to this chapter. The 2nd one will be released tomorrow. and the 3rd the following day.


    A new chapter of the Loner will be released this Friday too.


    Thanks for waiting!


    Peace!


    EDIT: (5/14/15) Thanks to Wezard for pointing out a mistake. Edited the word.

 Chapter 12 (Part 2)

    Citadel


    (Ravenger)


    The Citadel.


    Or what I prefer to be called, the Arena.


    ¡°Finally, we¡¯re here.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°A-Are we really going to escape?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Yes, and this reptile will bring us to freedom.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Tch, stop shoving everything onto me.


    ¡°We sign up over there.¡± (Lady)


    The Lady points towards a counter, with a small crowd queuing up.


    ¡°...So what am I suppose to do?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°The system goes like this.¡± (Lady)


    Apparently, when someone participates in this arena, they bet for something to gain something of equal value. For example, if I bet a weapon of high value, I can request for another sword of similar value.


    The bet can be anything, ranging from a random rock, to your life.


    So, to escape the Citadel, I have to bet all three of our lives. If I win, I can request to leave the Citadel with everyone.


    Three lives on the line, three lives will leave. Quite simple, actually.


    To lose in the arena means eternal death. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not going to lose.


    After queuing up for a while, I made it to the counter.


    A ghostly spirit stands, or should I say floats, behind the counter.


    ¡°Hello there! Are you here to sign up for the Citadel challenge?¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...Yes.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Please state your bet here!¡± (Spirit)


    The spirit passes me a form.


    ¡­


    I can¡¯t read this.


    ¡°Uh, can I just say out my bet?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Sure! But you will risk attention from the others.¡± (Spirit)


    ...I don¡¯t really care.


    ¡°I bet my life, and the life of my companions.¡± (Ravenger)


    Everyone stares at me.


    ¡°Wow! This is rare. It has been a long time since anyone has bet their life, let alone the life of others!¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...I don¡¯t really care.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Alright then! Sign here!¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I made a tear in the paper with my claw.


    ¡°Thank you for your participation!¡± (Spirit)


    I left the queue.


    When I rejoined the group, the Lady whacked my head with a fan.


    ¡°Reptile, have you gone mad!? Why did you announce your bet?¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...I couldn¡¯t read¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Well, now everyone will be targeting you.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°Why?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Each bet a challenger makes has a form of ¡®weight¡¯. If you defeat a challenger with a bet that ¡®weighs¡¯ more than his, he can request something of higher value.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...So basically, if they kill me, they can revive himself and two other people?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Precisely.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    You could have just told me earlier¡­


    ¡°B-But you will win, right?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...I will not lose.¡± (Ravenger)


    The Lady sighs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up, boy. A lot of strong fighters have joined today¡¯s fight.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...Don¡¯t underestimate me, Lady.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Really? Tell me you abilities then.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...What?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Your skills. Tell them to me.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...I don¡¯t remember them all¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Open up your skill menu.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°What?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Were you born an idiot?¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Uh, Ravenger. The Lady meant to think up your skill menu.¡± (Walter)


    ...I don¡¯t get it, but I will try¡­


    ¡®Skill Menu¡¯?


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Killing Instinct</td><td width="25%">Passive/Auto</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Born from your rage, this ability will boost your physical abilities by 200%. Unless you have a strong mental capacity, you will blank out until your enemy has been eliminated.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''3''>Blade Mastery</td><td width="25%">Passive</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>After a long time training, you have mastered the art of Blade Mastery. This skill boosts blade damage by 100% and strength by 50%.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''3''>Twister</td><td width="25%">Active</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>By rotating quickly on the spot, you generate strong gusts of wind. Using it as a distraction, you slice your opponents using your weapons, dealing Bleeding and 10% of your strength as damage.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''3''>Emotional Control</td><td width="25%">Active</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>By rebelling against your emotions, you can now activate an emotion to boost your abilities. In return, you have lost the ability to show emotions.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Anger - Strength boosted by 100%


    Fear - Speed boosted by 100%, senses boosted


    Jolly - Luck boosted by 100%


    Despair - Mentality boosted by 100%


    Envy - Intellect boosted by 100%


    Anxiety - Defense boosted by 100%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''3''>Limit Break</td><td width="25%">Auto</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>By pushing your limits and beyond, you have unlocked the legendary abilities gifted by God. Unlocks your ultimate ability.


    Dominion - Unleashes a black aura surrounding you and one opponent. Boosts your abilities by 200%. You release an aura of fear which can only be overcome by those who have a heart of courage.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''3''>Sacrifice</td><td width="25%">Active</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>By sacrificing a portion of your power, you can boost your allies by 100%. The reverse can be done, boosting your power by 100%. You can also sacrifice your opponent¡¯s power, but you will only receive 50% of his power.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Damn, that¡¯s a lot of information!


    ¡°Did you see it, reptile?¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...Yeah.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Well, then. We¡¯ll sit over there and talk about your abilities.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...Sure, I guess. I need to read them over too¡­¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°You had such powers!? What are you?¡± (Lady)


    After telling her my abilities and what they do, she demanded to know how I got them.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Other than ¡®Twister¡¯, everything else is severely abnormal!¡± (Lady)


    ¡°Our chances of winning is confirmed now!¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...We¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± (Lady)


    A loud horn echoes in the Citadel.


    A voice echoes in the Citadel.


    ¡°Could all the fighters who had signed up enter the waiting area?¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s time.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t lose, Ravenger!¡± (Walter)


    ¡°I¡¯ll make this quick.¡± (Ravenger)


    I got up and walked towards the waiting area.


    I have to win this.


    I will escape this place.


    I will not die.


    It¡¯s time to fight.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Writing the code for text boxes is a huge pain...


    At least this part hit a thousand words.


    Tomorrow shall be the final part of the Citadel arc/chapter/I don''t know what you call this...


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace!

 Chapter 12 (Part 3)

    Citadel


    (Ravenger)


    I enter the waiting area.


    In there, I see a variety of people, some holding weapons, others geared up with armor.


    They probably got it from fighting in the Citadel.


    When I entered, everyone stared at me.


    ... I should probably say something.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose. If you think you can beat me, prepare to suffer.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Everyone)


    One guy got up, holding his giant blade.


    ¡°I expect you to uphold what you say.¡± (???)


    Another, thinner, guy, wielding two daggers, grinned.


    ¡°Ehehehe. Make this fun, yea?¡± (???)


    A girl, wielding a bow, stares at me.


    ¡°...¡± (???)


    Hm, looks like an interesting bunch.


    The spirit at the counter walks into the waiting area.


    ¡°Okay, everyone. I will now announce the format of today¡¯s fight!¡± (Spirit)


    Format? Does that mean that there are different ways to fight?


    ¡°Your opponents will be an all out arena fight!¡± (Spirit)


    The fighters began to mumble to each other.


    Hehe, my element.


    ¡°You have five minutes before the beginning of the match. Good luck!¡± (Spirit)


    I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes.


    ¡°...Reptile.¡± (???)


    I opened one eye.


    The archer girl approaches me.


    ¡°What?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Team up.¡± (Archer)


    ¡°No.¡± (Ravenger)


    The archer girl looks slightly shocked.


    ¡°...Why?¡± (Archer)


    ¡°...Why should I?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Archer)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Please.¡± (Archer)


    ¡°...Why do you want to team up with me?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Leave.¡± (Archer)


    ¡°You also want to leave this place, huh?¡± (Ravenger)


    The archer girl nods.


    ¡°...But there can only be one winner.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Archer)


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll team up with you. But after everyone is defeated, I will knock you out in one blow.¡± (Ravenger)


    The archer girl nods.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Akalia.¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°...I¡¯m Ravenger.¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°Alright, fighters. Please head over to the sidelines and enter one of these boxes.¡± (Spirit)


    Walking over to a box, Akalia moves over to a box beside mine.


    ¡°Stay alive.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia nods.


    Everyone entered the box.


    ¡°Has all fighters entered the box? Yes? Alright! We will now shuffle the boxes!¡± (Spirit)


    What?


    I feel the box being lifted off the ground.


    Suddenly, the box moved violently, forcing me onto one side of the box.


    ¡°CRAAAAAAAP!!!¡± (Ravenger)


    The box suddenly stops.


    I slam into the other side of the box.


    ¡°Shit! My nose!¡± (Ravenger)


    Wait, I¡¯m a reptile. I have a snout, not a nose.


    The box splits open as I regain my balance.


    Beside me, Akalia stands there, dazed.


    How convenient. My ally is beside me.


    ¡°Hey, Akalia! Get yourself together!¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Eh..?¡± (Akalia)


    I look around the arena.


