《Shieldfather: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure》 Chapter 1: Shields Up! ¡°Shields up!¡± I bellowed, pacing before the line of bronze-skinned warriors. Two lines of the hardest men you could find in Hell. ¡°Shields up!¡± 3rd Battalion echoed, feet digging into the earth as they hefted their golden defenders. Spears locked into rests, swords poised to strike, and every eye fixed on the oncoming horde. I liked my lips and grinned. ¡°The Tide takes no sons today!¡± ¡°The Steel Bastion holds eternal!¡± My Seven Hundred roared as they had the day before, and the day before that. The ground trembled beneath our boots and I looked to the scorched horizon then back at the two lines of veteran defenders. No son dies today. The vast cavern stretching into the bowels of hell bellowed as it spewed its demonic swarm at our gates. Plated hands tightened around shield handles. A whisper surged through the ranks, a promise, then laughter, and finally a promise in return. The words reached me last for I was Shieldfather and such was hell. ¡°A thousand, Saidan Thun promises, I hear.¡±Laughter broke out along the two golden lines. ¡°A thousand he will deliver!¡± I cried and seven hundred weapons clanked against seven hundred shields. Behind the lines a single robed man stood raising his feather. ¡°A thousand, Saidan Thun promises.¡± The Killreader said then noted down Thun¡¯s words into the Book of Cycles. ¡°Two thousand Shieldfather must take.¡± The ancient warrior who now served as scribe nodded at me confidently and so he should. I was Shieldfather and such was Hell. A tide of ungodly monsters loomed on the horizon, their twisted forms bristling with talons, barbs, horns, and leathery wings. The stench of their decay and burning flesh filled the air, thick and choking. I licked my lips and grinned. ¡°Angel Arbiter, son of Kold. What death have you wrought today?¡± The Breathweavers began their song upon the parapet as they had the day before and all the days before that. I whispered the words alongside their holy voices. ¡°What sorrow and bile, what hatred will find its death upon shield and blade?¡± The Tide came in like an avalanche of rotted skin, and burning manes. Thousands upon thousands as they did the day before, and all the days before that. I raised my shield high and slammed it into the tormented earth unleashing a golden wave that ignited the warriors around me with Ra¡¯een¡¯s light. The full fury of Hell¡¯s hearth crashed into us. Carcassbulls and hornhawkers, rattleyes and bilescreamers, clawed and bellowed, spat and bit, and flung their monstrous faces at our blades. But before I could take the first head on my way to fulffil my promise, a blinding white light engulfed me, stealing my breath. I gasped, but the air would not come to my lungs. Vision would not return. My body would not hear my rage. I hung suspended in a void as seconds ticked by and turned into what felt like an eternity. A milky fog closed in around me, silencing the grand war and everything else. ¡°Am I¡­ dead?¡± I muttered, panic rising as I struggled for breath that would not come. ¡°Where are my¡ªthis isn¡¯t Hell!¡± My heart thundered like a stampede of dreadborn, threatening to tear me apart from the inside. Desperation clawed at me. ¡°Where am I? Where are my Shieldsons? You demon spawn! Show yourself so I might grant you a swift death!¡± The milky fog whispered unholy chants and an old man appeared before me, his voice a low, relentless murmur. He didn¡¯t even look me in the eye as he continued his chant, every step of his pure torture. ¡°What is this, you demon? Where am I? Take me back!¡± I yelled and tried to move toward him, but I was rooted in place by the sheer power of his very being. ¡°You¡¯re a long way from Hell, Shieldfather,¡± the old man finally said, his voice edged with steel and the weight of a bloody past. I needed no more to recognize a killer, and this ancient, hooded figure had taken many lives¡ªmany, many times. Though I wished nothing more than to ram my thumbs down his eyesockets and pull his witching head from his neck, I steadied my hand and practiced patience. No one should call a Shieldfather hasty, not even this dreadful creature. ¡°You will find your way, Shieldfather,¡± the stranger claimed with an almost prescient confidence that threatened to burn a hole in my heart. Patience, I told myself, letting out a deep, slow breath that didn¡¯t do much to steady my rage. What ruinous day had come to pass that this witching demon, this wyrm-tongued fallow singer dared to lecture a Shieldfather. Patience, I told myself, pressing my nails ever deeper into my palms and feeling my knuckles tense. My teeth gnashed as I tried to exude patience. Study your ground, the Steelspeakers taught us, so with one eye on the old man, I looked around. The walls shimmered in shades of white and grey. We seemed to be in a pocket of something I could hardly understand. I carefully pushed my hand through, never removing my eyes from the witcher. A freezing cold bit my hand and I quickly pulled it back, wincing in pain. This was magic, unlike anything the Steelspeakers knew. Demonic, certainly; the spawns of Hell had really outdone themselves this time. The old man tapped his long white fingers against the head of a golden cane. The clatter of bony knuckles was like a call to attention. He beckons me like a child. His indolence was ripe for bloody justice, but I was Shieldfather and no demon would strip me of grace. Study your enemy, the Steelspeakers claimed so I did. The hooded ancient was robed in thick red colors, somewhat hunched but broad of shoulders. There was a casual air about him, the same kind of sinful serendipity I could see in our elders. But that was not all. I stepped forward and felt my body cross a threshold I was not supposed to. My bones began to ache and a mere dull pain built up so quickly that it threatened to overcome me. The old man hadn¡¯t spoken nor moved, but he knew very well what he was doing. ¡°Wyrm words will not stop me,¡± I said, trying to sound calm and steady, though I felt I hadn¡¯t uttered the truth, but rather wishful thinking. I hated the weakness in my soul, a wound deeper than any blisterspear could deal upon flesh. My threats had no impact on the old man. Curious, demons seldom practiced restrained. I took another long hard look at the witcher before I stepped back. The pain washed away almost immediately. I was at least a head taller than that gnarly apparition and twice as wide, and yet every instinct in me called for caution. Study the intent, I repeated the teachings of the Steelspeakers, but there was one question boiling up in my mind and drowning out all the others. ¡°Am I dead?¡± I finally asked. ¡°Oh, yes,¡± the old man replied. For a moment I felt my body relax and even laughter fill the globe of night. I cleared my throat and spat on the sand. So you finally found me, Ta¡¯neer, Angel Arbiter. Good. I will make a glorious statue in the Domain of History. ¡°I mean¡­ in some sense. Have you died? No, but is everything you know gone? Yes, very much so.¡± There was no mistaking the intent. Mockery. How pathetic. It was a demon¡¯s first and last resort. ¡°What have you done, hellspawn?¡± I growled tightening my fists again. Patience had to wait. I was naked, trapped in a shroud of darkness with a creature of immense power. The weight of my shield still lingered in my grasp like the last words of a dying brother, but I would still fight. I was Shieldfather and he was a demon, there was no other end to such a story, such was Hell and everything else. ¡°I have done what needed to be done. Remember that, Shieldfather. Always.¡± As soon as he spewed his cryptic words, he extended his other hand toward me. A small globe of light hovered there for a moment before a searing white fire enveloped the old man. All I could do was cover my eyes as the witch disappeared, leaving nothing but the stench of brimstone behind. The sand where he had stood turned to glass. I knelt and looked at the still-smoking spot for a moment. ¡°Fire magic, mockery, illusions¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°The marks of a demon prince,¡± I stood, eyes still glued to the sand. A dark thought made even darker by my ignorance. A demon prince, yes, but which one? I tapped the spot three times with my left foot, three times with my right, and finally spat on the smoldering glass. Whether the ancient rites would do any good was debatable, but they had to be done anyway. It couldn¡¯t hurt. With the black mist now gone, I felt a searing pain seep into my red eyes. Merciless light enveloped me as if a thousand torches had been lit. Countless cycles in the depths of Hell had made a Shieldfather¡¯s eyes adept at piercing the darkness, finding even the smallest, skittering earcrawler demons snaking up the walls. For this, there was only one explanation and I dreaded it more than a thousand earcrawlers. ¡°The sun,¡± I muttered, my eyes yet aflame. Never had I thought I would stand before it. Shivers ran down my spine as a vile breeze washed over me. So many books spoke of the sun, so many paintings showed it a raging ball of fire, and yet it did little to warm my bronze body. I forced a peek through half-closed lids, more listening than seeing. A vast blue body of water slowly came into view. Beams of light reflected off the azure wave. The lazy surf of the sea punctuated by the occasional squawk of birds echoed in my ears. It was nothing like the books conveyed, nothing like the images on the walls of the Domain of History. It had beauty to it, but it was nothing like Hell. The only home I ever knew. I scratched the scar at my neck, a gift from a tenlife demon¡¯s cleaver-arm. The deepest wound I had ever suffered. It always itched when my soul was searching for answers. ¡°Hello there!¡± a croaky voice to my left called, startling me from this fleeting moment of confusing tranquility. At the far end of a small pier stood yet another old man, much smaller than the previous one with a large net slung over his shoulder. A tiny, pitiful sight but no less arrogant than the hellish royalty before him. ¡°Another demon,¡± I hissed through my teeth. I¡¯ve known demon magic all my life and there was no doubt this was yet another expression of the same. The demon with his fire magic, this illusion of the overworld, and now this creature daring to beckon me, a Shieldfather! As if it couldn¡¯t tell I¡¯m a Varian Lord. The marks of corruption were everywhere.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The trained constraint of my mind gave way to the rage in my heart. This charade had to end. The Bastion was waiting for me. I couldn¡¯t waste another minute out here in the cold of this sunny beach. I needed to get back in line at the Gates of Hell where the Shieldsons awaited my orders. I closed the distance to the pier quickly, though not as quickly as I was used to. I ran barefoot over the splinter-rich planks, then grabbed the old man by the neck and raised him off his feet. Pain shot through my muscles suddenly and I felt I was struggling to keep the man up. I tried my best not to show, but a moment later I dropped him down to the rotten planks again. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, my voice ripe with disdain, ¡°Just as I thought. Beneath this barrow, pathetic skin you hide your true self, demon. Reveal yourself to me! Now!¡± The fisherman gasped for air with horror in his eyes. He crawled away from me, rubbing his neck and raising an empty bucket for protection. The show of weakness angered me even more. ¡°Stop pretending, demon. Your time has come.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Godfrey, sir¡­ Godfrey,¡± the man claimed. ¡°I¡¯m no demon, I swear on me wife!¡± ¡°Lies,¡± I said in a half-whisper. Frustration led my hands around the fisherman¡¯s collar again and I raised him to eye level. The bucket rolled away and dropped into the cold waters of the sea. ¡°How are you so heavy, Godfrey?¡± I asked turning every word into a threat. Even for demons, this kind of illusion magic was unthinkable. Unlike the other old man, this one didn¡¯t radiate power, only the stench of sweat and fish came off his rugged, brown appearance. ¡°How am I heavy?¡± the trickster demon asked. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m all skin and bones, please!¡± It was then that I felt a warm sensation on my bare feet and quickly realized that this Godfrey creature had pissed himself. I grunted and lowered the man down again. For a moment, it almost seemed he was telling the truth. Demons didn¡¯t piss themselves in fear. Demons didn¡¯t piss at all. Well, except for pisshaulers, of course. Godfrey truly was nothing but bone and skin and yet he felt as heavy as a worggobbler, perhaps even a hornhawker demon. ¡°You truly are nothing but bone and sickly skin,¡± I concluded fearing demonic corruption within my own mind. ¡°I am, sir. Look at this!¡± Godfrey said pulling his shirt up to reveal his hairy ribs. ¡°Hide your shame, old man,¡± I told him and the fisherman rolled his shirt down quickly. ¡°Do you not see me?¡± ¡°I¡­see ye, son. Yer big.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± I frowned. It was a mark of disrespect to show one¡¯s weak stature in the light of a Shieldfather. Though there were many other things on my mind, I still found it important to stress this. ¡°Need I remind you, old man, that your skin is pink and white and bruises in light winds, while mine is bronze and golden like the rivers of Ungorth?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­yes?¡± ¡°Do you not see that my hair is black like the nether night and as rich as the First Father¡¯s wisdom? That these knots take our Wellmothers hours each night and each morning so that no hair should strain the vision of the Shieldson behind me?¡± ¡°You¡­You have very nice hair, sir ¨C.¡± ¡°While yours is but a speck of pitiful hey glued to a translucent skull.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The fisherman said rubbing his head. ¡°And your feeble, stick-like arms! They offend the gods, Godfrey!¡± Godfrey looked at his arms and shrugged. ¡°Look at my arms, bulging with glorious muscles! Flesh made steel against thousands of demons. I¡¯m Shieldfather, Godfrey, a Varian Lord of the Steel Bastion.¡± ¡°Very¡­good, sir.¡± I eyed the fisherman suspiciously. His words were in the right place, but his heart wasn¡¯t in it. The admiration, I felt, was steeped either in fear or trickery. ¡°Then explain to me, how you are so heavy?¡± I expected little in terms of honesty from this wretched fiend, but alas, I had to learn of my surroundings before I would step further into this madness. ¡°Perhaps¡­and no offense, perhaps you need to get a bit stronger?¡± Godfrey grabbed for the bucket again but it was gone so he braced for a slap at the least, but nothing came. ¡°You dare!¡± I growled. ¡°I have strangled firewings and duskravers alike. I have torn eyes out of dozeneyed stinkwafters, crushed the skulls of mammothscreamers, and plucked the horns off carcassbulls, and yet you dare say I¡¯m weak? What have you crushed with your own hands?¡° Godfrey looked at his palms for a moment and sighed. ¡°Only my dreams.¡± We stood there in silence for a moment as a salty breeze washed over us. My gaze wandered across the vast waters and beyond, and then I felt the shivers again, not only because of the soft breeze. ¡°No,¡± I muttered as my heart sank. ¡°No?¡± The old man asked. I clenched my teeth and fists. A realization had struck me like a fireball to the face. In the top right corner of my vision, there was a change. A horrendous, unimaginable change. Where once the number 99 hovered as a testament to my many cycles at the gates, to rivers of blood spilled upon the scorching rocks of the Bulwark, to endless demon waves crashing against the shields of the Varian Cohort, now a different number stood. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­level 1,¡± I gasped, the painful realization setting in. ¡°What is going on? Why? And how?¡± ¡°Well, of course you are,¡± the fisherman said, raising his hands again in fear of retaliation, but seeing none came, he continued. ¡°Most of you who wash up on this beach are level 1.¡± I could say nothing for a while. I remembered the teachings of the Steelspeakers who taught Shieldsons and Shieldfathers alike that no demonic force, no matter how powerful, could interfere with the Soulforge, and yet here it was. Changed, weakened, and drained of a lifetime of excellence. ¡°How am I not dead then,¡± I said, my voice barely audible. A lifetime of impeccable service in the light of the First Father. Uncountable demon tides deflected against my Indominus Shield, so much death¡­ and now? What sin had I committed that the gods would punish me so mercilessly? ¡°What is this?¡± I said turning to Godfrey. ¡°What, sir? What is what?¡± ¡°This!¡± I snapped, raising my hands as if to encompass all of reality. ¡°The¡­the beach,¡± the fisherman explained. ¡°Crab Beach.¡± ¡°Crab Beach,¡± I repeated halfheartedly. ¡°I see, and then this must be an ocean, is it?¡± I demanded angrily. Godfrey looked over his shoulder and then back at me. He nodded pretending to be unsure of why I asked. ¡°And this? These green things? You want to tell me those are trees?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­yes, those are trees.¡± ¡°And many trees make a forest, do they?¡± Even as I said those words the fury of my Varian heritage fuelled an ever greater fire in my heart. The lessons of pragmatism and patience taught by the Steelspeakers were like a whisper in a storm. My mind was cluttered. Only anger reigned. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is that a question, demon, or is it an answer?¡± ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Godfrey suddenly cried out. He sounded desperate so I stopped myself from yelling further questions. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. ¡°Swear you¡¯re not a demon, Godfrey.¡± ¡°I swear, for the love of Helma, I swear on me wife! I¡¯m just a fisherman! And not a good one either!¡± Perhaps the wicked wyrmtongue of dungeon folk still managed to take root in my Varian mind, or perhaps the man spoke true. In any case, I took pity on the man, and fearing the wrath of Kold, I spoke in softer words. ¡°Have I distraught you, Godfrey?¡± The man seemed taken aback by the sudden change of tone. ¡°You seem distraught. Have I offended you?¡± ¡°Have you¡­ You¡¯ve tried to strangle me!¡± ¡°That is true,¡± I admitted bowing my head in disgrace. Godfrey¡¯s piss glittered on my large bronze feet, but I cared little. Other thoughts roiled within my mind. Each was more pressing than the next. But first, I had to acknowledge my wrongdoings. ¡°For this, I apologize, Godfrey. I have woken into a nightmare and my mind is a boiling volcano. I wish to fight and bleed so I may use this anger for good, but I don¡¯t even know where to begin¡­¡± My words trailed off against the surf. For a moment I was lost in the vastness of the waters. Tartarus had its baths and pools. The great fountain at the Square of Iron certainly had its appeal, but this? The paintings could never do it justice. I noticed I was shaking slightly as goosebumps covered my bronze skin. The books of the Domain of History claimed the sun to to be a god, the eye of a god, the maker and unmaker but in every description, they claimed it was made of fire and light. How then was this world so cold? I noticed Godfrey eyeing me warily. If he truly was no demon and I had woken to another life, what would such a creature think of me? My first impulse was murder, my second impulse was murder once again, then insults and threats¡­He must be scared for life. The fisherman pulled out a pipe and then stuffed it with dried leaves from the pouch hanging off his hip. ¡°Forget about it,¡± Godfrey said waving his hand. ¡°I¡¯m still alive, so there¡¯s that.¡± ¡°I never will.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± ¡°How do I return to Hell, Godfrey?¡± I blurted out catching the man by surprise. Godfrey¡¯s mouth hung open for a while as he thought about it for a moment. ¡°Well, they say if you do bad things, ye know? Like¡­ umm¡­stealin¡¯ a bag of potatoes can get you straight down there or so the priests say at least. I don¡¯t know much about heaven and hell, son. I just fish all day. Will that get me to heaven? I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± I said absently. ¡°There are few good things that will let you ascend, and righteous war is one of them.¡± ¡°Well, a tad bit late for that,¡± Godfrey muttered. My heart sank. The simpleton may have the tongue of a demented child but I still understood what his mangled words meant. I knew the list of deeds that got souls trapped in Hell better than anyone. Stealing was there, between murder of the innocent and treachery, sins that were out of the question. No, I needed a different way to get back home; a righteous way to Hell. ¡°Where is this priest you speak of? I need to talk to him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s up there,¡± Godfrey said, pointing to the trees behind him. ¡°Through the jungle and up the track to Underock Village. It¡¯s where I am from. My wife, too, bless ¡®er heart. Aye, up there.¡± I eyed that large breadth of green suspiciously. The trees at the border loomed darkly above the sand, casting wicked shadows across it. ¡°The trees,¡± I said, ¡°They are harmless.