《Ryzan》


 Prologue - The Hermits Birthday

    -info dump for the beginning of the prologue with very little dialogue, apologies to anyone it annoys. Welcoming all criticism and suggestions on this. Technically not my first story, but considering the other one got put on an indefinite hiatus before it even got to chapter 1 thanks to a dead laptop and no backup precautions. So it might as well be the 1st xD.-


    <hr />


    Ryan Krentz had always lived his life in a rather secluded manner. Given up from birth to adoption, Ryan had no idea who his biological parents were, and had almost no memory of his life before age 5. His years from age 5 were spent with his foster father, Sam, near Aleknagik, Alaska.. It was not exactly what most consider a loving home, mostly because both Ryan and his father were both of the same reclusive nature, but despite appearances they did get along well. Around the age of 7 Ryan took an interest in his fathers work as a bowyer, allowing them to further their relationship through a common practice. Sam was a man of few words, but that didn''t stop him from providing very clear mentoring to Ryan while he discovered his budding talent in bow making. The materials Sam used were all natural, even going as far as the decorative paints, he produced everything himself. Glue from the Hide/Sinew, wood, horn, snake-skin, leather, and almost all of it was obtained by Sam himself during his frequent excursions into the woods.


    Ryan finally created a bow that earned Sam''s approval at the age of 10. He even caught a glint of pride in Sam''s eyes as he looked over the Dall sheep horn bow. Though Ryan''s triumph was short lived as Sam gave him his next task, learning how to use it properly. The next 5 years Ryan''s time was spent Gathering materials, Hunting, Tracking, studying all sorts of fauna and animals, admiring the birds as the flew, and all this without ever stopping his efforts as a bowyer as well as reading extensively in any downtime. Once he knew every bit of Sam''s enormous property like the back  of his hand, Ryan was usually in the forest completely on his own. Unfortunately this meant that Sam and Ryan barely had any interaction from that point on. Despite his outward impassiveness Ryan discovered that he missed having Sam with him, so the surprise that came 3 years later was great news to him. That year Sam told him his activities were no longer limited to Sam''s private land, and he gave Ryan a 80 pound draw longbow with the wraps painted like feathers, knocks like a beak, and a grip that perfectly fit his hand and gave the appearance of a hawk. Ryan was blown away because he''d never spoken of his love of avian creatures aloud. Feeling touched that he spent the time and effort to make a bow suited to his tastes, one of the only smiles that ever touched his expressionless face formed.


    Snapping out of his reflection, Ryan finished waking up, and reached towards his favorite jacket with one arm while feeling the large maul scar on his collar bone with the other. This was an unconscious morning ritual he had developed due to the fact that the material used to make this black jacket was the same panther that made the scar, and every time he remembered the na?ve mistake he made to get it. Generally it''s a normal thing to be excited when you successfully prevail against your target, but immediately running up to it with no wariness after making the ¡°kill¡± can come back to bite you... literally. After getting dressed and having a morning stretch Ryan left to his workshop to gather the materials he needed into his truck.


    It had been over 6 years since Ryan had stopped travelling the world with Sam, he had now started fulfilling orders as a bowyer and trading meats/pelts to town to sustain himself in the cabin he lived in. He was still living on  Sam''s land, in fact he was living only 3 and a half miles away from Sam''s cabin, yet he had rarely spoken to any human being in the last 6 years, including Sam.  Despite the reclusive lifestyle Ryan had attracted quite a few eyes without realizing it, mostly female. Seeing a 24 year old man so reclusive was interesting to the townspeople so many tried to engage in conversation with him on the rare occasion that he went into town to trade. Most, if not all, failed. This mysteriousness got a lot of attention, not to mention that, even though he never put effort into it, Ryan''s appearance rated highly with almost every woman he came across. The years of trekking through the wilderness, his hide clothes and bow, his impassive nature and expressions, and finally his model like face framed by sleek midnight black hair garnered him a lot of unnoticed attention. Unfortunately Ryan had a ¡°little¡± less than a normal amount of common sense, so he usually just considered the gazes as people considering to commission a bow. It always kind of wounded him having so much interest, but comparatively small number''s of people who actually ordered from him.


    Pulling into the town Ryan was greeted by the usual stares as he made his way to the trading post. He loaded quite a large amount of hides, jerky, arrows, herbs, and some longbows into a cart before he walked into the post. Him dragging in the cart quickly drew the attention of the owner Jack Hanzley.


    (Ryan) ¡°Morning. Jack.¡±


    (Jack) ¡°Good morning Ryan, I see you brought in quite a haul this time¡±


    (Ryan)  ¡°...nn¡±


    (Jack) ¡±Alright then, then I guess let''s get started here.¡±


    Ryan watched Jack fumble around to bring out a few lists with the current prices and start combing through Ryan''s cart while jotting down notes for quality, ages, colors. If he wasn''t so expressionless, watching the old man would have definitely brought a smile to his face. Jack was an old friend of Sam''s, and the one reason Ryan didn''t bother selling his pelts by mail, or going to some place less personal. He was friendly, never treated Ryan oddly, and most of all he was always completely fair in his deals. Jack stood, apparently reaching completion in his list, and handed it to Ryan.


    (Jack) ¡±that''s what I can offer you right now¡±


    Ryan didn''t even bother to check the note, Jack had never cheated him and he knew he could be trusted, "That''s, good. Have any, good timber?". Jack broke into a wide grin, "Actually I do. Follow me, can''t wait till you see this."


    After being led into a back room Ryan''s eyes widen as he sees a large stack of Osage Orange, European Yew, Hickory, Bamboo, and even several sets of long horns, all of which have no visible flaws. For one of the first times in his life ,Ryan wasn''t just silent, he was speechless.


    (Jack)  ¡°So. What do you think¡±


    (Ryan) ¡°It''s... incredible. How much. Can I afford?¡±


    (Jack)  ¡°Wow, it''s worth just about as much as what you sold just now. Just a few bucks over it, let''s call that a birthday present then¡±


    Actually the difference was well over a thousand dollars in Ryan''s favour, but you''d never get him to admit that.


    Ryan''s eyes flashed with a few hints of excitement, "Really? You sure, Jack?" while he spoke he thought to himself, it seems like it would cost more than that. Putting on a haughty face, Jack confidently spoke out, "Of course I am! When is the last time I ever miscalculated a price sonny?". Despite assurance, Ryan still had a few suspicions, "I guess, That''s right... Thank you, Jack. How, did you, get, all this?".


    Jack''s face returned to a beaming smile, "Just called in a few favours from some old contacts. Figured I''d surprise you with it the first time I saw  you after your birthday, but who''d have expected you came in on the actual day" he said with a laugh.


    (Ryan) ¡°Actually. Forgot it. Will have. To go see. Sam soon.¡±


    (Jack)  ¡°Haaa... leave it to you to forget your own birthday. Well you better get going, Sam will probably want to see you today... Anyway lets get this all loaded up¡±


    After a bit of time and sweat, the back of Ryan''s truck is overflowing with materials at an almost dangerous level. Seeing his truck sinking under the weight of all his new crafting material makes Ryan extremely eager with anticipation, almost ravenous as he imagines all the different bows he can pull out of these treasure''s he had received. He expresses his heartfelt thanks to jack again as he starts to get in the truck.


    Suddenly Jack''s voice rang out, "Wait a sec!". After yelling he ran back inside. A few seconds later he came back out with a small stack of books, "Actually almost forgot something myself. Here''s another present for you kid. Guessing you''re probably going to be needing a few more soon."


    Ryan''s face showed a hint of a smile as he grabbed the books. Seeing all of them were fantasy themed he was even happier, "Th....thank you, very much" I really was about to finish off the last ones I had, Wah! These three are even about dragons!. Jack''s smile widened ever further seeing the small cues of happiness in Ryan''s expression, "Well I won''t hold you up any longer kid, you better get going. Take care."


    (Ryan) ¡°I will jack. Really thank. You again.¡±


    (Jack) ¡°Oh, and how''s the progress coming on that bow for Tim''s boy?¡±


    (Ryan) ¡°Almost done. Taking it on, a hunt, tomorrow. If it works, well it, will be, ready, tomorrow.¡±


    (jack) ¡°Haha good to hear. Alright, I''ll be sure to pass that news along to Tim, sure he''ll be happy. Swear you''re making them faster every day. See ya kid, say high to Sam for me.¡±


    When Jack complimented his skills, Ryan''s eyes glinted with a bit of happiness and pride as he responded, "Thank you, but I''m, still a, novice next, to Sam, and I''ll, be sure, To. Take care, Jack.", before he drove off towards his workshop.


    Pulling into the workshop, Ryan viewed the truck bed with happiness for a few moments, before grabbing a nearby bow and heading out. He wanted to get the testing over with as soon as possible and then try to find Sam to tell him the good news. Honestly he was already sure that the bow was fine, every stationary target test had gone perfectly. It is just a tradition of his that every bow he makes, he takes out on one hunt. After hiking through the woods for about half an hour he stumbled onto the trail of a lone buck. time to get started.


    About 7 hours later steadied his breath and took a drawing stance. In his sight was a 5ft Grizzly feasting on a recently departed buck about 50m away. Ryan had taken too much time tracking the buck and would have to just find a different game, but when he locked eyes on the Grizzly that had stolen his kill, a dangerous glint had appeared in his eyes. Somehow he felt something weird about this thing. He never really feared any predator before, but this one had his body screaming to pull back. He somewhat regretted the recurve bow in his hand. Despite it being his own bow, Ryan wasn''t exactly comfortable wielding the small bow, and feeling the approximately 40 pounds of resistance as he ran his fingers against the sinew string made Ryan grimace a bit. This hunt was only a small test for an order made bow, Ryan''s personal bows all had a draw of at least 60+. Forty pounds may not produce enough force to take down this Grizzly even with his rather heavy arrows. Not to mention that, even though he had used it quite a bit, he wasn''t anywhere near as familiar with this bow as his, but Ryan was never one to step back from a challenge. With a sudden flash of fire in his eye''s he knocked one of his 650 grain arrows, drew back the bow, and let the arrow fly at the unsuspecting grizzly


    (Ryan) everything''s so black


    (???) ¡°so.... worth it?¡±


    (Ryan)  ¡°wha.... who... where.... was what, worth it?¡±


    (???) ¡°Obviously I''m referring to challenging one of the deadliest creatures you know of, with no preparation, no backup, and an unfamiliar weapon¡±


    (Ryan) what''s she mea....oh yeah, I remember shooting at that Grizzly and then... ¡°Apparently, I lost, to it. so no, I guess¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.(???) ¡°Lost??? apparently??? YOU MEAN YOU DON''T REMEMBER!?... I guess the shock must have kept the memory from sticking to your soul before you died¡±


    (Ryan)  ¡°so... I really am...¡±


    (???) ¡°yes yes you''re dead, but we''ll get back to this. I don''t care if you''re shocked or what, but I''m not letting you forget this one¡±


    Suddenly a bright light fills the blackness, and a window appears in front of Ryan showing himself staring at the grizzly


    (Ryan) ¡°is that... me???¡±


    (???) ¡°.... you don''t know? Yes it''s you. How long has it been since you looked in a mirror that you forgot your own appearance?!¡±


    Ryan suddenly took on a serious expression, combing his memory, while counting on his fingers, "7.... i guess"


    (???) ¡°seven weeks? Well sure your hair would change quite a bit, but I don''t thin...¡±


    (Ryan) ¡°years¡±


    (???)  ¡°how.... how do you even.... never mind, not important. Anyway watch the screen in front of you things are about to get interesting.¡±


    Ryan turned his attention back to the screen just as the arrow releases. It flies with a slight deviation to where he had intended, but still buries itself into the neck of the bear, right in front of the shoulder. By the time the arrow had hit, Ryan could see himself already knocking and drawing the next. The moment the bear turned towards him, Ryan was already behind a different tree, and another arrow was already on the way. It buried itself into the bears torso, surprisingly making it past the ribs and into the lung. At the point Ryan was confused as he couldn''t figure out why he was dead, between blood loss and the punctured lung there shouldn''t be enough time for the bear to reach him much less find him. Unfortunately the reality of it was beyond belief. The Ryan on the screen couldn''t see due to hiding, but the current Ryan just stared in disbelief as the bear just charged directly at the tree he had hidden behind. He knew for a fact that the bear couldn''t have seen him, and he also knew that he was downwind. There was no reason the bear could have found him, and there shouldn''t even have been a way it would have made it to him in the first place, but there it was. He watched in horror as this supposedly mortally wounded bear dashed all the way to the tree, at this point the Ryan in the screen had realized something was wrong because of the sound and dashed away, but it was obviously too late. The bear even seemed to have known which direction he would run. Getting away from a bear charging at you from less than 7 meters, easier said than done. Ryan watched himself knock another arrow and turn around, clearly he had known he had no chance, but it didn''t seem to bother him at all... Ryan saw something that shocked him even more than the immortal bear. On the screen... on his own face.... was a wide smile. A complete wide smile, and a face filled with joy. Ryan may not know his own face, but he was absolutely certain he had never made a face like that.