    Some of the fighters have regained their balance and have began fighting.


    The others are on the floor, either dead or dazed.


    One of the fighters charged at me, holding a sword in two hands.


    Walking towards the charging fighter, I knocked the sword away with one claw and stabbed his throat with the other.


    Pulling my claw out, I looked back at Akalia.


    Her bow was stretched, pointing at my direction.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I ducked.


    Akalia fired her arrow.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The arrow struck into the fighter¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Nice.¡± (Ravenger)


    I glanced at the other fighters.


    Suddenly, I heard a large call.


    ¡°Everyone stop! If we kill that reptile, our rewards will be even better!¡± (???)


    ...That rogue. What a pain.


    ¡°Akalia, cover me. I will end this fast.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Okay.¡± (Akalia)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Emotional Control - Anger</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ¡°All of you are DEAD!¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Killing Instinct has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Shit, I¡¯m blanking out¡­


    No¡­


    Focus!


    I¡­ won¡¯t blank out.


    If I want them dead¡­ I will see to it¡­


    ...With my own eyes!


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Killing Instinct has evolved.


    Murderous Eyes - By controlling your Killing Instinct, you have gained the ability to see your furious rampage. Mentality boosted by 100%. Vision will temporarily evolve. You will have stronger eyesight and you will be resistant to blindness.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    I grinned wildly.


    Charging, I used my eyes to spot for the black spots and lines.


    As I neared the rushing group of fighters, I dived right in.


    Slash. Stab. Bite. Slash again.


    Before I knew it, I had slaughtered them all.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    The only people left were me, Akalia, the Rouge, and the Warrior.


    The Warrior, who didn¡¯t join the charging group, laughed boisterously.


    ¡°Amazing! Simply amazing! I, Siegfried, will be glad to fight against you!¡± (Siegfried)


    ¡°...Such power. This is really interesting!¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°...¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°...Akalia. Remember what I said before we left the waiting area?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°What¡¯cha talking about, monster?¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°Oi, we should team up for now.¡± (Siegfriend)


    ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re right!¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°Akalia, stay near me. I¡¯ll finish them in one blow.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°Knight¡¯s Guard!¡± (Siegfried)


    A luminescent barrier surrounds Siegfried.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°Attack!!¡± (Siegfried)


    Concentrate¡­


    I will destroy these two fools.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°...Limit Break.¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Limit Break has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    The rogue makes a sudden stop.


    ¡°Oi, Siegfried, get back!¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°DOMINION!!¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    Returning from the counter, I went over to Akalia.


    ¡°...Akalia. Let¡¯s make a deal.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...?¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°I will let you revive back into the world.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°!!!¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask why. I¡¯ve found out something while asking the spirit guy at the counter just now.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...?¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°The rules are like this. It is a free for all match. Do you know what I am saying?¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia nods.


    ¡°The results have been changed for this match. There will be 2 winners for today.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Two¡­!?¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°Yes. Stand by me during the battle. I will win for the both of us.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia nods slowly.


    I pat her head, grinning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t lose.¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°DOMINION!!¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Dominion has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    I unleashed the dark mist, surrounding both the rogue and Siegfried.


    ¡°W-What the heck is this!?¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°Gah! Rogue, we fight!¡± (Siegfried)


    ¡°Tsk, seems like the only way.¡± (Rogue)


    ¡°...Die before me.¡± (Ravenger)


    I dashed towards Siegfried, attempting to slice his throat.


    His shield glowed and shatter as he leaped back.


    ¡°To break my defence so quickly¡­ What sort of monster are you!?¡± (Siegfried)


    ¡°Backstab!¡± (Rogue)


    I felt a prick in my back.


    ¡°...Foolish action.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Twister.¡±


    ¡°G-GAH!¡± (Rogue)


    The rogue flew off from my back, leaving his dagger in it.


    ¡°W-What the hell¡­¡± (Siegfried)


    ¡°...Your turn¡± (Ravenger)


    I dashed up to Siegfried, stabbing him in the chest.


    He blocked it with his large sword, grunting from the force of my stab.


    ¡°Holy Sword!¡± (Siegfried)


    A large sword of light was summoned about my head.


    Grabbing Siegfried, I lifted him and threw him above me.


    The Holy Sword dropped down at a blindingly fast speed.


    Leaping to one side, I watch as the Holy Sword stab Siegfried.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH~!¡± (Siegfried)


    The Holy Sword exploded, splattering blood around.


    I looked at the rogue.


    ¡°N-N-No¡­¡± (Rogue)


    I slowly approached him.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯ll give anything! Anything you want! Just don¡¯t kill me!¡± (Rogue)


    I kept walking.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m better than that useless archer! Kill her! Kill her instead!¡± (Rogue)


    I dashed forward.


    ¡°N-N-NO-¡± (Rogue)


    The rogue¡¯s head was sent flying.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± (Ravenger)


    The black mist disperses.


    I looked around to find Akalia.


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Ravenger)


    I see a sword through her body, with a woman behind her.


    ¡°The battle is over! We have our winners!¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia¡­


    ¡°Please announce your wish now!¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°I wish to leave this place.¡± (Woman)


    ¡°Sorry, you didn¡¯t kill someone who betted something of equal value.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°Shit! Fine, give me a stronger sword.¡± (Woman)


    ¡°Alright! Here it is.¡± (Spirit)


    A magical blood-red sword appears in front of the woman.


    She grabs it and leaves the arena.


    ¡°Now its your turn! Choose your wish!¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Hm? Are you gonna say anything?¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...Can I wish for a revival in the Citadel?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Yes, its possible.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...I wish for my companions, the Lady and Walter, to revive. And I wish to revive Akalia.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°Okay! Tell your companions to climb to the top of the Citadel when they¡¯re ready to leave!¡± (Spirit)


    I left the arena.


    When the Lady and Walter saw me, they got up and ran towards me.


    ¡°Reptile! You did it! Now we can all return!¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...No.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Huh? What are you saying, Ravenger?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...I¡¯m staying. Both of you can go.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°What!? What the hell did you wish for, reptile!?¡± (Lady)


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Get ready to leave.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°B-But-¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...That¡¯s enough boy. Reptile, I see a newly ignited flame in your eyes. If you decide to revive back, meet me at Mount Doragon Fira. I¡¯ll be there.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°M-Mount Doragon Fira!? Lady, you¡¯re a Draconian!?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Yes. If can visit me boy, if you want. But you¡¯re probably too weak to do so.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°...Then I¡¯ll meet up with Ravenger! We¡¯ll find you together!¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...Go on. I¡¯ll meet you on the other side.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°See you on the flipside, reptile. Thank you.¡± (Lady)


    ¡°Goodbye, Ravenger. Thank you for everything!¡± (Walter)


    Walter and the Lady went off to climb to the top of the Citadel.


    A girl runs towards me, bow in hand.


    ¡°...Akalia.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Why?¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°...I promised you. I will get us out of here.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Akalia)


    Tears began to flow out of her eyes.


    FOOSH


    A beam of light shoots up towards the black, cloudy sky.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s go. I need to rest.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia wipes off her tears and nods.


    Sighing, I looked at the Citadel.


    Guess I¡¯ll be here a little longer.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    This chapter is OVER 3000!!! (yay me!)


    Sorry, but the Loner will be delayed. It will be up by tomorrow.


    One more thing, I am currently creating something where I will post random, but interesting things. Stay tuned


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace!

 Chapter 13

    Citadel (Final)


    (Ravenger)


    It¡¯s been about two weeks.


    Within those two weeks, I went ahead and fought in the arena to test my skills.


    And these skills are really overpowered¡­


    With Killing Instinct alone, I can win all the arena matches.


    But for some variety, I used Emotional Control instead, practising the various forms it contains.


    Its very versatile, but I can only use each form one at a time.


    This means that only one of my stats can be overpowered at any one moment.


    Akalia also hasn¡¯t been slacking.


    After her revival, she lost her her memories of when she was alive, but I can always wish for it back.


    I¡¯ve gotten her to train her archery as I fought in the arena. Her focus was fully dedicated to killing the woman who killed her.


    Sadly, that woman never appeared in the arena battles I¡¯ve fought in.


    Throughout the two weeks, her attitude changed entirely.


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a side effect of reviving, but I can sense that her feelings have darken.


    Today, Akalia and I will be leaving the Citadel once and for all.


    As we walked towards the counter, I took a glance towards Akalia.


    ¡°...Once we¡¯re done with this, we¡¯re finally leaving.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia nods slightly.


    ¡°Next!¡± (Spirit)


    Akali and I walked forward.