¡± Godfrey wasn¡¯t sure whether it was a question or not so he remained silent. ¡°They can¡¯t hurt me,¡± I assured myself, rubbing my arms instinctively. Realizing I had scrunched up like a frightful child, I quickly opened my chest and put my hands on my hips. It was unbecoming to be any other way for a Shieldfather. I could feel the shakes but decided against shaking. I would not be defeated by the weather. ¡°I will depart then, Godfrey. Demon or not, you¡¯ve been helpful, so thank you.¡± Just as I turned away, Godfrey spoke in hurried words. ¡°Sir¡­ Shieldmaster, sir. I need to tell you¡ª¡± ¡°Shieldfather, not master.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ you can¡¯t¡­ uhm¡­ you¡¯re not clothed, sir.¡± I looked down at my naked body and then back up at Godfrey with a quizzical look. ¡°I see no reason not to walk naked when my armor isn¡¯t needed. The body of a Shieldfather is the manifestation of the Bastion¡¯s bottomless power. It isn¡¯t until war chimes its glorious bells that I reach for my shield, sword, and armor. Then, when the day of blood is done, I return them to the smiths where their iron hands heal the wounds left by demonic fangs.¡± ¡°Oh boy, you are quite something.¡± ¡°A Shieldafther inspires awe, I know.¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­son, we cover our bodies here, you see? It¡¯s a custom.¡± ¡°Are you certain, old man? Come, look at me again. Do you see how the sunlight reflects off my bronze chest? How every muscle in my body gleams like gold? Look at my manhood. It is plentiful in length and girth.¡± I stepped closer so Godfrey would see better, but the old man only briefly scanned me and then seemed flustered. Red had gathered in his cheeks, and he quickly looked away. ¡°Son, wherever you came from, that¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°Not good!¡± I roared. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ umm, it¡¯s great, just it¡¯s not nice to show it to people like that.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s great, why not?¡± Was this man mad? ¡°The people of Tartarus would cheer and sing songs to our manhoods and you? You look away in disgust! You want me to cover it? Why? Is it because I feel the cold and it¡¯s not as you imagined? I promise you, as soon as I warm up, it will¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t warm it up!¡± Godrey yelled out in panic. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s great, but please just trust me as a favor for almost killing me. People in the village¡­ and the priest! No, you can¡¯t go to the village like that.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°Fine? You won¡¯t?¡± ¡°No, I will heed your advice. Now give me clothes and I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Godfrey breathed out a defeated sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t have any, but¡ª¡± ¡°Then I will be on my way. Farewell, Godfrey the fisher. May you find a good war to die in.¡± ¡°But! Please, hear me out!¡± Godfrey pleaded. I turned around and offered him an exhausted no. Godfrey quickly continued. ¡°See, over there,¡± the old man pointed south along the sandy beach. ¡°Some way down there is a little alcove with large rocks. It¡¯s swarming with crabs, it is. They¡¯re givin¡¯ ol¡¯ Godfrey mighty troubles, you see? Now, if you were a good fellow, ye¡¯d go down there, kill me a dozen of them buggers and ye know what? Ye¡¯d might loot a couple of shells, and maybe even some pants or a leaf, anything, ye know?¡± ¡°The crabs have pants?¡± ¡°No¡­well, yes. It¡¯s¡­Sometimes they have all sorta¡¯ things in those bellies of thems. But best of all, see, ye¡¯d get yourself some experience and maybe even a level or two, huh? Sounds good, son?¡± I glanced at the top right corner of my vision again and suddenly felt my stomach churn. For a moment, I¡¯d forgotten about my predicament. Out of all the deaths I could have suffered triumphantly, mine was that of a man lost and powerless. Would they still erect a statue in Tartarus in my name? Or will the Varian cast me as a coward who escaped the Bulwark? ¡°I can¡¯t return like this,¡± I muttered eyeing the spot along the beach that the fisherman had pointed to. Godfrey offered no words of wisdom to my troubled mind. How could he? ¡°Even if I find a way home, what use am I to my brothers?¡± I said in a half-whisper. Was this what defeat felt like? Another breeze washed over us shaking my bones and infuriating me further. Was I on my knees, bleeding and recounting my service to the Steel Bastion? ¡°Not yet, Hell. I still stand.¡± I told the wind and the sea. I clenched my fists hard and narrowed my gaze upon the alcove. If it was killing that needed to be done, I would kill however many I needed. Suddenly and without warning, letters popped up in my Soulforge and I swiped at them instinctively, then looked to Godfrey. ¡°What cursed magic is this!¡± I barked and Godfrey took three steps back, raising his hands above his head. ¡°Just¡­just read it, I swear on me wife.¡± QUEST: Crustacean Annihilation DESCRIPTION: Kill 12x Crabs at the Crab Beach. REWARD: 20 XP ACCEPT? YES/NO ¡°What demon magic have you wrought upon me, Godfrey?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a quest, Shieldfather. Ye know? Quests? Ye go out adventurin¡¯, doin¡¯ odd jobs for this or that fellow, seeing the land, opening chests, lootin¡¯ them swords and whatnot.¡± ¡°Adventuring¡­¡± I said dismissively and waved the fisherman off. ¡°A Shieldfather doesn¡¯t adventure, a Shieldfather doesn¡¯t quest. He plants his feet on the ground as the Demon Tide crawls and skitters, as the spiderqueens screech and the dreadsingers wail, stampeding towards the Steel Bastion like a wave of malignant death. There he raises his shield and thrusts his sword, beheading the darkness ever approaching.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Godfrey said, seemingly lost for a moment. ¡°For now, can ye kill a couple of crabs?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°Yes?¡± The fisherman¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I will do this for you, Godfrey,¡± I promised firmly. Godfrey hurriedly explained how to accept my quest, probably fearing I would have a change of heart. Why he couldn¡¯t simply believe my words was beyond me. He told me I could loot the creatures once I brought justice upon them then spoke of great rewards I found little comfort in. What rewards would crabs offer that I hadn¡¯t seen in Tartarus? An absurd thought I refused to acknowledge other than by offering the fisherman an assuring nod. For now, however, I would help Godfrey. Not just because I needed the experience, but because I felt I wronged the old man. Though I apologized, a sense of shame lingered still. That was not the way of a Shieldfather. A stained heart, steel or not, would rust and whither, the Steelspeakers said, and that would not do. For now, I would help him and then find my way back to Tartarus and the Steel Bastion. It couldn¡¯t be that difficult and I certainly didn¡¯t lack the confidence. A Shieldfather must not ruminate, I reminded myself. I would find my way back to Hell even if I had to kill every crab in this bright, cold world. Chapter 2: A Pinch of the Demonic I had found the crabs. Some of them anyway. They had gathered in a small alcove only a short walking distance from the fisherman. Dozens of red, armored fiends roamed in the shadow of a large rock taking in the cold white sun. I remembered eating these creatures when the iron chefs would make them, and I read about them in the tomes of the overworld but had never seen a living before. It came as no surprise that they resembled the ancient demonic apparition known as a crustaceofax, a despicable beast that could snap a shield in half with its giant pincers. These red monsters, however, came barely up to my knees and though I clasped no weapon, I was certain it would take little effort to slay them on the fisherman¡¯s behalf. The crabs seemed skittish, so I simply walked up to the first and stomped on it using some, but not all my force. By demonic trickery alone the slippery beast skittered away with a crack in its armor. This angered me greatly. Even more so because as it crawled away so suddenly, my stomping foot slid away and with it, I tripped. In a heartbeat, I landed with my back on the fine white sand. A travesty it was. Compounded by a sense of shame that I hadn¡¯t felt since the first and with that, the last time I dropped my shield as a fledgling warrior. To add even more humiliation on top, the demon-possessed animal animated its brethren to swarm me. Within moments, my glorious body was covered in crabs of all sizes, pinching and cutting me mercilessly. I let out a battle cry and swung my arms shamefully like a spasming fool. If only my sons could see me now how little would they think of me? I managed to slam my fist into one of the animals using all the force I could muster, but despite cracking its armor, the beast continued to live. And attack. Another crab pinched my little toe so hard, I was afraid it was about to snap off. ¡°No!¡± I cried, terrified of this nightmarish new world. I was Shieldfather, the Bulwark in the Night, the Bastion¡¯s own blood and meat, and here I was fighting for my life against¡­ food. ¡°Know your place, hellish scum!¡± I commanded, flinging one against a rock. A loud crack echoed, and the insidious little beast dropped and remained seemingly unmoving. YOU HAVE KILLED: CRAB EXPERIENCE GAINED: +7 EXPERIENCE: 7/80 LEVEL: 1 I barely noticed the scribbling before my eyes as I was still locked into battle with several other crustacean hell spawns. As if they knew what I needed, the words vanished quickly and left another blinking spot next to the ¡®level 1¡¯. ¡°You will not defeat me!¡± I yelled, making it clear to the slaves of darkness surrounding me that they were in the presence of great fortitude and willpower. Whether my words had any effect on their rotten souls was difficult to tell since I suffered more wounds, gashes, and cuts before I managed to stomp out two more crabs and, with tremendous difficulty, dismember a third. During this righteous struggle against the fisherman¡¯s menace, I noticed yet another message blurring my vision and stealing my focus. HEALTH: 43/90 Apparently, as the wounds mounted, my meager health counter slid quickly away. I decided not to brood over the fact I once had a health bar in the thousands but simply accepted the curse the gods bestowed upon me, and continued my ascent toward a power I once knew. As I willed my anger into violence, landing blow upon blow on the tenth crab and taking its life, a small chime rang inside my skull. QUEST: CRUSTACEAN ANNIHILATION COMPLETE: RETURN TO FISHERMAN GODFREY FOR YOUR REWARD. ¡°So be it, Godfrey,¡± I grunted in pain and stood victoriously above the dead crabs. A faint light came from within their bodies. Many more still lived, but they slowly crawled back to the safety of the large rock behind them. ¡°Learn from your foolish brethren, creatures. Death awaits those who let their soul be consumed by Ta¡¯neer¡¯s hatred.¡± The crabs, both terrified by the prospect of facing someone who just killed their numbers and the cautionary words I humbly offered, retreated ever deeper into the crevasses of the rocks. There they would consider their actions, surely, and perhaps learn from the mistakes for which their cursed kinsmen suffered a legendary death. Remembering the words of the fisherman, I knelt next to the closest dead fiend and reached for its carcass. A dim white glow surrounded the creature and as my fingers touched its cracked shell, a small square appeared within my vision. I shook my head violently at first, but then told myself to practice patience rather than anger, allowing my eyes to scan this curious thing. The demons of Hell never dropped loot, but I was familiar enough with the workings of the Soulforge to know what it meant. A message sat above the square with another question. LOOT ALL? YES/NO I accepted, remembering Godfrey¡¯s words for I might find a piece of clothing to hide that which was a tragedy to hide. YOU LOOT: 18X CRAB LEGS, 3X CRAB PINCERS, 4X CRAB SHELLS. I heard a soft sound that reminded me of the clank of iron against wood and another square appeared that said ¡®INVENTORY¡¯. There I could see small images resembling the crab parts. I focused on the crab shell for a brief moment until I realized I could carry the carcass of this dead fiend as a shield. ¡°How low will I stoop?¡° I demanded but no wisdom came from the crashing of the waves or the rustling of the palm leaves. I equipped the crab shell, scanning it carefully. A protrusion on the inside allowed me to grab it like a small shield. A sense of calm washed over me for a moment. This was no shield, but yet, in this fever dream of a world, it could be. For now. I curled my fingers around the handle-like piece of crab armor and more words sprung into my mind. CRAB SHELL TYPE: SHIELD DEFENSE: 1 DESCRIPTION: It¡¯s a crab shell. Really, just keep looking. ¡°Curious,¡± I muttered, ¡°Keep looking for what, demon whispers? Huh? Is there more I should know?¡± No other words appeared so I decided to return to the fisherman and see what answers the old man could provide. ¡°You did it,¡± he said excitedly, looking me up and down. ¡°Helva save us, you¡¯re pretty beat up.¡± ¡°I have suffered many wounds, but I carry them with pride. Your crabs have proven to be decent adversaries, old man. It is no wonder considering the demonic incursion that took hold upon their souls.¡± ¡°The what? Are you sure?¡± What an insolent question by a pitiful creature. ¡°You question my insight, fisherman Godfrey? I have slain more demons than there are grains of sand on this beach. You speak in ignorance so I forgive you, but know not to question a Shieldfather when he speaks of demons.¡± ¡°I will¡­ know not to, umm, Shieldfather,¡± the man replied and then cleared his throat. ¡°So, no clothes from the crabs, is it?¡± ¡°No.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Oh boy, alright. Let¡¯s finish up with them quest and take it from there, I guess. There might be more words and flashing things so please don¡¯t hurt me. It¡¯s no demon magic, I promise.¡± ¡°I will be the judge of that,¡± I said, but seeing the fear in Godfrey¡¯s eyes, my heart softened and I decided to promise no violence until I was absolutely certain of demonic influence. A new list of words dirtied my vision. QUEST COMPLETE! REWARD: 20 EXPERIENCE POINTS. Just as I read those words, a powerful surge of vitality erupted from within my bronze stature. The sensation was like no other and my whole body shook in unfathomable pleasure. The many wounds I had suffered disappeared and my health seemed to have replenished instantly. The feeling wasn''t new, on the contrary, I felt it many, many times before, 98 times to be precise. Yet I had reached my level cap so long ago that I had forgotten the joy of leveling up. ¡°Shieldfather, sir, please take this,¡± the fisherman said covering his eyes and handing me a torn piece of cloth. ¡°Why do you cover your eyes, old man? Has something about me changed?¡± ¡°No, well, you leveled up, and that has¡­ you¡¯ve enjoyed it a bit too much.¡± Only then did I notice my bronze spear pointing up at the fisherman. ¡°Yes, Godfrey. I see. It troubles you to comprehend it in all of its magnificence. I can understand that. Many an eye was blinded by the sheer sight. You are smart to cover yours.¡± ¡°Uh-huh, please take the cloth,¡± the fisherman urged him once more. I did as asked and then covered my manhood to the dismay of this world and its gods. ¡°Now, isn¡¯t that better, eh?¡± Godfrey said. ¡°And that feeling you¡¯ve just experienced is a level-up, my good man. You¡¯re now a level 2 and you¡¯ll be able to see your stat sheet now and, what¡¯s more, you¡¯ll get to pick a class.¡± ¡°Your words are a twisting storm of meaningless sounds to me, Godfrey. But alas, I know what it is to reach a new level. I¡¯ve reached many before. But as the rattlewyrm rattles and the mudgorger gorges, old days may yet be new.¡± The fisherman looked me up with tired eyes. A rude gesture by an impatient old man. I could have offered such an insult in return but knew better of it. ¡°You, umm, ye can select the blinking things in yer head now and all. I dunno how it¡¯s properly done, but yer a smart man, I wager.¡± ¡°I have spent every morning embellishing my mind with books of the overworld, Godfrey, while the greatest Steelspeakers of Tartarus brought clarity and wisdom to my studies.¡± Godfrey offered me a tight-lipped smile then repeated his words about the blinking things. I decided to indulge him. Though many things in this nightmare had proven strange and fickle, Godfrey so far hadn¡¯t lied to me, yet I still felt I had to tread carefully, nonetheless. A demon would gladly extend its foul hand to a drowning man if that meant it could snatch him away from a quick death and replace that with lavish torture. YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 2! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU CAN NOW PICK A CLASS:
  1. WARRIOR
  2. PALADIN
  3. MONK
  4. BARBARIAN
  5. HUNTER
I scoffed at those choices. I was a warrior already, there was no doubt about it. I was a paladin, stalwart in his defense and respect for the elders. I was a monk, a creature of martial and intellectual prowess. I was no barbarian, that was an insult steeped in ignorance and yes, I was a hunter, a hunter of demon heads. There was but one path in my previous life. That of a Cohort Ascendant, a Shieldson, and Shieldfather, and yet here the gods found it amusing to take that choice from me and offer a myriad of insulting titles. ¡°I am many things,¡± I explained to Godfrey. ¡°What does this choice offer me, truly?¡± ¡°I knew this wouldn¡¯t go over easy,¡± the old fisherman said, combing his oily grey hair back. ¡°In this world, you can only pick one of these classes. The Spiritvine, that is the system we have¡ª¡± ¡°The Soulforge, Godfrey. That is its name.¡± ¡°Aye, sure, Shieldfather. Some may call it that, others call it the Overtruth, in the north they call it the Frostwhisper. Me wife calls it my missed opportunity¡­¡± Godfrey shook his head and continued. ¡°That said, this thing will only let you pick yer class based on yer race which¡­ is?¡± ¡°My race? I am Shieldfater.¡± ¡°Yes, my big bronze fellow, but you¡¯re not a human, right? You¡¯re not an elf or a dwarf or an orc or a troll, yes?¡± What madness to even consider such thoughts. ¡°I am Shieldfather, Godfrey.¡± ¡°What are your people called, Shieldfather?¡± Godfrey asked, sounding ever more exhausted. ¡°There are many names,¡± I said as a sudden sorrow washed over me. I gazed at a flock of birds gathered above the great sea. In hell, only the demons took to the skies and there was no serenity in such a sight. ¡°Just¡­ any name, Shieldfather.¡± ¡°We are the children of Ra¡¯een, the Prime Protector, brother to the Angel Arbiter, curse his name. We are the disciples of the First Father Oomer, the Bastion¡¯s Redeemer,¡± I said and clasped my hands above my head, thanking Great Oomer for his blessings. ¡°We are known as the Vainar, the Oomerian Cohort, the Vok¡¯ta of Hemenbreight, the Steel Bastion¡¯s Thorns, and¡ª¡± ¡°Vainar, eh?¡± Godfrey said. ¡°Never heard of it, but what do I know? I¡¯m just an ol¡¯ fisherman, ain¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I muttered. ¡°So you say.¡± ¡°Well, my Vainar friend, your race doesn¡¯t seem all that magical to me so that¡¯s why ye haven¡¯t been offered a mage or druid class or anything like it.¡± ¡°Magic,¡± I hissed. ¡°That is for the Steelspeakers. A Shieldfather does not dabble in the arcane arts.¡± ¡°Well¡­ listen, let me just say this one thing, and then you can go wherever you want to. You call yourself Shieldfather, eh? So I guess you like shields, hmm?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Good. Then ye know ye should be a warrior. Them good men carry the heaviest weapons and¡­ well, paladins do to but they have them magics and ye don¡¯t want that now, do ye?¡± ¡°You treat me like a fledgling shieldboy,¡± I snapped, feeling anger rise within me again. ¡°I¡¯ve fought with spear, sword, mace, and polearm for longer than you and your forefathers have walked this strange land.¡± ¡°What? How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 3,015 cycles old,¡± I said proudly. ¡°What¡¯s that in years?¡± ¡°In years? You should ask me what it is in blood shed at the precipice of the unmaker¡¯s realm. What it is in demon tides swarming the great chasm-ribbed walls like a blanket of thousandfold legs craving for the meat of your face.¡± ¡°Good Helva,¡± Godfrey gasped. ¡°A second in divine defense is a year to a Shieldfather. A year in which he hears his heart beat against the plate on his chest, his grip tightens around the virilian handle of his sword, the rotten breath of hell on his neck, iron! I must return,¡± I said bashing my teeth together. This was unbearable. Why was I in this place? Where even was hell and could I return without becoming a demon myself? When I finally tore my gaze from the inwardly and looked at poor Godfrey, the man was standing five feet away from me. ¡°You were just standing there gnashing your teeth. I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, Godfrey. I¡¯ve been a difficult man for you. You said I should pick the warrior class? Will it get me to hell sooner?¡± Godfrey seemed to ponder this for a short bit then nodded confidently. ¡°Nobody dies like a warrior.¡± ¡°I enjoy words of praise. Very well then.