    While he was still in shock, the bear progressed towards his grinning image on the screen. Ryan had fully drawn the bow, and at the same time the bear reared up sending a vicious swipe at him. The bears arm missed the arrows release by a few hundredths of a second, but it sure didn''t miss Ryan. With a horrifying tearing and crunching sound, Ryan watched his own arm get crushed and torn, along with his bow. Half of his arm might as well have been torn off, as it was mostly separated halfway down the forearm. The front half was hanging by the muscles and tendons, and blood was literally pouring down the arm. The top of the arm honestly wasn''t much better, the bicep was flayed and the elbow was clearly shattered, but the most disturbing thing Ryan saw on the screen... that smile still hadn''t left his lips. The bear surprisingly didn''t follow up the attack, and it took a while to observe why.... an arrow was lodged into it''s eye, sunk all the way to the fletching, and the arrowhead sticking out the back. Ryan realized the reason the grin stayed was because he had achieved what he wanted, even if it had come at the cost of his craft, his hunting, his arm, and probably even his life.... he still triumphed. That grin had never faded even as the bear tipped over towards him. Ryan watched as his entire body was crushed under the weight of the bear. His body was obviously too mangled to get out of the way.


    Looking away from the screen Ryan took notice that the mysterious girl he was talking to was actually visible now. She had tan skin, raven black hair, carried an unusual green bow, and surprisingly enough.... she was an... elf. He loved fantasy stories for as long as he remembered, and two of his favourite aspects were always 4 things. Dragons, Magic, Beastmen,.... and ELVES. Appearing to have sense the sudden intensity in his gaze the woman turned towards him and sighed


    (???) ¡°You know if you don''t start paying attention you''ll miss something important.¡±


    Ryan titled his head in confusion, honestly still fighting to come to terms, "What, do... you mean? I''m clear...ly already, dead."


    (Sam) ¡°RYAN!!!!!!¡±


    Ryan rapidly turned towards the source of the voice in surprise, "Sam!?". What he saw from the direction he heard the voice is the screen showing him pinned under the bear. Next to him Sam was there cradling his head, and staring in disbelief at the parts of his broken body uncovered by the bear. Sam was not inexperienced with wounds, and he certainly knew enough about the body to know there was no hope for the crushed and mangled body in his hands, but that still didn''t stop him from begging Ryan to wake up. Saying over and over that it''ll be all right... most likely desperate to convince himself of that even more than Ryan. To Ryan''s surprise he heard his own voice amid the yells of Sam.


    (Ryan) ¡°never, knew *cough* you, could, make... such... *wheeze* an uproar, old man. ¡±


    (Sam) ¡°stupid boy, don''t waste your energy *hick* I called for help, they''ll be here soon just hold on¡±


    Ryan laughed a little, causing himself to wheeze and cough up blood, ¡°you, know, I, can''t *wheeze*, but I, can hol*cough*, hold on, long, enough. To tell, you tha*cough* thank you, Sam. The *wheeze* lessons you, taught me. The times I *cough* spent, with, you. Made, my, life, all *cough* I could ev*wheeze* ever wa..want. I may, have, only... lived 24, years... but yo*cough* you, made them, more *wheeze* than.... *wheeze*....i...could.......ask¡±. By the time he finished, Sam was openly weeping, ¡°shut up fool boy *sob*, you''ve forgotten what today is, you''ve lived 25 years already *sob* and you''ve got way more than 25 left *sob* you''re not allowed to die *sob* especially not before an old man like me*sob*.... Ryan?? ¡­..hhnnnngg. no.... .noo.... please just talk fool boy *broken words and sobs*¡±


    In the present Ryan could barely see the screen through his tears. He had always known Sam cared, but actually seeing it, and knowing just how strongly, completely broke through his impassive nature. Ryan openly wept several minutes after the screen had faded out. Finally regaining some notion of himself again Ryan turned back to the elven woman, his joy at seeing her elven form was still there, but it was definitely suppressed at this moment. Through his teary eyes he saw the woman staring at him with a warm understanding gaze, the status quo continued for awhile before he finally broke the silence.


    (Ryan) ¡°So..... the grim, reaper is, an elf?¡±


    (???) ¡°....ku...kuhahahhahhhah..... I''m no grim reaper kid. I''m Skadi. A god¡±


    (Ryan) ¡°A... god? Didn''t, ever think, those were, real.¡±


    Skadi looked at him with flat eyes that held no surprise, ¡°Yeah, kind of expected that from a man who hasn''t seen his own face in 7 years. I doubt you ever really considered anything other than your tasks at hand, much less the existence of all powerful beings *laughs*. Honestly I don''t even have much influence in your world, but a certain recent event caught my attention enough to make me come here in person¡±


    (Ryan) ¡°What?¡±


    At the reply, Skadi raised an eyebrow, "Consider I''ve got your soul here, and I''ve spent all this time talking to you. It should probably be obvious it''s you."


    (Ryan) ¡°Why?¡±


    (Skadi) ¡°Haaa... Again just the one word, well maybe this will get a bit more out of you. You still remember that bear fight right, did you think there was anything disturbing about it?¡±


    (Ryan) *nods*


    Skadi''s face fell into her palm, ¡°Not even a word this time.... well anyway, you probably noticed that thing was acting beyond what one could expect from a fatally wounded beast. Everything from it''s reaction time, it''s finding you, and it''s endurance are actually all linked to a god¡±. At this revelation, Ryan''s eyes widened slightly, "Really?".


    Immediately after his reply, Skadi''s eyes hardened, and her jaw clenched, ¡°Yes, really. I''m rather sure it was a being blessed by a god of combat. Either a god chose it specifically, or it was born with it by chance. Since it was an ordinary beast before the blessing, I''d say the latter is more likely. That being said being born with a blessing is a once in a trillion chance at most, but what I''m here for is even less likely.... An ordinary mortal who managed to take down an existence blessed by a god of combat, in a one on one fight, and nothing but a normal bow. The chances of that happening by luck are absolutely 0, and until today I would have assumed the same for skill. As such, I want to ask a question of you. Would you like to become my champion and reincarnate to my world. My primary blessings are related to hunting, specifically bow hunting, so I feel it would be a good match, but it''s all your choice¡±


    (Ryan)¡°Hm....sure¡±


    Skadi''s jaw clenched harder and her left eyelid twitched a bit, ¡°Right, all that''s settled then. I should tell you that you''re going to have some difficulty in the next world, especially when it comes to memories. You''ll be able to keep them all, but you will only slowly recall them as you age. If we tried to fit your entire consciousness into a 2 month old body it''d destroy it''s brai... no honestly given the last replies it might not be a worry". As she said the last line, her expression became unbelievably cold. Not paying attention to her change, Ryan simply tilted his head a bit, asking "why?".


    A vein starting to throb on Skadi''s temple as she let out an unstable laugh. ¡°Hohohohohoho why he asks, THAT''S EXACTLY WHY! Now since you answered my last question so concisely I''ll ask a new one now. How many times will I be slapping you if you answer my entire statement with one word again¡±. As her rant concluded, Skadi''s face was visibly dyed red with anger.


    Drawing back out of fear, Ryan hesitated for a bit before replying, ¡°....uh.... a few?¡±. Skadi''s face completely flushed, and her fist tightly clenched by her side, as she stared daggers at him. ¡°Uh... Gah...... Gruhhhhhhh!¡±. Slowly her face lost it''s color, and she changed to a completely deadpan tone and expression, ¡°We''ll continue this conversation in about... 8 years for you. Please learn how to converse by then¡±


    Ryan, still disturbed by her sudden changed, managed to squeeze out, ¡°..... ok...¡±


    *SLAP! SLAP!! SLAP!!!!!!!*


    (Ryan)¡°Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!!¡±


    (???) ¡°congratulations Kayla, it''s a boy!¡±


    Suddenly Ryan found himself moving rather fast through the air, coming to rest in the arms of a woman with black hair and tan skin.


    (Kayla) ¡°I''ll call you, Ryzan. He seems to be crying quite loudly, wonder why¡±


    <hr />


    Ok I just recently converted the dialogue in this chapter(the previous way was annoying to me and the readers). The next few chapters right after this may use (name) *action and events* "spoken word". They will be converted soon. Please tell me if I made any errors, pretty likely I made a few more after changing the dialogue style.

 Chapter 1 - Scheming

    -Really short chapter this time that basically just gives an overlook to his infancy and home environment. Time skip of a few years coming for next time, mainly because writing about an infant, even precocious scheming ones, can get real boring, real fast. I may release some short chapters in the future, but rest assured they won''t be this short again.-


    -4 months later-


    Ryzan thought about the last few months, and knew something was definitely wrong with his growth. First and foremost, that he knew that it was unnatural. He''d been able to most understand spoken word since the day he was born, and his vocabulary increased to even include words he had never heard before. His understanding of balance was apparently above average, judging by his mother''s squeals and cheers when he had stood up a month ago. Plus there was how weird breastfeeding made him, he knew it was supposed to be natural but he always felt odd doing it. The biggest was knowing that the aspect of defecating in his pants was humiliating right from the start... a fact that made it quite annoying when he was only just now capable of holding it for even a short while.


    Ryzan had no idea why all of this stuff was crammed in his head, but it was starting to disturb him quite a bit. Suddenly a loud crash was heard outside the room. He looked curiously at the doorway while leaning on the railings of his crib until he heard the voice of Liza.


    (liza) ¡°Oh shoot, that''s another one broken. Guess this one will be taken from my pay as well¡±*whimper*


    (ryzan) ah that sound.... I wonder if it''s bad I like to hear her when she''s upset... but this could be a good chance to use my training.


    The owner of the voice was the very first person Ryzan had seen in this world, and she was a live-in maid for his family. He honestly hadn''t figured out what his family did for a living, but apparently it paid well enough to have a maid like Liza. A fact that made Ryzan very happy. It actually didn''t have much to do with the money, Ryzan couldn''t seem to get himself to care about money, but he did care a lot about Liza... especially her ears. Liza was a canine beastman... specifically a teenage beastman with a curvy figure, silver/grey fox tail and ears, and light silver eyes. Ryan found that, for some reason, he got excited and lost his calm and most deep thought processes in her presence.


    (ryzan) *Listens and hears Liza''s steps just outside his open door* . I spent the last month testing out my vocal chords and I think I can manage this. Failure gets nothing, success gets... rewards ¡°li...sa...?¡± *Listens to the tell-tale shatter* SUCCESS!!!!!


    (liza) *Ignores the re-broken remains of the plate she had been picking up, and dashes into Ryzan''s room with a clearly flustered expression* Did I really hear that? Probably just imagining it right.. *Stares intently at Ryzan in curiosity*


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.(ryzan) YEEESS!! *Watches Liza''s ears and tail twitching as she stares at him with an adorable expression* This is going perfectly, now to just seal the deal! ¡°li...sa....hi¡±


    (liza) ¡°KYAHHHHHHHH!!¡± *Dashes over to Ryzan hugging him into her chest as her ears and tail dance wildly* ¡°KAYLA, MADAM KAYLA!!!! COME QUICK KYAHHHH!!!¡± *Starts making happy whining sounds with tears forming*


    (ryzan) *Looks up at Liza''s face in bliss* Ahh this soft sensation, those spasming ears, that amazing whine.... This is the moment that balances those months being able to do nothing but crap myself and breastfeed*Small tears in his eyes* I don''t quite know why I enjoy this so much, but I definitely do. To be alive.... is a wonderful thing!!!


    (kayla) *Loudly dashes through the house and into the room* ¡°What is it Liza!? Is something wrong with Ryzan!?¡±


    (liza) ¡°Nonono Kayla nothing bad it''s just¡± *Squeals a bit while holding Ryan out * ¡°Do it again Ryry, who am I?¡±


    (ryzan) *Looks back and forth at Liza''s twitching ears, wagging tail, and beaming face almost forming stars in his eyes* I don''t think I will ever outdo this moment so long as I live. What now... I guess there''s that love thing that keeps popping into my head when I see her. I still don''t know if it actually means anything though. ¡°li....li..sa....ai.. luff¡± *Rapidly drops as Liza faints while still holding him* Oh crap, too far!