    ¡°Ah, welcome back, reptile! I see you brought back the girl you revived.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°So, what will you bet today?¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°My life.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°And I assume that this girl will also bet her life?¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...Yes.¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°Thank you for participating time and time again! I¡¯ll give you a little secret in exchange for your endless support.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...Secret?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Come closer.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...The Boss is coming to fight today.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...Are you serious?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Shh! Don¡¯t let this out, otherwise he will dismiss me!¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°...I got it.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...?¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°...Nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    ...The Boss.


    He¡¯s no joke.


    Once, when I took a break from fighting, I went to watch an arena match.


    That one time, the Boss decided to come out and fight.


    His large stocky figure, covered in pitch black armor, emits a large fear aura.


    When he stepped into the battlefield, he wiped out all the fighters in one blow.


    I sincerely hoped to never face him in battle ever.


    I guess my luck isn¡¯t that good.


    As we left the counter, I wonder how I can defeat the Boss and protect Akalia at the same time.


    ¡°...Akalia.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...?¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°In the arena, stay beside me at all times.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Why?¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°Someone very dangerous will be entering the arena today. He can wipe out all his opponents very quickly. So always stay close to me.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Yes.¡± (Akalia)


    Sitting down on a stone block, I took out a long broadsword from my sheath on my back.


    I got this from the arena through their betting system.


    Apparently this sword is the one that Siegfried guy had too.


    ¡°...Blade Breaker¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    When I got this sword, it was in a pretty bad shape.


    Through my smithing skills, I¡¯ve managed to fix it to a certain extent.


    If it breaks, I can always use my claws.


    Taking a deep breath, I wait.


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


    (Akalia)


    ...I am Akalia.


    ...I don¡¯t remember much about when I was alive¡­


    ...Only my name¡­ and that sword¡­


    ...The person who killed me¡­ I will kill her.


    But Ravenger¡­ he saved me.


    When he could leave by himself¡­


    I swore to myself¡­


    Until the end, I will follow Ravenger.


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


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°Could all participating fighters please enter the waiting area?¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia nods.


    Entering the waiting area, I can see that the competition today isn¡¯t going to be easy.


    From my observations, these people have survived a few arena fights themselves.


    How will we fair against the Boss, I don¡¯t know.


    I only know an alliance will never work.


    My own strength is the determining factor.


    ¡°Wow! Everyone is here fast. Let¡¯s begin then!¡± (Spirit)


    I wonder what the special rules are today.


    ¡°Today, everyone will enter the arena and fight immediately. Begin! Let¡¯s go!¡± (Spirit)


    What the hell? We¡¯re already starting?


    I ran into the arena with Akalia.


    And the Boss stands there, his sword stuck into the ground.


    All the other fighters whispered among themselves.


    ¡°Akalia, don¡¯t do anything yet.¡± (Ravenger)


    The Boss pulled out his sword and starts emitting his aura.


    Taking out Blade Breaker, I prepared myself for the blow.


    ¡°FIGHT, MORTALS. IS THAT NOT WHY YOU ARE HERE.¡± (Boss)


    ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t know he¡¯s that loud. Or that he could speak¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    One fighter ran out, swords raised.


    Soon, the others followed, aiming for the Boss.


    ¡°VORPAL BLADE.¡± (Boss)


    ¡°Shit! EVERYONE GET BACK!¡± (Ravenger)


    A dark aura surrounds the Boss¡¯s sword and he swings.


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    Everyone fell in one swipe.


    ¡°Shit.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Hm? I can see you¡¯re a smart one.¡± (???)


    I turned around.


    ¡°...You.¡± (Ravenger)


    That woman.


    ¡°Yea. It¡¯s me. What do you want?¡± (Woman)


    An arrow flies past me and towards the woman.


    Tilting her head, the arrow flew past her.


    ¡°Hm? That girl? She¡¯s alive?¡± (Woman)


    ¡°...None of your concern.¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°I SEE SOME OF YOU HAVE SOME INTELLIGENCE LEFT. COME, FIGHT ME!¡± (Boss)


    ¡°Well, time to fight.¡± (Woman)


    Taking out her blood red sword, she dashed towards the Boss.


    ¡°...Akalia.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°Shoot her down.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Yes.¡± (Akalia)


    Stretching back her bow, Akalia fired her Arrow Rain.


    Apparently, magic can still be used.


    I wasn¡¯t sure because my skills weren¡¯t magic skills.


    Thankfully, Akalia has the ability to use some magic, so I told her to implement her magic into her shots.


    The woman turned and saw the raining arrows, and quickly used her sword to parry them back.


    But she forgot one thing.


    The Boss quickly sliced her in half as she was distracted.


    ¡°N-NOOOOO-¡± (Woman)


    ¡°...It¡¯s over. For her. Time to end this.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia stepped back.


    Beforehand, I formulated a plan.


    After everyone has died, Akalia will step back and I will fight alone.


    Charging forth, I unleashed my own aura.


    ¡°Emotional Control!¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Emotion Change - Anger</td></tr></tbody></table>


    The Boss swung his sword.


    Using Blade Breaker, I parried it.


    But the force was too strong and I was sent flying back.


    Damn it! How much strength does he have?


    I have to end this fast or Akalia will be in danger.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Limit Break unleashed</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Dominion has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ¡°DOMINION!!!¡± (Ravenger)


    The black mist surround the entire arena.


    Using Sacrifice, I stole some of the Boss¡¯s power.


    ¡°SUCH POWER. A FORMIDABLE FOE. LET US SEE WHO IS STRONGER.¡± (Boss)


    Roaring, I leaped up.


    ¡°Skyward Slash!¡± (Ravenger)


    I slammed my sword down the Boss¡¯s armor, cutting through his shoulder guard.


    I didn¡¯t just fight in the arena.


    Remembering the time I created Twister, I realised I can continue to create skills of my own.


    So, I went ahead and made some.


    Landing on the ground, I unleashed my next attack.


    ¡°Ground Shaker!¡± (Ravenger)


    Slamming on the ground, I created a tremor strong enough to cause fractures on the ground.


    The Boss failed to get a proper standing and fell to his knees.


    I leaped up again.


    ¡°Executioner!¡± (Ravenger)


    In one blow, I sliced off his head.


    Panting, I deactivated Dominion.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Congratulations! You defeated the Boss! In return, you can wish for anything you have dreamed of.¡± (Spirit)


    ¡°I wish for me and Akalia to leave the Citadel.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Okay! Please climb to the top of the CItadel when you¡¯re ready to leave.¡± (Spirit)


    Walking over to Akalia, I suddenly felt weak and fell onto my knees.


    ¡°!!!¡± (Akalia)


    Spitting out blood, I shook my head.


    ¡°Damn. Must have overexerted myself¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Blood Transfusion.¡± (Akalia)


    I feel my less light headed.


    ¡°...Blood¡­ Transfusion?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Ravenger¡­ I remembered who I was.¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°...Vampire.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia nods.


    ¡°That means you¡­ were killed by someone. I¡¯m guessing some Prince or Hero?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°No. My own kind killed me. I¡¯m a Fallen Vampire.¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°...Well. Let¡¯s go to the top and leave first.¡± (Ravenger)


    Akalia nods.


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


    (Akalia)


    I am Akalia.


    A Fallen Vampire.


    Betrayed by my own kind, I found myself in the Citadel.


    It¡¯s been 100 years¡­


    I can finally leave.


    But¡­ I want to stay with Ravenger.


    If I return, I will be separated from him.


    I don¡¯t want him to go¡­


    At the top of the Citadel, a magic portal opens up.


    ¡°Alright! Step through to return back to your world!¡± (Spirit)


    Ravenger turns to face me.


    ¡°I guess its time to say goodbye.¡± (Ravenger)


    I began to tear up.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I.. don¡¯t want to leave you¡­¡± (Akalia)


    Ravenger grinned and walked over, rubbing my head.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll find you.¡± (Ravenger)


    Bursting into tears, I hugged Ravenger.


    ¡°Y-You must c-come f-find me¡­¡± (Akalia)


    ¡°Yes. I will.¡± (Ravenger)


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Sorry for the delay... I had a last minute project and couldn''t finish writing on time.


    The Loner will be released tomorrow.


    The journey continues! Next time on Re:ptile!


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace!

 Chapter 14

    Before The Incident


    (Alexia)


    ¡°...Pack up and leave first. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°But-¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°No buts.¡± (Ravenger)


    Ravenger retorted coldly.


    ¡°...¡± (Everyone)


    ¡°...I¡¯ll finish packing up. Celeste, you get ready too.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Celeste)


    When we were done, we left quickly.


    ¡°...What is Ravenger planning?¡± (Celetse)


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± (Alexia)


    We continued walking along the path.