¡± I had nothing to lose and if Godfrey¡¯s words proved true, not much to gain either. I was a warrior already and trivial nomenclature wouldn¡¯t change that. As I selected the warrior class, another string of words appeared. CHOOSE YOUR SPECIALIZATION IRON TOWER: Fight with a one-handed weapon and shield. TOWER warriors make great tanks, but can still do moderate damage to their opponents. BLADE DANCER: Fight with two one-handed weapons. BLADEDANCER warriors excel offensively but offer little resistance and protection. COMMANDER: Fight with a myriad of different weapons and styles. COMMANDER warriors excel in strategy, offering powerful buffs and crowd control at the expense of offensive and defensive abilities. It didn¡¯t take me long to decide on the specialization. I picked the Iron Tower and another image flashed in his mind. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE NOW AN IRON TOWER WARRIOR. YOU HAVE GAINED ACCESS TO 2 BASIC ABILITIES, SHIELD SLAM: slam your shield into an enemy, stunning it for 2 seconds and causing minor damage [10 seconds cooldown]. TAUNT: Taunt up to 2 enemies to attack you for 6 seconds [1 Minute Cooldown] I groaned at those words. A pathetic array of basic abilities locked behind senseless cooldowns. I was once again reminded of my standing in this world and it was at the very, very bottom where no Shieldfather should ever find himself. With the power of my iron will, I mustered on through the boresome words of the Soulforge. YOU CAN SELECT 1 UNIQUE ABILITY IRON TOWER INCARNATE: Reduce all incoming damage by 50% for 20 seconds [5 Minute Cooldown]. RAGE AGAINST DEATH: Increase all damage dealt by 200% when below 20% health [Passive]. THORNS OF IRON: Reflect 50% damage for 10 seconds [5 Minute Cooldown]. I pondered this choice for a bit. If the words were true, any of these so-called abilities would offer me a great advantage in battle, so much was true, but two of the three seemed rather insulting. A Shieldfather was a master of shields and defense, having additional protection seemed to be betting against my own prowess. Perhaps this world was yet again mocking me. The fact the third ability dared to carry the name ¡®Thorns of Iron¡¯ only reinforced my choice. Shieldfathers were the Thorns of the Bastion, it was us who reflected damage by stabbing, slashing, and cutting the Demon Tides. What advantage would there be to let them die against our shields without drawing our weapon? An abominable thought. I chose the ability known as Rage Against Death, only because it offended me the least. ¡°There,¡± I said. ¡°I have chosen¡ª¡± Before I finished my words to Godfrey, a list of words and numbers appeared, so I shut my mouth and went through the list. STAT SCREEN NAME: SHIELDFATHER RACE: VAINAR CLASS: IRON TOWER WARRIOR LEVEL: 2 HEALTH: 100 DEFENSE: 6 [+1 from equipment] ATTACK: 1 STRENGTH: 8 [+3 from race modifier] CONSTITUTION: 10 [+5 from race modifier] AGILITY: 5 INTELLECT: 3 FIRE RESISTANCE: +60 COLD RESISTANCE: -60 I found many of these stats to be troublesome, but there was one I found insulting beyond anything else. ¡°What does this mean, Godfrey? What insult is this?¡± ¡°What¡­ what is going on?¡± the fisherman squealed. ¡°Intellect three? Are you calling me an idiot? Is this what our newfound friendship has come to, you skeevy little rat? You dishonor yourself, Godfrey.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the system, Shieldfather! I have nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°Then what does it mean? Why would it call me a fool? I¡¯m no fool, Godfrey. I¡¯ve studied under the greatest scholars of Tartarus!¡± ¡°No, I know¡­ you¡¯re very knowledgeable, sir! It¡¯s just that intellect isn¡¯t¡­ it affects yer spells, not your smarts.¡± ¡°I use no spells,¡± I said in a softer tone. ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why intellect shouldn¡¯t bother you.¡± ¡°I have read the First Father¡¯s Roster Demonicum and learned the name of every demon by heart. That feat alone gifted me with 10 points of intellect. How is it that I have lost it all? I still have the knowledge and yet in this world, it counts for nothing! Is it to dabble in the arcane that makes a man smart or is it the wisdom he had gathered in a lifetime?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t understand this question.¡± ¡°I understand nothing,¡± I said in desperation. Another salty breeze washed over us as we stood there in silence for a short time. It was cold. The heat of battle made me forget about it briefly but as I now stood there on the pier again, I felt the shakes slowly take over. At least that piece of cloth between my legs offered some respite from the wind. Perhaps the people of this land weren¡¯t so strange after all. I glanced at the trail leading toward Godfrey¡¯s village. I needed to move. The beach suddenly felt like a prison, a vault of madness created to torture me. The trees didn¡¯t look inviting, though. Despite what I had read and Godfrey¡¯s assuring words, I had to wrestle a sense of discomfort within my heart that bordered on fear. ¡°They¡¯re just trees,¡± I muttered. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Forget it, Godfrey. I will now take this path you¡¯ve shown me and find your priest. There¡¯s much to understand about the overworld, but my destiny is to return to Hell above all things. I wish you luck, fisherman, may you find a good war to die in.¡± Godfrey let out a long tired breath and then finally nodded. ¡°And Shieldfather,¡± Godfrey said as I already faced the forest path. ¡°Don¡¯t remove the loincloth, please. Promise.¡± ¡°You have my word,¡± I said and Godfrey smiled. ¡°Thank you. Well¡­ I hope you find your way back to Hell.¡± Chapter 3: Hoomans Godfrey¡¯s piece of cloth felt itchy and uncomfortable, but its warmth could not be denied. As I waded through the tall shrubbery, keeping my distance from the large palm trees, I was tempted to remove it several times. I decided not to for a Shieldfather did not break his word, but inwardly I cursed Godfrey. Anger washed over me as I realized how much pity I felt for myself. Perhaps this was the demon¡¯s plan after all. Destroy me from the inside, make me a resentful, pitiful creature that cared about its own well-being above all other. No, that would not come to pass. ¡°I decry you, demons!¡± I yelled to the greenery around me. A loud crack suddenly came from my right and I tightened my grip on the crab shell. ¡°Show yourself!¡± I yelled. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± The jungle was thick with plants growing mindlessly wherever they apparently desired. A sort of chaos I could only see in the hellspawn¡¯s domain. Flowers of white, blue, red, and purple poked out of dense shrubs offering enthrancing scents that, despite their intoxicating fragrance, made me tenser. Which one of these would prove to be a demon in hiding? Which one of those vine-entangled trees would swoop down any moment and crush my skull? I could not know. But I trusted in my prowess as a Shieldfather, in my instinct as a killer, and the might of my stature to keep me alive and my enemies dead. A small head poked over a lush berry bush to my right. Two long green ears stuck to a bald head. ¡°Whassa dis?¡± the forest demon said, every sound a hiss. ¡°I am Shieldfather,¡± I explained. The creature raised an eyebrow over its large dark brown eye. Then it slowly walked around the bush and stood there, studying me in awe. ¡°Yous-a big!¡± it said then licked its fat lips. The creature was tiny, half the size of Godfrey, and I relaxed somewhat knowing that no harm could come from such a feeble thing. Leather straps held up a small piece of fur around its groin. Red tribalistic tattoos meandered over its entire body. In its right hand, it held a dead animal. A fresh kill as blood was still dripping off the grey and white fur, gathering in a puddle beneath. ¡°My size is impressive and so is my strength, you are right. What is that animal you¡¯ve slain?¡± ¡°This?¡± he said, holding it up for me to see. ¡°Issa ferret.¡± ¡°Can you eat it?¡± The forest imp smiled, showing many white fang-like teeth, then bit into the creature, tearing out fur and meat. It didn¡¯t chew but swallowed immediately. ¡°Yesss¡­¡± it hissed. ¡°But, why yous naked, hmm?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste time retelling my story, little creature. I need to get to Underock Village to see a priest.¡± ¡°Human?¡± it said, cocking its head. ¡°No, I¡¯m Vainar. What are you?¡± The creature eyed me for a moment, cocking its head this way and that. ¡°Human.¡± It sounded as if it wasn¡¯t entirely sure about it, and neither was I. I had no doubt Godfrey was human, but this thing? It was small and green with pointy ears and I had not read about such humans before. I decided not to question it harshly as such behavior soured my relation with Godfrey. Instead, I chose to extend my respect toward the small¡­ Human. ¡°Very good then, human. Show me the way to Underock and I will offer you a reward in turn.¡± ¡°Reward?¡± ¡°My respect.¡± ¡°Respect,¡± the human repeated, weighing my offer. ¡°No coin?¡± ¡°I have no such thing and I find it insulting to consider coin over a Shieldfather¡¯s respect, young one.¡± ¡°Come!¡± it said. ¡°I will show yous a shortcut, yes?¡± ¡°Good,¡± I replied with a nod, feeling that I was finally shown the proper honor. Godfrey may have been helpful but his cadence was irksome. This small human did not question me. He understood ¨C simply by taking in the glory that was a Shieldfather ¨C that earning my trust would bring great glory to him and hopefully his many children. Finally, this world made at least some sense. ¡°I¡¯m Guza, follow mes, here!¡± he said and I did so, taking a sharp right turn from the trail and delving deeper into the lush green jungle. The trees seemed to become denser as we moved deeper into the darkness of the woods. It took the resolve of a legendary warrior not to be frightened by those large, looming protrusions that felt like the hands of Ta¡¯een reaching from the underworld to clutch me in the Angel Arbiter¡¯s foul grasp.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. The sounds of that strange land helped little to steel my nerves. The rustle, the skittering, the squawks and screeches of a land steeped in otherworldly mystery made me tense. I noticed creatures, almost human-like if it wasn¡¯t for their long tails, jumping from one tall branch to another, yet Guza paid them no heed, so I tried not to either. Only a few minutes into our venture, I could hear voices similar to those of my little green human friend. This aroused suspicion in me, but I practiced patience. I would not be known as rash and unforthcoming. ¡°Guza,¡± I said, however, for I still had questions. ¡°Is this your family down that slope standing around the fire? You have caged enemies there, I see. Have you been at war?¡± I asked as six of his kin slowly walked up to us. ¡°Wassa tis?¡± one of the other humans said. It had long, fiery red hair and just like Guza, it was covered in tattoos, albeit blue and white in color. ¡°Tis good friend,¡± Guza explained as the rest of them found their way up the slope. They moved to stand in a circle around me and I smiled, enjoying the primitive but welcoming appreciation ritual. ¡°I am Shieldfather and I seek guidance through these trees. I need to reach the place known as Underock. There I must talk to a human priest and find my way back to hell.¡± ¡°Yus a big!¡± one of them said. ¡°Issa strong?¡± another asked. ¡°Yes, little humans. I¡¯m both.¡± ¡°Humansss?¡± several voices chirped at once. ¡°Hessa think we human,¡± Guza said and it was already there that I should have been suspicious of him. ¡°Oh, yes, yes! My name issa Peter Forestgoblin,¡± one of them claimed and the others giggled. I knew better than to insult them so I giggled with them. My sonorous cheer enchanted the humans even further. ¡°And mess a George Tree Ground,¡± another added, introducing himself. ¡°Mes a Sandra Hoom¡­an.¡± ¡°It is good to meet you Sandra Hoom¡¯an, but I mustn¡¯t dawdle. My path is clear and my mind set on finding the priest. You may touch me briefly, but then you must be kind and show me the trail.¡± It seemed as though my words didn¡¯t reach them. A sudden, treacherous silence befell the eight of us. An unexpected hit to the back of my knee made me stagger forward and kneel down. I looked up and saw George Treeground swinging a club right toward my face. The impact was strong and painful and almost knocked me out completely. Words of the Soulforge blinked into my mind. YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED: FOREST GOBLIN ATTACK: 6 DEFENSE:1 I grabbed for the assailant, curling my fingers around its throat, then tossed it as far as I could. I felt more hits all across my legs and back accompanied by manic laughter. ¡°Betrayers!¡± I yelled for it was true. I used [Shield Slam] against the closest fiend. The crab shell hit it on its flat nose and left it standing there incapacitated for a brief moment. I followed up with my fist and the despicable little human fell over backward, but it didn¡¯t die. In the back of my mind, I was aware that his attack was but a mere single digit, just like the goblin¡¯s defense. While my own defense, with the help of the crab shield was a 6, just like their attack. I was more than aware that this meant only some of my attacks would go through, and some of theirs would land as well. The rest of my foes widened their circle around me, slowing their attack. ¡°Foul trickery, humans.¡± ¡°Humansss?¡± One of them repeated and they all laughed again. Especially Sandra Hoom¡¯an. ¡°The thing believed mes. I said we humans, he believed me!¡± Guza explained. What a fool I was indeed. The three points in intellect were well-deserved. Here I was extending kindness to treacherous fiends while scorning my good friend Godfrey. It tore at me worse than the savage weapons used to flail me. ¡°Hes big but weak he is,¡± another of them hissed. I looked at my health and saw it was already down to 62 out of 100. ¡°So are you, demons!¡± Another round of laughter met my words and confirmed the suspicion. ¡°We goblinsss, you big fat man!¡± It made sense since it did say Forest Goblin in the Soulforge. My anger was unleashed. Whether it was trickery or not, whether these creatures were demons or goblins or humans, I didn¡¯t care. I needed to see them to their graves. I dashed to the nearest green beast and used [Shield Slam] once more, knocking it out for a few seconds. Just as I was about to follow up with my fist, the other five came at me all at once, defiling my perfect skin with their dirty cudgels. My health quickly dropped as the wounds mounted. I managed to kick one to the ground, then followed up with the edge of my crab shield, slamming it into the goblin¡¯s throat. His eyes almost popped out and I saw a small notification blink. YOU HAVE KILLED: FOREST GOBLIN EXPERIENCE GAINED: +18 EXPERIENCE: 28/130 I turned as quickly as I could, raising my shield and knowing that more attacks were coming my way. I used [Shield Slam] to stun Guza who was running at me with a rusted piece of iron. I tried to follow up with another slam, my hand moving the crab shield forward and against the nose of Peter Forestgoblin. It connected with his face, bloodying his nose, but it didn¡¯t stun the goblin. I forgot about the cooldown but realized I could still use the shield for damage and distance without the stun effect. I put my shield up against an overhead blow, lowered it again to deflect a horizontal swing by Guza, and then brought it up again to stop another club attack from above. Not one of the attacks made it through. It was a simple rotation, but I executed it slowly and without grace. It felt as if I was fighting under water. I knew everything there was to know about defending with a shield, but I could not keep up with the speed or power of this foe. The crab shell cracked as I stopped another vile blow to my side, then shattered completely as I defended against Guza¡¯s swing. I was now without a weapon and a shield while six of the goblins, mostly unharmed were coming at me, giggling like d ribblesnout demons. ¡°I will not succumb to you!¡± I snapped and lunged at Guza, ready to pry my revenge from the goblins¡¯ open ribs. Guza, however, was somehow faster than me and smacked me viciously on the head. My health dropped to 18/100 and a red notification blinked angrily in my vision. I then felt a sudden rush of strength, however, as the [Rage Against Death] ability flared up. I grabbed for the nearest goblin, suffering more wounds to my back and hands then curled my fingers around its throat as the others beat on me mercilessly. I squeezed until blood and brains popped out of the goblin¡¯s ears. ¡°Die Peter Forestgob¡­¡± As I realized the jab in its very name, I felt ashamed like a child who was played a fool by his elders. What mockery these goblins practiced; it was nothing if not demonic. My health dropped to a worrying 7/100 so I jumped away to create some distance. I was already breathing hard and sweating as if I had been at the end of a demon tide after having slaughtered hundreds. This was not as I hoped it would be. One more hit and I would be gone from this world, too. What afterlife would await me were I to die to such pitiful creatures? No, I had to distance myself, gather my strength, and return to face these vile beasts once more. ¡°I will return!¡± ¡°Hagra!¡± Guza cried, kneeling next to his kin whom I had destroyed with my bare hands. ¡°Youss killed my darling! Youss suffer!¡± It brought me some joy to see Guza in emotional pain for I was unable to create any physical one. ¡°And you will be next!¡± I yelled as I ran, not away, but to, as said, create some distance and come up with a different strategy. Chapter 4: Crustacean Annihilation Though I was panting and barely breathing, I managed to reach the cursed beach again with the goblins in tow. Though their legs were tiny and feeble in comparison to mine, they still somehow managed to keep up. Yet as they neared the line between the jungle and the sandy beach, the goblins suddenly stopped and backtracked, disappearing back into the forests while slinging threats my way. I saw Godfrey sitting at the dock with his back to the beach and smoke coming off the pipe. He seemed to have been whistling a cheerful tune when my great stature cast a dark shadow over him. ¡°Godfrey,¡± I said, and the man flinched almost dropping his fishing pole into the azure blue waters. ¡°You again,¡± the man said with no joy in his voice, ¡°You¡­ look terrible.¡± ¡°Why meet me with insults again?¡± ¡°You¡¯re bruised and bloody all over! It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Blood and bruises are the Shieldfather¡¯s jewels.¡± ¡°Maybe where you¡¯re from.¡± ¡°Not maybe, certainly. Now help me, Godfrey. I have no weapon and no shield and out there in the jungle, a group of goblins almost took my life. I don¡¯t wish for coin or another sword hand, I only need strength to overcome them myself. In return, I will offer you my body for you to find divine pleasure in.¡± ¡°What! Are you ma-a¡­That will not be necessary, Shieldfather,¡± he said. This confused me somewhat. Never has a Shieldfather offering his body been refused. Godfrey truly was a special kind of creature. Alas, even demons couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of tracing their filthy claws along our impeccable bronze skin which now assured me that Godfrey was indeed a man. ¡°I could not best the goblins, Godfrey,¡± I said, hating the words with a passion. ¡°Of course not, Shieldfather. They¡¯re level 4 and you¡¯re just level 2. You could kill one if you were alone with it, but a pack of them is way too much¡­ even for someone as great as you.¡± ¡°I killed two out of seven, Godfrey.¡± ¡°That is¡­well honestly that¡¯s pretty impressive. I¡¯ve never seen an adventurer of yer level survive them cursed goblins,¡± he said, smoking his pipe and gazing at the horizon. The sun was slowly setting on this world. A sight I had only seen in pictures and Steelspeaker magic. To behold it in such glory almost made me forget my fate. ¡°Godfrey, you knew they were in the jungle but you spared no word of caution?¡± ¡°Shieldfather, there¡¯s a thousand things that can kill you in the jungle. I thought you knew. You are¡­Shieldfather and all.¡± ¡°I am, that is true,¡± I said. I could not argue with that logic. ¡°Listen, son. Ye need more levels.¡± ¡°Then give me more quests and I will do them.¡± ¡°I only had the one, Shieldfather,¡± he said. ¡°Unless you¡¯re ready to go strangle me wife in ¡®er sleep,¡± he added and chuckled anxiously. ¡°I do not murder,¡± I said feeling somewhat disgusted by the offer. ¡°I was joking¡­ no, never mind. Listen, if ye can¡¯t get any further there¡¯s not much I can help ya with, son. Ye might as well grind those crabs until morning.¡± ¡°Grind?¡± ¡°It means to kill over and over until you reach whatever ye need. In your case, my good man, that¡¯s experience, and maybe some more clothes.¡± I did some quick calculations and realized I¡¯d need to kill 15 crabs for another level. About 40 for two levels. With a little more tactic, I could do that and eventually level the playing field with the goblins. ¡°Brilliant, Godfrey,¡± I said sincerely. ¡°And listen, son, ye can sell me the crab parts. The ol¡¯ missus cooks a mean crab stew. Sometimes she sells some of it on the market too.¡± The offer to trade seemed appropriate for the time. As I had no use for the crab legs and pincers, I sold them to the old man for six silver which he handed over quickly. I looked at the rusty coins in my palm, bit down on one then raised a curious eyebrow at the fisherman, ¡°I know, it¡¯s not real silver,¡± he said, not waiting for my questioning look to turn into a question. ¡°We all call it silver but it¡¯s¡­well, I don¡¯t know much about these things.