    (kayla) *Stares in shock and joy as her son starts speaking, but snaps out of it when Liza faints. Thankfully catching Liza and Ryzan before anything bad could happen* whew, that was close.. *Slowly lays Liza down and then picks up Ryzan rather excitedly* ¡°ok now Ryzan. Can you say ma ma. Say ma ma¡±


    (ryzan) thank you mother, amazing save. Seriously. Now there''s no way I can refuse the woman who brought me into this world to experience this wonderful day, so here goes ¡°kai...la¡±


    (kayla) *hugs ryzan tightly with a huge smile* ¡°that''s right baby, I''m kayla, but remember you have to call me mama. Can you do that?¡±


    (ryzan) ¡°ma...ma¡±


    (kayla) *swoons a little and squeals while hugging even tighter* ¡°Ahaha I can''t believe you can talk so well at 4 months, my little baby is a genius, definitely not taking after your father on that side... though in other cases¡± *Eye''s the passed out Liza, who starts giggling in her sleep, with a raised eyebrow* Of course he had to go inherit that useless bum''s one and only talent..... sigh.... the village''s future is in jeopardy at this rate.

 Chapter 2 – An Elf?!

    Now 5 years old, Ryzan has remembered quite a bit of the early years in his past life. Unfortunately what little wasn''t hunting/crafting, came from the awkward teen years. So basically the only things Ryzan has learned are his craft, his love of fantasy creatures..... and an appreciation of the female form. This, coupled with some excursions around town with his father, learning the art of "conversation", has brought along some..... interesting... personality developments. The primary causes of this, is that the strongest memories bleed through first, and Skadi sealing the memories of her and his death. This resulted in his primary memories being his craft, from years of obsession, sweat, and blood, and then the strong fantasies he kept to himself in the comfort of his room around the age of 14.... never underestimate hormones. Unfortunately, at this time, memories of Sam hadn''t come through yet. Since he was linked into Ryan''s sealed death scene, his very presence was partially sealed from Ryzan. Some of his memories, especially one involving a magazine,  an unlocked bathroom door, and a LOT of shame, included the presence of a faceless man in place of Sam. Ryzan had always felt a desire to know who this was, but every try to remember more detail just resulted in a headache.


    By now Ryzan had pretty much decided to just let the strange memories come through at their own pace, and was now trying find out what he could about his life in his current body. Of the things he had learned, first and foremost, was his appearance. As seen through a polished silver mirror, he had light tan skin, dark black hair, and green eyes. Additionally it seems that his ears were lightly tapered at the tips, a fact that excited Ryzan quite a bit. In the end he concluded it was probably just a birth defect, his father had round ears, and his mother certainly wasn''t one of the ¡°fair folk¡±, but it was still nice to have something in common . In fact he had picked up almost all his features, including hair and eye color, from Kayla. The only feature his father seemed to have caused was that his skin was significantly lighter than his mothers.


    Another thing Ryzan had learned, was that when it came to his father Rak, unlike Kayla, there was very little for him to take pride in. His father''s physique was tall, weak, and pale. Though he did have long flowing blond hair, almost glowing blue eyes, and a stunning singing voice. Outside of these few areas, which admittedly helped him as a bard, Ryzan could only conclude the man was almost useless. Despite his voice, his talent as a bard wasn''t very high, mainly due to his singing only things he thought women would like. If that wasn''t bad enough, what little he did make was spent, almost immediately, on flirting with women, and then buying desperate make-up gifts when Kayla eventually found out.


    In fact, the only part of him that Ryzan admired, was his stunning ability to maintain his marriage. Through smooth talking, serenading, and ¡°thoughtful¡± gifts, this man had managed to not only marry far above his class, but he even managed to keep a rather happy marriage in spite of COUNTLESS transgressions. While this didn''t quite make Ryzan respect his father, it did make him take some serious notes on his speaking habits and mannerisms. He didn''t actually feel like he wanted to learn these things, but something deep down inside of him seemed desperate to find the best possible conversing methods, and any time Ryzan tried to disregard these urges he broke into a cold sweat...


    Thankfully, as Ryzan was happy to find out, his mother more than made up for his father''s... limitations. She had a strong and lithe body, toned and forged through years of practice. She was the one who was responsible for the family''s wealth and status in the village. Not only was she the village''s primary healer, she was also one of the most respected hunters in the village. Ryzan had not seen her skill in person, but, according to Liza, so long as his mother had blades in her hands, no one in town would claim themselves stronger. She apparently used a dual-blade combat style that had been passed down in her family for generations, and completely outclassed her opponents in speed. Ryzan decided, immediately after hearing this, that he would ask her to train in this method. Unfortunately he was immediately turned down, and told he wasn''t allowed to train in anything until he had his ¡°coming of age¡± ceremony.


    That brings us back to today. Ryzan, thanks to Liza, had finally learned to read the books in the library with enough accuracy to actually start doing some research. After he recovered a bit of his memory, Ryzan had headed directly to the library. Since he comprehended the spoken word, he had assumed it would be the same for the written. Unfortunately his expectations were not met, the characters in the books were something similar to Japanese Kanji, and definitely not something he had read before.


    (ryzan) *Browses the books on the lower shelves* It''s disappointing that Liza isn''t with me today, but it''s rather hard to find out any information when all I can read is children books. Not to mention having to pretend to make mistakes to avoid them finding out how fast I mastered the language... yeah... It had nothing to do with Liza''s habit to lean over my shoulder to read while pointing out the erroneous portion... just staying low key


    Just as Ryzan had finished desperately deluding himself, he managed to find a promising book, A brief overview on the races of Azentia


    (ryzan) ¡°Here we go.¡± *Opens the book with rapt interest and sees a map of a single contient* Hmm. I wonder if there is only one mass of land on this planet, or we just haven''t managed to find the others yet. Well regardless this is the only one that affects me atm¡± *Turns the page and begins reading*


    ¡°Yes!¡± I had my hopes up, but they really are here. Elves exist here! *ravenously reads the passages inside the book*


    Elves have the lowest population in Azentia, but they are also the most long lived. There are 3 species of elves throughout Azentia, though they are mostly found in small communities. The reason for their low numbers, is that they have very few children in their long lives.In spite of this low population they are one of the strongest military powers. In general, this is due to their proficiency in mana control.


    (ryzan)*Silence fills the room as Ryzan just stares with a shocked expression* ...... mana control..... as in.... magic!?!?! there''s magic in this world as well?! *Quickly begins reading again*


    Another factor is rapid development from a young age. An elf newborn will take only 8 years to be considered an adult, and at only  15 they are fully developed, once they finish development an elf will show almost no signs of aging for their average of 250 years of life. These factors are shared throughout all species of elves including half-elves. Many scholars think that the aging process is halted through a subconscious use of mana. This is because an elf''s mana partially unlocks at age 8, when aging starts to slow, and fully unlocks at the age of 15, the same time their aging process all but halts.


    (ryzan) Wow... they''re a bit different from the stories, but elves here are pretty incredible... Though speaking of rapid aging, I myself feel like I''m way too large to be a five year old. If I go based on those flashes of memory I feel more like the size of a 10 year old, and then there is the ears. I wonder... did mom cheat on Rak? Well, what goes around comes around I suppose... though I am sad about the 3 year wait on magic.


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


    Other aspects of the elves differ based on the particular type. First are the Half-Elves. While they are classified as their own race, their traits depend entirely on their elven parent. It should be noted that only elf and human pairings have been confirmed to have given birth to an half-elf, and even then the chance is low. Most pairings will result in either a full human, or a full elf. While there are still some ¡°purists¡± who object to considering them full blooded, persecution is largely impossible since one would not be able to find the difference. Even half-elves are indistinguishable from the full elves until their eighth birthday. When the mana begins to unlock, a full elf will just gain access to their mana, while a half elf will have their eye or hair color change to another color, and occasionally inherit an additional elemental affinity. One additional distinguisher, is that half-elves will usually have a slightly larger mana pool. The reason for this is still unknown.


    (ryzan) Hmm... I don''t know whether to be hopeful or worried. Being able to do even a little more magic would be nice, but I''m not sure if the discrimination would be worth it... wait a second... If I have the ears, it means all of my features would match the elven parent.... All my features align with Mom. Could it be?..


    The least common Elf, aside from half-elves, are the High Elves. High elves are usually the tallest of the elves, and the common traits of high elves is silver hair and eyes, milky-white skin, and an even higher natural ability to control mana. Their natural affinities are water and light. This makes the High Elves the most suited to healing abilities. The high elves are, by and large, the weakest in close combat. While there are some exceptions, most high elves completely give up on melee fighting because of their generally weak physique. Instead they spend their time training in magic, and over the years have developed many large scale and complex spells. Overall, if there is such thing as the most powerful caster in the world, it is almost certainly a high elf.


    (ryzan) That''s a pretty generic elf.... tho it''s weird there was no mention of a bow so far. Elves and bows should go hand in hand shouldn''t they?


    The most populous of the elves is the Dark Elves. Dark Elves are usually the shortest of the elves, and are usually very petite. They have dark grey hair, purple eyes, onyx skin, and all dark elves have a high affinity to darkness, and their unique skill summoning. These features make dark elves excel at stealth, and with the addition of having summons to do combat for them, a dark elf will almost never face someone in head to head combat. Usually their fighting style involves hiding in the shadows as their familiar engages the enemy, and casting spells, hexes, and curses whenever an opening presents itself. Another interesting aspect of the dark elf culture, is that they are one of the only matriarchal societies in Azentia. This has resulted in many rough and rowdy adventurers getting blasted out of tavern door as a result of culture shock.


    (ryzan) *Starts getting a little confused*Ok.... now that''s definitely weird. Their fighting style is completely suited to projectile weaponry, and yet there was no mention of any kind


    Last are the Wood Elves. Wood elves have black hair, green eyes, tanned skin, and a high affiliation to nature, and their unique skill mana body enhancement. Through body enhancement wood elves have a healing ability, but it is much less effective than light attribute healing. The main benefit of the ability, is in close combat. Despite their sleek bodies, a wood elf can momentarily strike with an intense strength through enhancement. Using this technique to provide bursts of speed they will usually perform hit and run tactics, and binding with nature magic to disrupt the enemy. In addition to this many wood elf families have their own refined combat styles. The most notable example is the Drifting Wind dual wield style.


    (ryzan) *Thought process slowly freezing* Tan skin, green eyes, black hair.... healing... *gulp* dual... wield ¡°.........MOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!] *Yelling while dashing into the living room*


    (kayla) *Turns around abruptly hearing Ryzan, and sees him dashing strait towards her* ¡°Wha! What is it?! AH!?¡± *Catches Ryzan after he made a flying leap at her*


    (ryzan) *Catches his breath while he stares at his mother* ¡°Mo...mother...... is... is it possible that. You... you are an elf?!¡±


    (kayla) *Raises an eyebrow* ¡°Yes... did you not know that?¡± *chuckles while pulling back her hair and pulling Ryzan closer* ¡°defintely 100% elf, suppose I just assumed Liza or Rak would have brought it up by now¡±


    (ryzan) *Stares at the ears revealed from behind her hair.* she... she really is. Look at them, so long, so pointy... It''s... it''s a real... elf *Zones in on her ear before moving on pure instinct*


    *nom*


    (kayla) ¡°KYAHHHHH!!!¡± *pulls ryzan away with a flustered expression on her face* Wha?!... this... this has Rak written all over this.. that.... that!...


    (rak) *Half falls through the door in a cheerful mood, having just finished flirting at the bar* ¡°Sweety, I''m hoooome¡±


    (kayla) *puts down Ryzan gently* ¡°Stay here baby, me and daddy have some things to discuss¡±


    (ryzan) *Completely freezes as he sees the ice cold smile on her face*


    (kayla) *flashes out of the room like a gust of wind heading towards rak* ¡°RAK!!!¡±


    *SLAP* *CRASH*


    (rak) *Sitting in the broken remains of a table with a scared expression* h-how''d she already find out!


    (kayla) ¡°What kind of crap have you been teaching my son!¡±


    (rak) *genuinely confused* ¡°wha... what?"