    ¡°Sis, where are we going?¡± (Timo)


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    ...Where ARE we going?


    ¡°Alexia, we should probably leave the Atere Forest first and stay at the next town.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°...You have a point. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Alexia)


    A few hours later, we managed to reach the exit of the forest.


    Thankfully, I was able to repel the monsters who tried to attack us.


    As we walked out the forest, the sun was high up in the sky.


    ¡°Excuse me, Miss.¡± (Man)


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Alexia)


    Turning around, I see a man wearing a black cloak covering his body and a strange mask. At his waist was a rapier.


    ¡°I would like to seek your help in a certain issue. Would you mind listening?¡± (Man)


    ...Suspicious.


    Better keep my guard up.


    ¡°Okay. But let¡¯s talk at the town.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...That¡¯s the issue I was about to say. The town is under control by the bandits who invaded and killed the lord ruling there. I need your help to defeat them.¡± (Man)


    ¡°What!?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Are you certain, Mister?¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°Yes, I am, Miss. The situation is dire. If the bandits are not driven off soon, the capital will burn this village to the ground.¡± (Man)


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Celeste)


    What the hell?


    ¡°So, will you lend me your assistance?¡± (Man)


    ¡°...I have a question.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Yes?¡± (Man)


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just defeat them yourself? You look strong enough.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you overestimate me, Miss.¡± (Man)


    ¡°We¡¯ll consider. But first, I want to see this with my own eyes.¡± (Alexia)


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


    (Ravenger)


    Ugh, my head¡­


    Moving my arm¡­ Wait, I can¡¯t move my arm.


    I can¡¯t move at all! What the hell is going on?


    Forcing my eyes to open, I find myself in a dimly lit room.


    I attempted to clench and unclench my fist. I can still move them, thankfully.


    Next, I attempted to move my arm. Wait, I can feel something really hard.


    My arms were shackled onto the walls beside me.


    Looking around, it seems I¡¯m in some sort of prison.


    ¡°...Damn¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    I can¡¯t even talk. How am I ever going to get out of here?


    ¡°...back here again? I really don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so dedicated to this monster, Princess.¡± (???)


    Princess?


    Wait¡­ I seem to be forgetting something.


    The door in front of me opens.


    ¡°...N..atash..ia?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡®!!!¡± (Natashia)


    ...I guess I¡¯m really back.


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


    (Alexia)


    As we neared the town, I kept questioning the man.


    ¡°So who attacked the town?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°It was the Wild Fangs, a wanted bandit group. They started to take over villages and towns, but for what purpose I don¡¯t know.¡± (Man)


    ¡°How do you even know about this?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°By the time I reached the town, it was already taken by the bandits. A refugee camp lies in the forest behind the town.¡± (Man)


    ¡°Can¡¯t you get help from them instead?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Most of the adventurers in the town were either slain or severely injured and are unable to fight. Besides, don¡¯t you want to enter the town too?¡± (Man)


    ¡°How can we even trust what you¡¯re saying?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°You will see when we reach the town.¡± (Man)


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...Alexia. Watch out.¡± (Celeste)


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Alexia)


    We¡¯ve reached in front of the town¡¯s gate.


    In front were two bandits who were sleeping on the floor.


    ¡°I shall end this swiftly.¡± (Man)


    Dashing forward, the man cut down the sleeping bandits.


    Damn! His movements are too fast! I can¡¯t even see him unsheathe his rapier.


    ¡°Let us break in.¡± (Man)


    ¡°Are you insane? If what you say is true, we might be facing against a small army here.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I am able to cut them down swiftly.¡± (Man)


    ¡°Then you should just attacked this god damn town by yourself!¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°You might want to quieten down. We are in front of the gates.¡± (Man)


    ¡°Guards, report!¡± (???)


    A voice from inside calls out to us.


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Man)


    ¡°Shit, those useless fools must be slacking off again. If they keep this up they¡¯re gonna lose their lives.¡± (???)


    ...Too late.


    ¡°Celeste, Timo, Tifa, follow me closely.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°Okay.¡± (Timo)


    Tifa nods slowly.


    Can¡¯t let my siblings or friends be harmed as well.


    ¡°That guy is going to come out. What do you plan to do?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Strike him down and enter the town.¡± (Man)


    ¡°Hell no. I¡¯m not bringing Celeste and my siblings into a god damn danger zone.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Hm¡­ Then we shall aim for a guard tower first.¡± (Man)


    I sighed. This guy¡¯s methods are similar to a certain someone.


    ¡°That¡¯s better than nothing, I guess.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Oi, I¡¯m coming out. If you don¡¯t wake up by then, you¡¯re in for some serious shit.¡± (???)


    The gate opens slightly and a stout man walks out.


    The man dashes front and stabs the stout man in the neck, and through the skull.


    Even after being in countless bloody fights, this is just way too gruesome.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Man)


    Seriously, why are we following this guy again?


    We quickly slipped through the gate and entered the town.


    Hiding behind a house, the man points towards a guard tower.


    ¡°Take that down. and your friend and siblings will be safe.¡±


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    As silently as we could, we sneaked through the town to reach the guard tower.


    Surprisingly, the town doesn¡¯t have a lot of patrols.


    There was no one in the guard tower either.


    ¡°Celeste, if anyone enters the guard tower, just hide, alright?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Alexia, be careful. I feel a strong presence in this town.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°I got it.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Are you ready, Miss?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...I guess so. You managed to strike down your opponents so quickly. Shouldn¡¯t you be able to wipe out the other bandits?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish. I told you I am not that powerful.¡± (Man)


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    Bullshit. You took down the bandits so quickly.


    You are definitely hiding something.


    And soon, I am going to find out.


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


    (Ravenger)


    Before long, I regained my ability to talk properly and move a little.


    These chains might be thick, but the rocks are too soft. I can break this easily.


    After conversing with Natashia, it seems that it has only been about five hours since I almost died.


    Well, technically, my soul was split from my body.


    Aparently there¡¯s a set of weapons called the Soul Set.


    Each weapon can cause a different effects, but one thing remains the same.


    Your soul will be split from your body.


    Well, thanks to Natashia¡¯s mother, I¡¯ve suffered quite a lot.


    I really want to pay that back.


    So, I formulated a plan.


    One hour from now, Natelia is going down.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    So I redid Chapter 14 because it had a hole too large to be filled.


    Plot holes IS how stories collapse after all.


    And I definitely don''t want Re:ptile to fall.


    Hope this makes more sense.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Chapter 15

    Breakout/Lockup


    (Ravenger)


    ¡­


    It¡¯s time.


    I tugged the chains on my arms to check its strength.


    With the amount of strength I have now, I should be able to snap it.


    If not, the walls will definitely be broken.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s begin.¡± (Ravenger)


    Pulling the chains, I struggled to snap it.


    Damn it, what is this made of?


    It¡¯s not moving an inch!


    Adding more force, I pulled the chains.


    Cracking sounds can be heard.


    ¡°¡­¡± (Ravenger)


    With one last tug, I snapped the walls.


    The door in front of me opens.


    ¡°Shit! Alert everyone! The monster escaped!¡± (Guard)


    ¡­I forgot. I¡¯m in the middle of enemy territory.


    No time for regrets, it¡¯s time to fight.


    Ramming through the door, I sent the guard flying.


    ¡­It¡¯s dusk now, huh?


    Wait, I¡¯m already outside?


    I looked back at my prison.


    ¡­Did they just build a prison around where I fell?


    And I thought assassins were the diligent type.


    I stretched my tensed body to loosen my muscles.


    Natelia better hide, cause she¡¯s in for a beating.


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


    (Alexia)


    Raising my guard, I followed the man through the town.


    Something¡¯s wrong. I can feel it.


    Until I can confirm it, I have to stay with this guy.


    ¡°¡­I believe the leader stationed in this town should be in the mayor¡¯s office. Let¡¯s move there.¡± (Man)


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°This way.¡± (Man)


    The man points towards the centre of the town.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Alexia)


    As we approached the mayor¡¯s office, I asked a question that has been snagged on my mind.


    ¡°Hey.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Man)


    ¡°How do you even know your way in this town, if you had never stepped foot in here before?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°¡­¡±  (Man)


    I stop walking.


    ¡°¡­Who are you, really?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°¡­Get her.¡± (Man)


    Suddenly, I was surrounded by the bandits.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± (Alexia)


    I unsheathe my knife.


    ¡°¡­I am the leader of the bandits. My name is Mask. I lure unsuspecting victims to their doom here.¡± (Mask)


    ¡°¡­¡± (Alexia)


    Shit.


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


    (Ravenger)


    Bursting through the forest, I knock down the assassins trying to stab me.