¡± ¡°I will take your word once more, fisherman Godfrey,¡± I said, lowering a hand on his shoulder. The rugged fisherman smiled apprehensively. ¡°Shieldfather,¡± he said, his tone shifting. ¡°Be careful.¡± I would not heed the man¡¯s advice, though motherly and kind in nature, I had already forged a plan that would see me triumphant though at great risk. I strode down the beach back to the crab-infested rock the demons called home with a stalwart resolve. As soon as the beasts saw me, they, well, they didn¡¯t react as they had the first time around, but their confidence would soon prove to be their demise. The new generation of crabs looked the same as their dead parents. It seemed that they had not learned anything from their predecessors. So be it, for the demon tides that wash upon the Steel Bastion had not learned much either in ten thousand cycles, how then would these mush-brained critters? I brought up my second crab shell and charged the first enemy with violent intent. My footsteps tossed up sand and sea water, and my battlecry reverberated against the crashing waves, creating a symphony of roaring destruction for the demons to taste. I struck the first crab with a [Shield Slam] then followed up with my fist, breaking the carapace and killing the fiend in an instant. YOU HAVE KILLED: CRABThis novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. EXPERIENCE GAINED: +7 EXPERIENCE: 36/130 ¡°Death becomes me,¡± I whispered and then spat on the crab¡¯s corpse. I looked over at the rest and bared my teeth. My health was at 7/100, having grown by one point between my unfortunate encounter with the goblins and killing the crab, which meant my [Rage Against Death] ability was lending me a permanent 200% bonus to my damage. Well, permanent as long as I was below 20% health. The crabs, seeing their kin die, began to swarm me in groups of three or four, crawling slowly but surely at me, snapping their pincers in a demonstration of potential violence. I laughed, for these beasts were less than a threat to Shieldfather. I repeated my attack pattern with the next crab, using [Shield Slam] to stun it, and then finished it off with my bare fists. Since I had a ten-second window between each [Shield Slam], I backed off and waited for its cooldown. It was easy since the crabs were very slow, but it was functional, pragmatic, and after the sixth crab, I knew I could do this for as long as my focus would allow. It wasn¡¯t too long before I reached level 3 and that same warm, hopeful sensation washed over me like the healing waters of the rosebaths. [CONGRATULATIONS, YOU LEVELED UP!] [YOU¡¯RE LEVEL 3!] [STRENGTH INCREASED BY 1] [CONSTITUTION INCREASED BY 1] STAT SCREEN NAME: SHIELDFATHER RACE: VAINAR CLASS: IRON TOWER WARRIOR LEVEL: 3 DEFENSE: 4 [+1 from equipment] ATTACK: 2 HEALTH: 110 STRENGTH: 9 [+3 from race modifier] CONSTITUTION: 11 [+5 from race modifier] AGILITY: 5 INTELLECT: 3 [IRON TOWER SKILLTREE UNLOCKED!] The number of chimes and notifications almost overwhelmed my senses. A Shieldfather¡¯s mind was as pure as his intent, or so the Steelspeakers interpreted the teachings of the First Father, but I felt it impossible to reserve my thoughts for battle when so many other things craved my attention. I stepped away from the sandy killing field and the ever-violent crabs to study my options for I knew that this decision would cut a path for me that could not be changed. Two different skill trees branched out before my eyes, though at several points they intertwined. I couldn¡¯t read what the nodes lower in the branch were, only those squares with descriptions at the very top expanded into more detail, but I could make out the images and they promised powers I had not yet witnessed. A strange sense of wonder and excitement overcame me despite the wicked fate I now threaded. There were nodes depicting one-man shield walls and devastating area-of-effect abilities portrayed by fiery circles spreading from within. Other nodes depicted several shields flying at an enemy, and so many more. The abilities seemed, at least in the picture, more powerful than any I was privy to as a Shieldfather. The thought disturbed me as much as it sparked my interest. No Shieldfather would decline an offer to power, the Steelspeakers said. And this was very much that. For now, though, I had either the option to reduce the cooldown on my [Shield Slam] by 2 seconds and I could do this three times until it would allow me to use twice as many times, or select a different square that offered to increase the defense of my shield by 50%. There was no doubt I would pick the second square increasing his overall defense value from a meager 6 to a well-deserved 6.5. ¡°You test me, demons,¡± I muttered, ¡°But you will find your evil machinations thwarted soon enough.¡± I slammed my fist against the crab shield and cracked it, cleared my throat, tossed the shield aside, and picked another one from my inventory. With the goblins on my mind and the humiliation I had suffered, I continued my onslaught against the crabkin as the sun was setting ever deeper. I bruised, and I was cut, I was pinched several times more, once on the buttocks, no less. I roared and I punched, stomped, and dismembered even as the chill of the night threatened to freeze my bones to the sand. As I reached level 4, I picked yet another point in the skill tree. This time, I decided to lower the cooldown of [Shield Slam], for I felt the additional damage and crowd control were crucial considering how little else I had to offer. My health had returned to full so I allowed the crabs to chip at me for a while so I¡¯d get the 200% damage boost from my Rage Against Death before I returned the favor. With this, I ventured deeper into the alcove where even more crabs gathered to attempt to feast upon my divine meat. I kept two stun-locked while killing a third, then finished off the others. It came ever easier to me, yet the experience needed for additional levels had mounted, and the demon crabs offered very little to change that. Soon hunger found me, and I considered eating some of the dead crabs but did not know how. I had looted plenty of meat but knew not how to prepare it. A Shieldfather was fed in the morning before training once, then once again after. He was fed a lavish meal before the demon tide, then enjoyed a feast once the hordes had been fought off. Never had a Shieldfather made any food by himself. ¡°Perhaps Godfrey will help me with this too,¡± I muttered as I pulled free another crab shield from my inventory. Deep into the night, I had laid waste to more crabs than I ever though I would see in my life. Even so, they kept crawling out of the crevasses of the rocks around me, oblivious to the fate their predecessors faced. Shieldfather soon learned that the crabs knew little of caution or history. Instead, they continued to pour toward their own demise. It was beautiful to behold the starry night. A sight I only saw in paintings inside the Church of the First Father. The chills of the night were slowly threatening to overwhelm me, though. Despite keeping my health below 20%, and taking little to no breaks, my body struggled against the cold. My limbs felt heavy and slow, I was shaking constantly, making it hard to focus on delivering righteous death to my foes. Despite all that, I marched on, landing blow upon blow and suffering the demon crab¡¯s pincers in places I would not mention in my retelling. My bronze limbs gained an eerie blue hue, and it was difficult to keep my shield up as the pain in my fingers rendered my grip numb. It wouldn¡¯t be long before I would be defenseless and perhaps succumb to the crabkin even before I get a chance to seek revenge against the goblins. What a death would that be? Pathetic, weak, laughable¡­ I would find myself swarming the Steel Bastion in a horde of demented demons for such a fall from grace. Clawing at my Shieldsons while they would surely hack me down unaware of who was behind those burning eyes. No, the image was terrifying. A curse no Shieldfather could ever deserve. I steeled my mind against ruinous thoughts and continued. But then, as I brought death to yet another, the sensation of leveling up met me again, warming my body and steeling my mind if even for a moment. ¡°I will prevail, demons! Even in the freezing domain of this beach and jungle, caught between skittering demonic crabs and the treacherous goblins hiding in the lap of ominous trees, I will prevail! I am Shieldfather! You hear me, world? I am Shieldfather!¡± I breathed out hard and tossed my latest crab shield into the sea. Soft beams of light cast the darkness into a dark blue. The sun was coming up, finally. A respite for my paining bones. Level 5 had something else to offer besides health, warmth, and another point for the skill tree. Not only was I awarded two skill points this time around, but a second layer within the two branches opened up. I quickly used one skill to reduce my [Shield Slam] cooldown to six seconds, then pondered my choices for the second rank of abilities on offer. The left skill tree, just below the passive which increased the defense of his shield, offered a skill called [Triple Block]. TRIPLE BLOCK: Increase your shield defense value by 200% for 10 seconds or three consecutive attacks [30 seconds cooldown]. The right side of the tree where my [Shield Slam] cooldown reduction was, offered a skill named [Shield Bash]. SHIELD BASH: Use your shield for a single powerful attack that does 200% of your shield defense value [30 seconds cooldown]. Both skills seemed good choices against the goblins, but I subscribed to a philosophy, taught by the First Father and carried through the ages by his Steelspeakers, that a shield was for defense, and a sword for offense. Even though [Shield Bash] intrigued me endlessly, I chose [Triple Block] instead. Perhaps, if this world would rain enough skill points at me, I would take Shield Bash once. Not to mock the First Father, of course, but only to gain more power. And that was something the Steelspeakers couldn¡¯t deny was honorable. Yes, it was all very clear to me. With my inventory loaded with crab parts and a couple of other things I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to, I made my way back to the pier. I was still freezing, extremely hungry, beaten, bleeding, bruised, and though I hated to admit, tired. This time I wasn¡¯t humiliated. I was proud, perhaps even prouder than after a successful revoke of the demon tide. The thought both troubled and entertained me. The goblins would now face their end, this much was clear. Soon after, I would find Underock Village and learn from the priest of a path back to hell. It was simple, no doubt. Perhaps I even dare say easy. Chapter 5: The Cohort Hungers! ¡°So ye really did it, son?¡± Godfrey said as if surprised. I met the fisherman on his pier, his eyes still tired and his face puffy from sleep. The sun was shedding its first beams of heat over the sand and for the first time since I arrived in this fever-dream of a world, I wasn¡¯t disappointed by its powers. I had heard so much about that fiery globe and only now did I learn to appreciate it. Still, I shuddered before I spoke. ¡°Did you not think I would succeed, friend Godfrey?¡± I rubbed my hands together and watched the fisherman, sincerely hoping he wasn¡¯t about to insult me. ¡°No, no, I knew ye would,¡± the fisherman replied, yawning and rolling his bony shoulders. Godfrey smacked his lips and smiled. ¡°Ye know, Shieldfather, I¡¯ve seen adventurers come and go all me life on this beach here,¡± he said and opened his pouch. With practiced movements, he began stuffing his pipe again as I stood there, bleeding and shaking gloriously. ¡°That is¡­good?¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not, but ye Varians, I¡¯ve never seen anyone like ye.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your words. We are not meant for this world,¡± I said and felt a deep sorrow. That iron shadow always loomed at the precipice of my existence and slowly caressed my soul, beckoning me through roads of fond memories. It was a souring emotion, heavy and vast. ¡°Yer a strange one, Shieldfather,¡± Godfrey said, snapping my mind back to the freezing beach and the jungle beyond. ¡°Stranger yet is your world in my eyes, fisherman, but I must not ruminate. The other is not to be feared, it¡¯s to be studied. Now let¡¯s trade so I can make my way to the goblins and mount their heads on stakes.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Godfrey, said coughing out a cloud of white smoke, ¡°Give it here.¡± I sold Godfrey enough crab parts to earn forty-five more silver pieces but left the spare crab shields and meat in my inventory along with other items I hadn¡¯t yet acknowledged. ¡°I hunger, Godfrey,¡± I said as we finished. ¡°For war, I wager, aye?¡± ¡°Yes, at all times. But also for food, my friend.¡± ¡°Oh, you eat?¡± he said, seemingly surprised for some reason. ¡°Can you make a meal of this crab meat I have hunted?¡± ¡°Me? Cook crabs? If ye want to spare yerself a day at the shitter, yer better not ask me to cook.¡± Godfrey must have seen my heart sink because he quickly continued. ¡°Take the crab meat to Underock and find me hut at the north. It¡¯s got kippers dryin¡¯ out front, ye can¡¯t miss it. Tell me wife I sent ye with the meat. She¡¯ll say nay and curse ye, so promise to leave some of it for ¡®er as well. She¡¯ll cook ye the best crab stew ye ever had, me good man. I promise.¡± ¡°I will do so, Godfrey,¡± I said, feeling the sting of my previous uncourteous behavior. How could I have wronged this fine man so? ¡°You¡¯ve been an honorable host, Godfrey. A Shieldfather does not forget. I will cherish you in my memory and tell favorable stories of your deeds. Know that once I return to the Steel Bastion, the folk of my land will know the name Godfrey the sickly fisherman.¡± ¡°That so?¡± Godfrey said with a glimmer in his eyes that brought warmth to my heart. ¡°Yes, Godfrey, you will be remembered.¡± I took a moment before I would wreak havoc upon the dishonorable goblins to learn of the other two items I had gathered during my battle with the demon crabs. WOODEN CUDGEL TYPE: ONE-HANDED WEAPON ATTACK: 1 DESCRIPTION: Good for beatin¡¯ meat and not much else. I grabbed the cudgel from my inventory. An unsightly, crooked weapon riddled with splinters that felt awkward in my hand and sad in my soul. I pushed air through my nose, trying to steady my memories and give hope to my future. At least now I had a weapon. ¡°Looks good, Shieldfather. Yer first weapon is one to be remembered, ye know?¡± ¡°To remember this?¡± I asked, shaking my head. ¡°Look at it, Godfrey. This is a child¡¯s plaything and not a weapon.¡± I inwardly pinched myself again for my petty words. ¡°Maybe, but tis better than ye fists, no?¡± he replied. ¡°You speak the truth, Godfrey. It will serve me well.¡± I checked the second item in my inventory, which wasn¡¯t even up to the standard of my wooden cudgel. WOODEN SANDAL TYPE: ARMOR DEFENSE: 1 DESCRIPTION: A sandal made of wicker and wood. The ideal footwear for the wretched peasantry. I slipped my bronze foot into the sandal and saw my defense stat increase. I stood crookedly with one leg shorter than the other. Whether I would find another sandal any time soon was questionable, but I couldn¡¯t deny the increase in defense. ¡°Just the one?¡± Godfrey asked. ¡°Just the one,¡± I replied. ¡°Well¡­it looks, uhmm¡ª¡± ¡°I know how it looks, Godfrey,¡± I said, raising my voice a little. I looked like a fool, there was no doubt about it, but a Shieldfather did not bother himself with appearance, at least not before a battle. ¡°It is time,¡± I finally said, clenching the wooden cudgel and my crab shield. ¡°I wish yer Helva¡¯s blessings, Shieldfather,¡± Godfrey said, straightening as he sensed the hour of blood had come. ¡°Kold¡¯s wrath upon yer enemies, Godfrey.¡± The fisherman puffed out another big cloud of smoke and then looked to the sea, nodding as if the great waters harbored his most hated foe. I nodded too so as not to offend him, then left the man without another word. When a Shieldfather marched to battle, the chasms of hell wept for their abominable children. It would be no different for the goblins. The trees themselves with their rough horned skin, their sickled green leaves, and their ever-brooding presence would bear witness to my revenge. I pushed on through the thicket and foliage, stomped over thorned berry bushes suffering minor cuts, squashed demonic little critters of colorful wings on my shield, and barked insults and curses at this crawly, thorn-ridden, cold world. ¡°Guza!¡± I roared, finding myself close to the goblin camp. ¡°Sandra Hoo¡¯man!¡± I hissed and spat. A flock of birds, startled by the sonorous thunder of my voice, took to the skies, cawing. ¡°George Treeground!¡± I barked, ¡°Show yourself so I may feed you your own teeth!¡± Nothing. Far be it for the goblins to display honor and meet me head-on in righteous battle. I knew not whether the green tattooed wretches would ambush me or whether their cowardice took hold of their rotten hearts and brought wind to their feet, but I would not stoop to their level. A Shieldfather didn¡¯t sneak, ambush, or trick their foes. With my crab shield firmly gripped, I marched into their empty camp, thumping my shield in the rhythm of war. ¡°Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!¡± I bellowed. At the center of the camp, surrounded by small rocks and tree stumps, a small fire still crackled. Skewered on a branch, mostly charred and stinking, hung pieces of meat from the goblin¡¯s latest supper. My mouth watered, but I decided against indulging my hunger. ¡°Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!¡± I roared the taunt of the Oomerian Cohort. ¡°Come, wretches. Come, witches. Come, demon, for the Cohort hungers! Hoo-ha!¡± My eyes landed on one of the wooden cages on the other side of the camp as a soft sob filled the silence between my taunts. I could not tell what pitiful creature was confined there from where I stood. A pebble struck me in the forehead but did little damage. Yet, shortly after, George Treeground came lunging at me, his cudgel held high above his head and his mouth wide open in a snarl. I raised my shield and met his swing, then stepped forward and used a [Shield Slam], stunning the treacherous beast. With a diagonal swing, I brought the head of the cudgel against the creature¡¯s forehead. I could hear the beautiful sound of a breaking skull. It was a melody I had sorely missed. The impact sent George Treeground spinning like a wheel two times before his limp body crashed to the moss-covered rocks with a meaty thump. I glanced at my weapon and found my snarl turning into a grin. I had so much more power with the cudgel in hand. ¡°Holy war, glorious battle, righteous murder!¡± I yelled and shivers ran up my spine. Prime Protector Ra¡¯een! How I missed swinging a weapon! I turned quickly, raising my shield and expecting more enemies to come at me, and I was right. Guza and Sandra Hoo¡¯man charged at me, slinging insults and waving their weapons. I pushed my sandaled foot into a soft spot in the ground and braced for the charge, but at the last moment noticed two more of their kin hefting slings in the bushes. I paid them no heed for now, instead I invited Guza and Sandra to battle where I stood.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°You will pay, bronze man!¡± Guza yelled as he leaped at me with an otherworldly agility. I smiled. I pivoted to the side and let him drop headfirst on a jagged rock just next to where George Treeground had met his demise. The tip of the rock lodged itself in the goblin¡¯s jaw and Guza died in a most shameful manner. I laughed out loud for it filled my heart with unfathomable joy. Sandra, enraged by what transpired, called upon the two goblins in the bushes and all three came at me. I returned to my previous stance, shield up, weapon held high, and met the three-pronged attack with a well-timed [Triple Block]. First, I stopped Sandra¡¯s bone dagger, then a sideway swing by the second goblin¡¯s spiked mace, and finally a deviously low upward swing from the third goblin¡¯s rusty sword. Three attacks, three blocks, and my heart thumped with battle lust. The crab shield, however, splintered after the last attack so I leaped backward over George and Guza, opened my inventory to fetch another shield, and then beckoned the last three goblins, tapping it with my cudgel. I could feel the heat of the fire on my behind and it did much to warm my blood. How wonderful that moment was. At the center of battle, caught between fire and enemies both living and dead, it almost made me feel at home. ¡°Come, wretches. Come, witches. Come, demon, for the Cohort hungers! Hoo-ha!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a madman! Gigur, Shitfoot, gets him!