    (kayla) ¡°It''s bad enough with you being a useless, despicable, womaniser overflowing with lust, I won''t have you training my son for that path¡±


    (rak) ¡°but... I didn''t... do... wait¡± *tilts his head* ¡°what exactly did he do.¡±


    (kayla) ¡°As if you didnt teach him that hoping to pass on that ear obsession of yours!¡±


    (rak) ¡°hmmm.. 5 years old and already developing fine tastes. Elves really do grow up fast, the boy may even get his first catch faster than my record hahaha... ha...... *Starts sweating huge drops*... I uh..... didn''t say that aloud, did I?¡±


    *CRASH* *CRASH* *incoherent screaming* *CRUNCH* *SLAP* *SLAP* *SLAP!*


    (ryzan) *Still standing there completely frozen, eyes fading from fright*


    (kayla) *Calmly walks into the room with a relaxed smile on her face* ¡°Hey little Ryry. Daddy felt tired so he''s taking a rest, and mommy has to go finish taking care of him. You should go play with Liza for awhile


    (ryzan) *timidly nods and leaves. Unconsciously shutting out all sound of the care taking process, and giving a silent prayer for rak* Sorry father, take this appointment as scapegoat as karma for your past transgressions. Your sacrifice won''t be ignored. From now on I will take the utmost care not to mindlessly follow my instincts


    *SMACK**GYAHHHHHH!!!*


    (ryzan) *shudders*

 chapter 3 - Wereform

    -This chapter is basically just a mass info-dump about the beastmen. Next chapter will have some combat and actual character development, christmas miracle.-


    After spending a few hours in recovery with Liza, Ryzan was finally back in the mood to continue reading. Heading back into the library, he opened up to where he had left off.


    A majority of elven villages are far away from any other city, and they rarely interact with the other races. Interesting enough, despite this seclusion, there are very few villages composed of one type of elf. With exception to a few radicals, all four branches of the elven race can usually be found at any of their villages, living in harmony. Interestingly enough, when relationships form between different branches, the child will end up bearing all traits of one side. There has been no record of any change to appearance or aptitudes in a cross-branch pairing. This is a unique aspect of elves. The closest comparison, would be relationships between two different branches of beastmen. Beastmen children, like the elves, will clearly find their physical features matching one particular branch, but, unlike the elves, they can inherit minor features of both parents such as eye color.


    (ryzan) hmmm... That''s a bit odd. Never would have imagined elves genes are a package deal rather than the standard mix and match. Though I have to say I''m interested in hearing about these branches of beastmen.... I hope there are pictures, ehehehe


    The race with the highest variance of features, is without a doubt the beastmen. All children of beastmen will find themselves as part of the canine, bovine, reptilian, feline, avian, or piscine. There is little to no discrimination between types, but you will often find that many of their small villages have very unbalanced populations. The reason for this is that different types of beastmen prefer different climate zones, so similar types tend to relocate to the same areas. Another interesting aspect is that, while it is unlikely to happen, the child is not always the same branch as either of the parents. Only about 1 in a hundred are estimated to diverge from their parents branches, and we have yet to determine how this happens.


    (ryzan) That''s actually interesting. I guess while elven genes are almost entirely dominant, beastman genes have recessive qualities that allow for atavisms.... or beastmen wives are good at covering indiscretions.


    Unlike the elves, the beastmen do not have the possibilities of a half-beastman. When copulating with a human, the resulting child is always a beastman. When copulating with an elf, the resulting child will be either be a beastman child, or an elvish one. As a military power beastmen are threatening at close range, but rather weak in long range. Additionally, despite having a few villages, beastmen are primarily nomadic, and thus they do not usually have extremely large forces assembled. The reason for their weakness in long distance combat, is an extremely small mana pool and low mana control. This aspect makes some, usually high elves, discriminate against the race.


    (ryzan) *Eyebrow twitching* ¡°HOW DARE THEY!¡±. and here I was all happy about the elves being here. Elves are amazing, but not amazing enough to discriminate against my adorable Liza!! (AN: *cough* ryzan in no way, shape, or form owns Liza). I''m totally arming the beastmen with bows as soon as possible, let''s see how inferior they are when they have range on their side as well! *fumes a bit longer before continuing*


    While they do still have the ability to use magic, their proficiency in it is negligible next to the other races. In exchange for this, the beastmen have an astounding amount of physical strength, and a long natural lifespan. While not as long as elves, the average beastman will still live to 150+ years. Though, unlike the elves, the beastmen age a bit slower, and are somewhat more fertile. A beastman is not considered an adult until their first growth spurt, which usually happens at age 15, and after that they will age very little before their second growth spurt, which usually occurs at age 30. Due to their strength and wild nature, many of the beastmen become famous warriors. Additionally there are many talented beastmen weapon and armor smiths.


    (ryzan) *raises eyebrows* On her last birthday, I think I heard mother say Liza was only 19. *imagines her curvy hourglass figure*... tha.... that''s not even a fully developed body... *gulp* I don''t know if I''ll live through her second growth spurt


    For a further breakdown, one would have to go into the different branches of beastmen. First will be the canine beastmen. Describing a generalized image of a canine beastman, or really any beastman, is quite impossible. The shape and color of their ears differ from person to person, same for their eyes and tail. Additionally, different individuals will have different amounts of fur on their bodies, ranging from none at all, to almost fully covered. These differences do not seem to change around the parents at all, and is mostly determined to be random.


    (ryzan) Huh... I assumed all beastmen would just look like Liza. Ears, tail, and a small tuft of fir along the cheekbones... then again I don''t really know if she has fur elsewhere. I should probably check that.. for... eheehehe... research *continues creepily chuckling for awhile*


    -through the house-


    (liza) *shivers* that was a strange chill, I wonder it there''s a draft in here.


    -back in the library-


    As for attributes, canine beastmen will always have either a wind or fire attribute. This makes the canine beastmen the most likely blacksmiths, due to the ability to train in multiple assisting magic techniques. In terms of combat, the main advantage of these beastmen is their superior hearing and sense of smell. Using these, canine beastmen make for natural trackers, and are hard to take unaware.


    (ryzan) it''s a long shot, but I should ask Liza if she has any talent in blacksmithing. If she can supply me with some good broadheads and tools, I can likely start working as a bowyer very soon.


    Next are the bovine beastmen. These beastmen have the usual ear, eye, and tail changes, but they also often have a pair of horns. One oddity about bovine beastmen, is that, regardless of whether they have given birth, females begin to produce milk upon reaching adulthood. In addition, between the period of adulthood and full growth, they will produce extremely thick and sweet milk. While the quality does decline once adulthood is reached, many still believe that the milk they produce is superior to what you can find from standard cattle. Additionally, the milk returns to its former status for about a year after pregnancy. This milk is highly sought after, and many bovines get enough to live for years, just from selling it to the markets. For their attributes, all bovine beastmen have an affinity to earth. They are also known being extremely powerful, having the most strength oriented bodies of the beastmen.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    (ryzan) I need to get acquainted with a female bovine beastman if at all possible. Regardless of other *ahem* benefits, I''m extremely curious to see how that enriched milk would work for the horn soaking process.


    Then there are the feline beastmen. The most interesting aspect of this branch, is that every single feline beastman is a female. The main distinguishing feature of this branch, is that the members are all naturally petite and agile. Their magic affinity is always air, and in combat they are very similar to wood elves, in that they focus on hit and run tactics. They are also known to have the second sharpest eyes of the beastman race.


    The branch with the most interesting sense enhancement, are the reptilian beastmen. They are actually able to sense the heat in a short range, and, to add onto their intrigue, they also have the largest range of forms. While some have normal legs, others will have a serpentine body. Plus there are some types that naturally form poisons. Reptilians all have a fire and/or nature attribute, and all types with poison have an affinity to nature. Almost every one of the poisonous reptilian beastmen, are mentored by a medicine maker, and are held in high esteem as a healer. In terms of combat, reptilians are hard to take unaware, and their scales are hard enough to be a natural armor. While the poisonous ones are suited to assassination as well, and the snake-bodied reptilians have the option of lashing or binding the opponent with their tail. Despite the variances, they have one particular aspect in common, they do not handle the cold well. As such, all young reptilians need to be raised in hot environments, and even the adults must stay in hot areas, unless they have a fire affinity to heat themselves.


    (ryzan) Wow.... lamias!... and even poisons, and heat vision. Quite a package.... though that heat problem has got to be a massive inconvenience for them.


    Another varied branch are the avian beastmen. While not as drastic as the reptilians, there are two distinct types of avians. One, with wings that come out from their back, and another where their arms are their wings. The avian beastmen are the only beastmen with feathers, and they are also one of the only two beastmen branches without tails. They are also the beastmen that have the most accurate eyesight, and the only branch with natural ability to fly. These traits make them ideal scouts and messengers. They will have an attribute of either air or lightning, and are known to be a very forgetful species.


    (ryzan) ¡°bu...buhahahhaha¡± The avians are bird-brains!!


    Last are the piscine beastmen. There are two unique aspects of the piscine, a set of gills to compliment their lungs, and their webbed feet and hands. They also have scales, but they do not have the same level of defensive properties as the reptilians. Piscine have to stay wet, and thus will usually live near a body of water. While it is possible for them to walk on dry land, they must constantly drain their already limited mana pool to do so. All piscine have a water affinity, and have the highest capability in hearing. Based on these, and the maneuverability provide by their webbed appendages, it is very hard to hold your own against a piscine in water.


    Now, to cover one more interesting aspect of there beastmen. There is an uncommon ability that can change their appearance. A beastman will not know they have this ability until their first growth spurt. The partial version, obtained in the first growth spurt, is called were-form. While the full version, obtained during the second growth spurt, is called beast-form. The first form adds some extra animal features, such as limbs and mouth, as well as increasing strength even further. The second allows one to take the form of their respective animals, but with far greater strength than the normal beast.


    (ryzan) *stands up with stars in his eyes* ¡°WEREFORM!?!¡±


    Ryzan may have lived a much longer life than his appearance would reveal, but he had not really developed anything, other than his skills, in his past life. For this reason, his mentality still had several childish points, and something like a real werewolf....werefox, was something he couldn''t pass up.


    (ryzan) *dashes through the house* ¡°LIZA!!!!!... Liz!!!!!!¡±


    (kayla) *grabs ryzan, and picks him off the ground while his legs are still kicking* ¡°Liza went to the butcher a bit ago Ryzan, what did you need her for?¡±


    (ryzan) ¡°the butcher?? OK, I''ll go meet her half way. I need to ask her something of the utmost importance¡±


    (kayla) *sigh* ¡°ok, just be careful, and please calm down a bit. You''re going to pass out before you ever see her at this rate¡± *sets him back down*


    (ryzan) *yells, as he dashes out the door* ¡°ok got it¡±


    After running for a bit Ryzan managed to spot Liza''s silver hair on the road, and dashed straight towards her. After getting closer, his expression began to change rapidly. Liza was surrounded by 4 teens who were holding balls of water in their hands.


    (???1) ¡°So barbarian, what''s it like to see real magic¡±


    (Liza) ¡°P-Please just let me go¡±


    (???2) ¡°ha, you make it sound like we''re kidnapping you¡±


    (???3) ¡°I know, and here we are giving personal guidance to a talentless barbarian. Where is the thanks¡±


    (???4) ¡°Maybe she just needs a close look to appreciate it¡± *laughs*


    In the distance Ryzan was still approaching, but his speed had slowed. His happy childish look had faded from both his face and eyes, replaced by a dark shadowed scowl, and a dangerous glint in his eyes.


    (ryzan) *whispers* ¡°un... unforgivable¡±

 Chapter 4 - Underestimated

    - It came to my attention that I kinda skimped out on giving an explanation on why the mc had changed so much so fast. I apologize to anyone who was confused by this and for future readers I appended a chapter to the start of Chapter 2</a>. Sorry for the confusion.


    Also, please vote in the poll. Personally, I planned on going rather in depth on the bow making process, but if it''s just going to annoy people (and bring an even shorter life expectancy to my temporary 4+ rating xD) I''ll try to sum it up quicker (there will still be some details about what materials he is gather though. Ryzan is going to be a craft supplies hoarder, no changing that lol). To clear up what it means. detail would be going into the reverse twisting process (spinning the threads one way, and then spinning those thread together in the opposite direction) winding the exact length so that the main string can tie to two smaller strings at the string bridge, and going into the exact string nocks used to fit the string onto the siyah and attaching the leather string bridge used to add some tension as well as dampen the shot sound a bit.


    mostly realistic of the same things would be "spent 2 hours winding up a bowstring from the sinew fibres before hanging it out to dry", and just saying what a general idea of a siyah is and what it''s made out of and a mention of having a leather pad to ease the draw and dampen sound.


    made the bow lets go shoot "spent 2 months creating his horn bow of destiny, it takes 500 pounds of force to pull back and can pierce tall buildings in a single shot.... not sure why tall matters but it does"


    and sorry about the late post. I meant to keep up the 1 a day thing for longer than this lol. Unfortunately some RL stuff interrupted, so I only really got started at like 11pm yesterday x.x.-


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


    Observing the offenders as he closed in, Ryzan picked up a few things. First being that one of the offenders had silver hair and tipped ears, obviously a high elf. The others seemed to be human, one bulky man with an axe, and two smaller men with swords. Second was the rough clothing of the group, a telltale sign that they were a group of adventurers, and last was that he was, for the first time, experiencing something his memories hadn''t prepared him for.