    Ever since I broke out of prison, I¡¯ve been trying to find the assassins¡¯ base.


    They hid it very well, so well that even I can¡¯t find it.


    Of course, while I was searching, I was continuously attacked by the  Noxious assassins.


    With a combination of Sacrifice and Emotion Control, wiping them out was fairly easy.


    My speed increases and I can knock out the assassins in one blow.


    Regardless, I¡¯m nowhere near their base.


    Eventually, I¡¯m back at the prison cell.


    ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t going very well.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Looking for me, Ravenger?¡± (???)


    ¡­Natelia.


    I turned to face her.


    ¡°I see you came back. You really are strong, aren¡¯t you?¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°¡­Natelia. I have come to defeat you.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I would like to see you try!¡± (Natelia)


    Making the first move, I dash forward, attempting to ram her down.


    Natelia dodged by rolling to her left.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.I ended up crashing into the prison.


    The structure begins to collapse above me. Roaring, I used Sacrifice on Natelia before receiving the weight of the collapsing structure.


    ¡°I told you, monster. You can¡¯t beat me. Hahahaha¡­¡± (Natelia)


    ¡­She laughed.


    ¡­It really pisses me off.


    Gathering my strength, I unleashed a trembling roar.


    ¡°DOMINION!!!¡±


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Dominion has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


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


    (Alexia)


    After being betrayed by Mask and captured by the bandits, I was tied, gagged, and thrown into the guard tower with Celeste, Timo and Tifa.


    Running towards me, Celeste quickly untied me and I removed my gag.


    ¡°Alexia, are you alright?¡± (Celeste)


    I coughed loudly, clearing my mouth of the foul taste of the gag.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright. We were, no, I was too foolish to follow that man¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, sis¡­ W-We are at fault too¡­¡± (Tifa)


    ¡°We were not alert too, Alexia. Don¡¯t put all the blame on yourself.¡± (Celeste)


    I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t blame me for the situation, but I still hate myself for being stupid.


    ¡°What happened after I left?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°When you left, we went to find a room to stay for the moment. When Timo wanted to leave, he tried opening the main door, but it was locked.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°¡­¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen, sis?¡± (Timo)


    ¡°¡­We¡¯ll just have to wait, and hope, for help to come.¡± (Alexia)


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


    (Ravenger)


    The black mist surrounds the clearing.


    Natelia laughed.


    ¡°This trick again? It won¡¯t work!¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°¡­Think again.¡± (Ravenger)


    I dashed forward.


    ¡°What-!?¡± (Natelia)


    Before Natelia could finish, I rammed into her at full force.


    ¡°¡­Thanks for sending me to the Citadel. Because of that, I¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I-Impossible!¡± (Natelia)


    She disappeared from my vision.


    Jumping backwards, Natelia drops down in front of me.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve changed.¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°Emotional Control.¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Emotional Control ¨C Anger has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ¡°¡­This is payback.¡± (Ravenger)


    I slashed at Natelia.


    She managed to avoid it by jumping back, but the force created blew her away.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Emotional Change ¨C Fear has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    With my speed boosted, I rammed into Natelia.


    The force of my blow knocked her unconscious.


    The black mist disperses.


    I really am too strong now.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I have sated my hunger for revenge.


    But what should I do now?


    After finding Natashia, I should probably find Alexia again.


    I wonder how she¡¯s doing.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Sorry for the delay. I was doing a competition during these three days.


    But don''t fret! I will be releasing another Chapter of The Loner later tonight.


    Stay tuned!


    Thanks for waiting!


    Peace!

 Chapter 16 (Part 1)

    Reason


    (Natelia)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>-Before the Incident-</td></tr></tbody></table>


    [SO WHAT? I WOULD HAVE LEFT WITH HIM. THE WHOLE CLAN ALWAYS TREATS ME AS SOME OBJECT. ONLY RAVENGER TREATS ME AS THE WAY I AM. AS A GIRL.] (Natashia)


    ¡­


    What?


    Natashia fell to her knees, crying.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t understand.¡± (Natelia)


    Natashia raised her head.


    ¡°...How we treated you? You¡¯re my daughter. How did we, how did I, treat you as an object¡­?¡± (Natelia)


    Nateshia slowly grabs her book and writes something on it.


    [I am always locked up inside my room. Just because I cannot talk, I have to be surrounded by guards day and night. I felt restricted. Ravenger showed me care. Even if it was for a short moment, it is better that living in that prison!]


    ¡°...¡± (Natelia)


    So this is how you felt, my daughter.


    ...If only I paid more attention to you¡­


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


    This is the story of Natashia¡¯s childhood.


    It¡¯s not a tragic one, but it isn¡¯t pleasant either.


    When Natashia was born, Natelia was already the leader of the Noxious Clan.


    Thus, this role took up most of her time. Her husband was her deputy, and he too had little time for his daughter.


    When they found out Natashia couldn¡¯t speak, they were extremely worried.


    The healers of the Clan could not cure it as she had it since she was born.


    Once, Natashia left the Clan¡¯s base to explore the forest.


    When Natelia went to visit Natashia on her free time, she found her missing, and ordered a full search for her immediately.


    When they found her, Natelia ordered to keep Natashia on full watch all the time.


    As Natashia grew older, Natelia taught Natashia the ways of the assassin.


    Natashia, growing up mostly isolated and trapped, confronted her mother and demanded her to let her roam the forest.


    Her fury began to rise when she was denied.


    With escape as her final goal, she began creating a new assassin style.


    To test it, she attempted to leave the base to fight a monster in the forest.


    She succeeded, and this led to her meeting with Ravenger.


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


    (Natelia)


    I led Natashia back to the base.


    As Natashia entered her room, I ordered some assassins to lock Ravenger up.


    Moving to my office, I struggled to find a reasonable solution to this problem.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.I slammed my head on the table.


    ¡°Damn it! What can I do?¡± (Natelia)


    I screamed towards no one.


    My husband walks into my office.


    ¡°...Dear.¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°...Natelia. You shouldn¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± (Husband)


    My vision blurred as tears began to form in my eyes.


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡± (Natelia)


    My husband walked up to me and hugged me.


    ¡°...It¡¯s okay.¡± (Husband)


    I cried in my husband¡¯s embrace.


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


    (Natelia)


    An hour later, Natashia walked into my office.


    My husband had consoled me and now we are discussing a solution.


    [...Can I come in?] (Natashia)


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± (Natelia)


    Natashia walked in and flipped a page on her book.


    [Mother, Father, I have a request to make.] (Natashia)


    ¡°Hm?¡± (Natelia)


    Natashia hesitated before flipping a page on her book.


    [I want to leave the Clan.] (Natashia)


    ¡°What!? Why?¡± (Natelia)


    [I want to travel with Ravenger. I want to explore this world.] (Natashia)


    ¡°...¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°...¡± (Husband)


    Should I let her travel? I don¡¯t know.


    I don¡¯t know anymore¡­


    ¡°Alright.¡± (Husband)


    ¡°!?¡± (Natelia)


    [Really?] (Natashia)


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Husband)


    ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± (Natelia)


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Husband)


    ¡°...If you father agrees, I should as well.¡± (Natelia)


    We both made a mistake, and we know it.


    I hope this is the correct choice.


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


    (Natelia)


    <table><tbody><tr><td> After fighting Ravenger </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Damn, he definitely got stronger.


    When the structure fell onto him, I felt my strength being sapped.


    Suddenly, he erupted out and unleashed his black mist.


    Within a few minutes, I was defeated.


    With the last of my consciousness, I called out to Ravenger.


    ¡°...Take care of my daughter¡­¡± (Natelia)


    I blacked out.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    So, I have officially confirmed that I cannot make promises.


    More of I can''t schedule things.


    The past few days, I''ve been planning (and gaming) the storyline, because I have to complete Volume 1 by the end of the month...


    This means I''m writing everyday starting today. Probably.


    I apologise for being imcompetant...


    Thanks for waiting...


    Peace.

 Chapter 16 (Part 2)

    Reason


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Take care of my daughter¡­¡± (Natelia)


    Natelia¡¯s words attracted my attention.


    ¡°...I will.¡± (Ravenger)


    She¡¯s still Natashia¡¯s mother.


    ...I¡¯ll leave her be.


    Looking at the sky, I wondered how my father is after I died.


    Nevermind that, I should focus on the present.


    ¡°...Ravenger, was it?¡± (???)


    ¡°...Who¡¯s there?¡± (Ravenger)


    I turned around.


    Natashia¡¯s father carried Natelia in his arms.


    ¡°Natashia, you can come out now.¡± (Father)


    Natashia walked out from the forest to her father¡¯s side.