¡± Sandra Hoo¡¯man cried but there was more fear than anything in her voice. The other two goblins shared a worried look, but there was too much fury in their hearts after I killed their brothers and sisters to let fear save their lives. Gigur and Shitfoot came at me, yelling profanities and promises they could never fulfill. As their tiny feeble legs brought them before me and swinging like headless idiots, I blocked one of their attacks but suffered a cut to my leg by the other. I quickly used [Shield Slam] on Shitfoot, then drove my cudgel down onto Gigur¡¯s head with such force that the goblin¡¯s face buried itself in the mud beneath my feet. Before Shitfoot could come to his dumb senses, I swung the cudgel sideways, it broke against his arm, then tore in two but did not kill the goblin. The head of my weapon was lost and I now only held on to a broken piece of wood. The goblin and I shared a look before I buried the splinters in his throat, skin breaking with ease and so did the meat. How soft and weak these creatures were... The goblin keeled over and died, gurgling and choking on his own blood. The moment had cost me some caution, and I found Sandra Hoo¡¯man suddenly on my back, her bone dagger tearing into my flesh. I almost cried out in pain but guarded against portrayals of weakness. I couldn¡¯t reach the cursed goblin while she ferociously dug her clumsy weapon into my flesh. Three quick stabs found me, and I saw my health drop to just 22 out of 150. With that, I saw my Rage Against Death activate. Before Sandra Hoo¡¯man could finish her ill attempt at murder, I threw myself on my back, squashing her beneath my heavy weight. It pained my whole body, especially after suffering such wounds, but it brought me just as much joy. I gathered my wits quickly, rolling to the side and seeing a stunned Sandra Hoo¡¯man moaning on the ground. I grabbed her feet each in one hand and used my strength to rip her in two but with quite some effort. Blood and entrails fell to the ground as I roared in triumph, my revenge completed in the bloodiest of manners. ¡°You see this, world?¡± I yelled to the silent jungle and its mischievous trees. ¡°This is a Shieldfather¡¯s revenge!¡± I tossed Sandra¡¯s feet away and then took a long satisfied look across the field of blood. It was an image to behold and remember. Just before I sat down, I grabbed the charred remains of the skewered meat from the fire and bit into it. The meat was chewy, burned, and dry but it still tasted better than a hundred soft-boiled rumper eggs. As soon as I gathered my breath and finished the meat, I looted the goblins for their wealth but soon found my excitement curbed by this fickle reality. Aside from four silver and some loose bones and trinkets, the goblins offered me nothing else. Even their crude weapons were broken and tarnished beyond repair, and I found myself unarmed once again. ¡°A cursed existence these goblins had,¡± I muttered before I brought my shield up again, hearing a soft, but close shuffle behind me. ¡°If it¡¯s more of your kind, goblins, be wary. I have killed and dismembered your brothers and sisters in righteous battle and I will surely do the same to you!¡± No answer came, but I was reminded of the cages and the whimpering apparition within and was right to ascribe the sounds to it. I made my way over, still tense and prepared to wage war, but soon found my precautions unnecessary. Two of the three cages were empty, but the third sported a small hunched creature covered in a stained blue robe, trembling and sobbing. I picked up a branch from the ground and prodded it carefully. The creature sobbed even louder so I stopped. ¡°Why are you crying, creature?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m not crying,¡± it said pitifully. I thought on this for a moment because many things in this world were strange so perhaps the sound of crying truly was something else to its kind. ¡°Are you certain, creature? You sound like you¡¯re crying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crying. You¡¯re crying,¡± it shot back, and then somehow curled up even more, trembling and whimpering. ¡°I certainly am not crying, creature. A Shieldfather reserves his tears for the death of his brothers.¡± ¡°Wha¡­what are you on about?¡± ¡°Look up at me,¡± I ordered. As the creature raised its head and the robe slid down to its shoulders, I took a step back, realizing it was yet another goblin, though lighter in its green skin and with a short, orange bust of hair. It lacked the tattoos and the ferocious fire I found in its kin¡¯s eyes. Instead, its eyes were blue like the sea but milky and red from incessant weeping. ¡°Truly, in all my cycles I have never laid eyes on such a wretched creature,¡± I muttered. ¡°Wha¡­Why did you say that!¡± it cried out and then dropped its sad head and sobbed louder than before. A second later, however, it looked up again, an unspoken query in its gaze. ¡°What are you?¡± it asked. ¡°Do you not see me, creature? Do you not see how your brethren¡¯s blood glistens on my bronze chest? Do you not behold the muscle in my¡­¡± My words died away. Of course it didn¡¯t know. In this world, a Shieldfather was nothing. No matter, by the time I would reach the gates of hell again, this world would learn to utter the word Shieldfather in both fear and awe. ¡°You¡¯re¡­yeah, you¡¯re pretty awesome,¡± the creature said and I sensed no cynicism in its words. Then again, my instincts proved challenged at best in this world. Though I enjoyed its praise, I shook the words clear from my mind. ¡°How do you wish to die, creature?¡± His kin was treacherous, but I was still ready to offer the sniveling rat a warrior¡¯s death in case he ached for it. ¡°Hold on! Wait!¡± it yelped, uncurling. The creature wiped the tears and snot from its face and grabbed onto the bars. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die at all. Please! I¡¯ve done nothing wrong!¡± it begged. ¡°How could I? Look at me! I¡¯m a fucking goblin! And a Hierophant at that! Why even kill me?¡± ¡°Why are you in this cage? Are you food?¡± The words must have amused the creature, for it cackled between sobs. I guessed it was a male by the look of its outer appearance. ¡°Food or a sacrifice¡­I don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t going to see the light of day any time soon. I was supposed to be next,¡± he said, motioning toward the fire. ¡°You ate the other one. Fred was his name. He was also reborn a goblin, but at least he put up a fight before they killed him.¡± My stomach churned at those words. Was that the truth? Had I eaten goblin flesh? I spat on the ground, feeling the meat crawling back up my throat but after swallowing hard, pushed it down. Food was food, after all, and I needed to stay alive. ¡°Reborn a goblin?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, just like you¡¯ve been reborn¡­whatever you are.¡± ¡°A Shieldfather.¡± ¡°Never heard of it. You¡¯re like some sort of giant¡­bronze barbarian¡­something?¡± ¡°That is a misconception,¡± I explained, feeling the sting of that insult but decided not to lend it a voice. ¡°I¡¯m a Varian Lord, creature. Shieldfather to a hundred Shieldsons, Protector of the Bulwark, the Steel Bastion, the Gates of Hell. I¡¯m the nightmare of the Angel Arbiter and the blood of Ra¡¯een the Prime Protector.¡± I was proud of every word I uttered and I saw a certain admiration in the creature¡¯s eyes that I hadn¡¯t seen in Godfrey¡¯s so for the sake of my sanity, I continued. ¡°I¡¯m a philosopher-warrior, humble pupil to the Steelspeakers whose words carry the wisdom of the First Father Oomer, blessed be he. I¡¯m the shield that guards against the Demon Tide, the sickle of the Angel Arbiter¡¯s corrupted fields, I¡¯m the dusk of depravity and the dawn of righteous fire. Behold me, goblin, and be humbled by what your mortal eyes see.¡± For a moment, the goblin just gazed stupidly at me and then his lips moved and I heard words not yet spoken in this cruel world. ¡°I love you,¡± he muttered barely audibly. ¡°You what?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± he whispered, shaking his head. ¡°Did you express love for me, goblin?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± he wept and wiped more tears off his snotty face. ¡°Do not be afraid or ashamed. A Shieldfather inspires and awes the common creature. It is only natural.¡± Though his admiration felt honest and enjoyable, I was wary of goblins and their trickery so I remained alert. ¡°How are you¡­no, wait. You were this Varian in your previous life too?¡± ¡°Previous life,¡± I muttered. ¡°It¡¯s still the same life. I haven¡¯t died yet. I have only been¡­weakened.¡± I slammed my hand against the crab shield and it shattered again so I brought out another one, then repeated the gesture. ¡°I¡¯m weakened, but only temporary. My powers will return, I swear to Kold may he lead me unscathed to the Frost Lands.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be,¡± the goblin said. ¡°And yet it is.¡± ¡°But¡­you¡¯ve started here a level 1, right? So how¡­no.¡± The goblin seemed lost in thought. Something I hadn¡¯t yet seen his peers indulge in. ¡°Have you been something else in your previous life, goblin?¡± ¡°Just for future reference, my name is Bleff, and yes, I was a human.¡± His fists tightened around the bars of his cage. ¡°I was reborn an elf hunter then, but that was a short-lived¡ªno, never mind that. On my second rebirth, I became Bleff the Butcher, a half-orc. You should have seen me, Shieldfather. I warred, I conquered, I¡­died on the stakes when the Giftar nations united to stop me, and now¡­I¡¯m this.¡± ¡°A wretched goblin,¡± I said, and Bleff almost fell into another fit of miserable sobbing before he pulled himself together. ¡°Not only am I a goblin, I¡¯m a Hierophant. A damned buffer class. I can¡¯t do a single thing on my own.¡± ¡°Your gods are strange to punish you so. After all, war is the truest path to ascension.¡± ¡°They are your gods, too,¡± Bleff said, looking away half-absently. ¡°Hmm, are they?¡± We both stood there in silence as I pondered his fate and words. ¡°Do you wish me to strike you down? Perhaps the gods will see it fit to offer you something better after you die to a Shieldfather?¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, no. Please don¡¯t. This is my third rebirth and there won¡¯t be any more. If I die again, it¡¯s over for me.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°And what did I get? This!¡± he hissed. I could feel his anger in the very air about him. ¡°How strange,¡± I muttered to myself. Bleff was certainly a different kind of goblin. He spoke clearly and with an open heart. His admiration of me seemed sincere and yet he was a goblin and a foul-smelling one at that. ¡°Maybe I could tag along?¡± he said, the words high-pitched and full of hope. ¡°What use have I of someone as weak as you?¡± His eyes teared up again and I regretted my words instantly. ¡°But¡­please! Let me show you!¡± He took a step back from the bars and raised his arms. My shield came up instinctively as I took a step back. There it was again, the goblin trickery. White light appeared in both his little green hands as he raised them above his head. A moment later, I felt a burst of power course through me. The light disappeared and Bleff gazed at me with a stupidly hopeful face. ¡°Look at your health,¡± he said and as I did I realized it had climbed from 150 to 200. I read the Soulforge¡¯s description, BUFF: WORD OF VITALITY DESCRIPTION: Increase your target¡¯s health by 50 for one hour. ¡°Hmm,¡± I muttered. ¡°You see? I have my uses and I can also heal! Not that great though¡­but with all the buffs I can send your way, maybe, you know? You could do the killing and I can¡­join you for the ride. Keep you buffed and healthy. ¡°I am already strong,¡± I said, though my heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°I know, I know, Shieldfather. You¡¯re one beautifully dangerous creature, but just imagine what we could do together!¡± The idea was curious, enticing even. And though my mind was wary, my soul felt for that pathetic wretch. I cast away thoughts of doubt. After all, if Bleff turned out to be yet another dark-hearted beast, I could slay him any time I willed it. Why would I, a Shieldfather, fear such a weakling? It was below me. ¡°I will release you, Bleff the goblin. But know that I will take your head at the smallest of misconducts. Do not fool me, creature. You have seen what happens to my enemies.¡± Bleff looked over to the death I had wrought upon the forest goblins and swallowed. ¡°I am aware,¡± he said. ¡°But before I do, tell me something, Bleff. What is your goal in this world?¡± The tiny light-green goblin scratched his fiery red bust of hair before his expression changed, eyes narrowing, brow furrowed. ¡°I want the power to ravage this virgin land!¡± He quickly cleared his throat and held up a hand. ¡°Old habits, I don¡¯t know¡­This is weird.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°It¡¯s as if my old orc life is seeping into this one and I¡­Am I losing my mind?¡± ¡°A question the both of us need answers to. Now, is that your goal, little goblin? To ravage these virgin lands in your quest for power?¡± Bleff thought on this testing my patience. ¡°I just need to stay alive, Shieldfather. For now that¡¯ll do.¡± I hadn¡¯t expected more of the stinking greenskin and yet the words ground on my soul. ¡°Your ambition is that of a plant.¡± Bleff bowed his head embarrassed by his own words and the deserved scolding he received for them. ¡°I guess,¡± he began sounding unsure. ¡°I guess I¡¯d like power to survive. So, in a way my goal is¡­Power? I know how it sounds, I¡¯m just so confused and afraid and¡ª.¡± ¡°Power is good,¡± I said and he stopped. ¡°A Shieldfather yearns for power. It is his mission to attain ever greater heights in both his physical and mental abilities, for the legions of hell are ever-growing too. You have spoken well, Bleff.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cool,¡± the goblin said awe-struck. ¡°Is that a compliment?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, it is,¡± he said, nodding furiously. ¡°Very well. Compliments are appreciated. Know this, then. My task is to return to hell through righteous means. I will accomplish this whether I need to kill a thousand goblins, tread a hundred jungles, and burn as many towns. Whether I need to sunder this world and its seas or not, I will accomplish this. Are you willing to walk this path of possible ruin but certain glory?¡± ¡°Fuck yes!¡± Bleff said in hushed words that brought a smile to my face. ¡°Another thing, then, Bleff. Be scarce with your profanities. It doesn¡¯t become a Shieldfather to be surrounded by foul mouths.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Cross my heart and all that.¡± I nodded then grabbed onto the lock to his cage and studied it for a moment. It was rusty and frail so I used my mighty sandaled foot to break it open. ¡°There, Bleff the Hierophant. You are free to traverse this world as you see fit.¡± Bleff walked out, his every limb trembling. ¡°I¡­I survived. I really did.¡± He touched his arms and head as if amazed they were still attached to his trunk. It brought warmth to my heart to see a miserable creature elated by the will of the Steel Bastion. If only others could see what joy we brought to the hearts of all people. Bleff seemingly did and though I promised myself caution, I was admittedly grateful to the gods for this creature. ¡°Where to now, Shieldfather?¡± ¡°To Underock, Bleff. To see a priest and then, then we make our way to hell.¡± Chapter 6: Bleff Bleff offered words of comfort about the jungle, the world, and particularly the so-called palm trees that I still viewed with deep mistrust. How could something be tied to one place for its entire life? ¡°A miserable existence,¡± I claimed. To make matters worse, in their despair, the trees grew tall, wandering in the only direction offered. How could they not be filled with misery and anguish? How could we co-exist with these cursed beings? ¡°You need to relax, man. They¡¯re just stupid-ass trees,¡± Bleff said and though effortless and banal, his words rang true. We were trudging up a slope that led to the main road, and I could see it ahead through the shrubbery. When I continued my shameful lament about the tall plants, the goblin, either bothered by my cowardice or simply tired of it, kicked a particularly large one, then pissed on it assuring me no harm would come to either of us. ¡°You do it too, come,¡± Bleff said as he adjusted his filthy robe. ¡°Do what? Piss on the tree?¡± ¡°Yes! You¡¯ll be fine, just do it.¡± I understood what he was trying to do immediately. One had to conquer their fear and stare it right into the eyes, otherwise they remained chained to their predicament. Chained like a tree. He was right, so I removed my loincloth and bravely approached this natural abomination. ¡°Woah!¡± Bleff yelped both his eyebrows perching up, ¡°Good for you, Shieldfather.¡± I looked down and back at him and nodded appreciatively. ¡°Would you like to see it up close?¡± I offered, but Bleff had the same reaction as Godfrey. He seemed flustered and quickly looked away. Though it felt insulting, I gave it no voice. I was a quick study, so the Steelspeakers claimed, and I would not repeat the same mistake twice. ¡°Here, tree. Suffer my urine,¡± I said as I poised for relief. I was still somewhat nervous standing there vulnerable to the great plant¡¯s retaliation, but it soon proved an unfounded, maybe even laughable fear. As I emptied my great bladder, I couldn¡¯t help but smile, and then laugh. ¡°Truly, you have wisdom, Bleff,¡± I said, turning my head toward him as I showered the stupid, helpless tree in golden water. The thump of a bow cut through the moment of bliss. An arrow lodged itself into the trunk, inches away from my face. I leaped backward, pulling up my loincloth with one hand and raising my shield with the other and almost falling over in doing so. Two more arrows flew by, one almost hitting Bleff, while the other flew wide. ¡°Take cover, Shieldfather!¡± Bleff yelled then huddled behind a bush. I did no such thing. Instead, I roared from the bottom of my lungs. ¡°Show yourself, archer! Coward! Weakling! Come face me head-on!¡± I thumped my shield thrice, my eyes taking in the greenery around us. ¡°Hide!¡± Bleff begged, ¡°Please!¡± I would not do so. ¡°The day I seek shelter from an archer will be the day I eat my shield and shit out a demon! Now face me!¡± ¡°Halt!¡± I heard a man¡¯s voice yell. I looked up the slope and saw the outline of several more creatures pushing through the bushes, vines, and trees. My words must have terrified them, for no more arrows followed. ¡°Good. Bleff, stop sniveling and get up. It¡¯s time to sow more death.¡± ¡°Is it, though? I don¡¯t know, Shieldfather,¡± the goblin muttered through croaky words. ¡°I know! Up, goblin! Up, up!¡± He waved me away then buried his head in the bush and all I could do was sigh. It was once more a disgusting display of cowardice that made me want to end his sad life right there, but the teachings of the Steelspeakers steadied my rage. A Shieldfather mustn¡¯t harm the innocent out of spite, disgust, or boredom. ¡°In the name of King Harkford, show yourselves!¡± another voice, deeper, more commanding than the first echoed through the woods. ¡°Get up, Bleff. We¡¯ve been summoned for war,¡± I said but the goblin would have none of it. He curled up tighter behind the tree until I walked up to him, grabbed his neck, and pulled him along. ¡°Shieldfather, please!¡± Bleff pleaded, his face once more covered in tears and snot. I dragged him up the slope, ignoring his miserable cowardice until we reached the road. A small fence along the road separated us from the retinue of tiny, but well-armored men in thick, shiny plate armor. Their livery was green with golden outlines and sported three black towers; two of them held banners with the same imagery. Among them, men and women dressed in simple robes and tunics, almost like Tartarus commoners, carried plates of food and pitchers of wine from tables set up in the back. It seemed to me a small feast, but there was something odd about it. They all stopped whatever they were doing as I approached, dragging Bleff along. I dropped the shit-smelling goblin to my side and he whimpered as his ass met the rough, hard road. Several gasps met me and a small grin formed at the edge of my lip. ¡°I¡¯m Shieldfather,¡± I said lowering my hands on my hips. I did not expect them to know who I was for this was an ignorant land, but I enjoyed their awe-struck gaze nevertheless. ¡°No further!¡± one of the armored men yelled, thumping his halberd against the ground. I sized him up and grinned again. The man was barely to my shoulder and though encased in fine plate, his limbs seemed thin and easily cracked. He looked like Godfrey in armor and the thought alone amused me. ¡°What will you do with that child¡¯s halberd? Cut my meat for me?¡± I asked, eager to taunt the man into losing his temper. Rage was a tool in the hands of the mighty, but quite blinding when wielded by feeble-minded creatures. The man looked at his peers, all sharing the same visage of confusion. ¡°You¡­you will not speak to me like that. I¡¯m a knight of the court!¡± There was so much fear in his voice that it made me sick. ¡°Move!¡± another man bellowed as steel ground against steel while he pushed through the retinue. A somewhat larger exemplar of the same race appeared before me. His face was set into an angry snarl, and his armor was simply magnificent. Adorned by jewels and golden vines and flowers growing from his back to the center of his chest. Long blonde hair cascaded down his shoulders framing a white, square jaw below a long nose and emerald green eyes. His hand rested on the hilt of a longsword sticking out of a bejeweled leather scabbard.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. He looked me up and down and only briefly glanced at Bleff as the goblin slowly shuffled up to his full height, which was barely around my hip. ¡°What in Helva¡¯s name are you?