    He had been living a relaxed life in the recent years. He knew his general life plan, knew he''d have the skills to accomplish it, and was even going to train in more varied combat and hunting skills once he reached adulthood. The village was peaceful, and, due to the difference in technology, he was rather sure he already knew more about his trade, than the skilled craftsmen of this world knew of theirs. His life was pretty much assured, there was no agitation, stress, or hesitation to experience. Not to mention that, even without training, his body was far more responsive, flexible, and agile than the one from his memories. He could observe details finer than he ever could, he could feel the wind to an astounding detail, and all of this was immensely reassuring and calming... Only now had he realized his mistake.


    Of all people he should have known. The memories he had of taking down beasts, tens of times stronger than him, were countless. Of those, the easiest were the relaxed, those that had left down their guard in their confidence of superiority.... him. Had he not ran out here on a whim, Liza would have had no chance of coming out of this unharmed. As a beastman she had superior strength and speed, and in all rights should be able to defend herself... but Ryzan knew she was timid. She would not be able to effectively fight back, she would freeze, and she would be hurt. Yet despite having all the tools necessary to know this, Ryzan had remained ignorant to the dangers. If not for chance, a person he claimed to love would have been hurt, and even now it was still a high chance.


    He had memories of martial arts included in his survival skills, and had practiced a bit, while adapting it to his current body, during his spare time. Most of his skill came from an understanding of the opponents balance, and predicting their actions. His past self had studied this enthusiastically because, even though he was sparing with humans, the aspects could still be applied in helping to predict an animals movements. He had also spent a bit of time regaining his feel for projectiles, if that''s what you can call throwing rocks, but all of this wasn''t anywhere near the most he could have done.


    Ryzan wanted to scream at himself for his ignorance. He had no information on casting, no understanding of the spells, no information on common combat techniques, had no real weapons, and most importantly, he had done nowhere near the amount of training that he could have. Even if he couldn''t inherit his mother''s style yet, that was no excuse not to have conditioned himself appropriately. As Ryzan crouched down and gathered a handful of rocks, the thing his memory hadn''t prepared him for, was gradually being overrun by self loathing. All that changed in a moment, when they uttered a few words that sank into his mind.


    (elf) *eyes the Liza''s shaking body before putting on a nasty smirk* ¡°Though we''ll need some payment for our lesson, wont we boys.¡±


    (bulky henchman) *matching the high elf''s smirk* ¡°Definitely boss, though I doubt she could cover the cost of such an amazing lesson¡±


    (liza) *rapidly paling and quivering as she felt their stares*


    (Sword henchman1) *hehe, there are always other ways to pay*


    *Gah* *Ouch* *AH!**Splash Splash Splash*


    Unable to take it any further, Ryzan had dashed forward and launched three of the stones at the high elf, the bulky henchman, and the furthest swordsman, timing them to arrive at about the same time. Thankfully, he had assumed correctly that spells in this world required constant concentration, and had thus gained a chance at victory. Noticing the three stones fly past, the second swordsman canceled his magic and spun, drawing his sword, just in time to see Ryzan''s leaping form coming at him. Not even given the time to finish drawing, Ryzan''s elbow slammed directly into his throat, and he fell gasping for air. This blow more than likely crushed his wind pipe, and was likely to result in the first human Ryzan had ever killed, but Ryzan didn''t care. He had discovered what the feeling he had no memory of experiencing was, Anger, Fury.... Hate. The look in Ryzan''s eyes was obviously one of madness as he kept dashing forward at the high elf, and the 3 people left could feel his murderous intentions.


    The first to react to the situation was the high elf, utilizing his high mana control to rapidly form an attack.


    (high-elf) ¡°che. Foolish Brat! Niar Takrome(Water shot)¡±


    As the words were being spoken, a ball of water formed. Seeing his action, the two henchmen started to speak the words themselves. Liza looked toward Ryzan in an absolute panic, and saw him continuing to dash at the high elf. Then suddenly, just as water shot was released, Ryzan''s hand shot to the side, launching a larger rock than last time at the second swordsman, and his body leapt to the left, turning his dashing path to the bulky henchman, while avoiding the elf''s water shot.


    Just as the swordsman''s ball started to form, a stone impacted his head with a resounding crack, Dazing him and interrupting the spell. The bulky henchman stopped his spell the moment he saw Ryzan dash towards him, and instead dropped into a fighting stance. He stepped forward with his left leg, and sent his right fist flying towards Ryzan''s head with enough force to knock him out cold. Ryzan, noticing the shift in weight, immediately slid, dropping down low. He felt pain from his likely sprained right ankle, but still spun clockwise on it, and sent his left leg into a low kick, striking at his opponents left leg, just as it stepped forward. Just as he accomplish this, Ryzan heard the elf''s tell tale chant, and smirked dangerously.


    The bulky henchman, suddenly off balance and tilting left from his leg being kicked to the out, felt his swinging fist bring his body even further off balance. So unsteady, that he was unable to react as he felt Ryzan''s small body rise up and grip his arm. Using himself as a fulcrum and turning counter clockwise, Ryzan used his opponents force to throw the man over his back towards the high elf, and took a small jump back. Even with the momentum Ryzan couldn''t throw the man all 10 feet to the elf, in fact he only went about a foot towards the elf. It wasn''t even likely to put him out of the fight, but just as Ryzan took that small jump back, the bulky henchman got blasted past him by the already fired water shot. Smiling Ryzan dashed towards the elf, and then he glanced toward the remaining swordsman and Liza. Liza was completely shocked, but unharmed, and the henchman was still in a daze from the stone, so Ryzan turned his focus back towards the elf and hissed.


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


    The elf had regained his composure quickly, despite his humiliation at being manipulated into attacking his own man, and was beginning to chant another spell. Ryzan could only curse his laziness for what was about to happen. His right ankle was sprained when he had leapt to the side after his initial dash, and was then placed under strain in order to appropriately strike and throw the bulky henchman. The injury had slowed him down to the point that he wouldn''t be able to reach the elf before the cast, and at this point blank range it was unlikely he could completely avoid the attack.


    (elf) *an infuriated expression on his face* ¡°niar luth''ol! (water spear)


    Ryzan could only grimace as the elf was unexpectedly using a different attack this time. The size was smaller, but instead of just a basketball sized water ball. This was like a rapidly spinning drill of water. Ryzan, watching the elf''s eyes to predict where it would be aimed, found that the elf was focusing on his left chest. Studying the elf''s face, Ryzan tensed and leapt to the right just as the elf clenched his jaw. His observation paid off as the blow missed it''s target, but Ryzan still wasn''t fast enough. A large chunk in the middle of his upper left arm was carved out, and a small fountain of blood poured down. Liza screeched in fear at the scene and Ryzan winced at the pain. He landed on his right foot, and immediately jumped forward with all his might, feeling a tearing sound in his ankle as he did. His mind  unstable and a blur of pain, he couldn''t make any cunning moved this time. Instead, as his left foot landed right next to the stunned elf, Ryzan just pushed off again and bashed his head into the elf''s chin, before collapsing on top of him.


    Ryzan completely blacked out for a few moments, before turning on his side and looking towards Liza. Her face was full of fear and anguish as she dashed towards him, but the more pressing concern was something Ryzan had forgotten. The swordsman had shaken off his stun, and was running towards Liza. Liza, in her panic, appeared not to have noticed him, and at this rate he''d intercept her in just a few seconds. Not wanting to see that, Ryzan searched for anything he could throw nearby, and saw three hilts sticking out of the elfs belt. Without hesitation Ryzan forced himself up, and drew out the three hunter knives, and dropped one next to his right leg, out of view. Grabbing another by the hilt he twisted his body, almost fainting from the pain from his half severed arm swinging, and launched the knife towards the swordsman, missing by a few feet. Still this wasn''t pointless as, through his keen eyes, Ryzan had observed how the knife rotated, got a feel for the balance, managed to somewhat steady his dizziness, and the guard had switched his attention to Ryzan.


    Grabbing the third knife Ryzan launched this one at a high angle, and dropping his hand onto the hilt of the hidden knife, paying close attention to the wind, distance, and timing as he waited. During this time Liza had looked towards the flying knifes, an expression of horror as she saw the charging swordsman. She immediately quickened her speed and dashed towards Ryzan as fast as she could, as a strange feeling welled up.


    As soon as the swordsman''s eye''s were drawn to the lobbed knife, Ryzan rapidly twisted, and launched the other knife at the swordsman''s knee. Thankfully, because of the distraction and low impact point, the swordsman didn''t notice the knife until it embedded itself under the kneecap, crippling the leg. At the same time voices could be heard coming down the road. Apparently all the fighting had gotten the village''s attention. A peaceful smile was on Ryzan''s face as he watched Liza''s tear stained face close in and then spin away, intending to hold off the opponent that was no longer there. Seeing that timid tear soaked girl try to defend him, Ryzan''s heart was in turmoil.


    (ryzan) *as his consciousness fades* I can''t underestimate this world anymore, I got cocky over my inherited abilities and knowledge, and Liza suffered for it. I need to gain as much power as I possibly... can, that''s the only way.. I can ensure.. that she... will be...... safe


    Noticing the opponent had fallen, Liza spun back and saw the fained Ryzan.


    (Liza) *sobbing*¡°Ryry!??? oh god, don''t die ryry, please don''t die¡±


    Overcome by desperation, fear, and grief Liza, once again, felt a strange feeling come over her, many times stronger than last time. With a sudden burst she felt a warm wave flow over her, and her field of view changed. Looking down at Ryzan, Liza was shocked to see her hands completely covered in fur, and see claws instead of fingernails. After a few seconds, she realized she had transformed into her wereform. She had been with Ryzan''s family since before adulthood, so no one had tested her to see if she had the ability, and she had never experienced emotion large enough to set it off before now. Liza was shocked to find herself in this form. Shocked, and happy, in this form her speed would be absolutely astounding. She immediately picked up Ryzan, still panicked over his condition and rapid blood loss, before dashing towards their home, desperate to get to kayla before the worst could happen.


    Ryzan was fading in and out as she dashed back, he wondered what the amazing soft feeling under him was. Cracking his eyes, Ryzan saw a blurry shining silver outline above him.


    (ryzan) *groan*


    Hearing Ryzan, Liza was overcome with joy. He was still alive, and she had reached the house. Dashing in through the door and into the living room she screamed for help.


    (liza) ¡°MISTRESS KAYLA! RYZAN IS HURT! HURRY!!!¡±


    *crash*


    Kayla drops the plates she was carrying, and dashed through the house to Liza. Ignoring the broken glass in her foot, she almost faints as she sees his blood covered arm. Coming closer she places her hand''s on his arm


    (kayla) ¡°arlathil o''goth¡±


    A green light begins to flow from Kayla''s hands into the arm. Within a minute the blood flow had stopped, and afterwards the wound began to slowly refill. Kayla kept going until it was all but completely healed, and Ryzan''s cheeks began to gain some color. Her face pale, she instructed Liza to set him on the couch so she could look at the ankle.


    Liza brought Ryzan over to the couch, and was surprised when she saw his eyelids half open. Liza, still not having changed out of her wereform, appeared in front of Ryzan again as a blurry silver outline, but this time managed to focus and see a few features. Seeing the eyes he knew it was Liza.


    (ryzan) *forming a warm wide smile* ¡°be...beauti..ful¡± *closes his eyes and falls asleep again*


    Liza cried in joy when she saw Ryzan talking, finally realizing that he was going to be OK. As the tears ran down her face, she moved aside so Kayla could heal him. Feeling the warm energy flow out of her, suddenly all of her features reverted back to her normal form. Collapsing into a chair next to the couch in exhaustion, she imagined the moment when Ryzan looked at her with that smile. Though she was confused for a moment by a small tug in her chest, Liza decided it was a quirk of releasing her wereform, looking towards the peaceful boy on the couch, and remembering how desperately he had fought to defend her, the tug happened again before she drifted off into sleep.

 Chapter 5 - Sleeping Arrangements

    Ryzan cracked his eyes open, struggling to see in the dark room. Attempting to prop himself up, he realized his right hand was being held. Glancing over, he saw a pair of fox ears rising out of the head resting on his arm. Reaching out with his left hand, Ryzan slowly stroked Liza''s hair with a warm expression on his face. Liza, letting out a few cute mumbles, nuzzled against Ryzan''s arm for a few moments before her eyes started to slowly open. After a few second, realizing Ryzan was awake, Liza''s eyes began to fill with tears as she hugged him. Liza''s voice rang out from the head buried in his chest, ¡°Don''t you ever do anything like that again! I won''t forgive you if you ever do something so stupid again¡±.