    ¡°Take care of our daughter, okay? If anything happens to her, our Clan won¡¯t hesitate to kill you.¡± (Father)


    ¡°I understand.¡± (Ravenger)


    Natashia leaves her father¡¯s side and walks towards me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ravenger)


    Natashia nods.


    ¡°Take care, Natashia.¡± (Father)


    [Yes, Father] (Natashia)


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


    After gathering my stuff, we left the Atere Forest and finally made it outside.


    I took in a deep breath.


    Fresh air, good stuff.


    My next goal is to find Alexia and the others.


    If my guess is correct, they should be waiting at the next town.


    As someone who looks like a monster, I will be waiting outside while Natashia finds them.


    By the time we reach the town, it was already dusk.


    And something is very wrong.


    ¡°...It¡¯s too quiet.¡± (Ravenger)


    [Should I sneak into town and check?] (Natashia)


    ¡°...No. I¡¯m going in.¡± (Ravenger)


    It feels like this is a ghost town.


    But I can clearly sense signs of life.


    As we approached the gate, I heard the sound of a horn.


    ¡°...Natashia, stand back.¡± (Ravenger)


    [It¡¯s okay, I can fight.] (Natashia)


    ¡°...Alright. Stay safe.¡± (Ravenger)


    I don¡¯t need Natashia¡¯s father to start chasing me already.


    When the sound of the horn died out, I shouted at the town.


    ¡°Hey! Open the gates!¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡­No reply.


    I guess I should wait this one out.


    ¡­


    A while later, the doors began to open.


    What lay behind the doors, were soldiers.


    ¡°CHARGE!¡± (???)


    These soldiers were wearing a lot of cloth armor. They honestly look a lot like bandits.


    Regardless, I drew my sword.


    ¡°Emotion Change!¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Emotion Change - Anger has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Sacrifice won¡¯t be necessary here.


    The soldiers numbered to about thirty or so.


    If they were properly organised, I might have a small issue.


    But these idiots are charging at me recklessly.


    Well, let the massacre begin.


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


    (Alexia)


    It has been an hour or so.


    And we are still in this stupid god damn tower.


    So I decided to break the door down.


    The tower isn¡¯t fully cleared out, thankfully.


    I got a stick and continuously whacked the door.


    I know it¡¯s useless. but I can¡¯t just do nothing.


    ¡°CHARGE!!!¡± (???)


    ¡°What the hell was that!?¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°Sis! Hurry! It¡¯s Ravenger!¡± (Timo)


    ¡°What?!¡± (Alexia)


    I quickly ran up the tower.


    ¡­


    He¡¯s finally here, huh?


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


    (Ravenger)


    Taking the initiative, I dashed forward and swung my sword.


    I continued running forward, sending bodies flying in my wake.


    The soldiers screamed in fear and began to run away.


    ¡°Execution!¡± (Ravenger)


    I finished off the last few standing in my way.


    ¡°Natashia, find Alexia and the others.¡± (Ravenger)


    Natashia nods and disappears into the shadows.


    Now, should I find the leader and question him?


    I entered the town.


    Arrows whizzed past me, some hitting my body.


    ¡°...Shit, this is going to hurt.¡± (Ravenger)


    Moving quicker, I navigated myself into the town square.


    More soldiers came to assault me.


    ¡°Come at me!¡± (Ravenger)


    Taking out my sword, I parried the flying arrows as I fought against the soldiers.


    Suddenly, I felt a sharp prick to my back.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± (Ravenger)


    As I turned, I swung my sword, aiming at the possible location my attacker might be.


    Of course, I missed.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°For a creature of your size, you¡¯re quite fast.¡± (???)


    ....He¡¯s behind me. How fast is this guy?


    Turning around, I see a man wearing a black cloak with a mask. A rapier hangs by his waist.


    ¡°Hey, did you see a hot-tempered girl with a seer and two kids?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Yes, they are currently locked up.¡± (Mask)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Mask)


    ¡°Huh. That was easier that I expected.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°True.¡± (Mask)


    ¡°Why did you freely give me this information?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Because you¡¯re about to die!¡± (Mask)


    ¡°!!¡± (Ravenger)


    I managed to use my sword to block his attack, but my sword shattered as a result.


    ¡°Shit! Sacrifice!¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Sacrifice has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    The masked man attempted to assault me again.


    I tried to side step, but I wasn¡¯t fast enough and received a wound to my side.


    I don¡¯t feel any faster¡­


    ...Don¡¯t tell me this is pure strength!?


    I can¡¯t use Dominion yet¡­


    I need more time.


    I drew my second sword and face the masked man again.


    ¡°Ground Shaker!¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Hm.¡± (Mask)


    As the ground trembles, the masked man leaps towards the sky.


    Got to get him now!


    ¡°Skyward Slash!¡± (Ravenger)


    With my added strength, I pushed myself off the ground, creating a huge imprint beneath.


    Leaping above the masked man, I slashed my sword towards him.


    He parried it with his own rapier and stabbed through my body.


    Blood begins to fill up inside my mouth.


    He must have hit an artery.


    ...It¡¯s ready.


    As we landed on the ground, I faced the masked man.


    ¡°...Prepare to die.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Are you sure about that? Don¡¯t underestimate me.¡± (Mask)


    ...He¡¯s fucking annoying.


    My anger begins to build up.


    I stared at the masked man with bloodlust.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Killing Instinct has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


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


    (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Alexia)


    I held onto my bruised hand, wincing in pain.


    ¡°I should never ever punch a solid door ever again¡­¡± (Alexia)


    When I saw Ravenger, I immediately ran back down and hammered at the door.


    He doesn¡¯t know how fast Mask can be.


    When the door didn¡¯t break, I smashed my fist against it in rage.


    Suddenly, I heard a click.


    The door opens and behind it is a girl.


    ¡°...Natashia?!¡± (Alexia)


    [Hurry! Before more guards arrive.] (Natashia)


    ¡°Thanks.¡± (Alexia)


    Calling Celeste and my siblings, I went told Natashia to bring them outside the town.


    Grabbing my bow and quiver, which was conveniently placed outside, I ran towards the town center.


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


    By the type I arrived at the town center, all I saw was blood.


    Mask¡¯s body¡­ you can¡¯t even call it a body anymore.


    It¡¯s¡­ more like shredded flesh.


    Shredded human flesh.


    I puked at the sight and smell.


    ¡°Hm? Alexia?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°What the hell Ravenger.¡± (Alexia)


    Ravenger, who was standing in the middle of the bloodbath, walked towards me.


    ¡°Wait! Stay there! Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    As we all gathered outside the town, I welcomed everyone back.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m honestly wondering where all the townspeople are.¡± (Alexia)


    ¡°I believe they were all chased out of this town.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°I guess.¡± (Alexia)


    Well, I don¡¯t really care.


    ¡°We should continue traveling for a while more. At least away from this town.¡± (Alexia)


    ...Fine, I¡¯m sorry.


    [Yes. Let¡¯s go!] (Natashia)


    ...At least someone is ready to go¡­


    After discussing, our next destination is Haven.


    ¡­


    Now where have I heard this name...


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Finally, the Beginning of Third Life Arc is over!


    The next arc will begin next chapter. Stay tuned!


    Here''s a hint on what will happen. The arc is called the City Arc.


    Let''s leave it up to your imagination to figure it out.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace!

 Chapter 17

    City


    (Ravenger)


    It¡¯s been about a two months since I left the place I was born.


    It¡¯s been a really rush and rough ride, but it¡¯s not all that bad.


    After going through a large number of (really irritating) events, we arrive at Haven.


    Since I¡¯m not exactly a human, I got Celeste to help me buy a very large cloak to cover myself.


    ...But there wasn¡¯t a store which sold such a large cloak, so Celeste helped me sew one instead.


    It¡¯s more like a blanket thank a cloak, if I do say so myself...


    As we entered the city, the citizens were all in a festive mood.


    ¡°...I guess we came at a good time.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I wonder what the occasion is.¡± (Celeste)


    ¡°Let¡¯s find an inn before we figure this out.¡± (Aleixa)


    Its been decided beforehand that I will be sleeping outside of Haven, so an inn is unnecessary for me.


    ¡°...Then I¡¯ll look around first.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Alright. Timo, Tifa, Natashia, get off of Ravenger. Let¡¯s go.¡± (Alexia)


    The the young trio climbed down my back and followed Alexia and Celeste while chatting.


    Natashia fitted in with Alexia¡¯s siblings really well. When she suggested to sit on my shoulders, she invited Tifa and Timo to join in.


    Thats one concern taken care of.


    As I wandered the streets, I search for a clue regarding this festive mood in this city.


    I have one guess¡­


    As I continue to look around, I heard a loud cheer through an alleyway.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Why are alleyways always so damn small?