¡± The voice that spoke was familiar; the same commanding tone from before. ¡°I¡¯m Shieldfather, Varian Lord of Tartarus. Defender of the Bulwark, the Steel Bastion, the Gates of Hell.¡± ¡°A lord?¡± the richly dressed man said and burst into laughter. The people around him joined in, though their cheer was half-hearted, forced, maybe even somewhat apprehensive. He raised a hand to silence the crowd. ¡°Behold,¡± he said, addressing his retinue, but never removing his eyes from me, ¡°Lord Shieldmaster of the filthy loincloth, ruler of the goblin-infested jungle, and his honorable squire, shit-for-a-face.¡± The crowd laughed louder now. I breathed out slowly, trying to calm my nerves, but it was difficult to do so. I had suffered many insults since I arrived, but this went beyond anything I could imagine. ¡°My name is, Shieldfather, not master, you insolent fool. Did your slaves stuff your ears full of gold, too?¡± That did not sit well with the creature. His brow furrowed and the grip on his hilt tightened. Silence washed over the others. Then, as if to prove his cowardice, he shoved one of his retinue forward. The man staggered, only finding footing with the help of his halberd. ¡°Bring me his head!¡± A smile found my lips. I was not in the habit of exchanging insults unless it was in a good-hearted manner with the other Shieldfathers while we drank ourselves joyfully in the evenings. A Varian spoke finest through the steel in his hands. Speaking of which, I had none, but that did not worry me. The creature was small and frightened and his death would be a decent innuendo to his lord¡¯s upcoming demise. The knight of the court, or whatever he was, didn¡¯t seem enthused by the prospect of facing me, yet he marched on, obeying his lord. I could respect him for that. ¡°Come, knight of the court,¡± I said, ¡°Let us find common ground in the fire of battle.¡± ¡°This guy!¡± his commander said and snickered while the rest echoed his mood. They were a curious bunch of strangers. The knight raised his halberd and came at me in a sprint. I kicked Bleff out of the way, prepped my shield, and tried to calculate the angle of his first attack, but none found me. ¡°Enough!¡± another voice, this one high-pitched and old reverberated through the crowd. The knight stopped and quickly pulled away from me, relief apparent on his face. My heart sunk for I knew I¡¯d be met with more pointless chatter. Yet another creature shuffled through the retinue, but this time everyone, even the gold-haired idiot, moved out of the way and bowed their heads. Despite his frail appearance, the tired old face, and a crooked slow walk, he commanded the respect of everyone present. A three-pointed crown of gold, silver, and jewels sat heavily on his head above a sad, thin white smatter of hair. His robes were equally rich, colored green, gold, and red with intricate embroidery, the hem held up by some boy, so it didn¡¯t slide across the dirt. Despite his frail appearance, there was warmth in his eyes, something the other loudmouth dearly missed. He handed over a longbow of masterful craftsmanship to one of the commoners without so much as sparing him a look. The young man at his side took the weapon from him, head bowed, and then quickly moved out of the way. The elder studied me curiously for a moment before a wide smile found his thin dry lips. ¡°What a creature you are!¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was an inquiry or a statement of appreciation, but expecting the latter to be true, I remained silent. ¡°And to think I almost killed you!¡± ¡°It would have been my greatest defeat,¡± I said seriously and for some reason, the perfumed old man appreciated my words. Curious. ¡°And well-spoken, too. You said you¡¯re a lord of sorts?¡± ¡°A Varian Lord of Tartarus, yes.¡± I didn¡¯t wish to repeat myself so I kept my introduction short. These fools were keeping me away from my journey and I was growing apprehensive, eager to make my way to Godfrey¡¯s village. ¡°A lord of shit and piss!¡± the blonde one said and before I could muster a rebuke, the frail old man turned around and slapped him across the face. The lustrous warrior rubbed his cheek but spoke no more. What kind of world allowed the weak and withering to humiliate their strongest warriors was beyond me, though I couldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t enjoy it somewhat. ¡°You¡¯re a prince of Prosperia, Archibald, and you will not shed such filthy language from your tongue, gods damn it!¡± ¡°Yes father,¡± Archibald said, clenching his teeth. ¡°This is a human king, be nice, Shieldfather,¡± Bleff said in hushed words so the others wouldn¡¯t hear. ¡°A king,¡± I whispered, weighing the words. The books of the Steelspeaker spoke at great length of the rulers of the overworld, and the paintings brought through the World Door depicted them as fearsome warrior-philosophers ripe with both battle prowess and wisdom. Perhaps a thousand cycles ago that was true for this man, but now? ¡°So, Varian Lord,¡± the king said and chuckled. ¡°Where is your land, your castle, and your¡­¡± He turned around to face his retinue, ¡°Your clothes?¡± The men and women laughed, all but Archibald who remained sulking as red gathered in his cheek where his father left a lesson of good manners. He turned to face me again. ¡°Most of all, why are you trespassing on mine?¡± ¡°My land is no land but a city in the caverns of Hell named Tartarus. My castle is the Steel Bastion, but I lay no claim to it for it belongs to Ra¡¯een, the Prime Protector. I wear no clothes for I have been cast here naked as the day I was born. Were it not for the kindhearted fisherman Godfrey, this loincloth would not have found its way around my hip. I have no wish to trespass, but only seek a way to return to hell.¡± ¡°That can be arranged,¡± Archibald said. ¡°Ignore my blabbering son. He has yet to learn some manners. He¡¯s grown arrogant practicing his sword against lesser men.¡± ¡°Have I not led the army against your enemy? Have I not bled with our men in the field?¡± Archibald hissed at his father, and then seemed to catch himself and winced. ¡°Silence!¡± the king barked and Archibald bit his lip but spoke no more. ¡°What is your name, bronze man?¡± ¡°My name is Shieldfather, defender of the Bulwark, servant to the Prime¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, yes, but your name, man. What do they call you?¡± ¡°They call me Shieldfather,¡± I explained, growing tired of the question. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Conrad, huh? You feel like a Conrad to me. Doesn¡¯t he feel like a Conrad to you all?¡± The crowd agreed fiercely, almost breaking their necks as they nodded in confirmation. ¡°My name is Ursus kin Stonechin,¡± I said, casting a veil of silence over the present. My name was but a stepping stone to the Steel Bastion. A string of words never uttered again after my initiation into Oomer¡¯s Cohort and I hated to give it voice once more. ¡°Edmund Van Harpstein,¡± the king said with a grin, ¡°Nice to meet you. And what is this race of yours, Ursus kin Stonechin.¡± ¡°Shieldfather, if you don¡¯t mind great king. My birth name is second to my title. I am a Varian Lord, my race is Varian.¡± ¡°Oh, did you hear this? I like this. Well, so be it, Varian Lord Shieldfather. And how is it that you¡¯re¡­¡± A mean coughing fit interrupted the old king and he seemed barely able to restrain it. One of his aids, a hunched figure in white robes rushed to offer him a potion of sorts. The king had a sip and then wiped his mouth against the creature¡¯s white sleeve. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, not yet. Keep Archibald off the throne, will you?¡± he joked and the crowd dropped into nervous laughter. Just before he would question me again, another coughing fit caught him, and the white-robed figure together with several others surrounded the king. ¡°Go, Shieldfather¡­¡± he managed as they poured more liquid down the king¡¯s throat. ¡°Find your hell.¡± ¡°Father,¡± Archibald protested. ¡°He¡¯s an adventurer! We came here to thin their numbers and you will let this one go.¡± ¡°Can someone¡­¡± the king began through his cough, ¡°Help my son¡­his undergarment has been twisted into a knot again.¡± Some laughed, others refrained from it, especially the knights of the court. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, come on!¡± Bleff urged me. I glanced at Archibald; the prince kept his green eyes locked on me as the others escorted the king to a carriage. I snarled at the young fool. Arrogance had to be cut in the stem, but I wasn¡¯t here to teach this world¡¯s royals humility. However, I made a promise to myself to do just that if I were to cross paths with Archibald again. And something told me I definitely would. ¡°Please, Shieldfather, Varian Lord, please! Before they change their mind,¡± Bleff begged me, pulling my hand. I grunted, feeling the slimy palm of the goblin on my bronze skin, but accepted his call and decided to make my way to Underock for I had more pressing matters to deal with. ¡°Shieldfather!¡± an unknown voice from the crowd called. I turned to see one of the commoners run at me with a longsword in hand. I raised my shield and grinned. So, blood it was, after all. I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t angered for so many useless words had been spilled when we could have settled our differences with steel. Or crab in my case. The young man slid to a halt a few steps away from me, then brought up the sword, offering it to me with his head bowed. ¡°King Edmund wants you to have this,¡± he said and I relaxed. I took the sword by the hilt and swung it once, feeling its edge pierce the air. A fine weapon. For a child. Yet infinitely better than my own skin and knuckles. The young fellow ran off as soon as I took the sword off him stirring, up dust in his wake. Iron Longsword TYPE: One-handed longsword ATTACK: 7 DESCRIPTION: The most basic longsword wielded by thugs, thieves, and aspiring guards. It''s somewhat sharp, somewhat durable, and somewhat rusty. ¡°Thank you, King Edmund!¡± I yelled but got no answer. The king had been ushered into the carriage and his retinue seemed to care little for my words. Bleff pulled me ahead once again and it took a Varian¡¯s restrain not to smack him on the head for his impatience. ¡°Bleff,¡± I asked as we created some distance, ¡°Those creatures back there, they are human are they?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t sure this whole time? I mean yes, yes they¡¯re human.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I muttered. ¡°Humans. Such curious beasts.¡± Chapter 7: Underock ¡°What are these humans doing, Bleff?¡± I asked, seeing a dozen or so rummage around fields of golden plants. They all looked like Godfrey to me. The same wretched attire, the same sullen, hopeless look, and the same sunburnt, hanging skin. ¡°Really? You¡¯ve never seen a field of wheat? They¡¯re¡­well, shit, I don¡¯t know either. They¡¯re sowing it or¡­let¡¯s just say farming.¡± ¡°Farming.¡± I thought about that for a moment. I knew of it from the books and large paintings in the Domain of History. We had sung many songs in the evenings praising and admiring those who brought food to our tables. ¡°The most noble of us all,¡± I said after a moment of silence, and Bleff gave me a surprisingly confused look. ¡°I must pay long overdue respects,¡± I said, walking off the road and towards a group of farmers at work in their field. Bleff pulled on my hand, his slimy skin making me shudder. ¡°Ursus, I¡¯m afraid your praise won¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Greetings noble farmers!¡± I said, waving at them and ignoring Bleff¡¯s pointless blabbering. As one, the men and women straightened up to see who was bothering them. Me. There was some confusion among their ranks, but I was certain they would enjoy a meaningful compliment from a Varian Lord whether they knew of us or not. ¡°May I say a few words, my good farmers? Words long overdue!¡± They shared looks of excitement, or so I thought, but then two of them suddenly ran off towards the village. The others remained standing, whispering among themselves and pointing at the piece of cloth between my legs. ¡°I am Shieldfather, Varian Lord of Tartarus. I thank you for your courageous work, your unending sacrifice, and your unwavering dedication to farming. May Kold grant you all you deserve, my friends.¡± After a rather long moment of shared silence, one of the men, a toothless, long-haired fellow with calloused hands and a dirty face finally spoke, ¡°Go fuck yerself, shield fucker!¡± he decried and I found myself stunned by the boldness of this man. ¡°I told you,¡± Bleff muttered. For a moment I felt insulted, as all decent men would, but I assigned their foul words to a misunderstanding rather than ill intent. ¡°I wish no harm, on the contrary. I live in eternal gratitude for your work.¡± ¡°You hear that, Alma? The big guy is thankful for our work.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Dirk, he¡¯s awfully big,¡± the other man standing next to Dirk began before Alma could answer. ¡°Maybe we should be nice to this one.¡± ¡°Shut up, Spunk! They can¡¯t be more than level 3 no matter how big they are. Dirk, Tell him he can take those thank-yous and shove ¡®em up his big, bronze¡ª¡± ¡°Help!¡± another voice cried and we all turned toward the jungle to our right. ¡°Help me,¡± the voice cried again, steeped in pain and anguish. From between the trees, a lanky, white-skinned creature with pointy ears crawled out into the open. Three arrows were stuck to his back, and one of them awfully close to his neck. ¡°Oh, fuck me. Another one. What day is it, Alma? Is it Morksday?¡± The toothless farmer said. ¡°It¡¯s Morksday, alright. They always come crawling on Morksday.¡± ¡°I thought the king be killin¡¯ em Morksdays.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t get all of ¡®em. They¡¯re like a pest, the adventurers.¡± ¡°Help me!¡± the man begged, but I remained unmoving. The creature didn¡¯t seem to be a demon, but how would I tell one from the other in a world that possibly was nothing more than a demon¡¯s nightmare? Besides, any creature that died to archers wasn¡¯t worth keeping alive anyway. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s help him, Ursus¡ª¡± ¡°Shieldfather.¡± ¡°Yes, Shieldfather.¡± ¡°Do not call me by my birthname, goblin. I¡¯m not dead yet.¡± ¡°What does that¡ªI won¡¯t, sorry. Let¡¯s help the guy. He¡¯s one of us!¡± The statement angered me. I wished no harm to Bleff but he and I were as far apart as heaven and hell. Before I could speak, the goblin hurried his ugly little feet over a part of the field, then down a small slope toward the mound of dirt on which the wounded creature was most certainly going to die. The farmers, unperturbed by the scene, returned to their toil. A rugged group of people, I figured. The stories of their nobility seemed a stretch, after all. It was difficult to reconcile their noble occupation with their less-than-noble behavior. I was reminded of a minor lesson by the Steelspeakers that now seemed underappreciated: the people of the overworld, they said, have different manners, and some don¡¯t have any. We are not to judge them for our lives have a great purpose, while theirs can be brutal and yet meaningless. ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Bleff yelled, standing above him. ¡°A brutal, meaningless death. Very well. Let¡¯s continue,¡± I said and made my way back to the road. Bleff came running and waddling after me, mumbling angry words I had no wish to hear. There was scorn in his tone and I was not going to dignify it with my attention, so I sang to myself. It was a joyful song called The Grabheart¡¯s Decapitation and Dismemberment, which my mother had taught me. It helped calm my nerves and focus my attention. ¡°You singing? Now? Don¡¯t you understand what¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°They¡¯re hunting down low-level adventurers for the sport here! Here! In the spawn zone! Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What? How? You don¡¯t even know what any of those words mean, do you?¡± ¡°Partly.¡± ¡°This is a cruel freaking world, Ursus, this is¡ª¡± ¡°Do not!¡± I said, raising my tone, ¡°Call me by my name, goblin. I will pull your tongue out and then feed it to you.¡± The words were harsh but honest. I would not be disrespected by a miserable coward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he muttered. ¡°You have a lot of weird things going, man. I have no clue what kind of dude you are.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Dude?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡ªanyway, are you angry with me? I¡¯m sorry, Shieldfather, but there¡¯s things about this world you don¡¯t understand and then there¡¯s so much I don¡¯t understand about you. Why¡ª¡± I knew what question would follow before he even uttered it, and was about to cut him short, but instead replied. ¡°Because your birthname only holds value if you die at the Steel Bastion. I was born Ursus, and I will die Ursus only if I die in a demon tide as all good men should. Your name returns to you after death so it can be etched into the pedestal of your statue in the Domain of History. I¡¯m not dead yet, and I won¡¯t die until I return. I am Shieldfather now until I¡¯m no more. Remember that for I will not tell you again.¡± Bleff slowed down his pace and then looked up at me with his dull blue eyes. ¡°You¡¯re so cool. Damn, I wish I was like that.¡± Despite everything, those words brought a much-needed smile to my face. ¡°You will never be, Bleff.¡± I could feel his heart sink at the words as it did so many times with Varians who were denied the opportunity. I had a trained answer, however, that I told many a man too meek to join Oomer¡¯s Cohort. ¡°To serve a Shieldfather is to share in his glory. It is not the shield that defends the Steel Bastion, it is the hand, fed by the iron chefs, armored by smiths of the Bulwark, healed by the waters of the rose baths, and taught by the Steelspeakers, that raises the shield and makes it come to life in defense of great Ra¡¯een.¡± I was eager to see Bleff¡¯s face light up but it hardly did. Somehow the words had depressed him even further. ¡°To serve,¡± he muttered, digging through his big nose with a single finger. He glanced at the treasure he found and then ate it absently. I shuddered again. Was this creature not a curse, after all? A companion so utterly revolting in every aspect that it may perhaps break my spirit in time? Everything was possible in this world. Rordrick suddenly spasmed, his eyes grew wide and he bared his teeth, ¡°I only serve the god of war and death, weakling!¡± he roared with a newfound thundering voice that spread in all directions. Caught unprepared for this outburst, I instinctively slapped him across the face. His head bopped left and right and once it stopped, he looked up at me with a face full of guilt and regret. ¡°I¡¯m¡­. I¡¯m sorry. I have no idea how that happened.¡± ¡°I commend your worship of Kold, the god of death and war, but do not call me weakling, goblin. I will not tolerate those insults.¡± He rubbed his cheek. ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong with me.¡± ¡°I think so, too. Let¡¯s continue. There¡¯s something up ahead. It might be Godfrey¡¯s village.¡± ¡°I used to say those things as an orc warlord, but¡­I thought they got it all out of my system when I was reborn here,¡± Bleff babbled on as we closed in on Underock. ¡°I never felt like an elf while I was an orc, you know? It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Frivolity in speech is a sin, Bleff.¡± ¡°What?¡± He waved my wisdom away and continued as we passed several more fields of wheat and other crops. The farmers toiling in the cold of the sun looked upon me with awe-stricken faces, but their gazes didn¡¯t linger. They quickly returned to their work and I basked in their unwavering dedication. Such purposeful creatures. Unlike Bleff. ¡°Could it be that I still have a bit of orc warlord in me? I¡¯m so afraid all the time. I¡¯m even afraid of what¡¯s in that village. Is this how goblins go through life? It¡¯s horrible. I never feared anything when I was Kormog. I wish there was something more left.¡± ¡°Courage isn¡¯t a treasure you look for. It¡¯s in your own hands. Always.¡± ¡°Hmm, that sounds about right¡ªhey look at this bug,¡± he said and quickly snatched a big, plum insect off a nearby bush, bit the upper half off, and then suckled on the rest. ¡°I have never seen someone as disgusting as you, Bleff.¡± The goblin looked up at me with bug juice glistening around his mouth. ¡°Oh,¡± he frowned as his long pointy ears drooped. ¡°But that¡¯s just how I am now.¡± ¡°The village,¡± I said, shaking the image from my mind. ¡°Quicken your pace, goblin. We¡¯re almost there.¡± I had to say that a sense of sadness washed over me as my eyes and heart took in the reality of Underock Village. Three enormous boulders stacked one upon the other loomed threateningly over a score of huts that seemed to have grown from the mud beneath. More humans of all sizes roamed about the village, busying themselves with the ordinary. The only remarkable feature aside from those incredibly dangerous boulders hanging over the village like Kold¡¯s fury upon the demon horde, were two buildings of warped wood at the center of it. The lower and broader of the two had worn-out entrance stairs and a large board hanging next to the door. The entrance was ajar, and I could hear chatter and movement inside. The other wooden building was tall with stone foundations and a crooked, weathered bell tower, that was either destroyed in the wake of time or never finished. The runes of Kold and the other gods were etched one above the other along the bell tower and I knew this was where the priest of Underock lived. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Bleff yelled and I grunted at his foul words once more. ¡°Sorry, Shieldfather. Hey, listen, you know what that thing in the middle is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a church,¡± I said somewhat proud I could discern at least something in this mad world. ¡°It¡¯s where I will find the priest who knows the path to hell.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, maybe. But that¡¯s not what I was talking about, man! That building next to it? That¡¯s a dungeon hub! We can apply there for groups to dungeons!¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one dungeon in the world that a Shieldfather walks and that is¡ª¡± ¡°Tartarus, the Steel Bastion, and so on, I know!¡± His hurried, excited words pushed away the anger I was rightfully allowed to feel at that moment. ¡°Hell is the dungeon I was referring to,¡± I said, raising my voice. I was curious so I decided not to dwell on his insolence, but I had to make it clear nonetheless. ¡°Yes, sorry. Hell, of course. We need¡ªI mean, you need to get back to hell. Sure, but what you also need is levels and gear, my friend. That¡¯s all that matters in the end.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all that matters,¡± I said as we passed the first hut. The villagers seemed awfully disinterested as they passed us by. There was some appreciation of my perfect form, my glistening skin, and the muscles-turned-steel bulging beneath, but far from enough. Could it be that in this forsaken, miserable speck of mud that brought sadness to my heart just by existing, people had seen more impressive warriors already? Impossible. ¡°All of this is cursed,¡± I muttered. Was it not exactly what the demons wanted? To humiliate those they couldn¡¯t defeat in battle? To have a Shieldfather walk into the most desolate place occupied by the saddest wretches and yet not stir a single heart? My snort turned into a laugh. Of course, there was a reason. The people of Tartarus, my brothers, and even the blessed traders from beyond the World Door basked in the glory of a Shieldfather. It was the greatest joy to behold us. Demon trickery, madness, wyrm words, something of the sort was going on in Underock. There was no other explanation. ¡°Shieldfather?¡± Bleff said with a worried tone. ¡°Yes, Bleff?¡± ¡°You said all of this is cursed, then you laughed and then you just stood there silent for a good minute.¡± ¡°Hmm, yes. Let me ask you something, Bleff. What do you see when you look at me?¡± The goblin looked up at me while scratching a scab off his forearm before proceeding to eat it. His eyes remained glued to me all the while. I shuddered. Again. ¡°You¡¯re one big, bronze, black-haired, red-eyed, muscle-packed murder machine.¡± He grinned flashing his dirty teeth. ¡°Hmm, thank you.¡± ¡°Why would you ask me that?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± I said, then stopped pondering his question and my own thoughts. ¡°Perhaps the people of this village have a sickness of the eyes.¡± ¡°What? How? Why?¡± ¡°Hmm, I couldn¡¯t say.¡± The door to the church suddenly swung open and a small, round man of pink complexion and a fiercely red nose stumbled outside, a flagon in one hand, and a book in the other. He wore a crumpled robe of white and black speckled with wine stains and dirt. ¡°Time for prayer!¡± he yelled and almost stumbled over his own feet. Just when I thought he wasn¡¯t going to fall, he did so face-first into a puddle. ¡°I think that¡¯s your priest,¡± Bleff said. I walked over to the man and turned him on his back so he wouldn¡¯t drown. He was alive and breathing coarsely. An expression of content was on his face. This place truly was cursed. ¡°Are you the priest, round man?¡± No answer came even after ten seconds passed. I looked for wisdom in the goblin, but Bleff just shrugged. ¡°He won¡¯t do you no good today. It be Morksday today, ya know?¡± a soft voice said, grabbing my attention. A mud-faced child with no shoes appeared next to me. ¡°He drinks his holy wine all day and then he takes a nap, he does. Always ¡®ere at the stairs, our good priest Titus.¡± ¡°A nap? How long will this nap last, child?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the kid said and picked up a small stone from the ground. He proceeded to toss it up and down in his hand. ¡°When it¡¯s dark out he gets up. It¡¯s Morksday, so sometimes he sleeps through the night, too. You know, on Morksday he likes to have a bit more of the holy wine, he does.¡± Just as it finished the words, the child flung the pebble in his hand at Bleff, catching him square on the forehead. It giggled and then sprinted away to hide behind the church. ¡°I will murder you, you little bastard! Come here!¡± Bleff cried out, rubbing his head. ¡°Calm yourself, goblin. Child¡¯s play mustn¡¯t offend you.¡± ¡°So this is what my life will be?¡± Bleff grumbled. ¡°Filthy children flinging rocks at my head. Gah!¡± While the goblin contemplated his miserable fate, I tried to shake the priest awake once more but to no avail. I risked hurting the man if I continued. It was no wonder then that my blood began to boil with frustration. Was everything in this world out to make me miserable? ¡°Shieldfather,¡± Bleff asked. ¡°Are you as angry as I am?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t quantify it like that, but I have a fury in my heart that needs to be unleashed on something worthy of death.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± he said and pointed to the other building. ¡°The priest won¡¯t be of any use to you until tomorrow. Why not go and kill something in a dungeon, huh?¡± ¡°Are there many foes in these dungeons?¡± I asked, my voice sounding more hopeful than I wanted to. ¡°Oh, yes, Shieldfather,¡± Bleff grinned. ¡°More than you can imagine.¡± ¡°Good, Bleff. We will put them all to the blade.¡± Chapter 8: A Most Glorious Party There was little else on my mind aside from bloodshed when I entered the only other large building in Underock. Inside, gathered around a crackling hearth, sat half a dozen men and women arguing in hushed words. That was until they laid eyes on me. The dungeon hub, as Bleff called it, was a decrepit hall filled with dusty trophies sitting on crooked, cobwebbed shelves. My gaze wandered from the people sitting around the fire to the rusty, half-deteriorated weapons in racks of worm-infested wood. A sense of decay permeated the room, but I didn¡¯t want to dwell on it. Everything in Underock seemed at death¡¯s door, be it housing, weapons, roads, or people. The silence was broken by a sudden outburst of deep, coarse laughter. Sitting in a comfortably looking upholstered seat was a man much larger than any I had seen yet. His face was that of a bear and brown fur covered him head to toe, yet his build was that of a man. Leather straps held up his short pants and he had vines and flowers in his bushy black hair. ¡°What in the name of Vildegard the Green is this thing?¡± he said, pointing at me. The others around the bear-man gave me curious, but careful looks and didn¡¯t join in on the laughter. All except one, a tall, slender creature cast in tight black leather. A thin red scarf covered most of its face, leaving only two seething orange eyes staring back at me. The few visible patches of skin had a sickly blue-white hue to them as if rotting while the creature still walked. My patience was at an end, and I had no intention to exchange insults once more. I walked up to the bear-man as the others looked on, grabbed him by the throat, and then threatened to sink my blade into his mouth. He grabbed onto my arm with both hands, trying to stall the well-deserved iron dinner, and though his arms seemed thick with muscle, his strength was that of a child¡¯s. I saw the rotten, leather-bound creature move to stop me. I leaned the tip of the sword against the bear-man¡¯s mouth as a warning. ¡°Stand back, corpse. Do you not see my sword tickling your friend¡¯s lips?¡± I said and it did, but not before it giggled again like some demented demon. ¡°I¡¯ve fed steel to men for lesser offenses, creature. Why do you disrespect a complete stranger? What is wrong with you?¡± The rotten man from what I gathered, somehow slid to the right of me so quickly I had barely noticed it. His hand landed on the hilt of my sword, and his elbow lodged itself into my ribs. The strike did little to curb my boiling blood. I took hold of his forearm and sunk the hilt of my sword into his shoulder. He winced in pain and dropped to a knee. A moment later, another jumped at my back, trying to restrain me. Strong hands this time. They slid under my armpits trying for a chokehold. A pathetic attempt, truly, for I had wrestled Varian since childhood. Before he could even try and incapacitate me, I swung him over my shoulder and into the bear-man¡¯s lap. The furry offender yelped, curling up and grabbing onto his fruits. Only then had I seen the creature who tried to mount me from the back. A short, stocky man with a rich red beard and grey eyes. The room suddenly brightened before a warmth spread all over my back. It felt nice, but I had little time to enjoy it. As I turned, I saw a lizard-faced woman with a branch for a staff incanting spells. ¡°It did nothing!¡± she cried, righteous fear spreading across her face. I had no time to bask in her misery for the rotting man tackled me. Even so, I did not lose ground but stood firmly in place. The bear-man, and the short, bearded creature each grabbed hold of one of my mighty arms and it took all my strength to barely resist their attempt to bring me down. ¡°Enough, you idiots!¡± Bleff yelled, his voice croaky and weak, ignored by everyone present. ¡°He¡¯s a tank! He¡¯s a fucking tank!¡± With those words, all commotion suddenly stopped. The rotting man let go of my hip, and so did the bear-man. Only the red-bearded fellow still hung, legs flailing, on my sword arm. I shook him off and he dropped to the floor with a thud. Suddenly the bear-man jumped from his seat and grabbed onto my leg, looking up at me with the most miserable expression. ¡°I beg for your forgiveness! For the love of Vildegard, take me with you. I¡¯m a healer! The only one in the hub!¡± ¡°And a shit one at that,¡± the rotting man said. ¡°However, you will need a good rogue and there¡¯s no greater rogue than a Duskar. I will come with you, yes.¡± ¡°Such a handsome man,¡± the lizard lady, said curling her hands around my biceps. Her forked tongue slid in and out as if readying to lick my flesh. ¡°So much muscle and power and tankiness, hmm¡­ If only you had a capable sorceress in your group.¡± Their sudden shift in demeanor was insane at best and demonic at worst. Bleff¡¯s words were like a spell that changed the hearts of everyone present. ¡°It is, of course, a shame you fools have dirtied what little honor you had,¡± said a man stepping into the light from the shadows of the far-right corner. He hadn¡¯t partaken in the short, unsatisfying brawl and seemed righteous about it. ¡°Keldar Brightstar,¡± he said with a courteous bow. There was an air of nobility about the man despite his deteriorating tunic and splinter-ridden two-handed mace. He combed back a strand of his long white hair as he swung the clumsy weapon demonstratively. ¡°Paladin of the Order of the Sparrow, protector of the weak and desolate. Glad to meet you, mighty tank.¡± ¡°My name is Shieldfather,¡± I said. I did not know what a tank was and yet the word had caused these witless apes to shower me with respect. ¡°Shieldfather,¡± the paladin repeated. ¡°How marvelous!¡± ¡°Indeed it is,¡± I agreed. ¡°Stop sucking up to the giant, Keldar. Yer fucking useless in a dungeon!¡± the red-bearded short man said as he picked himself up from the floor and dusted himself off. ¡°The name is Ramdun of Khaz¡¯ Moob. I¡¯m a proper dwarf warrior. Strong as te mountain, me friend. Ye need me in a dungeon¡ª¡± ¡°To steal your loot and get you killed,¡± the only other woman beside the lizard one said. She wore a long, dirty red robe and her hair was a mess of fiery orange just like her eyes. I had my reservations about her, truth be told. She reminded me of the fire witches at the Steel Bastion, yet she hardly radiated power close to those hated demons. ¡°What you need is fire, my friend,¡± she said, approaching me. ¡°Yer only good for burning yer own, you demon!¡± the dwarf cried. ¡°Are you a demon?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course not!¡± she claimed. ¡°My name is Kindra Van Groer and I burn demon and non-demon alike, bronze man. The fires don¡¯t choose.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Fire can hardly kill a demon, woman,¡± I said. Her ignorance, though disturbing, alleviated thoughts of demonic trickery. For now. ¡°Is that so? Are you a demon then?¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± ¡°Has the lizard¡¯s fire spell done any damage to you? I don¡¯t see any burn marks.¡± ¡°A Varian is born of the flame so he might fight fire with fire.¡± ¡°Born of fire!¡± she gasped and her eyes widened. ¡°Why, you are one of a kind.¡± The woman took a step toward me, holding her hands out as if to hug me. ¡°Piss off!¡± the lizard lady hissed, still holding onto my perfectly formed biceps as she saw the red lady approach. She didn¡¯t heed her colleague''s warning, but instead took my face into her hands, piercing me with her seething orange eyes. ¡°You truly are of the flame,¡± she muttered, and I grinned. ¡°I must have you.¡± ¡°Many wish it so,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, he¡¯s takin¡¯ the women. It¡¯s always the same with these damned tanks,¡± the dwarf said and fell back onto a chair, seemingly defeated. ¡°All ye have to do is lift up yer skirt and the tanks stick to ye like flies on dung.¡± ¡°I will incinerate you, dwarf,¡± the red lady hissed and let go of my face. The lizard lady still stuck to me, however, and soon the paladin Keldar did too, appreciating my other biceps. The bear-man was still groveling at my legs, whispering sweet words of praise. This was good. This was normal. Perhaps this world wasn¡¯t as strange as I thought. It took only a day and a night for the people of this land to learn their place in my presence. But despite this surprising moment of unbridled appreciation, my heart still ached for the only thing that brought a Shieldfather true clarity: war. ¡°Bleff,¡± I said, turning toward the goblin and almost knocking over my admirers. ¡°I have many questions. But more than answers, I seek bloodshed. What do we do from here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a tank, Shieldfather. You¡¯re supposed to take the brunt of the damage in dungeons, you know? That¡¯s why all these idiots here are falling head over heels to suck up to you.¡± I thought on this for a short moment and nodded, satisfied with my conclusion. ¡°There is no harm in appreciating me, goblin. It is well-deserved.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for almost a week,¡± the bear-man at my feet said. ¡°Not a single tank. That damned dwarf over there could have been a tank but he refuses.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like gettin¡¯ hit on the head!¡± Ramdun protested. ¡°That¡¯s the only thing your head¡¯s good for!¡± The red lady said. ¡°You have been here for a week waiting on a tank?¡± Bleff asked, his voice quivering. ¡°Yes!¡± The druid said as if proud of it. ¡°We can¡¯t enter the next zone until we get to level six and the king and his lackeys have been hunting down adventurers left and right so we can¡¯t really risk hunting in the woods.¡± ¡°Why would the king hunt us down?¡± Bleff inquired. ¡°Because he can,¡± the duskar said in his raspy voice. ¡°That is no explanation, corpse-man.¡± I said hating to hear empty words strung as insults rather than answers. ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t got any better.¡± Seeing no true answer came, Bleff addressed me pulling on my fingers. ¡°We must choose three, no more, no less, and we can go find the entrance to the dungeon. It¡¯s posted right outside the hub on the message board.¡± ¡°And who says you¡¯re going, goblin?¡± The rotting man said. ¡°Eat shit, duskar! You don¡¯t get to decide in any case,¡± Bleff shot back then slid behind a wooden beam and poked his ugly face out. ¡°Right, Shieldfather?¡± ¡°Rightly so.¡± I gave the rogue a flat stare and he grunted, looking away. ¡°The goblin is with me. Where I go, he goes.¡± Bleff¡¯s face lit up at those words. ¡°I suggest you take the healer,¡± Bleff said and I nodded. The bear-man shot up to his feet and dusted himself off. ¡°Tamban Bambadan will keep you healthy!¡± He said excitedly. ¡°And the red lady. We¡¯ll probably need a good caster with us.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said, not truly capable of grasping his words. Yet I found it wise not to portray complete ignorance. It didn¡¯t matter in the end, anyway. I would slaughter whatever came my way in this dungeon of theirs with or without their help. ¡°And lastly,¡± Bleff began. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you pick someone, Shieldfather?¡± ¡°You need a rogue,¡± the rotting man said as if commanding me. I knew of their classes from books, and it was true a rogue could serve one well, but only if he turned out to be honorable which was rarely the case. ¡°You want me, don¡¯t you,¡± the lizard lady said, licking her lips. ¡°I do, but not for war.¡± She suddenly let go of my arm, hissing. The fire from the hearth made her green-white skin glisten like a demon in light of the Steel Bastion. I pushed the image away. ¡°Then the only one who showed some sense of honor, Keldar, you¡¯re coming with us, mighty paladin.¡± Keldar offered me a wide toothy smile of appreciation. ¡°I will serve you well, Shieldfather,¡± he proclaimed and I nodded at him, lowering my hand on his shoulder. ¡°I trust in your word, paladin. Do not let me down.¡± ¡°Never!¡± ¡°Well, fuck,¡± the duskar said and slid into a chair next to the dwarf, then pulled out a dagger from his back and stabbed the wooden armchair in frustration. ¡°I hope the rats end you all,¡± he added as Bleff and the others led me outside. ¡°Your words are poison, corpse,¡± I said, turning back to him. ¡°You should be lucky I¡¯ve left you breathing.¡± ¡°Duskar don¡¯t breathe,¡± he said before Keldar closed the door behind us. I could hear the lizard lady and the dwarf argue as Bleff brought me before the message board. There was a single notice there and below it an empty square. ¡°Put your hand there and apply for the dungeon quest, Shieldfather.¡± I did as told and new words found their way into my Soulforge. Do you wish to form a dungeon group with: Bleff Deadsoon, goblin Hierophant Tamban Bambadan, feralen Druid Kindra Van Groer, human Red Wizard Keldar Brightstar, human Paladin [YES] [NO] As soon as I accepted, the notice above the square on the message board lit up and another string of words assaulted my vision, DUNGEON QUEST: Underock Underground DESCRIPTION: Something beneath Underock has been stealing grain from the Underockians. Find the entrance to Underock''s underground and investigate. REWARD: 200 XP DO YOU ACCEPT? [YES] [NO] I accepted once more then swiped at Bleff¡¯s head instinctively. The goblin ducked and leaped away, then met my gaze with an insulted expression. ¡°There is strange magic at hand, Bleff.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just our health bars, Shieldfather. We¡¯re in a group so everyone can see each other¡¯s health.¡± I grunted softly in confirmation. I had never known the health of my Shieldsons for it did not matter. Whether they had a thousand points or one, they would stand and fight unmoving. ¡°The entrance is in the church cellar,¡± Keldar said. ¡°We have tried to group up without a tank but failed to even get through the first room. Good men left their lives down there.¡± ¡°There will be ample room to take your revenge on those foul creatures who hide in the darkness and kill honorable men.¡± ¡°Yes, Shieldfather, yes!¡± Keldar said enthusiastically. I liked the man. He was eager for war, but polite and civilized in speech. If he weren¡¯t born a human weakling, he¡¯d make a good Shieldson. ¡°I¡¯ll stay behind, you know. For the buffs and all,¡± Bleff said. And yet my first companion in this world was the very opposite. Alas, war beckoned me and I was unperturbed by Bleff¡¯s unwavering cowardice. We had to carefully step over the sleeping priest, then we walked over to the small flight of stairs leading into the Church of Kold. I wished not to look at the insides of this place in fear of offending my God, so I chose to close my eyes and told Bleff to guide me. ¡°What? Why?¡± the goblin protested. ¡°I wish not to see this world insult my God. Though you call this decrepit pigsty a church, it is not worthy of Kold. Lead me to the basement so I do not sin.