    Ryzan smiles a bit, resting his hand on her head and whispering, ¡°Sorry to worry you, but no promises¡±. Hearing the soft words, Liza turns her head to look at him, an angry glint in her eyes. ¡°What do you mean no promises?¡±.


    (Ryzan) ¡°Well if the choice is getting a bit banged up, or watching you get hurt, the choice is rather obvious. No man could live with letting someone they love get attacked in front of them while they simply watched.¡±


    Liza blushed slightly, the word love sticking in her head a bit, ¡°W....wha.... what are you talking about you idiot, and that wasn''t a bit banged up! What do you think I would have felt like if you got crippled or ki...killed protecting me!?¡± she yelled, her silver eyes starting to overflow as she finished.


    ¡°I know, I know¡±, Ryzan whispered as he pet her head. ¡°but regardless of what you say, nothing is going to stop me from jumping into that situation. Plus, getting rewarded with a such a beautiful girl fawning over me, is more than incentive enough to risk death¡±, a devilish grin spreading on his face.


    Feeling a strange tug in her chest again, Liza was starting to get unbalanced, wahhh my face is heating up. I know he''s just repeating what he''s heard Rak say, but it''s  really irresponsible to teach your young son this kind of stuff. I know he doesn''t really get what he''s saying, but the first time he has a 3 minute conversation outside of his house he''ll have girls completely fooled and clinging to him... why does that annoy me so much, ah it''s got to be that I know they''ll corrupt sweet little Ryry. I''m going to have to beat them back so they don''t touch MY R


    ¡°Liza?¡± Ryzan interrupted, cautiously calling her name due growing concern, as her expression changed from a blushing teenager to Asura incarnate. Aw crap, did I say something wrong? Every source from my memories(light novels) made me think this would be a good time to lay it on as thick as possible


    Snapping out of her internal ranting, Liza was momentarily stunned as she came back to reality. After a bit she noticed Ryzan''s green eyes staring at her in concern, ¡°Ah. s... sorry about that, I think I''m just tired, and you should probably get some sleep as well. I didn''t want to disturb you earlier ¡±.


    Relieved that the situation wasn''t blowing up in his face, Ryzan heaved a sigh of relief, but despite his earlier fear a small urge to milk this for everything it was worth grew in his mind. ¡°I don''t know if I can sleep, but being around Liza always calms me down, can I sleep with you tonight?¡± he said, his green eyes shining in plea as they stared at her.


    Liza paused for a few moments, trying to resist his eyes and failing. Ignoring her racing heart, she just wrote it off as something like sleeping with a younger brother, ¡°O...ok but only for tonight, you''re getting a little to old for it¡±


    Ryzan''s innocent face flashed a devilish smirk so fast that Liza could only think her eyes played tricks on her, ¡°I don''t think I could ever get tired of sleeping with a beautiful girl like Liza. If I could, I''d share your bed with you every single day of my life.¡±


    Blushing furiously at the, supposedly, accidental reference, Liza just got up and hurried off to her room to calm down. How can he spout out stuff like that so easily. He should have got enough education from Rak to know what sh...sharing a bed as an adult would imply. Awawawa, I don''t even know why I''m reacting so much. It''s just his usual innocent comments, they never bothered me before, so why are they now?!


    Just as she finished her thoughts, a small knock came from her door along with Ryzan''s voice, ¡°Can I come in Liza?¡±. Still panicked and confused, Liza could barely force out a ¡°Yes¡± loud enough to be heard.


    Walking into her room, Ryzan was definitely happy seeing the blushing fox girl wrapped in her blanket. He was pretty sure she still didn''t consciously acknowledge him, but he could also see that her reactions were getting a lot stronger recently. Not waiting any longer, he joyfully approached and laid down next to her. Wrapping his arms around her stomach and snuggling close, enjoying the squeaky gasp as he first touched her.


    About an hour later Liza was completely asleep, seems her tension had raised high enough that she had pretty much passed out, but Ryzan was wide awake. Still snuggled close, he genuinely enjoyed the comfort he felt from her, as he pondered through what he was going to do. Despite his time spent flirting, Ryzan had not forgotten his vow to stop underestimating his world. He had come to the decision that he would get stronger, but also that every bit of down time or recuperation would be wholly devoted to Liza. Partially for the fact that it made him happy, mostly because Liza was a beautiful girl, and he wanted to worm his way into her thoughts as much as possible before another guy in the village started making progress instead.


    First and foremost on his list of things he needed to do, was to get some survival gear; a good hunting knife, a flint scraper, a sturdy set of clothes, a good axe, and some information on the fauna of this world. He imagined the blacksmith could handle the knife, scraper, and the axe. As far as he was aware the blacksmiths of this world were more than qualified to make steel weaponry, so it shouldn''t be hard to acquire a reasonably good set. As for the clothes, there was a leather worker in town as well. Finally the fauna would be the easiest through his mother. As both a hunter and an alchemist, there was no way she didn''t know every single plant that grew in the surrounding areas.


    Outside of those, he could also check and see if any of the craftsmen had any good staves to make a bow from. Wood was used in a lot of tools, so it wouldn''t be surprising if they kept a few piles around drying. Before he could even consider that though, there was the biggest obstacle in the form of convincing his mother. Getting the funds for all of the equipment probably wouldn''t be hard, in fact his mother would probably insist on equipping him if he went out, but convincing a mother to let her, recently wounded, child to run off gallivanting through the forest... that was a tough sale. Regardless it was one that Ryzan had to make. He had to get used to this body, he had to explore and get used to the forest here, and first a foremost he needed better ranged weaponry. If he had a good bow when Liza had been assaulted, he would have put an arrow in all of them before they could respond, much less blast a chunk out of his arm.


    Unfortunately, from what Ryzan had heard at the bar, and read in that book, it was less than likely to find any decent information on appropriate woods for bow crafting in this world. The only mention he heard of bows in this village, were people basically using it as a drinking game. Trying to hit targets only about 25 feet away, and usually failing even when sober. The bows were crude, warped, and powerless. This meant that Ryzan, more than likely, wouldn''t find any bow that was better than what he could just make from a branch, and also meant there probably wouldn''t be any appropriate wood for sale either. Thus his only option is to cut branches himself, and test each and every tree in the area. Find out what was flexible, find out what excelled in compression or tensile strength, and first and foremost what was unlikely to split and break. The stronger you make it with weak wood, the more you''ll regret it when it explodes in your hand.


    So that placed foraging on the highest of his priorities. After that he needed to find an appropriate place to make a small workshop. A Place to season(dry) the wood, appropriate space for his work and tools, a crude forge, and reasonably close to a river, without having a large increase in humidity. To find this location, or any of the materials he needed, Ryzan HAD to start exploring the forest. So his main goal for the foreseeable future is to get enough to buy his gear, and convince his mother to let him put it to good use. These plans swirled in Ryzan''s head as drifted off to sleep, finding comfort in the feeling of Liza''s steady breath as he sank into sleep.


    ----------Earlier That Day------------


    A short time after Liza had brought the injured Ryzan back to the house, four bloodied and weary adventurers stumbled into the bar Rak was in, escorted by a few concerned looking villagers.


    (Rak) ¡°What happened to you guys¡± he said, mildly curious about what put 4 adventurers through the ringer near the village.


    (high elf) ¡°N...nothing much, we got assaulted by a silver monster on the road near the town. If these guy''s hadn''t shown up with a few health potions at least one of us would have been a goner.¡±


    (Rak) *Whistles* ¡°Sounds like quite a beast¡±, turning to look at the villagers who brought the men in, ¡°Did you guys make out anything about it?¡±


    (???) ¡°Not really. It looked humanoid, but it ran off far too fast for us to really confirm anything about it. We started heading out there as soon as we heard the sounds of fighting, but by the time we were close enough to make out the details it was already gone.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.(Rak) ¡°Hahahahaha guess it really made short work of you guys, well grudging over it won''t get you anything. I''m assuming they''ve already sent for my wife, so you guys will probably be fixed up in no time flat. Just thank your stars you survived, and enjoy a song.¡±


    A few minutes later the door busted open, and a hulking figure stood in the doorway. This man was known as Max, which was short for Maxus Teach, and he made his living utilizing his natural strength and endurance for blacksmithing. Everyone in town knew him, which is why everyone in town was surprised to see such a dangerous glint in his eyes. After a few moments of shock, one of the villager''s who escorted the adventurer''s in finally spoke up, ¡°So did you manage to speak to Kayla about this?¡±


    Noticing the glare aimed their way from the hulking man, the adventurers all started to prepare to bolt, thinking that he had somehow found out what they had done. They had planned to wait for the healer and then run off as fast as possible to avoid this kind of backlash. Ordinarily they would have already ran, but trudging through the forest injured, and with no health potions, was something that was likely to be a disaster. They could only panic as the burly Max spoke up to answer the question, ¡°Ah, I saw her, and heard something interesting while I was there. It seems that their maid got assaulted by 4 thugs on the road, and her little boy intervened, resulting in a pathetic bastard of a high elf almost blowing his arm off¡±.


    As these words rang out, the tavern suddenly went completely silent. Knowing they had to get out, the 4 adventurers all bolted towards the door, but were met with an immediate resistance. The first to react were the tavern brawlers, not only were they used to combat, they had also spent a lot of time talking to Ryzan when Rak had brought him in. All of them immediately jumped onto the bulky henchman, crashing him into the ground. A few tried to latch onto the high elf as well, but he quickly jumped back to avoid it. Unfortunately for him, that put the entire crowd between him and the door. Just as this happened the two swordsman reached the door, and tried to duck out, but surprisingly Max was way faster than he appeared, and they ran straight into his clothesline. Not giving them time to get away, Max picked their dazed forms up off the ground, and launched them back into the tavern.


    Seeing his companions taken out so quickly, the high elf knew he was out of luck. When the two swordsmen came flying in, he immediately took advantage of the distraction, and leapt all the way away from the door. As almost everyone had charged the door, that left him plenty of room and he suddenly held up his hand chanting ¡°niar takrome¡± as a ball of water formed in front of him. Knowing he now held the advantage a sickening smirk adorned his face, ¡°If you guys don''t just drop this and let us leave, I''ll blast my way out. Besides it''s not even our fault, who told that snotty brat to attack us over trying to play with that barbarian bitc-¡± suddenly a loud crash and a twang sounded throughout the room.


    Almost everyone had rushed the door, there was one man who hadn''t. The bard always sat far away from the door to stay out of the way, and thus, as the high elf jumped back, he had actually landed right in front of the bard. The elf had completely forgotten about the unthreatening scrawny man, but this man was suddenly the center of attention in the room. Everyone who had known the man longer than a few days was visibly shocked. He was always cheerful, his motto was why fight when you can run, in fact the only time he ever clenched his hand was when a woman''s breast was in it, and he was always careful to keep people from harming his instrument since it was his ¡°seduction tool¡±. Yet there was Rak, stalking towards the fallen elf, a bloody and shattered lute in his right hand, and his handsome face distorted and twisted by rage.


    Just as the elf started to regain his senses, the calmly walking Rak had reached him, slamming the broken remains of his precious lute onto the disoriented elf''s head, completely shattering the neck. As the elf screamed out, Rak kicked him onto his back and pinned him. Realizing the elf was barely coherent, he reached to the table next to him and grabbed a pitcher of ale, splashing it into the elf''s face to wake him up.


    The moment the elf came to he tried to rattle off an incantation, but was stopped by a fist to his jaw, and then another, and another. After a few cracking sounds, which he wasn''t too sure were his fist or the elf''s jaw, Rak finally stopped his assault. Calmly reaching back to the table, he grabbed a knife off the plate, and with the same calmness, thrust it into the elf''s shoulder. A blood curdling scream rang from the elf and he looked up at Rak in terror, there was no emotion other than rage in Rak''s face. No joy at causing the pain, no hesitation or regret, and no fear. Rak ripped out the knife, and made sure the elf was still conscious, before he finally spoke for the first time since the news came out.


    (Rak) ¡°That Barbarian bitch is like a daughter to me, and that snotty brat is my son... I don''t know what you think gives you the right to judge them, much less attack them¡±


    With every word Rak''s face got darker and darker, and his hand shook more and more as it went on, blood visibly falling from the knuckles. Taking a deep breath he finally continued speaking to the terrified elf, ¡°I''m guessing you think you''re above other people as a high elf or something, well today I''ll be fixing that¡±, right as he said the last word Rak''s knife hand slashed out and the elf let out another scream and passed out.