    By looking through the alleyway, the parade seems to be leading towards the unnecessarily large castle.


    I guess I¡¯ll beat them to it.


    Should I take the risk and climb up?


    ...There¡¯s too many people. Probably a bad idea.


    Thus, I slowly push my way through the crowd and towards the castle.


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


    (Ravenger)


    Eventually, I made my way to the castle gates.


    Note to self, remember to hate crowds.


    A banner hangs above the gates.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>WELCOME BACK PRINCE</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Walter received a warm welcome when he came back, it seems.


    ...Wait.


    It took a few weeks to get to Haven.


    Walter definitely returned earlier than me.


    Why is there still a celebration for his return?


    People began crowding around where I¡¯m standing.


    Feeling really uncomfortable, I quickly walked across the street to the other, less crowded, side.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± (???)


    ¡°!!!¡± (Ravenger)


    A soldier riding a horse at full speed called out at me.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    Even if I dodge, this guy is going to crash into the gates.


    I can use Sacrifice on the horse and catch it, or I can let them crash.


    Or I can smash the gate.


    I have a little pent up frustration from being in a crowd, so I don¡¯t really mind.


    ¡°This horse has gone mad! Get out of the way!¡± (Soldier)


    Or, lastly, I can just pull the rider off the mad horse.


    That would work.


    As the horse was about to ram into me, I sidestepped and dragged the rider down.


    The mad horse continued to run into the gates and collapsed.


    ¡°...You alright?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Yes, thank y-¡± (Soldier)


    ¡°?¡± (Ravenger)


    The soldier¡¯s face froze up and gave a weird expression.


    ...Oh.


    Where¡¯s my cloak?


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


    (Walter)


    After leaving the Citadel, I woke up in my bed.


    How did I end up in my bed, though?


    As I pondered this situation, the door to my room opened.


    ¡°...Mother?¡± (Walter)


    ...My voice cracked as I called out to my mother.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°W-Walter!? You¡¯re awake!¡± (Mother)


    She ran towards me and hugged me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re alright¡­¡± (Mother)


    ...I¡¯m very glad too.


    My mother went ahead to tell my father about it, and before I knew it, a celebration was held.


    My father decided to hold this festival for one month. I still do not understand why.


    This is the third week of the celebration. My mother and father are with me on a chariot in a parade.


    Apparently, before I woke up, a lot of things happened.


    When the adviser split my soul from my body, he brought my body deep inside a forest and hid me there.


    He wrote a note under my name saying that I left on an adventure of some sort.


    When my mother saw the note, she instantly realised it was a lie and something happened to me.


    This is simply because I have not learnt how to write yet.


    I¡¯m expected to learn how to write next year, but I guess the adviser overlooked certain things, which led to his downfall.


    By downfall, I meant being tortured to know where my body is, then executed for harming a royal family member.


    But how did my parents find out it was the adviser?


    That, I do not know.


    As I sat on the carriage, I heard a loud crash in front.


    Followed by a loud scream.


    My father quickly got down the carriage to see what the problem is.


    I quickly followed him, excited about the change of pace.


    The lead soldier was lying down on the floor.


    An behind him was a very familiar face.


    ¡°Ravenger!¡± (Walter)


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


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°Ravenger!¡± (Walter)


    ...I was right.


    The guy beside him must be his father, the King.


    ¡°Walter, did you see my cloak anywhere?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Cloak?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Wait, wait. Who are you and why do you know my son?¡± (King)


    The King steps in front of Walter and confronts me, his hand gripping his sword hilt.


    ¡°...No one special.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be modest. Who are you?¡± (King)


    ¡°...You can ask your son.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Or you can explain it yourself.¡± (King)


    ¡°...Not in front of this crowd.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Fine. We shall talk inside my castle.¡± (King)


    ¡°Fine by me.¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    What a pain.


    Currently, I¡¯m in the throne room of the King of Haven.


    Beside him is his wife and his son.


    ¡°So, what can I do for you? I still have things I need to do.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Firstly, how does Walter know you?¡± (King)


    ¡°In the Citadel.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Explain further, please.¡± (King)


    I sighed. This will take a while.


    ¡°I got him out of the Citadel. I don¡¯t believe I need to say anything else.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Let¡¯s move onto something else. What are you?¡± (King)


    Hm?


    ...What am I?


    ¡°...I am Ravenger.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Please answer the question properly.¡± (King)


    ¡°...I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...I shall explain then.¡± (King)


    ...Huh? Why am I feeling so jitterish?


    Its like I don¡¯t want to hear what he has to say.


    ¡°There once was a species called the Croklis. According to past records, this species looks very similar to you.¡± (King)


    ¡°...And?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°This species is currently extinct. This is my question. Are you a Croklis?¡± (King)


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Time to begin the City Arc! For those of you who are wondering if the Lady will be here, she''s not.


    That''s saved for ANOTHER arc for another day. Yes, the Lady has her own arc. Coming soon in a novel near you!


    And about Akalia (SPOILERS), she will be back next arc. Stay tuned!


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace!

 Chapter 18

    Behind-The-Scenes


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°This species is currently extinct. This is my question. Are you a Croklis?¡± (King)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I remember back when I was born into my new life.


    It was a barren desert. No life at all.


    Except me.


    ¡°...Probably.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I see. I have taken an interest in this situation. If I have any information, I will immediately inform you.¡± (King)


    ¡°...Why are you going so far?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...The story I am going to tell will be long. Will you stay and listen?¡± (King)


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± (Ravenger)


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


    Long long ago, in a time almost forgotten, there was a great tribe of the desert. They were territorial, but not aggressive. They created friendly ties with the other races and was considered the county¡¯s most peaceful race.


    However, one day, their race was wiped out from the face of this country.


    It began when too suddenly. This peaceful tribe was destroyed. Nobody knew why, but they know who did this. A High Lord, one of the Seven in the High Council, ordered his army to attack the tribe. When he was arrested and brought forth for questioning, he sweared that he was being controlled by a witch. No one believed him, since the first War with the Witches wiped out their existence entirely.


    In the end, he was executed for the destruction of a race.


    That was when the second Witch War began.


    During the first Witch War, the tribe sent forth their members to fight alongside the other races to defeat the witch. With their overwhelming support, the alliance won.


    When the second Witch War began, the alliance won again, but with huge losses. The Elfish race lost nearly their entire race, the Dwarvan race lost half of their race, the Draconic Race lost their elder and left the alliance, the Beast race lost multiple species to the war, and have stayed within their forests after the war, and lastly, the Demonic race was the first to fall, and they retreated back to their corner of the country and stopped all interactions with other races.


    It has been 100 years since the second Witch War.


    The peaceful tribe was slowly forgotten, and are now considered myths. And just like all myths, they change. The tribe are now viewed as an evil being who destroys everything and cannot be stopped. If they ever attract the attention of even one of its kind, they will meet ruin.


    That tribe is the Croklis. The Tribe of the Raging Sands.


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


    (Ravenger)


    ¡­


    So that¡¯s why I was born alone.


    My species is extinct.


    ¡°That is all I know about your species. I hope it is of great help.¡± (King)


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡± (Ravenger)


    Walter, who has been silently listening to the conversation, called out to me.


    ¡°Ravenger, do you want to stay here for the night?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...There¡¯s no need.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Oh¡­ Alright.¡± (Walter)


    ¡°Ravenger, was it?¡± (King)


    ¡°Yes.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°I would like to give you a reward for helping Walter escape. Please do not reject our sincerity.¡± (King)


    ¡°If you say so. I¡¯ll accept it.¡± (Ravenger)


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Walter, please show Ravenger the way to the treasury.¡± (King)


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡± (Walter)


    Walter got off his seat and lead me out of the throne room.


    ¡°So, where is this treasury?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°It¡¯s in the basement.¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t it easier to steal the treasure then?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°No. It is highly guarded. It was built underground so that in case the castle collapsed, the treasures will still be safe for use.¡± (Walter)


    Hm. Makes sense.


    As we proceeded to the treasure room, we walked through a passage with a couple of doors here and there.


    Eh? A door is slightly open here.


    ¡°...Walter. Walk on ahead.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...Go.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Yes.¡± (Walter)


    I sense something very, very wrong.


    I walked over to the slightly opened door and pushed the door open.


    Suddenly, I was stabbed in my chest.


    The assaulter was wearing a hooded cloak. He tried to push me aside but I grabbed onto his head.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t die so easily.¡± (Ravenger)


    I threw the assaulter back into the room.


    I walked in and shut the door.


    How did this become so messed up?


    I glared at the figure who is wielding another blade.