¡± Just as I spoke those words, my sandaled foot caught into a broken tile and I opened my eyes as I felt myself falling forward. The bear-man caught me with some effort and I straightened and looked around, after all. ¡°Forgive me, Lord,¡± I muttered, laying my eyes on the insides of the building. It wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought it would be, for despite its outer appearance, the church was well-maintained and clean. The runes of Kold and the other gods graced the walls and ceiling, and images of the Shattering sat high above the altar. I felt my heart skip, seeing Ra¡¯een in eternal combat with his brother the Angel Arbiter depicted with great craftsmanship across the entirety of the far wall. I stood speechless there for a moment as rage and disappointment grasped at my heart. ¡°Why, Lord? Why all this?¡± I asked to the mostly empty church, my thunderous voice bouncing against the walls and low benches. ¡°Are you a man of the gods, Shieldfather?¡± Keldar asked after a long moment of silence. ¡°I am the shield of Ra¡¯een, Keldar. I am his will and yet I am here in this world, wandering aimlessly.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re here, it¡¯s the will of the Gods.¡± ¡°Your words echo those of the Steelspeakers.¡± ¡°Wise men, I wager.¡± I snorted into a laugh. ¡°Yes, Keldar. Wise men.¡± I noticed Bleff rolling his eyes at our brotherly exchange. I scoffed at the goblin. What did he know of the gods, honor, and war? He was a coward. Perhaps a loyal one, but a coward no less. ¡°This way, man of the Gods,¡± the red wizard said. I noticed her sweating quite a bit. She looked nervous, or possibly just eager. The fire in her veins made her skin almost pulsate. I looked to Keldar and he nodded so we took to a tight side corridor and down a flight of stairs. I shuddered as the temperature dropped further. It took a lot of restraint not to shake among my newfound warband. We came upon a small room filled with empty and broken jars, torn burlap sacks, and broken wooden crates. The stench was that of rotting food and foulness found in demon tides ripe with Blisterflingers and their rolling balls of foulflesh. Either that or Bleff¡¯s breath. A cellar door was cracked open to the right side of a crooked empty shelf. ¡°Here,¡± Keldar said, prying the doors open wide. More words appeared before me. DO YOU WISH TO ENTER: Underock Catacombs? [YES] [NO] Chapter 9: A Most Unfortunate Development I felt a great conflict stir in my heart as we delved deeper. The path laid out for me by the will of Kold brought me back underground where I belonged. I felt great comfort knowing I was a few steps closer to home, to hell, and the Steel Bastion, but it came with a price I was barely willing to pay. I was cold to the point where my limbs stiffened. What great irony the universe had brought upon me as if I was a mere tool for the entertainment of their vast cosmic powers? Yet, I would not utter a word for I was Shieldfather and it was not becoming for one such as me to moan cold feet. Or arms. I¡¯d rather have my heart pierced by a garg wasp. ¡°I can¡¯t see shit,¡± Bleff uttered for he had no such honorable boundaries. I could see just fine in the darkness, though. The cellar was small, stuffed with old furniture, broken wooden benches, and barrels covered in thick layers of dust interconnected by cobwebs. Our path was clear, for there was a great hole in the far stone wall that led deeper into the bosom beneath Underock. A circle of rugged rock and soil oozed darkness like giants behind their mammoth screamers. If only I wasn¡¯t so cold, I pondered and as if hearing my thoughts, Kindra Van Groer, the slick-tongued wizard flicked her wrists and conjured a small flame in her palm. It quickly grew to the size of a fist, burning lustrously and warm. The ball of fire then floated up on its own, circling the wizard. ¡°Here, goblin, now you can see. And that¡¯s why you always need to bring a red wizard to the¡ªouch!¡± To my great shame, I instinctively reached for the flame in a childish attempt to warm my freezing soul. In doing so, my great bronze hand struck Kindra Van Groer accidentally across the face. Keldar, Tamban, and Bleff found themselves stunned as the wizard rubbed her reddening cheek. ¡°The fire sheds warmth,¡± I blurted out for no words of wisdom could follow acts of such stupidity. ¡°You slapped me! You big, ugly barbarian son of a¡ªYou want a fight? You¡¯ll get one!¡± She raised her hands as strings of fire twisted up her forearms and around her fists, lighting up the cellar in yellow and orange. The dust on the old wooden garbage was blown away and the cobwebs melted. She pressed her fists together and suddenly a gust of fire engulfed me, warming and caressing my body. DAMAGE OVER TIME SPELL DETECTED: [INCINERATE] [DESCRIPTION]: Suffer 1 point of fire damage every second for 15 seconds. NOTE: The effect of [Incinerate] has been reduced by 60%. I shuddered in the pleasure the spell brought me then looked at the wizard. She seemed dumbfounded by my reaction. The bronze of my body had acquired a soft red hue, and small fires broke out from my skin here and there like flames across a stream of magma. The cold was gone, now only shame lingered. ¡°You like that, copper man?¡± ¡°I think he does,¡± Bleff replied with a big fat grin on his ugly face. The admiration in his tone was very welcome. ¡°That does not give him or anyone the right to strike a lady, especially a noble lady such as Kindra Van Groer. I thought you a man of honor, Shieldfather!¡± Keldar Brightstar, the paladin said. Tamban Bambadan ran his fingers through his dirty, vine-infested hair and grinned showing his fangs, but spoke no words. I was caught between immeasurable shame and unfathomable pleasure. ¡°I feel great shame,¡± I said, bowing my head slightly. ¡°I have known nothing but cold since I arrived in this world. The warmth of your fires has stoked my will to live once again. I did not want to strike you, and I offer you strike me in return.¡± Van Groer looked around angrily, obviously trying to come to terms with my apology and the entailing offer. ¡°I just did,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re literally on fire.¡± ¡°Hmm, yes.¡± ¡°And you¡­you¡¯re enjoying it?¡± ¡°With great shame, yes.¡± ¡°Want me to do it again?¡± There was a hint of excitement in her words. ¡°Please, if you don¡¯t mind. The timer is about to end.¡± ¡°I could hit you with a fireball, too, you know.¡± A devilish grin spread across her dark-skinned face. ¡°Alright, I see where this is going, and for the sake of the rest of us, just stop,¡± Bleff said with a surprisingly commanding tone. ¡°Stay out of it, goblin,¡± Kindra snapped. ¡°The man enjoys my fires. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not intrigued. What did you say before? Born of the flame?¡± Bleff moaned and rolled his eyes but refrained from saying more. ¡°One more time then?¡± I nodded and the wizard¡¯s eyes lit up again as she recast her spell and lit me on fire once more. ¡°This will do,¡± I said. ¡°And there¡¯s more once we finish this thing,¡± she added with an exaggerated wink. I truly hoped there would be. Though Bleff¡¯s buffs were of great use, they faded in comparison to the comfort Kindra¡¯s fires brought me. Perhaps she would prove a greater ally than I had anticipated. ¡°Shall we bring upon buffs before we venture further?¡± Keldar asked and we all agreed that this would be wise. Bleff increased our health stats with his [Word of Vitality] and Keldar activated an ability called [Aura of Fervor] that increased both our attack and movement speed. As we moved towards the hole in the wall, the paladin stopped us one more time urging me to let him go in first for he had a spell called [Detect Evil] and claimed it prudent to use it ahead. ¡°Prudent indeed,¡± I said and Kedlar walked through the hole ahead of me. He cast his spell and then stood there for a moment before we continued. ¡°I sense evil,¡± he said grimly. ¡°So do I,¡± I said though not because of the spell but rather because I had never not sensed it. ¡°It¡¯s just rats, you dimwit,¡± Kindra said. ¡°I¡¯ve been here before.¡± ¡°They are all creatures of the wild,¡± Tamban Bambadan said as he lumbered behind dirtying his fur against the walls. ¡°The stupidity,¡± Kindra said exhausted. ¡°Rats,¡± I muttered to myself as we entered a larger underground chamber in which I could stretch to my full height. At the far end, there was another large hole, though numerous smaller holes pocked the dirt in all directions. I had seen, battled, and destroyed countless giggl-erats, drum-rats, and the notorious fart-rats and imagined these creatures might be similar. As I rummaged through memory with both glee and sadness, I heard a faint rattling coming from caves and caverns probably connected to the one we were in. Bleff grabbed onto me with one hand and to a root protruding out the dirt walls with the other. YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED A MONSTER NAME: RAT ATTACK: 2 DEFENSE: 0 ¡°Protect me,¡± he said as his voice croaked.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A great skittering then echoed from all sides. Hundreds of tiny legs grabbing forward, squeaking, chattering, and promising a dreadful time. ¡°Have fate in me, goblin,¡± I said. ¡°No harm shall come to you.¡± But Bleff wasn¡¯t alone in his frightfulness, I noticed Keldar¡¯s hands tremble around the handle of his splintered mace. I lowered a hand on his shoulder and he twitched nervously. ¡°You too, Keldar,¡± I said and pushed past him, readying my shield and sword. ¡°The rats take no man today. That I promise and for each one you destroy, I, Shieldfather shall take two.¡± ¡°What the hell is he on about?¡± Kindra said in her ignorance. There was no time to explain to her the origins of those holy words with which each Tide began nor did I deem her worthy. Yet. And then the swarm came. It was a great flood of greyish little vermin that spilled out of every hole and crevasse of the dirt cavern. Their anger was as tangible as the smell they carried with them. These were no giggle-rats, not even half their size, but they came in vast numbers and unlike the crabs on the beach, these creatures were aggressive, angry, and squeaking with madness. I rushed forward with a mind to gather the rat¡¯s attention, and it worked. They came at me quickly, biting and scratching their way up my legs. I soon realized defending against such small critters was more difficult than I hoped for. My shield proved of little use against them. Even so, I slashed and hacked my way through the vermin with my new tiny sword, spilling diseased blood against the earthen walls. ¡°Argh! Heal!¡± I heard Keldar yell behind me. A great deluge of rats came streaming on top of him from holes in the ceiling. The paladin was almost entirely covered in a coat of dirty grey fur. Tamban weaved his hands into a spell of greenish light that engulfed the paladin with healing energies but it did little to help him get rid of the beasts. I hacked through two rats in one swing, then smashed my shield into a third. I quickly dashed back closer to my group, taunted two of the rats from Keldar and still left half a dozen more biting and scratching the paladin¡¯s neck, arms, and legs. ¡°Heal me!¡± he cried again and the druid did his best to do so, but he too was now cornered by another group and had to fend off the vermin with his free hand. Our formation was not a formation, our defenses were shattered, and no man was safe. ¡°Don¡¯t do it Kindra!¡± I heard Bleff cry out over the clamor of battle. He was hiding behind the wizard who was building up a great ball of fire in both her hands. This one was far larger than anything she had used so far, and it promised to be of great use. She slung the fireball at the paladin and it flung him off his legs and tossed him against one of the walls. Smaller shards of flame spread in all directions incinerating both the rats and the party members. It was suddenly very bright and comfortably crisp. Burning rats skittered every which way, squealing in panic and lighting up other rats while doing so. Dust and rocks came falling off the ceiling and the whole chamber threatened to crash on top of us. None of my abilities had any use when it came to the rats. Using my [Triple Block], I managed to stop one nasty rat from jumping me, letting the tiny demon bounce off my shield harmlessly, but that was it. I managed to pry away as many as I could from Kindra and Tamban as the druid maintained my health, but it was just burning, screaming mayhem. When the last rat fell, my health was already down to 110 / 200. I didn¡¯t worry for I had a healer and was sure it wouldn¡¯t harm our progress. I felt blood trickle down several bite and scratch marks and when I eyed the others, I saw they shared a similar look. I grinned, for I cherished the look of a warband after battle. There was no sweeter image than a bloodied warrior standing triumphantly over his enemy. ¡°Keldar¡¯s dead,¡± Tamban said kneeling next to the burnt body of the paladin. ¡°What the hell!¡± Bleff roared. ¡°Kindra! Why? You killed him!¡± I nodded solemnly, eyeing the corpse. ¡°A great death, surely,¡± I said, cutting through the accusation. The demise of a fellow warrior was no cause for bickering. Shameful were these creatures I called companions, but their disrespect would not sway me from the path of a Shieldfather. ¡°Say what?¡± Bleff cried, pointing a finger at the source of his anger. ¡°It is a warrior¡¯s death, no less.¡± I knelt next to Keldar, picked up his mace, and lowered it in his lap, then folded his hands over the grip. Next, I stood and made the mark of the Steel Bastion, holding my fist into a blade touching my forehead and my heart. ¡°Back to the Frostlands with you, old boy. You have done well.¡± ¡°You!¡± Bleff yelled again, pointing at Kindra. ¡°You hit him with a fireball! I told you not to!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t heal through that,¡± Tamban said, shaking his head, but then he shrugged, dusted off his fur, and smiled again as if nothing had happened. ¡°He would have died anyway,¡± Kindra said coldly. ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t!¡± Bleff exclaimed. ¡°Will you shut up, goblin? What were you doing the entire fight?¡± Kindra barked at the smelly green creature. ¡°You just hid behind me!¡± ¡°Bleff isn¡¯t that useful. Such is he,¡± I said calmly. ¡°And Keldar¡¯s death is nobody¡¯s fault but the rats¡¯, may they rot and wither.¡± ¡°How can you say that? You saw her hit him¡ª¡± ¡°I saw the chaos of battle, the imminence of death, the fear of pain, and great cowardice on your part. Keldar died fighting. We should be happy for him.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts, Bleff. Look to your shortcomings first.¡± The goblin opened his mouth to say something else, but then just grimaced and snorted. Soon tears followed and deservedly so. I was not glad Kindra helped kill Keldar, but at least she did something rather than nothing. In a battle, one had to make decisions and make them fast, but most importantly, one had to stick to them. Kindra had made one such decision, one of us died, but the others survived for it. It was a good trade. I would not mouth any of those thoughts to the others for words could not teach them battle. I did as my good friend Godfrey had taught me and looted the many rats strewn across the chamber. The first dozen offered nothing but burned fur, broken teeth, and crisp intestines which I stuffed into my lootbox nevertheless. I was hoping that perhaps, just like with the crab parts, I could sell these useless bits for some silver for I knew coin was a most powerful tool in the overworld. ¡°Onwards!¡± I commanded once everyone had grabbed their share, and we pushed through the following dirt tunnel with Kindra and Tamban right behind me as Bleff shook and cowered behind them. We arrived at the next chamber soon, this one larger in every way than the previous one. Even Kindra¡¯s flame could barely shed enough light for it to reach the hole-ridden walls. My red eyes pierced through the darkness and I barely made out a great chasm that split the chamber in two. A long bridge connected both sides, and it looked as if it was barely holding together. ¡°Are rats builders?¡± I asked for it made no sense to my mind that those vermin may have created the bridge. ¡°No,¡± Kindra said. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what this is supposed to be. I¡¯ve never gone past the first chamber.¡± ¡°Bleff, cross the bridge,¡± I ordered and the goblin gasped as if slapped across the face. ¡°W¡ªwhat?¡± ¡°You weigh the least. If it can¡¯t support you, there is no point in us trying.¡± ¡°Wise,¡± Tamban said and pushed the goblin ahead. ¡°What? Wait! Why me?¡± I grunted, exhausted by his reluctance to prove himself worthy at least once. Instead of answering, I grabbed him by his robe and shoved him ahead. ¡°Go!¡± I ordered as sternly as I¡¯d order a Shieldson to give his life for the Bastion. Bleff was shaking like a wet dog, his hairy green legs threatening to give in. Just as I was to push him again, the ground in front of the goblin suddenly opened up and out came a rat as large as Bleff himself. I flung the goblin to the side and he skidded along the ground until he landed several feet away, then raised my shield and licked my lips. ¡°Travelers!¡± the rat said, taking us all by surprise. I took a step back, lowered my sword against the edge of my shield, and focused on the death I would soon have to teach. ¡°Now, why look at you!¡± the rat, said grinning and squeaking. Ugly bone trinkets, and beads hung from its skinny arms and neck. In its left hand, it grabbed a crooked piece of wood that could almost be called a staff. ¡°Words will not save you from death, rat,¡± I said confidently. ¡°Words, yes. But not for me, for you! Answer my riddle and I will let you pass. Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Riddles? Only Steelspeakers and demons dabble in riddles, rat. And you don¡¯t strike me as a Steelspeaker.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kindra asked from behind me. The goblin-sized rat chittered strangely and then slapped its hands together. ¡°Tell me, barbarian, what gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?¡± it asked with a self-satisfied smirk that made my blood boil. ¡°Your mother¡¯s twat!¡± I roared and surged forward, aiming my sword at its chest. ¡°Wait, you idiot!¡± I heard Kindra yell, but her insults became a background to what I did best: sow death upon the enemy. ¡°Wrong!¡± the rat laughed and just as the tip of my blade was about to plunge into its heart, the rat vanished back into its hole. The sound of rattling chains filled the cavern. Something came loose, and a massive rock suddenly swung from one side of the chamber only to crash into the other. Bleff gasped again, Kindra cursed me, and Tamban¡­well, Tamban was splattered against the wall by that very same rock. It was a most unfortunate development. I watched as the bolder swung back and forth a few more times. Bits and pieces of the druid still hanging on to the bloodied boulder until it stopped swinging between Kindra and myself. Tamban¡¯s blood pooled beneath it. ¡°You moron!¡± Kindra said rubbing her forehead. ¡°You stupid, pig-brained¡ª¡± ¡°A warrior¡¯s death,¡± I said, stopping her not only because Tamban had lost his life in battle and was owed respect, but also because I felt her insults were pushing me over the edge of my goodwill. ¡°Back to the Frostlands, old boy,¡± I said, tapping the boulder. Not every death could be as glorious as that of Keldar the paladin, but even so, Tamban¡¯s demise counted as a warrior¡¯s death for he was at war when it happened. Sort of. ¡°You¡¯re not made for talking, are you? You just cost us a healer.¡± ¡°Oh! Gods! We¡¯re all going to die,¡± Bleff muttered between gasps and cries. ¡°Shut up, Bleff,¡± Both Kindra and I said in unison. ¡°You said no man would be lost to the rats, and we already lost two!¡± the goblin yelled back and then cowered as if awaiting my wrath. It did not come for there was at least some truth to his words. The sting of guilt had suddenly found me and I did my best to do away with it. Guilt was a great enemy, especially to a Shieldfather. For we made promises of survival when we knew there would be death, for we lived to protect, and yet sometimes our defenses were breached. We were taught that such was the burden of command, that such was life in Oomer¡¯s Cohort, that in the end such was hell, and that in hell guilt could chip away even at the strongest armor. ¡°Forgive me, Bleff. Forgive me, Kindra. Such is¡­this world that some die and some live,¡± I finally said because forgiveness was the first step toward shedding guilt. ¡°Whatever. We can¡¯t finish this without a healer,¡± Kindra said. ¡°We better get back and look for a replacement.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I give no quarter to the enemy. I do not retreat. I do not yield.¡± ¡°Well, I do,¡± the wizard said. ¡°I¡¯d like to yield and give quarter and all that very much so,¡± Bleff muttered. ¡°Bleff can heal¡ª¡± ¡°I can barely recover ten hit points per spell!¡± he squealed in the most desperate tone. ¡°You, wizard, can still burn swarms of enemies, and I will take the front. We will bring the rats to justice. For Tamban, for Keldar!¡± ¡°Oh, fuck!¡± the goblin cried out. I thought my words of inspiration had somehow offended him, but I soon realized the reason for his foul words. ¡°The exit tunnel has caved in!¡± ¡°Firda, Mother of Fire, I¡¯m trapped with you idiots in here!¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said, eyeing the bridge. ¡°See, even the gods are not amused by your cowardice. Onwards.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± Bleff yelped, falling to his knees and raising his hands to the ceiling as if waiting for an answer. ¡°The bridge,¡± I said, ignoring him. ¡°Go, goblin. Take point.¡±