    Next to the passed out elf, the top half of his ear lay on the ground in a pool of blood. ¡°hmm you weren''t supposed to pass out on the first one¡±, with another slash, another ear piece landed next to the elf. ¡°hopefully this will make him a bit less of a purist¡±, he said as he looked at the elf''s horrified companions. Even the villagers holding them down were paling at the image of the light-hearted pervert partaking in violence. Suddenly rising to his feet, Rak headed out the door, yelling back, ¡°I need to go check on my family, beat those scum within an inch of their life and dump them out of town. We aren''t murderers, but I see no problem in coming close and letting the beasts work out the rest.¡±.


    Arriving at the house, he was met at the door by Kayla, whose eyes opened wide when she saw the ragged appearance of Rak. Hurriedly coming inside, Rak looked around and frantically said, ¡°Where are Ryzan and Liza at? How bad was his arm? Did it heal¡±


    Seeing Rak become more and more frantic, Kayla grabbed his shoulders and tried to settle him down, ¡°Ryzan and Liza are in the living room, and they''re fine, just tired now. His arm was pretty bad, but it healed up fine. There''s nothing to worry about honey, but what in the world happened to you. Lend me your hand.¡± As Rak''s wounds slowly started to close, he fumbled a bit and said, ¡°n-nothing much. I just got in a bit of a brawl at the pub, some drunkard broke my lute¡±


    Kayla stared at him with cold eyes for a few seconds, and the knuckles stopped healing.


    *Ahh!!* *Owowowowow*


    Kayla, squeezing the raw half healed knuckles, stared intensely at Rak''s face. ¡°Dear, you should know better than to lie to me, now tell me what happened to you or first, I won''t heal you, and second, you won''t ever be in the same bed as me for the next 3 months.¡±


    Rak lost all of the tension regarding his Liza and Ryzan''s well being, but suddenly gained back a lot more from a different source. Losing all sense of resistance, Rak poured out the nights events, leaving out some explicit details, to Kayla.¡±


    When it was over, Kayla was staring at Rak with absolute shock. Little by little, a small flame could be seen building in her eyes. Rak was someone who could be considered passionate, but only due to his extensive flirting and romancing. Never anger. Knowing that he had such a reaction, made some strong emotions boil up in Kayla. After a few seconds of build up, she pulled Rak''s face to hers, delivering a passionate kiss. After about 30 seconds she broke it off, and pulled Rak towards their bedroom.


    (Rak) ¡°D-dear my knuckles still haven''t been healed¡±


    Seeing the knuckles on his hand again, after knowing how it had happened, Kayla''s knees actually went a bit weak. Turning around towards him as they entered their room she said, ¡°Just leave them, battle wounds are pride. Now, no more talking. Liza and Ryzan are both completely fine now, and also dead tired. There''s nothing left to worry about now, so just hurry up and get on the bed¡±. Licking her lips seductively, Kayla almost threw Rak onto the bed before she jumped on top of him, biting at his ear and whispering into it, ¡°Now you''ve definitely earned tonight, and I think Ryzan''s proved he could take care of a cute little sibling, so lets get started on making one, honey¡±


    Rak forgot entirely about his knuckles at this point, reason blown away by his suddenly seductive wife.  I should try to punch things more often


    <hr />


    apologies to anyone who loaded this page before now. accidentally hit post instead of preview again. Think i''m going to start doing the proofread outside of japtem so this doesnt happen anymore. Also sorry about the delay. All sorts of stuff stacked up. this was supposed to be out at latest by yesterday :/.

 Chapter 6 - Realization

    Sorry about the late chapter. I''ll change my general chapter estimate to 3 days each(so about bi-weekly). Most likely it''ll be faster, but low expectations are better imo xD. Starting to switch the dialogue style as per suggestions (name) "comment" will probably only be used for responses, no events or actions. Once I solidify it entirely, I''ll go back and convert all the chapters to the new version. If anyone has any suggestion feel free to comment them


    <hr />


    It took almost half a year to finally get a bit of approval from Kayla. During these 6 months, Ryzan grew even faster than usual, apparently entering a growth spurt. His appearance was what he would expect of a 15 or 16 year old in his last world. A change that Ryzan appreciated since he matched a bit better with Liza''s appearance.


    The last half of the year was mostly spent in an alchemy crash course with Kayla, and after a lot of effort he was finally able to recognize all the plants in the area. In addition to the alchemy study, Ryzan took the chance to observe some lumber in the carpenters shop, and was quite surprised by what he found. The wood in this world did not seem to have any actual points where it stopped growing. There were still growth rings, but they were much less defined than what he was used to. At this point, the only difference between worlds that could account for this was mana. The most likely answer was that, even in tough conditions, the tree would absorb mana sustaining a relatively steady growth cycle. As to what this would mean for his bow making, Ryzan wasn''t entirely sure yet.


    The next big change was that Ryzan''s memories about personality were no longer just a result of imitating various light novel protagonists. He had gained a bit of his personality back about 3 months ago, and it had steadily built up in the recent months, most of it resulting in extreme embarrassment and shame. Ryzan could hardly believe half the things he had said to Liza, not to mention taking his way into her bed.


    Though, regardless of his awakening, Ryzan still considered Liza as someone he wanted to spend his life with. Not even mentioning her physical appearance, her tendency to get flustered at the smallest of his compliments, her soft and caring side that could never hurt a fly, the way her ears flattened when someone mentioned carrots, the way they twitched when she smelled cooking meat, the sweet timbre of her laugh, the small ¡°yelps¡± she''d make when startled... Even more than when his mind was overwhelmed with teenage fantasies, Ryzan absolutely couldn''t keep her out of his mind. Because of this, even after regaining himself, he was rather straightforward with his compliments towards her. Seeing her face flush when he offhandedly mentioned her beauty, going out of his way to amuse her so he could hear her laugh and see her joyful face. Ryzan had already decided on the two things he absolutely needed in his life. Enough strength to live independently as a bowyer, and that silver furred fox girl.


    Today was an important day for the first of those goals. It was his sixth birthday, and his mother had just made an announcement that made him ecstatic.


    (Ryzan) ¡°R...really?¡±


    (Kayla) ¡°Yes, really. Next week you and I will be heading to the North Forest. I''m not sure why you''re so keen on exploring so early, but if I kept denying you, you''d probably just sneak out on your own¡± she said, raising an eyebrow toward Ryzan accusingly.


    (Liza) ¡°B-but even if it''s just the North Forest there are still beasts that could hurt him, it''s too dangerous for someone so young t-¡±


    (Kayla) laughs, ¡°Relax. He won''t have a chance to do anything reckless with me there, you don''t have to worry.¡±


    (Liza) ¡°bu-¡±


    (Rak) ¡°You really don''t have to worry Liza, there isn''t anything that can keep up with Kayla in that forest. He''ll be fine.¡±


    After a few seconds of hesitation, Liza reluctantly dipped her head in agreement. She knew it wasn''t really her decision anyway, but she couldn''t help trying to keep Ryzan out of danger. She really didn''t know how she could deal with him getting hurt again.


    After a few moments of silence, Kayla showed a warm smile and brought out a small case, handing it to Ryzan while saying ¡°This is from your father and I, happy birthday dear.¡±


    Ryzan opened the case, and saw a well crafted set of leather clothing inside. Dark green with black accents, it looked good and would also blend into the foliage well. Honestly touched by the gift, he graciously thanked his parents, before excitedly stepping out to don the gear. Stepping into the pants he found the the lining on the inside was extremely comfortable. The lining was black and the leather dark green, the black accents were actually the places where the leather didn''t cover. While this meant a little less protection, it made the gear easier to move in, and made it easier to adjust as Ryzan grew. The jacket had the same lining as the pants, and he was pleased to find it also had a sturdy hood as well. Additionally he found that the arms of the jacket were attached by small buckles. This meant he would have the option of removing them in hot weather conditions. It all fit perfectly, apparently they had measured him in his sleep, and was very comfortable to move in. He found four pouches on the chest of the jacket, two on each leg, and two small ones on each arm. In addition, around the waist of the pants, he found five strait strips, and five loops, of leather to which he could fasten bags or weapons. One of which already had a small bag of coins attached to it. All in all, he would have ample room for gathering herbs and protecting weather sensitive materials.


    Walking back out into the living room, the family was rather impressed on how well the gear fit him. There was even a noted flush in Liza''s face as she looked him over. Feeling great, Ryzan thanked Kayla once again as he dashed forward and hugged her.


    Kayla hugged back saying, ¡°You deserve at least this much dear. Remember to wear it in as much as possible before we head out next week¡±.


    Rak nodded in agreement before quipping, ¡°but you know, it was a combination gift¡± and laughing.


    Ryzan looked toward him and smiled, ¡°Thank you as well dad, this is beyond what I could have hoped¡± he said, beaming at his new outfit.


    Liza spoke up, still rather flushed, ¡°You guys really did a good job on it. Here Ryzan, this one is from me¡±, then held a small wooden box towards him.


    Ryzan released Kayla from his hug, slowly taking the box from Liza and opening it. Inside was a black rose pendant, attached to a silver chain. ¡°It used to be my mother''s, and is supposed to protect the wearer from harm¡± She explained, her eyes slightly wavering at the mention of her mother.


    Ryzan knew Liza had very little to remember her family by, and hesitated for a moment before putting the necklace over his head and hugging Liza, ¡°Thank you for giving me something this important. I''ll treasure it for the rest of my life¡± he said, right before rising up on his toes and kissing Liza''s cheek.


    Liza froze up at the kiss, not moving at all until Ryzan spoke out again, ¡°I need to pick up some extra things in town before the trip. Do you want to come to town to shop with me Liza?¡±. Still relatively frozen, Liza hesitated quite a bit before squeezing out a rather choppy, ¡°Sure sounds fun¡±, and getting dragged off by Ryzan.


    As they reached the door they heard Ryzan''s parents yell after him, ¡°Be careful not to get cheated, Old Krevitz in particular, will take you for everything you have if he gets the chance, regardless of age.¡±. Ryzan turned back and waved yelling, ¡°Right, I''ll be careful. Thank you again mom, dad.¡±, before pulling Liza along towards the town with a bright smile on his face.


    As he came up to the town, Ryzan checked the coins in the pouch. The amount given to him was ten silver coins, which Ryzan didn''t really know the worth of. He knew 10000 copper = 100 silver = 1 gold(100:1 ratio on each), but he honestly didn''t know what a copper was worth, so that didn''t really help him much. So first he had to find out how much money he had to work with, and next he had to prioritize the materials he would get.


    Thus his first stop was the Blacksmith, Maxus Teach. Walking through the door into his shop, Ryzan eyed the assortments of weapons along the walls and counters, before focusing on the place that was filled with knives. He let go of the recovering Liza''s hand, and headed over to browse the selections. After a few moments of looking them over, Max walked over to him saying, ¡°Anything in particular you two are looking for?¡±.


    Ryzan absentmindedly nodded and said, ¡°I need a hunting knife, something that will hold it''s edge when dismantling, and sharp enough to penetrate hide. A sharpening stone, and a good flint striker.¡±.


    Max nodded and walked off to the back of his shop, coming back out and handing Ryzan a sturdy looking knife with a 9-inch blade. On the back of the blade, towards the hilt, a serrated edge could be seen. The hilt was wrapped in black leather, and fit in Ryzan''s palm almost perfectly. ¡°This feels good, how much does it cost?¡± Ryzan said, handing the knife back to Max.


    Max slid the blade into it''s sheath, ¡°It''s a fairly high quality item made of eldspar ore so It''d be about one silver, but I''ll give it to you for eighty copper.¡±


    Ryzan noted the cost with a bit of surprise. He''d come to know eldspar was a rather good material in this world, far better regarded than steel. If it was only one silver to get a good blade made from it, the ten silvers he was given, was worth quite a bit more than he had expected. After thinking a bit, he nodded at Max, ¡°alright I''ll take it, thank you for the discount. About how much would the striker and the whetstone cost?¡±


    (Max) ¡°The striker will run you eight copper for a good one, fifteen if you get a tinderbox with it. As for they whetstones, they''re one copper.¡±


    (Ryzan) ¡°Ok, I''ll take the tinderbox as well, and five whetstones to make it an even silver.¡±


    Max nods, placing the knife in his hand on the counter before heading to the back, returning a few moments later with a stack of five whetstones and a wooden box. The box was about the perfect size to fit in the front of the jacket, so Ryzan was rather happy about that. ¡°Alright that''ll be one silver. Have fun on the rest of your date.¡± Max said with a wink.


    A little behind Ryzan, the fully recovered Liza blushed a bit. Ryzan pulled a silver coin from his pouch, and flicked it to the blacksmith, as he started to place the tinderbox into one pocket and the five whetstones into another, ¡°I''ll definitely do so max¡± , a small smile on his face.