    ¡°...Let¡¯s see. I don¡¯t see a reason why someone like you should be here. I¡¯ll give you choice. If you tell me why you are here, I¡¯ll let you go. If not, you die.¡± (Ravenger)


    The assaulter grunted and charged at me.


    ...Death it is.


    I swiped at the assaulter¡¯s head.


    ¡°Eh?¡± (Ravenger)


    My claw passed right through the assaulter.


    The ¡®assaulter¡¯ ran right through me and out the room.


    A fake¡­ He must have escaped.


    I shook my head to clear my rage which was building up and held my wound.


    I left the room and called for Walter.


    ¡­


    No response.


    Don¡¯t tell me¡­


    ¡°Damn it! Walter!¡± (Ravenger)


    I ran down the hallway leading to the treasury.


    ...I smell blood. This is not good.


    Following the smell of blood, it led to a dead soldier¡¯s corpse.


    ...The scent of blood continues beyond here.


    I kept running, following the blood trail, until I arrived at the treasury.


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    The assaulter gripped Walter by the neck, and I had just arrived the hear the last of the assaulter¡¯s words.


    ¡°...and I will kill your father, and rule this country!¡± (Assaulter)


    ¡°...No!¡± (Walter)


    I charged in, grabbing Walter, and throwing him out of the treasury.


    I unsheathed my claws and stabbed the assaulter through the chest.


    ¡°...I¡¯m not letting you¡­ GET AWAY FROM ME AGAIN.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Fool.¡± (Assaulter)


    The assaulter vanishes and appears in front of me.


    ¡°Prepare to die.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...It seems I cannot escape. I will kill you and kidnap the prince!¡± (Assaulter)


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    Sorry for the delay...


    I procrastinated too long during my holidays and had to finish my homework...


    But now that I''m done, I can finally write again!


    I will post chapters every Thursday or Friday now that I can manage my time a bit more.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Chapter 19

    Clone


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°...It seems I cannot escape. I will kill you and kidnap the prince!¡± (Assaulter)


    ¡°Before I kill you, who are you and why are you after the Prince?¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (Assaulter)


    The assaulter stayed still.


    ¡°...Hahaha! Fine. I shall grant you my name before your death.¡± (Assaulter)


    The assaulter removed her hood, revealing her white hair.


    ¡°I am Clone! One of the 48 Witches!¡± (Clone)


    ...What!?


    After hearing my past, the one who caused my extinction appeared right in front of my face!?


    ¡°...I am Ravenger. The last of the Croklis. I will definitely kill you!¡± (Ravenger)


    Clone¡¯s eyes widen when she heard my reply.


    ¡°C-Croklis!? Your kind still exist. I see, I should report this to the others, but if I kill you, I can get my promotion. Alright, die for my promotion!¡± (Clone)


    ...I don¡¯t know how strong one of the Witches can be, but I should use all that I have.


    ¡°Limit Break - Dominion.¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Dominion has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Clone unsheathed her daggers dashed towards me.


    With one swipe, I shredded Clone.


    ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯ve got you now!¡± (Clone)


    Suddenly, I was pierced in the back.


    Shit, the one I destroyed must¡¯ve been an illusion.


    ...Wait. Its not an illusion.


    ¡°...A clone!¡± (Ravenger)


    I twisted my body and swiped at the clone behind me.


    As I destroyed the clone, a haunting laughter echoed within the mist.


    ¡°Hahaha! Find me if you can!¡± (Clone)


    A large number of clones surrounded me.


    ¡°Die! Infinity Strike!¡± (Clone)


    ¡°Emotional Control - Anxiety.¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Emotional Control - Anxiety has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    I quickly activated my only defensive ability.


    I don¡¯t know how much I can take, but I have to counterattack soon.


    I resisted a flurry of jabs, stabs, and slashes as Clone hacked away on me.


    Victory and defeat lies on this move.


    ...Its now or never.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Twister has been activated</td></tr></tbody></table>


    I quickly spun around, slashing away at any clones unfortunate enough to fall into my path.


    Before long, I destroyed most of the clones.


    ¡°Hahaha! You really think I will be defeated that easily?


    Clone appeared in front of me as I tried to catch my breath.


    ¡°You¡¯re much weaker than the previous generation Croklis. I guess I can have a bit more fun with you!¡± (Clone)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    I don¡¯t have a strategy against this guy.


    I need to think.


    Think.


    ...Think


    ...THINK.


    ...sniff.


    I instinctively covered my snout.


    ...It really stinks in here.


    More of Clone surrounded me again.


    ¡°...Scent.¡± (Ravenger)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>A new skill has been learnt</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Scent</td><td colspan=''3''>Passive</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>You have gained the ability to improve your power of smell. You sense of smell will give you a terrain advantage of up to 150%. Can be blocked by a strong smell.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ¡°Hahaha! No matter how many of me you defeat, you will never find me!¡± (Clone)


    ¡°...You stink.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°W-What!? How dare you insult me! Infinity Strike!¡± (Clone)


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    My Emotional Control is still up.


    I used Twister to clear up the clones and moved to another corner.


    ...sniff.


    ...There is a strong stink¡­


    ...above me.


    ¡°...Skyward Slash.¡± (Ravenger)


    I leaped upwards as more clones appeared beneath.


    My eyes stared directly at Clone who was hanging on her dagger, which was dug into the wall.


    ¡°...Hello.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°W-What!?¡± (Clone)


    ¡°Die.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°N-Never! Substitution!¡± (Clone)


    As I slashed at the Clone, but she managed to escape before I could strike her down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t escape!¡± (Ravenger)


    I slammed down onto the group of Clones, destroying most of them.


    ¡°Gah!¡± (Clone)


    The force of my slam pushed Clone against the wall, stunning her.


    I charged towards Clone with killing intent.


    With one swing, I pierce Clone through the stomach, my claws digging into the wall behind her.


    Clone spat out blood at my face.


    ¡°Hehehe, I¡¯ve already informed of the other witches of you... We will do everything in our power to make you suffer...¡± (Clone)


    ¡°...Tell them to come at with with full force.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...Haha¡­ You will definitely take those words back.¡± (Clone)


    ¡°...¡± (Ravenger)


    With nothing else to say, I pulled my claws out of her body.


    (Ravenger)


    As I removed my claws from Clone¡¯s body, she and all her clones disappeared into mist.


    Walking out of the treasury, I rejoined with Walter who was sitting on the floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think royalty should be sitting on the floor.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°Ravenger! Are you alright?¡± (Walter)


    ¡°...I need to talk with the King again.¡± (Ravenger)


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


    (Ravenger)


    ¡°...So the Witches have returned.¡± (King)


    As Walter and I returned to the throne room, Walter informed his father the events that happened within thirty minutes.


    I¡¯m more surprised at how quickly I defeated Clone¡­


    ¡°...So the Witches are back.¡± (King)


    ¡°Yeah.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...As their natural predator, how would you deal with this situation?¡± (King)


    ¡°I¡¯ll hunt them. Simple.¡± (Ravenger)


    The King stayed silent for a moment.


    ¡°...They are not as simple as you think. In the first war, they were defeated by your tribe. Now you are the only one left.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll just get stronger.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°It would not be enough.¡± (King)


    ...This old man is pissing me off.


    ¡°...It¡¯ll be enough.¡± (Ravenger)


    ¡°...¡± (King)


    ¡°There¡¯s only 48 of them right? I¡¯ve killed one of them. Only 47 more to go.¡± (Ravenger)


    The King let out a sigh.


    ¡°You really are like the legends... Alright. Whenever the war begins, as the King of Haven, I will give you my assistance.¡± (King)


    ¡°...I appreciate it.¡± (Ravenger)


    I turned around and left the throne room.


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


    As Ravenger leaves the throne room, a shadowy figure watches as the reptile leaves.


    ¡°...Its time.¡± (???)


    The figure leaped out of a hole it created and chanted a spell.


    ¡°...Explosion.¡± (???)


    The castle exploded into flames, debris flying everywhere.


    That day, this incident was known as ¡°The Castle Ablaze¡±.


    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    I apologize for my horrible upload timing. I''ve been planning for future things I want to implement.


    Don''t worry! Soon I will update every single chapter, which will contain new content.


    So you have 20 new, improved chapters to read!


    Of course, if you have spotted any issues with any chapter, you can comment on a new page which I will create soon.


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace

 Updates

    Hey guys, IAmTheKroc


    If you''re wondering why there aren''t any new chapters, that is because I''m editing the previous ones.


    This post is to update you on the edited chapters, so you can read it again.


    Check back now and then to find out when I''ve posted an edited chapter


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Thanks for reading!


    Peace


    <hr />


    The Prologue is now up! Read it here: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11766</a>