    (Liza) ¡°Heyyyyy, correct him¡±


    Ryzan, ignoring Liza, tied the hunting knife onto his left hip, ¡°Hope to see you again soon, take care max.¡±


    (Max) ¡°Will do kid, thanks for the business¡±


    Ryzan nodded to max, before looking up at Liza, ¡°Do you plan on getting anything here?¡±. Liza shook her head, ¡°No, but I do have to pick up some fish before we head back, for dinner tonight.¡±.


    Gripping her hand, Ryzan walked towards the door,  ¡°Alright, no problems there. Before that, how about we go see if old man Krevitz has anything interesting?¡±. Liza put on a bit of a grimace as she followed, ¡°Are you sure? You heard your parents warning right?¡±. Nodding, Ryzan still hurried along with Liza in tow, ¡°Unfortunately he''s the only peddler in the village, so if I want something interesting I''ll have to go through him. Merchants don''t even make their ways here, so anything from outside has to be bought through him.¡±.


    As they walked along the street, quite a few women turned an interested gaze in Ryzan''s direction, but immediately looked away when they saw the face of Asura behind him. Feeling the deadly aura, Ryzan reflected over how much Liza had changed recently. She was still timid and shy around him, but now she didn''t balk away from other people. She had gained a lot of confidence from training a few hours a day with Kayla. Honestly Ryzan found it to be a great thing, Liza had more confidence, and Ryzan had to spend less time chatting. He didn''t care much about most of the women in the village, but any time they spoke to him, he found himself unable to ignore them. Like something in his very being was compulsively pushing him to smooth talk them. At this point he was thinking that maybe it was some curse inherited by his father, a thought that worried him quite a bit.


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    As he reflected over this, they came up to Krevitz''s wagon. Inside was what appeared to be a kind old man, but someone Ryzan knew to be a wolf in sheep''s clothing.


    (Krevitz) ¡°So what are you looking for boy?¡±


    (Ryzan) ¡°Nothing in particular, just browsing. Anything you looking for Liza?¡±


    As Ryzan turned to look at Liza, her ears were flicking showing a sliver of excitement, and he noticed her eyes locked onto a brooch. It had a blue and silver rose, the stem and stalk made of silver, and the petals made of what looked like sapphire. After a few moments of being enraptured, she turned back to Ryzan, ¡°No, besides I didn''t bring anything for shopping, just the money to get fish¡±.


    Ryzan mentally marked the brooch as he smiled, ¡°Hmm, I guess we won''t be getting anything Krevitz. Thanks for the time, good luck selling¡±


    (Krevitz) ¡°Alright alright, shoo. Customer''s only here, run off and window shop elsewhere.¡±


    Ryzan, laughing at the abrupt disappearance of the kind old man, left with Liza, ¡°I still have to stop at the leather worker''s. We can head to the butcher''s afterwards, that ok with you?¡±. Liza, looking back at the stand one last time, ¡°ah... ah yeah. Sounds good¡±.


    Entering the leather worker''s shop, they greeted Della. Unlike all the other craftsmen in this area, Della was a woman, and a young one at that. Her father had retired, leaving her to take over the business, and she was good at it.


    (Della) ¡°Nice to see you Ryzan, those look wonderful on you¡± she said, indicating his leather outfit.


    (Ryzan) ¡°It has nothing to do with me, it''s all the clothes. They''d look wonderful on anyone. As expected, it takes a beauty to make something beautiful.¡±


    Della blushed slightly, before shaking her head, ¡°You really do take after your father.¡±. As she spoke, Ryzan heard a low growl coming from beside him, and quickly changed the subject, ¡°Anyway I need a sturdy traveling pack, and probably a sleeping bag as well. About what would that cost.¡±


    (Della) ¡°Let''s see. A sleeping bag in your size and a good traveling pack. I''ll say the pack with be sixty coppers, and the bag would be about seventy. I''ll give you both for 120 copper.¡±


    Ryzan nodded, handing her two silver coins ¡°Alright, also I''d like to say the craftsmanship in this gear is impressive. Your father must be happy having such a talented successor.¡±. Della, brightened up at the compliment, before narrowing her eyes slyly as she placed the pack and sleeping bag on the counter, ¡°Actually he''s still wants me to find a husband so he can train him for the business well... Got any suggestions for me?¡±. As she finished she sent a suggestive wink Ryzan''s way.


    Ryzan''s eyebrows rose at the forward woman, then his eyes opened wide as he heard a threatening growl resounding from beside him, ¡°W-w-w-well sorry, but I can''t seem to think of any off the top of my head. Thank you for the gear, goodbye!¡±. As he spoke he collected the eighty coppers, stuffed the sleeping bag into his pack, and dashed out the door followed by a fuming Liza.


    (Liza) ¡°This is why you need to stop imitating your father!¡±


    (Ryzan) ¡°She wasn''t serious, and besides I don''t plan on marrying soon, and even if I was I wouldn''t consider someone other than Liza!¡±


    (Liza) ¡°W-w-w-w-w-w-what are you talking about, who''d fall for that from a flirt like you¡± as she spoke her face had turned completely red.


    Looking down the road, Ryzan spotted the butcher''s shop. ¡°Look Liza, there''s the butcher''s. You take care of that, I have to run back and pick up something I forgot at the blacksmiths.¡±. Dashing past Liza, Ryzan wiped his brow, happy to find an exit.


    (Liza) ¡°H-HEY!..... Argh... When you get back we''re continuing this conversation!¡±


    A few minutes later, a tired Ryzan was walking towards the butchers with an Eldspar Hatchet hanging from his right side. Another eighty copper spent bringing his remaining money to seven silvers. Although he was heading toward the butcher''s, his actual destination was just along the way, old Krevitz''s wagon. Knocking on the side, he drew the attention of krevitz, a scowl forming on his previously innocent old face, ¡°I already said if you''re not shopping, clear out and don''t get in the way of real customers.¡±.


    Ryzan, marveling once again at the impeccable business smile, laughed and pointed at the rose brooch Liza had eyed earlier, ¡°I''m here to ask about that, about how much does it cost.¡±. Krevitz followed the line of his finger and spied the brooch, ¡°ahhh, so you saw the lady looking that piece as well huh... You look like a youngling, but you are more observant than most.¡±.


    Ryzan laughed a bit and said, ¡°I just had the fortune of being with a girl that was impossible not to observe closely.¡±. Krevitz''s eyes showed a bit of spark as Ryzan spoke, ¡°Ah, definitely Rak''s kid. Nice to see such an honestly youth ahahahahha... Anyway that particular brooch is a quality item. I can''t let it go for any lower than ten silver.¡±


    Ryzan turned to leave immediately, ¡°Sorry, that''s too much for me.¡±


    (Krevitz) ¡°Ah, hang on kid... I can bring it down to eight for the kid of an old friend.¡±


    Ryzan came back and seemed to think for a bit. ¡°It doesn''t really look like it''s worth more than five silver to me¡±. A vein pulsed on the side of Krevitz''s head as the words were spoke. Ryzan had, unknowingly, almost nailed the appropriate price for the brooch, it''s market value would be about 550 copper, Krevitz having paid four silver for it.


    (Krevitz) ¡°That''s just too low. Seven is a lot more appropriate for such a fine piece.¡±


    (Ryzan) ¡°Hmmm... Even if that''s true, I can''t really bring myself to spend more than six.¡±


    (Krevitz) ¡°hahhhh. You drive a hard bargain kid, how about I let it go for six silver and fifty copper?¡±


    Ryzan thought for a bit. He could tell that Krevitz was still overcharging, but with a merchant like Krevitz, if you don''t overpay, you don''t buy it. ¡°Alright deal.¡± As he spoke, he took his last seven silver and placed it on the table. Krevitz picked them up, and placed fifty copper and the brooch in their place, his business smile back on his face, ¡°Thanks for the business, hope to see you again kid.¡±. Ryzan, placing the brooch in his pack, smiled back ¡°Same to you, later Krevitz¡±.


    Ryzan left the wagon quickly, running to meet Liza with a grin on his face. He had blown through a rather large sum very quickly, but he knew it would be worth it to see Liza wearing the brooch. Still grinning, Ryzan saw Liza standing by the door of the butcher''s, a basket on the ground next to her. Opposite to his grin, a scowl was on her face as he approached, ¡°So, what''s the grin about. Finalize your future as a leather worker while I was in there?¡±.


    Ryzan, noticing the extremely foul mood, decided that the quicker he gave it to her the better, ¡°No not at all, just had to take some time to get a present for a girl I love¡±. Liza froze at the statement, unknowingly putting on a panicked face, as Ryzan took the brooch out of his pack. Smiling Ryzan held it out to her, ¡°So here it is¡±.


    Being caught of guard while in a state of shock, Liza''s reaction was pretty big. Panic, then confusion, then recognition, then finally embarrassment as she understood the love comment, ¡°W-w-wha-what are you t-talking about, and how much did you spend on this. I can''t accept this.¡±


    Ryzan chuckled as he watched her ears flick around rapidly, obviously in turmoil. ¡°You know it''s rude to ask how much a gift costs, and as for you accepting it. This flower looks lonely, if I didn''t put it with another flower I''d be a monster.¡± As he spoke he clipped the brooch onto her shirt, then smiled warmly at her as he followed up saying ¡°Although it might still be a bit mean, since it got paired with one so much more beautiful than itself.¡±. Finally, as Liza started gradually increasing in shades of red, he stretched up and placed a light kiss on her cheek.


    Liza completely froze as her thoughts rampaged everywhere. If one could read her mind, they''d consider sending her to a mental institute at that moment. She could barely form a coherent though, constantly replaying the last few moments, the smile he had showed, his words, frantically trying to convince herself she was just happy about the brooch, wondering why her heart was beating so fast. Before she could even start to get her thoughts collected, Ryzan had picked up the fish with one hand, and took her hand with his other. As soon as she felt his hand, it felt like an electric current shot down her arm and through her whole body. All she did in response was let out a cute whimpering sound as he started to take her back to the house.


    All through the trip back, cooking dinner, eating, and getting ready for bed. Liza was almost entirely Robotic. Barely hearing or responding to anything people said to her. As she laid down in bed, she glanced toward her previous attire draped on her chair, the brooch reflecting the moonlight that shone through her window. Immediately she recalled Ryzan''s smile, and her face heated up again as her hearth beat strengthened. W-what''s wrong with me. He''s just a kid that doesn''t even realize what he''s saying. Despite thinking that, Liza had noticed that Ryzan was more conscious of the different sexes recently. Primarily shown with his embarrassment about sleeping in the same bed as her. Coupled with his recent growth, it was hard for anyone to consider him as a child at this point.


    Liza rose up out of bed, walking over to the brooch. As she picked it up her heartbeat quickened again, and a bit of panic rose up in her heart. Even if she tried to deny it, she knew Ryzan was aware of what he was saying. As she lay in bed hugging the brooch to her chest, her mind replayed Ryzan''s words and actions once more. Curling into a ball, her face tinged completely red, and her tail wagging rapidly behind her, a few soft words slipped out of Liza''s mouth, ¡°T-thank you, Ryry¡±. That night Liza barely got any sleep, and what little she did was filled with a montage of the things Ryzan had said to her over the years. As the morning came around, Liza was still flushed and unstable. She really had no choice but to acknowledge what she was feeling at this point. Her face felt warm, and she felt a bit giddy, at the realization, but suddenly the blood drained out of her face as she heard a crash upstairs.


    (Kayla) ¡°WHY DO I SMELL PERFUME ON YOUR SHIRT!!¡±


    (Rak) ¡°Uh... that''s...well you see... um¡±


    *Crash* *Thump*


    (Rak) ¡°W-w-wait, I can explain I swear... Somehow¡±


    Back downstairs Liza, who had just come to terms with her feelings, had made another shocking revelation. Ryzan was Rak''s son. The only young woman she hadn''t seen Rak hit on, at one time or another, was herself. Since I''ve already come to terms with this, I need to secure the future. Lay complete claim to him, and make sure he won''t even think about straying like his father. A look of complete determination formed in Liza''s eyes as her hand clenched.


    Ryzan, awakened by the sound of his parent''s common antics, suddenly felt a deep chill run down his spine. W-wow... that felt ominous

 Not Dropped

    Just making this to tell people this isn''t dropped, but it is on hiatus atm. I have had some time issues, and have put off writing the chapter till it clears up a bit. Originally i was writing bits and pieces whenever i had the time, but when i read chapter 7 i saw i had written completely out of character for one person, and almost caused a contradiction to a future plot development. After that i decided i''d have to put it off until i could actually focus on the chapter, rather than piecemealing what comes to mind.


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    Sorry for the delay, I think I should be back on track in less than a month.